Assignments

Blog posting project

Blog Design

Social Media Networking
Social media applications have become a valuable tool in any modern journalist’s bag of tricks.

Assignment #1 – Obtain accounts
Create an account on the following resources

• Gmail
• YouTube (included with Gmail)
• Twitter
• Delicious
• Facebook
• Flickr

Assignment #2 – Develop a network
Where applicable (such as with Twitter, Facebook and Delicious) follow/befriend/cultivate a network of professionals relevant to journalism, photography, videography, blogging, etc. that could become good sources of information, potential employers or possible colleagues.

You need at least:

• 10 followers on Twitter
• 10 people you’re following on Twitter
• 5 friends on Facebook

While connections with friends and acquaintances are encouraged, remember that these accounts represent your professional side. Your future employer may be looking at your professional accounts. Please conduct yourself using these account with dignity and discretion.

Note: Your safety and anonymity are of extreme importance. It is recommended that you create new accounts for this class instead of using previous personal accounts. While over time you may find these accounts are useful, feel free to abandon them after the class. It is also highly recommended that you do not offer personal information (such as complete name, address, phone number, etc.) through these tools. You may consider using a pseudonym. Please contact your instructor immediately if you encounter anything that may threaten you, your identity, or your security.

Due date
Although students should begin working on this project at the end of the third week, the overall assignment is due at the beginning of the sixth week.

Resources

• How journalists can use Facebook
• Journalists Use Facebook to Find Sources and Promote Stories
• The Journalist’s Guide to Facebook
• Facebook and Professional Networking
• Facebook: What’s In It For Journalists?
• Facebook: Ripe for News Applications?
• Where to Stalk Journalists on Twitter
• How to easily find journalists on Twitter
• TwitterPacks – Public Media
• How We Use Twitter for Journalism
• A selection of the 4K+ journos on Twitter
• The Journalist’s Guide to Twitter
• Everything I Need to Know About Twitter I Learned in J School
• Media People Using Twitter

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News/Resource Gathering

Although you are encouraged to write more, everyone must write at least two unique microblog/social bookmark posts per week, starting the fifth week (twenty total).

Specifically, each microblog must:

• Be posted to your Twitter stream
• Contain the hashtag #imdf09
• Contain your last name and first initial as a hashtag (no spaces)
• Be unique
• Contain a shortened URL back to the original resource

Example:
“Blogging Tips for Beginners http://tinyurl.com/mshkwc #imd09 #wilderm”

Also, for credit each microblogged resource must:

• Be posted to your Delicious account
• Be tagged appropriately and descriptively
• Contain the hashtag #imdf09 as one of the tags
• Contain your first name as a tag (no spaces)
• Be unique

Example:

URL: http://www.problogger.net/archives/2006/02/14/blogging-for-beginners-2/
Title: Blogging Tips for Beginners
Tags: blogging tips howto #imdf09 #michael

Topics:
Resources may be on anything of value to the objectives of the course. Naturally, these resources must exist on the Internet in order to have a URL. Comments, back-channels, observations, reviews, news postings, etc., are encouraged through Twitter and interesting non-class-related bookmarks are also encouraged for your own use…but neither will not count towards this assignment.

Possible resource topics:
• Social media tools
• Blogging resources
• Web design tips
• Google apps instructions
• Citizen journalism videos
• Relevant podcasts

Alternatively, Twitter topics may also be original news notifications. Imagine yourself to be a citizen journalist. Capture as-it-happens events with your cell phone camera or digital camera and post a short report on Twitter. These events must be reported firsthand, not from another source.

Examples:
• Traffic accidents
• Fires
• Celebrity sightings
• Concerts

Originality:
Except for retweets (see below), all gathered news/resources must be unique to the class. This is to say that you only get credit for the news/resource if you are the first person to post it. Anyone posting the resource after it has already been tweeted/bookmarked gets no credit.

How to check if the resource has already been posted:
1. Perform a search for #imd09 in Twitter search.
2. Perform a search for #imd09 in Delicious search.

Retweeting: You may retweet someone else’s resource (not news), but retweets may not constitute more than 25 percent of your posts. A retweet must contain the author’s @twittername and “RT.” You may not retweet a resource from someone else in our class, however, and retweets must still be unique.

Example:
“RT @macloo “Five Key Reasons Why Newspapers Are Failing” http://tinyurl.com/o4j7qd Great article! #imd09″

Timing:
In order to receive credit, each set of weekly resources must be posted before the beginning of the following week. In other words, you can’t write twenty-six posts on the last day of class. They must be spaced out evenly, two per week.

Due date
Although individual tweet sets are due weekly, the news/resource gathering project itself will be completed the week before the last week of the course.

Resources:

• Mashable – The Twitter Guide Book

Videos

• Twitter in Plain English
• Twitter Tutorial – Getting Started
• Twitter Tutorial: Finding People to Follow
• Top Twitter Tools Tutorial
• Twitter Retweet Explained
• Customized Twitter Theme Experience

5 Twitter Desktop Apps

Twitter search sites:
Twitter Search

http://search.twitter.com/

Tweetscan

http://tweetscan.com

Tweetgrid

http://tweetgrid.com

Twitterfall

http://twitterfall.com

Sites that shorten URLs:
Tinyurl.com

http://tinyurl.com/

Snurl.com

http://snurl.com/

Sites that link Twitter to images and video:
Twitpic

http://twitpic.com/

TweetPhoto

http://www.tweetphoto.com/

Pikchur

http://pikchur.com/

Twitgoo

http://twitgoo.com/

yfrog

http://yfrog.com/

Picktor

http://www.picktor.com/

TwitVid.io

http://twitvid.io/

Twiddeo

http://beta.twiddeo.com/

TwitC

http://twitc.com/

TwitLENS

http://twitlens.com/

TweeTube

http://www.tweetube.com/

12seconds

http://12seconds.tv/

TwitVid

http://www.twitvid.com/

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Photo Gallery Project

Using either Flickr, Picasa, Dreamweaver, or Photoshop, create a simple, unique photo gallery accessible on the Web.

Quantity
The photo gallery should contain at least ten to twenty photos.

Quality
Photos should be clear, focused and well-composed. Images that are blurry, too dark or light, poorly cropped, etc., should not be included. Photo retouching and cropping will be covered in class, but poor photos should be reshot or not used.

Subject
Find a highly visual aspect of Las Vegas life that would be interesting and/or informative for the average reader of a regional southern Nevada publication. Imagine yourself offering your photo set to the editor of the local newspaper.

Examples:
• Las Vegas nightlife
• The homeless in Las Vegas
• First Friday
• The Springs Preserve
• Hiking Mt. Charleston
• Grafitti art of Las Vegas

Inappropriate subjects include mundane photos of yourself, your pets, family, friends, etc.

Originality
The subject of your photo gallery should be unique from anyone else in the class. Claim your topic by requesting it as soon as possible. A sign-up sheet will be provided on the class Web site.

Due date
Although the project is due by the end of the eleventh week, students should be preparing well in advance.

Resources

Dreamweaver Photo Album/ Picture Gallery

http://www.entheosweb.com/website_design/web_photo_album.asp

Web Photo Gallery Photoshop Tutorial

http://photoshoptutorials.ws/photoshop-tutorials/layouts/web-photo-gallery.html

Create a Web Photo Gallery With Photoshop

http://graphicssoft.about.com/cs/webgallery/ht/aps5webgallery.htm

10 Questions to Ask When Taking a Digital Photo

http://digital-photography-school.com/10-questions

4 Rules of Composition for Landscape Photography

http://digital-photography-school.com/4-rules-of-composition-for-landscape-photography

5 More Elements of Composition in Photography

http://digital-photography-school.com/5-more-elements-of-composition-in-photography

Remove Clutter from Your Photography

http://digital-photography-school.com/remove-clutter

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YouTube Video Project

Every contemporary journalist should understand the basics of online video production. Produce one short video, upload it to YouTube, and embed it into your portfolio.

Process
Decide upon a subject and plan your production. Script the flow if necessary. Using your own digital video camera, still image camera with video capability, Web cam, or a digital video checked out from UNLV Lied Library Media Services produce a short (two- to three minute) video. If you start and stop the video carefully, you may not need any editing. Simple editing instructions for using iMove (Mac) will be given in class.

When you’re done, upload the final product to your Youtube channel. The embed code will be automatically available from YouTube.

Quality
Videos should be clear, focused and well-composed. Audio should be understandable. Although additional editing is encouraged, titling, lower thirds graphics, music beds, etc., are not necessary.

Subject
Find an interesting and/or informative subject relevant to the topics of the class or that is newsworthy for the average Las Vegas viewer.

Examples:
• An interview with a newsworthy person (not a friend or family member)
• An expose of a Las Vegas phenomena
• A how-to video of something related to the class (blogging, Web design, scial media, etc.)

Inappropriate subjects include mundane clips of yourself, your pets, family, friends, etc.

Originality
The subject of your video should be unique from anyone else in the class. Claim your topic by requesting it as soon as possible. A sign-up sheet will be provided on the class Web site.

Due date
Although the project is due by the end of the twelfth week, students should be preparing well in advance.

Resources

UNLV Media and Computer Services

http://www.library.unlv.edu/media/

Dave Courvosier’s YouTube Channel

http://www.youtube.com/user/Dcourvo

Apple: Find Out How – iMovie Tutorials

http://movies.apple.com/findouthow/movies/

Basic iMovie Tutorials

http://www.design.iastate.edu/LABS/tutorials/imovie/basic.html

iMovie Tutorial – Youtube

iMovie Tutorial: Creating your video using iSight

http://www.scivee.tv/node/78

Youtube: Uploading Videos

http://help.youtube.com/support/youtube/bin/topic.py?hl=en-uk&topic=16560

Google: Getting Started – How to upload

http://www.google.com/support/youtube/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=57924

How to upload a video to YouTube

http://www.webvideozone.com/public/308.cfm

How to Upload Your Videos to Youtube

http://www.ehow.com/how_5307742_upload-videos-youtube.html

YouTube: Getting Started – Embedding videos

http://www.google.com/support/youtube/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=57788

How to Embed a YouTube Video on Your Blog

http://google.about.com/od/googleblogging/ss/embedyoutubesbs.htm

Linking to a YouTube Video

http://www.informit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=1389137

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Basic Podcast Project

Podcasting has become a valuable method of broadcasting news and information. Create a short audio podcast you can use in your portfolio.

Process
Decide upon a subject and plan your production. A script is highly suggested. Using your own computer microphone, Web cam with audio capability, or a computer microphone checked out from UNLV Lied Library Media Services produce a short (two- to three minute) audio file. Simple editing instructions for using Audacity (Mac) will be given in class.

When you’re done, upload the final product to your blog using Podpress.

Quality
Audio should be clear and understandable. Although additional editing is encouraged, lead-ins, music beds, etc., are not necessary.

Subject
Find an interesting and/or informative subject relevant to the topics of the class or that is newsworthy for the average Las Vegas listener.

Examples:
• An interview with a newsworthy person (not a friend or family member)
• An expose of a Las Vegas phenomena
• A how-to podcast of something related to the class (blogging, Web design, scial media, etc.)

Inappropriate subjects include mundane recordings of yourself, your pets, family, friends, etc.

Originality
The subject of your podcast should be unique from anyone else in the class. Claim your topic by requesting it as soon as possible. A sign-up sheet will be provided on the class Web site.

Due date
Although the project is due by the end of the thirteenth week, students should be preparing well in advance.

Resources

UNLV Media and Computer Services

http://www.library.unlv.edu/media/

Audacity

http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

Audacity Help

http://audacity.sourceforge.net/help/

Podpress

http://www.podpress.org/

WordPress & PodPress

http://www.mightyseek.com/podpress

WordPress: What is Podcasting?

http://codex.wordpress.org/Podcasting

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Design Comparisons

Using your knowledge of Web design and accessibility, compare and contrast two news-specific Web sites.

Process

1. Begin by selecting two news-specific Web sites. These sites should be actual news reporting sites with daily regular updates.

Examples:
• CNN

http://www.cnn.com

• The Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/

• The LA Times

http://www.latimes.com/

• The Review Journal

http://www.lvrj.com/

• The Las Vegas Sun

http://www.lasvegassun.com/

• CBS Eye Mobile

http://www.cbseyemobile.com/

• Digital Journal

http://www.digitaljournal.com/

• iReport

http://www.ireport.com/

2. Although not limited to the following list, discuss such issues as:
• Layout
• Use of elements
o Header
o Navigation
o Footer
o Content
• Load time
• Title/Meta
• Usability
• Focus
• Color
• Balance
• White space
• Animation
• Clutter
• Tombstones
• Scrolling
• Eye tracking
• Typography
• Photography
• Captions
• Graphics
• Infographics
• Mousing feedback
• Use of multimedia
• Advertising
• Accessibility
• Community

Don’t just discuss the negative aspects of each site. Also point out what each site does well.

The length of this assignment should be somewhere between 750 and 1000 words.

3. Take screenshots of the entry page of both sites. Resize the images to fit in a standard blog posting and still be legible.

4. Post your comparison/contrast and screenshots in a blog post.

5. When you’re completely finished, announce the title and shortened URL in a Twitter tweet. Don’t forget the class hashtag (#imd09).

Due date
Although the project is due by the end of the eleventh week, students should be preparing well in advance.

Resources

LA Times redesign doesn’t quite click

http://www.ojr.org/ojr/people/TomEditor/200908/1771/

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Professional Journalist Portfolio

Using your knowledge of basic Web development and Web design, create a professional portfolio site from scratch.

Content
Your site should contain at least the following pages:

An introductory page – “about me”
A short paragraph or two identifying yourself, your past professional and educational experiences , and your future endeavors.

Resume
A listing of your academic and employment history. Be sure to identify your career goals and special skills.

Portfolio
This page should link to various writing samples as well as samples of your journalistic multimedia (YouTube videos, podcasts, etc.).

Photo Gallery
A link to the photo gallery created in the “Photo Gallery Project” assignment.

Contacts
Your contacts page should contain a disposable e-mail address (Gmail) as well as links to your Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, YouTube, and Delicious accounts.

Links
A list of resources you find useful as a journalist and interactive media designer.

Navigation
Your navigation structure should contain links to all these pages above as well as a link to your blog.

Planning
Prior to actually building a site in HTML, it is customary to plan and prepare. All stages of production below are to be approved upon completion by the instructor. Class evaluations and sharing will be part of the development process.

1. Hand-sketch a rough design on paper (as demonstrated in class).
2. Next, critically analyze various professional portfolios for tips and inspiration.
3. Build a “comp” in Photoshop.
4. Using your comp, actually build your template layout in Dreamweaver.
5. Duplicate your final layout six times and add content.

Originality
Although the class will be responsible for critically analyzing various sites for inspiration, your layout should ultimately be designed and developed by you. Designs that are copied directly from someone else will represent plagiarism and using someone else’s design will be viewed as academic dishonesty.

Due date
Although the project is due by the end of the fifteenth week, students should be preparing well in advance.

Resources

15 Journalists’ outstanding personal portfolios

http://www.10000words.net/2008/07/15-journalists-outstanding-personal.html

7 Journalists’ well-designed portfolios

http://www.10000words.net/2009/03/7-journalists-beautifully-designed.html

Universty of South Florida Journalism & Media Studies – Student Portfolios

http://www.stpt.usf.edu/journalism/student-portfolios.htm

20 Photojournalists’ fantastic portfolios

http://www.10000words.net/2009/08/20-photojournalists-fantastic.html

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