March 2009
12 posts
3 tags
Why Interactive Matters
By Anthony J. Calabrese
- Updated April 2010
Interactive is more than just a Web 2.0 buzzword heard in failing newsrooms across the country. It is a way of thinking that is vital to the success of the next generation of writers, reporters, producers, and publishers.
On my first day as a student of interactive journalism at American University, I caused quite a stir in my class. During our...
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The Future of Journalism Is Interactive
Imagine that one day, you are watching the news and you felt compelled to yell at the TV. What would you do if the TV shouted back? I would be stunned and surprised. I imagine that newspapers and other print media were shocked when readers started talking back in real-time.
Interactive forms of communication enable and encourage a two-way conversation. Newspapers can only post a small number...
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At Home Among 1's and 0's
In the book Born Digital, the authors John Palfrey and Urs Gasser talk about the differences between generations of tech users. People who were born in the 1980’s and later are dubbed digital natives. The creators of much of the infrastructure that we now depend on are called digital immigrants.
I’m not sure that the divide is so clear-cut for everyone as there are people of all...
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My Story
I straddle the divide between digital native and digital immigrant. I am too old to be a native, but I feel at home among 1’s and 0’s. I must have been hardwired for this because I learned to think “interactive” at an early age.
I attribute this to skateboarding in NYC, writing graffiti, and being a DJ. In all of these art forms, you break the rules and use technology to...
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The New Printing Press
Anyone can make an interactive slideshow with the right tools and a little patience. The audio is a short sample of a track called “I’m New” by Kutiman. This artist produced a derivative work from samples of hundreds of user-generated YouTube videos.
Make slideshow like this in minutes
A streamlined process makes publishing on the web easier than ever.
Find and register for a...
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“Virtually all the predictions about the death of old media have assumed a...”
– - Michael Hirschorn imagines the End Times for print.
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The Fifth Estate?
People like to talk about that gloomy day off in the distant future when newspapers and other forms of traditional media are unable to fulfill their role as the nation’s watchdog. I’ve got news for you… That day has come and gone. It is unfortunate that entertainers now do a better job of asking the tough questions, reporting facts, and speaking truth to power than the press.
...
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The Legacy of Print Lingers Online
The rise of news aggregation sites and online classified pages affects the bottom lines of newspapers and other traditional media companies. A handful of websites are thriving by mimicking the best characteristics of print publications.
The Drudge Report contains very little original content, but it posts breaking news and it features a wide array of news links. This simple site looks like a...
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A Simple and Social Solution
Twitter works so well because the idea behind it is so simple. It asks the user to answer one question: What are you doing. Besides keeping tabs on friends, family, and coworkers Twitter can be used by anyone to report the news.
Far from the worst-case scenario envisioned by Andrew Keen in his book, the Cult of the Amateur, professional news organizations have been scooped by Twitter users who...
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A Penny for Your Thoughts (Or Not)
Would you pay to have your opinion on an important story heard first?
Would you sign up if it were possible to make some money back too?
I’m going there… On second thought, no I’m not…
When I first wrote this last year Twitter had not blown up yet. I realize now how annoying spammy tweets and ads in RSS feeds can be. An open and transparent system for comments is better...
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