Networking for fun and profit

Well, my friends, it's time for our last class. It has been an honor to work with you this semester and you can be certain that this rookie professor learned just as much as he taught. I have thoroughly enjoyed our multimedia explorations, guest speakers and class discussions. You all should be proud of what you accomplished this semester. There were no slackers. Everyone worked hard, wrestling with technology to tell stories in new, exciting ways. Please send me links to your future projects. I know they are going to be great.

By popular demand we'll focus our last class on job hunting. The UNH Journalism program has compiled an excellent list of links. Here are three to get you started:

Top Ten Job-hunting Tips from the UNH Journalism Faculty

Links for job hunters

UNH Alumni Roster

The Alumni Roster will be part of our discussion on networking both in person and online.

There are some amazing tools for professional networking online. The best appears to be LinkedIn.

This page will introduce you to some of the tools LinkedIn offers for job hunters. But the site also offers an array of networking and professional development tools.

Here is an article from Folio magazine that describes how one journalist was discovered and hired through his blog. The reporter, Ryan Sholin, went on to help create Wiredjournalists.com, a professional networking site for online journalists. And, to complete the circle, here is a link to a forum on the site where journalists can seek jobs and news managers can hire.

NECN's Mike Nikitas to visit April 30

Mike Nikitas, a longtime anchor of New England Cable News and a UNH grad, will join us on April 30.

Here's a link to Mike's official bio:

Mike will spend the first hour of class talking about what he does as an anchor; his career path from news director of WUNH to now and the changes that are shaping cable news.

"Not all is bad in my business, as a matter of fact, I take the opposite view," he says.

He also promises a very funny blooper tape.

We'll spend the second hour looking at your video projects and Mike said he can stick around and offer some pointers. I'm also expecting Jane Harrigan and Sandy Marsters to be in attendance.

So get those videos done!

Free video editing software

For those of you who want to use a more sophisticated video editing program than Windows Moviemaker or iMovie you can get a free download of Adobe Premiere. This is the video editing program Don Himsel at Nashua uses. I'm going to download and play around with it a bit to see how it works.

Please view this

As students studying multimedia in New Hampshire you really need to see this Pulitzer Prize winning project done at the Concord Monitor by photographer Preston Gannaway and reporter Chelsea Conaboy.

Remember Me tells the story of Carolynne and Rich St. Pierre, their three children and Carolynne's ultimate death from liver cancer. We may not get to view this in class and I'm not going to quiz you or test you on it. I just recommend it to you as a moving story and a fine piece of journalism.

If we have time ...

... we'll talk about the following Soundslides and videos in class tonight.

The Ninth Floor, Jessica Dimmock

Same project as a still photo gallery

Are EPA coal emission standards strict enough? From the Las Vegas Sun

Dave Wedge, of the Boston Herald, chases a senator up the statehouse stairs

York High School music students speak out

David Hurlburt from WMUR visit confirmed

David Hurlburt, WMUR Executive Producer, coordinates the crossover between on air coverage and coverage on the web. He'll visit our April 16 class to discuss how web publishing is impacting how broadcasters do their jobs and the changes broadcast newsrooms have made to their workflow.

A relatively new, WMUR afternoon web-only broadcast just came to my attention yesterday. Click here to check it out. It's very good.

Here's what David has to say about it:

"The web reports kind of just happen now that we've been doing them for a while.
The show producer from the noon breaks down the stories that were in our noon newscast... we look through it quick, then tape it right after the noon and link it up.

"We do the same with weather 3 times a day... new updates go on right after Daybreak, After noon and after 6pm.

"We also will update weather more frequently if something serious is going on. We also do web update whips on breaking news if it's significant and offer that on the web as well."

Notes for class of April 16

By now you should be working on your final video project. I'll be looking for an update when we meet for conferences Tuesday and Wednesday.

There are some really good blogs focused on shooting news videos for the web. Here are a couple of blog posts that may help you focus.

The following tips were posted by Colin Mulvany of the The Spokesman-Review.

Speed up the pacing.

Define your story — in the first 20 seconds.

Start it with a very strong visual.

Start it with natural sound.

Stop zooming and panning already! What are you, 12 years old?

Use a wireless microphone.

In and out, in and out: Mix natural sound in with narration.

Be diligent in the fight against wind noise.

Shoot creatively.

Edit to include surprises.

Leave the viewer feeling fulfilled.

Here is a link to Mulvany's complete post. As someone guilty of panning in my first video I got a particular kick out of this observation:

"There is too much zooming and panning going on out their in newspaper videoland. Stop. All that zooming and swishing is making me seasick. Say after me: “Wide, medium and tight, wide, medium and tight.” Remember to hold each shot of at least ten seconds. Zoom with your feet, not your finger. If you shoot sequences correctly, you won’t need to use a zoom or a pan. Only occasionally will a zoom or pan be effective. Use it sparingly."

Check out some of the blogs linked on Mulvany's site under the "Blogroll." You'll find the thoughts of some of the best and brightest there.

Here's an article by Regina McCombs from Online Journalism Review: Shooting Web video: How to put your readers at the scene

If you want to get inspired by some top quality video checkout the Media Storm website.

See you at conference.

Multimedia tips from Don Himsel

Here are some multimedia tips and guidelines from the Nashua Telegraph that Don will reference when he visits Wednesday.

The SMG Press: A video

Here is my first attempt at video. I offer it as proof that no matter how much success you've had as a print journalist your first video is going to be pretty rough. Don't worry. Remember the first story you ever wrote? Has your writing greatly improved since then? Video is no different. The only way to get better is to do it over and over again. Do the best you can and remember that Don Himsel from the Nashua Telegraph will be in next week with a truckload of helpful advice.

This video is posted with a YouTube embed code. The video is 22MB and took about 10 minutes to upload.

I look forward to seeing your work tomorrow.

Win Howard Altschiller's money!

Win Howard Altschiller’s money!

OK. Don Himsel has a conflict this Wednesday so here is what we are going to do.

Announcing the first and only last-minute Natalie Jacobson video contest.

You all shot footage of Natalie during her visit last week. Between now and Wednesday let’s see who can edit AND POST TO THEIR BLOG the most compelling short news video based on Natalie’s visit.

Posting is easy. Just upload your video to YouTube and then paste the embed code onto a blog post. Make sure you are on the Edit html tab.

First prize will be $25 cash on the spot, second prize $15 and third prize $10.

You can use any editing program you want and there are tons of free ones out there.

Below are some great VIDEO 101 tutorials from YouTube.

Be creative, have fun, win some money!

Videomaker’s shot types 101

Videomaker’s Lighting Techniques 101

Editing 101, School’s in session

Deceptive camera angles

Natalie Jacobson receives lifetime achievement award

Don's Himsel's hot links

transom.org
audio reporting- gear and techniques

multimediashooter.com
audio slideshow and video reporting- good site for examples and discussion

newsvideographer.com
online video reporting- good site for beginners

newsu.org
online training for journalists

northernshortcourse.com
watch the tape delay on video strategy. A discussion between Chuck Fadley and Howard Owens

masteringmultimedia.wordpress.com
A blog from Colin Mulvany at the Spokesman Review. He's the multimedia editor. Good discussions here.

Willyurman.com
Site for Rochester Democrat and Chronicle photographer Will Yurman. Great for inspiration and examples of good audio slideshow storytelling.

Regina McCombs on online video
Short primer on online video basics from a top-notch former television videographer now with the Minneapolis Star Tribune

Don Himsel on multimedia

Our guest speaker on April 2 will be Don Himsel, photo editor and multimedia producer at the Nashua Telegraph.

Here is Don's thinking on newspapers and multimedia:

"Wanting to do multimedia and doing it are different things.
"Not all stories are multimedia stories.
"Not all multimedia stories are video stories. Journalists have to decide what will work based on the strengths of each medium.
"It can be expensive. It can be cheap. You get what you pay for.
"New media projects shouldn't mirror print projects. They should be complete unto themselves but not comprehensive. They shouldn't be built like print stories (used to be).
"The Web may be infinite but my time is not. Get to the point.
"Photographers can and should be at the forefront of the new push for multimedia. They are best suited for strong visual presentation.
"Young journalists have to be familiar with multimedia storytelling. Whether it will save newspapers, who knows? It will, however, be part of the solution at least in the short term. "New media practices build better journalists."

Some "how-to" guides for video

Here is link to Mindy McAdams' tips for shooting video interviews.

YouTube offers this video toolbox with all kinds of helpful hints.

Here's a guide to Windows Moviemaker.

And for Mac users, a guide to iMovies.

Welcome back! Video assignment

Welcome back from spring break!

It's time to get busy with video.

The subject of your first video assignment will be Natalie Jacobson who is coming to campus this week as the Donald Murray Visiting Journalist.

You'll be in good company as both New Hampshire Chronicle and New Hampshire Outlook are doing pieces on Ms. Jacobson, one of the first female news anchors in the country.

Here is a copy of her public schedule.

We will not have conferences this week so that you can attend Jacobson's talk at the MUB Theatre II at 5 p.m. Tuesday. You should definitely bring your video cameras to this.

You'll also notice she is holding office hours today (Monday) from 4-5, Wednesday from 12:30 to 2 p.m. and Thursday from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. in Lisa Miller's office (Room 104 in Ham-Smith). This will be an opportunity to get supplemental video and ask any questions specific to your video assignment.

She will also visit our class so that will be another opportunity to ask questions and get video.

Jane Harrigan suggested this video as a good bio of Natalie. There are many other videos attached to it.

And here's a video that shows highlights of her career, from when she won a lifetime achievement award.

There is also a ton of supplemental video on YouTube.

Check out these videos and get inspired! After you view the videos I will be happy to brainstorm story ideas with you if you need help.

Your finished pieces will be no more than 3 to 4 minutes so make sure you choose your topic wisely and then focus.

See you Tuesday at the MUB.

Blog layout fixed

As you can see the blog is back to its original format. I spent more than two weeks playing with the html code only to learn I could fix the problem by re-dragging the elements into the sidebar widgets. Ouch.

In the process of trying to fix the blog I killed a couple of posts I thought might be causing the problems. I thought some of you might still need this link on how to embed your Soundslide on Blogger. Hope you are having a great spring break!

Deb Cram's video links

Seacoastonline multimedia

Wired Journalists

Mindy McAdams (my hero)

National Public Radio

NPPA

Media Storm

Washington Post/Best of Travis Fox

News videographer

How to post your soundslide

For those looking for great instructions on how to post your Soundslide to your blog Annie has discovered this easy to follow video.

Steve Bodnar has also posted his final soundslides project. Alex and Annie have posted drafts. I look forward to seeing everyone else's work by conferences Tuesday and Wednesday.

My goal by then will be to edit the HTML on this blog so that all our links move back up into the space next to the posting window.

This week's class will be an introduction to video with Deb Cram.

Kyle Stucker has hit a home run

Check out his Soundslide Project!

First student soundslide posted

Congratulations to Annie Hamilton who has gotten the first version of her soundslide project posted on her blog. Check it out. Very cute.

Steve Bodnar also found a very cool blog dedicated to innovations using Google Maps called Google Map Mania. Check out this example of a map showing live music in the Portsmouth area. Since our class is progressing right on schedule we'll probably have time after spring break to play around and do some mapping "mash-ups."

In class tonight we'll do a quick tutorial on Soundslides and then spend the rest of the class working on our projects. If anyone is ready to post their project to their blog Annie and I will be more than willing to help.

To create a Soundslides title page

Open photoshop

file new

10 inches by 8 inches at 72dpi

title it

edit fill with black

T tool to write

make sure square is filled with white and not black so it will show up. here you can select fonts and sizes

the move tool (arrow top right in tool box) will move the type around
once you have it the way you like it, layer flatten image

save as a jpeg

pull in like any other image

Download your FREE Soundslides Demo

For our next project we are going to use SoundSlides. At this point the school should have installed Soundslides on the classroom computers but you can also get your own FREE copy of the demo version by clicking here. The only difference between the registered version and an unregistered version is a "Made with Soundslides Demo" warning you see on the final files.

A project created in the unregistered version can be re-opened and exported in a registered version ... thus removing the "Made with Soundslides Demo" warning.

If you decide you want to buy a non-demo version the student rate is $29.99. Please note we are using the original soundslides and not the upgraded version.

As you get ready to create your own soundslide project here is an excellent example from the New York Times. "The Lourdes of Twang" looks at the Gibson Guitar Factory in Nazareth, Pennsylvania.

Remember to shoot still photos

Just a reminder that this week's assignment is to shoot still photos using Deb Cram's point and shoot tips.

Ideally, these photos will sync up with your edited audio so that you can use them for your Soundslide project.

However, if you cannot shoot the subject of your audio project, or have decided to go in another direction, please be sure to come to class with some still photos for use in Photoshop and Soundslides lessons.

I'm off the Seacoast Media Group e-mail network this week so if you need to reach me by e-mail please send them to daltschiller@yahoo.com.

You can also reach me by cell phone at (603) 686-0738.

See you Wednesday.

Audacity noise removal tips

As I'm listening to your audio projects I'm noticing a need for noise removal on some tracks. Here is a link to Audacity's noise removal tips.

Photo tips from Deb Cram

As we move into the photo portion of our course here are some tips from award-winning photographer Deb Cram.

The debate surfaces on Romenesko

Our class debate from last week is taking place across the news industry. Check out these links below offered today on Jim Romenesko's blog:

Is it time for newspapers to edit out some layers of editors? (http://newsosaur.blogspot.com/2008/02/can-newspapers-afford-editors.html)
Reflections of a Newsosauer news-record.com
Alan Mutter says at least half a dozen reasonably well-paid people are likely to lay hands on a typical metro newspaper story. "With the fat (if ever there were) long since trimmed from most newsrooms, the choice for many metros now may be coming down to whether to rein in news coverage or relax their traditional standards by editing out some of the editors," he writes. Reaction (http://blog.news-record.com/staff/jrblog/2008/02/alan_mutter_one.shtml) from one editor.

Great debate, now blog it!

The need for speed on the web often comes into conflict with our desire to be accurate and thorough and the debate we had last night takes place every day in newsrooms across the country. No two organizations approach breaking news in exactly the same way. Here is a link to the protocol we developed at seacoastonline for breaking news. We put in some checks after getting burned by publishing too quickly on the web.

I very much appreciated your candor, passion and willingness to keep the class going an extra 15 minutes last night.

Don’t let too much time go by before you blog about Damon’s presentation and our discussion about standards and ethics. Annie Hamilton and Steve Bodnar have already written excellent — and very different — blogs about last night.

One important takeaway from Damon’s presentation is just how new all this technology is and how much has changed in an instant. Unlike the rules of print journalism that have been set in stone for decades, the concrete online is still wet. If you enter this exhilarating field you will be among those creating the new standards and guidelines for generations to follow. This may have been the first time you debated those issues we discussed last night but I promise it won’t be the last.

Proof it works

OK, as you can see below, I was able to post audio on the blog using Jon W's instructions. One mistake I made the first try was leaving the brackets around the spot in the html code where it says [mp3 file address]. Once I took the brackets out it worked like a charm. Thanks again, Jon!

Remember to update and comment

Just a gentle reminder to update your blogs and to post comments on at least three of your classmates' blogs. If you want to see examples of what I'm looking for check out the blogs of Steve Bodnar, Abbie Crocker and Sarah Hines. They have now joined Jon Wahlgren and Kristine King as the only students who are up to date on their blog assignment. Remember to check out Jon Wahlgren's blog when you are ready to publish your audio story on your blog. He has posted instructions which, I'm told by Scott Yates, work perfectly.

Scott, by the way, sent me this note:

"Howard,

"I was inspired by your students' blogs to create my own. And not to be out-done by Jon Wahlgren's audio posting prowess, I figured out how to embed audio slide shows too!"

Check out Scott's blog here.

Plan for next two classes

During our first class I promised not to put too many irons in the fire. In that spirit, I’m going to slow us down a bit. Some of you are well on your way to completing your audio stories while others are still struggling to get raw sound off your recorders. Here's how I want to move forward:

Spend this week getting your raw sound into Audacity and take your sound project as far as you can get it. Complete it if you can.

Please post the progress you are making on your blog so I can see how you are doing.

If you are having troubles please let me know immediately via e-mail: haltschiller@seacoastonline.com.

On the 13th we’ll have a visit from Damon Kiesow who will discuss "trends in digital media, talk about innovative examples – Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Google, etc. and generally try to evangelize for thinking of the medium less as a series of disconnected products and tools and more as a revolution in how people understand themselves and each other."

During conferences on Feb. 19 and Feb. 20 we will review your audio story.

On Feb. 20, we’ll use the first half of the class to finish our audio stories and upload them to our blogs. During this class I’m going to ask those of you who have finished your audio stories to help your struggling classmates across the finish line.

Then, if there’s time, we’ll begin our training in still photography.

For those who want to jump ahead, your classmate, Jon Wahlgren, has done us all the great service of figuring out how to upload and play mp3s on our blogs. He has posted in-depth instructions on his blog.

This is no time to be shy. If you need help shout out for help.

E-mail test; Feb. 6 class prep

Good morning,

I’m testing a new group e-mail for our class. If you did not receive an e-mail from me Sunday morning please send me an alert at haltschiller@seacoastonline.com.

How is everyone coming with their sound story? In class this week we will do a brief tutorial on the Audacity sound editing program and then we’re going to jump into hands-on editing so please come prepared with your raw audio. Remember we need individual recordings with your voice, your subject’s voice and environmental sound.

If you want to get a jump on editing sound with Audacity here is an excellent tutorial.

Also, if you can convert your sound into an mp3 format prior to class that would save us some time. One easy way to do this is to pull your sound clip into iTunes which can convert a Windows Media file into an mp3. (If you can’t figure out how to do this don’t worry, we can do it during conferences or class).

Finally, bring a flash drive to class so you can take your Audacity project with you at the end of class. You’ll probably want to continue working on it and you may want to use it later in your photo story project.

Sound advice

Kristine King took her recorder out in the field and gives an excellent account of the experience on her blog. She is already putting into practice some of the sound advice we received last night from Jon Greenberg.

Tips that stand out in my mind:

1. Remember not to interrupt your interview subject with um hmms;
2. Jot down highlights from memory before reviewing your recording;
3. Maintain momentum by staying focused;
4. Beware of environmental background noise;
5. Record a separate track of environmental sound to edit into your piece.

Also please review his excellent interviewing tips.

Please let me know immediately if you experience technical or equipment problems.

Howard

The sound and the story

This week, Jon Greenberg , NHPR's executive editor, will talk to us about telling stories with sound.


I met Jon this year on the presidential primary campaign trail as he was working on his special report and website "Primary Place," which viewed the contest through the eyes of the town of Exeter, N.H.


Whether your goal is an audio story, Soundslide or Photo Story, quality audio can either make or break your project.


As we begin to discuss audio, here are some excellent resources. "Sound in the Story," is a comprehensive how-to guide on capturing and editing sound for multimedia projects. Mindy McAdams' "First lesson in audio for journalists" is a gem containing everything you'll need to know to get started.



I've also added McAdams' blog: "Teaching online journalism," and Dan Kennedy's "Media Nation" to our list of blog links.



How are you coming along with your class blogs? Be ready to discuss them when we meet in conference this week and in class on Wednesday.

Welcome to the blog for ENG 721

Welcome to the blog for ENG 721, an advanced reporting course in new and multimedia.

This will be a full immersion course. You’ve all had language classes where you were encouraged not to speak English. In this class we will try to live and learn online to the fullest extent possible.

On this blog you will find the class syllabus, assigned readings, suggested readings and resources. You will also create your own blogs for this class using Google’s Blogger software.

Click here to get started.

What is a blog?

Here is a good definition from Mark Briggs in his book Journalism 2.0:

"Blogs usually have several common characteristics:

"A frequently updated online journal, written in conversational style, with entries displayed on reverse chronological order (most recent stuff on top).

"Links to other news and information found on the Web comlemented with analysis from the blogger (or bloggers)

"A ‘comments’ link that allows readers to post their own thoughts on what the blogger is writing about. Not all blogs allow comments , but most do."

Please read Chapter 5 in Journalism 2.0 to learn more about blogs.

We will post each student's blog here as well as soon as they are created.