Reflecting over the semester…

There is much that I have learned about  myself as a writer and about my writing over the past semester in this class. I think that while I still have a lot to improve on, I have improved in some ways. I feel that I have gotten better at interviewing sources and making sure to get a variety and quantity of sources for each story. I also think that I have gotten better at getting good content for my pieces.

I think that I can improve on the overall quality of my writing. When I finish a story, I often feel like it is not as creative or ‘good’ as I would like it to be. I think that I have the mechanics of writing a good piece down but need to work on going that extra mile and making my story that much better.

I was surprised to find out that I am actually NOT alone in improving my writing. I think many other students in my class are also good mechanical writers, but we could all afford to improve on editing our stories and strive to produce the best possible stories that we can.  I truly believe that every writer can improve on his or her writing. There are so many areas to improve in and there really is not a perfect writer out there (at least I don’t think there is…)

It’s been fun. So long for now!

Happy Holidays!

Cathy

What role does social media play in the future of journalism?

With social media on the rise, the question of how this will affect journalism lingers in many of our minds. According to an article on Mashable.com by Vadim Lavrusik, all media will eventually have a social element to it. In addition, Lavrusik believes that reporting will become more of a collaborative effort between journalists and sources. Read below to find out more about the future of social media in journalism…

- Bloggers will become more important to reporting because they will be seen as more valid sources.

- The social media community will be consulted more in reporting.

- Journalists will have to find their own role in gathering news from social media sites like Twitter and Facebook.

- Journalists will be challenged to produce more engaging content in stories on social platforms.

- Reporting will have to be adjusted for other up-and-coming social networks like Tumblr and Foursquare.

 

You just never know what the future holds…

Cathy

Job search from home through social media

Finding a job out-of-state can be a very difficult process that involves a lot of time and money.  This doesn’t have to be stressful anymore though, because you can use social media to land yourself that dream job that is far away. A writer on Mashable.com, Dan Klamm, put out an article called How Social Media Can Help With Your Long Distance Job Search. In his piece, Klamm gives several tips on how to use social media to job search anywhere!

1. Stay On Top of Local News

- Use Twitter and Facebook to stay up to date on the latest news in the area in which you are job hunting.

- In addition, follow local personalities and leaders.

2. Grow Your Professional Network

- Use LinkedIn to network with other people at different companies and develop contacts in the city that you are looking to be employed in.

- Alumni connections can also be very useful in your job search.

3. Find Job Postings

- More and more companies are posting job openings on LinkedIn and Twitter.

- Visit twitjobsearch.com to find out which Twitter accounts post jobs that are in your particular field.

4. Save Money on Travel

- In order to save money on travel for job interviews, find travel providers through social media and you can possibly receive discounts or promo codes to use.

- This can potentially save you money on airfare as well as on lodging!

**Be sure to keep this advice in mind when starting your job search in another city or state!

Cathy