Online Writing Exercises
1) Go to a news web site and see if it measures up to these criteria for online writing:
San Jose Mercury News
a) Do the news items reflect immediacy?
Yes it's items do reflect immediacy, with articles from almost every genre as wsell as breaking news, locally and nationally.
b) Does the site try to help readers save time?
yes and no. yes becasue the site is sectioned off in to different genres so readers can find related articles with ease, however, it does seem to be a bit cluttered with some unwanted columns.
c) Is it quick and easy to get information?
yes very easy to get the information you need. but to get the full experience of the news web site, readers must pay for the entire service or they stop the reader with a registration window.
d) Does it provide both visual and verbal information?
with the breaking articles the website shows both visual and verbal information, however for the other, maybe less important, articles dont get such luxories.
e) Do the stories contain lists and bullets to make them easier to scan?
yes the stories do contain lists and bullets that make it easier for the readers to understand, however there are also advertisements that are scattered within that could make it rather difficult for the readers.
f) Are the stories broken into “chunks”?
yes the stories are broken into chunks, so that the reader is not overwhelmed with information.
g) Do stories provide hyperlinks to additional information?
some stories to provide hyperlinks to additional information, some just end as they are.
h) Are there opportunities for readers to "talk back"?
yes, with some stories, mostly statewide, nationwide, and some locally.
i) Does the site use multimedia to enhance understanding and add appeal?
the site does use some, however, not enough to gain more appeal with the very multimedia driven generation of adults that are coming to the news era.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Find That Lead
WORDPLAY LEAD:
T-Pain sings tech's praises (again) on new CD, 'Thr33 Ringz'
By Chris Lee
Los Angeles Times
Article Launched: 12/18/2008 12:00:00 AM PST
Just because hip-hop/R&B superstar T-Pain single-handedly — albeit accidentally — transformed the pop chart with his retro-futuristic sound, don't expect him to strangle the goose that laid the golden egg.
DIRECT ADRESS LEAD:
Fall Out Boy's newest doesn't cut it
By Margaret Wappler
Los Angeles Times
Article Launched: 12/19/2008 05:42:30 PM PST
Fall Out Boy isn't one to thwart its fans or the fame machine. The band's fifth album, "Folie a Deux," is an example of right-now pop, adroitly programmed with crunchy 1980s melodies, emo's dark prowess and symphonies a la "Sgt. Pepper's." A little something for everyone, all of it played to the max.
T-Pain sings tech's praises (again) on new CD, 'Thr33 Ringz'
By Chris Lee
Los Angeles Times
Article Launched: 12/18/2008 12:00:00 AM PST
Just because hip-hop/R&B superstar T-Pain single-handedly — albeit accidentally — transformed the pop chart with his retro-futuristic sound, don't expect him to strangle the goose that laid the golden egg.
DIRECT ADRESS LEAD:
Fall Out Boy's newest doesn't cut it
By Margaret Wappler
Los Angeles Times
Article Launched: 12/19/2008 05:42:30 PM PST
Fall Out Boy isn't one to thwart its fans or the fame machine. The band's fifth album, "Folie a Deux," is an example of right-now pop, adroitly programmed with crunchy 1980s melodies, emo's dark prowess and symphonies a la "Sgt. Pepper's." A little something for everyone, all of it played to the max.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
PR Day: A Trip worth Taking
Dozens of anxious wide-eyed students hang around to herd into the Barrett Ballroom at San Jose State University on Thursday afternoon.
They wait to board a cruise ship, to explore the land of public relations, anxiously waiting to meet the captain and crew.
Clean-cut men and women, wearing dress shoes, slacks, dress shirts and ties, some wearing vests, sweaters and cardigans, some with glasses to complete their ensemble.
The annual public relations day was to promptly start at 12 noon. Upon registration and lunch, the several dozen business attire clad students enter an experience with will never forget.
Their ticket, into the event, in hand, became a passport to their future.
Unknowing to all the students they were going to be whisked away into a foreign land, the land of public relations.
The students meet with the key note speaker, captain and tour guide, Brad Whitworth, a highly decorated senior communication manager for the strategic alliances group at Cisco in San Jose.
Whitworth, with over 30 years of experience, in high-tech, financial services and association management attempts to guide the students into an experience of public relations world, utilizing his own experiences.
He attempts to explain and show the students that when they are in the real world, how to say the right things to the right people at the right time using the right channels.
However the tour guide is no one man crew.
Whitworth was accompanied with a dozen of crew members, split into three groups, much like the different crews in a cruise ship.
The students went through two one-hour breakout seminars with people who have been successful in the field of public relations.
Their travel tip panelists consisted of representatives from the sports entertainment industry, special events and social networking.
Some of the representatives included, Erin Reilly, Community Relations Coordinator for the San Francisco Giants and Phil Simon, Director of Media Relations for the San Jose Saber Cats, for students interested in PR for sports entertainment.
Special events representatives included, Patty Herrera, Director of Multicultural affairs for the Oakland Raiders and Karen Jackson, Community Development Director of HERS Breast Cancer Foundation, for students interested in the special events aspect of PR.
And for the students who are into the more communicative part of PR, the social networking portion was held by, Mike Manuel of Voce Communications, Social Media Strategist and Vanessa Camones of the MIX agency.
There were only two sessions of the breakout seminars, so the students had to choose wisely.
The final stop for the PR cruise was to take the students into a real world situation, a job fair.
Where eager students brought their résumés and cover letters to representatives of prospective agencies the students may be working for.
Agencies such as the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), The Hoffman Agency and Big Sky PR, just to name a few.
For the students, the passengers of this whisked away traveling trip, was an afternoon filled with information, experiences and opportunities, to lead students to the right path, the path to better themselves and safeguard their future.
-60 SECONDS-
SEVERAL DOZEN STUDENTS DRESSED IN BUSINESS ATTIRE ASSEMBLED IN THE BARRETT BALLROOM AT SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERSITY.
PROMPTLY AT NOON ON THURSDAY THE ANNUAL PR DAY BEGAN.
THE THEME OF THE DAY WAS CALLED, A PASSPORT TO YOUR FUTURE.
LED BY, TOUR GUIDE AND KEYNOTE SPEAKER, BRAD WHITWORTH SENIOR COMMUNICATION MANAGER FOR THE STRATEGIC ALLIANCES GROUP AT CISCO IN SAN JOSE.
THROUGH TWO ONE HOUR BREAKOUT SEMINARS WITH PEOPLE SUCCESSFUL IN THEIR FIELDS, STUDENTS WERE TAKEN ON A JOURNEY THOUGH THE MANY AVENUES THAT PUBLIC RELATIONS CAN TAKE THEM, SUCH AS EVENT PLANNING, SPECIAL EVENTS AND SOCIAL NETWORKING.
THE STUDENTS WERE THEN TAKEN INTO A REAL WORLD SCENARIO, A JOB FAIR, WHERE EAGER STUDENTS BROUGHT THEIR RÉSUMÉ’S AND COVER LETTERS TO REPRESENTATIVES OF AGENCIES, SUCH AS THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF BUSINESS COMMUNICATORS, THE HOFFMAN AGENCY AND BIG SKY PR TO NAME A FEW.
FOR THE STUDENTS THIS WAS AN AFTERNOON FILLED WITH INFORMATION AND OPPORTUNITY, TO BETTER THEM SELVES AND SAFEGUARD THEIR FUTURE.
-END-
Topical blog post #4
“Never, never, never give up” – Winston Churchill
This is my favorite quote when it comes to things that I want most in life. I try to live and abide by it every day; however, some days are much easier to keep the rule compared to others. What good can come from giving up? What good comes from never giving up? The answers are easy: Nothing good comes from giving up, and everything can potentially come from never giving up. The answers may be easy, but keeping the commitment is surely not. I understand that I haven’t been the best of students in my entire 19 years of school, but I want people to say "He never gave up" or "He never gives up" when they talk about me. I want my parents, friends, future wife, future kids, and every single person I come in contact with to recognize this characteristic in me-persistence. To persevere through all the trials and tribulations can only result in a greater appreciation and sense of accomplishment in completing the course I have set for myself. Therefore, I will "Never, never, never give up," ever.
This is my favorite quote when it comes to things that I want most in life. I try to live and abide by it every day; however, some days are much easier to keep the rule compared to others. What good can come from giving up? What good comes from never giving up? The answers are easy: Nothing good comes from giving up, and everything can potentially come from never giving up. The answers may be easy, but keeping the commitment is surely not. I understand that I haven’t been the best of students in my entire 19 years of school, but I want people to say "He never gave up" or "He never gives up" when they talk about me. I want my parents, friends, future wife, future kids, and every single person I come in contact with to recognize this characteristic in me-persistence. To persevere through all the trials and tribulations can only result in a greater appreciation and sense of accomplishment in completing the course I have set for myself. Therefore, I will "Never, never, never give up," ever.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Topical Blog Post #3
While taking a class at De Anza college I enrolled into a class that throughout the quarter, the relatively small class basically decided we wanted to facilitate a group of our peers on what should De Anza do as an institution to help the new coming students feel welcomed.
In the beginning of the quarter, after every one became familiar with each other even though we all knew of each other pre the facilitation class. Our professor gave us as a class, the option to either just learn about the material or go out and be productive with what we have learned in class and use our knowledge of what we are learning to help out the school for the better.
There was no better way to learn than to apply it to a complete facilitation of what we have learned, from breaking up into groups, learning different styles on how to speak to fellow peers and putting in all that we have got.
Even if it means sacrificing some things in the process, as long as our facilitation was taking place, it was our sole responsibility to make sure this event went off without a hitch.
As the facilitation took place, it caused a buzz throughout the school, basically letting our voices as students become heard and that was enough to get the attention of the schools faculty, as well as Shawn Spano a communications professor from San Jose State, to come by and witness this moment.
Following the facilitation, we presented our data to the school faculty, where it was ultimately up to them, whether or not our data was enough to make some change happen in the school. Thankfully, the ideas were embraced and thought well over and some changes were implemented.
In the beginning of the quarter, after every one became familiar with each other even though we all knew of each other pre the facilitation class. Our professor gave us as a class, the option to either just learn about the material or go out and be productive with what we have learned in class and use our knowledge of what we are learning to help out the school for the better.
There was no better way to learn than to apply it to a complete facilitation of what we have learned, from breaking up into groups, learning different styles on how to speak to fellow peers and putting in all that we have got.
Even if it means sacrificing some things in the process, as long as our facilitation was taking place, it was our sole responsibility to make sure this event went off without a hitch.
As the facilitation took place, it caused a buzz throughout the school, basically letting our voices as students become heard and that was enough to get the attention of the schools faculty, as well as Shawn Spano a communications professor from San Jose State, to come by and witness this moment.
Following the facilitation, we presented our data to the school faculty, where it was ultimately up to them, whether or not our data was enough to make some change happen in the school. Thankfully, the ideas were embraced and thought well over and some changes were implemented.
Topical Blog Post #2
I know that my choice from Physical Therapy to Public relations was hard for my parents. I did not know I had to explain myself to you as well.
Yes, I love helping people I like the satisfaction it gives me, to know that I have made a difference in someone’s life. However, I know I can always be that difference and I don’t have to be in the medical field to do so.
Yes, I know that I should be something in the medical field because of the job security and of course the money. Nevertheless, I know I can have job security and get paid a sufficient amount of money by doing something I really like to do.
I really enjoy the aspect of working for a large company reading and writing for them.
I also love the fact that I have great people skills, so that it can help me out with interactions with many different people.
I like the fact that I can either work alone or work with a large group and still accomplish things that can potentially make a difference in a big way.
Granted all of what I am doing is not health related, I believe that I can still make a difference, in a much more different way.
I just can only hope that you can understand that there are many very good opportunities for me and the other cousins than just the health field.
We all know that it would please you all to see us go that route, but not all of us feel that way. At times we feel like we’ve been chosen that route.
So when we decide to change majors, accept the fact that we are making a good choice, you taught us that much.
I should always listen to myself, when I speak to myself.
Yes, I love helping people I like the satisfaction it gives me, to know that I have made a difference in someone’s life. However, I know I can always be that difference and I don’t have to be in the medical field to do so.
Yes, I know that I should be something in the medical field because of the job security and of course the money. Nevertheless, I know I can have job security and get paid a sufficient amount of money by doing something I really like to do.
I really enjoy the aspect of working for a large company reading and writing for them.
I also love the fact that I have great people skills, so that it can help me out with interactions with many different people.
I like the fact that I can either work alone or work with a large group and still accomplish things that can potentially make a difference in a big way.
Granted all of what I am doing is not health related, I believe that I can still make a difference, in a much more different way.
I just can only hope that you can understand that there are many very good opportunities for me and the other cousins than just the health field.
We all know that it would please you all to see us go that route, but not all of us feel that way. At times we feel like we’ve been chosen that route.
So when we decide to change majors, accept the fact that we are making a good choice, you taught us that much.
I should always listen to myself, when I speak to myself.
Focus Structure
A high school student from Richmond, Calif. was hurt in a football game and is now benched for life.
17-year-old Pete Stenhoff a junior at Chula Vista High School rammed his head into the chest of the ball carrier. Stenhoff cracked vertebrae in his spine and is now confined to a wheelchair for life.
“I knew the risks involved when I decided to play football,” Stenhoff says “I wish I would have known just how bad it could be.”
There are 20,000 injuries in high school football each year -- 12 percent of them permanently disabling the victims. Thirteen youths died last year. Thirty-five percent of the injuries are to the neck or head. Most critics blame the helmet.
17-year-old Pete Stenhoff a junior at Chula Vista High School rammed his head into the chest of the ball carrier. Stenhoff cracked vertebrae in his spine and is now confined to a wheelchair for life.
“I knew the risks involved when I decided to play football,” Stenhoff says “I wish I would have known just how bad it could be.”
There are 20,000 injuries in high school football each year -- 12 percent of them permanently disabling the victims. Thirteen youths died last year. Thirty-five percent of the injuries are to the neck or head. Most critics blame the helmet.
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