In comparing how different sources such as newspapers and blogs cover the latest news, it is important to consider what these sources can do and what they can’t do. As many already know, the internet has opened the doors wider to free speech than any government ever has or could possibly fathom of doing. Finally there is a place where people who share common beliefs and interests can meet and present their views and practice selective exposure. Many online blogs tend to be very one sided; others function as a courtroom open for debate which appear to be the most successful.
What distinguishes the functions of a newspaper from the functions of a blog is that writers for newspapers need credentials and with those credentials, are expected to follow a code of ethic that most writers for mainstream newspapers must follow in order to remain employed. This code of ethic is neutrality. Most daily newspapers report news and do not comment; that’s what the editorials are for. Online blogs are open for discussion and welcome people of all beliefs. When reading online blogs especially political blogs, you sometimes come across statements that would never find their way into a newspaper because many contributing bloggers have nothing to lose, whereas paid writers do; their job. The old saying “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it at all,” doesn’t hold true in the online community that is constantly pushing the limits of free speech. Talking bad about one’s current president would have rarely happened thirty years ago.
In comparing the coverage of very sensitive news like the Iraq War in a mainstream newspaper and an online news contributor like CNN or FOX News, I notice there isn’t much difference. So in order for me to notice a difference in coverage, I had to compare mainstream newspapers to political blogs. I decided to compare my hometown newspaper, The Buffalo News and the popular political news site/blog Daily Kos. The website address for Daily Kos is dailykos.com. This particular Buffalo News article can be found on the front page on March 28th, 2007. The Daily Kos blog article is still on the front page as of March 29, 2007.
I don’t think I need to spend much time explaining the format or presentation of news in the Buffalo News because there isn’t much to explain. In this newspaper and many others, news is reported, not commentated on. If the news is commentated on, it is often very subtle that many readers don’t think twice about it. Most daily newspapers are considered neutral with a hint of liberalism or conservative-ism (I know it’s not a word). For example, the Washington Times is considered to be slightly more on the conservative side, whereas the Washington Post is slightly more on the liberal side.
In viewing the front page of the Daily Kos, text appears very scattered and random. But on the left hand side are all of the latest news and stories regarding politics. One thing I notice is that titles tend to be more creative than in newspapers. I notice in comparing the recent demand by the senate for Iraq troop pullout by 2008 that the Buffalo News summarizes the article, where Daily Kos seems to give a more general yet creative title. The title of the Buffalo News article is “Senate keeps demand for Iraq pullout in funding bill.” The title of the topic on Daily Kos is “Libercrats increasingly isolated.” First of all, “Libercrats” isn’t even a real word and wouldn’t be acceptable for a mainstream newspaper.
The structure of the news within the article is very opinionated and contains many quotes from numerous democrats. Each quote is dissected by the author (who is not named) and is usually disagreed with. The author appears very liberal yet criticizes many other democrats, who have commented on the current situation in Iraq. According to Mary Jones, political blogs have become increasingly popular because the intense conversations witnessed on blogs can generate far more excitement than anyone could possibly get reading a newspaper (Jones). Furthermore, the fact that you don’t have to have credentials to participate, generates an increasingly powerful membership, where you as a member can know for sure that your note to the author will make it on the website and made visible to all.
According to an article written by Eric Black for the Star Tribune, as of 2005, newspaper readership is declining mainly due to fewer baby boomers each year, who weren’t raised with televisions. The fact that online blogs can offer high resolution pictures, video clips, and numerous quotes, attract more readers than newspapers can.
Is declining newspaper readership a trend that will continue or is it just a phase? It would make sense that this trend will continue due to the ever changing possibilities of the internet. I believe that internet based websites that distribute news will establish more credibility among authors because facts can be checked on other websites with the click of the mouse. Instead of hearing one side of the story in newspapers, you can hear multiple rebuttals to opinions and comments to help establish an educated opinion. I believe that internet blogs help establish the freedom of speech and make news gathering more convenient and efficient. As long as membership to these blogs remains free of charge, we will continue to see increased growth and importance of these blogs.
References
Black, E. (2005, October 11). Newspapers turn page in this new media age.
Retrived March 29, 2007 from http://web.lexis-nexis.com.gate.lib.buffalo.edu/universe/
Jones. M,L. (2007, February). Political Gamesmanship.
Retrieved March, 28, 2007 from http://web.lexis-nexis.com.gate.lib.buffalo.edu/universe/
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
CMC: The Effectiveness of E-Mail in the Business World
Professional business relationships are often overlooked when it comes to internet mediated relationships within a group. Many studies and articles focus on informal relationships within blogs, online match making sites, and social networking sites like myspace and so on. Not as much effort is given to the study of Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) within a formal organization and its effectiveness. More effort should be taken to study communication within groups mediated by a computer or the internet because according to Joe Walther of Cornell, CMC communication is just as effective, if not more than interpersonal information (Griffin).
Due to my own personal lack of informal personal relationships mediated online, I will discuss how my daily interaction with my company through networked e-mail creates strong business relationships.
As I have mentioned in my previous blogs, I work as a retail salesman at Best Buy selling home audio and video products. Anyone who works or has worked in retail sales knows that vertical communication throughout the corporate hierarchy is important between management and departments. Managers cannot be expected to know every little detail about each department because they do not work that department; that’s why there are supervisors to control each department. A supervisor’s job requires specific communication with managers about their department or the store. As one of the supervisors of the Audio Video department, it is very important to communicate effectively with the managers. For example, if I was not satisfied with the way my employees handle certain situations or processes, I would communicate the problem with the managers and try to find a plausible solution.
But the question is how do I communicate specific situations with my managers? I have found that the company e-mail network run through Microsoft Outlook provides me with a formal and efficient way to communicate business with managers and other supervisors. Through our company e-mail network, I can find anyone’s e-mail address within the entire company by selecting the store number and employee last name. If I don’t know the employees name I can search by their company position or job. This makes the communication process much faster than looking in a phone book and contacting someone, who may not have time to talk to you. According to professor Em Griffin of Wheaton College, CMC offers you extended time to artfully craft your message so it is very clear and formal. CMC is asynchronous in that you have time to think about how you will respond to the receiver. The same benefits of CMC cannot be related to interpersonal communication. I have found that I get better results from my managers when I communicate to them via e-mail. I find CMC to be more formal than interpersonal communication because formal communication is what businesses rely on. In fact, I feel that my fellow employees take me more serious when I communicate to them via e-mail.
An article written by Roma Nowak of Information Week provides a survey of a couple hundred business professionals and why they preferred e-mail communication over phone communication. The number one response was response flexibility, which is the ability to respond at your convenience. The second most popular response was the ability to communicate with multiple parties. This brings up another major benefit of e-mail communication. The ability to carbon copy an e-mail to multiple people is much easier and less chaotic than a phone conference or three way call. E-mail to me, appears a more civilized way of handling business relationships. Many companies believe in keeping separate your personal and business life and I feel that text is much less personal than spoken words.
I originally didn’t have an e-mail address at work, but once my managers realized how much more effective my communication could be with an e-mail address, they gave me one. Now my business relationships with my fellow employees are stronger than ever because of my ability to communicate with them, which has gained me trust among them.
References
Griffin, E. (2004). Communication: A First Look At Communication Theory: Sixth Edition
Nowak, R. (2003). E-mail beats the phone in business communication. Retrieved March 21,
2007 from http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=10000052
Due to my own personal lack of informal personal relationships mediated online, I will discuss how my daily interaction with my company through networked e-mail creates strong business relationships.
As I have mentioned in my previous blogs, I work as a retail salesman at Best Buy selling home audio and video products. Anyone who works or has worked in retail sales knows that vertical communication throughout the corporate hierarchy is important between management and departments. Managers cannot be expected to know every little detail about each department because they do not work that department; that’s why there are supervisors to control each department. A supervisor’s job requires specific communication with managers about their department or the store. As one of the supervisors of the Audio Video department, it is very important to communicate effectively with the managers. For example, if I was not satisfied with the way my employees handle certain situations or processes, I would communicate the problem with the managers and try to find a plausible solution.
But the question is how do I communicate specific situations with my managers? I have found that the company e-mail network run through Microsoft Outlook provides me with a formal and efficient way to communicate business with managers and other supervisors. Through our company e-mail network, I can find anyone’s e-mail address within the entire company by selecting the store number and employee last name. If I don’t know the employees name I can search by their company position or job. This makes the communication process much faster than looking in a phone book and contacting someone, who may not have time to talk to you. According to professor Em Griffin of Wheaton College, CMC offers you extended time to artfully craft your message so it is very clear and formal. CMC is asynchronous in that you have time to think about how you will respond to the receiver. The same benefits of CMC cannot be related to interpersonal communication. I have found that I get better results from my managers when I communicate to them via e-mail. I find CMC to be more formal than interpersonal communication because formal communication is what businesses rely on. In fact, I feel that my fellow employees take me more serious when I communicate to them via e-mail.
An article written by Roma Nowak of Information Week provides a survey of a couple hundred business professionals and why they preferred e-mail communication over phone communication. The number one response was response flexibility, which is the ability to respond at your convenience. The second most popular response was the ability to communicate with multiple parties. This brings up another major benefit of e-mail communication. The ability to carbon copy an e-mail to multiple people is much easier and less chaotic than a phone conference or three way call. E-mail to me, appears a more civilized way of handling business relationships. Many companies believe in keeping separate your personal and business life and I feel that text is much less personal than spoken words.
I originally didn’t have an e-mail address at work, but once my managers realized how much more effective my communication could be with an e-mail address, they gave me one. Now my business relationships with my fellow employees are stronger than ever because of my ability to communicate with them, which has gained me trust among them.
References
Griffin, E. (2004). Communication: A First Look At Communication Theory: Sixth Edition
Nowak, R. (2003). E-mail beats the phone in business communication. Retrieved March 21,
2007 from http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=10000052
Friday, March 16, 2007
Digg.com
The coining of the term Web 2.0 by O’Reilly Media in 2004 to describe the “second generation of web-based services” brought about more emphasis on developing websites to become more user-interactive. More interaction online means increased participation from all types of people on the web to develop more two way communication, making the internet a very powerful tool. These interactive websites include such features as RSS feeds, social bookmarking, wikis, and podcasts.
One example of an interactive online application is www.digg.com. Digg.com is a “user driven social content website,” according to the websites “about us” link. The website describes a digg as a “digital media democracy.” The website allows free access to all people, who can contribute articles, videos podcasts, etc. that can be found online that are interesting. The incentive for posting articles on digg.com is that members feel that these articles are interesting enough to be brought to the attention of many others, which otherwise would not have had many hits on its original website. Becoming a member only requires an e-mail address and a birth date. As a member, you can either digg an article or bury it. In other words, you can approve it for further viewing from other members or decline it. Burying an article helps eliminate spam from the website. The articles popularity depends on how many diggs it gets. The articles with the most diggs, gets a spot on the front page.
Digg.com is very easy to navigate through. On the websites home page, you can choose to search for news or topics in text, podcasts, or videos. To the right is a search bar that allows you to search via keywords for posts on any subject. You can view the most popular diggs that have been posted within the last 24 hours, 7 days, 30 days, or year by clicking the link. What makes this website even more user oriented is that you can create and post your own article instead of posting someone else’s. The amount of diggs you receive is a sign of social status on the website and could land you a spot on youtube or popular blogs.
Also at the top of the home page of digg.com are six main subjects that you can narrow your search interests to. These subjects are linked as follows: technology, science, world and business, sports, entertainment, and gaming.
If you are interested in articles or videos for example that a certain person contributes to digg.com, you can subscribe to an RSS feed that sends you all submissions by that one person. Many members subscribe to their friends and discuss each others submissions to create a common interest and unity in the virtual world. Members can also subscribe to RSS feeds based on their interest in certain subjects like music, technology, gaming, etc.
Digg.com is an excellent example of an interactive online application, which gives the users power to share and create. You’re your own boss because you can digg or bury any article you want based on your preferences and interests. Digg.com allows you to use one news archive for finding stories, news, and video in one stop, eliminating the hassle of using search engines that continuously bring up irrelevant hits. Digg.com’s professional look and ease of use can attract people of all ages and computer knowledge backgrounds.
One example of an interactive online application is www.digg.com. Digg.com is a “user driven social content website,” according to the websites “about us” link. The website describes a digg as a “digital media democracy.” The website allows free access to all people, who can contribute articles, videos podcasts, etc. that can be found online that are interesting. The incentive for posting articles on digg.com is that members feel that these articles are interesting enough to be brought to the attention of many others, which otherwise would not have had many hits on its original website. Becoming a member only requires an e-mail address and a birth date. As a member, you can either digg an article or bury it. In other words, you can approve it for further viewing from other members or decline it. Burying an article helps eliminate spam from the website. The articles popularity depends on how many diggs it gets. The articles with the most diggs, gets a spot on the front page.
Digg.com is very easy to navigate through. On the websites home page, you can choose to search for news or topics in text, podcasts, or videos. To the right is a search bar that allows you to search via keywords for posts on any subject. You can view the most popular diggs that have been posted within the last 24 hours, 7 days, 30 days, or year by clicking the link. What makes this website even more user oriented is that you can create and post your own article instead of posting someone else’s. The amount of diggs you receive is a sign of social status on the website and could land you a spot on youtube or popular blogs.
Also at the top of the home page of digg.com are six main subjects that you can narrow your search interests to. These subjects are linked as follows: technology, science, world and business, sports, entertainment, and gaming.
If you are interested in articles or videos for example that a certain person contributes to digg.com, you can subscribe to an RSS feed that sends you all submissions by that one person. Many members subscribe to their friends and discuss each others submissions to create a common interest and unity in the virtual world. Members can also subscribe to RSS feeds based on their interest in certain subjects like music, technology, gaming, etc.
Digg.com is an excellent example of an interactive online application, which gives the users power to share and create. You’re your own boss because you can digg or bury any article you want based on your preferences and interests. Digg.com allows you to use one news archive for finding stories, news, and video in one stop, eliminating the hassle of using search engines that continuously bring up irrelevant hits. Digg.com’s professional look and ease of use can attract people of all ages and computer knowledge backgrounds.
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