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And in the latest instalment for changes around here, i’d like to announce that yesterday i started my column dedicated to new media at Rascunho.IOL.pt. I am honored for the invitation they made and hope to provide a few interesting insights about the Media Revolution. The title for this weekly reflection is “Media DJ”, and the English version will be available in my (new) blog, becoming somehow an extension of my work. Below is the first text for Media DJ.
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E no mais recente capítulo dedicado a mudanças por aqui, gostaria de anunciar que ontem iniciei a minha coluna/caderno sobre novos media no Rascunho.IOL.pt. Estou honrado pelo convite que me fizeram e espero dar algumas visões pessoais interessantes sobre a Revolução dos Media. O título para esta reflexão semanal é “Media DJ”, e a versão em inglês estará sempre disponível no meu (novo) blog, sendo uma extensão do meu trabalho . |
Imagine a stage, and you’re sitting in the audience. From up there, one or several characters proclaim the news of the day, the events they chose as the most important. They do it at a certain time, in a ritualized fashion and within a specific duration.They ignore your reactions, and aren’t quite interested in you but in how many of you are watching them. This was the paradigm for the relationship between audience and media. Then came the Internet and everything changed.
Today, the stage and the audience share the same space, there are several voices for many subjects, each one with its own perspective and different origins; information flows within that space between all the elements, from media to users, to other users, to other media. The keywords for this new model are sharing, dialogue, mobility/ubiquity and real time. Contents are made of layers, a new contribution or production is built over the previous one. And everyone can participate: with text, photos, video.
The information industry and journalism are going through the biggest revolution they’ve ever gone through. The content creation and dissemination tools evolved rapidly, and more important, they are availabe to anyone. The audience became an active element in the creation and disseminaton of information. In a matter of years we went from static versions of newspapers to multimedia rich content, real time information provided by users in social networks and on Twitter, anywhere, to everywhere, which deviated the media from the center of the news paradigm, forcing them to reconsider how to interact with their users, how to work information on the web, publish it, renew it, in a profound change of processes and views. And also how to make that profitable.
The name of this column is Media DJ, because all these changes influenced journalist’s work, demanding new skills. DJ has a double meaning, being the first, the one who, from other people’s music, mixes, remixes, aligns and generates a new dynamic, turning the whole bigger than the sum of its parts; and it also works for Digital Journalism/Journalist. Information DJs do exactly the same as music DJs, they pick up the pieces and generate a a new set, but with a totally different responsibility: they contribute to the creation of a collective conscience, and a well informed society will make better choices. In the end, nothing changed in the fundamental role of journalism, just the way you do it.
Every week i hope to bring a part of that (r)evolution, that is unfolding faster than reality can keep up. You just have to follow the music.
Continue a ler ‘Changes 3: New column | Mudanças 3: Coluna nova’
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It’s a no-brainer: when Mindy MacAdams says she got 15 of her posts together in a pdf so we can improve our journo-fu, we download it. HERE.
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Não é complicado: quando a Mindy MacAdams diz que juntou 15 posts seus num pdf para que possamos melhorar o nosso kung fu jornalístico, fazemos logo o download. AQUI.
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Continue a ler ‘Download: Reporter’s Guide to Multimedia Proficiency’
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The third part of the Case for Innovation as defended by CoPress is available. Here’s the explanation for this video, as also Part 1 and Part 2.
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A terceira parte do Case for Innovation advogado pelo CoPress está disponível. Aqui fica a explicação para este vídeo, assim como a Parte 1 e a Parte 2.
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16 e 17 de Julho em Braga
O Departamento de Comunicação da Universidade do Minho está a organizar um workshop de Infografia Digital. De acordo com a organização, “este workshop, inédito em Portugal, destina-se a profissionais de jornalismo e comunicação que tenham experiência ao nível dos gráficos de informação e um domínio básico das suas ferramentas. Visa potenciar o uso das possibilidades e das linguagens do meio digital, ao nível da infografia e das narrativas online.”.
Os dois formadores são Aitor Eguinoa e Xáquin G.V., dois profissionais experientes e galardoados, com um currículo impressionante e de vanguarda. O preço deste workshop é de 250€ (com materiais e refeições incluídos). Podem inscrever-se através do sec-cicom@ics.uminho.pt ou do telefone +351 253604214. São apenas 20 vagas por isso apressem-se.
Para mais detalhes sobre o workshop, descarreguem este PDF.
Continue a ler ‘I Workshop de Infografia Digital Universidade do Minho – Braga,16 e 17 de Julho’
The evolution of Online Journalism
In a world of infinite information, it would seem that providing context is more relevant than ever. Investigative journalism, the detective agency of the people, has acted as a “watchdog” presence, independent of government and big business, since its inception. Literary journalism, often bundled with terms like “long form” and “feature,” has meant sociological understanding and on-the-ground experience of the human condition in all its varying colors.
The Center for the Edge has unveiled its most significant report to date: “The Shift Index” which suggests the current recession is masking long-term competitive challenges for U.S. businesses. Among the key findings, U.S. companies’ return on assets (ROA) have progressively dropped 75 percent from their 1965 level despite rising labor productivity. Even the highest-performing companies are struggling to maintain their ROA rates and increasingly losing market leadership positions.The index is the result of a nearly year-long effort applying a combination of established and original analytical approaches to four decades of data, some of it pre-existing and some created for the first time. More than a dozen data sources were engaged, four surveys were developed and deployed, and five proprietary methodologies were created to compile 26 metrics into three indices representing 15 industries.
Desperate for online advertising, newspapers have learned to aggressively optimize their content for Google. The result: more traffic. Junky traffic.
Readers tend to spend gobs and gobs of time on newspaper sites. Indeed, their level of engagement has been print journalism’s strongest asset online, but that’s changing: According to data from Nielsen Online, readers are spending less time on top newspaper websites, including six minutes less per month at Washingtonpost.com, one minute less per month at USAToday.com and a minute and a half less per month at NYTimes.com.
In the debate on the future of journalism, bloggers say, “We have a better economic model. The future is digital, and we are the future, so whatever we do is right.” Traditional journalists, mourning a passing world, say, “We defined how journalism works, and everyone should adhere to that model, even if it won’t work economically.” This is a gross simplification of the arguments flying back and forth. But sadly, it is a dialogue of the deaf. Neither party seems to want to listen or learn from the other.
The anger at CNN may have been collateral damage of Twitterers’ frustration due to having only limited impact over the events in Iran. But the effect was impressive: Within a couple of hours, #cnnfail became one of the top trending topics on Twitter, CNN was faced with a major image backlash, and you could follow the development live on Twitter. Twitter effectively acted as “media watchdog,” as Mashable commented. Citizen journalism outperformed professional journalism — in real-time. When Ahmadinejad shut down all mobile services and social networks, only a few Iranian Twitterers, with just the trusted authority of a genuine voice, were able to stay connected to the rest of the world and report on the frightening events in Iran. Synchronicity, real-time reporting, should have been CNN’s bastion but it didn’t get any of this. Twitter did.
Scooping the News evaluated the following five newspaper Web sites on their design/navigation, accessible archives, reader presence, in-depth reporting and evidence of continuous updates. Each newspaper received a score ranging from 1 to 4 based on changes in its Web site from five years ago to present (1 = no change, 2 = limited innovation, 3 = good innovation and 4 = significant innovation). The total of those scores provides an innovation composite score.
Vodpod videos no longer available.
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While browsing the latest addition to my Google Reader list, i found a very concise and elucidative lecture about online media. Kurt Lancaster does a good job explaining the different formats that make a multimedia story and explains what is the difference between scattered multimedia (which is what has been being sold to us as multimedia storytelling) and the paradigm of a true Multimedia story. An interesting example of integrated multimedia publishing is Flyp magazine. At a first glance it looks like another Flash flipping page magazines, but it has embedded video, interactive graphics, the works. It is not a perfect example, but it is a cool concept. To take that leap means a few things: more technically skilled reporters (in audio, video, programming) and more reporters per story. If you want a unique perspective you’ll need good reporters, and they’ll just need time. Believe me, breaking news is the cheapest news commodity out there right now, and 99 % of the news companies won’t stand out trying to go after them. The money is in creating the long feature.
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Enquanto esta a explorar a minha última aquisição para a lista do GoogleReader, encontrei uma palestra concisa e esclarecedora sobre que é media online. Kurt Lancaster faz um excelente trabalho a explicar os diferentes formatos que tornam uma história multimédia, e a diferença entre multimedia acessório (que é o que nos tem sido vendido como multimédia) e o paradigma de uma história em Multimédia integrado. Um exemplo interessante de uma edição em multimedia integrado é a Flyp magazine. À primeira vista parece mais uma revista para folhear em flash, mas tem vídeo incorporado, gráficos interactivos e outras coisas catitas. Não é um exemplo acabado, mas é um conceito original. Dar o salto do acessório para o integrado siginifica algumas coisas: repórteres com mais competências técnicas (em video, áudio, programação) e mais repórteres por história. Se querem uma perspectiva única vão precisar de bons repórteres, e dar-lhes tempo. Acreditem, as notícias de última hora são o produto com menos valor aí fora, e 99% das redacções não ganham nada aí. O dinheiro está em contar histórias de fundo.
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Twitter has a huge impact on how we express ourselves. Never mind the critics that accuse Twitterers of being shallow, narcissistic and obsessed with their food. Twitter is all about sharing the small moments that compose our lives, and Frank Kelly is trying to do a film with those shards of existence.
Kelly is an independent filmmaker from Ireland, with two shorts in his resume. His latest project is built around Twitter: he’s asking 140 volunteers to shoot footage at the same time, showing what they’re doing at that precise moment. And how is he putting it all together? Via Twitter.
I like the expedient nature of the website and how information, through concise messaging, can be communicated immediately to mass groups. It inspired the theme of connection. From there I began to build the structure around the idea taking the number 140 as a cue.
There have been many critics of the site, calling it a waste of time. I wanted to see if I could use it as a tool rather than a distraction and see if I could use it to unite people to create something valuable and tangible, a piece of art.”
The level of synchronicity and sharing in web communications has risen tremendously. Mindcasting and lifestreaming are concepts becoming more and more common everyday for users. I asked him where is this taking us. He said he wants to take us outside.
I’m not sure. For me I want to take 140 further, I want it to become more than just a film but a life experience, so everyone involved can take it back into the community and use the experience to connect with other filmmakers, their environment and people around them.
But he has some concerns.
I worry that people will get swallowed up by their online existence, that’s why the essence of this project is to get back outside and experience and think about life, real life, and our connection to it, to our planet and each other. It’s not an environmental piece; it’s a piece about remembering who we are. I hope that’s what the internet will do, not to serve as a distraction from life but to be a tool to enhance life.
Frank Kelly has been taking some advantages of social networking on the web, though he says it has no impact on a personal level. But professionally, it’s been rewarding.
As an independent filmmaker who has no funding and is still trying to break into the film industry, the internet is an essential tool to continue to create work and connect with like minded people. It has allowed me to create a channel for my creativity.
It has helped me greatly and indeed influenced me in a direction I never imagine I would go, or ever be able to go in – the idea that I could coordinate 140 filmmakers worldwide so quickly, and then synchronise them to film together would have been impossible for me to do 10 years ago.
And they come from all over the world. By the time Frank answered to my questions he was just a few volunteers short of the required 140. I asked him if he felt the world was getting smaller, and if a smaller world means a better world.
I don’t think the world is ‘getting smaller’, I think it’s bigger, there are more opportunities to travel, to connect, to see and do things we couldn’t have generations ago. When my parents were kids international travel was for the rich. Not now, anyone can go anywhere for very little. It has opened to world up to all of use, whereas before our world was smaller, it was our hometown, now it’s anywhere we want to be.
In his point of view, it doesn’t really matter where his filmmakers come from.
As humans we’re the same, we share experiences – we all feel pain and love and sadness etc. We want the same things: happiness, care, love, food, clothes and the same for our children, that has never changed and never will. We share those universal similarities. And technology, or the fact that we can communicate so quickly now, won’t change that.
Perhaps the fear is that as we become more connected we become more the same and begin to lose our culture, our identity. I don’t think that’s going to happen and I don’t see that being able to share our individuality is a bad thing either. The internet has allowed us to experience more, share more, see more, be aware of more and celebrate our diversity. I think it has taken down many barriers that distance, geography, race, religion and culture have put up. It has allowed us to educate ourselves and understand more about our neighbours.
And he sums it up pretty neatly:
At the end of the day we’re all human, we need to be connected and we need to share our existence on this planet.
The 140 filmmakers will be connected and sharing next June 21st at 8pm GMT.
Frank Kelly can be found at www.frankkelly.blogspot.com about his work as a filmmaker, frankasides.blogspot.com about other work and thoughts and eyethroughalens.blogspot.com as a photographer. He also has a podcast on iTunes via his company www.palestoneproductions.com. And, of course, he’s on Twitter.
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Yesterday i recommended “Us Now”, “a documentary film project about the power of mass collaboration, government and the Internet“, which boomed across the web. It is a must see, but this post is not about the film. It’s about how they present it online, and how i feel it is a good model to be applied to major news reports and investigations. A transparency model. Imagine you’re a reporter after a major story, it involves loads of data, there are many different sides to the issue, and people to interview that have specific knowledge about it, be it technical, scientific, or just exclusive. Good journalists always delivered good stories on their own, and covered all the necessary angles to the subject. Working alone means full control of the process, from start to end, and a fair amount of discretion, secrecy, that often resulted in exclusives, the former bread and butter of good newspapers. But what if the process was public, and open to everyone? I’m not saying all of the process, but some parts of it. If a journalist is snooping around, asking questions about something, doors will close anyway, that will open with new information and the need to answer, retaliate, whatever – sometimes a statement comes out of conflicting views. But the saying goes “two heads are better than one”, and if we ask for users to help, many minds will work for the same purpose. The crowd could gather data, process it, provide input, suggest questions, and the journalist – besides having to do all the things he’s supposed to – would coordinate all of these contributions. This would improve the relationship between the users/readers and the journalist/story/brand. But if you are not a fan of full disclosure before publishing, why not do it afterwards? Release the videos rushes, the full audio, share the documentation and data you gathered in an open database. The advantages? Trust. Transparency goes a long way, and it prevents journalists from backing off from the story too early or to make mistakes. The liability risk is smaller, and if it is a controversial subject, it’s not the singled out figure of the journalist that is at stake, but a whole community behind the story. Of course, this does not minimize the journalists importance or responsibility, quite the opposite. “Us Now” producers made the footage available, transcriptions, download links for the full film, and i think this brings extra value to the work, instead of being commercially harmful. I like to see the bits and pieces that make things work, but if you don’t, just watch the finished version. There’s a good example of this in Wired’s piece about Charlie Kauffman, and i tried something similar for the pre-production phase of my interview with Dave Cohn. As a journalist, would you be looking forward this kind of openness? As a reader, would you participate?
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Ontem recomendei “Us Now”, “um documentário sobre o poder da colaboração em massa, governo e Internet“, que se espalhou rapidamente pela web. É imprescindível, mas este post não é sobre o filme. É sobre a forma como o apresentam online, e como acho que é um bom modelo a aplicar para grandes investigações jornalísticas. Um modelo de transparência. Imaginem que são um jornalista atrás de uma grande história, que envolve imensa informação, tem diferentes lados, e as pessoas a entrevistar têm conhecimentos específicos sobre o assunto, sejam eles técnicos, científicos ou exclusivos. Os bons jornalistas sempre fizeram boas reportagens sozinhos, e cobriram todos os ângulos que eram precisos cobrir. Trabalhar sozinho significa ter controlo total sobre o processo, do princípio ao fim, e uma certa dose de discrição, secretismo, que muitas vezes davam em exclusivos, o anterior ganha pão dos bons jornais. Mas e se o processo fosse público e aberto a todos? Eu não digo que seja todo o processo, mas algumas partes. Se um jornalista estiver a investigar, a fazer perguntas, algumas portas se hão-de fechar, e só se abrirão com nova informação e a necessidade de resposta, retaliação – por vezes uma declaração surge pela discórdia. Mas como o ditado diz que duas cabeças pensam melhor que uma, se pedirmos ajuda aos utilizadores, muitas irão trabalhar para o mesmo objectivo. O grupo podia recolher dados, processá-los, dar o seu input, sugerir questões, e o jornalista – para além de ter que fazer todas as coisas que tem que fazer – coordenaria todas estas contribuições. Isto melhoraria a relação entre os utilizadores/leitores e o jornalista /reportagem /marca. Mas se não são fãs deste tipo de abertura antes da publicação, porque não fazê-lo depois? Disponibilizem os brutos de vídeo, áudio, partilhem a documentação e os dados que recolheram numa base de dados aberta. As vantagens? Confiança. O peso da transparência é grande, e evita que os jornalistas se afastem da história cedo demais ou que façam erros. O risco é menor, e se for um assunto controverso não é a figura isolada do jornalista que está em causa, mas toda uma comunidade que está por trás. É claro que isto não minimiza a importância ou as suas responsabilidades, pelo contrário. Os produtores do “Us Now” disponibilizaram vídeos, transcrições, links para descarregar o filme inteiro, e acredito que isto traz um valor acrescentado ao trabalho, em vez de o prejudicar comercialmente. Eu gosto de ver as partes do conjunto, mas podem sempre ficar pela versão final. Há um bom exemplo disto com a peça sobre o Charlie Kauffman na Wired, e tentei fazer algo semelhante na pré-produção da minha entrevista ao Dave Cohn. Como jornalistas, estariam abertos a este modelo? E como leitores, participariam?
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Continue a ler ‘“Us Now”: as a presentation model | um modelo de apresentação’
Convergence level | Grau de convergência
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Four investigators from the Navarra University in Spain developed a new method to calculate the convergence level of a medium. They pretty much cover all the variables, that are present in an interesting final equation, not suitable for math ignorants like me. Check their presentation here. (via António Granado)
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Quatro investigadores da Universidade de Navarra, em Espanha, desenvolveram um novo método para calcular o grau de convergência de um orgão de comunicação social. Eles incluiram todas as variáveis, que fazem parte de uma equação final, não indicada para ignorantes a Matemática como eu. Vejam a apresentação aqui. (via António Granado) |
Do the Math | É só fazer as contas
Continue a ler ‘Doing the Math of Convergence | Fazer as contas à convergência’
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