Monday, August 31, 2009

DePaul explores new frontiers of journalism with courses on Twitter and more


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IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Aug. 31, 2009

Media Contact: Deborah Snow Humiston

312/362-8508, dsnowhum@depaul.edu

DEPAUL EXPLORES THE NEW FRONTIERS OF JOURNALISM WITH COURSES ON TWITTER, ENTREPRENEURIAL JOURNALISM

DePaul University's College of Communication is exploring the new frontiers of journalism through courses on Twitter, entrepreneurial journalism and backpack reporting, providing students with cutting-edge knowledge in this rapidly changing field.

This fall, DePaul University journalism alumnus Craig Kanalley will teach what is believed to be the first college-level journalism course focused solely on Twitter and its applications. Kanalley is a digital intern at the Chicago Tribune.

It is one of several innovative courses offered by DePaul's College of Communication to help prepare students to work in the burgeoning digital landscape. Other journalism courses include niche journalism, reporting for converged newsrooms, backpack reporting and entrepreneurial journalism.

Kanalley said his course, "Digital Editing: From Breaking News to Tweets," is about learning how to make sense of the clutter of the Web, particularly in situations of breaking news or major developing stories, and how to evaluate and verify the authenticity of reports by citizen journalists.

"Thousands share information about these stories and how they're affected through Twitter every day, and there's a need to sift through this data to find relevant information that provides story tips and additional context for these events," Kanalley said.

Students will especially focus on the social networking platform Twitter and apply concepts discussed in class to Kanalley's live journalism Web site Breaking Tweets (www.breakingtweets.com), which integrates news and relevant Twitter feedback to create a one-of-a-kind Web experience for readers by providing eyewitness accounts of breaking news stories from around the world.

Since its launch in January 2009, the site has gained an international following and had more than 300,000 page views; it has been praised by new media analysts as a major player in the social media field. Iranian authorities blocked Breaking Tweets because of its reporting on the Iranian election, and in May, the site broke a story on the attempted attack on the royal family in Holland before the story was picked up by BBC or CNN.

In April, Kanalley was named one of the 100 top collegiate journalists by UWIRE, a community-driven service for student journalists. He was one of four DePaul students who covered the presidential inauguration via Twitter and live blogging, which ran on the Chicago Sun-Times' Web site as the "D.C.

Project."

Other College of Communication new media courses include:

* Niche Journalism: Examines the explosion in magazine and trade publication journalism that targets specific audiences with content designed exclusively for them.

* Reporting for Converged Newsrooms: Equips journalists with ability to assemble and produce stories that can be published and distributed across integrated media platforms.

* Backpack Reporting: Gives students the practical experience they need in news gathering and distribution within the converged landscape of electronic newsgathering.

* Entrepreneurial Journalism: Focuses on how journalism students can create their own place on the Internet and become known as content specialists in particular niche areas.

DePaul's College of Communication is the fourth-largest provider of bachelor's degrees in communication in Illinois and second-largest in the Chicago area. It is the second-largest provider of master's degrees in communication in the state. It offers undergraduate programs in communication studies; journalism; media and cinema studies; public relations and advertising; and communication and media. Graduate programs include journalism; public relations and advertising; media, cinema and society; and organizational and multicultural communication.

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Saturday, August 29, 2009

Distributing your press releases for free

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A blog is about the best place to include a press release that will then be available on Google News instantly. The best blog system to use is Google's Blogger.com, which is free to set up. You can set up as many blogs on Blogger.com as you want. You simply need a GMAIL account, also owned by Google.


But, you can expand the network by also submitting your press release to many free online press release aggregators, such as two that I manage to address American Arab and Middle East issues, for example, including:


Arab American Media Services

http://aams.blogspot.com/


Arabisto.com.


I also have one for mainstream news releases associated with Radio Chicagoland at

http://radiochicagoland.blogspot.com/

The first and last are Blogger.com blogs linked throughout my Internet Network, and Arabisto is a web site featuring the writings of Arab writers from around the world. All have heavy traffic.


But, there are many thata lso serve mainstream audiences that are based in their own networks.

They include:

Free Press Release at
http://www.free-press-release.com/release-features.html

PR Log at
http://www.prlog.org/

I-News at
http://www.i-newswire.com/

1888 Press Releases at
http://www.1888pressrelease.com/

The problemw ith all of them is that the basic free service is limited to placement. You have to pay extra to showcase, add an image to the release.

The best way to distribute your release professionally to the mainstream news media is through two main services, PR News Wire (PRNewsWire.com) and The Business Wire (BusinessWire.com)

They charge, too, but you are guaranteed actually distribution, whereas the free placements and even the paid services on the free placement sites like those above are merely "placed" online and then indexed in Google News.

The basic costs for a press release on PR News Wire and Business Wire start at $140 for a 400 word release distributed "statewide" in Illinois. The same release will cost about $1,200 for distribution nationally to all of the country's newspapers, radio and TV stations, and even online news sites.

Sometimes it is worth it to go professional. Although the mainstream news media is biased, the businesses that utilize them are well worth the investment, especially on a priority campaign.

-- Ray Hanania
www.RadioChicagoland.com

Friday, August 7, 2009

Neat script lets readers send links to your columns and blogs right from your content


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A great little script from AddThis.com allows you to place a "Share" button like the one on top of this blog on every blog post and column and content that you post on the Internet. Readers can click the script button and then send the link to the blog or column to anyone, post it on Facebook or Myspace and more.

It's neat little Java Script that easily embeds in Blogger.com layouts.

It also allows you to track user usage. How many people emailed a story, posted it to Facebook, Myspace or Twitter.

Neat stuff and must have on your web site and blog.

-- Ray Hanania
http://www.themediaoasis.com/NMINbook.htm