WEEK 10 – Blog Entry

PRACTICAL

When compiling my blog I was determined to create a not only appealing, but an efficient interface. Using the menus at the top of the page I believe it is easy to navigate the week blog entries. I have also used large heading for the Practical, Inquiry and Technical so that it is easy to find when scrolling down the page. I have made sure that the text is laid on white space so that there is no trouble when reading my blog entries.

Due to the use of my lead headings for Practical, Inquiry and Technical it was easy to determine whether I had completed all of the tasks asked. I have completed all of the tasks and believe they are clearly marked thus making my blog easy to navigate.

The major challenges I found throughout Assessment 2 was time management, confidence and review other peer’s blogs. Time management was a big factor on completing these tasks; however, I believe by creating an Assessment such as this, it helps kick start the thought of “I should do these tasks each week otherwise there is no way I will be able to complete my Assessment”. Confidence to actually post my blog entries each week and be confident enough for others to comment on my work was very hard. However, after one comment I could see that the comments were 100% constructive. However, when reviewing people’s blog I found it difficult as a lot of people like myself weren’t confident enough to post there blog entries each week and put it off until they were sure that it would be up to standard.

This assessment has help in many ways, I am more aware to my grammar, punctuation and spelling as well as time management. I believe my writing has become more clear and concise because to course started with the basics and then expanded.

INQUIRY

One website that comes to mind when talking about the “Impact of Design” is the Website:

http://alfredservice.com/

This week’s lesson discussed:

• Words
• Visual Principles
• Photos/Graphics
• Use of Sound

Three of these topics were evident in the Alfred website (Words, Visual Principles and Photos/Graphics). It uses key words to que the viewer. For example, “How it works” (Alfred Inc. 2014).

Visual Principles such as colour and font makes this interface very appealing. The primary colours used are blue and yellow which gives off a mood of calmness and happiness according to this week’s lesson. The use of basic fonts allows the user to clearly read the ques. However, as you continue to scroll down the site the ques have different coloured backgrounds that could interfere while reading.

For example:

 

(Alfred Inc. 2014)

Lastly, by using graphics and animation the website is able to create a very interactive site. Thus, having a very impactful design throughout the Alfred website.

References

Alfred Inc. 2014, Alfred, viewed 23 September 2015, http://alfredservice.com/

CQUniversity 2015, COMM11007 Media Writing: Week 10 Impact of design, viewed 23 September 2015, https://moodle.cqu.edu.au/pluginfile.php/149433/mod_resource/content/2/2.%20COMM11007%20Week%2010%20Lesson.pdf

TECHNICAL

By using the blog submission I was able to find little grammar mistakes which were easily fixed. I was also surprised with how much the check list helped in creating a clear and concise blog. Most of the tasks were easy to compile as the blog activities from each week were very clear and concise. Overall, I enjoyed creating a blog and submitting each week’s blog entry as I could create a whole blog made up of my knowledge and understanding.

WEEK 9 – Blog Entry

PRACTICAL

REVIEWING KELSIE FOSTERS STORIFY SUBMISSION

Link to the story:

https://storify.com/kelsiemediaw/liberal-party-spill

The target audience for this submission would be Australians interested in the liberal spill. From the start of this article it was evident that it would be a comedic piece of writing. Through this story I was able to learn of the change in Prime Minister, from Tony Abbott to Malcolm Turnbull. The introduction tweet set a precedent for the style of the article and set a mood for the reader. Using comedy to start makes the reader invited to read on.

To improve the article:

• Add more text between tweets to explain the tweets
• There was no real structure but by using text to separate would be helpful in the reading process

Other than the previously stated improvements, comedy is a good starting point to create an entertaining story.

INQUIRY

Curation is an old practice in journalism but has become a relative new term. Every act of journalism is an act of curation: think of how a news report or feature selects and combines elements from a range of sources (first hand sources, background facts, first or second hand colour) (Bradshaw, P. 2013).

The two different examples of curation:

1. Trip Advisor: The 25 Best Hotels of 2015
2. Condé Nast Traveller: Gold Standard Hotels

Trip Advisor: The 25 Best Hotels of 2015

Trip Advisor has created a very appealing interface not only in the aesthetic but through the language used. The curation method for Trip Advisors is data focused and with that structure they were able to create a user friendly site. The numbering system allows the user to arrow through the top 25 Best hotels of 2015 and read more about each place by pressing the ‘more’ button (TripAdvisor Australia 2014).

Condé Nast Traveller: Gold Standard Hotels

Condé Nast Traveller has also created a very appealing interface. However, there curation method is very different as they have used editors to write about each place. Unlike the Trip Advisor, Condé Nast Traveller has created a more entertaining site that explains the beauty of each place where as The 25 Best Hotels of 2015 provides factual content (Condé Nast Traveller 2014).

Overall, both sites have created visually appealing interfaces; however, there approach to the information provided is very different.

References

Bradshaw, P. 2013, Journalism *is* curation: tips on curation tools and techniques, viewed 20 September 2015, http://onlinejournalismblog.com/2013/09/30/curation-tools-tips-advice-journalism/

Condé Nast Traveller 2014, Gold Standard Hotels 2014, viewed 20 September 2015, http://www.cntraveller.com/awards/the-gold-list/gold-standard-hotels-2014/viewall

TripAdvisor Australia 2014, Top 25 hotels in the world, viewed 20 September 2015, http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/TravelersChoice-Hotels-g1

TECHNICAL

The Quiz for week 9 I found fairly difficult in some areas. In those parts I had trouble determining the differences, but as I saw the numerous correct answers I was able to find where I was having difficulty.

References

Business Writing Center, n.d, Passive and Active Voice, viewed 20 September 2015, http://www.businesswriting.com/tests/activepassive.htm

WEEK 8 – Blog Entry

PRACTICAL

Instagram is a fun and creative way to share photos and videos about your life. It is a social network that is used by 300 million people monthly (Smith, C. 2015). Users are able to take photos and videos, then customize it with the filters and tools that Instagram provides. Individuals are able to create their own master piece and share it with their followers by posting/uploading it to their account. Instagram allows users to share their images and video with numerous social networks such as Facebook and more (Instagram 2015). There are many ways to use the network, both personally and professionally. Many people have used Instagram and have become “Instagram famous” thus launching a career on the network. Therefore, whatever you are interested in there are numerous users around the world that can enjoy different types of entertainment, let that be through photos or videos.

References

Smith, C. 2015, By the Numbers: 150+ Interesting Instagram Statistics (September 2015), viewed 19 September 2015, http://expandedramblings.com/index.php/important-instagram-stats/

Instagram, 2015, Instagram, viewed 19 September 2015, https://instagram.com

INQUIRY

INSTAGRAM

Instagram is a free online photo sharing and social network platform (Rouse, M. 2012) where personally I enjoy sharing my life and special events on the social network. Therefore, I already have previous knowledge of how someone would use Instagram personally. Personally a lot of individuals use the network to display their life. For example, like a day in the life of. Followers are able to connect with each other as they are able to see what their life would be like.

As I have been on Instagram for a number of years I have come across numerous professional accounts on Instagram. For example, Lauren Bath is a professional Instagrammer from Cairns (news.com.au 2014) who has created career for herself.

“Lauren Bath quit her job as a chef a year ago to pursue a career in photographic marketing on Instagram.” (news.com.au 2014)

It has become evident throughout the years that when a person on Instagram becomes “Instagram famous” they are approached by numerous companies to promote products because of the larger following they have received.

Therefore to use Instagram professionally, an individual firstly would have to be consistent when posting photos or video. They would need to have a hobby or have an interesting account so that people are enticed into following that persons’ account.

References

News.com.au 2014, Australia’s first professional Instagrammer, Lauren Bath, shares her secrets for career success, viewed 19 September 2015, http://www.news.com.au/finance/work/australias-first-professional-instagrammer-lauren-bath-shares-her-secrets-for-career-success/story-fnkgbb3b-1226874508436

Rouse, M. 2012, Instagram definition, viewed 19 September 2015, http://searchcio.techtarget.com/definition/Instagram

TECHNICAL

Quiz 8 was fairly challenging as the textbook was quite confusing. The main trouble I had was determining the write way the words should be spelt/placed. For example, a lot and alot.

However, I was able to received 100% correct on the second attempt.

WEEK 7 – Blog Entry

PRACTICAL

ASSESSMENT 1 REVIEW

While proof reading assessment item 1, I was not able to pick up all of the mistakes within it. It took about three times to pick up everything but as a precaution I had my mother proof read the assessment.

After my mother proof read it she was able to pick up some expression errors and punctuation errors. This is because when reading it my eyes would seem to skip over the errors without even registering in my mind.

The checklist did help as it picked up some tasks that I had forgotten about. Therefore, without the checklist I would have easily failed the criteria of completed and submitting all the tasks.

INQUIRY

The IUCN-SSC Crocodile Specialist Group (CSG) Newsletter from April to June 2015 contains numbers topics within it such as:

• Book Reviews
• Obituaries
• Scholarships
• Meetings information and discussion results
• Regional reports for numerous countries
• Science – submitted and recent publications

The target audience for these stories and information are those apart of the organisation’s community as well as others who are interested in the work that CSG does.

From a science journalist’s perspective, the newsletter contains numerous regional reports containing a lot of information. For example, the regional report for Mexico contains evidence of Recent Reports of Fatal Attacks on Humans by Crocodiles in Mexico (Crocodile Specialist Group, 2015).

The newsletter is very successful in the way that it discusses numerous topics important for the target audience. It provides not only local information but international information as well. The only negatives that are evident are that the newsletter is quiet large as it has a lot of text. Personally, I believe I am basis as I would not be interested in the topics within this newsletter; however, for the amount of information there would be some sort of news story that could be taken from the information.

References

Crocodile Specialist Group, 2015, Crocodile Specialist Group Newsletter, viewed 5 September 2015, http://www.iucncsg.org/365_docs/attachments/protarea/34(2-a5b9578f.pdf

TECHNICAL

Quiz 7A was completed with 100% correct in three attempts. This is because of the spelling of certain words such as practise/practice.

Quiz 7B was completed with 100% correct in three attempts. This is because I would press the wrong answer when it was meant to the other one; however, the first attempt I had problems with determining the different styles of writing.

WEEK 6 – Blog Entry

PRACTICAL

FAMILY EXPERIENCES ALL THE CAPRCORNIA COAST HAS TO OFFER

A family and friends take a trip to explore all of what the Capricornia Coast has the offer.

The journey to explore fives rocks and nine mile beach is a very bumpy one.

Enjoying the lookout to five rocks and nine mile beach.

Five rocks and nine mile beach lookout allows a 180 degree view of the beautiful Capricorn Coast. 

The Capricorn Coast has hidden beaches that only locals will know where they are.

INQUIRY

PRESS KIT – CIRQUE DU SOLEIL: TOTEM

Press kits usually contain all the information that a journalist will need to create a story about the event.

According to Week 6’s lesson information (Ames 2015) a press kit should contain the following:

• media release
• backgrounders
• fact sheets
• biographies of key personnel
• photos
• graphics
• footage
• sound
• any information that the journalist may need to write an article

Therefore, the following is what Totem contains:

• Show Overview
• A few interesting facts
• What the critics say about TOTEM
• About Robert Lepage – Writer and Director
• The Main Characters
• The Scenes/Acts
• The Creators
• Costumes
• Set Design and Projections
• Support to the performance
• Village on Wheels
• CIRQUE DU SOLEIL AT A GLANCE
• In 2015, Cirque du Soleil will present 19 different shows around the world

Therefore, Cirque du Soleil TOTEM has created a very interesting and informative press kit. This allows journalists to write news stories accurate from the event.

To create a news story with the TOTEM press kits the areas that a journalist should focus on is the show overview to give an accurate description of the show itself. The acts and events that will take place throughout the show and lastly, the creators of the show.

References

Ames, K. 2015. Week 6 – Supporting the story: Packaging and supplementing your writing, viewed 28 August 2015, https://moodle.cqu.edu.au/pluginfile.php/149409/mod_resource/content/3/2.%20COMM11007%20Week%206%20Lesson.pdf

Cirque du Soleil (n.d), TOTEM, viewed 28 August 2015, https://static01.cirquedusoleil.com/en/~/media/press/PDF/totem/totem-press-kit.pdf

 

TECHNICAL

Quiz 6A took two attempt for a 100% correct outcome, the only areas that I found difficult were the apostrophe placings.

Quiz 6B took three attempt for a 100% correct outcome, like quiz 6B I found the apostrophe placings.

WEEK 5 – Blog Entry

PRACTICAL

The two people I will be interviewing are:

1. My Mother Michele
2. My Father Wayne

My twitter link for photo and sentence grab from interview is:

https://twitter.com/ajrook97

PARENTS CAN AGREED THAT THEIR CHILDREN ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT PEOPLE IN THEIR LIVES

Many parents agreed that their children and their education are the most important thing to them today.

My Mother, Michele Rook, said her children are the most important people in her life and there are many things she wishes for them.

“Ensuring they have a very good education and are fed well is the most important thing I can give my children”

My Father, Wayne Rook, can also agree that his three children are the most important people in his life.

He said, like Michele, he wishes many things for his children.

“Looking after them, feeding and educating them are very important, as well as preparing them for the rest of their lives,” Mr Rook said.

Just like any other family, the Rooks have had my issues throughout their lives but the need to provide a healthy and happy life is their main concern.

INQUIRY

DRUNK DRIVER JAILED FOR 10 YEARS OVER TEENAGER EBONY DUNSWORTH’S DEATH CRASH (Ross 2012)

This news story has a large impact on myself as Ebony Dunsworth was a friend of my older sisters and the story itself is a very emotional one as it quotes the drunk drivers words toward Ebony. It allows the reader to know to some extent of the situation Ebony was in. She was in a car with a drunk driver and she wanted to get out; however, because of the irresponsible driver, Ebony was killed in the accident that followed.

I believe this article is a piece of good journalism as it uses many of media writing procedure, such as the inverted pyramid, one sentence pars (paragraphs), and is very embellished. It also uses the primary sources of the drunk driver, the judge and a family member. The writer’s use of these quotes is very strategic as at the start of the news story it reveals the quotes from the judge of the case and then further reveals the drunk drivers quote, then the family member. The news story is very reliable as it discloses numerous quotes and events that happened during the drunken car ride which resulted in Ebony’s death.

Overall, it is believed that the writer of the news story had done her research about to fatal car accident and successfully created a reliable news story that was embellished. This embellishment gives the reader a sense of remorse while reading the article because of the strong, emotional language used.

References

Norrie Ross 2012, Drunk driver jailed for 10 years over teenager Ebony Dunsworth’s death crash, viewed 15 August 2015, http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/national/man-jailed-for-10-years-over-ebonys-death-crash/story-fndo2dsc-1226436542841

TECHNICAL

Week 5’s Quiz 5A took two attempts to receive 100% correct. It was fairly difficult because of the language in the book; however, the second attempt I could understand what the textbook was trying to say.

Quiz 5B took two attempts as well; however, it seemed slightly easier than quiz 5A because I was able to understand the textbook chapter 11.

WEEK 4 – Blog Entry

PRACTICAL

The two possible events that I could cover for Assignment 3: Writing for Social Media could be:

1. The Rockhampton Cultural Festival
2. The City Slide: Rockhampton

• Rockhampton Cultural Festival

I plan to cover Rockhampton’s Cultural Festival event. This annual event is held on the 30^th of August this year at Rockhampton’s Heritage Village.

At this particular event it is not necessary to get accredited as it is open to the public with a $2 entry. The main parts of the event is the numerous dances and performances by people from countries all around the world.

The people I will try to get a short quote from:

1. A participant
2. An attendee
3. A family

The three main points from Kate’s video, “Why you should plan” are:

• Time Flies
• Find your schedule and have a plan for what the main events are
• Think about accreditation if it is required

For just the small amount of research I have done, there is no need for an accreditation as it is public event.

Overall, for the Rockhampton Cultural Festival I plan on researching the event schedule and see what main events will be appropriate for my storify article.

• The City Slider: Rockhampton

I plan to cover The City Slider: Rockhampton event. This is not an annual event but is the first of its kind coming to the Rockhampton region. It is held on the 3^rd of October this year.

At this event it is not necessary to get accredited as it is open to whoever decides to buy a $29 ticket to the event.  The main part of the event is the actual slide, it is a 325m Long Waterslide organised by the City Slider which is touring around Australia.

The people I will try to get a short quote from:

1. A slider
2. A organiser/employee/helper
3. A spectator

The three main points from Kate’s video, “Why you should plan” are:

• Time Flies
• Find your schedule and have a plan for what the main events are
• Think about accreditation if it is required

Overall, for the Rockhampton City Slider I plan on researching more about the reason behind The City Slider.

References

Rockhampton Regional Council 2015, Event Calendar, viewed 10 August 2015, http://www.rockhamptonregion.qld.gov.au/Your_Community/Event_Calendar

The City Slider 2015, What is it, viewed 10 August 2015, http://thecityslider.com.au/what-is-it/

INQUIRY

Robert Pattinson talks about his new film, The Rover, with Dave O’Neil (POOR NEWS STORY)

While reading this news story it was evident from the start that the article did not flow coherently causing a lot of confusion. This is a poor news story as the main issue was not established from the start and when on for too long.

Therefore, the main issues were:

• Main issues/topics were not clear.
• It was long and confusing
• Sentences did not flow together, jumps from topic to topic

Drought worst in living memory: AgForce Survey (GOOD MEDIA RELEASE)

While reading this media release it was evident that it contains a lot of facts and feedback about the drought. This is a good media release as it contains information about how they plan on dealing with it.

Therefore, what is good about this media release is that:

• It is clear and concise
• It includes facts and previous feedback
• Main issues were clear from the beginning

References

AgForce 2015, Drought worst in living memory: AgForce survey, viewed 10 August 2015, http://www.agforceqld.org.au/index.php?tgtPage=news&id=view,478

Dave O’Neil 2014, Robert Pattinson talks about his new film, The Rover, with Dave O’Neil, viewed 10 August 2015, http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/robert-pattinson-talks-about-his-new-film-the-rover-with-dave-oneil-20140619-zs99j.html

TECHNICAL

Week 4’s Quiz was fairly easy as the Chapter 4 of the textbook was easy to understand. So, the first attempt’s outcome was 9 out of 10. Upon completing my second attempt the outcome was 10 out of 10.

Therefore, there was no real difficulty involved in this week’s quiz.

WEEK 3 – Blog Entry

PRACTICAL

It was very easy to register with storify as there was an option to create an account with Twitter or Facebook.

Whilst exploring the whole of storify it was rather confusing as to how to create a storify story. However, there was a simple solution such as watching a YouTube video about the network.

The first issue I decided to compile with storify was about Australia’s Jarryd Hayne (Trending on Twitter in Australia: #HaynePlane).

For the full story:

https://storify.com/ajrook97/the-hayneplane#publicize

After creating a story I found that storify makes telling a story very convenient. Before creating my story (shown above) I explored and read other storify stories and that’s where it was evident that there are many different kinds of stories. What ‘makes the news’ on storify is really anything from Taylor Swift and One Direction to sending a potato in the mail.

URL for sending a potato in the mail: https://storify.com/sarahwhit10/yes-you-can-send-a-potato-in-the-mail

Overall, I am very excited to continue creating stories with storify so that when it comes to Assignment 3 I will be capable of creating a successful story.

INQUIRY

 The following will discuss the shark attack involving Mick Fanning. It will discuss the differences between each lead paragraph with regards to the news values. This topic was interesting as the victim of the assault was a beloved Australian surfer.

Here are the following lead paragraphs:

Broadcast

Fanning said he’d be happy never to compete again after he incredibly emerged unscathed following the close encounter, which was broadcast live (news.com.au 2015).

Online

Sir Richard Branson has called for sharks to be protected rather than hunted down and killed in the wake of an attack on one of the world’s leading surfers (the guardian 2015).

Print

AUSTRALIAN surfer Mick Fanning has survived a shark attack live on TV in South Africa (The Morning Bulletin 2015).

At first it is evident that the broadcast and print lead paragraphs are very similar in the context. This is because they are very particular about who the shark attack happened too. Whereas, the online lead paragraph only allows a broad introduction to the article.

There are some differences when it comes to the news values in each form of news.

The Broadcast lead paragraph contains the news values of:

1. Prominence – Mick Fanning is an Australian surfer who is spoken about in many news areas.
2. Interest – Fanning said he’d be happy never to compete again after the attack which was broadcasted on live television.
3. Timeliness – The attack was captured on live TV, meaning everyone watching was able to watch the attack unfolded on television.
4. Impact – The attack not only affected Fanning but also everyone watching live.

The Online lead paragraph contains the news values of:

1. Interest – An Australian surfer was recently attacked and now Sir Richard Branson has called for sharks to be protected rather than hunted down (the guardian 2015).
2. Timeliness – The online article was published close after the attack on the Australian surfer Mick Fanning.
3. Impact – The attack impacted the Australian surfer.

The Print lead paragraph contains the news values of:

1. Prominence – Mick Fanning was the Australian surfer attacked by the shark.
2. Proximity – Because the attacked happen to an Australian surfer it hits home to all Australians and especially surfers.
3. Interest – Mick fanning survived a shark attack on live television.
4. Timeliness – The incident was aired on live TV.
5. Impact – The attack not only affected Fanning but also everyone watching live.

The reason this story was appealing was because it was very recent in the news and Mick Fanning being a well-known name in our household it felt like it would be the right topic.

Reference

news.com.au 2015, World reacts to ‘badass’ Fanning’s shark attack, viewed 5 August 2015, http://www.news.com.au/sport/sports-life/world-reacts-to-badass-fannings-shark-attack/story-fno61i58-1227448609474.

The Guardian 2015, Richard Branson urges against shark hunting following Mick Fanning attack, viewed 5 August 2015, http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jul/29/richard-branson-urges-against-shark-hunting-mick-fanning-attack.

The Morning Bulletin 2015, Mick Fanning’s shark scare: ‘I saw the thing thrashing’, viewed 5 August 2015, http://www.themorningbulletin.com.au/news/mick-fannings-shark-scare-i-saw-thing-thrashing/2711328/.

TECHNICAL

 The week 3’s blog quiz was again quite difficult. But, after the first attempt I decided to re-read chapter 3 of the textbook to refresh my memory. After that, I realised the little mistakes I picked in the quiz.

Therefore, on my second attempted I was able to complete the quiz with 100% correct.

There wasn’t a specific area that was difficult, it was just understand the textbook and the way it was written.