final thoughts on J198

At the conclusion of another great semester at Lehigh, I must stop to reflect on my J198 class. Until now, I had yet to take a course that truly combines work with play. Multimedia reporting allowed me to combine my interests and journalism skills to create new material. I have also developed crucial habits to be a successful journalist in an age where technology rules all.

At the onset of this semester, I was under the impression Twitter was for celebrities with too much time on their hands and Blogging was an online diary. To say the least, I now know this is far from true.

While celebrities do post often to their Twitter accounts, this viral-media, among others, has transformed journalism today. In an industry where time is the most crucial element, Twitter, Blogs and YouTube provide a platform for journalists to create material for news and events at the exact time they occur. Additionally, they have integrated social media networks with a following to ensure those interested in a given source for new material are the first to see it. This concept of the new world of journalism as multi-media is vital to grasp.

After a semester of ‘tweeting,’ I now have a strong Twitter fan-base or following. Additionally, I have developed a fan-base for my blog, inspired by love for fashionable athletic apparel. Initially, the assignment to post new material on my blog three times a week and post on Twitter at least once a day was a daunting task. However, as I became more familiar with the social medias, posting new material became habit. Moreover, using social medias is something I now enjoy and will continue to use after the class.

Before I took Multimedia Reporting, I also had difficulty taking quality pictures and using the computer to create worthwhile projects out of anything having to do with a camera. Aside from the social-media’s, J198 has taught me how to film footage, edit it, and produce a high-quality product. I feel that I have an improved understanding on filming and production, which gives me a more open-minded outlook on photography in general. I am no longer afraid of technology and know what to do with a camera and a computer, and then some. In turn, I am now a source to my peers to assist them with their technology and social media questions.

While I am pleased with the new habits I have developed through J198, I am most proud of the “Bethlehem Dining” website I created with Alex. It was a great experience to work on this project. I really got a lot out of the group aspect of the assignment and it was a great way to combine all aspects of our new knowledge from the course into one platform. One of the more difficult pieces of information to obtain were recipes by top chef’s. To obtain some of our information, we used Twitter to advertise our project and had successful responses from many restaurants. I have a much better grasp on how the up-scale environment that is Bethlehem today has come to be, as a result of researching the local restaurant industry. I am excited to show off the finished product to friends, family and potential employers.

My new-found habit of posting material to Twitter, YouTube and Blogger will shape my future as a journalist and I am excited to see where that takes me!