Desert Photo

Merry Christmas, Mum.

2008-12-24T14:38:00.000-08:00

Welcome to New York, Pope Benedict XVI

2008-04-16T20:31:00.000-07:00

Quote

2008-01-25T08:58:00.000-08:00

"When you look at the future, it changes. Because you looked at it." Next, 2007

Now on the East Coast

2007-09-10T07:38:00.000-07:00

I have arrived in Upstate New York to attend the Newhouse PhD program at Syracuse University. Stay tuned for Desert Photo entries from this new frontier...

2007-04-25T10:40:00.000-07:00

Bonaventure Cemetery - Savannah, Georgia

Faith Has Obligations

2007-04-25T10:34:00.000-07:00

Evidently, we did not learn the most important lesson of the Amish in Nickle Mines, Penn. Theirs was a story of forgiveness, a show of faith that overshadowed the tragedy they suffered. In a rare demonstration of true selflessness, the mothers and fathers of murdered schoolgirls, while in the midst of their darkest sorrow, reached out to the gunman's family and embraced them as fellow victims. It was the greatest story never fully told...

I know the community of Virginia Tech is now facing its most profound sadness. And it's hard to forgive. In the days following the shootings, the gunman's family has received death threats, and is living in hiding. In news accounts, the Chos are reported as saying they feel "hopeless, helpless and lost." Their son was violently killed that day too.

Here's our chance to be the good Christians we always say we are.

Image courtesy of "Nashville Is Talking," WKRN Channel 2

2006-12-20T13:22:00.000-08:00

http://www.nashvilleistalking.com/archives/2006/10/look_to_your_left.html

2006-01-27T15:32:00.000-08:00

2006-01-27T15:31:00.000-08:00

Mary Clare Tomlinson
January 17, 1941-January 16, 2006

Mary Clare Tomlinson-Howell died January 16, 2006, at St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center after a long illness. Born in Monroe, Michigan in 1941, Clare was an RN for many years, as was her mother, Alice Tomlinson, before her.

Intelligent and kind, Clare was best known for her constant advocacy on her children’s behalf. She graduated from St. Mary’s Academy for Girls in Michigan. She was a gifted cook, a voracious reader and an endearing conversationalist. She traveled Europe. Clare was a Democrat, an active supporter of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s and an unwavering opponent of the death penalty.

She dearly loved her Jack Russell Terrier, Daisy Mae, and supported the ASPCA Equine Program.

She is preceded in death by her husband Michael George Howell, her son Christopher Robert, her parents Dr. and Mrs. Ledyard (Alice) Tomlinson, and her brothers Ledyard, Thomas and George Tomlinson.

She is survived by her daughters Marti Cecilia and Priscilla Margaret (Blakiston), her sons Michael Jude and Brendan Patrick, sisters-in-law Joanie and Jackie Tomlinson, her brother Robert “Red” Tomlinson, many cherished nieces and nephews and her best friend Louisa Sucher.

She departs now from her beloved grandchildren, Ashley and Shane Howell of Kansas City and Colin and Michael Howell of Wisconsin.

Clare leaves behind her precious Daisy Mae.

Sacred Mass of the Resurrection will be celebrated at St. Charles Catholic Church in Newport, Michigan.

Date pending.

Godspeed, Mum.

St. Therese Little Flower Catholic Church, Reno

2005-12-21T13:13:00.000-08:00

White Religion

2005-12-21T13:08:00.000-08:00

One of my entries in "a shot of White" photo pool run by Flickr photog Mikey720...

Research on Internet Photo-sharing

2005-12-20T14:51:00.000-08:00

Visual Journalism and Internet Photo Sharing

by Marti Howell
December 20, 2005

INTRODUCTION

Under the photo tag "fog" on the popular Internet photo-display site Flickr, there are misty images from every corner of the world. Some belong to sets of pictures by an individual photographer, some are part of "fog" pools, sets of shots contributed by a number of artists, and some are just lone images tagged "fog."

Though Flickr, Buzznet and sites like them are a relatively new discovery for most photographers, they already contain a vast array of tags and an enormous number of photos. Photojournalists who embrace this technology and editors who understand its implications stand to gain in the immediate future.

Three aspects of Internet photo-organizing technology in which photojournalists may be interested are: the feasibility of photo-tagging technology assisting various media desks with their visual goals; the tendency of sites like Flickr to create communities that move photographers closer to a Web 2.0 world; and potential scenarios involving how photo-tagging technology is currently changing journalism and what the future may hold.

Editors now have access to images from around the world on a practically endless list of subjects on sites like Flickr.

"Imagine if you were a photo editor at a major publication," says media expert Mark Glaser, "and you could search through every digital photo on every computer in the world to put together a feature." This "global photo album," as Glaser calls it, will be invaluable to the new wave of citizen journalists. (Glaser, 2005)

Access to images on this scale can only result in shifts in the realm of journalism. Internet photo-organizing technology has already changed the way photographs are diffused around the world. The future of visual journalism will likely be very different than the business is today. Photographers now have an audience the scope of which they could not even have imagined just a few years ago. On Flickr, they can connect with other photographers, hone their photo-editing skills and find inspiration. In short, these photographers – professional and aspiring – form a community.

Internet Photo Organization

What is a traditional news photograph?

A traditional news photograph at a newspaper is usually taken by newspaper staff. Photos published on the front page (and often on section fronts) are in color. Most other photographs in the paper are black and white. A traditional file photo is usually one that a newspaper has run in a previous story, although it may be one that a staffer took and stored, unpublished.

The visuals that fall under a newspaper photographer’s rubrick depend largly on the size of his publication. At newspapers like the Times-News in Twin Falls, Idaho, and the Guymon (Oklahoma) Daily Herald, the staff photographers are responsible for news photos, advertising photos and even graphic design. File photos are often used – even for front-page stories – at these midsize newspapers (circulation 2,000-20,000). (magicvalley.com, 2005) At larger papers like the New York Times (circulation 12-20 million(nytimes.com, 2005), there may be photographers who specialize in one type of photo or image. For example, there may be two art designers that deal only in informational graphics and maps and a second team who create photo illustrations.

Newspapers large and small frequently use "stand-alone" photos – most often these appear on the front page. A stand-alone photo does not accompany a story. It tells its own story. It frequently has a longer caption than other photos but may have only a few words of explanation. Some examples of frequently-used stand-alone subjects are the passing of the seasons, children in various weather conditions, animals crossing roads or otherwise mixing with civilization and groundbreaking ceremonies and parades.

The rule of thumb in all newspaper art departments is that local images are often more newsworthy than national or international photos. This is called the "backyard" theory wherein images of what happens in a media outlet's "backyard" or immediate proximity are of more interest to the audience that photos of far-away places and events.

A news photographs serves several purposes. Basically, a journalistic photo either provides an illustration for an accompanying story or stands alone as a story in itself. Visuals provides balance to a newspaper page – photos are the anchor of a broadsheet layout. Photos also add white space to the page – an integral piece of the layout puzzle. Overall, visuals or “art” make the newspaper and its stories more appealing to the reader. Newspaper art may be an informational graphic, a photo illustration or a file photo.

It is important to understand the process by which newspaper photographers produce news images. Until relatively recently, most newspapers came by their photographs in this fashion: a newspaper photographer takes a picture on film (the really old way) or with a digital camera. Then the picture is developed in a darkroom (old) or uploaded into the newspaper's computer system (EPS process). It is set onto x-ray layout plates (old) or sent electronically to layout (EPS). Negatives are filed by the photographer in darkroom files (old) or in the newspaper's computer system (EPS). Wire service images are picked up by most newspapers. Most photos in the newspaper are still black and white.

Photographs in the New Media Landscape

The Internet is a visual medium. All of the purposes that a news photo serves – as illustration, as layout aid, as art, as appeal to audience – are enhanced in this medium. Unlike newspapers and television, the Internet has never been confined to mostly black and white photos. Most newspaper photos are still black and white.
As always, visuals are the key to attracting – and aesthetically pleasing – news consumers. Visuals are one of the features that made the Web so appealing in the first place. As time and technological advances weave an ever-more-complex web, the manner in which images are formed, stored and shared will become more important.
It would behoove editors to keep up with this quickly-changing aspect of the Internet news media, as consumers are already on board.

With the emergence of photo-sharing websites like Flickr and Buzznet, photographers can post their work in a worldwide gallery. Using “tags” or one-word descriptions of their frames, photographers organize their photos into portfolios of sorts, on the Internet. Photographers may also upload photos from their collections to “pools,” where their images are displayed with the work of other photographers on a similar subject.

One of the most obvious yet important aspects of these photo-organizing sites is the opportunity it affords a whole new group of photographers. No longer are images that are widely distributed the product of professional photographers alone. Now, anyone with a cell phone camera shares a venue with professional artists and photojournalists. In its infancy, photo-organizing sites are still developing facets of their tagging technology.

Images accessed via the Internet are already changing the way newspapers operate. Photographers still take photos and newspapers still use wire service images but Internet and photo-editing software have made the process much faster and easier.

For Internet news outlets, the benefits are both more immediate and more profound. Photo sharing has made an infinite number of images available to anyone with Internet access. In addition, the ease with which these photo-display tools can be used draws an enormous audience. On Flickr alone, users have access to asy uploading tools for Windows and Macintosh, tags and privacy settings and a mobile version of the website for viewing photos on web-enabled cell phones or PDAs. Photos may also be sent directly to any blog, by email. Group photo pools allow many people to post their photos of an event, say, in one place. Flickr features an easy-to-operate “Organizr” to help users sort their own photos.

Three Things Photo Journalists Need to Know About Internet Photo Organization
PHOTO-TAGGING & THE NEWS DESK… AND THE WEATHER DESK AND THE FEATURES DESK…

As Mark Glaser notes in 2005, editors now have at their disposal thousands upon thousands of images. The news desk may now include photos with most local news stories instead of just a few. A story on an isolated or rural part of a community, which once would have been printed with no visual element, may now take the media consumer to the "backyard" where the story originated. News consumers are increasingly interested in viewing images from their own locales. As Internet news outlets focus on “hyper-local” coverage, consumers are coming to expect photographs that depict their corner of the world. Providing that service will separate success from failure in audience capture on the Internet medium.

Specific media desks may use the new availability of images in different ways. For example, weather reporters can use photographs to illustrate the effects of major disaster stories. Images from citizen photographers show the public exactly what the victims of such disasters see during the event. Pictures from 2005's Hurricane Katrina – taken by local citizen photojournalists and published on websites like the Lawrence (Kansas) Journal-World online edition – are a fine example of this process at work.

Features editors may benefit the most. No other type of story depends more on visuals than a feature. For example, suppose a feature writer wanted to write a story about the increasing popularity of voodoo dolls. It is unlikely the photographers at his publication would have a file of such photos. However, using Flickr, he can choose from dozens of images suited to his topic. The following sample set of photos shows what can be gleaned from one popular photo-sharing website. In searching for photographs to illustrate various voodoo doll styles, the following set was assembled:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/westernphotog/favorites/show/

An assessment of this exercise illustrates the versitility of sites like Flickr. It would have taken the feature writer many weeks to gather these images without an Internet photo-sharing site. Perhaps he would not be able to write features on topics such as these in the traditional newsroom. In the virtual newsroom, the compiling of these images took less than two hours and involved only one photo-sharing site – and just the most interesting shots were assembled here. The reporter was able to view dozens of images… instantly.

Citizen journalists and the future of participatory journalism depend on how well technology like photo tagging works. When the public can share images with the media, citizen reporting is enriched with visual appeal comparable to that of mainstream media outlets.

"The thing about Flickr and Buzznet is that they grew out of the exploding ease and efficiency for individuals to document their world," media expert Mark Glaser explains (2005). Editors like John Robinson of the Greensboro(North Carolina) News & Record call this "open-source journalism." By gathering information from professional journalists and citizen journalists alike, he believes that a more productive exchange of ideas can be facilitated. "Please join us in this conversation," he urges other newspapermen. "It's where the future is." (Palser, 2005)

Ethics, Rights & Community 2.0

Being a part of an Internet photo-display community comes with rewards and risks. Much like eBay, that relies on members' sense of fairness, sites like Flickr require users to act on faith to some degree. They are expected to be respectful of their fellow artists by not posting obscene material, by not maliciously altering other photographers' tags and by not publicly and baselessly criticizing the work of others.

In exchange for exhibiting these self-imposed standards, members reap a great many benefits. Photographers learn how to be better at their craft. By seeing the work of a vast number of diverse artists – from backyard "snapshotographers" (a term coined by University of Nevada, Reno journalism alumnus Josh Kenzer) to professional photojournalists. In addition, Flickr makes it easy to add favorite artists and favorite shots to one's own page. These serve as a constant source of inspiration to members.

Austrian Flickr photographer Maya McKechneay, 31, says she uses her Flickr account to become inspired and also to place her experiences in a global context. Contributing from Vienna, Austria, McKechneay says she began contributing to Flickr as a way of keeping a "visual diary." "I liked the idea of using (Flickr) as a diary," she explains, "especially since I had then started to use my cam(era)-phone, just taking snapshots of every day's events." (McKechneay, 2005)

McKechneay then began to avail herself of some of Flickr's features that allow users to display photos from their "favorite" other users and the best of "everyboby's" shots on their Flickr home page, alongside their own pictures. "It sort of puts your everyday life in a world-wide context" she says. "I like to… look at other people's pictures, especially if they show regular life." (McKechneay, 2005) One of McKechneay's recent photo essays on Flickr documented people on their way to work. Her latest series include one entitled "Incredibly Strange Signs" and a another called "Incredibly Strange Products." (McKechneay on Flickr, 2005)

Then there are the actual contacts that may be made on sites like Flickr. The site allows members to contact one another from the home page. Any photographer can ask any other photographer any question he wants. It is like having thousands of instructors from all disciplines of the visual arts. Their collective knowledge on photography is at the disposal of even the newest member. "One of the benefits of Flickr is being able to reach such a broad range of viewers," says Flickr photographer Therese Banach. "The sharing within the photographic community of ideas and information, both pertaining to photography specifically, and to a host of other interests generally." (Banach, 2005)

Banach's latest interest is a Flickr photo group she created called 'Tis the Season. Her invitation for other photographers to join her in the collaborative gallery states: "Those of us raised in the Christian tradition often think of this season as the "Christmas" season. As I've gotten older, my sensitibilites and beliefs have morphed and changed, so that now I see the common denominator in all systems at this time of year...is light. Whether it be Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Divali, or Nature based belief systems, it's all about bringing some light into the darkest time of the year. So...I invite you all, in whatever tradition suits you, to share the light and joy..." (Banach on Flickr, 2005)

Beyond that, Flickr and sites like it are pure democracies. Every photographer is equally important in the community. The front page of the site features photos that possess "interestingness," as Flickr puts it. The featured photographers range from professionals with decades of experience to novice photographers using their first digital camera. Some of the shots originate on film, others are digital. They represent many cultures of the world and all manner of subjects. According to Flickr, they need only be visually fabulous in some way or another. Everybody who uploads photos to Flickr has an equal chance of being on the front page. This is not so in the traditional hierarchy of newspaper darkrooms

There are some risks, however, to posting photos on Flickr, especially those the user categorizes on the site as "public" images, meaning all users may view them and, presumably, appropriate them for their own purposes. There is also the remote possibility that a photographer's work will be unduly criticized in such a public forum.

As early adopters of a new photo-technology, artists will undoubtedly face the same scrutiny that early Photoshop software users did. Media consumers and critics reserve for photographs alone a particular mistrust. In fact, visual journalism may be the only media product that immediately causes suspicion in the wake of technological advance. "Are the photos altered," dubious consumers and media critics ask, "are these pictures 'real'." Credibility remains a chief concern for journalists eyeing images on Internet sites.

“There is no way to verify the veracity or legitimacy of an image on Flickr – where it was really taken, who the people rally are, whether it was photoshopped,” points out New York Times Magazine columnist Rob Walker. (Walker interview, 2005)

Another concern in this new photo arena is copyright. In the U.S. since the late 1800s, copyright law states that the originator of a material – including photographs, art and literary productions – is the owner of that creation upon its completion until the time of his death or for 28 years, in the case of the creator’s death, so that heirs might take ownership. (Columbia Encyclopedia, 2005) Like many American freedoms, copyright law is the resuly of a body of legal decisions applied to varied situations using certain principles. One such principle is the notion of “fair use.” Fair use refers to the public’s right to use some copyrighted materials for the purposes of criticism, commentary and some educational practices. For example, a book reviewer may use excepts from a book during her review of the piece. However, If the author disagrees with the book reviewer’s interpretation of fair use, he may sue her. Fair-use cases are often decided in favor of the author if he can prove that use of his work by others is depriving him of income.

On Flickr, users can categorize their photos as “private” or “public.” Beyond that, ethics are again self-imposed by community members. If users of Flickr want to ensure that no one else appropriates their work, they can protect it by marking it private but then it cannot be viewed by the entire community. Declining to participate defeats the purpose of "community." Nothing but visual satisfaction can be gained by only looking at photos on a site like Flickr. To reap the benefits of any community, one must truly belong to that community. Thus, a little leap of faith is in order.

"I have found many contacts who are the best people, kind, talented and human" Flickr photographer Reason Tobe says. "I know that's a weird way of putting it, but they are more real to me than someone I meet on the street."

Another fear of such photo-sharing sites is the idea that they will ultimately cost some photojournalists their jobs. Mark Glaser discusses the trend of more news sources that rely upon amateur video to fill visual news holes. He expresses fears that videographers may lose their jobs to outside submissions. (Glaser, 2005) The validity of such a concern remains to be seen.

Almost all of the photos on Flickr are visually stunning. This is the result of perhaps two factors: a competitive environment and a photographer's pride. Photographers who see gorgeous photos on Flickr are inspired to post their best work. The skills of the other photographers are viewed as a level to which a photographer hopes to ascend. Beyond that, a photographer's Flickr page is a showcase for his work. A deep sense of pride can be found in compiling a beautiful online portfolio.

For good or ill, photo-sharing communities are already established and, from all indications, are flourishing. Those these are indeed the early days of photo-sharing, interest is high. While each artist must make his own decision, it is apparent that the benefits of participation in communities like Flickr can often outweigh the costs for photographers from all points on the spectrum.

Flickr photographer Mike Issa sums up his Flickr experience: "Benefits are being able to see a wide range of photos and skills from all over the world, make and receive comments and suggestions, be a part of and create groups for topics that interest me, meet like-minded people." Issa also employs Flickr as a learning tool: "For all those posting their own photos," he explains, "most display their EXIF (technical) data, so I can learn technique from shots that I really like as well." (Issa, 2005)

Experts like Glaser say that sites like Flickr and Buzznet will advance citizen journalism. (Glaser, 2005) The new media created by the addition of citizen journalists and photo-organizing technology will incorporate aspects of journalism that may differ greatly from the traditional. As ordinary people begin to post their dispatches to the Internet – sometimes on established news websites like MSNBC.com – they begin to engage in a "conversation" with the media and the public. Media experts like Rob Runett, director of electronic communication at the Newspaper Association of America, Inc., claims that reporting is no longer a "one-way street." Runett also points out that competition from numerous local sites has resulted in newspapers' scrambling to connect with their audiences. This is when newspapers begin to engage in "people-focused" news, he says. (E-MEDIA: Internet, Convergence, Emerging Technologies; The Digital Edge; p. 59)

Conan Gallaty, director of new media at the San Francisco Chronicle agrees that newspapers need to perfect the delivery of their product on the Internet. The Internet is a decidedly visual medium. Access to an endless stream of photographs would go a long way in that direction. Gallaty states that "newspapers have a short window to grab this market." (E-MEDIA: Internet, Convergence, Emerging Technologies; The Digital Edge; p. 59)

The Lawrence (Kansas) Journal-World now is a shining example of one Kansas newspaper that is now fully immersed in an Internet news operation. Specializing in local news, the LJW website includes several community "sections" and a page where the public can weigh in on issues in the news. (O'Brien, 2005).

The LJW online edition also has several photo galleries featuring citizen photographs. Citizen photo galleries at other online papers are not far behind – more than a dozen newspapers already have such pages in their online editions. (Glaser, 2005)

LJW publisher Dolph C. Simons, Jr., says that the goal of his publication is to nurture the ever-evolving relationship between the paper and its readers. Simons explains the philosophy at his publication: "We believe that journalism has been a monologue for so long and now is the perfect time for it to become a dialogue with our readers. We want readers to think of this as their paper, not our paper." Some new media pioneers, like Simons, also believe that the more interactive media of the near-future has the power to make American society more democratic. Simons explains why this matters in his community: "It's a real town with a real soul where people like to get involved. People here care about what Lawrence will become." (O'Brien, 2005).

Today, at least in Lawrence, people interested in the welfare of their community have an opportunity to participate in a public conversation about almost any subject they choose. This is possible for two reasons: widespread access to Internet technology and the vision of a few publishers like Simons. When visual journalism is added to this mix, the result is an even better online story.

Because hyper-local and on-demand news coverage is becoming routine for many young adults, that group harbors expectations much higher than people who came to rely on traditional media. This large audience is no longer content with waiting until the morning newspaper hits the street or even until the evening news comes on the television. These young news consumers want their news delivered 24-hours-a-day. And they want to see what is happening. There is no reason to assume that such a trend could be halted, reversed or even slowed at this point.

Pictures make a story come alive. The traditional value of local images is greatly enhanced by the availability of images on sites like Flickr. In a time when more and more news consumers expect custom, on-demand news, access to this vast library of visuals is invaluable. One may reasonable expect that there will be more tagged-photo websites in the future. As more people gain access, more tagged photos will appear. Software will likely become even easier to use. Photographers of all persuasions will find an audience. Their skills will improve, their pictures will become even more stunning. All the world will be brighter for their contributions.

Citizen journalism can do more than just make news ultra-local. It has the potential to create a more democratic media on a national level. Citizen journalists, and now citizen photographers, have an opportunity to pursue journalism endeavors in a fashion they have never known before. (Kopytoff, 2005) The new citizen journalist has a digital camera. He need not wait until the mainstream media deems his story newsworthy – he can simply cover it himself. He can take pictures to accompany his story. He can bring his subject to the world online. He insists on a personal level of engagement with his world and his media. Internet photo-sharing makes this relationship richer. (Brown, 2005) In the absence of formal training, these new "photojournalists" would never have had the opportunity to participate in this type of media photography without the advances afforded by the Internet. More voices equals more democracy. Virtually every person with access to the Internet can now make a difference.

Proponents feel that citizen journalism eases the ills of professional reporters. After years of news reporting within certain boundaries, there are some journalists who can no longer recognize news, some critics note. These reporters may well be in need of citizens who will fill that "watchdog" position now. In addition, citizen journalists may bring a fresh eye to old news, citizen photojournalists a new view of the world. It is sometimes difficult for a reporter or photographer deeply embedded in a story to get that perspective. Journalists may become be a part of a larger body of concerned citizens dedicated to the common good.( Palser, 2005)

Editors like John Robinson of the Greensboro News & Record call this "open-source journalism." By gathering information and images from professional journalists and citizen journalists alike, he believes that a more productive exchange of ideas can be facilitated.

"Please join us in this conversation," he urges other newspapermen. "It's where the future is." (Palser, 2005)

Of course, this conversation results in not only news sources that have been revamped to include participatory journalism, but ultimately results in entirely new venues from which information may be obtained. Just as there is an increasing number of diverse voices in the news, there are also more and more avenues to disseminate those views. Wikipedia is an example of information created – in democratic form, more or less – by members of a group. Writers work together, editing and adding and re-editing web pages, to collectively publish information. ( Wikipedia.com).

On Flickr, photographers can be members of the larger photo-sharing community, be members of smaller groups or pools and comment and receive comments on photos. As noted earlier, all members of Flickr share equal status in terms of exposure. Also, anyone with Internet access is guaranteed a chance to participate, regardless of skill level or financial consideration. On its website, Flickr promises that "There will always be a free version" of the photo-display site. ( Flickr.com).Dan Gillmor notes that barriers to information are being removed. This, he asserts, will result in a better media. He and Michael Fitzgerald point to the benefits of being able to tap into the "collective intelligence." In Gillmor's We the Media, he notes that blogging, the Short Message System (SMS) and Really Simple Syndication (RSS) are the specific technologies that are allowing more and more people to provide content in the Internet news arena. Gillmor claims that this will result in a better-informed public and, thus, a better media system. (Fitzgerald, 2005)

The group of journalists and photojournalists who can overcome their apprehensions is poised to create a better newsroom. It is an opportunity to establish community connections, make the news more interesting to everyone and make his job more exciting and informative. With sites like Flickr and Buzznet, he can also make it more visually captivating. (Porter, 2005)

For those who continue to try to make it viable, the rewards of incorporating citizen journalism into the mainstream media will likely be immense. The first media outlets that successfully harness the power of the Internet will profit with better marketing relationships, a higher readership and, ultimately, a favorable reputation in the web-based news world. Regardless of potential failures in early attempts to engage the new audience, the motivations – to involve the news consumer, to create equality in news, photo-gathering and coverage – are worth pursuing. Economically, the future of news consumption appears to be on the Internet. If that is where the consumers are, then that is where the advertising dollars need to go. Subsequently, investing in this new market will likely bring excellent returns. Socially, the Internet is, at this very moment, allowing citizen journalists and photographers a communications platform that they have never had before. Already, the news media is more diverse and more democratic for the presence and accessibility of their voices. Journalistically, anything that results in more detailed, more accurate news is bound to improve journalism as a whole. The diversity that makes this emerging media landscape more interesting socially also makes it more complete journalistically. Images are an integral part of this equation.

HOW TO USE FLICKR:

Signing up for a Flickr or Buzznet account is simple and free. Go to www.flickr.com or www.buzznet.com and follow the prompts to set up an account. Flickr is now tied to Yahoo so users can sign on using a Yahoo ID and password. After the account is established, photos can be uploaded from computers, PDAs and even cell phones. No techinical skills are required as both sites clearly prompt users through all operations. Photos cannot be uploaded from other websites as of this writing.

TWO WAYS FOR PHOTOJOURNALISTS TO USE FLICKR TODAY

The best way for you to learn how to manage photographs on photo-tagging sites like Flickr and Buzznet is to upload some pictures and begin tagging them, arranging them in sets and then, perhaps, rearranging them. Look at the pages of fellow members of your new community. Be inspired… and be open to all of the possibilities that these sites hold for YOU. Two ways for photojournalists to use Flickr today: As a set, create a professional or personal portfolio of photos you already have on your computer – be creative, change the photos often to improve your page, take pride in the new display of your work or use Flickr to compile images for a story or photo essay you may be interested in doing. Use the pictures to pitch your idea to your editor. Be inspired by the work of other photographers. Post your own photos under established tags and in tagged pools. Comment on your favorite shots. Be a part of the community. Bonus: Meet some of the photographers whose work you admire. Make contacts and learn from them. Improve your own skills.

"The benefits that I get are that I get more exposure for my photography and artwork," Flickr photographer Reason says. "I think it's a good way to be in contact with other talented people to improve in photography and also to have people you can meet with in life for the good of your photography."

CONCLUSION

There is a marked increase in content provided to media audiences by citizen journalists. The preferred delivery method for this content is the Internet, a decidedly visual medium. Photo-sharing communities are the next logical addition to this new media family.

The most important things to remember as this new media day dawns is that photo-sharing technology will change the journalism "product" and, in the process, change the journalist. Photo-sharing sites can improve visual journalism in terms of the availability of hyper-local images and the exposure of a greater number of artists and locales By the sheer volume of images available, visual journalism can not but benefit.

More importantly, perhaps, is the tendency of photo-sharing sites to blossom into communities. It is in this arena that the journalist can participate in a conversation with his audience. It is in this fashion that he may become a more well-rounded reporter, a better journalist… or at least a better photographer.

"Flickr has been instrumental in my own growth as a photographer," says Banach. "Because of the feedback, encouragement and inspiration of other photographers, I have taken risks and become much more prolific than I would have been without this community."

Works Cited

Banach, T. (2005, Nov. 21). Personal interview. tbanach@pacbell.net.

Brown, M. (2005). What's the future of the news business? Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Fitzgerald, M. (2005). Group rethink. Technologyreview.com.

Glaser, M. (2005, November 15). Flickr, Buzznet expand citizens' role in visual journalism. USC Annenberg Online Journalism Review.

Glaser, M. (2005, July 28). Video journalists: Inevitable revolution or way to cut TV jobs? USC Annenberg Online Journalism Review.

Issa, M. (2005, Nov. 26). Personal interview. Mikey720@telus.net.

Kopytoff, V. (2005, June 6). Citizen journalism takes root online. San Francisco Chronicle.

Kenzer, J. (2005, Nov. 21). Personal interview. jkenzer@twelvehorses.com.

McKechneay, M. (2005, Nov. 23). Personal interview. maya@sixpackfilm.com.

The New York Times Circulation Desk (2005).nytimes.com.
O'Brien, T.L. (2005, June 26). The newspaper of the future. Nytimes.com.

Palser, B. (2005, Aug./Sept.). Journalism's backseat drivers. AJR.

Porter, T. (2005, June 20). The mood of the newsroom. Handout:
Journalism 791, University of Nevada, Reno: Fall 2005: Dr. E. Lenert.

Rheingold, H. (2005). Smart mobs. smartmobs.com.

Runett, R. (2005, May). Novel today, common tomorrow. Newspaper Association of America.

Shirky, C. (2003, Feb. 8). Power laws, weblogs and inequality. clay@shirky.com .

The Times-News Circulation Desk (2005).magicvalley.com.

Tobe, R. (2005, Nov. 23). Personal interview. reason.to.be@gmail.com.

Vara, V. (2005, April 11). News sites solicit articles straight from readers. wallstreetjournal.com.

Walker, Rob. (2005, Dec.1). Personal correspondence.

Wikipedia. (2005). Social network. Wikipedia.com.

The actual Flickr photographers quoted herein were generous with their time and insightful in their observations about Flickr, currently the most popular photo-sharing website.

Thank you to my project partner, Gang “Wolfgang” Wu, and our peerless project editor, Jamie Fields.

Thank you to Professor Ed Lenert for the constant conversation on all matters new and exciting.

Special thanks to journalist Rob Walker, who personally took the time to help me understand some key aspects of this subject – most notably, the ethical concerns involving open-source journalism… and was most gracious in doing so.

2005-12-01T23:09:00.000-08:00

Project Draft #2 -- November 30, 2005

2005-11-30T17:34:00.000-08:00

Journalism 791 Final Project Rough Draft #2
Professor Lenert

Internet Photo Sharing
&
the Future of Visual Journalism

by Marti Howell
November 30, 2005

Contents:
• Introduction
• News Photograph Overview
• Diffusion of Images
• Photo-tagging and the News Desk…
• Community 2.0
• Impact on Journalism
• The Future
• Why This Should Matter to Editors
• Links to Popular Photo-display Sites
• Conclusion
• Annotated Bibliography

INTRODUCTION:
Under the photo tag “fog” on the popular Internet photo-display site Flickr, there are misty images from every corner of the world. Some belong to sets of pictures by an individual photographer, some are part of “fog” pools, sets of shots contributed by a number of artists, and some are just lone images tagged “fog.”
Though Flickr, Buzznet and sites like them are a relatively new discovery for most photographers, they already contain a vast array of tags and an enormous number of photos.
Photojournalists who embrace this technology and editors who understand its implications stand to gain in the immediate future.
This chapter will explore three aspects of Internet photo-organizing technology in which photojournalists may be interested:
• How photo-tagging technology can assist various media desks with their visual goals.
• How sites like Flickr create communities that move photographers closer to a Web 2.0 world.
• How photo-tagging technology is changing journalism and what the future may hold.
Editors now have access to images from around the world on a practically endless list of subjects on sites like Flickr.
“Imagine if you were a photo editor at a major publication,” says media expert Mark Glaser, “and you could search through every digital photo on every computer in the world to put together a feature.”
This “global photo album,” as Glaser calls it, will be invaluable to the new wave of citizen journalists. (Glaser, 2005)
Photographers now have an audience the scope of which they could not even have imagined just a few years ago. On Flickr, they can connect with other photographers, hone their photo-editing skills and find inspiration. In short, these photographers – professional and aspiring – form a community.
Access to images on this scale can only result in shifts in the realm of journalism. Internet photo-organizing technology has already changed the way photographs are diffused around the world. The future of visual journalism will likely be very different than the business is today.
NEWS PHOTOGRAPH OVERVIEW:
What is a traditional news photograph?
A traditional news photograph at a newspaper is usually taken by newspaper staff. Photos published on the front page (and often on section fronts) are in color.
Most other photographs in the paper are black and white.
At newspapers like the Times-News in Twin Falls, Idaho, and the Guymon (Oklahoma) Daily Herald, the staff photographers are responsible for news photos, advertising photos and even graphic design. File photos are often used – even for front-page stories – at these midsize newspapers (circulation 2,000-20,000).
At larger papers like the New York Times (circulation 12-20 million), there may be photographers who specialize in one type of photo or image. For example, there may be two art designers that deal only in informational graphics and maps and a second team who create photo illustrations.
Newspapers large and small frequently use “stand-alone” photos – most often these appear on the front page. A stand-alone photo does not accompany a story. It tells its own story. It frequently has a longer caption than other photos but may have only a few words of explanation. Some examples of frequently-used stand-alone subjects are the passing of the seasons, children in various weather conditions, animals crossing roads or otherwise mixing with civilization and groundbreaking ceremonies and parades.
The rule of thumb in all newspaper art departments is that local images are often more newsworthy than national or international photos. This is called the “backyard” theory wherein images of what happens in a media outlet’s “backyard” or immediate proximity are of more interest to the audience that photos of far-away places and events.
Note: A traditional file photo is usually one that a newspaper has run in a previous story, although it may be one that a staffer took and stored, unpublished.
What is a news photo’s function?
A journalistic photograph:
• Either provides an illustration for an accompanying story or stands alone as a story in itself.
• Provides balance to a newspaper page – photos are the anchor of a broadsheet layout.
• Gives the page white space – as integral piece of the layout puzzle.
• Makes the newspaper and the story more appealing to the reader.
• May be an informational graphic, a photo illustration or a file photo.

DIFFUSION OF IMAGES:
How does the media get news photographs?
The old way:
• Newspaper photographer takes a picture on film (the really old way) or with a digital camera.
• The picture is developed in a darkroom (old) or uploaded into the newspaper’s computer system (EPS process).
• It is set onto x-ray layout plates (old) or sent electronically to layout (EPS).
• Negatives are filed by the photographer in darkroom files (old) or in the newspaper’s computer system (EPS).
• Wire service images are picked up by most newspapers.
• Most photos in the newspaper are still black and white.

The new way:
• Newspapers: Photographers still take photos and newspapers still use wire service images but Internet and photo-editing software have made the process much faster and easier.
• Internet news outlets: Photo sharing has made an infinite number of images available to anyone with Internet access.
• Flickr features:
• RSS system
• Easy uploading tools for Windows and Macintosh
• Tags and privacy settings
• A mobile version of the website for viewing photos on web-enabled cell phone or PDA
• Photos may be sent directly to any blog, by email
• Group photo pools so many people can put their photos of an event, say, in one place.
• Organizr to sort photos

PHOTO-TAGGING & THE NEWS DESK… AND THE WEATHER DESK AND THE FEATURES DESK…:
As Mark Glaser notes, editors now have at their disposal thousands upon thousands of images. The news desk may now include photos with most local news stories instead of just a few. A story on an isolated or rural part of a community, which once would have been printed with no visual element, may now take the media consumer to the “backyard” where the story originated.
Weather reporters can use photographs to illustrate the effects of major disaster stories. Images from citizen photographers show the public exactly what the victims of such disasters see during the event. Pictures from 2005’s Hurricane Katrina – taken by local citizen photojournalists and published on websites like the Lawrence (Kansas) Journal-World online edition – are a fine example of this process at work.
Features editors may benefit the most. No other type of story depends more on visuals than a feature. For example, suppose a feature writer wanted to write a story about the increasing popularity of voodoo dolls. It is unlikely the photographers at his publication would have a file of such photos. However, using Flickr, he can choose from dozens of images suited to his topic.
Flickr Example
The following sample set of photos shows what can be gleaned from one popular photo-sharing website.
Assignment: Find photographs to illustrate various voodoo doll styles:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/westernphotog/favorites/show/
Assessment: It would have taken the feature writer many weeks to gather these images without an Internet photo-sharing site. Perhaps he would not be able to write features on topics such as these in the traditional newsroom. In the virtual newsroom, the compiling of these images took less than two hours and involved only one photo-sharing site – and just the most interesting shots were assembled here. The reporter was able to view dozens of images… instantly.

Citizen journalists and the future of participatory journalism depend on how well technology like photo tagging works. When the public can share images with the media, citizen reporting is enriched with visual appeal comparable to that of mainstream media outlets.

“The thing about Flickr and Buzznet is that they grew out of the exploding ease and efficiency for individuals to document their world,” media expert Mark Glaser explains. (Glaser, 2005)

Editors like John Robinson of the Greensboro(North Carolina) News & Record call this “open-source journalism.” By gathering information from professional journalists and citizen journalists alike, he believes that a more productive exchange of ideas can be facilitated.

“Please join us in this conversation,” he urges other newspapermen. “It’s where the future is.” (Palser, 20005)

COMMUNITY 2.0:
Being a part of an Internet photo-display community has rewards and risks. Much like eBay, that relies on members’ sense of fairness, sites like Flickr require users to act on faith to some degree. They are expected to be respectful of their fellow artists by not posting obscene material, by not maliciously altering other photographers’ tags and by not publicly and baselessly criticizing the work of others.
In exchange for exhibiting these self-imposed standards, members reap a great many benefits. Photographers learn how to be better at their craft. By seeing the work of a vast number of diverse artists – from backyard “snapshotographers” (a term coined by University of Nevada, Reno journalism alumnus Josh Kenzer) to professional photojournalists. In addition, Flickr makes it easy to add favorite artists and favorite shots to one’s own page. These serve as a constant source of inspiration to members.
Austrian Flickr photographer Maya McKechneay, 31, says she uses her Flickr account to become inspired and also to place her experiences in a global context.
Contributing from Vienna, Austria, McKechneay says she began contributing to Flickr as a way of keeping a “visual diary.”
“I liked the idea of using (Flickr) as a diary,” she explains, “especially since I had then started to use my cam(era)-phone, just taking snapshots of every day’s events.”
McKechneay then began to avail herself of some of Flickr’s features that allow users to display photos from their “favorite” other users and the best of “everyboby’s” shots on their Flickr home page, alongside their own pictures.
“It sort of puts your everyday life in a world-wide context” she says. “I like to… look at other people’s pictures, especially if they show regular life.” (McKechneay, 2005)
One of McKechneay’s recent photo essays on Flickr documented people on their way to work. Her latest series include one entitled “Incredibly Strange Signs” and a another called “Incredibly Strange Products.” (McKechneay on Flickr, 2005)
Then there are the actual contacts that may be made on sites like Flickr. The site allows members to contact one another from the home page. Any photographer can ask any other photographer any question he wants. It is like having thousands of instructors from all disciplines of the visual arts. Their collective knowledge on photography is at the disposal of even the newest member.
“One of the benefits of Flickr is being able to reach such a broad range of viewers,” says Flickr photographer Therese Banach. “The sharing within the photographic community of ideas and information, both pertaining to photography specifically, and to a host of other interests generally.” (Banach, 2005)
Banach’s latest interest is a Flickr photo group she created called ‘Tis the Season. Her invitation for other photographers to join her in the collaborative gallery states:
“Those of us raised in the Christian tradition often think of this season as the "Christmas" season. As I've gotten older, my sensitibilites and beliefs have morphed and changed, so that now I see the common denominator in all systems at this time of year...is light. Whether it be Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Divali, or Nature based belief systems, it's all about bringing some light into the darkest time of the year.

So...I invite you all, in whatever tradition suits you, to share the light and joy...” (Banach on Flickr, 2005)

Beyond that, Flickr and sites like it are pure democracies. Every photographer is equally important in the community. The front page of the site features photos that possess “interestingness,” as Flickr puts it. The featured photographers range from professionals with decades of experience to novice photographers using their first digital camera. Some of the shots originate on film, others are digital. They represent many cultures of the world and all manner of subjects. According to Flickr, they need only be visually fabulous in some way or another. Everybody who uploads photos to Flickr has an equal chance of being on the front page. This is not so in the traditional hierarchy of newspaper darkrooms.
There are some risks, however, to posting photos on Flickr, especially those the user categorizes on the site as “public” images, meaning all users may view them and, presumably, appropriate them for their own purposes. There is also the remote possibility that a photographer’s work will be unduly criticized in such a public forum.
Also, as early adopters of a new photo-technology, artists will undoubtedly face the same scrutiny that early Photoshop software users did. Media consumers and critics reserve for photographs alone a particular mistrust. In fact, visual journalism may be the only media product that immediately causes suspicion in the wake of technological advance.
“Are the photos altered,” dubious consumers and media critics ask, “are these pictures ‘real’.”
However, declining to participate defeats the purpose of “community.” Nothing but visual satisfaction can be gained by only looking at photos on a site like Flickr. To reap the benefits of any community, one must truly belong to that community. Thus, a little leap of faith is in order.

“I have found many contacts who are the best people, kind, talented and human” Flickr photographer Reason Tobe says. “I know that’s a weird way of putting it, but they are more real to me than someone I meet on the street.”

Another fear of such photo-sharing sites is the idea that they will ultimately cost some photojournalists their jobs. Mark Glaser discusses the trend of more news sources that rely upon amateur video to fill visual news holes. He expresses fears that videographers may lose their jobs to outside submissions.

On the other hand, some working journalists have recognized the potential of this emerging technology.

Almost all of the photos on Flickr are visually stunning. This is the result of perhaps two factors: a competitive environment and a photographer’s pride. Photographers who see gorgeous photos on Flickr are inspired to post their best work. The skills of the other photographers are viewed as a level to which a photographer hopes to ascend. Beyond that, a photographer’s Flickr page is a showcase for his work. A deep sense of pride can be found in compiling a beautiful online portfolio.
For good or ill, photo-sharing communities are already established and, from all indications, are flourishing. Those these are indeed the early days of photo-sharing, interest is high. While each artist must make his own decision, it is apparent that the benefits of participation in communities like Flickr can often outweigh the costs for photographers from all points on the spectrum.
Flickr photographer Mike Issa sums up his Flickr experience: “Benefits are being able to see a wide range of photos and skills from all over the world, make and receive comments and suggestions, be a part of and create groups for topics that interest me, meet like-minded people.”
Issa also employs Flickr as a learning tool: “For all those posting their own photos,” he explains, “most display their EXIF (technical) data, so I can learn technique from shots that I really like as well.” (Issa, 2005)

IMPACT ON JOURNALISM:
How have tagged photos changed journalism?
Experts like Glaser say that sites like Flickr and Buzznet will advance citizen journalism. (Glaser, 2005)

The new media created by the addition of citizen journalists and photo-organizing technology will incorporate aspects of journalism that may differ greatly from the traditional. As ordinary people begin to post their dispatches to the Internet – sometimes on established news websites like MSNBC.com – they begin to engage in a “conversation” with the media and the public. Media experts like Rob Runett, director of electronic communication at the Newspaper Association of America, Inc., claims that reporting is no longer a “one-way street.”

Runett also points out that competition from numerous local sites has resulted in newspapers’ scrambling to connect with their audiences. This is when newspapers begin to engage in “people-focused” news, he says. (E-MEDIA: Internet, Convergence, Emerging Technologies; The Digital Edge; p. 59)

Conan Gallaty, director of new media at the San Francisco Chronicle agrees that newspapers need to perfect the delivery of their product on the Internet. The Internet is a decidedly visual medium. Access to an endless stream of photographs would go a long way in that direction.

Gallaty states that “newspapers have a short window to grab this market.” (E-MEDIA: Internet, Convergence, Emerging Technologies; The Digital Edge; p. 59)

One Kansas newspaper is fully immersed in an Internet news operation. The Lawrence (Kansas) Journal-World now offers its product online. Specializing in local news, the LJW website includes several community “sections” and a page where the public can weigh in on issues in the news. (O’Brien, 2005).

The LJW online edition also has several photo galleries featuring citizen photographs. Citizen photo galleries at other online papers are not far behind – more than a dozen newspapers already have such pages in their online editions. (Glaser, 2005)

LJW publisher Dolph C. Simons, Jr., says that the goal of his publication is to nurture the ever-evolving relationship between the paper and its readers. Simons explains the philosophy at his publication: “We believe that journalism has been a monologue for so long and now is the perfect time for it to become a dialogue with our readers. We want readers to think of this as their paper, not our paper.”

Some new media pioneers, like Simons, also believe that the more interactive media of the near-future has the power to make American society more democratic. Simons explains why this matters in his community: “It’s a real town with a real soul where people like to get involved. People here care about what Lawrence will become.” (O’Brien, 2005).

Today, at least in Lawrence, people interested in the welfare of their community have an opportunity to participate in a public conversation about almost any subject they choose. This is possible for two reasons: widespread access to Internet technology and the vision of a few publishers like Simons. When visual journalism is added to this mix, the result is an even better online story.

Because hyper-local and on-demand news coverage is becoming routine for many young adults, that group harbors expectations much higher than people who came to rely on traditional media. This large audience is no longer content with waiting until the morning newspaper hits the street or even until the evening news comes on the television. These young news consumers want their news delivered 24-hours-a-day. And they want to see what is happening. There is no reason to assume that such a trend could be halted, reversed or even slowed at this point.

Pictures make a story come alive.

Citizen journalism can do more than just make news ultra-local. It has the potential to create a more democratic media on a national level. Citizen journalists, and now citizen photographers, have an opportunity to pursue journalism endeavors in a fashion they have never known before. (Kopytoff, 2005)

The new citizen journalist has a digital camera. He need not wait until the mainstream media deems his story newsworthy – he can simply cover it himself. He can take pictures to accompany his story. He can bring his subject to the world online. He insists on a personal level of engagement with his world and his media. Internet photo-sharing makes this relationship richer. (Brown, 2005)

In the absence of formal training, these new “photojournalists” would never have had the opportunity to participate in this type of media photography without the advances afforded by the Internet. More voices equals more democracy. Virtually every person with access to the Internet can now make a difference.

Proponents feel that citizen journalism eases the ills of professional reporters. After years of news reporting within certain boundaries, there are some journalists who can no longer recognize news, some critics note. These reporters may well be in need of citizens who will fill that “watchdog” position now. In addition, citizen journalists may bring a fresh eye to old news, citizen photojournalists a new view of the world. It is sometimes difficult for a reporter or photographer deeply embedded in a story to get that perspective. Journalists may become be a part of a larger body of concerned citizens dedicated to the common good.( Palser, 2005)

Editors like John Robinson of the Greensboro News & Record call this “open-source journalism.” By gathering information and images from professional journalists and citizen journalists alike, he believes that a more productive exchange of ideas can be facilitated.

“Please join us in this conversation,” he urges other newspapermen. “It’s where the future is.” (Palser, 2005)

Of course, this conversation results in not only news sources that have been revamped to include participatory journalism, but ultimately results in entirely new venues from which information may be obtained. Just as there is an increasing number of diverse voices in the news, there are also more and more avenues to disseminate those views. Wikipedia is an example of information created – in democratic form, more or less – by members of a group. Writers work together, editing and adding and re-editing web pages, to collectively publish information. (Wikipedia.com).

On Flickr, photographers can be members of the larger photo-sharing community, be members of smaller groups or pools and comment and receive comments on photos. As noted earlier, all members of Flickr share equal status in terms of exposure. Also, anyone with Internet access is guaranteed a chance to participate, regardless of skill level or financial consideration. On its website, Flickr promises that “There will always be a free version” of the photo-display site. (Flickr.com).

Dan Gillmor notes that barriers to information are being removed. This, he asserts, will result in a better media. He and Michael Fitzgerald point to the benefits of being able to tap into the “collective intelligence.” In Gillmor’s We the Media, he notes that blogging, the Short Message System (SMS) and Really Simple Syndication (RSS) are the specific technologies that are allowing more and more people to provide content in the Internet news arena. Gillmor claims that this will result in a better-informed public and, thus, a better media system. (Fitzgerald, 2005)

The group of journalists and photojournalists who can overcome their apprehensions is poised to create a better newsroom. It is an opportunity to establish community connections, make the news more interesting to everyone and make his job more exciting and informative. With sites like Flickr and Buzznet, he can also make it more visually captivating. (Porter, 2005)

For those who continue to try to make it viable, the rewards of incorporating citizen journalism into the mainstream media will likely be immense. The first media outlets that successfully harness the power of the Internet will profit with better marketing relationships, a higher readership and, ultimately, a favorable reputation in the web-based news world. Regardless of potential failures in early attempts to engage the new audience, the motivations – to involve the news consumer, to create equality in news, photo-gathering and coverage – are worth pursuing.

Economically, the future of news consumption appears to be on the Internet. If that is where the consumers are, then that is where the advertising dollars need to go. Subsequently, investing in this new market will likely bring excellent returns. Socially, the Internet is, at this very moment, allowing citizen journalists and photographers a communications platform that they have never had before.

Already, the news media is more diverse and more democratic for the presence and accessibility of their voices.

Journalistically, anything that results in more detailed, more accurate news is bound to improve journalism as a whole. The diversity that makes this emerging media landscape more interesting socially also makes it more complete journalistically. Images are an integral part of this equation.

THE FUTURE:
The traditional value of local images is greatly enhanced by the availability of images on sites like Flickr. In a time when more and more news consumers expect custom, on-demand news, access to this vast library of visuals is invaluable.
What further influence might these communities have?
One may reasonable expect that there will be more tagged-photo websites in the future. As more people gain access, more tagged photos will appear. Software will likely become even easier to use. Photographers of all persuasions will find an audience. Their skills will improve, their pictures will become even more stunning. All the world will be brighter for their contributions.
WHY THIS SHOULD MATTER TO EDITORS:
The Internet is a visual medium. All of the purposes that a news photo serves – as illustration, as layout aid, as art, as appeal to audience – are enhanced in this medium. Unlike newspapers and television, the Internet has never been confined to mostly black and white photos. Most newspaper photos are still black and white.
As always, visuals are the key to attracting – and aesthetically pleasing – news consumers. Visuals are one of the features that made the Web so appealing in the first place. As time and technological advances weave an ever-more-complex web, the manner in which images are formed, stored and shared will become more important.
It would behoove editors to keep up with this quickly-changing aspect of the Internet news media, as consumers are already on board.
LINKS TO PHOTO SITES:
No report on visual journalism would be complete without visual aids.
The following links take you to a couple of my photo sites:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/westernphotog/

http://martihowell.buzznet.com/user/

HOW TO USE FLICKR:

***EDITOR: JAMIE – HELP PLEASE…
I THOUGHT WE DECIDED THERE WOULD BE A STANDARD FORMAT FOR THE “HOW-TO” SECTIONS. DO YOU HAVE THAT FORMAT FINALIZED YET? ***
NOTE TO SELF: SEE FLICKR OPERATION FILE

TWO WAYS FOR PHOTOJOURNALISTS TO USE FLICKR TODAY:
The best way for you to learn how to manage photographs on photo-tagging sites like Flickr and Buzznet is to upload some pictures and begin tagging them, arranging them in sets and then, perhaps, rearranging them. Look at the pages of fellow members of your new community. Be inspired… and be open to all of the possibilities that these sites hold for YOU.
Two ways for photojournalists to use Flickr today:
• As a set, create a professional or personal portfolio of photos you already have on your computer – be creative, change the photos often to improve your page, take pride in the new display of your work.
• Use Flickr to compile images for a story or photo essay you may be interested in doing. Use the pictures to pitch your idea to your editor. Be inspired by the work of other photographers. Post your own photos under established tags and in tagged pools. Comment on your favorite shots. Be a part of the community.
• Bonus: Meet some of the photographers whose work you admire. Make contacts and learn from them. Improve your own skills.
“The benefits that I get are that I get more exposure for my photography and artwork,” Flickr photographer Reason says. “I think it’s a good way to be in contact with other talented people to improve in photography and also to have people you can meet with in life for the good of your photography.”

CONCLUSION:

There is a marked increase in content provided to media audiences by citizen journalists. The preferred delivery method for this content is the Internet, a decidedly visual medium. Photo-sharing communities are the next logical addition to this new media family.

The most important things to remember as this new media day dawns is that photo-sharing technology will change the journalism “product” and, in the process, change the journalist. Photo-sharing sites can improve visual journalism in terms of the availability of hyper-local images and the exposure of a greater number of artists and locales By the sheer volume of images available, visual journalism can not but benefit.

More importantly, perhaps, is the tendency of photo-sharing sites to blossom into communities. It is in this arena that the journalist can participate in a conversation with his audience. It is in this fashion that he may become a more well-rounded reporter, a better journalist… or at least a better photographer.

“Flickr has been instrumental in my own growth as a photographer,” says Banach. “Because of the feedback, encouragement and inspiration of other photographers, I have taken risks and become much more prolific than I would have been without this community.”

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Brown, M. (2005). What’s the future of the news business? Carnegie Corporation of New York.
This paper is a discussion of the emergence of content provided by citizen journalists.

Fitzgerald, M. (2005). Group rethink. Technologyreview.com.
This article begins a discussion of collaborative efforts in journalism and the potential for advancement for all members of such.

Glaser, M. (2005, November 15). Flickr, Buzznet expand citizens’ role in visual journalism. USC Annenberg Online Journalism Review.
This comprehensive examination of citizen photojournalists and their role in new media provides the latest information on the subject.

Glaser, M. (2005, July 28). Video journalists: Inevitable revolution or way to cut TV jobs? USC Annenberg Online Journalism Review.
This article examines the impact of more widely-available visuals on working photojournalists.

Kopytoff, V. (2005, June 6). Citizen journalism takes root online. San Francisco Chronicle.
This article explores the citizen-journalism trend and its possible implications.

O’Brien, T.L. (2005, June 26). The newspaper of the future. Nytimes.com.
This article illustrates how mainstream newspapers may join the technological revolution of the media.

Palser, B. (2005, Aug./Sept.). Journalism’s backseat drivers. AJR.
This paper looks at success and failure in the world of online journalism.

Porter, T. (2005, June 20). The mood of the newsroom. Handout:
Journalism 791, University of Nevada, Reno: Fall 2005: Dr. E. Lenert.
This paper talks specifically about how journalists are reacting to the influx of citizen-generated content.

Rheingold, H. (2005). Smart mobs. smartmobs.com.
This article provides specific examples of groups using technology to make social statements that garner significant exposure.

Runett, R. (2005, May). Novel today, common tomorrow. Newspaper Association of America.
This article talks about how some newspapers are already integrating online content in their operations.

Shirky, C. (2003, Feb. 8). Power laws, weblogs and inequality. clay@shirky.com.
This paper examines the dynamics of web logs and demonstrates how blogs gain audiences.

Vara, V. (2005, April 11). News sites solicit articles straight from readers. wallstreetjournal.com.
This article discusses the citizen-journalism trend.

Wikipedia. (2005). Social network. Wikipedia.com.
This website provides examples of collaborative work.

Personal Interviews

Banach, T. (2005, Nov. 21). Personal interview. tbanach@pacbell.net.

Issa, M. (2005, Nov. 26). Personal interview. Mikey720@telus.net.

Kenzer, J. (2005, Nov. 21). Personal interview. jkenzer@twelvehorses.com.

McKechneay, M. (2005, Nov. 23). Personal interview. maya@sixpackfilm.com.

Tobe, R. (2005, Nov. 23). Personal interview. reason.to.be@gmail.com.

These actual Flickr photographers were generous with their time and insightful in their observations about Flickr, currently the most popular photo-sharing website.

Special thanks to my project partner, Gang “Wolfgang” Wu,
and our 791 project editor, Jamie Fields.

2005-11-27T10:03:00.000-08:00

Project Rough Draft -- for editing purposes ONLY

2005-11-23T17:19:00.001-08:00

Journalism 791 Final Project Rough Draft
Professor Lenert

Internet Photo Organization
&
the Future of Visual Journalism

special thanks to my project partner, Gang “Wolfgang” Wu, and our 791 project editor, Jamie Fields

by Marti Howell
November 23, 2005

Contents:

· Introduction
· News Photograph Overview
· Diffusion of Images
· Photo-tagging and the News Desk…
· Community 2.0
· Impact on Journalism
· The Future
· Why This Should Matter to Editors
· Links to Popular Photo-display Sites
· Conclusion
· Annotated Bibliography

INTRODUCTION:

Under the photo tag “fog” on the popular Internet photo-display site Flickr, there are misty images from every corner of the world. Some belong to sets of pictures by an individual photographer, some are part of “fog” pools, sets of shots contributed by a number of artists, and some are just lone images tagged “fog.”
Though Flickr, Buzznet and sites like them are a relatively new discovery for most photographers, they already contain a vast array of tags and an enormous number of photos.

Photojournalists who embrace this technology and editors who understand its implications stand to gain in the immediate future.
This chapter will explore three aspects of Internet photo-organizing technology in which photojournalists may be interested:
· How photo-tagging technology can assist various media desks with their visual goals.
· How sites like Flickr create communities that move photographers closer to a Web 2.0 world.
· How photo-tagging technology is changing journalism and what the future may hold.

Editors now have access to images from around the world on a practically endless list of subjects on sites like Flickr.

“Imagine if you were a photo editor at a major publication,” says media expert Mark Glaser, “and you could search through every digital photo on every computer in the world to put together a feature.”

This “global photo album,” as Glaser calls it, will be invaluable to the new wave of citizen journalists. (Glaser, 2005)

Photographers now have an audience the scope of which they could not even have imagined just a few years ago. On Flickr, they can connect with other photographers, hone their photo-editing skills and find inspiration. In short, these photographers – professional and aspiring – form a community.

Access to images on this scale can only result in shifts in the realm of journalism. Internet photo-organizing technology has already changed the way photographs are diffused around the world. The future of visual journalism will likely be very different than the business is today.

NEWS PHOTOGRAPH OVERVIEW:

What is a traditional news photograph?

A traditional news photograph at a newspaper is usually taken by newspaper staff. Photos published on the front page (and often on section fronts) are in color.
Most other photographs in the paper are black and white.

At newspapers like the Times-News in Twin Falls, Idaho, and the Guymon (Oklahoma) Daily Herald, the staff photographers are responsible for news photos, advertising photos and even graphic design. File photos are often used – even for front-page stories – at these midsize newspapers (circulation 2,000-20,000).

At larger papers like the New York Times (circulation 12-20 million), there may be photographers who specialize in one type of photo or image. For example, there may be two art designers that deal only in informational graphics and maps and a second team who create photo illustrations.

Newspapers large and small frequently use “stand-alone” photos – most often these appear on the front page. A stand-alone photo does not accompany a story. It tells its own story. It frequently has a longer caption than other photos but may have only a few words of explanation. Some examples of frequently-used stand-alone subjects are the passing of the seasons, children in various weather conditions, animals crossing roads or otherwise mixing with civilization and groundbreaking ceremonies and parades.

The rule of thumb in all newspaper art departments is that local images are often more newsworthy than national or international photos. This is called the “backyard” theory wherein images of what happens in a media outlet’s “backyard” or immediate proximity are of more interest to the audience that photos of far-away places and events.

Note: A traditional file photo is usually one that a newspaper has run in a previous story, although it may be one that a staffer took and stored, unpublished.

What is a news photo’s function?

A journalistic photograph:

· Either provides an illustration for an accompanying story or stands alone as a story in itself.
· Provides balance to a newspaper page – photos are the anchor of a broadsheet layout.
· Gives the page white space – as integral piece of the layout puzzle.
· Makes the newspaper and the story more appealing to the reader.
· May be an informational graphic, a photo illustration or a file photo.

DIFFUSION OF IMAGES:

How does the media get news photographs?

The old way:

· Newspaper photographer takes a picture on film (the really old way) or with a digital camera.
· The picture is developed in a darkroom (old) or uploaded into the newspaper’s computer system (EPS process).
· It is set onto x-ray layout plates (old) or sent electronically to layout (EPS).
· Negatives are filed by the photographer in darkroom files (old) or in the newspaper’s computer system (EPS).
· Wire service images are picked up by most newspapers.
· Most photos in the newspaper are still black and white.

The new way:

· Newspapers: Photographers still take photos and newspapers still use wire service images but Internet and photo-editing software have made the process much faster and easier.
· Internet news outlets: Photo sharing has made an infinite number of images available to anyone with Internet access.
· Flickr features:
· RSS system
· Easy uploading tools for Windows and Macintosh
· Tags and privacy settings
· A mobile version of the website for viewing photos on web-enabled cell phone or PDA
· Photos may be sent directly to any blog, by email
· Group photo pools so many people can put their photos of an event, say, in one place.
· Organizr to sort photos

PHOTO-TAGGING & THE NEWS DESK… AND THE WEATHER DESK AND THE FEATURES DESK…:

As Mark Glaser notes, editors now have at their disposal thousands upon thousands of images. Some early adopters of this technology are already putting those photographs to work. Journalists like New York Times Magazine columnist Rob Walker and Boston Globe technology editor D.C. Denison have used images from Flickr in their reporting. Several newspapers have set up photo galleries on their websites to showcase shots taken by citizen photographers. (Glaser, 2005)

As more and more of these photographs find their way into the media, the product is dramatically altered. The news desk may now include photos with most local news stories instead of just a few. A story on an isolated or rural part of a community, which once would have been printed with no visual element, may now take the media consumer to the “backyard” where the story originated.

Weather reporters can use photographs to illustrate the effects of major disaster stories. Images from citizen photographers show the public exactly what the victims of such disasters see during the event. Pictures from 2005’s Hurricane Katrina – taken by local citizen photojournalists and published on websites like the Lawrence (Kansas) Journal-World online edition – are a fine example of this process at work.

Features editors may stand to benefit the most. No other type of story depends more on visuals than a feature. For example, suppose a feature writer wanted to write a story about the increasing popularity of voodoo dolls. It is unlikely the photographers at his publication would have a file of such photos. However, using Flickr, he can choose from dozens of images suited to his topic.

Flickr Example

The following sample set of photos shows what can be gleaned from one popular photo-sharing website.

Assignment: Find photographs to illustrate various voodoo doll styles:

http://Please see link on this page or visit www.flickr.com/photos/westernphotog/favorites/show/

Assessment: It would have taken the feature writer many weeks to gather these images without an Internet photo-sharing site. Perhaps he would not be able to write features on topics such as these in the traditional newsroom. In the virtual newsroom, the compiling of these images took less than two hours and involved only one photo-sharing site – and just the most interesting shots were assembled here. The reporter was able to view dozens of images… instantly.

Citizen journalists and the future of participatory journalism depend on how well technology like photo tagging works. When the public can share images with the media, citizen reporting is enriched with visual appeal comparable to that of mainstream media outlets.

“The thing about Flickr and Buzznet is that they grew out of the exploding ease and efficiency for individuals to document their world,” media expert Mark Glaser explains. (Glaser, 2005)

Editors like John Robinson of the Greensboro(North Carolina) News & Record call this “open-source journalism.” By gathering information from professional journalists and citizen journalists alike, he believes that a more productive exchange of ideas can be facilitated.

“Please join us in this conversation,” he urges other newspapermen. “It’s where the future is.” (CITATION PENDING)

Interview with media expert to follow…

COMMUNITY 2.0:

Being a part of an Internet photo-display community has rewards and risks. Much like eBay, that relies on members’ sense of fairness, sites like Flickr require users to act on faith to some degree. They are expected to be respectful of their fellow artists by not posting obscene material, by not maliciously altering other photographers’ tags and by not publicly and baselessly criticizing the work of others.

In exchange for exhibiting these self-imposed standards, members reap a great many benefits. Photographers learn how to be better at their craft. By seeing the work of a vast number of diverse artists – from backyard “snapshotographers” (a term coined by University of Nevada, Reno journalism alumnus Josh Kenzer) to professional photojournalists. In addition, Flickr makes it easy to add favorite artists and favorite shots to one’s own page. These serve as a constant source of inspiration to members.

Interview with Flickr photog to follow…

Then there are the actual contacts that may be made on sites like Flickr. The site allows members to contact one another from the home page. Any photographer can ask any other photographer any question he wants. It is like having thousands of instructors from all disciplines of the visual arts. Their collective knowledge on photography is at the disposal of even the newest member.

Interview with Flickr photog to follow…

Beyond that, Flickr and sites like it are pure democracies. Every photographer is equally important in the community. The front page of the site features photos that possess “interestingness,” as Flickr puts it. The featured photographers range from professionals with decades of experience to novice photographers using their first digital camera. Some of the shots originate on film, others are digital. They represent many cultures of the world and all manner of subjects. According to Flickr, they need only be visually fabulous in some way or another. Everybody who uploads photos to Flickr has an equal chance of being on the front page. This is not so in the traditional hierarchy of newspaper darkrooms.

There are some risks, however, to posting photos on Flickr, especially those the user categorizes on the site as “public” images, meaning all users may view them and, presumably, appropriate them for their own purposes. There is also the remote possibility that a photographer’s work will be unduly criticized in such a public forum.

Also, as early adopters of a new photo-technology, artists will undoubtedly face the same scrutiny that early Photoshop software users did. Media consumers and critics reserve for photographs alone a particular mistrust. In fact, visual journalism may be the only media product that immediately causes suspicion in the wake of technological advance.

“Are the photos altered,” dubious consumers and media critics ask, “are these pictures ‘real’.”

However, declining to participate defeats the purpose of “community.” Nothing but visual satisfaction can be gained by only looking at photos on a site like Flickr. To reap the benefits of any community, one must truly belong to that community. Thus, a little leap of faith is in order.

Interview with Flickr photog to follow…

Another fear of such photo-sharing sites is the idea that they will ultimately cost some photojournalists their jobs. Mark Glaser discusses the trend of more news sources that rely upon amateur video to fill visual news holes. He expresses fears that videographers may lose their jobs to outside submissions.

Interview with local photographer to follow…

Almost all of the photos on Flickr are visually stunning. This is the result of perhaps two factors: a competitive environment and a photographer’s pride. Photographers who see gorgeous photos on Flickr are inspired to post their best work. The skills of the other photographers are viewed as a level to which a photographer hopes to ascend. Beyond that, a photographer’s Flickr page is a showcase for his work. A deep sense of pride can be found in compiling a beautiful online portfolio.

For good or ill, photo-sharing communities are already established and, from all indications, are flourishing. Those these are indeed the early days of photo-sharing, interest is high. While each artist must make his own decision, it is apparent that the benefits of participation in communities like Flickr can often outweigh the costs for photographers from all points on the spectrum.

Interview with Flickr photographer to follow…

IMPACT ON JOURNALISM:

How have tagged photos changed journalism?

Experts like Glaser say that sites like Flickr and Buzznet will advance citizen journalism. (Glaser, 2005)

The new media created by the addition of citizen journalists and photo-organizing technology will incorporate aspects of journalism that may differ greatly from the traditional. As ordinary people begin to post their dispatches to the Internet – sometimes on established news websites like MSNBC.com – they begin to engage in a “conversation” with the media and the public. Media experts like Rob Runett, director of electronic communication at the Newspaper Association of America, Inc., claims that reporting is no longer a “one-way street.”

Runett also points out that competition from numerous local sites has resulted in newspapers’ scrambling to connect with their audiences. This is when newspapers begin to engage in “people-focused” news, he says. (E-MEDIA: Internet, Convergence, Emerging Technologies; The Digital Edge; p. 59)

Conan Gallaty, director of new media at the San Francisco Chronicle agrees that newspapers need to perfect the delivery of their product on the Internet. The Internet is a decidedly visual medium. Access to an endless stream of photographs would go a long way in that direction.

Gallaty states that “newspapers have a short window to grab this market.” (E-MEDIA: Internet, Convergence, Emerging Technologies; The Digital Edge; p. 59)

One Kansas newspaper is fully immersed in an Internet news operation. The Lawrence (Kansas) Journal-World now offers its product online. Specializing in local news, the LJW website includes several community “sections” and a page where the public can weigh in on issues in the news. (O’Brien, 2005).

The LJW online edition also has several photo galleries featuring citizen photographs. Citizen photo galleries at other online papers are not far behind – more than a dozen newspapers already have such pages in their online editions. (Glaser, 2005)

LJW publisher Dolph C. Simons, Jr., says that the goal of his publication is to nurture the ever-evolving relationship between the paper and its readers. Simons explains the philosophy at his publication: “We believe that journalism has been a monologue for so long and now is the perfect time for it to become a dialogue with our readers. We want readers to think of this as their paper, not our paper.”

Some new media pioneers, like Simons, also believe that the more interactive media of the near-future has the power to make American society more democratic. Simons explains why this matters in his community: “It’s a real town with a real soul where people like to get involved. People here care about what Lawrence will become.” (O’Brien, 2005).

Today, at least in Lawrence, people interested in the welfare of their community have an opportunity to participate in a public conversation about almost any subject they choose. This is possible for two reasons: widespread access to Internet technology and the vision of a few publishers like Simons. When visual journalism is added to this mix, the result is an even better online story.

Because hyper-local and on-demand news coverage is becoming routine for many young adults, that group harbors expectations much higher than people who came to rely on traditional media. This large audience is no longer content with waiting until the morning newspaper hits the street or even until the evening news comes on the television. These young news consumers want their news delivered 24-hours-a-day. And they want to see what is happening. There is no reason to assume that such a trend could be halted, reversed or even slowed at this point.

Pictures make a story come alive.

Citizen journalism can do more than just make news ultra-local. It has the potential to create a more democratic media on a national level. Citizen journalists, and now citizen photographers, have an opportunity to pursue journalism endeavors in a fashion they have never known before. (Kopytoff, 2005)

The new citizen journalist has a digital camera. He need not wait until the mainstream media deems his story newsworthy – he can simply cover it himself. He can take pictures to accompany his story. He can bring his subject to the world online. He insists on a personal level of engagement with his world and his media. Internet photo-sharing makes this relationship richer. (Brown, 2005)

In the absence of formal training, these new “photojournalists” would never have had the opportunity to participate in this type of media photography without the advances afforded by the Internet. More voices equals more democracy. Virtually every person with access to the Internet can now make a difference.

Proponents feel that citizen journalism eases the ills of professional reporters. After years of news reporting within certain boundaries, there are some journalists who can no longer recognize news, some critics note. These reporters may well be in need of citizens who will fill that “watchdog” position now. In addition, citizen journalists may bring a fresh eye to old news, citizen photojournalists a new view of the world. It is sometimes difficult for a reporter or photographer deeply embedded in a story to get that perspective. Journalists may become be a part of a larger body of concerned citizens dedicated to the common good.( Palser, 2005)

Editors like John Robinson of the Greensboro News & Record call this “open-source journalism.” By gathering information and images from professional journalists and citizen journalists alike, he believes that a more productive exchange of ideas can be facilitated.

“Please join us in this conversation,” he urges other newspapermen. “It’s where the future is.” (Palser, 2005)

Of course, this conversation results in not only news sources that have been revamped to include participatory journalism, but ultimately results in entirely new venues from which information may be obtained. Just as there is an increasing number of diverse voices in the news, there are also more and more avenues to disseminate those views. Wikipedia is an example of information created – in democratic form, more or less – by members of a group. Writers work together, editing and adding and re-editing web pages, to collectively publish information. (Wikipedia.com).

On Flickr, photographers can be members of the larger photo-sharing community, be members of smaller groups or pools and comment and receive comments on photos. As noted earlier, all members of Flickr share equal status in terms of exposure. Also, anyone with Internet access is guaranteed a chance to participate, regardless of skill level or financial consideration. On its website, Flickr promises that “There will always be a free version” of the photo-display site. (Flickr.com).

Dan Gillmor notes that barriers to information are being removed. This, he asserts, will result in a better media. He and Michael Fitzgerald point to the benefits of being able to tap into the “collective intelligence.” In Gillmor’s We the Media, he notes that blogging, the Short Message System (SMS) and Really Simple Syndication (RSS) are the specific technologies that are allowing more and more people to provide content in the Internet news arena. Gillmor claims that this will result in a better-informed public and, thus, a better media system. (Fitzgerald, 2005)

The group of journalists and photojournalists who can overcome their apprehensions is poised to create a better newsroom. It is an opportunity to establish community connections, make the news more interesting to everyone and make his job more exciting and informative. With sites like Flickr and Buzznet, he can also make it more visually captivating. (Porter, 2005)

For those who continue to try to make it viable, the rewards of incorporating citizen journalism into the mainstream media will likely be immense. The first media outlets that successfully harness the power of the Internet will profit with better marketing relationships, a higher readership and, ultimately, a favorable reputation in the web-based news world. Regardless of potential failures in early attempts to engage the new audience, the motivations – to involve the news consumer, to create equality in news, photo-gathering and coverage – are worth pursuing.

Quote: Flickr photog…

Economically, the future of news consumption appears to be on the Internet. If that is where the consumers are, then that is where the advertising dollars need to go. Subsequently, investing in this new market will likely bring excellent returns. Socially, the Internet is, at this very moment, allowing citizen journalists and photographers a communications platform that they have never had before.

Already, the news media is more diverse and more democratic for the presence and accessibility of their voices.

Journalistically, anything that results in more detailed, more accurate news is bound to improve journalism as a whole. The diversity that makes this emerging media landscape more interesting socially also makes it more complete journalistically. Images are an integral part of this equation.

THE FUTURE:

The traditional value of local images is greatly enhanced by the availability of images on sites like Flickr. In a time when more and more news consumers expect custom, on-demand news, access to this vast library of visuals is invaluable.
What further influence might these communities have?
One may reasonable expect that there will be more tagged-photo websites in the future. As more people gain access, more tagged photos will appear. Software will likely become even easier to use. Photographers of all persuasions will find an audience. Their skills will improve, their pictures will become even more stunning. All the world will be brighter for their contributions.

WHY THIS SHOULD MATTER TO EDITORS:

The Internet is a visual medium. All of the purposes that a news photo serves – as illustration, as layout aid, as art, as appeal to audience – are enhanced in this medium. Unlike newspapers and television, the Internet has never been confined to mostly black and white photos. Most newspaper photos are still black and white.
As always, visuals are the key to attracting – and aesthetically pleasing – news consumers. Visuals are one of the features that made the Web so appealing in the first place. As time and technological advances weave an ever-more-complex web, the manner in which images are formed, stored and shared will become more important.
It would behoove editors to keep up with this quickly-changing aspect of the Internet news media, as consumers are already on board.

LINKS TO PHOTO SITES:

No report on visual journalism would be complete without visual aids.

The following links take you to a couple of my photo sites:

www.flickr.com/photos/westernphotog/
martihowell.buzznet.com/user/

HOW TO USE FLICKR:

***EDITOR: JAMIE – HELP PLEASE…
I THOUGHT WE DECIDED THERE WOULD BE A STANDARD FORMAT FOR THE “HOW-TO” SECTIONS. DO YOU HAVE THAT FORMAT FINALIZED YET? ***

TWO WAYS FOR PHOTOJOURNALISTS TO USE FLICKR TODAY:

The best way for you to learn how to manage photographs on photo-tagging sites like Flickr and Buzznet is to upload some pictures and begin tagging them, arranging them in sets and then, perhaps, rearranging them. Look at the pages of fellow members of your new community. Be inspired… and be open to all of the possibilities that these sites hold for YOU.

Two ways for photojournalists to use Flickr today:

· As a set, create a professional or personal portfolio of photos you already have on your computer – be creative, change the photos often to improve your page, take pride in the new display of your work.

· Use Flickr to compile images for a story or photo essay you may be interested in doing. Use the pictures to pitch your idea to your editor. Be inspired by the work of other photographers. Post your own photos under established tags and in tagged pools. Comment on your favorite shots. Be a part of the community.

· Bonus: Meet some of the photographers whose work you admire. Make contacts and learn from them. Improve your own skills. QUOTE FROM FLICKR INTERVIEW…

CONCLUSION:

Photo-tagging is excellent… no really, I got nothing here…

***PROJECT PARTNER: GANG – HELP PLEASE…
SHOULD I JUST RESTATE MY THREE MAIN POINTS OR WHAT? ***

BIBLIOGRAPHY

******NOTE TO EDITOR: JAMIE – ANNOTATED BIBLIO PENDING,
BIBLIO MAY INCLUDE SOURCES NOT CITED IN TEXT…****

Brown, M. (2005). What’s the future of the news business? Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Fitzgerald, M. (2005). Group rethink. Technologyreview.com.

Glaser, M. (2005, November 15). Flickr, Buzznet expand citizens’ role in visual journalism. USC Annenberg Online Journalism Review.

Glaser, M. (2005, July 28). Video journalists: Inevitable revolution or way to cut TV jobs? USC Annenberg Online Journalism Review.

Kopytoff, V. (2005, June 6). Citizen journalism takes root online. San Francisco Chronicle.

O’Brien, T.L. (2005, June 26). The newspaper of the future. Nytimes.com.

Palser, B. (2005, Aug./Sept.). Journalism’s backseat drivers. AJR.

Porter, T. (2005, June 20). The mood of the newsroom. Handout: Journalism 791, University of Nevada, Reno: Fall 2005: Dr. E. Lenert.

Rheingold, H. (2005). Smart mobs. smartmobs.com.

Runett, R. (2005, May). Novel today, common tomorrow. Newspaper Association of America.

Shirky, C. (2003, Feb. 8). Power laws, weblogs and inequality. clay@shirky.com.

Vara, V. (2005, April 11). News sites solicit articles straight from readers. wallstreetjournal.com.

Wikipedia. (2005). Social network. Wikipedia.com.

2005-11-21T09:24:00.000-08:00

791 Thank you for leaving your suggestions for my project here...

2005-11-16T10:57:00.000-08:00

Journalism 791 Final Project Outline
Professor Lenert

“Internet photo tagging and the future of visual journalism”

by Marti Howell
November 15, 2005

INTRODUCTION TO NEWS PHOTOGRAPHS:
What is a traditional news photograph?
What is a news photo’s function?
DIFFUSION OF IMAGES:
How does the media get news photographs?
THE ADVANTAGES OF DISSUSION OF NEW TECHNOLOGY:
Opinion of Media Expert
Interview with Working Photojournalist
THE DISADVANTAGES OF DISSUSION OF NEW TECHNOLOGY:
Opinion of Media Expert
Interview with Working Photojournalist
WHAT JOURNALISTS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT PHOTO-TAGGING:
How to use Flickr
How photo-tagging assists various media desks
Ethics, Rights & Community 2.0
Two ways for photojournalists to use Flickr today
· professional & personal portfolios
· pitches
THE FUTURE:
How have tagged photos changed journalism?
What further influence might they have?
WHY THIS MATTERS TO EDITORS

Thank you for helping me with this project...

Satellite image, Galveston, Texas, The National Weather Service

2005-11-08T11:08:00.000-08:00

(Image located through the magic of Internet photo tagging.)

791 Discussion of Photo Tags for Wednesday, Nov. 9

2005-11-08T10:28:00.000-08:00

Journalism 791 Final Project Outline
Professor Lenert

“Internet photo tagging and the future of visual journalism”
by Marti Howell
November 9, 2005

Note: If you do nothing else, check out the Voodoo Dolls link in the "Links" section..

INTRODUCTION TO NEWS PHOTOGRAPHS:
What is a traditional news photograph?
A traditional news photograph at a newspaper is usually taken by newspaper staff. Photos published on the front page (and often on section fronts) are in color.
Most other photographs in the paper are black and white.

At newspapers like the Times-News in Twin Falls, Idaho, and the Guymon (Oklahoma) Daily Herald, the staff photographers are responsible for news photos, advertising photos and even graphic design. File photos are often used – even for front-page stories – at these midsize newspapers (circulation 2,000-20,000).

At larger papers like the New York Times (circulation 12-20 million), there may be photographers who specialize in one type of photo or image. For example, there may be two art designers that deal only in informational graphics and maps and a second team who create photo illustrations.

Newspapers large and small use “stand-alone” photos – most often these appear on the front page. A stand-alone photo does not accompany a story. It tells its own story. It frequently has a longer caption than other photos but have only a few words of explanation. Some examples of frequently-used stand-alone subjects are the passing of the seasons, children in various weather conditions, animals crossing roads or otherwise mixing with civilization and groundbreaking ceremonies and parades.

The rule of thumb in all newspaper art departments is that local images are often more newsworthy than national or international photos.

Note: A traditional file photo is usually one that a newspaper has run in a previous story, although it may be one that a staffer took and stored, unpublished.

What is a news photo’s function?
A photograph:
· Either provides an illustration for an accompanying story or stands alone as a story in itself.
· Provides balance to a newspaper page – photos are the anchor of a broadsheet layout.
· Gives the page white space – as integral piece of the layout puzzle.
· Makes the newspaper and the story more appealing to the reader.
· May be an informational graphic, a photo illustration or a file photo.

DIFFUSION OF IMAGES:
How does the media get news photographs?
The old way:
· Newspaper photographer takes a picture on film (the really old way) or with a digital camera.
· The picture is developed in a darkroom (old) or uploaded into the newspaper’s computer system (EPS process).
· It is set onto x-ray layout plates (old) or sent electronically to layout (EPS).
· Negatives are filed by the photographer in darkroom files (old) or in the newspaper’s computer system (EPS).
· Wire service images are picked up by most newspapers.
· Most photos in the newspaper are still black and white.

The new way:
Newspapers: Photographers still take photos and newspapers still use wire service images but Internet and photo-editing software have made the process much faster and easier.
· Internet news outlets: Photo sharing has made an infinite number of images available to anyone with Internet access.
· Flickr operation:
· RSS system
· Easy uploading tools for Windows and Macintosh
· Tags and privacy settings
· A mobile version of the website for viewing photos on web-enabled cell phone or PDA
· Photos may be sent directly to any blog, by email
· Group photo pools so many people can put their photos of an event, say, in one place.
· Organizr to sort photos

THOSE IN FAVOR OF MILLIONS OF IMAGES BEING AVAILABLE TO EDITORS WORLDWIDE:
Opinion of Media Expert

Citizen journalists and the future of participatory journalism depend on how well technology like photo tagging works. When the public can share images with the media, citizen reporting is enriched with visual appeal comparable to that of mainstream media outlets.
Editors like John Robinson of the Greensboro(North Carolina) News & Record call this “open-source journalism.” By gathering information from professional journalists and citizen journalists alike, he believes that a more productive exchange of ideas can be facilitated.
“Please join us in this conversation,” he urges other newspapermen. “It’s where the future is.”
Interview with media expert to follow…

THOSE OPPOSED TO MILLIONS OF IMAGES BEING AVAILABLE TO EDITORS WORLDWIDE:
Opinion of Media Expert

Mark Glaser discuss the trend of more news sources that rely upon amateur video to fill visual news holes. He expresses fears that videographers may lose their jobs to outside submissions.
Interview with local photographer to follow…

THE FUTURE:
How have tagged photos changed journalism?
The traditional value of local images is greatly enhanced by the availability of images on sites like Flickr. In a time when more and more news consumers expect custom, on-demand news, access to this vast library of visuals is invaluable.
What further influence might they have?

One may reasonable expect that there will be more tagged-photo websites in the future. As more people gain access, more tagged photos will appear. Software will likely become even easier to use.

SAMPLE STORIES USING INTERNET IMAGES:

Flickr
The following examples show what can be gleaned from two popular photo-sharing websites.
Assignment – Find photographs to illustrate various voodoo doll styles.
Please access the following link to see what I found:

www.flickr.com/photos/westernphotog/favorites/show/

Google
Assignment – Put together a feature photo package of a cemetery in Savannah, Georgia.

All photos (please see links for three) are of Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah, Georgia.

Assessment: It would have taken me many weeks to gather these images without the Internet photo-sharing sites. I perhaps would not be able to write features on topics such as these in the traditional newsroom. In the virtual newsroom, the compiling of these images took less than two hours – and I only used the ones I really liked. I viewed dozens of images… instantly. The additional of these previously unavailable images could make my story locally colorful and overall greatly enriched.

WHY THIS MATTERS TO EDITORS:

The Internet is a visual medium. All of the purposes that a news photo serves – as illustration, as layout aid, as art, as appeal to audience – are enhanced in this medium. Unlike the television, the Internet has never been confined to mostly black and white photos. Most newspaper photos are still B&W.

As always, visuals are the key to attracting – and aesthetically pleasing – news consumers. This is especially true in the Internet news world. Visuals are one of the features that made the Web so appealing in the first place. As time and technological advances weave an ever-more-complex web, the manner in which images are formed, stored and shared will become more important.

It would behoove editors to keep up with this quickly-changing aspect of the Internet media as consumers are already on board.

LINKS TO PHOTO SITES:
No report on visual journalism would be complete without visual aids.

The following links take you to some photo sites. Please find them under "Links":

www.flickr.com/photos/westernphotog/favorites/show/
www.garyscottthompson.com/bonaventure_cemetery.htm
www.ourlatestvacation.com
www.ghostmag.com/graphics/2005-05/Savannah-Gracie.jpg
www.flickr.com/photos/westernphotog/

Mac is back

2005-11-03T09:58:00.000-08:00

I was thinking this morning what a happy day it must be for Apple and how truly happy I am for them. Now all those PC people who ridiculed my affection for Mac – and as a photographer and graphic designer, I had no say in the matter anyway – well, now those mocking people are about to meet Big Karma as two Macintosh names are becoming synonymous with MP3 players and personal video players. As the number one-selling MP3 player with a killer visual and image-based ad campaign, the iPod already has its spot in the American psyche. As the first personal video player, the videoPod will soon follow.

Wikipedia does an excellent job of explaining the gravity of having one’s product become a representative brand name.

Not since Kleenex has a brand so quickly and so pervasively become embedded in the American lexicon. It doesn’t even matter if you don’t use “Kleenex” to mean facial tissue. You still know what it means when someone else says it.
(Note: The story of Kleenex brand tissues is one of the most fascinating in advertising.)

This is the fate I believe is in store for the iPod and the new videoPod. There are certainly a number of brilliant advertising minds on the job. These are the people who have become experts in cross promotion. For example, iPod has teamed with BMW to outfit the luxury car company’s “ 3 Series, Z4 Roadster, X3 and X5 Sports Activity Vehicles and MINI.” Apple and BMW Group announced the debut of the “BMW iPod Adapter, the world's first seamless integration between iPod and a vehicle audio system.”

There are those who feel that the iPod and subsequent Apple product ads and advertising affiliations will literally change the face of advertising. As successful as those Apples ads have been thus far, it would be no wonder that other brands would follow a similar formula. That evolution will be fun to watch.

And ah, yes, the Apple nay Sayers of years past… they will reap that harvest for the rest of their lives as their children and grandchildren yelp for “iPods” and “videoPods” every December.

Video iPod & Cross-promotion

2005-11-02T14:48:00.000-08:00

I read about David's video iPod in TV Guide. Thank you, David, for supplying more details than that specialty mag provided.

I believe this emerging technology illustrates that many an industry is destined to change in the wake of technological advances. For example, as David mentioned, ABC has already prepared a number of its series for distribution on the video iPod. In this case, early adopters stand to make a monetary killing.

It is hard to tell where these sorts of marriages will go. In one case, the ABC drama "Grey's Anatomy" cross-promotes musical artists featured on the program on iPod and their network website. One may concede that people who visit the website have reasonable access to internet commerce. In this fashion, an otherwise unknown artist can get national exposure and instant country-wide sales. This does even consider the profits that iPod and ABC may make from this one (relatively small and likely short-lived) business relationship. (ABC will soon move on to the next relationship, one can only assume.)

Why is this important to journalism? Because this is what ordinary Americans are doing with their access to technology. They watch TV and share music and like to see stars.

Perhaps journalism should look to these areas -- the visual, the pop culture arena -- to find ways to finance the newsrooms of the future.

Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2005

2005-11-02T14:23:00.000-08:00

Dear 791,
I apologize for my absence today.
Marti

Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2005

2005-10-19T11:29:00.000-07:00

Dear 791 People,

I apologize for missing class today. I am ill, of course. I hope my absence is not an inconvenience.

See you next week.

Sincerely,
Marti

Niagara Falls from the USA side

2005-10-03T19:16:00.000-07:00

photo by me

Note to 791: Please find company bio -- MSNBC.com -- below...

MSNBC.com brings you to the news

2005-10-03T18:06:00.000-07:00

by Marti Howell

MSNBC and MSNBC.com have been bringing the news to its audience 24 hours a day since Monday, July 15, 1996. Now, MSNBC.com will bring its audience – in the form of the “citizen journalist” – to the news.

MSNBC has long been a leader in news production. A joint venture of Microsoft and NBC, MSNBC cable news network and MSNBC.com news site on the Internet employ the newsgathering resources of more than 200 NBC-affiliate stations and reach an estimated 82 million American households with its 24-hour news coverage on television alone.

MSNBC.com is a news web site featuring national and international news coverage and on-demand streaming video from correspondents around the world. It has clear navigation options and news is delivered in a wide variety of formats – from morning news talk show clips to complete written packages. Included within the site are Newsweek scientific and technical articles and photos, and news reports by Brian Williams. There are pictures of Paul Newman and video of a rare giant squid. Personalized user pages are easy to build.

NBC News maintains editorial control over the content on MSNBC.com and local NBC affiliates have the option to insert local news content.

In the news game, journalism has not come so far as to be able to cast off old strategies entirely. It remains crucial that a news entity – in any form – reach an audience in a timely fashion with news content of value. That often means getting the news first and then disseminating it to the largest audience possible as quickly as possible.

MSNBC.com knows this formula and uses it wisely. This year alone, MSNBC.com snatched up several huge Web crowds. The terrorist bombings in London on July 7, 2005 resulted in the on-demand generation of 4.4 million video streams featuring coverage of events throughout the day. MSNBC.com sent e-mail news alerts regarding the London explosions to consumers more than 45 minutes before one of its fiercest competitors, CNN.com, broke the story on their website. MSNBC.com sources reported that on that day alone, the site saw 10.3 “unique” viewers (news consumers who were alerted to the bombings via personalized MSNBC.com news alerts or who regularly use MSNBC.com as their primary news source) and 51 million total page views. That also included a 400 percent increase in international viewers, MSNBC.com sources said.

Earlier in the year, a June interview of Tom Cruise on the “Today” show by Matt Lauer and streamed on MSNBC.com the following day garnered 2.5 million viewers. MSNBC.com delivered the Michael Jackson verdict on 630,000 video steams on June 17.

“Whether the news of the day is a tragic world event or a celebrity making headlines, consumers know they can trust NBC News and come to MSNBC.com for the information they want,” General Manager and Publisher of MSNBC.com Charlie Tillinghast said in a July press release.

MSNBC.com has invested in another key area of the news business – the bottom line. Another aspect of a successful news organization is its ability to market itself and to attract advertisers. MSNBC.com hired Catherine Captain, former Director of Marketing Research for USA Today, to head their marketing division in May.

“I have left the number one print newspaper in the country to join the number one news site in the country,” Captain said at a May press conference. “I am inspired by the undeniable success of this medium and the opportunity for marketing to fuel MSNBC.com’s growth.

“Who could ask for more?” she added.

MSNBC.com is also an industry leader in pod casting, allowing users to subscribe to a number of scheduled programs that can be easily transferred to iPod and other MP3 players. This feature alone is likely to make MSNBC.com popular with a whole new audience.

It would indeed seem that MSNBC.com has it all – news, an audience willing and able to consume it, a keen eye on future goals and careful attention to profit, a reputation for solid journalism, a skilled team of media professionals… and even the latest in tech comforts.

Why, then, would MSNBC.com choose to enter the participatory journalism game? Non-journalist contributors writing for MSNBC? Will they require constant handholding – read untold hours of editing – or will the pieces be hopelessly unreadable? Will these unschooled masses bring down the wrath of libel lawsuits on NBC? Will they elect to post obscenities? A similar undertaking failed at the Los Angeles Times.

MSNBC.com is electing to take the gamble.

MSNBC.com is now bringing you to the news.

Citizen journalists can currently submit stories to MSNBC.com’s “Citizen Journalists Report” web page. So far, anyway, the more intimate partnership of MSNBC.com and its civilian reporters seems to be going well.

The “Citizen Journalists Report” features stories on everything from hurricane troubles to high prices at the gas pump to the impact of military base closings on local populations. The stories all have one thing in common – they have already passed the consumer-interest test. At least a portion of the audience is interested enough in these subjects to write about them. In the news business, this is a reliable – if not always failsafe – indicator of what is important to the citizenry at large. Editors have long used letters to the editor as an informal barometer of public opinion.

Another advantage: citizen journalist can often file stories in a more timely manner as they are usually residents of the area about which they write. They frequently have the story before mainstream journalists board their planes. Such was the case during 2005’s Hurricane Katrina… and the news world took notice.

“These are the images that will be critical in the future,” NBC Executive Producer Mark Lukasiewicz said.

In this way, MSNBC.com is poised to be one of the pioneers whose efforts in this arena will change the face of modern journalism.

“It’s very clearly going to be something that’s going to have a big impact on how we do our work,” Lukasiewicz predicted.

In general, more and more consumers turn to the Internet as their primary source of news. Many media researchers point to the events of 9/11 as the defining moment in this market shift.

“Every time an event like this happens, people are motivated to try the web,” Internet analyst and researcher Christopher Kelly said.

Increasingly, citizen journalists are becoming a part of that equation, Kelly noted.

Recently, citizen journalist Shelley Page from Ottawa, Canada, won a national journalism award there for a three-part series on women’s health. The future for the citizen journalist does indeed look bright.

But what about the future of MSNBC.com and its brigade of citizen journalists? Faster dissemination of news? More local coverage? More diverse coverage of social and political issues? A whole new world based on the view of the true “average man”? It looks like NBC’s MSNBC.com is going to find out.

“MSNBC.com is the destination of choice for millions of informed, educated and active citizens,” MSNBC.com GM and Publisher Charlie Tillinghast said.

-30-

Happy Halloween

2005-09-30T16:50:00.000-07:00

Halloween Fire Safety
written by Marti
for All of My Children of the Corn

If a fire starts in your home this holiday season, be prepared:

Step One: Don’t panic. Your time and energy will be needed to battle the flames.

Step Two: Assess the enormity and ferocity of the blaze. If it has gotten away from you or it is really big – and by “big” I mean whatever you think is big – Skip to Step Four.

Step Three: Put out the fire. As quickly as possible. Go… do it now!

Step Four: Get yourself and the family pets out of the house. Remember, they cannot read this fire safety e-mail because it is written in a foreign language.

Step Five: After Step Four and in the event that the fire is not out… Call the professionals. Their number is 911. Your neighbor has a phone.

Outdoor Fire Safety: If a fire starts outside, don’t get overly concerned about it. If lives and property become threatened, the neighbors will probably call the fire department. If not, the news crew will… eventually.

We all know not to throw water on a grease fire, but
Did You Know:
· You should not use blankets or clothing to try to beat down flames that may be harboring vast amounts of burning sparks and embers.
· If you do not have enough water or water pressure to handle the situation, you will soon find yourself in a worse scenario.
· Every home should have a fire extinguisher and you should know how to use it. It may be conveniently located at your neighbors’ house or under eighteen cardboard boxes in the basement. It should be serviced every year… but not by you.

Check Out These Other Fun Fire Facts:
Drunk people set more fires.
Drunk people start larger fires.
You are probably drunk.

Happy Halloween!

-marti
photo courtesy of the Nebraska Humanities Society.
-30-

Myspace.com security

2005-09-29T16:16:00.000-07:00

I forgot my password for "myspace" -- I have a lot of accounts everywhere. However, since every new password is just a variation of the old one (at least in my world), I tried to sign on anyway. After four failed attempts, the myspace sign-in page announced that it would be locked for fifteen minutes. After about a minute and a half, I tried again anyway. It worked. Why would myspace lie to me?

Does anyone have IBM?

2005-09-29T13:58:00.000-07:00

If anyone is doing IBM/ThinkPad for your company bio:

There was an article about that very thing on the front of the Business page of the New York Times today -- Thursday, Sept. 29.

Written by David Pogue, the article talks about how inextricably linked some companies are to their products' names and images and what happens when other companies take over fast-moving tech interests.

I've kept a copy if anyone wants to see it.

My Space -- parts one & two

2005-09-28T18:04:00.000-07:00

Assignment Three

Part One
I chose to join “myspace.” I had originally intended
to join a couple of virtual communities and then
compare them one to another, but I found that
“myspace” took up all of my time.

I began by inviting friends who I already know to join
me on “myspace.” I have nothing to report in this
regard as none of my friends elected to join.

No problem - I began to cultivate new relationships.
First, I chose a number of people based on their
creative profile designs.

I sent each of my new friends a note telling them who
I am, why I chose them and thanking them for joining
my friend list.

After one week of spending time with my virtual
friends each day, I have discovered a number of
things.

First, the people who I thought would be fun and have
things in common with me were not really the people
with whom I am having the most contact and discussion.

Other photographers, other journalists and even other
dog owners have not engaged in long, meaningful talks
with me.

Instead, the people who now contact me most often are
a teenager on the run from Hurricane Rita and a writer
in Southeast Asia.

I guess that's actually an old lesson - don't judge a
book by its cover.

Some of my “friends” are advertisements. “Lost - the
First Season on DVD” is my friend, as are several punk
bands.

With the ads, I know they have a monetary goal. With
everyone else, well, it's anybody's guess, I suppose.

I feel closer - more “friend-like” - to the people who
write to me on a regular basis now than I do some of
the others. Regardless of the amount of contact we
have, however, I do not consider these people real
friends. I don't suppose they have time for real
friends - they're online all the time.

Part Two
I realized that my critique of "myspace" sounded
somewhat negative -- what with those folks not really
being my friends and ads posing as relationships and
all.

However, I did find advantages to joining this virtual
community.

A) I got a first-hand account of one Florida
resident's flight from Hurricane Rita. That certainly
speaks to some journalistic value to such sites.

B) I was immediately jealous of some of the more
creative profile pages. So I got an updated HTML/CSS
book and I intend to use it. Also, as I have targeted
"friends" based on their impressive code-writing, I
will use those "weak ties" to help me build a new page
(after I re-familarize with my new book).

C) I have been directed to other interesting websites
by some "friends'" pages. Overall, I am improving my
navigation skills.

I apologize for this late installment. I only just now
realized that I had been a bit one-sided about
"myspace."

Assignment Two

2005-09-21T18:08:00.000-07:00

note:footnotes available in attached version

Journalism 791 – Fall 2005
Biography – Steve Jobs & the iPod
Marti Howell

Steve lie on his bed, staring hard at the ceiling. He
knew full well what “assassination” meant, even though
he was only eight years old.

He had found out on his way home from school. He was
sad that President John F. Kennedy was dead – like all
the grownups were – but there was something else and
Steve thought of that as he stared at the light
fixture in the ceiling of his Mountain View,
California bedroom.

What would things be like without President Kennedy,
he thought. Would the communists take over the world,
he wondered. Steve remembered vividly the Cuban
Missile Crisis the year before and how frightened he
had been He was frightened now. He was frightened
because Steve Jobs was always thinking about the
future.

The sun was setting over the valley and Steve decided
he better get down to his neighbor Mr. Lang’s house
before his mother told him it was too dark to go out.
Maybe he could learn to take apart a clock radio and
put it back together before the Russians landed, he
thought as he put on his jacket.

----------------------------------------------

Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple computers and Pixar
entertainment, is now far removed from that crisp
November afternoon, but he is the same inquisitive
boy.

Jobs made reality the dream of the average American
with his own personal computer. He watched Silicon
Valley erupt with computer chips in the wake of his
vision. He won critical acclaim for his innovative
full-length animation work. He became a
multi-millionaire.

Steve Jobs does not have to work anymore.

However, in some respects, Steve Jobs never stopped
being eight years old. He is still curious. He is
still driven by his ideas for a brighter future. He
still wants to know how things work.

With the iPod “Nano” hitting shelves this month, Jobs
has improved on one of his most fabulous inventions.

The iPod MP3 player was introduced in November of
2001. Since then it has been updated twice and sold
more than 1.5 million units. It now exceeds sales of
any other Apple device on the market. It also tops the
market in MP3 player sales.

Now Jobs has the Nano.

The new iPod Nano features 2GB or 4GB storage
capacity. The two models hold 500 and 1,000 songs and
can play for up to fourteen hours before the battery
must be charged. Starting at $199, the iPod Nano is
reasonably priced.

The Nano can also hold photos, podcasts and
audiobooks. The size of a couple of credit cards
pasted together, the Nano is also the smallest MP3
player to date.

The Nano is just the latest in the long line of
inventions from the mind of Steve Jobs. Jobs
introduced the Apple I in 1976. It was the first
single-board computer with onboard read-only memory
(ROM). The next year, he introduced the first
mass-marketed personal computer – the Apple II.

Jobs is more than an inventor though. He is a
visionary. When the Apple II came out, Jobs invited
programmers to create programs for it. The result was
more than 16,000 programs that ranged from computer
games to agricultural budget programs.

Jobs has always maintained that it is people who make
innovations happen. And he has never been shy about
sharing the spotlight.

“I was lucky to get into computers when it was a very
young and idealistic industry,” Jobs once said. “There
weren’t many degrees in computer science, so people in
computers were brilliant people from mathematics,
physics, music, zoology, whatever.

“I have found, not just in software but in everything
I’ve done, it really pays to go after the best people
in the world.”

The iPod Nano will change the way people listen to
music. For Jobs, it is just another step on the path
to his future.

“The personal computer was created by the hardware
revolution of the 1970s,” Jobs told Fortune magazine.
“The next change will come from a software
revolution.”

-30-

Assignment One

2005-09-21T18:04:00.000-07:00

Assignment 1 - Fall 2005
Journalism 791 - Prof. Lenert
Marti Howell

“Intelligent agents 'lock in' on consumer tastes”

Intelligent agents, like many creatures born of the
Internet, are only as useful as one makes them.
Abandoning one's preferences entirely to web go-fors
can be dangerous… or at least terribly boring.

It can start slowly, innocently. A busy professional
or student or housewife allows the personal agent to
ascertain what is junk mail and what is not. Then the
agent is permitted to empty the trash from the e-mail
accounts automatically. Then, it is allowed to filter
news stories for the user.

Feeling confident that all angles are covered, the
actual person never looks in the bulk folder, never
checks the trash, seldom consumes news not “pushed”
through an agent.

What harm could possibly come of that scenario?
Inevitably, they miss something that would otherwise
be important to them.

To understand the potential for disaster, let us
consider one specific example. I purchase a number of
things on Amazon.com. I have an account through which
I purchase textbooks, CDs and DVDs for my boyfriend
and Christmas gifts for my family and friends.

Recently, I opened a second account at Amazon. I have
used it only to buy CDs to accompany my Tai Chi
sessions. Therefore, that Amazon account reflects only
my interest in Tai Chi-appropriate recordings. That
way, I can go to that Amazon account and not have to
wade through six suggestions on stargazing guides (I
once bought several for Jac) and seventeen tomes on
travel writing (one of my classes). At my “Tai Chi”
account, I see only what's new and exciting in whale
song CDs.

That brings us to a downside of intelligent agents.
Using the Amazon example, I am “locked in” to certain
“pushes” on my “Tai Chi” account. Should I discover
that ska CDs facilitate my sessions, the intelligent
Amazon agent must be informed in order to accommodate
me. In addition, by not shopping around every time I
go on Amazon, I am undoubtedly missing opportunities
to expand my Tai Chi horizons.

My Yahoo news alerts illustrate this point as well. I
have one set up for news regarding confessed serial
murderer Dennis Rader, as his case affects my
research. For me, this represents a useful agent
application

At one point, however, I set up a news alert for
“earthquakes.” I soon had to revise that one to read
“earthquakes - geological events” as I was getting a
large volume of news on the “Earthquakes” sports team.

Intelligent agents are technology. Like all
technology, they lose their effectiveness when used
improperly.

One element of this story that I would like to examine
more closely is the idea that a team of intelligent
agents could translate into more time - I mean, really
a lot more time - for us to pursue things that
interest us. Time - now there is a valuable commodity.

It will depend on well I can manage how my agents
manage everything else.

-30-

Test One

2005-09-21T17:51:00.000-07:00

Testing new blog account...