Monthly Archives: March 2007
Taking a JibJab at the media
At last, the guys at JibJab have pointed their talents at us media folk with their new “What We Call The News.” The results are hilarious and biting (and particularly targeted at our TV brethren). From the song: “We interrupt … Continue reading
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Something smells over in Roanoke
When poo and journalism mix, the results can be quite enjoyable. Head on over to the Roanoke Times for a funny and well-done Soundslide about the “Dooty Diva,” a woman who has made it her job to clean dog droppings … Continue reading
Posted in random stuff
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Poynter Eyetrack 2007 study says online readers read deep
The non-profit Poynter Institute has just released the preliminary results of its Eyetrack 2007 study, and some of the findings may be surprising to those who think online readers merely speed through news sites. From the Poynter article, titled ‘The … Continue reading
Posted in newspaper design, newspapers, web design, writing and editing
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Best of online color palette creators
Needing a quick color scheme for your site? Or, perhaps you don’t own a color wheel nor have the expertise to use one well. Enter the plethora of nifty online color palette generators. The latest and most AJAXy of them … Continue reading
Posted in newspaper design, tutorials, web design
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Tech blogger receives death threats
Kathy Sierra, photo by Brian Fitzgerald Kathy Sierra, who authors the Creating Passionate Users blog, canceled her appearance at a conference after she received several death threats laced with crude sexual imagery. Sierra details the frightening threats here. Here you … Continue reading
Posted in blogging
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Extolling the art of blurbs and teasers online
Why do we so often overlook the art of writing witty, compelling headlines and blurbs online? Is it the breakneck pace of producing Web news? Is it the endless distractions of emerging technology? Does it really just come down to … Continue reading
Posted in writing and editing
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How the bad call on John Edwards’ campaign decision spread
Columbia Journalism Review’s Gal Beckerman has a thorough write-up on how the media’s prediction of John Edwards closing down his campaign turned out to be astronomically wrong yesterday. The culprit, as it so often is, was a reporter relying on … Continue reading
Posted in ethics, writing and editing
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How Google Blog Search ranks your blog posts
New details about the methodology behind Google Blog Search results have been making the rounds of the blogosphere. According to the patent application, Google’s Blog Search uses two main criteria to determine how a post gets ranked: 1) A blog … Continue reading
Posted in search engines
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How to win multimedia contests
Richard Hernandez just keeps on dishing out great stuff on MultimediaShooter. His latest endeavor is a rather funny slideshow on how to win awards. So true. Share it with the masses. [Via Teaching Online Journalism]
Posted in conferences, photography
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Herald-Tribune database tracks bad Florida teachers
The Sarasota Herald-Tribune has published ‘Broken Trust,’ a triumph of an investigation in which the staff revealed widespread problems with the way Florida handles complaints alleging abuse by teachers. Backing up the comprehensive graphic is an enormous database the … Continue reading
Posted in newspapers, web design
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WordPress plug-in love for Journalistopia
It was about time. I finally got around to upgrading this humble publication to WordPress 2.1.2, and boy is it swell. It has more robust options and better post editing. And kudos to Dreamhost for providing a hassle-free upgrade tool. … Continue reading
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Censorship map of the world
The Financial Times has published an interesting interactive map outlining growing censorship of the Internet in the world. Belarus, Turkey, Thailand and Iran (in that order) have the highest Internet penetration of all the countries described. Also, check out GreatFirewallofChina.org, … Continue reading
Posted in ethics, maps, random stuff
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