KOMU-8 News, How may I help you?

The more I know the more I don't know. That's how I feel about so much of the world, but most recently I've added the web to that list. So, when I answer the newsroom phone with the title of this entry, the chances that I can actually help with any tech-related issue are slim...at least for now.

I have big hopes for my next four months working the web and learning about it in my 'Advanced Internet Applications' class. The new media world we live in is changing every minute and it has never been more exciting to be a journalist. Ask yourself how you found out about one of the most recent major news stories (Ted Kennedy's death, for just one example)...

Newspaper? No. (Sorry to all my news-ed friends)
Network news? Doubtful.
Cable? Maybe.
Online news source? Probably.
Twitter/Facebook/social media? Yes! This is assuming that you are on them...if so, you know they are absolutely viral means of communication.

It is now common knowledge in the journalism world that the way consumers get news is very different than it used to be...that's why I'm so excited to be working in a newsroom that really gets that, but isn't taking it as the end the free press. As a web editor at KOMU, I will be using Twitter and Facebook and email alerts to communicate and engage with our news audience, which is increasingly beginning to resemble a community of information sharers rather than passive group of consumers.

Now knowing that and actually doing something about it are two very different things...that's why I'm excited to be working with real media professionals who are sticking their necks out and creating some really groundbreaking means of communication. A big project I will work on in the coming months, aside from getting acquainted with what it takes to run an online news source, will be to getting to know a few of those 'Media Giraffes.' Yes, it's a pun because they are sticking their necks out. Yes, I wish I would have been the one to come up with it. :) Media Giraffe is actually an established project that finds people who are using new media in never-been-done-before ways. (If you know of anyone who deserves to be recognized, I'd love to hear about it!) The goal is to get to know them, and get thinking about what I can do to make whatever newsroom I happen to be working for, better at communicating with its viewers. As of now I'm still fighting that learning curve, but I love it. 

Much more to come,

e