For Article: Journos: Do You Post Public Comments? Why/Why Not?
Posted by Jane Abao 6/3/2008 9:12:05 PM
I engage in public conversation online regularly mostly on concerns in the field of communication. I feel that when I read something or come to know of something that needs to be corrected, or interacted with, I do not refuse to comment. It is an obligation I set upon myself as someone educated in journalism and communication. I believe that every communicator must be responsible and that includes holding onto any form of business that deals with public communication.
I am very transparent in the fact that I use my legal name as much as possible. It is part of building credibility. I even use my own pictures. I am not afraid of enemies or people who oppose my beliefs. It is the same philosophy I teach my students.
Because of my transparency, it has somehow affected my journalism. People incognito with usernames attack me about anything if they oppose my ideas and beliefs. How do I get to fight with Working Girl, for example? What is her legal name and who is she? And yet she deigns to teach me how I should be operating on a news site as editor. She preferred that I post positives about the country for tourists to read, while I preferred posting about the corruption going on. But what does she know about journalism?
How about THE TRUTH and Meeker? These are just usernames that can change from time to time. We can never know anything about them, their credibility in what they say, and yet they can attack you, accuse you of anything. With what they say, the crawler can pick them up and place them on the web. Pronto! That’s a reality added to your metadata. Then when somebody Googles you up and read those parts, don’t expect that people’s beliefs about you have not changed a bit.
There is a way to fight this, however. Holding on to truth and taking care of your credibility over the years can work for you during times that you need them most. Then you can afford to ignore the trolls that come your way and trouble you.
Showing posts with label conversational media. Show all posts
Showing posts with label conversational media. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
iTalkNews.com as Blackboard
For Article: Which J-Schools Are Really Keeping Pace with Online Media?
Posted by Jane Abao 2/6/2007 9:24:50 PM
Learning and teaching journalism does not necessarily mean there has to be a building and a campus that you can see first. My student editors go online as an adjunct to our face-to-face weekly classes. I hold classes online without syllabus, guided by the stigmergy concept where the next thing that happens is directed by our mix of environment, materials, and activity. This at least respects the ideals of Citizen Journalism where any fears of teacher structures might destroy pristine elements from the citizen input. As they say, in Citizen Journalism, as is, where is. However, I still believe Citizen Journalism is not equivalent to ignorance and any journalist should at least know why he is writing, for what and for whom. When these questions arise, then there is a need to know some principles of writing.
As to conversational media, this may be seen from the point of view of the ever necessary dialogue between writer and reader. It is not enough to just write or post and that’s the end of it. Any communication system needs a feedback component in order to be complete.
What mostly runs in my online trainings is the theory of transactional distance where dialogue tries to bridge the gap between me and my students. Face to face, these students would not have the time, the courage, and the readiness to talk, but online, I find that they are more efficient in interacting. Their work posted for critiquing online, the experience is rewarding for both us. But what is encouraging is their chance to hone their reasoning skills by purposely commenting intelligently on news and editorials posted for the day on the website and then I rate how well they place their arguments. They have a quota of 5 comments per day, which means they have to analyze at least 5 news and editorials, plus post their own work which I check for mechanics and content, and which their peers also critique.
Where is our school? We use iTalkNews as our blackboard.
Posted by Jane Abao 2/6/2007 9:24:50 PM
Learning and teaching journalism does not necessarily mean there has to be a building and a campus that you can see first. My student editors go online as an adjunct to our face-to-face weekly classes. I hold classes online without syllabus, guided by the stigmergy concept where the next thing that happens is directed by our mix of environment, materials, and activity. This at least respects the ideals of Citizen Journalism where any fears of teacher structures might destroy pristine elements from the citizen input. As they say, in Citizen Journalism, as is, where is. However, I still believe Citizen Journalism is not equivalent to ignorance and any journalist should at least know why he is writing, for what and for whom. When these questions arise, then there is a need to know some principles of writing.
As to conversational media, this may be seen from the point of view of the ever necessary dialogue between writer and reader. It is not enough to just write or post and that’s the end of it. Any communication system needs a feedback component in order to be complete.
What mostly runs in my online trainings is the theory of transactional distance where dialogue tries to bridge the gap between me and my students. Face to face, these students would not have the time, the courage, and the readiness to talk, but online, I find that they are more efficient in interacting. Their work posted for critiquing online, the experience is rewarding for both us. But what is encouraging is their chance to hone their reasoning skills by purposely commenting intelligently on news and editorials posted for the day on the website and then I rate how well they place their arguments. They have a quota of 5 comments per day, which means they have to analyze at least 5 news and editorials, plus post their own work which I check for mechanics and content, and which their peers also critique.
Where is our school? We use iTalkNews as our blackboard.
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