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We had a very short meeting last Thursday and decided to move the Mesa State Media Team (formerly Mass Communication Technology Club) meetings to Fridays at 3pm. Please let everyone know.
This new club will allow students to learn more about technology used in Mass Communication. This is no ordinary club. It is quite possible that this club could change the world.
After considering the debate over the writing style that should be used for GJMole, it occurred to me that many students may not understand how many different writing styles there are for formal writing. It’s possible that many may not have an understanding of the purpose of implementing a formal writing style.
Formal writing styles are designed to create a standard that all writers will conform to as to make the publication more readable. Imagine if a newspaper with 20+ contributors allowed each writer to use their own style. The paper would be inconsistent and would most likely frustrate the reader. Essentially the style exists to help the reader.
Questions that should be asked when choosing a writing style:
Who is the audience?
How hard do we expect the reader to work to understand the publication?
Are we talking up or down to the reader?
If a change to style is proposed it should serve at least one of the following purposes:
Here is a list of writing styles that you should know about:
Modern Language Association (MLA) – This writing style is used commonly for research papers in high school and higher education. However, it is not commonly used in graduate school.
American Psychological Association (APA) – This style is used for research studies and other graduate-level papers. Most academic/scholarly articles are written in APA style.
Chicago Style - Great pizza and a great writing style. Chicago is a general writing format that sets the standard used for American English writing style. Most other styles are derivatives of Chicago style.
Associated Press – Writing for newspapers, magazines and other forms of media is a totally different set of rules. Because time, paper or other resources are often limited, AP style is designed to be concise and tell the reader as much information in as few of words as possible. AP style is also influenced heavily by government terminology, pop culture, sports and other events that are frequently covered in the news.
You will also find that most industries have at least one writing style that is accepted. Legal writing often uses three different styles. Architecture, auto mechanics, art, and technology publications each have their own general writing style.
Currently, there is no single accepted writing style for online media. One attempt has been made, but it is still not widely used. The Web Style Guide 3 is actually more of a design handbook but it does address many common questions about links, menus and other areas specific to the web.
Here is a short promotional video that was done by Apple in the 80s. You can’t get more 80s goodness without watching 16 Candles.
I hope to show this video in class, but I wanted to post it here too. Amber Case is a “cyborg anthropologist”. She studies how technology is transforming individuals and culture. It is very applicable to the future of mass communications. Enjoy.
I realized that I haven’t posted a current list of categories for the GJMole project.
Each week you are expected to post at least two content items. Not all content needs to be in article for. You may post photos, graphics, comics, top 10 lists, how-to articles, etc. Your approach is more important than the topic you focus on.
Content should have a local focus (Grand Junction under 50 demographic).
Although you are expected to produce two items per week, your final project will be for you to submit your 10 best items and a write-up which I will discuss further with you after Spring Break.
Breaking news
Lifestyle
Sports
Feature
Op-ed
Review
Photo (with short description)
Podcast
YouTube video
Design/Art
Business
Other approved departments
Image by Getty Images via @daylife
It looks like I may not make it to class on Monday. However, class is not canceled. Please use the off day to find and write a post for GJMole. I expect everyone to have something posted by Wednesday.
If you have any questions, please email me using the “Ask Cochran a Question” link at the right of the page or call me at the number from the syllabus or message me on Facebook.
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For those who are interested in mass media law and copyright debates, here is an excellent article from paidcontent.org. There is a good argument that “share” buttons on websites act as a permission and destroy the copyright of a publication or website.
Have Media Companies Destroyed Their Copyrights with the Share Button? – paidContent.org
Image via CrunchBase
ExtremeTech.com has posted links to past episodes of NPR programs that featured new technology and services. These interviews include the following:
What is the Internet? (1993)
Y2K at the end of the world (1999)
Friendster – on the first social networks (2003)
Google (2004)
MySpace (2006)
YouTube (2006)
Facebook/Zuckerberg (2006)
Twitter (2007)
An Audio History of the Internet from the NPR Archives – 3D Graphics, Audio & HDTV by ExtremeTech.
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This is an interesting story about a recipe for Coke that has been published in an number of separate publications. However the story never gained much notoriety until it made onto the Internet.
That Coke Recipe on “This American Life?” My Dad Found That | Fast Company.
The video is no longer on YouTube. Mr. Jobs probably got mad and made them take it down.
Remember – assume everything you do will someday appear on the Internet.
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