Wednesday, May 31, 2017

DFM chat: How do you learn new journalism skills?

I like to break things. With cats.
Digital First Media friends and other journalists, members of the community and fans of journalism are invited to take part in a Twitter chat Wednesday at noon, Eastern Time, to talk about all things journalism.


Today we are learning about learning! What are the best ways to acquire skills in today's constantly evolving news environment? What's the best way to share them? Where do you go to learn new things outside of your newsroom or workplace? Grab your tools and bring your links!



If you want to be in the post chat archive, post a comment in the container or a tweet with the hashtag "#dfmchat" so it can automatically appear below.



Tuesday, May 30, 2017

Take a virtual tour of Falling Waters Preserve in Saugerties



Another one of my favorite hikes around the area is the Falling Waters Preserve in Saugerties, an easy hike with some rewarding views of the Hudson River and the falls, two of them, that give the preserve its name.

As with the previous tour of Shaupeneak Ridge The Street View map below constitutes many 360-degree images, all connected so that you can 'walk' around the pond. This time, there are more than 40 images, all taken on May 29.

Tuesday, May 16, 2017

Let's take a virtual reality hike around Louisa Pond at Shaupeneak Ridge



One of my favorite hikes around the area is located at Shaupeneak Ridge in the town of Esopus, an amazing park kept by Scenic Hudson. The tour you see below is the park's easy blue trail, a 1.18-mile trek around the pond.


The Street View map below constitutes more than 30 360-degree images from May 14, all connected, so that you can 'walk' around the pond.

Friday, May 12, 2017

Virtual reality and emerging technologies for small news organizations




The following are more (long) excerpts from a Slack chat with members of The Little Rebellion. part of Nancy Heiz's SUNY New Paltz's advance editing journalism class. Here's part I.

In this follow-up post, I'll explore immersive storytelling and emerging technologies, specifically virtual reality and 360-degree content as they relate to journalism and small newsrooms.

Let's get right to it!



Will virtual reality have a transformative role in journalism?

Virtual reality is not going to fundamentally affect journalism in a revolutionary way, for a number of reasons, which include its limitations (too expensive, blocks your view or reality); and penetration (not many people have it and nobody has it at all times).

It is, currently, another tool that helps tell stories in a new way.

However! Some of virtual reality's parts and other technologies are starting to form a new paradigm, which I do believe will change the way we consume information in a fundamental way, which could shake and disrupt journalism's forms and distribution, just as the Internet and social media have done before.

Because with these new technologies, everything's a platform.

Wednesday, May 3, 2017

The modern journalist



Let's talk about journalism.

The following are excerpts from a Slack chat with members of The Little Rebellion. part of Nancy Heiz's SUNY New Paltz's advance editing journalism class.

The purpose of the chat was to explore:
  • Reporting skills and the role of the journalist in the newsroom of the future;
  • Real-time live reporting and the platforms that enable it; and
  • Immersive storytelling, specifically virtual reality and 360-degree content.

The chat took place over a number of days at sometimes at some funky hours, which allow me to not-so-much wax poetically but hopefully comprehensively elaborate on these topics. I thought it could be of use to the larger audience, including consumers, aspiring journalists and journalists at large. I've added some extra notes here and there and a totally irrelevant image or two to break the gray. I'm also breaking the chat in two. It was long!

In this post, I deal with the modern newsroom, digital tools and multitasking.