Friday, July 10, 2015

Final Journalism S:100 Blog Post (Harvard University, Summer 2015)

I decided to share what my experience was in this course, and how it has prepared me for the final writing project!

This has definitely been an experience and an eye-opener for me. I walked into this class thinking it was cake, but I was 150 percent wrong. Harvard is not a joke. After the first few days I was nervous about how much of our class work I could handle, due to my side work as a Style and Digital Content Director, for a high-profile rapidly growing start-up company, that relies on 85 percent of my contribution.

I stuck with the course, because the learning experience was very important to me and something I truly needed, if I wanted to be an editorial publicist for the long-term.

I was amazed at how much I didn’t know as a writer, and how much I needed to improve on.

I have gained a better understanding of my writing abilities, and where I need improvements down the road. The experience in this course (good and bad), has encouraged me to write more than I already do. I think the more you write, the better you will become. I have learned a lot about time management when juggling reporting duties, and other work responsibilities at the same time. I have a better understanding of how much reporting and writing work I can handle, in a short amount of time. I am also glad I experienced the panic that can occur, when I'm trying to gain interviews for a story with people who are unreliable and unsure of themselves.

This course has also influenced my interest in political and community news stories, which has become very shocking to my fashion friends back in NYC and family. However, I see this as a great thing - and I look forward to reading more about political, financial and community issues from hard news outlets.

Moving forward, I am really excited to implement AP Style and paraphrasing in my writing. I believe, the more I practice and read hard news, the better I will be.

What I look forward to the most is my final project. So far, I have five sources confirmed. It is a topic I am incredibly passionate and excited about, which will give me more momentum to do great and get the best information I can, to develop an amazing story. I am glad I have more time to really review my notes, and class discussions we have had over the next week. I look forward ti including everything.

I really enjoyed my time on the Harvard University campus this summer!


Thursday, July 9, 2015

Final class

What an experience its been writing this final assignment! Tackling such a massive and complex issue has been an unbelievable learning experience for me that I am so grateful for! It has really pushed me to write better, interview better, and gather difficult sources better!

Specifically, the biggest challenge with this assignment was honing in on a theme. I wasn't sure what that theme was going to be going in, so my questions started broadly and I had to follow my instinct to hone in on issues. In the process many, many aspects of Greek teen life surfaced, and it was difficult to bring everything together. In all, I have really enjoyed the class, and I think it was made me a much more disciplined writer! The experience here at Harvard was incredible, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerburg are crazy - this has been one of the best educational experiences that I've had. I can't wait to go out and start reporting!

What I'm reading

By Cristin Nelson

The in-class mentions of the NY Times piece on nail salons reminded me that I had planned to read it but forgotten.  I finally got a chance the other night.  It is an incredible piece of reporting in the face of what must have been considerable challenges, and well worth a read.


Did anybody catch the trending story about a teenager finding a mistake in a math formula at the Boston Museum of Science?  It was all over my newsfeed yesterday, but it turns out the formula was correct all along.  This article is an example of a piece that opens and closes with a character (though there aren't many details about him).

Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Teen Dies in her sleep with IPhone 6 was charging: Wednesday Blog Post

On Facebook, I came across this horrific and terrifying news story posted on the "News Watch 33" website.

A 19-year-old girl was killed in Texas while sleeping, due to electrocution. The girl had Iphone six ear plugs in her ears. The accident occurred, because she was charging her iPhone while sleeping with her ear plugs in (The charger was an unidentified non-Apple product).

Although this story is incredibly sad and such a tragedy, I thought it was a great read. You do not hear many stories like this one. 

I think it is great for young readers to have news stories like this. This way accidents like this don't occur, and people understand the dangers of technology usage in everyday life. 

https://newswatch33.com/bizarre/girl-killed-in-her-sleep-from-wearing-earbuds-while-iphone-was-charging/

The Future of News Consumption within technology products, and the evolution of what Twitter could and should potentially be!


The Future of News Consumption within technology products, and the evolution of what Twitter could and should potentially be!


Like I said in class yesterday, I think numerous tech products that we use in our daily life will be ways for us to consume media and news. 

Like the Apple watch, I believe Apple and other technology companies will create products (That allow us to find news, current events, and media) that people need in order to navigate their daily lives. 

I would not be surprised if other tech companies create watches, that have the Internet and will allow us to also consume news. 

When it comes to Twitter, I think it will expand (Similar to Facebook) and not just be a news feed, where you can share posts and pictures. I think a component of face-to-face interaction will be included down the road. This would also be excellent when consuming news, especially if you’re talking to people outside of the country to get information on what is happening on Twitter or in the world around us. 

I can’t predict this will be an occurrence, but I think it would be stupid to not include some sort of face-to-face interaction on Twitter. 

Twitter is a universal social media application, where you can connect and discover people anywhere in the world by one tweet, an instant message, a simple follow on twitter, or a re-tweet from anything posted within that moment or from years ago. 

The Future of News Consumption within technology products, and the evolution of what Twitter could and should potentially be!


The Future of News Consumption within technology products, and the evolution of what Twitter could and should potentially be!


Like I said in class yesterday, I think numerous tech products that we use in our daily life will be ways for us to consume media and news. 

Like the Apple watch, I believe Apple and other technology companies will create products (That allow us to find news, current events, and media) that people need in order to navigate their daily lives. 

I would not be surprised if other tech companies create watches, that have the Internet and will allow us to also consume news. 

When it comes to Twitter, I think it will expand (Similar to Facebook) and not just be a news feed, where you can share posts and pictures. I think a component of face-to-face interaction will be included down the road. This would also be excellent when consuming news, especially if you’re talking to people outside of the country to get information on what is happening on Twitter or in the world around us. 

I can’t predict this will be an occurrence, but I think it would be stupid to not include some sort of face-to-face interaction on Twitter. 

Twitter is a universal social media application, where you can connect and discover people anywhere in the world by one tweet, an instant message, a simple follow on twitter, or a re-tweet from anything posted within that moment or from years ago. 

Return to the Future of Media Tech

No doubt, a number of technologies are shaping the future of media. But as to what exactly that future will look like is anybody's guess. 20 years ago, no one could have predicted accurately Google's omniscient dominance of our Internet existence, nor Facebook's, Instagram's, or Amazon's ever-present company in our daily lives.

One thing is certain however. There will be more convergence of digital media and technology. The Internet will continue to drive the future of media technology. The Internet of Everything will continue to evolve and impact out physical world. And digital, micro-sized, nano-tech-powered bearable gadgets will become commonplace, some (or more and more) of them embedded in our bodies. 

The role of data will continue to grow too. 

Speaking specifically about the future of social media, Mike Laurie, a digital planner at UK Integrated Agency JPMH, made a comment that is also true of the future of media technology: It "will be effortless and everywhere."