Tag SJSU

Hodson and Dedman on Video Blogging – Steve Sloan

Video of Ryanne and Jay’s presentation in Prof. McCune’s class, shot by a student in Steve Sloan’s class, posted on Steve’s blog.

Hodson and Dedman on Video Blogging – Steve Sloan

Immigration Rally – Spartan Daily Soundslides

The Daily’s audio slideshow on yesterday’s immigration rally in San Jose. Awesome to see the paper posting slideshows and I hear there are not one, not two, but three editors on the online side of things next fall. Helloooo tipping point.

Immigration Rally – Spartan Daily Soundslides

Mercury News | San Jose State 150

The 150th anniversary Flash package on San Jose State University from the Merc. Love the way the interview videos are broken up into the 5 questions.

Mercury News | San Jose State 150

Breaking News – No New Spartan Stadium – Kyle Hansen

Spartan Daily writer posts about breaking news at thespartandaily.com late in the afternoon. Which means the editors are posting through the CMS without waiting for tomorrow’s print edition, or for an automatic shoveling overnight. Great job.

Breaking News – No New Spartan Stadium – Kyle Hansen

The JMC Journal: Congrats to Yvonne Pingue!

An SJSU student is one of 30 from around the country tapped for Gannett’s information center training program. That’s frigging awesome. I totally forgive her for putting that statue in the Daily’s masthead now.

The JMC Journal: Congrats to Yvonne Pingue!

Kicking it East Coast style

No, not me. I’m still firmly planted a short walk from Monterey Bay, but a group of SJSU students spent Spring Break in the land known casually as Back East in these parts.

Newspapers Are Dead – Scoble

Robert references Dave and Tim’s posts in the context of his visits to SJSU and what hasn’t changed. I set him straight in the comments about what has changed.

Newspapers Are Dead – Scoble

Spartan Daily Podcast – Photojournalism From A Student’s Eye

Ah, the sweet sounds of microphones getting plugged into Edirol R-09s at San Jose State University. Rumor has it there are some point & shoots floating around as well. Show the reporters the video setting, and turn them loose. Tell them to have fun.

Spartan Daily Podcast – Photojournalism From A Student’s Eye

Mardi Gras – The Soapbox Prophet

Looks like Andrew was doing a bit of citizen journalism around SJSU during the Mardi Gras festivities last night. Please don’t ask me why there’s Mardi Gras rowdiness in San Jose. Anyway, he even gets a quote from Sgt. Noriega, a familiar UPD PIO.

Mardi Gras – The Soapbox Prophet

Further notes on the new journalism skillset

Andrew Venegas, a journalism student at San Jose State University, asks in comments:

“How many skills do you think an online editor/reporter needs? Is HTML and CSS enough? Do you need to know Flash, Photoshop and Premiere Pro as well? How about Sound Studio? All in all, working for the paper you do today, how much are they asking of their new talent?”

Last question first: I can’t speak for the paper I work at, especially if we’re talking about hiring reporters.

That said, if I were in a position to hire a reporter, I’d be looking for a solid writer with Web skills.

  • I would want someone who knows enough HTML to write their own Web update into a content management system without needing training.
  • I would want someone who has no fear of a digital camera, a video camera, or an audio recorder.
  • I would want someone interested in using databases, maps, and public records as source material.
  • I would want someone who knows how to tell a story.

Now, let’s imagine that I were in a position to hire some sort of online news employee.

An applicant for the position would need to know HTML, understand how CSS works, use Photoshop for basic tasks all day long, and copy edit like he or she learned from Mack Lundstrom. Every candidate should better be able to get past that point.

Next, I’d be looking for one of the trinity: multimedia, interactivity, data.

  • Can you code a Flash stage for chaptered Soundslides?
  • Can you edit audio, photos, and video into a compelling multimedia presentation?
  • Can you manage a community of users?
  • Can you moderate comments and forums and reader-contributed stories and photos and video?
  • Can you build a maps mashup that feeds itself with data scraped from public records?
  • Can you design interactive graphics in Flash?

If the answer to any *one* of those questions is Yes, things are looking up, but just knowing that you should be able to answer Yes to some of these can get you hired these days.

There are still plenty of twenty-something j-school graduates out there walking around with plans to be the next Woodstein, and if you walk in wanting to be the next Holovaty or Curley or Willis or Waite or Hernandez, you’re a better job candidate than five Woodsteins as far as I’m concerned.

Which leads to the money quote, from Rob Curley: “Skillset is important. But mindset is most important.”

This part’s just for Andrew: Work on your videoblogging chops. Get it into iTunes. Start shooting and editing video often, and post it all. Post it to YouTube, also, just to illustrate your platform-agnosticism. Make that something you’re an expert at, and sell yourself as a guy who can shoot, edit, and code video, then build a community around it.

That’s pretty damn marketable right about now.