The relevance of the Friday lecture could not come at a better time. As a journalist i need to know how to find news on the web by using search engines. Peter told me i could not always use Google to find news something i have always done since i started using a PC. A big blow to my intelect because, for all these years i have been using Google in search of news. Google is too far behind to access news, Peter said.To speed up the process, one needs to sign in and have an account and through a website called www.bloglines.com There is a push and pull factor at play here. Pull-means iam being pulled to the web and push- the web pushes information to you that i want though my acount, like news alerts. That is the purpose of the RSS (Real Simple Syndication). The process serves on time BIG TIME!!!!.
Then came the interesting subject of blogging. I was fascinated to learn that bloggers call us (journalists)- the mainstream media. We refer to them as the pyjamas. It was the bloggers who created the RSS. Peter told me how i could read RSS feeds using a web interface. I created a feed through the web called bloglines. What an easy way to tap information/news alerts at the twinkling of an eye.
We then went to the subject of using Internet as a source. I was amazed to learn that i could use a blog as source. For example the BBC used images from bloggers who managed to capture the tragic event of 7/7 in London. One important factor I learnt is that bloggers, while there are impacting in the transformation of how information is shared, they are not always credible and objective. They don't always adhere to the journalistic rules. Their impact to the media field can only be realised through the Dan Rather saga, CBS former news reporter's resignation after bloggers criticised a document he showed on TV that did put George Bush in bad light. The doc was found to be a false one after bloggers made a field day of it. This shows that bloggers can control politicians and journalists. They cannot simply be ignored. Some bloggers have sites that are authoritative, Peter said. The more the links a blog site has, the trusted it can be. We had to round up the day with the subject of censorship and control. This reminds of a country up in the north of SA of course. A bill is on the line to try and curb the free flow of information. Thank God there are ways to skip the fire wall. I can also protect my mail too from these silent assassins.
Then came the interesting subject of blogging. I was fascinated to learn that bloggers call us (journalists)- the mainstream media. We refer to them as the pyjamas. It was the bloggers who created the RSS. Peter told me how i could read RSS feeds using a web interface. I created a feed through the web called bloglines. What an easy way to tap information/news alerts at the twinkling of an eye.
We then went to the subject of using Internet as a source. I was amazed to learn that i could use a blog as source. For example the BBC used images from bloggers who managed to capture the tragic event of 7/7 in London. One important factor I learnt is that bloggers, while there are impacting in the transformation of how information is shared, they are not always credible and objective. They don't always adhere to the journalistic rules. Their impact to the media field can only be realised through the Dan Rather saga, CBS former news reporter's resignation after bloggers criticised a document he showed on TV that did put George Bush in bad light. The doc was found to be a false one after bloggers made a field day of it. This shows that bloggers can control politicians and journalists. They cannot simply be ignored. Some bloggers have sites that are authoritative, Peter said. The more the links a blog site has, the trusted it can be. We had to round up the day with the subject of censorship and control. This reminds of a country up in the north of SA of course. A bill is on the line to try and curb the free flow of information. Thank God there are ways to skip the fire wall. I can also protect my mail too from these silent assassins.
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