Friday, July 30

Online Media News & Resoures


Capstone Students! As bloggers in the BC Capstone course, you should be reading blogs about media. They provide FREE & quick links that allow you to keep up to date online about current events and issues relevant to media?
I Want Media.com has a great links page as does LostRemote.com
http://www.iwantmedia.com/news/index.html

http://www.lostremote.com/research/index.html

I encourage you to check them out as well as the links the provide. Find your niche or interest and make it part of your favorite links.

Here's a friendly hint-- you'll be focusing on some kind of news/information source for class this fall and online resources are free. But you can always just wait and just buy a subscription to Broadcasting & Cable.

Tuesday, July 27

TiVo clicker in one hand and an iPod in the other!!!

Just thought I'd mention that I caught up with some technology this summer.

For Father's Day I got TiVo.
Show's I find TiVo Worthy this week:


  • The 4400 on USA
  • Trading Spouses on Fox
  • The Amazing Race on CBS
  • Last Comic Standing on NBC
  • Dr. 90210 on Bravo
  • Futurama (all week) on Cartoon Network

The most TiVo Worth Shows of last week according to 07-27-04's USA Today:
Neilsen says TiVo's most recorded show for last week were:

  1. The Amazing Race (CBS)
  2. Last Comic Standing (NBC)
  3. Big Brother 5- Tuesday (CBS)
  4. The Simple Life 2 (Fox)
  5. Big Brother 5- Thursday (CBS)

Hmmm- all reality shows?


For my birthday I got an iPod.

News songs I downloaded this week:




FYI- It's cheaper to buy your music from Walmart.com because each song runs for 88 cents where Apple charges 99 cents.
BTW that's where I also buy all my books for my grad work at Pitt. I saved a bundle.

I really enjoy the TiVo & the iPod! Very cool gifts! Thanks, Amy, Tess & Emma!!!










BC Students with blogs up and running...

It's still July, but blogging here for our BC Capstone students is underway.  Five of the students in capstone-- Pat, Tandi, Laura, Amy & Megan-- have started blogs.  Tandi and I are still trying to figure out the picture linking features-- it looks like Pat's figured them out.  Check their out their bogs.   



Friendly Suggestions About Capstone Blog Entries

Some helpful suggestions about Capstone Blog Entries:

  • Keep you blog entries on track—directed to the mission of the blog which is self-reflexivity and a tool to update your fellow capstone bloggers and those you invite here up to date.
  • Never use the capstone blog to moan, groan, whine, complain or attack any one.  It’s unprofessional; it goes against the mission of this blog.  If you want free speech, create a separate blog independent of the Capstone Blog.  But remember, if you identify someone or a company, etc., as you make damaging characterizations, it stops being a  First Amendment issue—it becomes a slander or libel case.
  • Never blog about specific personnel matters in your classes or at your work.  In addition to being unprofessional, you could be breaching qualified privilege matters in the work place and put your employment at risk.


Capstone Blogging-What's this about?

What BC Students will do with the blogs
When BC Capstone students return to campus in the fall, I will require them to update their blogs weekly.  Their posts must address the following briefly and with specifics:
  • What I did this week in broadcasting...
  • What I did this week to advance myself toward my career objectives...
  • Students will also be required to comment on postings of their fellow capstone bloggers pages. 
  • They will also be required to reach out to cultivate visitors to the BC Capstone Blogs.
  • And finally offer a brief summary/review of an on-line article (with linkable address) about some topical event/issue in broadcasting or media that clearly connects with the student's interests and/or career goals.

Capstone Blog Outcomes
The blogs will offer students opportunties at self-reflection as upcoming graduates from a liberal arts college with a BA degree in Broadcast Communication.  It will also require students to take stock in their strengths and weaknesses and encourage them to challenge themselves.  Over the next several months, the blogs will challenge students to report in regularly on how they relate to the business of broadcasting on campus as well as in their career development.