Coming into J198, I was scared. I was horrible with technology and social media and avoided both like the plague. When I saw the work my friend Jackie was doing for the class last semester. I realized she was learning valuable skills that I needed to know. If I didn’t take the class, I would avoid them forever.
So I started the class. In the beginning I despised making videos. It took me forever to get myself to start filming, and then forever and a day to begin the editing process. I am not sure when the transition started, but as the semester went on I began to enjoy editing videos. I not only enjoyed filming, but also planning what to film at different locations. I found satisfaction in completing a video.
I feel that my work this semester was pretty well done. I think this was mostly due to the fact that I liked doing the work and therefore put a lot of time into the assignments. I put everything I had into the assignments and made sure they were the best I could make them. The one project I felt I could have done better on was the documentary. I found it an extreme challenge to make it long enough while making sure the quality was good enough. I am not as proud of it as I could be, although Allie and I spent a very long time working on it and tweaking it.
I found extreme satisfaction in completing the website. I absolutely loved making it, and found that I enjoy making sites. As soon as Allie and I completed Affordablebethlehemdining.net, I went to work making my own digital resume. I worked on it for hours and found it fun. I loved knowing how to do it, and began to experiment beyond weebly, using wordpress.
I know for a fact that I will be able to use the skills I learned in J198 in the future. When I went for an interview for a communications job at Prudential financial, they asked me questions like, “Where do you see social media going in the future?” “Where should social media go in our company?” “How do you use twitter?” If I was not enrolled in J198, I would have had absolutely no idea how to go about answering those questions. I definitely would have left the interview embarrassed and with the knowledge that I would not get the job. However, because I knew the answers I felt confident with my interview and with the skills I have attained.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Self Evaluation-Allie
Coming into J198 this semester I wasn't really sure what to expect. I knew I'd be tweeting and blogging and making some videos, but I definitely think I underestimated how time consuming it would be. A pleasant surprise though was the basically zero amount of reading we ended up having to do.
As far as blogging goes I have to admit that I do not think I'm made for blogging. I love to write, especially about things that I'm passionate about and enjoy, and yes, I do enjoy working out and feeling good but I do not think I knew enough about fitness to write a blog article on it three times a week. That was of course my own bad judgement and luckily I found enough healthy recipes, workout plans, and healthy living tips that stayed consistent with my blog.
Twitter wise, I definitely feel I improved since the beginning of the semester. I did not understand what a hashtag was or how to find people or reach my "tribe" until a few weeks into the semester. I also had problems remembering to tweet about my blog in the beginning but I got the hang of it eventually. Before Multimedia and Reporting, I saw twitter as just another silly tool of social media where people could "follow" celebrities. This class definitely opened my eyes up to a whole different side of twitter though--a more serious side that allowed anyone and everyone to act as reporters.
My favorite part of J198, and what I think I improved in the most considering I had no experience at the beginning of the semester, was definitely making video news stories. From the filming itself, to interviewing people, to editing and eventually "publishing" on youtube and our blogs, I really surprised myself with how much I enjoyed this aspect of the class. It was definitely frustrating at times if people were not very cooperative or if just the slightest thing went wrong, but for some reason I always felt very proud after finishing a video.
All in all, I think this class was a great opportunity to really learn about and take advantage of every platform of social media. My one regret would be my lack of enthusiasm in my blog but besides that I really impressed myself with my ability to produce news stories, make google maps, tweet meaningful (and not-so-meaningful) tweets, use storify, flickr… you get the point! I feel like this class has given me the tools I need to tackle any field of journalism or media for that matter and I look forward to seeing how I apply my newfound knowledge.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Monday, April 11, 2011
Overview for our Final Project Stuff!
TV Style News Stories:
1. Grab-n-Go Eating- We will talk to people at Tulum, Michael's Steaks, and Sotto Santi (places that are quick eats- people are in and out with their food) about why they are a quick eatery, why it works for them, why people enjoy quick eating, etc.
2. Eateries in Bethlehem- We interviewed people at Terra Cafe and Goosey Gander about their great sandwiches and how they fit into the Bethlehem community and why they love it here.
Documentary-type Story:
Friday night at Sal's/Mama Ninas- What is it like at a friday night at two of the best, most popular eateries in Bethlehem? We will talk to the owners and employees about how they handle the crowds.
Custom Google Map:
Map that marks good eateries in South Bethlehem.
Picture Slideshow:
Slideshow that presents the eateries we have gone to and recommend.
1000-Word Story:
Introduction to everything about what we have done, an overview of the food in Bethlehem. Comparisons of eateries in Bethlehem, etc. Why go to these eateries?
Sidebar stories:
Restaurant reviews!
Hashtag:
Bethfood
Website Organization:
On the home page, we will have our large story in the center, the twitter feed on the right, hopefully the google map, and possibly the picture slideshow of the places we have been to going along the top.
Our options on the top will be: Home, About Us, Video Stories, Resource Guide, Where to Go? (if not on the home page, we will include Google Map. We will also include pictures, the two article reviews, etc.)
1. Grab-n-Go Eating- We will talk to people at Tulum, Michael's Steaks, and Sotto Santi (places that are quick eats- people are in and out with their food) about why they are a quick eatery, why it works for them, why people enjoy quick eating, etc.
2. Eateries in Bethlehem- We interviewed people at Terra Cafe and Goosey Gander about their great sandwiches and how they fit into the Bethlehem community and why they love it here.
Documentary-type Story:
Friday night at Sal's/Mama Ninas- What is it like at a friday night at two of the best, most popular eateries in Bethlehem? We will talk to the owners and employees about how they handle the crowds.
Custom Google Map:
Map that marks good eateries in South Bethlehem.
Picture Slideshow:
Slideshow that presents the eateries we have gone to and recommend.
1000-Word Story:
Introduction to everything about what we have done, an overview of the food in Bethlehem. Comparisons of eateries in Bethlehem, etc. Why go to these eateries?
Sidebar stories:
Restaurant reviews!
Hashtag:
Bethfood
Website Organization:
On the home page, we will have our large story in the center, the twitter feed on the right, hopefully the google map, and possibly the picture slideshow of the places we have been to going along the top.
Our options on the top will be: Home, About Us, Video Stories, Resource Guide, Where to Go? (if not on the home page, we will include Google Map. We will also include pictures, the two article reviews, etc.)
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Our Podcast Project
Our podcast discusses many culinary gems that Bethlehem has to offer to both the Lehigh University student body, as well as Bethlehem residents. We chose this topic because as students at Lehigh ourselves, eating on campus definitely can get boring and sometimes you just want to switch it up! So we've decided to go around to some of our favorite restaurants to eat at, as well as discover some new places, and share them with you!
Doing a podcast was definitely a lot easier than some of other projects we've done in class thus far. Basically, Alyssa and I just had a conversation for 11 minutes, but we made sure to organize our topics and loosely time how long we discuss each topic.
Though there are definitely a few moments here and there where the conversation seems a bit awkward or our faces seem a bit shaky, I think we ultimately executed the assignment well and covered everything we were supposed to!
Doing a podcast was definitely a lot easier than some of other projects we've done in class thus far. Basically, Alyssa and I just had a conversation for 11 minutes, but we made sure to organize our topics and loosely time how long we discuss each topic.
Though there are definitely a few moments here and there where the conversation seems a bit awkward or our faces seem a bit shaky, I think we ultimately executed the assignment well and covered everything we were supposed to!
Bethlehem Restaurants- Why Use Our Guide?
This audio file will hopefully explain to Bethlehem residents why we think it is so important to experiment and try new local eateries, inspiring us to create this project. We talk about how we discovered some of the eateries we have gone to, how we have gotten sources, why we felt there was a need to uncover these gems, why students do not find them, etc.
Doing a podcast was a little easier than I expected, however we did have to practice a little bit. We ended up making an outline of the topics we wanted to cover, and allowing around 2 minutes for each topic. We agreed that the podcast would be most interesting if we tried to include stories from our personal lives, relating this project back to ourselves in a way. Ten minutes of listening to facts and observations would get a little boring.
We tried our very hardest to have a real-life conversation- very casual. We worked off each other's points to create a dynamic atmosphere. There are definitely a few points where are voices seem stiff, but overall I think we did a good job describing the purpose of our project while bringing a little fun into the podcast.
Doing a podcast was a little easier than I expected, however we did have to practice a little bit. We ended up making an outline of the topics we wanted to cover, and allowing around 2 minutes for each topic. We agreed that the podcast would be most interesting if we tried to include stories from our personal lives, relating this project back to ourselves in a way. Ten minutes of listening to facts and observations would get a little boring.
We tried our very hardest to have a real-life conversation- very casual. We worked off each other's points to create a dynamic atmosphere. There are definitely a few points where are voices seem stiff, but overall I think we did a good job describing the purpose of our project while bringing a little fun into the podcast.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Monday, February 28, 2011
Here is a map of affordable restaurants in Bethlehem. They range from Mexican food to American food to delis and pizzerias. Hope you enjoy our recommendations!
View Lehigh Valley Affordable Eateries in a larger map
View Lehigh Valley Affordable Eateries in a larger map
Final Project Ideas!
Affordable Restaurant List:
1. Tulum
2. Blue Sky Café
3. Johnny’s
4. Euro Yogurt
5. La Lupita
6. Dave’s Deli
7. Sotto Santi
8. Sal’s
9. Campus Pizza
10. Lehigh Pizza
11. Goosey Gander
12. Pete’s (hot dogs)
13. Dimitrios (tacos)
14. Charlie’s Thai
15. General Zappatas
Ideas/Angles:
1. Restaurant week in Bethlehem
2. When does business boom the most during the year? Holidays?
3. Valentine’s Day- which restaurants are hot spots
4. New restaurants in town
5. Keys to success for cheap, little local businesses with good food
6. Stories about managers/chefs of restaurants
This project will involve talking to customers, asking local folks on twitter what they think about certain restaurants, talking to restaurant managers, looking at restaurant ratings, Zagat guides, etc.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Our First News Video: The Experience
Filming our first news story video was definitely interesting. First of all, we had to pick a subject who would hopefully be comfortable and flexible with a camera. Alyssa and I got really lucky with our interviewees because they were all bubbly girls who were more than happy to be in front of the camera. Picking what shots we needed and what shots would definitely help was difficult, so we ended up shooting a total of 56 bits so that we had a variety of angles to choose from.
We ran into a few problems when the store didn't have any customers for a little while, or some shoppers didn't want to be involved. We were patient though and eventually we came across people who were willing to help us out. Another issue we ran into was the lighting outside--it was a very sunny day so any outdoor shots were a bit rough at times.
As far as holes in our story, I would definitely say that had we interviewed more people the story could've been better. For example, there are two other new, local clothing boutiques who are also involved in the fashion show, and they definitely could've added to the whole segment.
We ran into a few problems when the store didn't have any customers for a little while, or some shoppers didn't want to be involved. We were patient though and eventually we came across people who were willing to help us out. Another issue we ran into was the lighting outside--it was a very sunny day so any outdoor shots were a bit rough at times.
As far as holes in our story, I would definitely say that had we interviewed more people the story could've been better. For example, there are two other new, local clothing boutiques who are also involved in the fashion show, and they definitely could've added to the whole segment.
Our experience with our first TV news story
Allie and I had a great experience in making this video. Allie and I discovered that we work extremely well together, considering she is great in front of the camera but has a shaky hand, and I am horrible in front of the camera but have a very steady hand. Also, she loves to interview people and I am better at finding good angles. We also work really well together when coming up with an outline for how our story within the video should be set up.
We came up with the idea of going to Loose Threads because it is a new local business and Allie knows the owner. We got great, interactive sources so it worked out really well. We got a ton of b-roll of everything and anything while in the shop, so we had a ton of shots to choose from when making our video.
Our process was to go through all of the different shots (we had 50 short separate films) and write a description about each so that we knew what we had. After, we came up with an outline about the shots we wanted and picked them from our list of shots. Then we figured out where we needed voice overs, and recorded them.
The hole in our story was the transition from talking about why Laura opened the business in Bethlehem and the store's style to the Lehigh fashion show. For that, Allie recorded a voiceover as a transition.
Overall, it took us a very long time to edit and put together this video, but it worked out well.
We came up with the idea of going to Loose Threads because it is a new local business and Allie knows the owner. We got great, interactive sources so it worked out really well. We got a ton of b-roll of everything and anything while in the shop, so we had a ton of shots to choose from when making our video.
Our process was to go through all of the different shots (we had 50 short separate films) and write a description about each so that we knew what we had. After, we came up with an outline about the shots we wanted and picked them from our list of shots. Then we figured out where we needed voice overs, and recorded them.
The hole in our story was the transition from talking about why Laura opened the business in Bethlehem and the store's style to the Lehigh fashion show. For that, Allie recorded a voiceover as a transition.
Overall, it took us a very long time to edit and put together this video, but it worked out well.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Final Project Idea- Local affordable restaurants
Allie and I are considering doing our final project on some of the really good local eateries in South Bethlehem. We want to focus on the cheap places that can seem like 'holes in the wall' to an outsider, but in reality they have great food and sometimes a great atmosphere as well.
I think this will be a great guide for Lehigh students. A lot of students, especially freshman, don't know which good food places are within walking distance from campus. Also, most students are on a budget and would love to find great food at an affordable price.
Some of the restaurants we are thinking of featuring would be Tulum, Blue Sky Cafe, Sotto Santi, Sal's and Goosey Gander. We also hope to discover even more great, affordable eateries in the process. We could interview restaurant owners, chefs, locals, students, customers, etc.
I think this will be a great guide for Lehigh students. A lot of students, especially freshman, don't know which good food places are within walking distance from campus. Also, most students are on a budget and would love to find great food at an affordable price.
Some of the restaurants we are thinking of featuring would be Tulum, Blue Sky Cafe, Sotto Santi, Sal's and Goosey Gander. We also hope to discover even more great, affordable eateries in the process. We could interview restaurant owners, chefs, locals, students, customers, etc.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Twitter Scavenger Hunt
1. To show Lehigh school spirit, I interviewed a Lehigh student dressed in school gear.
2. For an off campus eatery, I interviewed a student enjoying Dave's Deli
3. I interviewed Journalism professor Charlie Butler about where he gets his news about Egypt.
4. I interviewed a faculty member on the street to find out where she gets her news and if she uses social media!
5. Here's an example of cutting edge education and building innovation on campus.
6. For my favorite scenic spot on campus, I chose the view from my apartment of the city around Lehigh, Bethlehem.
7. For a little known fact about Lehigh's campus, I chose to talk about the Chandler Ullman academic building claim to fame.
8. For a quote from a Lehigh fan, I talked to a basketball fan about this season.
9. Here's a picture of my blog partner and I at one of our favorite on campus spots, in front of the LOVE sign!
10. When I was walking through the STEPS science building, I spotted a TRAC writing tutor, Seth, in the middle of a session with a student. Took a picture of him participating in this program to show student involvement!
I also took a picture of my favorite building on campus, Linderman Library. It is my favorite place to study!
For my Multimedia Reporting class, Allie and I teamed up and began a Twitter scavenger hunt, taking pictures of people, places and things around campus and tweeting them from our mobiles. We were in a competition with other colleges across the country to make the best tweets and take the best pictures.
I had a great experience with this project. I really enjoyed it and found it to be a lot of fun. If I knew how easy it was to post a picture on Twitter, I would have started doing it in the beginning of the semester. The one problem I had with using mobile is that typing on my phone is a lot harder than typing on the computer. I tend to make typos and forget to capitalize letters. I ended up having to go back, edit and repost my tweets so that they would be grammatically correct.
One cool aspect of this project was that I found that people were following me on twitter and reading my posts as I put them up! I feel that in the past no one has cared that much about my tweets because they have not been that important or interesting to all of my tribes. This project made my page seem relevant, interesting and proactive, and I enjoyed seeing people retweet my posts and replying to my comments. I ended up having twitter conversations with people from Memphis, which was really cool because I otherwise would never have been in touch with them. I learned that Memphis is flat, and very cold right now.
I learned from Johanna that there is an interesting decorated stone face on campus that I have never heard of and did not know about. That was really interesting. I wonder what else I have overlooked on campus?
This project, most of all, helped me realize how important twitter is in sharing relevant information with tribes. I will try to keep my posts interesting and relevant to people.
2. For an off campus eatery, I interviewed a student enjoying Dave's Deli
3. I interviewed Journalism professor Charlie Butler about where he gets his news about Egypt.
4. I interviewed a faculty member on the street to find out where she gets her news and if she uses social media!
5. Here's an example of cutting edge education and building innovation on campus.
6. For my favorite scenic spot on campus, I chose the view from my apartment of the city around Lehigh, Bethlehem.
7. For a little known fact about Lehigh's campus, I chose to talk about the Chandler Ullman academic building claim to fame.
8. For a quote from a Lehigh fan, I talked to a basketball fan about this season.
9. Here's a picture of my blog partner and I at one of our favorite on campus spots, in front of the LOVE sign!
10. When I was walking through the STEPS science building, I spotted a TRAC writing tutor, Seth, in the middle of a session with a student. Took a picture of him participating in this program to show student involvement!
I also took a picture of my favorite building on campus, Linderman Library. It is my favorite place to study!
For my Multimedia Reporting class, Allie and I teamed up and began a Twitter scavenger hunt, taking pictures of people, places and things around campus and tweeting them from our mobiles. We were in a competition with other colleges across the country to make the best tweets and take the best pictures.
I had a great experience with this project. I really enjoyed it and found it to be a lot of fun. If I knew how easy it was to post a picture on Twitter, I would have started doing it in the beginning of the semester. The one problem I had with using mobile is that typing on my phone is a lot harder than typing on the computer. I tend to make typos and forget to capitalize letters. I ended up having to go back, edit and repost my tweets so that they would be grammatically correct.
One cool aspect of this project was that I found that people were following me on twitter and reading my posts as I put them up! I feel that in the past no one has cared that much about my tweets because they have not been that important or interesting to all of my tribes. This project made my page seem relevant, interesting and proactive, and I enjoyed seeing people retweet my posts and replying to my comments. I ended up having twitter conversations with people from Memphis, which was really cool because I otherwise would never have been in touch with them. I learned that Memphis is flat, and very cold right now.
I learned from Johanna that there is an interesting decorated stone face on campus that I have never heard of and did not know about. That was really interesting. I wonder what else I have overlooked on campus?
This project, most of all, helped me realize how important twitter is in sharing relevant information with tribes. I will try to keep my posts interesting and relevant to people.
Twitter Scavenger Hunt!
1. Here's some school spirit on Lehigh's campus!
2. Here's some Lehigh students enjoying Dave's Deli off campus!
3. Here's a picture of one of Lehigh's professors and his opinion of social media in the news!
4. Here's John on the streets of Lehigh and how he gets his news!
5. Here's an example of cutting edge education and academic excellence at Lehigh!
6. Here's my favorite scenic spot at Lehigh!
7. Here's a little-known fact about Lehigh University! Bet you didn't know this!
8. Here's a quote from one of the Lehigh lacrosse team's fans!
9. Here's a picture of me and my blog partner at one of our fave campus spots!
10. Here's some extracurricular activities to get involved in on campus!
For my J198 Multimedia and Reporting class my professor, Jeremy Littau, assigned us a "Twitter scavenger hunt." The scavenger hunt also took place at four different schools across the nation which definitely added another interesting component that we all enjoyed.
I downloaded the twitter application to my cellphone so that I could take pictures on my Blackberry and upload them to my tweets on the spot which was very helpful for the assignment! Also, I took pictures using a regular camera and uploaded them onto my computer for some of the tweets above such as my "little known fact" shot.
One of the cooler parts of this assignment was the interaction between students from other schools. We were given additional points for any replies or retweets with other schools and I was pleasantly surprised by how much feedback I received from them, and how interested they were in any feedback I was giving them. This project definitely made my Twitter-capabilities that much stronger and it made me much more comfortable with replying, retweeting and sharing photos through twitter.
Lastly, this project demonstrated how twitter can of course be used as a means of documenting one's day or even one's personal thoughts, but it can be used in other, more sophisticated ways as well that can reach a much wider audience if you want your voice to be heard!
2. Here's some Lehigh students enjoying Dave's Deli off campus!
3. Here's a picture of one of Lehigh's professors and his opinion of social media in the news!
4. Here's John on the streets of Lehigh and how he gets his news!
5. Here's an example of cutting edge education and academic excellence at Lehigh!
6. Here's my favorite scenic spot at Lehigh!
7. Here's a little-known fact about Lehigh University! Bet you didn't know this!
8. Here's a quote from one of the Lehigh lacrosse team's fans!
9. Here's a picture of me and my blog partner at one of our fave campus spots!
10. Here's some extracurricular activities to get involved in on campus!
For my J198 Multimedia and Reporting class my professor, Jeremy Littau, assigned us a "Twitter scavenger hunt." The scavenger hunt also took place at four different schools across the nation which definitely added another interesting component that we all enjoyed.
I downloaded the twitter application to my cellphone so that I could take pictures on my Blackberry and upload them to my tweets on the spot which was very helpful for the assignment! Also, I took pictures using a regular camera and uploaded them onto my computer for some of the tweets above such as my "little known fact" shot.
One of the cooler parts of this assignment was the interaction between students from other schools. We were given additional points for any replies or retweets with other schools and I was pleasantly surprised by how much feedback I received from them, and how interested they were in any feedback I was giving them. This project definitely made my Twitter-capabilities that much stronger and it made me much more comfortable with replying, retweeting and sharing photos through twitter.
Lastly, this project demonstrated how twitter can of course be used as a means of documenting one's day or even one's personal thoughts, but it can be used in other, more sophisticated ways as well that can reach a much wider audience if you want your voice to be heard!
Monday, January 31, 2011
Lehigh Greek Crisis
Today in J198 Allie and I walked around campus and interviewed students and faculty about the greek life crisis currently happening on campus. We asked for their opinions about what is going on with the sororities, and we asked how they feel about the way Lehigh has been handling the situation.
The quality of shots differed a lot depending on how far I was from the person, the environment around us (indoor vs. outdoor) and the lighting. Long shots made it very hard to hear the interviewee, and therefore those shots did not work out well. Medium shots worked out well because I could get some of the background into the shot, and use the rule of thirds to interview the person. This made for a more interesting shot because it was not just a person's face on the screen. The short shots worked well sound-wise, but they can get boring to watch if they are on the screen for too long.
I noticed that when it came to lighting, when the person was looking into the sun the shot came out nicely, although their eyes were a little squinted. When I was looking into the sun and the interviewee was not, the shot came out with a bright streak near the person's face, and that did not look nice and proved very distracting. When there was sunlight off to one interviewee's side, the shadow across the person's face was a little distracting, but not terrible. The shot was not as clear as one where an interviewee was looking into the sunlight. The shots in the shade worked out very well, and I could see the interviewee clearly without them squinting. The snow was a little bright in spots, but it didn't have a horrible effect on most of the shots.
Greek Crisis
Today in J198 we learned about the quality of shots, how to use different modes of light and also how to employ different uses of distance. In the video I edited today I used several shots outdoors. In all my shots I usd either a close-up shot of the shoulders and up, a medium shot of the waist and up, and one long shot of full body. As far as lighting goes, for a shot or two I had my subject facing the sun which made them much brighter with no shadows. In some cases, I had the sun off to the side which created awkward shadows on their face and body. I also had my subjects in the shade of buildings which I found to be the best lighting because there were no shadows at all and they weren't uncomfortably forced to stare into the sun. Although I tried to utilize the concept of "the rule of thirds" I found that in certain shots my subjects inched towards the center of the shot, or my angle wasn't always correct. For my indoor shots, the rule of thirds seemed to work the best and my lighting was also better than any outdoor light I may have used.
Friday, January 28, 2011
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