I am addicted to Addict-o-matic!

The online module and the visit of Kathryn Corrick has opened my eyes to the possibilities on the internet. Before the module I regularly used the internet but I now see my usage was restricted to only a few of my favourite websites, for example Sky Sports and Digital Spy. 

Throughout the module I have learnt about applications like Twitter and Flickr, though I have not signed up to either site yet it is definitely something that I would consider to contribute to in the future. 

I have also signed up to Google Reader, where I have added RSS feeds for entertainment, gadget and sport news. Though I like the idea of google reader I have failed to use it a lot since I signed up. I regularly check news online but I tend to visit the sites directly rather than using Google Reader.       

Kathryn Corrick, the digital media and communications consultant, who visited our online journalism class introduced us to many new web applications including AirMe, Qik and Fix My Street.  One site that particularly appealed to me was Addict-o-matic. When I surf the internet I tend to search YouTube, Google News etc.. for news and videos on a specific person or subject so I found Addict-o-matic extremely useful because it collated all the search results onto one easy to read page. 

I will no longer have to spend hours (and my precious internet usage levels) searching for videos of X Factor or EastEnders on YouTube or scrolling through the endless amounts of search results that Google News produces. Addict-o-matic will make my digital based life a lot easier.

Though I will not use all of the applications that I have learnt about, certain internet sites like Addict-o-matic will definitely be useful in the future, they will make my time spent web browsing easier and more efficient.   

(Image from Los Angeles Times)

The X Factor Final

I have decided to write a follow up article about the X Factor since the show finished last weekend. When I first commented on the X Factor back in November I ranted about the exit of the very talented Laura White in week five. 

After Laura's exit, public common sense did seem to kick in and the less talented Daniel and Rachel then left the competition. But in week 8 I was very disappointed when my personal favourite Ruth Lorenzo left the competition. The public seemed to fall back into old habits by voting through Eoghan, who has more the cute factor rather than the X Factor.    

After Ruth's exit I still watched the competition but I was fast losing hope that the most talented contestant would win. After the unique, but in my opinion annoying Diana Vickers lost out in the semi-final, the final line-up of Alexandra, JLS and Eoghan was revealed. 

As a self-confessed addict of the competition I was dreading the thought that Eoghan would win, purely because I felt that my votes for talent would be wasted and the X Factor format would die further with a victory based on popularity rather than talent. 

But I was pleasantly surprised when the most talented finalist left Alexandra won the competition, beating boy-band JLS in the final two. It may have taken 10 weeks, but talent did eventually prevail. Though in my opinion it was weeks too late. All I kept thinking was what an amazing final it would have been it the competition was purely based on talent; a Ruth, Laura and Alex final would have been amazing.   

Above, Alex's reaction after learning she won the X factor!

(Image from gigwise.com)

Online module analysis

After completing the online journalism module I have decided to reflect on what I have learnt over the past weeks.

Before I started online journalism I regularly used the internet, though I have to admit I just visited the same websites everyday. I had heard of blogs but I never ventured out into the blogging universe, the closest I had got to blogging was writing a hello post on my Myspace and Facebook pages. 

I instantly enjoyed writing blogs because it allowed me freedom to write about what I wanted in a more conversational and open style (compared to the stricter style required in news stories). I found the blogging process easy to understand after my first few posts (for example linking and posting images and videos).

After setting up my blog I then started to post blog articles for both class exercise and assignments. I enjoyed writing the news blog because I felt comfortable with the style of news writing, though I felt the article could have been improved by adding more personal opinion. I then went on to contribute to our group blog, and now for something completely different and write my feature, My 5 days of Christmas feature. (I have analysed both in separate articles so I wont repeat myself!).      

I also found the guest visits of both Neil McIntosh and Kathryn Corrick interesting and helpful. Neil McIntosh's talk on online journalism and its future was particularly enjoyable, and it was interesting to listen to the ideas of a professional who worked within the online journalism industry.  

Overall I enjoyed the online journalism module, though the six weeks seemed to have gone very quickly! The module has helped expand on my knowledge of blogging and the online services and applications the internet provides. I feel that I have expanded my writing skills by working online and I hope to carry on blogging through my personal blog; Big Blog, Little Blog (though I plan to change the blog name after I can think of something better!).  

Why I love my new Ipod Touch!

(Image from megaleecher.net)

My early Christmas present this year was a brand new iPod Touch. As a gadget-mad girl I have been drooling over the iPhone ever since its release in the UK but unfortunately for me the price tag on the pay as you go deal and the pay monthly tariffs have always put me off.

Even though I had my heart set on the iPhone I have convinced myself that the iPod Touch is just as good, just the iPhone without the phone part. And since i bought it over a week ago I have not been disappointed.

The iPod's sleek design and touch screen technology make the gadget both attractive to look at and easy to use. I have always been a fan of touch screen technology and though some people may find it hard to use I personally love to use the touch screen interface (though the dirty finger marks all over the screen are hard to avoid).

The features of the iPod have also impressed me. Applications like maps and weather are always useful and the photo, music and video storage is an improvement that I have enjoyed using after losing patience with my old iPod mini.

Though my old iPod mini was slowly failing me, its failure was not the only reason I decided to ask for a new iPod for Christmas. I must admit that as an internet geek, as someone who regularly sits infront of the computer screen for hours, I dreamed off being able to check the internet, YouTube and my emails on the go.

Though I have had problems with accessing a wi-fi service since I have purchased my iPod I am greatly looking forward to spending hours watching Youtube videos on my new, shiny iPod Touch. It may not have been the gadget of my choice for Christmas but the iPod Touch is definatly a great Christmas present.

My 5 days of Christmas Feature: Final thoughts

After finishing my last blog post I wanted to take some time to reflect on my blog feature. My initial idea was a Christmas themed blog, called My 5 days of Christmas feature. I chose this theme because I personally love Christmas and I felt it allowed a lot of different styles of content and articles.

I wrote five blogs; one news piece, one personal opinion article, a travel type piece and two christmas based recommendation articles. I was pleased with all the articles that I posted for my blog, although I struggled to find ideas for my final blog entry so I came up with the personal opinion article on why I love Christmas. 

My favourite post was the expensive Christmas presents post. I enjoyed writing this post because it was fun to research and it was a more light hearted fun post, compared to the news post before it. I was pleased with the style of writing that I followed throughout my feature because I tried to maintain a conversational style that both informed and drew on my personal opinion and experiences.  

My target audience would be quite broad, from housewives looking for Christmas ideas to bored office workers. I tried to target a broad audience in my feature by keeping the articles varied and not targeting a specific audience.

In terms of competition I found that there are quite a few christmas blogs, but a lot of the blogs that I found were personal experience blogs about Christmas, for example Santa Claus Blog.  I feel that my blog overs a wide coverage of many different topics of Christmas, though on reflection the general theme of Christmas may have been a too wide topic to cover. 

My 5 days of Christmas Feature: Why I am like a kid at Christmas!

Some may say that the novelty of Christmas wears off for those over 10 years old, but I have to disagree. I am 19 years old and I still act like a five year old kid at Christmas!

The magic of Christmas for me is not just the presents (though they are a nice surprise after the Christmas dinner in the afternoon) but the food and the family aswell.

For the past 19 years my Christmas have all started the same, though I get up at 8am now rather than 5am when I was younger. Even though I tell my mum every year that she does not need to do me and my brother a stocking she still does (though I think deep down she enjoys buying the presents just as much as we enjoy opening them).

After having a champagne and smoked salmon breakfast (it is not as posh as it sounds, just another family tradition) we open the presents and then go see family for the rest of the day. I enjoy every part of Christmas, though the party games do start to wear thin after 19 years (there are only so many times you can play town, road, river without getting bored!).

As you may have already guessed from this post and the posts before it I love Christmas. Though we follow the same family traditions every year and the day seems to go so quickly I look forward to Christmas day throughout the year. I will always act like a little kid at Christmas, well it is the only time I am allowed to!

(Image from Vermont Christmas Trees)

My 5 days of Christmas Feature: Christmas Day TV

When the family have finished munching on turkey and Christmas pudding, the presents have been opened and all thats left to do is help with the washing up then it must be time to sit down in-front of the television, but what is on to entertain us on Christmas Day?

At 6pm Doctor Who fans get their Christmas dose of David Tennant as the BBC screen the Doctor Who Christmas special, The Next Doctor. In the special the Doctor travels back to Christmas Eve 1851 where comes face to face with familiar foe the Cybermen and another doctor!

This is followed by Strictly Come Dancing's Christmas special at 7pm (BBC1). Though the outcome of this year's contest is still undecided (as I write this) the Christmas special sees the return of former winners and contestants including Alesha Dixon, Jill Halfpenny and Kelly Brook.

My final choice is EastEnders (BBC1 8pm & 9pm). As per normal we get a double dose of Christmas joy on Albert Square and 2008 sees the truth spill out over the spuds as Sean finds out about Amy's paternity and Nick returns to visit his mother Dot.

 

But if none of the above take your fancy then the return of Top of the Pops at 2pm and a Christmas Day movie selection including Harry Potter and Shark Tale are sure to keep you entertained.

(Image from The Sun)

My 5 days of Christmas Feature: Some of the most expensive Christmas gifts

With the big day only a week away the mad rush for last minute Christmas shopping is upon us. But with all the last minute deals and offers and the stress of trying to find the perfect present for a loved one, here is my list of the most expensive gifts available this christmas for those lucky enough to be immune from the credit crunch. 

When boyfriends or husbands look for underwear this Christmas one sure way to surprise their loved ones could be to wrap up Victoria Secret's maximum lift diamond-encrusted bra, worth a staggering £3 million! This expensive piece of lingerie is encrusted with nearly 3,900 precious gems, thousands of black diamonds, 117 one-carat round diamonds and 34 rubies. Despite this impressive array of jewels, it is beyond me why you would spend £3 million on any piece of clothing, let alone one that people don't even see under your clothes.

Which little boy does not wish for a new toy car from Santa? Well if any shopper wants to stretch beyond the classic hot wheels set from Argos then the Hot Wheels diamond encrusted miniature car is a possibility, but only if you could stretch to spending around £72,000 in auction! The toy car is encrusted with 18-carat white gold and decked out in more than 2,700 blue diamonds. But if I had spent that much money on a toy, I am not sure I would want anyone touching it, let alone playing with it!

My final expensive gift is for the men but this time the gift is not diamond encrusted (a theme of my last two gifts, because adding diamonds to the most ordinary of gifts seems to send the prize sky rocketing!) but it does include moon dust! It is the The Moon Rider Watch made by jeweller Romain Jerome, worth around £275,000. So if anyone you know wants moon dust strapped on their wrist then hopefully the price wont put you off!   

(Image from Product Reviews)

My 5 Days of Christmas Feature: French chef for Christmas?

French chef David Duverger has auctioned himself off on Ebay for charity and the lucky winner will get a full Christmas dinner made by the chef on Christmas Day.

Duverger, 32, the head chef at Chelsea resturant Papillon, will serve a four course traditional French Christmas dinner including foie gras terrine, braised turbot with champagne sauce, chicken stuffed with truffles and buche de noel.

The chef is offering to cook for up to eight people from anywhere in Britain and the proceeds of the auction go to the Children with Leukaemia. He said: "Hopefully, I can offer the highest bidder and their guests the best Christmas dinner of their lives."

The idea of not having to cook or wash up on Christmas Day may sound appealing (not that I contribute greatly to these tasks, but I am sure my mother would agree with me) but the prospect of having a Frenchman who can cook in my kitchen on Christmas Day is definitely an ideal Christmas present.

(Image from thisislondon.co.uk)

My 5 Days of Christmas Feature: Belgium Chocolates and Brussels

To get into the festive spirit my mother and I visited Brussels Christmas Market last weekend.

We decided to venture to Brussels because last year we visited the Lincoln Christmas Market and unfortunately the experience was dampened (literally) by heavy rain the whole day.

After our experience last year we decided that a visit to a European market to soak in the Christmas atmosphere.

We had high expectations for Brussels because we based our decision to go there on very positive internet reviews and the lure of Belgium chocolate!

When we eventually worked out where the market was within the back streets and squares of the centre of Brussels we enjoyed looking around the picteresque chalets, trying the mald wine, waffles and delicious Belgium chocolates.

But we were slightly dissappointed that the market only stretched around a few streets, even though there were many chalets spread out through the streets I was expecting more. Brussels is a highly recommended European Christmas market and unfortunately its size and range of stalls let it down (though I am unsure if we found all the market whilst we were there).

Despite the criticisms, both myself and my mother did enjoy visiting Brussels. The slightly-smaller-than-expected market was still good and the city itself is beautiful, with gorgeous shops and fantastic resturants (though always bring a few extra euros in the back pocket, things are very expensive!).

Brussels market may not have been quite what I was expecting but a visit to the Belgium city is definatley worthwhile. If a trip across the channel isn't possible then Lincoln or other UK Christmas markets would be a worthwhile and slightly closer alternative, just always remember to pack a umbrella!

(Image from TravelandLeisure.com)

My 5 Days of Christmas Feature: Introduction

My online feature is based around Christmas and I will be posting over 5 days, my five days of Christmas posts!

With Christmas fast approaching (only 10 days as I write this!) I decided it would be a good time to cover the topic. I also felt there was a lot of information out there that could be displayed to readers on a blog.

My final reason for writing this feature was purely because at Christmas time I turn into a 5-year-old child again, it is the best time of the year so I knew I would enjoy writing about it!

In this seasonally themed blog I will be covering all apects of Christmas, from festively themed news to the best presents and my personal experiences.

(Image from Lycos)

Critical Evalauation: Group Blogs

Our group blog, and now for something completely different, was based around comedy, from television shows and films to reviews and news. In our team of four we all wrote 5 posts about different types of comedy. I wrote about the top 5 Only Fools and Horses moments, comedy Youtube clips, comedy films, a profile of Steve Carell and a review of my first live stand up performance.

We were targeting a specific audience of both comedy fans and in terms of age groups, the under 30's. Our decision to cover the whole of comedy in general may have bee criticized but I feel one of the benefits was that we would appeal to a larger audience of comedy fans, from those who like TV comedy or live stand up.

The experience of posting on a blog every day was different from what I have experienced in the past. At times I didn't mind posting everyday if I had the a lot of time to research and enjoy writing about certain topics, for example YouTube clips. It has taught me more about the schedules and work of professional bloggers.

When designing our blog we did encounter problems. We were going to use WordPress but we had trouble setting up our blog. Due to the problems we launched our blog on Blogger, which was easier to navigate that WordPress but restricting in the design options, for example layout.

I was pleased with the articles we posted on the blog because I feel it offered variation in length, content and style. We had a mixture of punchier articles and longer review based pieces. We also included a lot of visuals, both pictures and video clips to visually make the blog more attractive to audiences.

But I do feel that the shorter and more punchy articles worked better, especially on the blog platform, for example the top 5 lists and the article about other comedy blogs. This is because audiences may lose concentration through longer articles, but like I mentioned earlier I feel the mix of different articles worked well.

We organised the blog through categorising the types and content of articles, for example all articles were linked through the same label. We also linked out in the articles, for example to the official websites of films or television shows we mentioned and we included a poll to increase interactivity with readers.

As a group we decided to post at three set points during the day (at 9m, 12pm and 2pm) because we felt that a lot of our audiences would be working and these would be the times they are on their breaks and free to read the blog.

Overall I enjoyed working on the comedy blog because I got to write about topics that I enjoy, for example YouTube and Only Fools And Horses and I also expanded on my knowledge of comedy. I feel it was a good idea for a blog because comedy is on a popular topic that allowed us to write about many different aspects of comedy, though when reflecting our topic may have been too broad.

Can Liverpool win the league?

After Ian Wright claimed at the weekend that Liverpool are his favourites to win the league, is the former player right? Can the Reds finally win the league title?

The Premier League top-four is a select group filled with the English heavyweights of football, Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool. This so-called ‘untouchable’ mini-league fight for the title each year, they boast some of the best players in the world, respected managers and endless bank balances.

Even as a Liverpool fan, I must admit Liverpool have failed to merit their place in this exclusive group over recent years. Despite Champions League success, Liverpool have had an average squad that has simply trailed off during the season. But even though as I write this it is not even half way through this season, I believe as a pessimistic (or maybe realistic?) fan, Liverpool have a real chance of League success for the first time in 18 years.

Early season results and league positions have put Liverpool in a strong position. Victories against Chelsea and Manchester United have demonstrated the team’s capacity to fight and beat the top teams. But these early season wins will mean nothing if Liverpool don’t keep winning. One problem with them has always been consistency. They have had good spells before but then they nose-dive, falling away as Manchester United or Chelsea pull away.

Another problem that has plagued Liverpool’s seasons has been the quality and depth of the squad. Even though I still feel there is room for improvement (a right-sided winger being the obvious weak point) the squad is defiantly better this year.

Benitez has brought in Albert Reira to other width on the left and Robbie Keane to support Fernando Torres up-front (though I am still not convinced that £20 million was really worth it!) When you combine this will Liverpool stalwarts like Gerrard and Carragher the squad finally looks worthy of title contention.

But the competition is stronger than ever and Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal have just as much chance of winning the league this season. Manchester United, as defending champions will still be favourites to retain their crown, and who could bet against a team that includes arguably the best player in the world, Cristiano Ronaldo.

Chelsea, under the guidance of Luiz Felipe Scolari have a new energy and attacking style that will make them hard to stop. And despite the recent problems I believe when Arsenal perform, no team can match their style of beautiful football. The reoccurrence of Torres' Hamstring injury will also hinder Liverpool, they need the Spaniard back fit and scoring as soon as possible.

But despite the quality of the opposition and unfortunate injuries I believe Liverpool do have the abilities to mount a serious title challenge. Manchester United may have the best player in the world on their team but I am unsure whether he is still a Manchester United player at heart, or if he wishes he was plying his trade in Madrid.

Chelsea may have advanced under Scolari's management but Liverpool's and more recently Arsenal's victory at Stamford Bridge shows that they are beatable. After Arsenal's recent troubles I am unsure whether Wenger's young guns can mentally and physically challenge for the title.

Liverpool may be underdogs (they are only third favourites with bookmakers for the title behind Chelsea and Manchester United at the moment) but if they continue to keep up with the pace and hold off the challenges of Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal the title may be within the reaches of Rafa Benitez and Liverpool for the first time in many years.

(Image from The Sun)

The Gadget Show - G1 Google Phone

(posted on YouTube by The Gadget Show)

This is my first attempt at adding video to a post. I found the process very straight forward and after posting videos on many of my other posts I found it very useful. I am a regular user and a big fan of YouTube so I feel that blog posts really benefit visually and cotent wise from adding videos.

“We are going to redefine what journalism is” says new Wall Street Journal editor.

Photo by SOPHIE BORAZANIAN

Neil McIntosh, the new editor of the European edition of WSJ.com, spoke about the change in print and online journalism at a guest lecture at the University of Westminster.

He commented on the change in journalism and predicted that many regional newspapers; including The Herald and The Scotsman, could suffer because of the competitive market and the increasing popularity of online journalism.

Despite McIntosh claiming the industry is in “dark times” he was optimistic about the future of journalism. “It's an exciting time to be a journalist,” he added.

As the departing Head of Editorial Development at the Guardian.co.uk he spoke about the newspaper’s successful online edition. On Thursday it was announced the website had a worldwide audience of 25 million unique users, making it the most popular UK newspaper website. The Guardian is also moving to a new multi-media newsroom at Kings Place.

A successful part of the website has been blogs and comments. McIntosh revealed the Comment is free page on the Guardian's website increased page views up to 10 million. He also commented on the importance of blogs to journalists and aspiring writers, “it’s a place where you can show what you can do and experiment with multimedia,” he said.

McIntosh has previously worked as a feature writer, production journalist, reporter and columnist on various newspapers. He joined the Guardian in 1999 as the technology section’s deputy editor and in 2004 he became the assistant editor of Guardian Unlimited. At the end of the year he is joining the Wall Street Journal.

The Internet and the elderly links

• The University of Sydney study - A study from 2005 that is looking at those over 55 and not working in Australia.
  
• BBC News - Older people missing out on services because they dot use internet
• Forbes - Old people like web video, the online video audience is older than thought.
• Old man in Canada Blogging
• PC Plus - a survey about older people using internet to only check their emails
• Telegraph - Surfing the net is the top past-time for the elderly

Above are the links I found for a class activity we had to complete. I have found that linking is very important and beneficial to blog stories and I have found it useful to link out to news stories that I may be commenting on or other blogs.

The Times are changing....

When I flick through a copy of The Times or browse the website Times Online , I can clearly see that the two meduims may be from the same company but the differences in style, content and audience are clear.

Firstly the website is aimed at a younger audience, with a more modern design and style. One example of this is the logos; the newspaper has a traditional style title with the Times logo while the website has a modern colorful title, without the traditional logo.

The website also displays a lot more stories than the newspaper. This may be because the website is trying to appeal to a wider audience (rather than the newspaper addressing its target audience) by publishing a range of stories, from the more serious hard news to the softer, more popular news.

The Times Newspaper and its online edition are clearly separated from each other (a different approach to other newspapers like The Guardian). The newspaper is not interactive and has very few links to the website. The website, on the other hand, is very interactive. It provides links to videos, podcasts, Times Online TV and it helps readers navigate through the website with most read links and tag boxes of the most popular searches on Times Online.

The Times newspaper has a high readership in the ABC1 25-44 category. I think that the website provides a more modern, immediate, interactive and wider ranging coverage of the news for readers of different ages, genders and tastes. 

(Image from treehouse.org)

Talent not necessary, personality and/or sob story essential!

Gone are the days when the talent show was purely based on talent. The British public now demand more important characteristics when earmarking a star of the future; a great personality or a heart-wrenching sob story. What does the 'X' really stand for anymore?

In the past week popular TV talent shows have been thrown into controversy. On Saturday night Laura White, one of the favorites to win, was sensationally booted off the X Factor. This was followed by the even more bizarre result of Political broadcaster John Sergeant surviving another week in Strictly Come Dancing.

In the history of the X Factor and its predecessors (anyone remember Pop Idol?) there have been some surprising results and rarely has the show been out of the news. When it first started audiences fell in love with stuttering teen Gareth Gates but they still voted for the more talented Will Young to win. But these days the sob story of reasonable singer, Daniel Evans, gets more votes than the talented Jazz voice of Laura White.

Peculiar public voting has also effected Strictly come Dancing. Who could forget Kate Garraway continually being saved last year, despite scathing judges comments, terrible scores and continuos injury. 

This year's underdog, is lovable but truly terrible dancer, John Sergeant. Despite low scores and negative comments, Sergeant; dancing's version of Winnie the Pooh, according to judge Bruno Toniello, is still in the competition after a number of weeks. Whether it is based on sympathy, his warm personality or the public's desire to see him attempt a humiliating and painful Jive, Sergeant is still in the competition and may be for many more weeks.

Despite complaints from judges and viewers about recent results the public have spoken. While they still have the power to vote, audiences love the underdog, even if it is at the cost of a talented performer.  

 

(Image from unrealitytv.co.uk)