Entrepreneurial Journalism: Defined.

After asking a variety of Belmont University journalism students and professors what they thought about entrepreneurial journalism, I realized that there really is no clear definition. It is interesting, however, to hear different interpretations on this idea. I uploaded the series of interviews to Seesmic in order to “start a new conversation” where people can discuss the opinions stated through “replies.”

Be sure to join the conversation and check out these interviews on Seesmic as well.

PlayDate Nashville

PlayDate Nashville is a 21-and-over event that offers “an alternative to the typical night out.” Instead of going to a restaurant or seeing a movie, some Nashville residents are deciding to spend time playing childhood games while engaging with other adults. With a relatively low cover charge of $10 that gives individuals access to a variety of games for up to six hours, PlayDate is easy on the wallet.

 

PlayDate Nashville is currently held at Limelight. Check out this map to see exactly where the venue is located.

Transom Tutorial

Transom.org_Tutorial

This is a tutorial on Transom.org, a website dedicated to citizen storytelling on the radio.

Digital Papers??

As a recent convert to the iPhone world, I’ve been thinking a lot about whether we will be saying goodbye to paper products in our near future. I can tell you already that I’ve chucked my post-its (which I love) out the window and downloaded my first e-book, which I adore.
I thought I would always be a paper reader, but the iPhone has changed me and after downloading the Kindle app for the iPhone I started thinking about the Kindle itself. If you haven’t heard of it, it’s an e-reader created by Amazon. Basically, it’s main purpose is to have digital copies of your books (up to 1,200 of them) with you at all times.  But, as I recently found out from a blog posted a few months ago, the Kindle also allows you to download and subscribe to newspapers and magazines for a fee as well as providing access to text only or text heavy websites at no additional cost. That means that once you buy the Kindle, someone else pays the internet usage bill. Of course, purchasing one will cost you almost $400. Which brings me back to the iPhone. Why pay $400 for just a reader when you can pay $300 for a phone that does the same thing plus hundreds of other tasks? I think I’ll be sticking to my phone for a long while until the price goes down on the Kindle.

So what do you all think, will the world begin to actually get their news in the same format but digitally like in Minority Report? Or will we continue to leave a paper trail?

U.S. Army using social media as new recruitment strategy

The United States Army is now using Facebook, Twitter and its own blog called “Army Live” to recruit new people, and to give soldiers and their families a place to connect.  This is according to a NY Daily News article by Stephanie Gaskell.  And according to an article from the Army News Service, the social networking pages and the blog were launced by the new Online and Social Media Division of Army Public Affairs.  Gaskell points out that  the Army’s Facebook page has about 3,000 friends, and it has more than 5,000 followers on Twitter.  It’s interesting to note that on the Army’s Twitter page, the bio section points out that “Following does not = endorsement.”  

The U.S. Army wants you – to be its friend on Facebook.   You can also follow the Army on Twitter. Or post a comment on its new blog. They’re all part of the Army’s new mission: social networking.  “If Ashton Kutcher can do it, the U.S. Army can do it,” said Lindy Kyzer, who posts the Army’s “status updates” on Facebook and “tweets” on Twitter. [...] “We know that our ability to share the Army story is shaped by how we tell it and where we tell it,” said Lt. Col. Kevin Arata, who heads the Army’s new Online and Social Media Division. “Using social media platforms allows us to tell our story where we know people are at and are listening.”

I also recommend this article from ReadWriteWeb on how the U.S. State Department is sending Twitter to Iraq “to bring the microblogging service into government and civil society there.”

Funniest Twitter article to date.

The New York Times posted a funny opinion piece about Twitter, titled “To Tweet or Not to Tweet.” The writer, columnist Maureen Dowd, interviewed the inventors of the social networking site, Biz Stone and Evan Williams. She asked the tough questions…

ME: I would rather be tied up to stakes in the Kalahari Desert, have honey poured over me and red ants eat out my eyes than open a Twitter account. Is there anything you can say to change my mind?

BIZ: Well, when you do find yourself in that position, you’re gonna want Twitter. You might want to type out the message “Help.”

Be sure the check out the entire piece for more laughs.

Spring Session Concert

The Belmont Acapella Women’s ensamble Session performed their spring concert on Monday March 23 in Massey Performing Arts Center. The ensamble is directed by Jane Warren and all songs are arranged by student members. Click here to see and hear from the members of Session

Marketing yourself on the web

Marketing yourself on the web is becoming increasingly important these days… Especially when you’re a journalist. Emily Ingram created a presentation with tips on how to look exceptionally appealing to employers. Not only does the presentation look great (very colorful!), it includes useful and relevant information.

A few basic tips:

Use your real name: Ditch any nickname you’ve used in 8th grade.

Be consistent and professional: Color schemes, profile pictures, etc.

Get your own site: Is yourname.com available? Buy it!

Use social networking sites: Contribute to the conversation.

Read and comment like crazy: Google reader should be your best friend.

The presentation also includes a great quote from Mindy McAdams:

Your Google search is your business card.

Be sure to check out the entire presentation – either in PDF or slide show format.

“Free is not a business model”

Poynter online author Rick Edmonds recently posted an article about how free has become a business model for online newspapers. Basically he said that since newspapers made a huge mistake in not initially charging for their content, that they cannot do so now. Newspapers typically made most of their money from advertising – can they do the same online?

 Click here to read the full article

From Facebook to Twitter Convocation Slideshow

On Monday March 2, 2009 Belmont University’s “Practicum Pioneers” hosted a convocation event entitled From Facebook to Twitter: Rules, Rights and Realities of Social Networks. A panel of experts to discussed the latest controversies regarding online social networks, privacy issues and copyright laws. Panelists to included the Freedom Forum’s Gene Policinski, Nashville attorney Doug Pierce (a specialist in media/First Amendment issues), Belmont Web Developer Paul Chenoweth, journalism student Abby Selden and Nashvillest.com co-founder Morgan Levy.

Click here to view a slideshow of photos detailing the events and to add your own comments!