My last blog post: The Internet isn’t the future, it’s the now

Well, this is my last blog post! It’s been fun and I’ve loved sharing my findings with y’all. I think my overall theme is showing how news on the internet can interact with the audience so much more than just words or photos in print can. The options are nearly endless online. So here we go, another New York Times piece shows all of the patents Steve Jobs held before he passed away.

What’s different about it?

This interactive feature shows the patents in categories and allows the viewer to click each patent for a quick summary. You would take up so much room doing this in a traditional facet but online you can open and close what intrigues you.

Why I like it.

Like I said earlier with Document Cloud, I love giving the audience a full backstage pass to where you found all of your information. The patent information, aka the stuff that they read through to create this easy road map, is linked in each description.

Why you should like it.

You should like this because it shows the sheer genius that was Steve Jobs without saying it at all. As usual, the reporter took a lot of time and effort into this project and shows this awesome patent display that lets you get into the head of Apple’s mastermind.

Making the character the main character in video

A journalist showed a group of student journalist a video package from the New York Times at a student media conference this summer. I was one of those bright-eyed student journos. Now, I’ve seen probably hundreds of video packages but this one really stood out to me. You can watch the video here:

What’s different about it?

Two minutes in, you notice that something’s different. It feels as if you’re watching a TLC special on a mom who isn’t just a mom. What’s really different is that you don’t hear the reporters’ voice. The story is told by the main character and that makes so much sense. It’s her story and she should tell it. I know there is a time when people can’t tell their own story and that’s where reporters come in, but they should also know when they have an opportunity to step out and let the story tell itself.

Why I like it.

I like this because it really caught me off guard. I’m a broadcast journalism major and I haven’t learned this yet. I want to try this out very soon and hope I can pull it off as seamlessly as NYT did.

Why you should like it.

You should like this because it’s going to catch your eye and the story is so good and so well done that you’re going to watch the entire thing. I am so glad that I get to share the best of the best videos and online multimedia to my loyal blog followers. 

Photos that capture time and the audience

Okay. I’ll admit it. I’m a football fanatic. I was born in Irving, Texas, the original home of America’s team and lived for Friday night lights until my switch to Saturday game days at TCU. Here’s a photo feed of last year’s Super Bowl XLV (Steelers v Packers). I watched the game with my family in Dallas and these photos really give you the off-field feel.

What’s different about it?

This story is told through photos. The only text shown is the cutline, or details about the photo. The photos show fans all over Dallas-Fort Worth cheering on their favorite team. The photos show the anxiety and excitement a true football fan has during a game, especially at the Super Bowl.

Why I like it.

This summer I went to a journalism conference that really opened my eyes to photojournalism. Photographers tell just as much of a story as writers or videographers do. They capture a scene in a blink of an eye and give their audience a peek into their story. Photos are great because you can find something different to look at every time you look at one.

Why you should like it.

I think comparing video, photos and text is like comparing apples, oranges and bananas. You like all of them for different reasons. Photographs have been around forever and the beauty of a perfect moment can only get clearer as photos and photojournalists get better. Enjoy the photos and you can always catch my favorite team here.

The question everyone’s asking: Where do you get your news?

Hello again. I hope you’ve enjoyed following my blog! Today I will show you this sweet interactive element in (yet another) New York Times piece. The main thing I’ll be talking about is the article’s interactive element called How to Build a Pop Song.

What’s different about it?

We, as reporters and the audience, usually get caught up in the words of a story. Sometimes words just don’t cut it. Journalists usually make the text the anchor of their storytelling but there are moments when the audience really needs to hear or see something that they can’t through text. In this interactive element, the audience play "producer" and build their own pop song.

Why I like it.

I like it because I love hip hop music and have a general interest in the story but the journalist gave the story a good sound, in all ways. The journalist also allowed the audience to stray from their text and visit the video package and interactive song maker. This is a super cool feature and just coming up with this idea is mind blowing. I think the pop song maker is the cherry on top to a really well done piece.

Why you should like it.

This is a real gem for people who like to click around and linger. This is for those of us who chooses the combo platter. You get a solid text piece, video, photos and some interactive stuff for dessert.

Interactive chart lets you play, learn

Today I will talk about an interactive chart showing the average debt by the time of a student’s graduation as part of a series from the New York Times. I suggest that you play with the chart first. You can type in a university to follow its path, mess with the buttons on the left to see different categories and how each university stacks up.

What’s different about it?

The chart is really intuitive and I find something new every time I mess with it. (This time around I found the Athletic Conference tab) There are plenty of articles and other little interactive things that are a part of this series but I think this is a great tool used to compare and show the rise in tuition while weighing them against other universities. If you see the chart, I can bet you’ve seen nothing like it.

Why I like it.

I like it because it’s the only way you can give a story with this many numbers and categories justice. You can’t write a text story with all of this information and think the audience would No. 1 want to read it or No. 2 not get confused.

Why you should like it.

Can you imagine how much work went into this? This wasn’t made by selfish people. This wasn’t a simple 700-word story a writer finished half-asleep at 3 a.m. This chart took time, wo/man power and was made to be easy for an audience member to use. Give it a go.