Web 2.0

Web 2.0 furthers the notion of convergence media. The term Web 2.0 was coined at a brainstorming conference between media companies, O'Reilly and MediaLive International. According to Tim O'Reilly, Web 2.0 has not been clearly defined, but instead "some people [are] decrying it as a meaningless marketing buzzword, and others accepting it as the new conventional wisdom."

While Web 2.0 is clearly not meaningless it hardly stands for conventional wisdom either; taking into consideration that the average Joe, or in this case, a 12-year-old boy in a garage can (thanks to Web 2.0) become an author.

Web 2.0 has opened the door to blogging and it seems possibilities are endless. Blog sites offer free space to anyone with enough typing capabilities to fill in his e-mail address and the creative genius to create a password. Yes, my tone is sarcastic.

With the uprising of blogs the term authorship no longer refers to great novelists and publishing companies. Now, anyone can be an author, thanks to Web 2.0 and the emergence of blogs. At least there is no shorting of individualism, if anything it may be on the rise.

But wait a moment. Retract that last statement. If the media is becoming more convergent and more companies are condensing information in order to place it all on one Web site, then don't we have to worry about the lack of individual ideas and content? For example, why write a story about a man being attacked by a panda bear when the Associated Press has already done it for me? Wouldn't it be easier to steal their story, place it on my news Web site, add a little video coverage from another news source? Perhaps a little audio from another source? And voila! I have convergent media. Who care if none of it truly came from me? I included all of the correct attributions, it's just the content is on my site, as well as their individual sites.

In fact, who needs field journalism anyway? We have e-mail and Web cams.

Mark Cuban pointed out in a speech last year that e-mail has become his interview method of choice. "Probably 90 percent of my interviews now are done via e-mail," he said.

Yes, e-mail can be a helpful tool and most definitely a convenient one. However, e-mail interviews take a certain reality away from journalism. E-mail interviews allow for a more slowly thought out thinking process, whereas interviews done in person give spontaneity to the interviewee's answers. In journalism, we strive for truthful answers, not processed ones.

This kind of thinking may produce more individual sites, but as for the content, well, I don't know about you but I prefer to read only one side of every story (again with the sarcasm).

Web 2.0 has produced a theory of unlimited space, which allows news coverage to combine its products for more in-depth reports.

The world of technology seems to change as quickly as Paris Hilton changes boyfriends - at an undeniably rapid pace. It can be difficult to keep up and with each generation of Web obsessed teenagers the age of these so-called authors is getting younger.

While convergence media is on the rise, more traditional forms of media are suffering. Nightly News programs, which air at 5:30 p.m., have seen a serious decrease in viewers, compared to when my 60-year-old parents were my age. Life in general has taken on numerous changes, family dinnertime is on the decline, children have become more and more involved in their extra curriculars and people are just not home in time for the Nightly News every evening.

With the way things are evolving in the media world I believe local newspapers are heading into the danger zone. Within a couple of decades, I think there will be a certain few newspapers that will circulate the country and everything else (i.e. your local news) will be available via the Internet.

Blogging the day

Why is today significant?

Today, Fri. August 18, 2006 marks the beginning of the 2006 - 2007 school year. Tonight is Mustang Stampede and thus, the opening of the first full weekend back to school.
It is a time for incoming freshmen to learn about SMU, as well as themselves. It is a time for new beginnings and old traditions. It is a time for us seniors to reflect on our last three years here at SMU and to run full speed toward our last final lap around the track, hopefully to walk away with a degree, some life lessons and a handful of good friends.
My father always told me that if you can walk away from high school and/or college with a handful of friends with whom you intend to keep in touch with, then you should consider yourself a very lucky person.
While my dad's words stand strong, don't let them hinder you from meeting new people. Yes, we all fear and envy the freshmen, with their pre-15 lbs college weight bodies and the exciting four years they have ahead of them. But don't let that deter you from what we, as seniors, have to look forward to: the real world.
No, I'm not talking about the MTV series. I'm talking about the world that exists outside college, the world of opportunities.
Graduation isn't something to be scared of, but instead something to look forward to; it opens the door to so many possibilities. There is graduate school, job offers, traveling, new loves, anything you can imagine waiting for you after graduation.
My advice to the seniors is this: take advantage of every moment here at SMU and savor them as each one passes. Don't be afraid to meet new people, even if those people are freshmen. Spend as much time as you can with your friends and take an obnoxious amount of pictures, you'll be thankful one day.
Finally, you are a senior! By now you should have a deeper understanding of who you are as person; hold on to the character you've worked so hard to build. Remember who you are and stay true to yourself.
Good luck and best wishes!