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New Media Journalism Final Project--Mastery Journal

Today marks the end of a long race. I have reached the final milestone to achieving my Master’s degree in New Media Journalism, with my thesis class being the last hurdle that needed to be jumped. I am proud to say that I have leapt that hurdle, barely brushing it with the toe of my shoe it seems due to the strict timeline and structure we had to abide by to finally be able to say we have completed all the requirements. We are closing the door to this chapter while opening another to the next chapter. I say this is the end of a long race. But it is not the end. It is merely the beginning, where we get to use the tools gained throughout the last year, applying them to the future tasks to come. This course was THE MOST challenging of the courses throughout this program, as well as one of the most rewarding. In starting this course, I knew it would be more difficult since it involved the completion of our thesis from the capstone project in the last class. This involved a more formal approach with even more thorough research. If this program taught me one thing only, I would say it would be that as an aspiring journalist, research is golden. There is no such thing too much research, but too little does exist. Part of the building reputation in this career is how we establish ourselves in our credibility and reliability. In the end, it always involves the type of information we present, how factual it is, and those sources we use to back up our story. I will say that is my one big take-away in this class as well as the entire program. This course, New Media Journalism Final Project’s focus was 100% on producing a graduate level thesis paper. Normally, this task would frighten me due to its rigid requirements that would render it complete however, our instructor for the course made the process run easily and smoothly. Each week, we submitted a chapter of our thesis for review and revise the chapter per the advice our instructor provided. At the end of the course, all that was needed would be putting the chapters together, creating the end result of a well-written graduate level thesis. There were times I felt I would not be up to task, only to prove myself wrong. I am able to say I have completed a rigorous program in the span of one year, overcoming any fears and doubts throughout this year, finishing strong.

#newmediajournalism #gradstudent #mastersprogram #fullsailuniversity #classof2019

Mastery Journal: Publishing and Distribution

Today marks a step closer to completing my New Media Journalism master’s program with the completion of my New Media Publishing and Distribution course! This course was probably one of the most challenging courses in this program seeing that it rose my anxiety through the roof! I understand the purpose of publishing and distributing seeing that that would be a large part of my future career: being able to get my stories heard which would require knowing how to properly get information out to my viewers/readers.

This course’s main purpose, aside from distribution, was to get my capstone project published. The capstone project was established early on in the program and this class was its final leg before publication. I am glad to say that with this class the project has come to a completion and was able to be successfully published and distributed!

Right before starting this program, I only knew what the course syllabus provided me. It was broad strokes of an intense topic that I did not know to expect. Once in the course, I knew it would be a challenge. I am not a social media know all when it comes to distribution of posts in a timely manner. Before this course, I would just post sporadically and at random times, not taking into consideration the times when viewers are most likely to be online. I did not think that part played a role, but it does. And with this course, I was able to learn and understand that value!

I knew what the instructor expected of us as students. He did not ask for anything out of the ordinary. All that was expected was to remain professional and turn in all assignments in a timely manner. As an aspiring journalist, keeping a deadline is vital to the job.

Overall, these are expectations that are asked of in any career field.

I am excited to say that I am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel as this course and program comes to a close. I learned so much in such a short amount of time. The most valuable thing would be keeping a deadline and the importance of properly distributing stories so that it reaches as many people as possible. These are important assets to have as a successful journalist.

#newmediajournalism #journalist #mastersprogram #finishlineinsight

Mastery Journal: Public Relations

It is amazing and a little bit scary to realize that I am two courses away from achieving my Masters’ Degree in New Media Journalism, but the reality is, it is literally right around the corner. These cliché sayings come to mind: “a stone’s toss away”, “in a blink of an eye”, “right around the corner”. And it is all completely true! These last four weeks in my Public Relations and Reputation Management class was just another milestone or an etch in a wall counting down to the final hurrah. And this course proved to be just as challenging as the earlier courses in this program! If not more due to the fact that it was a little different from my other courses as it was not exactly focused on journalism, but as the title of the class states, public relations and reputation management. I can honestly say that the assignments given were different from what I was used to and what I expected from the course. The differences in this course is a gift and not a curse because it gave me another perspective, that of the public relations world since it is pretty much entwined with the journalism world. The assignments were not focused on writing but on promoting, which is a valuable asset that we need to have as we venture out into the real world. For me, I found this side useful because I do want to promote my brand (whatever it ends up being!) and this class was a step in the right direction. Although the topics provided in the assignments definitely did not fall under my interests, it helped me realize different types of writing are out there and that journalism does not fall under one “tab”. One thing that I really enjoyed doing in this class was a Public Service Announcement (PSA) video. PSAs are something I have never done, but being aware of what the purpose was for it, I was able to tie in some of my interests to make a short PSA. In the beginning, I felt overwhelmed. Mainly because it was unfamiliar. At the end of my assignment, I found myself thinking, “Wow, that was actually pretty fun!” I feel it is a lesson of how we need to be open to new things and not fear them but to embrace them. Like I learned with this assignment, don’t be afraid of going with the unfamiliar. You may just end up finding your niche!

#beopentochange #journalismdegree #fullsailuniversity #newmediajournalism #mastersprogram

Mastery Journal Journey: Social Media and Online Community Engagement

Another class completed means one more step closer to finishing my Masters’ program in New Media Journalism. These last four weeks in Social Media and Online Community Engagement has been tough and intense. That is to be expected when pursuing a fast pace degree online. All the courses are condensed to the point of receiving all of this information with little time to adjust before we are moving onto the next thing. I can honestly say that this class and this program has prepared me for what to expect in a journalism career. There will always be deadlines that need to be met and not meeting them means more than a reprimand, but your job.

When I first started this course, I didn’t really know what to expect. From the course title, I knew the focus would be our social media and how we utilize our platform to build our audience. I thought this would be an excellent class to learn more on building my social media platform since that is all new to me. According to the course syllabus, the class is an examination of how information is shared outside of professional journalism, how we as journalists interact with communities and how social technology shapes cultures, governments, and communications. My conclusion based on the title of the course was pretty accurate to the objectives of the course. And upon starting and finishing this class, I can say that my expectations were met and exceeded.

Social media is my weak link. I am not fluent in building an audience or even sharing important information or engaging with the community. And I realized with this course that it is more than making a post or Tweet and sharing it publicly. The goal is to have readers/viewers coming back for more. Asking a question in the post that viewers will answer, starting dialogue is a definite way. Non-responsive is a sure way to lose your audience. We have to know how get their attention, get it and keep it and build on it. To do this, we need to know what they want to know and go from there. Another important detail is to know your target audience. The goal is not to write for everyone but to write for that specific group. Trying to reach everyone is nearly impossible and unsuccessful.

I can say that these last four weeks helped me become better acquainted with other social media outlets and how to get my story out to the public. As I stated earlier, the way that Full Sail University goes about education is more real world with real world expectations and consequences. One thing that our instructors stress in our classes is the importance of making deadlines because in the world of journalism, missing a deadline can mean losing your job. I believe that is probably the most important piece of information I learned that would help me in my future profession.

#futurejournalistintraining #mastersprogram #fullsailuniversity #my writing #masteryjournal #journalism

Mastery Journal: Multimedia Reporting

Another amazing four weeks flew by with a snap of a finger! I am now one class closer to finishing this race in my Multimedia Journalism degree and it is like I am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. I like to think of it as one step closer to my goal of pursuing a writing career. Like the predecessor classes in this program, Multimedia Reporting proved to be challenging, exhilarating and FUN. I never really associated school and fun in the same sentence but that just shows the different learning style Full Sail embraces and the hands-on approach we take in each of our courses.

It also goes to show the validity of doing what you love, you will never have to work again! I find that statement true in this case. I have always loved writing, and these courses, although challenging in every aspect, embraces my passion for writing. Of course, Multimedia Journalism is not solely writing, which brings the challenging part in my program. The multimedia elements are something that I have had to learn through each of my courses so far. Earlier on, I learned the art of creating a story using solely photos with a short caption for each. You hear the phrase; a picture is worth a thousand words. It is not as easy as it sounds to create a moving story utilizing photographs. Following that was audio podcasts. This was a new field for me, and one I struggled in. Then came videos. I am still working on that!

With Multimedia Reporting, I had to put all elements I learned into one piece to create a story that was compelling, informative, and moving. And I loved it. I enjoy how with each class, we end up applying what we learned from previous classes. This shows how and what we learned, and it helps us grow from each experience until we better each piece, each multimedia element we present.

After being in this program for several months and seeing how each class is applied to the next, I know that Multimedia Reporting prepared me for my next course as well as for a career in Journalism. I am excited to see what awaits!

#onestepcloser #multimediajournalism #writing

Mastery Journal Journey Update

We have reached the end to another challenging AND fun course: Digital News Production. Now from this course, I know comes A LOT of trial and error. For one, my videos I produced for the class were an epic fail. I knew this would be one of my challenges in this course since I have never produced videos prior to this Masters’ program. And although this was not my best class grade wise, I will say it was top in learning and hands-on. That is what I really love about this Masters’ program. It is not the traditional textbook learning, but we go out and interview people. We ask questions, we shoot videos, we edit those same videos and we write a story. My favorite part by far in this class will always be the writing. I know I excel in that aspect well over the video and editing. I understand it is part of the learning process. And what I learned about having weaknesses is that we can turn them into strengths. So, sometime down the line (a very far away time), I may have improved on my video editing skills! I feel it is part of the growing and learning portion. We learn from the mistakes we made and grow from it.

Upon first starting this course, I was a little unsure of what to really expect. I had the course information to read and knew our focus would be on video editing (hence the course title right!?). I did not realize how in-depth the course would be. And despite the challenges and roadblocks in the course, I can say I learned from each video assignment that we completed.

As far as course expectations of us as students, it is a given the instructor expects us to put 110% into our work. To show professionalism, discipline, motivation, and dedication. With this being solely an online course, it is extremely easy for us as students to put things on the backburner as life comes. We have situations that are unavoidable, however, if we plan ahead for the most part, we can overcome those situations.

For my learning experience, listening to my instructor’s critique was the most helpful, as well as my peers reviewing and giving advice on how to better produce my content. I will take any advice given because of my lack of knowledge in this area. I also appreciate the experience my instructor has in this background.

In preparation for the real world (i.e. journalism career), this course is a huge stepping stone. Part of journalism is being able to adapt quickly to changes because it is a continuously changing career field. We go from traditional journalism to multi-media journalism. Where you had a crew of people to now, where it is just YOU. I never expected to do my own videos and my own editing, but that is the process in this career field and I need to adapt to it. So, to say that this course helped prepare me is 100% accurate. I now know more than I did 4 weeks ago.

#fullsailuniversity #multimediajournalism #checkmate

My mastery update: Multimedia development and editing

These last four weeks were not the easiest in this Masters’ program by far. Actually, I found these four weeks to be some of the most challenging weeks in the program. The Multimedia Development and Editing course was a condensed four weeks full of pertinent and useful information to further my career in New Media Journalism. Like the other courses before this one, it carried a more hands-on approach to learning. It wasn’t the traditional read the text, take a test, write a paper to show what you learned throughout the course, kind of course. Which goes to show that there is more to learning than the traditional concept of learning. This is one of the main reasons that I truly enjoy participating in these courses. Not only do I get to take another step closer to my dream career, but I have fun getting to that finish line!

Prior to my actually taking Multimedia Development and Editing, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I knew what I read in the description of the class. Going into the course itself, however, was a different ball game. Throughout the four weeks, I learned how to better represent my blog website as well as the behind the scenes type of website designing that we do not see when visiting a site. I learned how to visually present my blog to keep viewers on my page. I got to conduct more interviews for articles, dig deeper into subjects that I am interested in and publish it on the web. I took my own photographs for my assignments and create a photo story to go along with my article. I also learned the art of distributing my work on social media. It is a lot harder than it seems. Not the simple share post, but to be able to hook the audience to want to click on the link to the story itself. I can say that there were a lot of firsts in this course. Specifically, creating a podcast! I had no idea how to go about it and learned after receiving my critique from my instructor as well as listening to my classmates’ podcasts, that I have a lot of room to grow in that department!

I also learned a lot of my weaknesses in this class. The good thing about being able to acknowledge your weaknesses is that you can only grow from them and make them better. Turn them into strengths. And that is what I plan to do from here on out.

With Multimedia Development and Editing, it is hard to pinpoint one great thing I learned because I feel that I learned so much in such a short amount of time. If I had to choose, I would say that my favorite part in this course was making the podcast. It was something new and I honestly did not do well on it but I want to grow on it. I do not know if I would continue to make podcasts after this in a professional setting, but it is nice to know that I am capable of it thanks to this course.

The most helpful part in this course was the feedback I would receive from my instructor. The benefit of taking these courses is that you are actually learning from individuals in the career that you are choosing to follow. This is extremely vital to me because I know that they know what they are talking about. They have the experience we are trying to obtain. And I value that kind of mentor as an instructor.

Overall, this course helped me learn the different sides of journalism. It is not simply writing an article for a magazine or newspaper. This career has become a solo act compared to before. We are our own camera crew, photographer and writer. We distribute our own information via our social platforms. This course helped me realize this fact even more as I took my own photographs, recorded my own podcast and wrote. I can honestly say, that by far, I found this course to be one of the most beneficial in my road to becoming a journalist.

Mastery Journal Update

These past four weeks have seriously been the most trying of my program so far. I dived into Research and Investigation for my New Media Journalism Masters’ program, not really expecting the intense level of work that would accompany this course. One thing is for certain, this is not your typical English writing class. In all the years that I have been in school, I can say the amount of research needed for your regular courses did not prepare me for what was to come in these four weeks. Although challenging, these four weeks were definitely rewarding, invigorating and enlightening.

Upon starting this course, I set aside goals: To be able to write good, newsworthy content that people would actually want to read, to learn new methods in researching since we know that as a journalist, that is to be your bread and butter, and to be improve my interview skills (The Art of the Interview is like a guide to preparing for your interview!). I can honestly say that this class helped me get better in each of the goals I listed.

You wouldn’t think that you could learn much in just four weeks or that there could be so much information jam packed each week, but it is possible. With Research and Investigations, we drafted articles and after editing them, actually posted it on our websites, open to the public. We learned the art of infographics (images that gives the viewer details on a topic without the overwhelming text). From week 2 to week 4, we ended up producing our own infographics to go with our articles. One more thing that I found extremely vital to our learning these last weeks were finding and differentiating between a source and an expert.

As journalists, our mission is to provide accurate facts on given subjects and by doing so, we need to find sources that carry weight. An expert is considered to be an individual that has a vast amount of knowledge, education and experience in a given topic/subject. For example, a forensic sculptor who has received training and education in the field and has had a vast amount of time in the field would be considered an expert in the field of forensic sculptor.

I am so grateful to have taken this course. I can see how detrimental research and investigations in journalism can be and know that this course will further benefit me in my journalism career. This course was anything but easy, and also showed me the value of making my deadline. In the career a journalism, missing your deadline can cost you your job. I learned that journalism, my dream, is not so easily achieved and I will need to work hard at it to get to where I want to be!

Thank you!

I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel

Maya Angelou

I love this. It makes me want to go out and make people feel. You never know the kind of impact that you leave on other people. But the fact is, there is an impact be it positive or negative. I aim for the positive.

Mastery Journal Journey: Legalities in media

Hello everyone! I am just wrapping up another class on my way to completing my Masters in New Media Journalism! It is such an exciting feeling to be one step closer to accomplishing your goals/dreams that you have wanted since you were young! In my case, since I was about 12! This class, Legal Aspects of Media is, as the name suggests, a class that assists you in the legal processes when it comes to media. I learned some things I would have to be careful of in my future career as a journalist. In week one, we discussed the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). This basically tells you your right to get public information. In the first week, I actually got to practice writing a letter requesting certain information to be distributed to the public because of their need to know as well as newsworthiness.

Week 2 brought on defamation…a pretty ugly word in the world of journalism. There are two types of defamation; libel and slander. Libel is a written defamatory statement, whereas slander is verbal. Defamation can get a journalist (or a person in general) in serious legal trouble. Because of the seriousness of this topic, I felt this was probably the most helpful for me as a communications professional. It is always important to state truthful fact and to always back up your information with credible sources. That is basically the jest of it! I also got to work on a keynote presentation (my very first). And I must say that I was a little befuddled at first but in the end, was successful!

Week 3 focused on copyright. I was able to learn how to register a literary work with the copyright office and learn how to search for copyrighted works in the database! It was pretty enlightening and fun! What I like most about these courses with Full Sail University is that it is not just textbook knowledge that you regurgitate to pass a test. It is much more than that! We get to go hands on, making the information learned even more impactful. The third week also consisted of writing a publication. In my case, it was an article based on deployment life. I attended an event on the base I am living on for the time being, talked to a few participants and even participated myself. This event was called Latin Night. Deployed military members need a way to unwind from the stressors of deployed life and one of the ways is by letting loose and dancing to some good Latin music, meeting new people and just having fun. At the end, I was able to complete an article discussing how the military members feel when there are events like this taking place and how much it helps them mentally. This project was my favorite of all the assignments I was tasked with. The reason is that I got to go prepare some questions with substance, find people to talk to (which is pretty hard for my introverted self) and initiate dialogue and pull a story out of the information I get.

Week 4, my final week, focused on the first amendment, commercial speech, regulating commercial speech and deceptive advertising. We discussed deceptive advertising and why it is not right to purposely deceive your audience/consumer and how there are laws in place to ensure you do not present misleading facts or omit important information. This point stresses ignorance not being an excuse for breaking the law.

Overall, these four weeks were full of pretty detrimental information that I would need to know as I pursue my career in journalism. No matter what road I follow, be it newspaper, magazine, personal blog, news caster, etc. I am not immune to the repercussions that come when not heeding to the legalities of media. This class gave me a much better understanding of potential legal issues that can happen in communications. It made me more aware of hpw important it is to research everything prior to distributing, be it advertisement, copyright, potential defamation, etc. Always research. Always go for hard and credible facts.

Thank you so much for your time!

There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you

Maya Angelou

https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/3503.Maya_Angelou

This quote from such a wonderful and amazing woman inspires me to keep writing. Even if I do not showcase my stuff to the world. I have to keep writing.

MasteryJournalUpdate

July 29, 2018…my final day of my final week of Writing for Interactive Media. And I have to say, I loved every minute of this course. As you all know from recent posts, I am pursuing a Masters degree in Journalism. I am kicking myself in the butt for not having started this path earlier in life. But as we all know, the cliché saying, everything happens for a reason. During these four stimulating weeks of my class, I started a new blogger site that will focus on controversial topics such as law enforcement issues (good and bad), religion, sexuality, immigration in the U.S., and racism in the U.S. These are issues that are currently taking place. Not a day goes by that we do not hear a story based on these issues. Which made me want to dive more into the issue, bring it to light, unleash those can of worms and start what I would believe to be a very stimulating and intellectual debate! Writing for Interactive Media took me out of my comfort zone and out of the hypothetical context. Week one focused on crafting my story and writing a rough draft of my about me page. Prior to this, I never gave much thought to an about me page. However, I learned that this section can make or break your blog. It is one of the most visited sections on your site and if it is lacking, you are less likely to create a following. This section gets you to tell your potential viewers what your blog is about with a short monologue on you. It gives your readers an idea of who you are. You make yourself transparent to them, a real person that they would like to get to know more about. Like you are pitching yourself to the world.

Week two focused on interviewing. I learned how to best interview people and to expect people to not want to talk. I also got to pitch and write a story based on the interview. This was probably the most exciting element of the course because it was hands-on. It is not just theory and textbook but you actually get to go out there and practice what you learn. For me, it was easier because I had already established a rapport with the person prior to the interview and was able to make it more conversational and not forced. I really enjoyed writing the piece!

Week three we brainstormed ideas for another story. This would be the rough draft of our final story for the class. I learned to outline my story, getting my interviewees together, write questions that would require in-depth responses, and then get to writing. This was another fun week because it was all hands-on. This week showed me that I am more of a tactile learner.

Week four was basically putting all that was learned throughout the course together and creating the final piece of my story. Also learning how to distribute our stories so that it is seen. Overall, this course was extremely beneficial for me. I was able to interview people on a serious topic and get to the meat and potatoes of the story. Thanks to my instructor, I learned how to actually write a story without showcasing my commentary, which was tough since I do have experience in the topics I wrote about. It was a challenge to keep my voice out of the story, but I know I will get better at it with more practice! Another cliché saying, practice makes perfect!

Thank you for tuning in!

v/r

Yahaira S.

My Mastery Journey

This week is the final week of my four-week course in New Media and Communications. I am glad to say that I was not disappointed in my first official journalism course. When I first began this course, I had high expectations and they were met. I knew I would be challenged from the beginning, but I didn’t realize how I would challenge myself. When I say this, I mean, challenge myself into branching out and getting out of my comfort zone. I want to be a writer. I want to be able to tell stories that has the capability of reaching the masses. Not just reach but to touch them. Make them feel as if they are the ones experiencing what they are reading. I want to be a journalist. This is something that I saw myself doing since I was about 12 years old. This course was the next step in my journey, and I am glad to say that I took it. In the first week of the course, I learned to differentiate between what is and what is not newsworthy. This week showed me how much journalism has evolved from even 10 years ago and how it is constantly changing and how we as journalists, need to adapt to the changing times or risk extinction. It seems pretty intense, almost like survival of the fittest. You hear the phrase that the news never sleeps. That statement has become ever truer as we entered the digital age and the addition and growth of social media. Then came week two where I was introduced to the elements of storytelling. I am sure many have heard it said in various ways, but the gest of it is in order to be a great writer, you need to continue to read. Read everything, be it trash or greatness. It is like you are the apprentice studying the master. The master being the written word in all its glory. The same can be said in journalism. At the end of the second week, my assignment was to create article ideas. This assignment, if I am being honest, was truly fun. It got me out of my box and had me evaluate what was going on in the world, what interested me, what could be a great story, what would people read. Week three consisted of defining our audience. An important lesson to note is that not everybody is our audience. We need to have a target audience that we want to hook and reel in. The fourth week consisted of knowing what to give to our audience. The way news is distributed now compared to then is vastly different. If journalists dug their heels in and kept to the old ways, journalism would die out (Cillizza, 2016). Journalists have to evolve as the world evolves. It is called real time news. Using social media to distribute news to the world. The New Media and Communications course, although short, was thorough and got my creative juices flowing. It got me thinking beyond myself.

Anyone can take a class on a subject. The real challenge is applying what is learned in the class to your personal and professional life. With each assignment, I received advice from my instructor to help me take a broad topic and cut it into more compact stories. I just need to take one of the topics and break it down by finding stories on a personal level to share. There are always different angles to tackle a story, and by following this route I can ensure writing pieces my readers would want to stay in tune for.

Cillizza, C. (2016). Journalism isn’t dying. But it’s changing way faster than most people understand. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/04/18/journalism-isnt-dying-but-its-changing-way-faster-than-most-people-understand/?utm_term=.a1f5e1919ab5.

I am a firm believer in the written word. Type just doesn’t give the authentic feel as pen on paper or the scratching sound of an old fashion dip pen

inebriatednovelist-deactivated2

yseawright

Love it! No truer words have been spoken!

If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it

Toni Morrison

https://www.inc.com/glenn-leibowitz/50-quotes-from-famous-authors-that-will-inspire-yo.html

This is like a wake up call. Get out of that mental funk you've been in. Stop saying you’re experiencing writer’s block. Get out there and write. I have been standing still for years, and decided enough is enough. If it’s my dream, I need to work for it.

#getoutandwrite

#masterytimeline #newmediajournalism

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