Comm Tech

We are the World Research Project

2005-11-30T14:23:00.000-05:00

Abstract for “Bridging Afghanistan’s Digital Divide” Essay

I chose the topic of Afghanistan’s Digital Divide to explore in my research paper. Afghanistan is a country that, because of almost three decades of conflict, now lags behind other developed nations in many areas including information and technology communications (ITC). My paper explores the numbers behind Afghanistan’s ITC disparity, what obstacles make overcoming the disparity difficult, and suggestions for overcoming those obstacles.

I explored the issue through research in scholarly journals, magazines, and websites that, through the course of the semester, I have been evaluating for usefulness, credibility, and ideas that fit with the topic. Secondarily, I used my personal relationships with people who served in the Army during Operation Enduring Freedom to get an idea of the ground conditions in Afghanistan. I used this knowledge to help me in during the source selection process to determine which of the accounts I encountered best matched the reports I was given by my interview subjects.

I relied heavily on the Afghan government’s policy papers and websites to gain knowledge about actual data and goals they have on ITC in the country. I found the Ministry of Communication’s website to be exceptionally useful in finding information about their goals for the next 5-10 years, figures relating to ITC, and budgetary considerations. Newspaper and journal articles mostly contributed to my recommendations for overcoming some of the barriers that are keeping Afghanistan from meeting these goals.

My recommendations include: effectively rebuilding the infrastructure, the U.S. continuing to sustain a large troop presence in the region until Afghan forces can provide adequate security, additional support from the international community and private corporations for infrastructure and training projects, and a fee schedule that allows local companies to operate and revenue to be collected from foreign corporations.

My essay can be viewed here. Click on the link that says Click here to download "MCGREGOR_Essay.pdf" This will open the pdf as a new window.

EOTO Feedback, Part 5

2005-11-11T11:44:00.000-05:00

Beck Tench’s Each One Teach One Project on bike advocacy is a timely topic with both gas prices and obesity rates in a race to see which one can rise the fastest (my money’s on gas). I’ve always thought of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro area as a very pedestrian and bike friendly place, what with all the bike lanes everywhere, but I had no idea that there was a debate as to the safety advantages of not having bike lanes. Speaking only from my experience hauling a 20 foot boat back and forth to Jordan Lake on roads with a high number of cyclists and no bike lanes, I think we need them.

I went to college in Iowa, and they have built an incredible off-road trail system that spans most of the state. In the Waterloo-Cedar Falls area where many people commute the 15 miles back and forth between their homes and work, it is possible to ride from city to city without ever riding on a road. Of course, Iowa winters don’t permit much cycling past October, and Waterloo-Cedar Falls can hardly be called metropolitan, but it’s better than nothing. I’d like to see something similar between Chapel Hill and Durham. I know that there is the Tobacco Trial system and Duke Forest trials, but I believe an actual cement commuter route for bikes only would see good deal of traffic in this area.

EOTO Feedback, Part 4

2005-11-10T16:27:00.000-05:00

Sarah’s Each One Teach One Project about Nike’s lack of corporate responsibility concerning unfair labor practices in their overseas suppliers’ warehouses is an interesting read. Although I am familiar with the protests against Nike’s labor and human rights standards, I hadn’t heard of the specific incident that Sarah cites about the guy trying to get “Sweatshop” stiched into his Nikes. I actually had an iD request denied by Nike when I bought a pair of Nike Shox had wanted “McGregor” (my last name) sewed in as the iD. Apparently it got denied because Nike views the McGregor clothing company as a competitor and will not allow any moniker deemed to be in competition with them to be sewn on their shoes. It’s was funny to me at the time because McGregor clothing is a bottom-of-the-barrel brand, and I can’t remember the last time I saw it stocked in a store. In fact, a quick search turned up no homepage for the company at all. It seems to me that like many large corporations, Nike is concerned about their image when it comes in the form of their competition. They take every precaution to prevent someone from thinking their precious shoes are in any way related to a discount brand, but when it comes to topic of actual harm the company is causing people (through their actions or inactions) they weren’t doing much.

I was not familiar with the Nike Reponsibility Campaign (I’ve since switched to New Balances), but I am glad to learn that the company is taking a more active approach to disclosing their suppliers and only working with those that don’t practice human rights violations. If Nike did more promotion of this campaign, I think they would have a better image among the socially-conscious consumers. A quick visit to their website taught me that Nike was voted one of the top 100 “Best Corporate Citizens of 2005” by Business Ethics Magazine.

EOTO Feedback, Part 3

2005-11-10T09:51:00.000-05:00

Allison Rosenstein’s Each One Teach One project was also on the topic of the digital divide. It was affirming to see that someone else in class was coming to similar conclusions as me concerning the divide, and also read some new ideas that I had not considered before. Once of these ideas is Allison’s concern that the gender gap will widen with the digital divide because of attitudes towards educating women in some developing countries. This absolutely applies to Afghanistan, but for some reason I hadn’t considered it before. Not only are there divides between Afghanistan and developed nations and urban and rural Afghanis, but also between women and men due to the moratorium on allowing women to go to school during the Taliban’s control of the country. Since I am also writing my research paper on this topic, Allison gave me a good angle to research and I plan on including it in the paper.

EOTO Feedback, Part 2

2005-11-09T13:14:00.000-05:00

Carrie Leonard’s Each One Teach One project on identity theft is good topic for everyone to become educated on, especially with figures like this staring us in the face: “Within the last twelve months, 9.3 million Americans were victims of identity theft.”

I was very surprised to learn that online identity theft was not the most common form of identity theft, and that the Better Business Bureau actually recommends using an online bill pay service to prevent identity theft. I think it is the common misconception about the internet being a lawless, anonymous place that perpetuates the thought that “as long as I’m not entering my credit card information online, I’m safe.” As it turns out, you’re more likely to be victimized through your snail mail than your email, but online identity theft is still a big problem.

I agree with Carrie’s recommendation that the FBI (or some federal policing agency) better patrol the internet to decrease the schemers and thieves that do lurk in the digital world. While stiff penalties do not always deter crimes, I agree that the penalties for identity theft need to we swift and harsh.

EOTO Feedback, Part 1

2005-11-08T13:24:00.000-05:00

I am very interested in the topic discussed on Bart Wojdynski’s blog about Google’s fledgling print database program. The program, which is moving forward despite pending decisions on its legality, is one that will give the internet a comprehensive search tool that allows for print only media to be included.

Amazon.com uses a similar search function to sell books. When you search for a topic or phrase on Amazon, it will take you to a passage of the relevant books with the phrase highlighted. It is not as comprehensive as what Google is proposing, but it is extremely useful nonetheless. It is so useful in fact; that I have taken to searching Amazon’s database for useful sources before switching over to the UNC library database to see if the book is available for within the UNC library system.

I whole heartedly agree with Bart’s hope that “publishers and authors alike should recognize that any vehicle that could potentially help them sell books is worth a try. By allowing searching of internal content, users may find books they would never find using a title search alone.” With media moving towards being packaged digitally, I would think this would be a good stepping stone for books and other print-based materials to take baby step into the digital world until they can figure out security measures for electronic delivery of books to become more mainstream.

2005-11-03T11:57:00.000-05:00

EOTO--Bridging Afghanistan’s Digital Divide

Like all developing nations, Afghanistan is lagging behind developed nations when it comes to many parts of their infrastructure. Decades of conflict have left roads, bridges, and essential buildings badly in need of repair, but no services are farther behind in development than in the digital technology sectors. During the Taliban’s years in control of the country, all Western technological advancements were banned with the belief that they were tools for spreading Western philosophy and culture and eroding the moral and religious values of this Islamic nation. With the fall of the Taliban after Operation Enduring Freedom, one task for the newly formed Afghani government in conjunction with the United States and allied forces was to bridge this digital divide.

Of course, in a country where electricity is unreliable at best, women were not allowed an education until recently, and there is a constant threat from terrorists, getting the internet up and running is a low priority. The U.S., in conjunction with other nations and private companies such as Microsoft, have made closing Afghanistan’s digital divide a goal, but there is concern about the logistics and practicality of being able to maintain communication technology in a country where generators are the main power source outside of the major cities. This power supply situation is a good illustration of how there is not only a gap between Afghanistan and developed nations, but there is also a large divide within Afghanistan between the urban and rural population. The challenge in bridging Afghanistan’s digital divide is also bridging the divide between the country’s own people, which is a challenge that has never been accomplished.

Another challenge in bridging the digital divide in Afghanistan is the education factor. Most rural Afghanis have never owned a television much less operated a computer. Literacy rates are low compared to other Middle Eastern countries, and something like 80% of the material on the web is written in English. It is not too much of a stretch to contend that in order for all Afghanis to be given access to the internet a major education program would have to be launched with literacy, computer literacy, and English programs as focal points. Even if Afghanistan was provided with all the hardware, software, and infrastructure support from developed nations, a considerable economic factor would persist in getting the population educated to the point that they can effectively operate a computer and navigate the web. It will take a decades-long effort by developed nations and the Afghani government for Afghanistan’s digital divide to be lessened, a monumental task given the many issues facing the country today.

My 5 Biggest Fears about this Issue:

The digital divide will widen, and only the elite will have access to information/
communication technology.
Afghanistan has so many more immediate problems (i.e., security, hospitals, schools),
that this issue will never be adequately addressed.
The Afghani government will institute a system like China’s where they control what
their people can and cannot see on the web.
The internet will be seen as an evil by some members of society and spark further
violence or sympathy for groups who perpetuate violence against the U.S., our allies,
and the Afghani democratic process.
Internet access will become a catalyst for eroding the culture of Afghanistan, mainly
among the country’s youth, and the U.S. will be blamed.

Six Sources:
Development Gateway: Special Report on Afghanistan Reconstruction
This website is a collection of articles and links to sites about the reconstruction effort in Afghanistan as it applies to digital technology. It is an excellent source for tracking down information, because most of the articles come with bibliographies linking to more information on the subject.

Afgha.com
This is another website with links to articles about the digital divide and digital technology issues in Afghanistan. The site does not exclusively discuss this subject, but is good for finding some information on the topic.

Library of Congress: Portals to the World—Afghanistan
This is a website from the Library of Congress with links to nothing but information about Afghanistan. Two subheadings are particularly useful: Media and Communication and Science and Technology. While the website itself produces no original materials, it does link to news sources and gives information about the source that gives insight into their credibility. For example: Asre Jadid (http://www.asrejadid.org) Political publication of Afghani Communists.

MyAfghan.com
MyAfghan.com is described by the Library of Congress as “a private news service by unaffiliated expatriates living in the United States.” It links to articles in major, American and foreign newspapers with articles of interest concerning Afghanistan. The article sources range from The New York Times to the Russian Information Agency.

Abyznewslinks.com
This website provides links to foreign and domestic, large and small news articles that appear online concerning all aspects of Afghanistan. It is good for getting started and doing some trial and error searching for information on the digital divide.

Central Eurasian Studies Worldwide
This website is maintained by Harvard University and contains information on the culture and history of nations located in the Central Eurasian region. The site contains links to information packets put together by Harvard and is useful for exploring the cultural implications as they apply to my topic.

Recommended Solutions:

The U.S. government and other developed nations need to commit to building a stable infrastructure that makes technology available to all citizens.
The U.S. government and other developed nations needs to commit long-term funding for repairs and upgrades to the networks, hardware, and software.
The U.S. government and other developed nations needs to provide the Afghani government with training and support so that they can successfully transition into self-reliance over the long-term, as well as establish educational opportunities for the Afghani people so they can learn to use this technology.

How do you think blogrolling will evolve?

2005-10-19T09:29:00.000-04:00

The future that I see for blogrolling includes longer lists and more about pages. Most of the blogs I read outside of class don’t have about pages for their blogrolls explaining why the blogger chose to link to these sites. With blogrolls becoming longer and commonplace additions to any blog, the writer is going to need a convincing reason to get any readers to visit what he is linking to. A detailed about page requires more work than just pasting a URL into blogrolling.com (especially if your blog has a laundry list of links), but if the blogger is passionate about having readers visit these sites, it’s going to become a necessity.

What problems or issues have you encountered in reading blogrolls on various weblogs?

2005-10-18T10:25:00.000-04:00

The only issue that I have encountered with blogrolls on other blogs is that sometimes the blogs that the reader is being directed to is no longer at that URL. Bad links are a general problem with a websites due to the changing nature of the web. A site with bad or outdated links instantly loses some credibility or professionalism because it tells the reader that the site is not current. It’s always a good idea to periodically check to make sure that your blog links still actually link to their intended sites. It’s better to have no links or blogrolls at all then to direct your reader to a URL not found page.

How important is evaluating an author’s qualifications?

2005-10-17T13:11:00.000-04:00

With blogs, the author’s qualifications should be scrutinized more than any other media. With most online articles, the author has some credibility built in (or none at all) based on what company owns the site he is writing for. If the company is well known and credible, it is extending that credibility to its writers. Because anyone can have a blog, it becomes very important to know who the author is when evaluating his material. Admittedly, a blogger’s profile can be just as made up as anything written on his blog, but a little time spent researching on the web should allow the reader to form an opinion about whether the work is credible or not. For example, if a blogger is writing about societal issues in Iraq and claims to be professor of Middle Eastern Studies for an accredited university, then a simple follow up check at the university’s website should vouch for the credibility of that claim. Blogs that I toss out as having no credibility are those with no blogger profile listed or just a name attached to it. Another credibility indication is if mainstream media has links to or quotes a certain blog, you can trust that they’ve done their research in confirming that the blogger is qualified and credible.

Best and Worst, Part 5

2005-10-14T13:30:00.000-04:00

The Best
This is one of the best websites I found with information concerning the ITC revolution taking place in Afghanistan. It is the Asia and Far East page from the USAID government website.

Is the content credible? Yes. It is from a U.S. government source.
Is the content current? Yes. The articles are updated daily.
Is the content useful? Yes. A wide range of topics are covered, and while only some are useful from my perspective, they are filled with information and details that other sites do not provide.
Is the content interesting? Yes. They are presented in an article format and provide pictures and resource-rich content.

The Worst
I would not call this the worst website on the subject, just a bad representation of the project that is taking place. This is Microsoft’s PressPass page dedicated to Microsoft’s work with the UN Development Programme in which they are providing services to nations such as Afghanistan to help integrate communication technology into the Afghani way of life.

Is the content credible? Yes, it is from Microsoft.
Is the content current? No, it has not been updated since it was originally posted.
Is the content useful? Somewhat, it gives me an idea of what the program is designed to do and a quick outline of what they are planning, but a project of this magnitude could have a whole site dedicated to it.
Is the content interesting? Yes, I plan on highlighting this program in my research paper, but the press page gives me little information on the program. Also, the material is displayed in a press release format with no graphics whatsoever. All of the material on the page for Afghanistan is pasted below:

Microsoft and the UNDP are partnering to support the reconstruction of an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure in Afghanistan. Through Microsofts Unlimited Potential program, the partnership between Microsoft and the UNDP in Afghanistan has begun to address the urgent requirement for technology skills and investment. As it moves forward, the program will begin to encompass a wider segment of society, until basic computer literacy begins to filter through the workforce and beyond.

With a train-the-trainer program also initiated by the Microsoft Unlimited Potential program to support the basic curriculum and training of the community technology and learning centers (CTLCs), the objective is to keep a steady flow of fresh knowledge filtering through from visiting experts to the UNDP trainers, then through to civil servants studying to their colleagues.

Starting from basics such as "Using a Mouse," the program soon unearthed a number of talented and determined Afghani youth who quickly became trainers for the program. Many of these young people had been trained and employed in surrounding countries, and had recently returned to play their part in the reconstruction of their country.
Through various UNDP partner organizations, Ministry of Womens Affairs, Ministry of Communications and other centers throughout Afghanistan, people are receiving IT skills training. An estimated 11,500 individuals will receive training through this partnership within the first year.

Best and Worst, Part 4

2005-10-13T09:56:00.000-04:00

The Best
This is one of the best websites I found with information concerning the ITC revolution taking place in Iraq. It is the Iraqi news page for the LA Times. It carries many articles about Iraq, several of which have information on ITC.

Is the content credible? Yes. The LA Times is a credible news source.
Is the content current? Yes. The articles are updated daily.
Is the content useful? Yes. A wide range of topics are covered, but only some are technology articles.
Is the content interesting? Yes. They read and look like any article would from an online news source.

The Worst
This is one of the worst websites I found with information concerning the ITC revolution taking place in Iraq. It is a blog claiming to be about technology and societal issues in Iraq, but mainly focuses on the two as separate things, and even then only touches on the subjects. Most of the posts about Iraq quickly turn to bashing the Bush Administration and only offer opinions without relevant links that support the information.

Is the content credible? No, just a blogger’s opinion with no supporting links.
Is the content current? Yes, he posts pretty regularly
Is the content useful? No. The majority of the articles have nothing to do with the technology angle and focus more on the blogger’s opinion of the Bush Administration.
Is the content interesting? Not really.

Best and Worst, Part 3

2005-10-12T13:41:00.000-04:00

The Best
This is one of the best websites I found with information concerning the ITC revolution taking place in Afghanistan. It is the homepage for the Afghanistan Times, which is written in English and published by the World News Network.

Is the content credible? Yes. The World News Network is a credible news source, reaching 12 million visitors daily.
Is the content current? Yes. The articles are updated daily.
Is the content useful? Yes. A wide range of topics specific to Afghanistan are covered including pages dedicated to stories about technology.
Is the content interesting? Yes. Although the individual article sites determine how they are displayed, most of them are up to the standards a user would expect when viewing an article online.

The Worst
This is one of the worst websites I found with information concerning the ITC revolution taking place in Afghanistan. It is an RSS feed for articles written about the topic of Afghanistan and technology, so I thought it would be a valuable site. The reality is that most of the articles have nothing to do with the topic.

Is the content credible? Yes, multiple news sources are
Is the content current? Yes, articles are updated daily.
Is the content useful? No. The majority of the articles have nothing to do with the technology angle and focus more on top news stories from the region.
Is the content interesting? Somewhat, but does not fulfill my purposes of visiting it.

What issues have you encountered in incorporating a blogroll and web filtering into your own weblog?

2005-10-12T09:25:00.000-04:00

The main issue that I had in creating a blogroll was that I don’t read many blogs. I read a couple for entertainment purposes, but have only just begun to look at blogs dealing in my research topic, of which there are very few. Actually setting up the blogroll was simple (www.blogrolling.com), but finding content that I feel comfortable enough with to vouch for in my blog has been difficult. I do think the blogs that I link to do have value, and although all don’t lead to a blog specifically about my research topic, they are entertaining nonetheless.

The web filtering portion of the assignment was much easier for me because I have been actively involved in researching websites for my topic. I feel much more confident directing any readers to these sites because I have more familiarity with them than I do the with the blogs on my blogroll.

What problems or issues have you encountered in reading blogrolls on various weblogs?

2005-10-11T16:07:00.000-04:00

The inherent problem with blogrolls is that they, by definition, are links to blogs that the author of another blog reads and likes. If I am looking for a comprehensive view of an issue and I am reading someone’s opinion on their blog about it, the links they are likely to provide me are links to other blogs that support their arguments. While most informed people know this going in, it could create a problem for the less informed, or even deny people the opportunity to see the other side’s point of view. It’s healthy and enlightening to read different people’s opinions on the same idea. It’s very easy to succumb to the rut of staying on the websites that don’t challenge your thinking, and if you keep to the blogs that link to one another this can easily happen. Blogrolls, like blogs, have to be taken with some perspective in mind. The writer is steering the reader in the direction that they want them to go, and it is important to realize this going in.

How does technology ease or make difficult the dissemination of information?

2005-10-11T15:58:00.000-04:00

Whether we are talking about the advent of radio, TV, the internet, or features such as RSS, technology makes staying informed easier than ever. However, if a person is not up on the latest technological advances in each of these media forms (or wealthy enough to have access to them) it can make keeping up difficult. The latest and greatest in radio is subscription satellite service, TV has practically become all-digital and will soon move to an all-HD format, high-speed internet access is a must if you want to use all the new features that seem to come out or change weekly. People who are “behind the times” now will only see the digital divide grow and grow.

In America, the answer is to educate children early in their elementary school years about how to use technology and to foster an environment that makes them want to seek out and learn more about new technology. The alternative is to create two classes in America, those in the know and those in the dark. The digital divide will become the information divide as technology is used more and more to disseminate information.

Best and Worst, Part 2

2005-10-11T11:01:00.000-04:00

The Best
This is one of the best websites I found with information concerning the ITC revolution taking place in Iraq. It is a site that compiles and provides links to articles from various media outlets and groups such as the World Bank that concern my research topic.

Is the content credible? Yes. Because the site contains links to articles by various reputable, and well known news outlets, as well as some obscure ones. It is not filled with opinion pieces.
Is the content current? Yes. The articles have dates ranging from 2002 to last week, and the site is updated as new articles are written about the topics.
Is the content useful? Yes. A wide range of topics and specifics are covered that fall under the umbrella of emerging technology in Iraq. It content is accessible and useful for a number of different audiences.
Is the content interesting? Yes. Although the individual article sites determine how they are displayed, most of them are up to the standards a user would expect when viewing an article online. The interface of the main page is simple and succinct, providing the article title, link, and the introductory paragraph.

The Worst
This is one of the worst websites I found with information concerning the ITC revolution taking place in Iraq, and embarrassingly, it belong to their embassy.

Is the content credible? Yes, but there isn’t any (which in a way illustrated the problem, I guess)
Is the content current? No, the last time stamp is dated April 2004
Is the content useful? No. There is very little information, and none of the links work. Here is the list of nonworking links:
New Projects Iraq Websites American websites
Is the content interesting? No. Not enough information or specific details.

Best and Worse, Part 1

2005-10-10T15:37:00.000-04:00

The Best
This is one of the best websites I found with information concerning the ITC revolution taking place in Afghanistan. It is a site that compiles and provides links to articles from various media outlets and groups such as the World Bank that concern my research topic.

Is the content credible? Yes. Because the site contains links to articles by various reputable, and well known news outlets, as well as some obscure ones. It is not filled with opinion pieces.
Is the content current? Yes. The articles have dates ranging from 2002 to a few months ago, and the site is updated as new articles are written about the topics.
Is the content useful? Yes. A wide range of topics and specifics are covered that fall under the umbrella of emerging technology in Afghanistan. It content is accessible and useful for a number of different audiences.
Is the content interesting? Yes. Although the individual article sites determine how they are displayed, most of them are up to the standards a user would expect when viewing an article online. The interface of the main page is simple and succinct, providing the article title, link, and the introductory paragraph.

The Worst
This is one of the worst websites I found with information concerning the ITC revolution taking place in Afghanistan, and embarrassingly, it belong to their embassy.

Is the content credible? Yes, but there isn’t any (which in a way illustrated the problem, I guess)
Is the content current? No, just a blurb written who knows when.
Is the content useful? No. Here it is in its entirety:
Information and Communications Technology (ICT) is an increasingly powerful necessity for participating in a globalized world. ICT describes the use of various technologies among which are the internet, the telephone infrastructure and broadcast media that make information and communication services available to a wide range of users. Web portals e.g. are extending to government the business concept of 7 x 24 x 365 (being available seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year).
In regards to the Embassy of Afghanistan, promoting transparency, enhancing the flow of information, improving the delivery of basic services and increasing the productivity of labor are only a few of the possibilities which ICT offers.
Is the content interesting? No. Not enough information or specific details.

My Blogroll Explained

2005-10-10T13:55:00.000-04:00

From the Beat Croft, Shetland Isles

Tom Mortan is a radio personality for the BBC in Scotland. He’s also an avid cyclist, which is what really interests me about his blog. I’ve love cycling and I’ve visited Scotland, but never cycled in Scotland, and his blog provides some insight to his experiences doing just that. The Scottish country side is absolutely beautiful and his pictures really capture it well.

My Boring-Ass Life

Kevin Smith is a filmmaker from New Jersey living in Hollywood. Some of his films include Clerks, Chasing Amy, and Dogma, and he has a core concentration of fans that cannot be rivaled by any other director in Hollywood. He is also one of the most accessible famous people that I have ever seen. A friend of mine has done some camera work for him and turned me onto his blog. It is pretty vulgar, but extremely entertaining.

Paul Shirley’s Road Ramblings

Paul Shirley is a benchrider for the Phoenix Suns NBA team (at least for now, he’s always on the cusp of being cut). He is also an excellent writer and has a knack for capturing the details of life in the NBA that can’t be seen by watching superstars slam dunk on TV. He is a humble guy, and a way better writer than he is an athlete.

Healing Iraq

This is a photoblog by an anonymous photographer in Iraq. He never identifies himself on the site, and provides only this quote for non-photo content "It is useless to attempt to reason a man out of what he was never reasoned into." Jonathan Swift. I just recently came across it, and really enjoy seeing pictures from Iraq that are not blood and guts or something on fire, which is about all you can see on the news. I like how lets the pictures speak for themselves, but you have to take the photographers word for his translation of the signs written in Arabic.

Google News

Google News is where I now get all my online news. I love the look and feel of this site and have moved away from USA Today.com and CNN.com because of it.

Best and Worst of the Web

2005-10-10T13:16:00.000-04:00

For each day this week (Monday-Friday), I will be posting a best website and worst website as they pertain to my topic of research, the growing technology in post-war Iraq and Afghanistan. The four standards by which I am measuring whether a website qualifies as a “best of” or “worst of,” is as follows:

Is the content credible? Who owns the website and creates the content? Is it from a credible source such as a government agency, media entity, or person with specific knowledge (and credentials) about the subject matter? Or is it from someone with no impartiality, with conflicts of interest, or is it simply an uniformed opinion piece?
Is the content current? Are specific dates given for articles? Is the website updated regularly? I’m not interested in information that is old and outdated.
Is the content useful? Does the website give us news or simply rehash existing materials? Does the content give and overall view of the situation as well as specific details? Is it useful for multiple audiences or are only experts or beginners allowed for?
Is the content interesting? Does the website present the material in a way that facilitates learning and interest? Features like photos, lists, and graphical elements capture the audience’s attention and illustrate points in a way that text cannot.

Britain's 7-point Strategy for Closing Their Digitial Divide

2005-10-04T18:53:00.000-04:00

I ran across an interesting article on what the British government is doing to close the digital divide in their country. They have a seven-point strategy that is as follows:

Ensure information and communication technology plays a central role in education, with all pupils given a ‘virtual learning space' to store their work and improved access to computers at home.
A 'Digital Challenge' for local authorities and their private sector partners to provide universal local access to services by 2008, using IT.
A new national internet safety centre to tackle online crime, involving the police and charities and relying on industry support to build on government funding.
Promote the creation of innovative broadband content, including guidance on broadband content procurement by the public sector.
Cross-government strategy for how the public sector can use modern technology to deliver services.
A greater role for Ofcom in monitoring the take-up of broadband, particularly among disadvantaged groups.
New policies to close the digital divide, with support for adult learners, improvements to home computing initiatives and ensuring all government Web sites meet accessibility needs.

Of these seven, the first bullet is the part of the plan that I believe will be the most effective. It’s hard to think in terms of abandoning the current members of the population who were not taught in schools with internet access, but I think the adult learning initiative in bullet seven helps to make up for that.

In a press release by the British government this surprising statistic can be found:

“By the end of this summer, 99 per cent of the population will have access to broadband and the rate of broadband adoption exceeds the rates of adoption seen for mains electricity, colour TV and mobile phones.”

The Brits have decided to skip ahead to outfitting the majority of the country with broadband rather than wait for the demand to progress from dial-up access. Being that England is a relatively small country with a great deal of resources at their disposal this is a good plan for them. I would think that the expense for the US government to do something like this would be massive and take years to undertake. The budget for the British plan is $150 million pounds, which doesn’t seem excessive to me.

Some further digging found this little nugget in an article from Computing Magazine online, “In order to meet its targets on broadband access the government has reclassified broadband speeds from 256Mbps to 128Mbps.” While it’s great that the British government is spending time and resources to close the digital divide in their country, they can’t change the definition of “broadband access” to suit their goals. Lowering the standards to meet a timeline seems like a mistake to me. I’m not an IT guy, so I don’t know what it would take to move back up to 256 later on, but with a 128 connection you run the risk of losing interest due to a poorer quality product. It’s true that this is better than nothing and better than most people around the world have, but it seems to deflate the sails of the project a bit.

The Effects of Emerging Technologies in Post-war Afghanistan and Iraq

2005-09-21T10:28:00.000-04:00

I am interested in exploring how the societies in Afghanistan and Iraq have changes or are changing with the new freedoms that technological advancement allows. I know that as the cities become rebuilt in these nations after their respective wars, they are being rebuilt with the technological needs of the citizens in mind. The cities are being wired for WiFi, for example. Through my research, I would like to answer the following questions: What major changes or additions to technology have occurred in both these regions? What do these advancements mean in terms of promoting democracy among the people? And what problems go along with the rapid technological advancement of these societies, i.e., religious, legal, societal implications? My target audience for this research will be the readers of a national newspaper or magazine. I believe they would be interested to learn exactly what services the United States and its allies are providing to these countries, how they differ based on their differences between these two countries, and what the citizens of Afghanistan and Iraq think about these changes.

Key Words:
Iraq
Afghanistan
Technology
Internet
Blogs
Citizen Reporting
Government Regulation
Infrastructure
Rebuilding

Initial Research:
Web address: http://www.usaid.gov/locations/asia_near_east/
afghanistan/infrastructure.html
Brief description: This website is the Afghanistan homepage for the USAID site. Along with providing up-to-date information on the rebuilding efforts of individual cities, this website also links to several US government sites that have information on rebuilding Afghanistan (i.e. State Department, Congressional Budget). The site also has some first-person account stories from people on the ground and involved in rebuilding.

Web address:
http://www.academicinfo.net/afghanmeta.html
Brief description: This website is an excellent resource for finding a multitude of information on the rebuilding of Afghanistan. There are links to rebuilding plans by the US State Department and the Islamic Transitional State of Afghanistan, as well as the Center on International Cooperation which has a great deal of articles about these topics. There are also links to various press agencies and news articles focusing on the topic of rebuilding.

Web address:
http://www.bechtel.com/iraq.htm
Brief description: This website is actually maintained the Bechtel Corporation, which has many rebuilding contracts in Iraq. The site provides a list of projects and status reports from the field. Bechtel has rebuilding contracts in the areas of airports, bridges, facilities, ports, power, telecommunications, rail, and water. There are also several links to articles outlining various projects, most interestingly the telecommunications projects. Although this site is managed by a corporation, I still find it very useful in detailing specific rebuilding projects in Iraq.

Web address:
http://www.rebuilding-iraq.net
Brief description: This website is for The Iraq Project and Contracting Office. From the site: “The Iraq Project and Contracting Office (PCO) manages the $18.4 billion appropriated by the U.S. Congress to support the reconstruction of Iraqi infrastructure. This office is responsible for all activities associated with program, project, asset, construction and financial management of that portion of the reconstruction effort undertaken by the U.S.” The site has a press center with articles detailing the effort, as well as a projects solicitation site where new projects are outlined.

Web address:
http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn1817
Brief description: This website is an article reproduction from the print edition of New Scientist entitled “Afghanistan to be rebuilt from bottom up.” This article discusses the technological advances in the region in regards to the small villages where 85 percent of the population lives, rather than the cities which get more attention. The article relays plans to build solar powered electric grids for the villages, where, until now, electricity was scarce and the source of it was often gas powered generators.

Course Wrap-up

2005-04-22T15:37:00.000-04:00

Changed Writing
Prior to enrolling in the course I had no experience writing for the web whatsoever. I came in as an English major used to writing in the MLA style where complexity of sentence structure is more often rewarded than not. The idea of bulleted lists and stylized text was hard for me to swallow at first, but I found myself enjoying the style more and more as the semester went on. It's also been a while since I wrote anything more than an email so it felt good to knock some of the rust off and flex those writing muscles again. I found the writing assignments to be both challenging and rewarding and started to remember why I majored in English as an undergrad rather than lamenting that fact since I get no use out of it at my current job.

Useful Knowledge
Learning a new style of writing is the aspect of this course that will serve me the most. Looking back at some of my clips from my college paper, I noticed that that research paper style is present in most of my journalism writing. As my company moves towards revamping their website and adding interactive features, I've been tossing the idea around with some of our marketing people about the addition of a blog that could inform clients of adult education issues or developments. If they choose to go in that direction, this could mean more writing responsibilities for me, which is my ultimate reason for enrolling in this program.

Unanswered Questions
The main area that I struggle with is html and blog formatting in general. Because this was my first class in the certificate program, I'm sure that will be remedied when I enroll in the design course in the future. I also struggled between Mac and PC platforms and found myself going to my office on weekends to work on my PC rather than my Mac at home. I'm not very practiced at creating a presentation that is visually appealing and beneficial to an audience.

Enhancement Suggestions
While this suggestion may only stem from my limited experience, I would have liked more of a focus to be on writing rather than design principles, mainly because I struggled with them. All and all I truly enjoyed this course and learned a great deal not only about the content we covered, but about how this program works and what type of work is expected from me. Thanks BC, I really enjoyed it.

Hummer's Advertising Strategy

2005-04-17T11:02:00.000-04:00

Building the Hummer brand
General Motors’ Hummer division was launched in 1991 with the introduction of the $150,000 H1 über sport utility vehicle based on the US military’s HUMVEE vehicle that replaced the Jeep in 1979. Almost 15 years later, Hummer has added the $50,000 H2 model, and is set to unveil the $30,000 H3 this summer.

With only 3 vehicles in its line-up, Hummer has worked very hard at cultivating a brand image among auto manufacturers that is similar to Harley-Davidson among motorcycles, one that is niche, hard-core, known for quality, and not for everyone. Despite the fact that sticker prices have made owning a Hummer a status symbol, with H1 model owners more likely to be rappers in New York City than Rocky Mountain off-road enthusiasts, Hummer’s ads cater exclusively to the latter audience focusing on off-road performance and the manufacturing testing that leads to this performance ability.

Currently, Hummer only advertises one of the three models, the H2. This will probably change once the H3 is released, but they currently have no ads (that I could locate) for the H1, elevating it to sports car status with the customers-must-seek-us-out mentality. Despite this, Hummer wants the public to view its brand as rugged, capable, and powerful.

TV, print, and internet advertising
Hummer only runs a comprehensive ad campaign for it’s H2 model, with the H1 regulated to it’s website, and the H3 just beginning to show up in ads (with the sole message being affordability). The H2 ads are all about rugged off-road performance, no matter what medium the ads appear in. The tagline “Hummer, Like Nothing Else,” appears throughout these ads and aptly illustrates the message Hummer is trying to convey to its audience.

The TV ads almost exclusively show the H2 in desolate, off-road environments either bounding over boulders in the mountains, powering up steep inclines to get to a campsite, or speeding through snowy wastelands in Antarctica. One of the company’s most popular spots according to medialifemagazine.com (and the most memorable to me personally) was the “Happy Jack” ad that first appeared during the Super Bowl in January 2003. Set to The Who song Happy Jack, the spot opens with a young boy carefully crafting a Hummer go-cart in his garage. As the boy arrives at the starting line for a go-cart race with other children, his competition smirks at his large, clunky Hummer as they sit smugly in brightly painted replicas of sports cars. When the race starts, the Hummer is quickly beaten off the starting line by the faster Ferrari replicas, but veers off the road and down a steep countryside hill beating the faster carts to the finish line as the crowd cheers him on. The commercial never shows an actual H2, but tows the company line of off-road performance very effectively.

The print ads appear frequently in men’s magazines like Maxim, Sports Illustrated, and Details, and are offshoots of the TV ads, usually pictures of the H2 in action in an off-road environment. The picture quality is excellent in these full page spots, showcasing the vehicle in various positions (i.e. one wheel off the ground as it leaps over a rocky outcrop), and I have seen them collected and taped like mini-posters to dorm room walls almost with the frequency of the Absolute Vodka ads. Here again, Hummer builds its brand as a quality off-road performer.

The internet ads are usually seen in banners surrounding the pages of sites like ESPN.com and CNNSI.com. The banners convey movement to the audience and are usually developed in Flash, showing the H2 in action for a moment before zooming in on the Hummer badge and directing the audience to the website. Again, the off-road message is hammered home, but these ads tend to be more informative with messages touting changes in model features that can be found at Hummer.com.

Through these mediums, Hummer has found an advertising campaign that works, seldom veers from their message of off-road capability, and is stylistically appealing outside its customer base.

Website uses
The promotion of www.hummer.com is evident in the TV, print, and online ads as the message “visit hummer.com” appears somewhere during or on the ad no matter what the medium used. Hummer uses their website much like other manufactures, by having a dealer locator, build your vehicle function, and a great deal of information on off-road performance. But there is a large part of their website devoted to merchandise that is not typically found at other auto sites. Hummer’s ads most likely have contributed to the popularity of the merchandise since most of the world can’t afford to own a vehicle (although this is changing), but admire the brand for the image that it holds. As the vehicle line up expands, so should the website, I’d recommend adding some of the pricing and financing features that Ford has to the site. But overall, Hummer.com is effective and consistent with the image their ads promote.

Improvement suggestions
Overall, Hummer does an excellent job reaching its target audience. I think the psychology of ads work to appeal to the off-road enthusiast in all of us rather than focusing on real, off-roaders. The majority of people who buy Hummers may have the image in their heads of racing up a mountain trail, but the majority of Hummers will never leave the streets. Hummer appeals to the everyman in that the ads focus on styling and potential, they do not give details like axel strength, for example, that only the enthusiast would appreciate. The facts that Hummers have become status symbols and are highly recognizable vehicles work towards these principles.

Where I have doubts is in the direction of the ad campaign for the H3, touting affordability as the main selling feature. Hummer fans already lament watering-down the brand with less capable, more mainstream vehicles. They fear that the Hummer name will become comparable to Jeep, where what started as a niche brand committed to off-road performance has become the soccer-mom standard that you see a dozen times or more on the road just during your morning commute. Fans’ fears are further increased by Hummer’s recent announcement to release an H4 model in 2007 designed to compete with the Jeep Wrangler.

Hummer may lose the image they have successfully marketed through their ad campaigns not by any marketing change in message, but through product growth and expansion. Right now they seem to be doing everything perfectly to promote their brand, but as their products change, their message will change. In fact, it has already started—they’ve linked a word to their image that was once blasphemy at Hummer: affordability.

Case Study: Automotive Divisions of the Ford Motor Company

2005-04-09T12:36:00.000-04:00

The Ford Motor Company (FMC) has many different divisions and brands under its corporate umbrella. Each of these brands identifies their publics as customers or future customers of their vehicles, but tailors their site for their individual (and sometimes very different) audience. We'll take a look at three very different divisions of FMC: Ford, Volvo, and Aston-Martin, and outline how their websites handle public relations issues.

Ford: http://www.fordvehicles.com/

Identifying Ford's publics
Ford has services available for two main audiences, customers interested in buying a Ford and people who are already owners of Fords. Identifies its audience as budget-conscious consumers by listing the pricing for all their vehicles and exactly how much the payments would be for a specific vehicle with specific options. They also list a variety of financing incentives available to their publics. Ford’s high production vehicles range in price from approximately $14,000-$40,000.

Serving Ford’s publics
For the audience interested in buying a Ford, the following services are offered by the website:

Build and price a new vehicle
Locate a dealership near the customer
Financing options
Payment calculators
Searchable dealer inventories
Pictures of all vehicles including future vehicles
Certified pre-owned dealers
Rental car companies that rent Fords

For the audience who already owns a Ford, the following services are offered by the website:

A parts and services site
An accessories site
Information on extended service plans
Links to a separate site for Ford Owners

The sub-audience of Ford enthusiasts is hinted at by this site as it offers links to Ford Racing and merchandise such as hats and t-shirts.

Repeat visitors
Repeat visits to the site are encouraged by the changing line-up of vehicles and future vehicles, a press release link that gives the latest news, and by the constantly changing finance deals that are available for customers. The merchandise and racing information is also updated frequently.

Serving the media
Ford’s website makes an attempt to serve the media by including a news and events site that gives updates on noteworthy events and happenings at Ford. My guess is that the company uses other avenues to get press releases out to the media because the news and events site was last updated on March 10. They do include links to their environmental initiatives site and charities site but those do not include press releases either. They could include a page with press releases about new products, services, and events to improve this function of their website.

Volvo: http://www.volvocars.us/

Identifying its publics
Volvo’s audience mirrors Ford’s in that it is separated into two main categories, customers interested in buying a Volvo and people who are already owners of Volvos. Where Ford’s audience is the budget-conscious, Volvo’s seems to be a more quality-, safety-, and environmentally-conscious audience. Volvo makes this apparent by the sheer amount of information on safety testing, what they are doing to lessen the effects of manufacturing and driving on the environment, and how their vehicles are of a higher quality than their competitors. Whereas the Ford site is driven by how much their vehicles cost, the Volvo site has more comprehensive consumer information.

Serving Volvo’s publics
While Volvo’s website does offer the same or similar services as Ford, the three issues of quality, safety, and the environment are stressed with individual pages that have these services:

Quality

Details into product testing
Design details that serve the consumer
Why quality is important
A High Mileage Club for owners of Volvos with over 100,000 miles on them

Safety

Overview and approach to safety at Volvo
Safety features available in Volvos and why they are important
Safety features invented by Volvo
Information about the $80 million Safety Center at Volvo
The Volvo Saved My Life Club for people who were in accidents where it was proved that Volvo’s safety features were a contributing factor in saving their lives

Environmental Issues

Volvo’s approach to manufacturing with as little impact on the environment as possible
Volvo’s approach to reducing green house gas emissions and fuel consumption
The reuse and recycle program
Environmental innovations at Volvo
Volvo’s Environmental Product Declaration

Repeat visitors
Volvo’s website encourages repeat visitors with the same features that Ford’s does with an emphasis on changes in quality, safety, and environmental issues.

Serving the media
Where Volvo differs from Ford the most is in its service to the media. Volvo has a comprehensive news release page that is full of recent press releases and event updates (http://www.volvocars.us/_Tier3/AboutUs/NewsEvents/News/). Unlike Ford, Volvo provides a much greater service for the media and gears its releases around the three most important issues it’s brand promotes; quality, safety, and the environment.

Aston-Martin: http://www.astonmartin.com/home

Identifying Aston-Martin’s publics
Aston-Martin is different than Ford and Volvo in that it identifies its audience as people who can afford an Aston-Martin and people who admire Aston-Martins (from afar). The main audience is made up of consumers who can spend over $100,000 on a vehicle and are interested in performance and style.

Serving Aston-Martin’s publics
Aston-Martin takes a “you come to us” attitude with its publics. The website offers pictures and descriptions of their vehicles (with the focus on style and performance), and dealership locations with phone numbers and addressed only. It also provides information for parts and service maintenance. Other than that Aston-Martin’s audience is expected to come to them personally for any other services.

Repeat Visitors
Other than a updated photo presentation of Aston-Martins by prominent architectural structures and an updated line-up of vehicles, Aston-Martin does little to encourage repeat visits.

Serving the media
The “you come to us” tone that Aston-Martin takes towards its publics also applies to the media. On the Press and Public Affairs page the user is given an electronic form to fill out with specific inquires that will be forwarded to a company representative. I’m not sure how effective this method is, but it does allow the media to get written answers to specific questions, so I guess it’s better than nothing. A press site more like Volvo’s would be more beneficial, but I suppose that may take away from the company’s mystique.

Does your death void your email privacy rights?

2005-03-26T23:45:00.000-05:00

The case

Recently, Lance Corporal Justin Ellsworth died in the war in Iraq. His parents, wanting access to his last communications for a scrapbook dedicated to his life, asked his private email provider (Yahoo!) for access to his account. Yahoo! denied the family’s request citing their company’s privacy policy of not allowing an outside party access to a member’s account and another internal policy stating that accounts are terminated upon the user’s death. Recognizing that this case has farther-reaching legal implications than their internal policies, Yahoo! encouraged the Ellsworths to let the courts decide the issue. The case is currently pending. According to IP Law and Business Magazine, this is the first case of its kind, and brings a number of legal questions to mind.

The legal questions

Had Corporal Ellsworth printed off his emails and stored them with his belongings this wouldn’t be an issue, the emails would be considered part of his personal effects and turned over to his family with the rest of his estate. The family is arguing that because of this the account should be part of his estate. Yahoo! argues that they own the account and that when Corporal Ellsworth signed up for their service he agreed to their terms of use (which state that they own the account). No case like this has ever been tried, and ownership and privacy issues surrounding email and other electronic communication may be decided once and for all in the near future.

The privacy issue

One side of this argument is being championed by privacy advocates. What if you don’t want to your family to have access to your emails after you die? If you have an account with most (if not all) major email providers, you agreed to their terms of service which state that your account information will never be turned over to a third party, Knowing this, wouldn’t you expect that the communications you are making through email can never be accessed by your parents or spouse? Suppose the courts rule that an email account is property of a person’s estate when they die, there is potential for a large amount of information that a person would not want to divulge to their family that could be divulged through their emails. Suppose a spouse learns of infidelity, or worse, misconstrues an email as evidence of infidelity because he or she is given access to their spouse’s account, and the deceased’s image is tarnished forever.

According to and article by an Army Judge Advocate posted on the Electronic Freedom Foundation’s website, the military has begun to tell soldiers in war zones that if they want their families to have access to their email accounts in the event of their death that they should give them their username and password. In this case, Corporal Ellsworth did not share that information with his family.

The precedent

When someone dies, his or her regular (snail) mail becomes property of their estate, and is free to be opened by their next of kin. The same is true with private diaries or journals kept by the deceased. Anyone who saw the movie The Bridges of Madison County knows that if you write about an affair in your diary and you die, your children are most likely going to read it. These are private communications, so why does email get a special protection?

Historians argue that private correspondence between people give later generations an insight into the past. Excerpts from letters from presidents to their friends and families are printed in school history books, and books filled with private letters from Civil War soldiers to their families have been best sellers. If the user only stores their emails in their accounts, these communications are lost upon their death, and no future generations will be able to access them.

The solution

I would argue that email accounts should not be made a part of a person’s estate after their death. The answer to this problem can be solved through public awareness. In the event that the deceased leaves no instructions for their email accounts, access to them should not be granted to anyone. Hopefully, this case will educate the public about this issue and what provisions can be taken in the event that one wishes for their account to be accessed by their next of kin. People can add usernames and passwords for their accounts to their wills if they want their family to have access to them, or they can simply print the emails out that they deem important or store them electronically on their hard drives. A blanket law that allows any third party access to an email account does violate the user’s privacy rights, and should not be granted by the courts.

Bibliography

Kopetski, Matthew. “US Army Memo on Safeguarding Email Privacy in Case of Death,” Electronic Frontier Foundation. Available online: http://www.eff.org/Privacy/Email_Internet_Web/
memo_to_soldiers.php.
Accessed 25 March 2005.

Rasch, Mark, “Should e-mail accounts perish along with their owners? A corporal's death starts a conversation about electronic rights,” IP Law and Business, Vol. 5, No. 3. March 15, 2005.

Bibliography

2005-03-13T21:45:00.000-05:00

Beeson, Patrick, “Blogging; What is it? And how has it affected the media?,” Quill v.93, no.2 (March 2005): 16-19.

This article explores the coming to power aspect of my project, as well as how tradional media can compete with bloggers. From the article: Gillmor’s citizen journalism is perhaps the closest reference to how blogs could merge with traditional journalism, resulting in participatory journalism.

Callahan, Sean, “Creating Community; Blogs help b-to-b publishers connect with their audiences,” Media Business Magazine, 12 September 2004.

This article delves into the money aspects of blogs, how they bring in revenue, and what they offer their advertisers. I think this will be helpful as I explore the business questions in my research project.

Gillmor, Dan, “Here Comes ‘We Media,’” Columbia Journalism Review, Issue 1 January/February 2003.

This article illustrates the writing-style differences between tradional newspapers and blogs, and why each is important.

McDonough, Siobhan, “NAA Prez: Newspapers Are Ultimate 'Push' Media,” Editor and Publisher, April 21, 2004.

This is a short article that touches on a speech given my the NAA president where he encourages newspapers to incorporate a TiVO-like process to bring in audiences. From the article, “John Sturm, speaking at the group's annual meeting Wednesday, said people are demanding instant content on what matters to them, and that newspapers have to exploit the latest technology to provide it.” This may give me a few ideas on where newspapers could head for future success.

Glaser, Mark, “Blogsploitation: Big Media Try to Steal Bloggers' Thunder at DNC,” Online Journalism Review. Available online: http://ojr.org/ojr/glaser/1091135192.php. Accessed 10 March 2005.

This article describes some of the tactics that traditional media have tried to combat bloggers’ popularity. From the article: “The Associated Press launched its first Weblog ever for the convention, with veteran salt Walter Mears at the helm. CNN.com launched its first blog, a group effort by producers at the confab. The respected National Journal started a group blog that was open to the public (their site is usually subscription-only).”

Oxfeld, Jesse, “Letting the Blogs Out,” Editor and Publisher, March 1, 2005.

This is a very helpful article and case study on the Greensboro News & Record and how the publishers are incorporating blogs and the newspaper with great success. Lists specific programs that the paper is implementing and the success rates of them.

Rodzvilla, John, ed. We've got blog: how weblogs are changing our culture. Cambridge, MA: Perseus Publications, 2002.

This book is actually checked out from UNC and Duke libraries, but I was able to order it from Amazon.com for 66 cents. Based on the abstract, I think it will be helpful in exploring more issues about the challenges to traditional media that blogs are creating.

Seipp, Catherine, “Online Uprising,” American Journalism Review, June 2002.

This article explores both the down and upsides to blogs, as well as how they may take readership from newspapers, but have to do some adjusting themselves before they become the revolution many say they have already become.

Seelye, Katherine, “Bloggers as News Media Trophy Hunters,” New York Times
14 February 2005, late ed.: C1.

This article from the New York Times delves into the issues surrounding Eason Jordan’s resignation from CNN after comments he made at the World Economic Forum about the US military targeting journalists in Iraq. The article contains an interview with the blogger who broke the story and touches on how he was able to do it when other journalists were either unwilling or unable to report on the story because he believes they wanted to protect their own or because there was confusion about the session being off the record. This helps to illustrate the power aspect of my project.

Step, Carl, “Why Do People Read Newspapers?,” American Journalism Review December/January 2004. Available online: http://www.ajr.org/Article.asp?id=3505 Accessed 10 March 2005.

From the abstract: “A massive research effort by the NAA- and ASNE-backed Readership Institute endeavored to find out. Now newspapers are heeding some of the findings in an effort to reverse the persistent circulation slide.” This is helpful in the business aspect of my project. It will help me to create a successful blueprint for newspapers in the 21st century.

Wasserstein, Ben. “Bloggers’ ‘Moment’ Doesn’t Make for a Revolution; It’s an Internet win, but far from traditional journalism’s death knell,” Los Angeles Times, 19 September 2004, home ed.: M1.

This is an opinion piece from the LA Times that illustrates the attitude that some members have in traditional media outlets have towards bloggers: that basically, they got lucky with a few stories, but are not the future of journalism. This piece also gives a timeline to the CBS document scandal that I am going to use to illustrate the importance of blogs in my research project.

University Logos and Semiotics

2005-03-08T17:53:00.000-05:00

The importance of semiotics can be illustrated by looking at the logos that companies and institutions spend tens of thousands of dollars creating and millions of dollars promoting. Below are example of two university logos and a short semiotic analysis of what they communicate.

The University of Northern Iowa:

UNI
Originally uploaded by mcgregor68.

Most colleges and universities choose logos that convey the message of academia and prestige. One of the easiest ways for a university to do this is to feature a building that is easily associated with their campus. UNI uses two architectural elements in their logo, the campanile (the most recognizable building on campus) and one of the uniquely-designed windows of the Rod Student Library. A deeper analysis shows that the viewer is looking at the campanile from inside the library which connotes learning and studying. The fact that the campanile is a clock tower connotes time, as if the message is saying “spend your time in college with us.” The tree next to the campanile is an evergreen, perhaps chosen to convey the idea gaining something (an education) that is lasting. The fact that the sun is either setting or rising presents the idea of change, either a new beginning or an end.

The University of North Carolina-Charlotte:

UNCC_logo
Originally uploaded by mcgregor68.

This logo would have different meanings to different people. For a person unfamiliar with Charlotte, the graphic would seem to represent a tree or a leaf, possibly symbolizing life or growth. People who are familiar with the area know that Charlotte is the Queen City, and that the graphic is an abstract crown. The fact that the crown is leveled and branching out connotes multiculturalism and different paths coming from a single source. The jewel at the top of the crown could represent the student or the goal of achieving a degree. The fact that the C in Charlotte is emphasized but still attached to the UNC in the text illustrates a separation from the main campus, while remaining connected.

I’m sure that a different person looking at these logos could come up with different meanings than me, but I think there are some core messages being conveyed that are universal. These two small case studies show the importance of semiotics and how deep the messages of seemingly simple objects can go.

Editing a print article for online publication

2005-03-06T11:52:00.000-05:00

Tasmania: Australia's Best Kept Secret
by Richard Busch
from National Geographic Traveler magazine, October 2004

The original article can be found at: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/traveler/articles/

Article abstract: The article presents a brief history of the Australian island state of Tasmania, whose history was shaped by the presence of numerous penal colonies created by the British in the early 1800s. The reader is taken on a clockwise journey around the perimeter of the island and given an overview of the major cosmopolitan and wilderness destinations in Tasmania.

Tasmania Facts (from the Busch article):

Small, heart-shaped island 150 miles south of the Australian mainland
Famous for the Tasmanian Devil, a high-strung marsupial made popular by the cartoon
Population of 470,000
Capital city is Hobart
Land area about the size of West Virginia
Landscape is made up of mountains, gorges, lakes, rivers, dense rain forests, beaches,grassy moorlands, and plateaus
Nearly 1/3 of Tasmania is protected within 14 national parks and reserves
Named for Abel Tasman who landed on the island in 1642 while working for the Dutch East Indian Company
Site of numerous British penal colonies established in the early 1800s
Remains of Aboriginal sites date back 35,000 years

Suggested hyperlinks: http://www.discovertasmania.com.au/ and http://www.tas.gov.au/

Penal History:

Port Arthur was the largest of the British penal colonies on the island
England shipped prisoners to colonies like Port Arthur in response to rampant crime and prison overpopulation in the mid 1800s, this practice was called "transportation"
Transportation saw prisoners taken on overcrowded, disease-ridden 15,000 mile ship voyages that left many dead
Port Arthur in Hobart operated as a penal colony for 47 years and housed 13,000 prisoners
Prisoners built ships by day and slept in stone cells
Punishments for infractions at the colonies were severe, public floggings were commonplace
Long stretches of solitary confinement caused some prisoners to go insane
Port Arthur is now a National Historic Site and is one of the most visited destinations in Australia

City and Town Destinations Explored:

Capital city of Hobart, population 185,000
Founded in 1804 on the banks of the Derwent River
Hobart has a large town feel, rather than city--very little traffic
Hobart has over 90 historic buildings, including the Theatre Royal, the oldest in Australia
Large harbor area with a multitude of vessels
Hobart's Salamanca Place houses stylish shops, galleries, restaurants, and a bustling open-air market
Hobart has a mellow, welcoming atmosphere

Frontier village of Strahan (pronounced Strawn), population 600
Founded in 1883 as a shipping port for a copper mine
Tour boats available to Sarah Island penal colony--a hard to access island used to house the most hardened criminals
Home of huon pines, which can live up to 4,000 years
Melancholy atmosphere made up of dilapidated buildings

Suggested hyperlink: http://www.westcoasttourism.com.au/strahan.htm

Colonial town of Ross, population 300
Founded in the 1820s as an outpost for convicts engaged in building the countries
infrastructure
Ross Bridge, built by a convict, is one of the most famous in Australia
Sleepy, small town atmosphere

Suggested hyperlink: www.rosstasmania.com/

Wilderness Destinations Explored:

Mount Field National Park is made up of several ecosystems from swamps
to mountains
Park is 46 miles west of Hobart
Some activities include hiking, white-water rafting, and camping
Russel Falls, a steep rock-faced waterfall
Lake Dobson, a 3,363 elevation glacier-carved lake
Swamp gum, sphagnum moss, tea trees, eucalyptus, pencil pines, King Billy pines, and wallabies are some of the plants and animals that can be seen in the park

Suggested hyperlink: http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/natparks/mtfield/

Cradle Mountain-Lake St. Clair National Park
Home of the island's tallest peak, Mount Ossa elevation 5,305 feet
Hiker's paradise, consists of rain forests, grasslands, high plateaus, and mountains
Brush-tailed possums can be spotted here

Suggested hyperlink: http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/natparks/cradle/map1.html

The Great Western Tiers, a wilderness area made up of moorlands, rain forests, and an alpine plateau
Guided hiking tours can be booked in the village of Meander
Caves inhabited by Aborigines thousands of years ago can be explored
Trowunna Wildlife Park, an animal rehabilitation center can be visited in the village of Mole Creek
Kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, pademelons, quolls, and Tasmanian devils can be seen

The central multimedia element that I would use to improve the user's experience is a photographic slide show of the destinations. For each of the four sections I would have a link under the heading that would launch a slide show of relevant photographs for that section. For the Tasmania Facts section, the photos could include a map of the island, a Tasmanian devil, and some architecture photos. For the Penal History section, photos of the various remains of the prisons and work houses could be shown. For the City and Town Destinations and the Wilderness Destinations sections, photos from the cities and towns, wilderness areas, plants, and animals could be used. This would give visitors to the site more of a visual representation of the topics that are covered.

After editing down the original article, my presentation became a more focused overview of the history of Tasmania and some good places to visit. The original author's work was more geared toward his firsthand experiences and was more of a blow-by-blow description of his trip. The author also focused on details of his experiences that are not necessary to the reader that is planning a trip to experience Tasmania themselves, i.e. feeding time with the devils and finding the Aboriginal stone. This presentation of the material gives the reader a good starting point and good links to visit in planning a trip for themselves.

Analysis of the Kansas City Star’s website

2005-02-27T15:02:00.000-05:00

Introduction
The website for the Kansas City Star newspaper can be found at www.kansascity.com. The Kansas City Star is part of the Knight-Ridder group and has the largest circulation of newspapers covering the Kansas City region. According to the Knight-Ridder website, the average weekday circulation for the print paper is over 271,000 and the website is member of the Knight-Ridder Digital (KRD) group which is made up of The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Kansas City Star, The Miami Herald and San Jose Mercury News. The KRD websites average more than 10 million unique visitors every month. According to Knight-Ridder investors report, kansascity.com had a total revenue of $11 million in 2004.

Architecture and navigation
KansasCity.com is a non-linear site, with sections of interest like most newspaper sites. The branching centers around the homepage and the section pages, branching out to individual articles or pages of interest like discussion boards, FAQ pages, and advertising information. Like Lynch and Horton suggest, every page is a self-contained unit, with the degree of effectiveness varying from the homepage and individual article pages,

Content organization
The content is organized into four columns. The far left column is a running list of section and service links (news, sports, entertainment, contact us, advertise, discussion boards, etc). The second column from the left is the widest and is filled with links to stories found in KC Today, the top national stories, jobs, markets, the Oscars, and Q&A with reporters and columnists. The third column from the left is filled with links to articles on the front page of the print paper, local news articles, and sports and business articles. The fourth column is entirely made up of advertising.

Recommendations for improvement of usability
The usability of KansasCity.com is mostly effective. More dramatically different section pages may help these sections establish an identity of their own, like the homepage but unique to their area of content. Most if the problems with this site center around the design and organization of the content, the architecture and navigation are sufficient for a newspaper website.

Recommendations for improvement of design
This does not look like a site that brought in $11 million last year, and is owned by the Knight-Ridder conglomerate. The title banner is overly simplistic with KansasCity.com having the largest font (it seems to be simple Times New Roman) and underneath it and smaller is The Kansas City Star. Since this is the website for the newspaper, it would make sense to have the same banner that the print newspaper uses, and have the newspaper name as the largest font on the page, not KansasCity.com.

Another problem is that there is not a single photograph on the entire page, since this is the website of a major newspaper, the reader expects to see photos. There are small clip art graphics here and there (i.e. a help wanted sign by the link for the classifieds), but they look unprofessional and not at all unique. The background is plain white and entirely made up of title links. The page should be designed around a central graphic that pertains to a main story that is relevant to the Kansas City area.

The white background should be eliminated and shading should be introduced. The shading would also help to separate the sections of the paper, now they all seem to run together and it gives the homepage a cluttered, disorganized appearance. The main text for article links are in red, separated by all-caps, black headers (i.e., LOCAL NEWS, FRONT PAGE, SPORTS). Red is hard to read and is associated with breaking news alerts or elements of the page that the designer wants to attract the reader’s attention to, not the majority of the body text. The text should be in black, and color can be given to the headers to set them off.

The linked article pages are well designed. They look like most online articles, with a title at the top, photographs, and links to other relevant pages. Other than the KansasCity.com banner appearing on every linked page, these are well designed. The section and service links running down the far left column should be stylized and made larger so that they appear to be separate from the main article links.

Recommendations for improvement of organization
The content is poorly organized as it has the most important information in the smaller third column and the secondary information like movie reviews and opinion columns as the first content that the eye is drawn to. This should be reversed, so that the top news stories are in the most prevalent (front and center) space and the secondary information should be in the third, smaller column. To help reduce the cluttered look some article links should be eliminated, not every news story in a section should have a link on the home page. For example the top two sports stories could be given and the rest can be found on the sports homepage. This is how most newspaper sites are set up and readers expect this to be how one is organized.

As a reader I appreciate that all the advertising is in one column on the far right side framing the content. It is unobtrusive, and the eye automatically skips over it. As an advertiser I would not like its placement and the fact that it is presented in the skinny column format.

Results of the learning style test

2005-02-27T12:37:00.000-05:00

The learning styles test gave me the following results:

Visual 5

Aural 5

Verbal 13

Physical 8

Logical 7

Social 8

Solitary 14

My learning style test results align fairly well with my view of how I best learn, with solitary learning being my primary learning style closely followed by verbal. I do prefer working on projects by myself rather than in small or large groups. I tend to be a more efficient learner when social interaction is taken out of the equation and I can focus on my own. I do like group work when presenting is involved, but only if the presentation is very scripted and each team member is focusing on a particular point.

I tend to understand concepts and ideas if I can talk them out with an instructor or other class members but I can also function when the interaction is removed and I’m simply reading about it in a book or listening to a lecture with low interaction. The test results reflect this by showing high verbal scores. I was surprised that scoring high in the verbal category shows a tendency toward the person enjoying or doing well with public speaking, and that is not my style at all. I actually hate public speaking and try to avoid it as much as possible.

The physical score interested me because I’m not the type of person that takes things apart or enjoys working with his hands. I do like sports and physical exercise, but have never been interested in tools or building things. Exercise is more of a stress reliever for me, and I have never really associated it with learning.

These results have helped me to realize a good plan of action for my research paper. Since I work well on my own, a project like a research paper is a good one for me. I did learn that bouncing ideas off people about the direction my content is taking would be helpful to me, and I plan on doing that with this project.

Style Guide for Research Paper

2005-02-17T15:26:00.001-05:00

Target audience:
My target audience for this research paper is members of this class, which makes the writing for a key group aspect easier to identify. Because I know the content that you all have been exposed to lately and what you’ve been reading, I have a good idea about which aspects of my paper I’ll need to spell out and which I can just jump right in to. The fact that the audience and I interact daily also gives me a good feel for what types of jargon I can and can’t use. Specifically, terms that deal with the internet, web style, and journalism can be used with little to no explanation of their definitions, while terms that refer to the business aspects I will be discussing may need to be more defined.

Content of interest to the target audience:
Again, this is relatively easy to define since my audience is members of this class. We are all interested in some way or another in media, technology, and writing. Because the focus of my paper lies in these areas (specifically traditional media’s solutions to bloggers), it generally caters to the interests of those in the intended audience group.

Format most familiar to the target audience:
Because this is a research paper for a class, I plan on presenting it in the typical format that a research paper would contain. Some ways to incorporate the format of online media would be breaking up the text with headings, incorporating any applicable graphic elements (when they don’t take away from the text), and using consistency between both terms and stylistic elements.

Mindset of the target audience:
The audience in this case has a certain level of knowledge in the area that the paper will discuss. While they want details pertaining to the issues at hand, they do not need a history or overview of the topics discussed. As members of the same classroom community, they already possess a good understanding of the issues and jargon involved.

Tone:
The tone that I would like to work in is moderately formal, i.e. one that clearly presents the research in a way that is not overly formal but at the same time not overly chatty. A good example of the tone for the paper is that which is used in this style guide. Sarcasm and humor will not be a part of the tone used in the research paper.

Format and references:
I will default to AP style for format and references.

Area-specific terminology (this will be updated as needed):
blog instead of weblog
bloggers
blogging
internet
online
the web
website

Revision to my research proposal

2005-02-17T13:07:00.000-05:00

I'm going to drop the two events and focus on how traditional media is responding to the influence of bloggers.

Some questions to research are:

1. How and to what extent have bloggers taken power (money and readership)away from traditional news organizations?

2. Have national or large-market media been more affected by bloggers than local or small-market media (i.e. have any small town papers seen sharp declines in circulation because of the existence of a popular blog in their area, or is local news more protected than, say, USA Today)?

3. What are news organizations doing to protect themselves against this new form of competition?

Website that has a great presentation

2005-02-13T17:47:00.000-05:00

I chose the site of my undergraduate studies as one that showcases the design principles talked about in this week's module. The url for the University of Northern Iowa's homepage is: www.uni.edu/

Like Case Study #3 in the module, UNI's homepage has the navigation links running down the left side of the page. The page is also built around a central graphic that changes each time the user visits the site. The site incorporates the school's logo and colors with variations in shading around the links. The bottom of the page has some of the latest headlines from UNI's PR Department. Like UNC's site, the user does not have to do any scrolling to navigate the homepage. Overall UNI's homepage demonstrates many of the principles discussed in this week’s module.

Article improved with lists

2005-02-13T16:45:00.000-05:00

Below is the original article:

Choosing running over college
By Dick Patrick, USA TODAY

BEAVERTON, Ore. — Seven months removed from high school, two of the USA's most promising young distance runners are living in an unusual limbo.

Technically, Galen Rupp of Portland and Caitlin Chock of Roseville, Calif., aren't pros. But they aren't in college. They go to work every day, training with world-class athletes and using world-class facilities at the Nike headquarters outside Portland.

Members of the Nike-funded Oregon Project coached by Alberto Salazar, they are the first participants in a program Salazar hopes will help revitalize U.S. middle-distance and distance running by revolutionizing the system.

He envisions creating a Nike-sponsored U.S. junior team that would enable top prospects to train for a few years before turning pro or entering college.

This weekend, Rupp, 18, and Chock, 19, who both set U.S. high school records in the 5,000 meters last summer, will compete in the U.S. Cross Country Championships in Vancouver, Wash., seeking berths on the U.S. junior team for next month's world championships.

"We feel if we can get this group to do well, it can set the framework for a larger junior project," Salazar says. "I think Galen and Caitlin have the potential to run with the best juniors in the world."

Although the Oregon Project, founded by Salazar in 2001, includes veterans such as Olympians Dan Browne and Adam Goucher, Salazar wants an increasing focus on younger runners: "I believe we've got to go farther back down that pipeline, identify promising kids and train them with world-class methods. The rest of the world is doing that. The Kenyans, Ethiopians and Moroccans are all doing that, and we know how talented and successful their runners are. How can we think we can bypass that source?"

Ethiopian, Kenyan and Moroccan men won 10 of the 12 medals in the four distance track events in the Athens Olympics. Though the USA had success with Meb Keflezighi's silver and Deena Drossin's bronze in the Athens marathons, the last U.S. men's Olympic medal on the track at a distance greater than 800 meters came in 1984 and the last women's medal in 1992.

"They're already so far ahead," Salazar says of the Africans. "The problem is you can't wait until you're 22 and out of college and think, 'I'm going to go all out now, getting the best coach and training like a professional.' You're not going to catch up in four or five years. Five years from now will LeBron James be a better basketball player after going straight into the NBA as opposed to college? He went to the highest level. We've got to do that with our junior runners."

Since 2002 at least 10 track and field athletes have left college before their eligibility expired, led by miler Alan Webb, who left Michigan after his freshman year to sign a six-year contract with Nike worth $250,000 annually. Sprint phenom and 2004 200 Olympic silver medalist Allyson Felix signed with Adidas directly out of high school; she attends the University of Southern California.

Rupp is the embodiment of Salazar's dream. He has trained with Salazar since his freshman year at Portland's Central Catholic, where Salazar was cross country coach. "You can see he has a beautiful stride, quickness, pop," says Salazar, who won the New York City Marathon three times and Boston once. "A lot is God-given talent. But we've been working on that for four years. The earlier you start, the better it is for the final product."

"Galen is eight seconds behind (in the 5,000) the best juniors in the world. He's close. We've got to keep him close."

High school stars

Rupp and Chock are coming off banner senior seasons. Last year at Central Catholic, Rupp set U.S. high school marks in the 2,000 (5:18.5), 3,000 (8:03.67) and 5,000 (13:37.91) and had the year's best time in the mile (4:01.8). Chock's senior year at Granite Bay (Calif.) included two U.S. high school marks in the 5,000 (15:52.88) and the year's best time for 2 miles (10:01.99).

Both have experienced recent disappointments. Rupp developed a foot stress fracture in November; Chock, who has long battled an eating disorder, is recovering from anemia.

She continues to push herself mentally and physically as she is initiated into the Salazar system.

Chock reported to the University of Richmond in August but left a month later. She returned home to California, unsure of the future. Then Salazar called.

"I couldn't believe first off that it was Alberto Salazar calling," she says. "And second of all that this was such a great opportunity to train with such great people under such great coaches at such great facilities. It's something you can't pass up."

In November she moved to Portland, where she lives with Salazar and his family, paying $500 a month for rent, according to Salazar. "We're careful to preserve their (NCAA) eligibility," says Salazar, adding Rupp and Chock pay for travel and the use of Nike facilities.

"My husband and I couldn't be happier with the situation," says Caitlin's mother, Linda Chock. "She clicked with Alberto and his family right away. She has never been healthier or happier. She's found a niche. She's with people who are as serious about training as she is."

As a runner, Chock resembles her coach, whose determination exceeded his form. "When Caitlin came here," Salazar says, "her form was almost painful to watch and she had no power."

Chock continues to address her eating disorder, which became critical when she was a high school freshman. In Portland she sees a therapist regularly, with Salazar attending some sessions, and consults with a nutritionist.

In two-plus months, the 5-6 Chock has gained 7 pounds, to 109, consuming 5,500-6,000 calories a day, triple the recommended amount for someone her size.

Says Chock: "Since coming here, I'm the healthiest I've been. I've seen that by eating better, my workouts improve. I feel better, stronger."

Little middle-, long-distance success

If Rupp and Chock choose to compete collegiately, it's likely to be at Oregon, where there is behind-the-scenes maneuvering to supplement the coaching staff. Oregon track and cross country coach Martin Smith has improved the Ducks' track fortunes, thanks to field events and the decathlon.

But Smith, who won an NCAA cross country title at Wisconsin, has not produced many middle-distance and distance successes at Oregon, where coaching legends Bill Bowerman and Bill Dellinger turned distance running into an identity similar to Penn State being Linebacker U. This has disappointed fans, alumni and donors, including Nike founder Phil Knight, a former Oregon miler and one of the school's biggest benefactors.

Salazar says Pat Tyson, a successful coach at Spokane (Wash.) Mead High and an ex-Oregon runner and roommate of running legend Steve Prefontaine, has been mentioned as a cross country coaching candidate. "Pat Tyson would be a great distance coach at the University of Oregon," Salazar says.

Salazar has a good relationship with Tyson and might entrust Rupp and Chock to Tyson because Salazar would have great input into their training and racing schedules.

The coach of one of Oregon's Pacific-10 Conference rivals says he isn't worried about a possible recruiting advantage for Oregon.

"If everything is legal (under NCAA rules), then welcome to Oregon," UCLA's Art Venegas says. "If there's anything illegal, then it needs to be addressed. That's in the NCAA's lap. I'm not concerned with advantages — hey, I've got great weather — as long as they're legal."

Bringing 'the mountain'

Salazar insists the only advantage his young runners have is access to cutting-edge coaching and supplemental training usually not available at colleges.

To help design and supervise workouts for Oregon Project athletes, Salazar hired former George Mason University track and field coach John Cook, who developed NCAA and world champions in the middle distances. Vern Gambetta, a former track and field coach turned speed guru for baseball and soccer teams, devises strength and flexibility programs.

Typically, Chock's and Rupp's schedules include a morning run, an afternoon nap at simulated altitude or in an oxygen-rich hyperbaric chamber to enhance recovery and an afternoon workout.

For the dozen or so Oregon Project runners, the day often ends with a visit to the Nike House, home to some and a meeting place for all.

Most of the rooms contain machines that reduce oxygen to simulate altitude. Hurdles are lined up in the garage for drills.

On a recent night, three therapists massaged and treated runners in the living room. Just outside the kitchen, runners were readying the whirlpool by filling it with ice from a restaurant-sized ice machine. Other runners were hooked up to a laser machine to treat injuries and soreness. On the patio, Rupp was chest-deep in water, running in a tank containing underwater treadmills.

When healthy, Rupp uses the tanks to supplement mileage but reduce the risk of injury. After suffering a right foot stress fracture in November, he spent even more time in the tank.

For pleasure and performance, the tanks are equipped with headphones attached to a sound system — so the neighbors don't complain about loud music — and a special mask to simulate altitude.

"The Ethiopians and Kenyans do all their training at altitude," Salazar says. "If we can't get to the mountain, then we bring the mountain to us. This is what's missing at colleges. They spend millions on football and basketball but won't spend $50,000 for one of these tanks."

If Rupp is to be among the elite, he knows the advantages at the Nike House are more necessity than luxury.

"People say, 'All you're doing is running?' " Rupp says. "Look at the training we're getting. Look at the people we're meeting. It's great experience.

"It's nice right now to not have to worry about school or homework. I can focus solely on training."

"Running nirvana," Chock says.

Below is the article improved by adding two lists:

Choosing running over college
By Dick Patrick, USA TODAY

BEAVERTON, Ore. — Seven months removed from high school, two of the USA's most promising young distance runners are living in an unusual limbo.

Technically, Galen Rupp of Portland and Caitlin Chock of Roseville, Calif., aren't pros. But they aren't in college. They go to work every day, training with world-class athletes and using world-class facilities at the Nike headquarters outside Portland.

Members of the Nike-funded Oregon Project coached by Alberto Salazar, they are the first participants in a program Salazar hopes will help revitalize U.S. middle-distance and distance running by revolutionizing the system.

He envisions creating a Nike-sponsored U.S. junior team that would enable top prospects to train for a few years before turning pro or entering college.

This weekend, Rupp, 18, and Chock, 19, who both set U.S. high school records in the 5,000 meters last summer, will compete in the U.S. Cross Country Championships in Vancouver, Wash., seeking berths on the U.S. junior team for next month's world championships.

"We feel if we can get this group to do well, it can set the framework for a larger junior project," Salazar says. "I think Galen and Caitlin have the potential to run with the best juniors in the world."

Although the Oregon Project, founded by Salazar in 2001, includes veterans such as Olympians Dan Browne and Adam Goucher, Salazar wants an increasing focus on younger runners: "I believe we've got to go farther back down that pipeline, identify promising kids and train them with world-class methods. The rest of the world is doing that. The Kenyans, Ethiopians and Moroccans are all doing that, and we know how talented and successful their runners are. How can we think we can bypass that source?"

Benefits of the Oregon Project

• Members are able to maintain NCAA and Olympic eligibility
• Members can focus on training rather than academics
• Facilities and equipment are much better than that of top universities
• Coaches are given the opportunity to work with younger athletes
• On-site housing available for athletes

Ethiopian, Kenyan and Moroccan men won 10 of the 12 medals in the four distance track events in the Athens Olympics. Though the USA had success with Meb Keflezighi's silver and Deena Drossin's bronze in the Athens marathons, the last U.S. men's Olympic medal on the track at a distance greater than 800 meters came in 1984 and the last women's medal in 1992.

"They're already so far ahead," Salazar says of the Africans. "The problem is you can't wait until you're 22 and out of college and think, 'I'm going to go all out now, getting the best coach and training like a professional.' You're not going to catch up in four or five years. Five years from now will LeBron James be a better basketball player after going straight into the NBA as opposed to college? He went to the highest level. We've got to do that with our junior runners."

Since 2002 at least 10 track and field athletes have left college before their eligibility expired, led by miler Alan Webb, who left Michigan after his freshman year to sign a six-year contract with Nike worth $250,000 annually. Sprint phenom and 2004 200 Olympic silver medalist Allyson Felix signed with Adidas directly out of high school; she attends the University of Southern California.

Top-ranked Male Marathoners according to Race Results Weekly

1. Gezahenge Abera of Ethiopia
2. Abdelkader El Mouaziz of Morocco
3. Khalid Khannouchi of the United States (Moroccan-born)
4. Antonio Pinto of Portugal
5. Josephat Kiprono of Kenya

Top-ranked Female Marathoners according to Race Results Weekly
1. Naoko Takahashi of Japan
2. Lidia Simon of Romainia
3. Joyce Chepchumba of Kenya
4. Catherine Ndereba of Kenya
5. Esther Wanjiru of Kenya

Rupp is the embodiment of Salazar's dream. He has trained with Salazar since his freshman year at Portland's Central Catholic, where Salazar was cross country coach. "You can see he has a beautiful stride, quickness, pop," says Salazar, who won the New York City Marathon three times and Boston once. "A lot is God-given talent. But we've been working on that for four years. The earlier you start, the better it is for the final product."

"Galen is eight seconds behind (in the 5,000) the best juniors in the world. He's close. We've got to keep him close."

High school stars

Rupp and Chock are coming off banner senior seasons. Last year at Central Catholic, Rupp set U.S. high school marks in the 2,000 (5:18.5), 3,000 (8:03.67) and 5,000 (13:37.91) and had the year's best time in the mile (4:01.8). Chock's senior year at Granite Bay (Calif.) included two U.S. high school marks in the 5,000 (15:52.88) and the year's best time for 2 miles (10:01.99).

Both have experienced recent disappointments. Rupp developed a foot stress fracture in November; Chock, who has long battled an eating disorder, is recovering from anemia.

She continues to push herself mentally and physically as she is initiated into the Salazar system.

Chock reported to the University of Richmond in August but left a month later. She returned home to California, unsure of the future. Then Salazar called.

"I couldn't believe first off that it was Alberto Salazar calling," she says. "And second of all that this was such a great opportunity to train with such great people under such great coaches at such great facilities. It's something you can't pass up."

In November she moved to Portland, where she lives with Salazar and his family, paying $500 a month for rent, according to Salazar. "We're careful to preserve their (NCAA) eligibility," says Salazar, adding Rupp and Chock pay for travel and the use of Nike facilities.

"My husband and I couldn't be happier with the situation," says Caitlin's mother, Linda Chock. "She clicked with Alberto and his family right away. She has never been healthier or happier. She's found a niche. She's with people who are as serious about training as she is."

As a runner, Chock resembles her coach, whose determination exceeded his form. "When Caitlin came here," Salazar says, "her form was almost painful to watch and she had no power."

Chock continues to address her eating disorder, which became critical when she was a high school freshman. In Portland she sees a therapist regularly, with Salazar attending some sessions, and consults with a nutritionist.

In two-plus months, the 5-6 Chock has gained 7 pounds, to 109, consuming 5,500-6,000 calories a day, triple the recommended amount for someone her size.

Says Chock: "Since coming here, I'm the healthiest I've been. I've seen that by eating better, my workouts improve. I feel better, stronger."

Little middle-, long-distance success

If Rupp and Chock choose to compete collegiately, it's likely to be at Oregon, where there is behind-the-scenes maneuvering to supplement the coaching staff. Oregon track and cross country coach Martin Smith has improved the Ducks' track fortunes, thanks to field events and the decathlon.

But Smith, who won an NCAA cross country title at Wisconsin, has not produced many middle-distance and distance successes at Oregon, where coaching legends Bill Bowerman and Bill Dellinger turned distance running into an identity similar to Penn State being Linebacker U. This has disappointed fans, alumni and donors, including Nike founder Phil Knight, a former Oregon miler and one of the school's biggest benefactors.

Salazar says Pat Tyson, a successful coach at Spokane (Wash.) Mead High and an ex-Oregon runner and roommate of running legend Steve Prefontaine, has been mentioned as a cross country coaching candidate. "Pat Tyson would be a great distance coach at the University of Oregon," Salazar says.

Salazar has a good relationship with Tyson and might entrust Rupp and Chock to Tyson because Salazar would have great input into their training and racing schedules.

The coach of one of Oregon's Pacific-10 Conference rivals says he isn't worried about a possible recruiting advantage for Oregon.

"If everything is legal (under NCAA rules), then welcome to Oregon," UCLA's Art Venegas says. "If there's anything illegal, then it needs to be addressed. That's in the NCAA's lap. I'm not concerned with advantages — hey, I've got great weather — as long as they're legal."

Bringing 'the mountain'

Salazar insists the only advantage his young runners have is access to cutting-edge coaching and supplemental training usually not available at colleges.

To help design and supervise workouts for Oregon Project athletes, Salazar hired former George Mason University track and field coach John Cook, who developed NCAA and world champions in the middle distances. Vern Gambetta, a former track and field coach turned speed guru for baseball and soccer teams, devises strength and flexibility programs.

Typically, Chock's and Rupp's schedules include a morning run, an afternoon nap at simulated altitude or in an oxygen-rich hyperbaric chamber to enhance recovery and an afternoon workout.

For the dozen or so Oregon Project runners, the day often ends with a visit to the Nike House, home to some and a meeting place for all.

Most of the rooms contain machines that reduce oxygen to simulate altitude. Hurdles are lined up in the garage for drills.

On a recent night, three therapists massaged and treated runners in the living room. Just outside the kitchen, runners were readying the whirlpool by filling it with ice from a restaurant-sized ice machine. Other runners were hooked up to a laser machine to treat injuries and soreness. On the patio, Rupp was chest-deep in water, running in a tank containing underwater treadmills.

When healthy, Rupp uses the tanks to supplement mileage but reduce the risk of injury. After suffering a right foot stress fracture in November, he spent even more time in the tank.

For pleasure and performance, the tanks are equipped with headphones attached to a sound system — so the neighbors don't complain about loud music — and a special mask to simulate altitude.

"The Ethiopians and Kenyans do all their training at altitude," Salazar says. "If we can't get to the mountain, then we bring the mountain to us. This is what's missing at colleges. They spend millions on football and basketball but won't spend $50,000 for one of these tanks."

If Rupp is to be among the elite, he knows the advantages at the Nike House are more necessity than luxury.

"People say, 'All you're doing is running?' " Rupp says. "Look at the training we're getting. Look at the people we're meeting. It's great experience.

"It's nice right now to not have to worry about school or homework. I can focus solely on training."

"Running nirvana," Chock says.

Headlines

2005-02-07T13:58:00.000-05:00

From USAToday.com:

Just another championship: Celebrations in Boston muted

Patriot fans go wild in Boston

These two stories were both on the homepage of USAToday.com and refer to the New England Patriots winning the Super Bowl for the third time in four years. The headlines themselves completely contradict each other, while the actual articles do not.

The first article focuses on the fan deaths that occurred after both the Patriots won the Super Bowl and the Red Sox won the World Series in 2004. The story focuses on the fact there were only two incidents that lead to arrests in Boston after the Patriot’s win this time around, because of an increased police presence in response to the deaths of two fans celebrating the previous wins. From the headline alone, the reader gets the feeling that the celebration intensity was decreased in Boston because of all the success their professional sports teams have been having lately (4 major championships in 4 years). After reading the story, especially interviews with fans in Boston, one realizes that the reason that the celebrations are so muted is because of an increased police presence in wake of the deaths that occurred at previous celebrations. This is best illustrated by the closing quote of a Patriots fan:

Charles Vasco, 18, a student at Northeastern University, and many of his fellow students decided before the game against venturing into the streets.
"The police don't seem to be messing around this time," he said.

A better headline would be:

Increased police presence mutes Super Bowl celebration

The second article focuses on fan reactions at Boston-area bars to the Patriot’s win, and is really nothing more than a reporter getting seemingly drunk fan reactions to their team’s win. The fans are not “going wild,” but just saying how great their team is and how they’ve built a dynasty by winning past 3 out of 4 years. The main problem with this headline is that it contradicts the bigger story listed at the top of the homepage and causes the reader to click on both links to find out the whole story.

A better headline would be:

Patriot fan reactions to team’s championship win

From CNN.com:

Soldier demoted for mud wrestling

This story did not seem to make sense to me until I actually opened the link. It may be sexist to say, but when I see the word “soldier” I automatically think of men. The soldier in this article is a 19-year old female, and was demoted for nude mud wrestling in front of the 105th Military Police Battalion. If I was writing the headline for this story, I’d try to catch more attention by adding two simple descriptors:

Female soldier demoted for nude mud wrestling

I wonder how many more hits that would bring in?

Research Proposal

2005-02-05T17:09:00.000-05:00

The topic for my research paper that I am interested in pursuing is the influence blogs and bloggers have wielded on recent large news events. My paper will begin with a brief introduction and the history of blogs, and will also involve a basic terminology overview. After the introduction and history, the paper will focus on three recent events where public perception was affected by blogs: the 2004 presidential election, the CBS News “Memogate” scandal, and the aid effort for tsunami victims. I am interested in finding out how influential blogs were in shaping each of these stories and how blogs can be improved to become a more widely accepted form of journalism.

The introduction and history to blogs will be the shortest section in my paper. I estimate this section to be no more than 2-3 pages, but in order to reach the largest audience I it’s important to include give this overview. There are a number of sources I can use for this, both print- and electronic-based. One good source is the book Who Let the Blogs Out?: A Hyperconnected Peek at the World of Weblogs by Biz Stone, but there seems to be a limitless supply of information on this subject.

The next section of my paper will explore the role blogs and bloggers played in shaping the 2004 presidential election, the CBS “Memogate” scandal, and the tsunami disaster and the world’s aid effort. I think that listed them in this order in the paper adheres to the reverse pyramid technique that has been discussed in our class readings. I’ve got the three events listed in this order, because, of these three events I believe that blogs played a gargantuan role in shaping opinions during the presidential election, a huge role in exposing the forged documents in the CBS News scandal, and a large, but somewhat less grandiose role in the tsunami relief effort. I anticipate writing 3-4 pages exploring each example.

Both the 2004 election and the CBS examples will illustrate the large role that blogs have taken on in our society, and their ability to affect the outcomes of major events. I will use the tsunami example to show that while blogs do play a large role in getting information to the public, they are somewhat limited and not as effective as traditional news mediums.

I have a number of news articles from USA Today, FoxNews.com, CNN.com, and the New York Times that will serve as good sources for my topic. I expect to find that a large amount of materials are available after doing a Lexus-Nexus search, and I have determined that there is an abundance of online materials that are available. I don’t think that I will have too much of a problem narrowing the research material down, and I feel like my topic is specific enough to keep me on track.

I have come to the above listed conclusion only though limited research and readings prior to deciding on this as a research topic. After I delve into this project more deeply, I may find better examples of events that illustrate my main point which is: although they are some what limited and have not yet reached the apex of their popularity, blogs are changing the way Americans are getting their news and showing that they carry influence over major news events and public opinion. I may find out that my current opinions are way off base and I may go in a different direction with my thesis, I’ll know after more research is done. I am also interested in finding out how blogs can be improved to become more accepted as forms of journalism. I have no current opinion on this aspect of the paper, so I am looking forward to formulating one based on these research materials.

I am highly interested in this topic, and although it will not immediately help me in my professional life, it does lie within the arena of what I eventually hope to do—write for an online publication.

A Review of USAToday.com

2005-01-30T19:08:00.000-05:00

USAToday.com is the website I visit most often and where I read the news headlines and stories throughout my busy days. On average I check USAToday.com roughly 5 times a day, spending no more than 10-15 minutes at the site at a time. I read more content from this site than any other on the web. Overall, it is a great site to get top-line news information, but there are some aspects of it that could be improved.

The name
The best thing that USAToday.com has going for it is credibility. Most Americans recognize the name USA Today as a credible newspaper that is widely available in all corners of the country. This description has earned it the sometimes-derogatory nickname “McPaper,” for its similarity to McDonald’s in that one can be in any town in America and be reading same issue. If you’re staying at a hotel that gives away free newspapers and you’re on American soil, chances are that paper will be USA Today. The paper typically deals in national news stories, but does have Sports, Features, Money, Travel, Weather, and Entertainment sections that cover these areas with a national eye toward the stories. The website is almost a word-for-word electronic version of the print paper, with a few extra frills added to take advantage of the technology.

The layout
One characteristic of USAToday.com that I particularly like is the way the web pages are laid out. The homepage looks like the front page of the print version, with the two top stories taking up the most space at the top of the page and accompanied by large headlines and pictures. Smaller subheading separate the 10-12 other stories that are included on the front homepage, and typically deal with national issues like health care, or finances, or sports. This gives the user a degree of familiarity because everyone has seen the front page of a newspaper and knows what to expect to see there, the same holds true for the homepage of USAToday.com.

The layers
Typically, the two top stories found on the homepage will have a good amount of layering to them. For example, today’s top headline was Iraqis vote despite violence. Underneath the main headline (which when clicked sent the user to the main story about the how the Iraqi election turned out) were three layers of options. These options were the side stories that accompany the broader election article and include: what President Bush’s thoughts on the election are, what Iraqis were saying about the election, and what members of other Muslim countries were saying about the vote. This is typically what one would see with a paper copy of a newspaper with the main headlines being surrounded by side stories, again giving the reader the idea that they can expect the same things from the website that they do from the paper.

The technology
The main advantage to any web-based version of a newspaper’s website is that so much more can be done with the technology available that gives the user more choices on how they get their news. Beside the previously mentioned side stories, are two hyperlinks labeled audio and video, which open up links to allow the user to see and/or hear reports about the election from the Associated Press. This allows those that prefer to hear or see their news rather than reading it, to do just that without having to leave the website. This is a great way of handling the users who, like me, check the website at work or school to get the day’s headlines but only skim the stories because they prefer to watch and hear their news. The user can get both at USAToday.com and both the audio and video are in Real Player format, which does not have the compatibility issues that other formats do with Macintosh and PC computers. I have a Mac at home and a PC at work, so with some sites I have to remember which site uses Window’s Media Player (which won’t work on my Mac) and which uses other applications that will work. I know that if I want news fast in an application that works, I can pull up USAToday.com and get the reports no matter where I am and what computer I’m on.

The complaints
The major complaint I have with USAToday.com is the large amount of filler material that clutters up the homepage some days. I realize that not every day is a blockbuster news day, but 2500 word articles dealing with the downfall of convention centers or the decline of traditional glassblowers are useless on a site like this. I cannot imagine the core audience of USAToday.com going to the site to read large articles on anything other than a front-page news story. Occasionally, the site will have a features story about a celebrity or sports figure that I’ll read (on slow days at the office), but I do not think that all the stories from the print version have to make it on the website. Instead, I would use that space to open up a discussion board for readers to comment on stories. Presently, the site has no forum for the readers to voice their opinions, most news sites do have something in place, and in this respect USAToday.com is behind other sites. It would take less time to read a few reader comments—and I would be more likely to do so—than to read a long features piece with little relevance to the days headlines.

Writing Sample--Week 1

2005-01-16T19:31:00.000-05:00

You’ve really got a hold on me

I can’t dunk a basketball, run a sub 4.5 second 40, or hit a baseball out of Yankee stadium. I am, however, addicted to watching men that I have never met, nor do I particularly like, do all of these things. Over the past few months alone I’ve witnessed incidences ranging from NBA star Ron Artest stampeding into the stands to pummel a fan, a half a dozen alcohol-related arrests (one of which ended with the athlete getting off because his lawyer argued successfully that he did not know his ABCs), and most recently, Minnesota Viking receiver Randy Moss celebrating a touchdown by pretending to moon the Green Bay Packers’ fans and simulating wiping himself on the goalpost.

The latter incident prompted the usual media explosion, and had sports radio hosts all over the nation asking the same tired question, “Where do these athletes get off treating us this way?” Just like almost everything, the answer lies in money, and the fact that professional athletes make so much more of it than their fans.

“Straight cash, homey.”

The difference in income between professional athletes and their fans has never been greater. Atlanta Falcon quarterback Mike Vick just signed a contract worth $62 million over the next 6 years, so it’s no stretch to say that Vick lives a completely different lifestyle than the average person that buys his jersey. The disparity between the players of professional sports and their fans has grown so great that most Americans would have to watch minor league baseball or arena football to see professional athletes that are in their tax bracket.

By examining the annual income of a Wisconsin resident ($30,050), the average ticket price for an NFL playoff game ($900), the annual salary of Randy Moss ($5 million), and the amount the NFL fined him for the mooning incident ($10,000), an interesting observation can be made that illustrates the disparity between professional athletes and their fans. This admittedly unscientific observation is: the average fan in attendance at the Minnesota-Green Bay game spent a higher percentage of their annual income to be mooned by Randy Moss than he did in fines for mooning them. And why not? Shouldn’t the lowly commoner feel privileged when they get any acknowledgment by royalty even if it is in disrespect? The fans in attendance and those watching at home got a real treat for their money, a faux-indecent exposure and simulated bathroom behavior by the King of Wide Receivers. As we all know kings don’t have apologize for their actions, but Moss thought he’d remind us anyway when he met up with reporters a few days later.

Reporter: "Write the check yet, Randy?"

Moss: "When you're rich, you don't write checks."

Reporter: "If you don't write checks, how do you pay these guys?"

Moss: "Straight cash, homey."

Reporter: "Randy, are you upset about the fine?"

Moss: "No, cause it ain't s---. Ain't nothing but 10 grand. What's 10 grand to me?"

The answer is about .2% of Moss’s annual salary and about 33% of the annual salary of those that his posterior was pointed towards.

We’ve got no one to blame…

Minneapolis plays Philadelphia on Sunday and the stadium will be sold out. The TV audience will swell with those who will want to see what Moss does next, the NFL will make millions in licensing, and the networks will make even more in commercials and royalties. The truth is that the fans allow incidents like this to happen. We don’t stop going to the games, tuning in, or buying the merchandise. We watch and buy, and raise new generations of fans who will watch and buy, and occasionally complain about the sad state of the sport before watching and buying some more.

I can’t hide from the blame, when even now I find myself thinking, “why should I punish myself by missing playoff football—something I live for—because Randy Moss is an idiot?” The NFL shrugs its broad, swollen shoulders and smiles. They smile because they know they produce a product that millions have come to believe they personally own a stake in. “Look how hard we work for you,” the NFL tells us through their advertisements, “we’re with you and your family on Thanksgiving and Christmas, we give you unbelievable thrills, we sacrifice our bodies for you, and we give you something to talk about at your sad, commoner vocations as insurance adjusters, butchers, and accountants.” The problem is, they’re right. They put out a product that many would say they cannot live without. The NFL has no competition; fans don’t care that an arena football player is in the same income class as them and will probably treat them with more respect. The average fan wants to see human freaks throw 60-yard, off-balance passes for touchdowns, even if that means being told “Maybe next time I’ll shake my [expletive male private part],” which is how Moss concluded the previously mentioned interview.

The NFL is not worried because they know all about my little tantrums. They know when I say that I’m leaving them—and I really mean it this time—that after a couple of days on my own, once I realize there’s no one else better out there, I come crawling back. And that old Beatles’ song plays in an endless loop in my head, “you treat me badly, I love you madly, you’ve really go a hold on me.”

picture

2005-01-13T17:55:00.000-05:00

I'm the guy in the middle.

http://flickr.com/photos/63294169@N00/3328135/

Week 1 exercises

2005-01-13T17:52:00.000-05:00

Exercise 1.1

• The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.
• Men are from Mars, women are from Venus.
• In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

Exercise 1.2

• My boss gave an ambiguous response to my question about getting a salary
increase.
• John felt ambivalent about giving his employee a salary increase.

• The police must apprise you of your rights before arresting you.
• I took the ring to jeweler so they could appraise it.

• The guidelines for a healthy diet and lifestyle were just updated by the FDA.
• A healthful environment decreases the frequency of diseases.

• After finding out how long it would take, she became disinterested in pursuing her
degree.
• James decided to get advice from an uninterested party before deciding to forgo
college and turn pro.

• I listen to my conscience when I can’t decide between what’s right and wrong.
• Luckily, he remained conscious after the concussion.

• The client’s changes to the contract will affect the cost and the schedule.
• Even falling down a flight of stairs had no effect on his desire to drink more
alcohol.

Exercise 1.3

Disgusted and annoyed by management’s unacceptable offer, the union had no choice but to continue their lock out.

Her eyes locked onto me as she silently strode into the room and eased into an overstuffed chair.

Exercise 1.4

she dropped the ball
emotional rollercoaster
think outside the box
get someone’s buy-in
drinks like a fish
greatest thing since sliced bread (although recently, NBA star Steve Francis said the media made his team out to be “the worst thing since sliced bread”)
with the best of them
from the ground floor up
at the top of his game

Exercise 1.5

As a matchmaker, the internet can both bring together people on different sides of the globe and further separate people who live in the same building.

As an information superhighway, the internet can lead its passengers to both the most pristine neighborhoods and the grimiest slums.

Exercise 1.6

U.S. Airways promises a bounty of flights that are on time, are convenient to connections, and are fully stocked with well-balanced in-flight meals.

Heroes in movies are always getting the girl, wearing high fashion, and arriving at the scene about two seconds after the bad guy has left.

Speaking of movies, telephones in movies are always getting knocked over if they wake up a character, are never ringing for more than three times before they are answered, and are restored by frantically tapping on the cradle and shouting, “Hello? Hello?”

Nice to meet you

2005-01-11T17:32:00.000-05:00

Hi all--

Steve here. I grew up as an Army brat, so I've lived all over. I lived in Germany for about 5 years, went to high school in Colorado, college in Iowa, and now I live and work in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. I'm interested in sports, reading, and movies.

I signed up for this course because I am interested in starting up my writing again (I was an English major as an undergrad). I am pretty excited about the certificate program and the courses offered (this is my first one). I am considering grad school full time, but I thought that this would be a good place to start, and the courses are applicable to my current job. I work as Project Manager for a company that publishes training materials for pharmaceutical companies. I'm called upon to serve as a pseudo-editor quite frequently because of my English degree, but I have not done any actual writing since college.

I look forward to meeting you all.