Sullivan, Meet Jarvis.

Wow, what a combination! When I first saw this prompt, I must admit that I was not thrilled. Jarvis? Sullivan? Huh? Upon re-reading "Why I Blog", I have developed a bit more enthusiasm. While initially the forms of "reporting" are different, both Jeff Jarvis and Andrew Sullivan maintain the idea of an "open forum". Both believe that writing does not end with the author; it continues to expand and grow once it reaches its readers. Upon reaching the reader, the journalist/blogger's ideas are expounded upon, added to, and often tossed back. Sullivan notes that a blogger "is similar. . .to the host of a dinner party. He can provoke discussion or take a position, even passionately, but he also must create an atmosphere in which others want to participate." Jarvis, however, finds that ". . . at some point in the life of a story, a journalist (working wherever) may see the idea and then can get all kinds of new input."

The main working difference between a blogger and journalist, I believe, is the focus. A blogger's focus is on himself in relevance to the world. He is the focal point, a tangible point of non-change from which to base his observations off of. However, a journalist has his topic handed to him, and must seek out confirmation outside of himself. This prompt is asking us to mesh, somewhat, apples and oranges. Blogging and journalism are inherently different, even though one may be a subset of the other.

Sullivan and Jarvis both marvel in the immediacy of the here and now. I think that Sullivan expands Jarvis' model to a degree, even though Sullivan never really presents a model of his own. Jarvis basically says, "The power is shifting from the writer to the reader." and Sullivan is saying, "My reader provides constant and needed feedback". I think the two complement each other, but don't inherently add anything, nor take away. They're different, even thought the ideas are similar. They're meant to be considered in varying realms, and not meant to be meshed.

Power Play

I find this topic horribly ironic because I just did an analysis of the constant give and take of power in another venue. Jeff Jarvis did a beautiful job of pointing out the morphing that is going on within the press, and the media. *simply* If we've learned nothing else from this class thus far, it's that times are changing. We think differently, we seek information differently, and we EXPECT information to be delivered differently. Jarvis' main point is that power is shifting. In times past, the press held all the power, but in today's day and age, there is a constant flow and give/take of information. There is an ever so subtle shift in the balance of power from the journalist to the reader. The reader can just as quickly turn around and spit the exact information out, but differently. The witnesses on scene become journalists in and of their own right. There are no longer clearly defined limits, or boundaries. The model that Jarvis proposes is extremely loosely defined, and a system of constantly flowing information.

I was immediately struck with the perspective of news being a "power play". However, I read the article again, just to make sure my first impression was correct, and the second reading drove it home. I didn't find anything confusing, per se, but his model did strike me as unusual. Taking the power out of the hands it had been in for so long, and freely distributing it the way Jarvis did struck me as a bit out of place. Upon further examination, his thoughts began to merge with my own.

Blogalyst

So I have become a self-proclaimed Blogalyst. . . . *parades around* *quickly puts on a serious look* No, but, seriously, I'm here to analyze a couple of blogs that I'm currently following.

First, Hot Air. I have absolutely got to say that I LOVE this blog. I'm not particularly conservative, but neither am I particularly liberal. I don't align my views with any one group, really. However, this blog is conservative beyond all belief, and its purpose is to combat the liberal spewing that is so readily present in all media. It's incredible satirical and dryly sarcastic. I've laughed more than once while browsing the wide selection of topics. It started as personal project, and quickly evolved to three friends doing their best to provide alternate viewpoints on the news of the day. It continued to expand as guest writers began to write in. Designed to reach a conservative audience, Hot Air is sure to bring in right-wingers from all over. However, I'm sure it also has a big selection of readers that are there solely for the entertainment factor. It is very much a rallying point for conservative news, and it's a new-found part of my routine that I hope to have for quite some time.

Current World News doesn't thrill me nearly as much. It seems to be a venue for popular gossip, either of the celebrity or political kind. I honestly could care less about who's doing what with who or who's a man/woman/combination of both, and what that could potentially do to the world of sports. (I hyperlinked that because I know that caught several of y'all's interest. :-D) The author varies, post to post, and there's no real way to keep track of who's who. The articles are well-written, but are often about trivial bits of gossip. Like I said. . . not my favorite.

*moment of silence* I hope Friday goes well for you, Eric.

Times Reflection

This is the first time in my life I've had anything to do with a newspaper for any length of time. While the impact hasn't been life-changing, it's been one that I've enjoyed, for sure. Reading the Times every afternoon has given me a change to poke through the news that I find interesting and intriguing, and ignore what I don't.

I've noticed that I tend, as do most people, to to stick to what I'll enjoy, or get something out of, personally. I won't read something because I feel it's my civic duty to do so. We all have varying interests, and I'll stick to mine. Call me selfish, but it's my world, and what impacts me is what I'm interested in. *winks* I go for the BIG news, the WEIRD news, or news relating to personal interests, including eating disorders, children, and science. Such an article was The Cookie Diet.

There is not a doubt in my mind that I'm missing a whole lot of peripheral or dry, un-entertaining news, but there's also not a doubt in my mind that I'm not missing anything that's not important to me. Meaning, if it's going to impact my life, and I missed it, someone will talk about it. If it doesn't come up in day to day life, or I wasn't interested in it to begin with. . . who cares?

I have always been an avid reader, so this pursuit of newsly knowledge isn't really changing much about me. I'm used to assimilating and poking through various viewpoints, and having to then turn around and analyze them. Go debate! It has, however, given me a few more things to talk about around the dinner table. . . . The news is far more social than I've ever noticed.

Lead, Follow, or Get Out of the Way

Since I can't lead these, and getting out of the way wasn't really an option, I suppose I'll follow them. :-)

My first choice is Hot Air, a blog that I believe I will greatly enjoy. The list provided had many blogs that sounded, by their titles, very interesting. As I clicked through them one by one, I didn't find anything that was even REMOTELY appealing. They were dry, bland, and media-oriented, meaning, videos, bulleted points, and rote reporting. I was searching for something catchy, entertaining, yet factual, and I found it with Hot Air.

My second choice is Current World News, which can be found here. This blog is a quick and easy way to see what's happening in several realms, including sports, celebrities, politics, science, and others, world-wide. Once again, it's punchy, concise, and easily digested.

Merging Media Venues. . . . .

As a group, we vary significantly. We are all college students, yet we put varying degrees of significance upon staying in touch with what's going on in the media. In today's day and age, it's impossible to avoid the news. In times past, if you didn't pay for the paper, and you didn't watch the news, it was pretty easy to be completely out of touch. However, things have changed! We have all definitely proven that we spend time online, and as such, we're all familiar with the HUGE headlines that occur. (You know, the world coming to an end and all. . . .) At the same point in time, how much time we put into the smaller items totally varies. Most of us appear to be a "snippet" newser. We pick up what we can going through our day, but we don't really seek it out. That's how I am; that's how it appears the majority of my classmates are. How we get our snippets, however, varies greatly. There's the newspaper crowd. . . . but they're really small. There's the TV posse', and they seem to lean towards that bent for the mindlessness of it all. Then, there's the online group. We all seem to be a member of this one. We catch the headlines when we hit up a search engine, and from there, we delve deeper if we so desire. If it's interesting, we'll check it out. . . . if not, we'll move on. A few of us (and I am one of them) use word-of-mouth. A special friend, or a parent, makes sure that we aren't left out of the loop. Radio is another venue that many lean towards. About the only time this group seems to have to themselves is the time spent in commute. :-)

Ooo, civic literacy! Time to pull out the big words. . . . . . Civic literacy seems to imply an "active" participation, and most of us do NOT seem to actively seek the news out. The big bits worm their way into our lives, and we assimilate it as we will. What we get, we get, and if we don't. . . . who really cares? Certainly not us, the college aged crowd; we've got life going on!

So we welcome the bloggers of past back into our midst. . . . Hedges would probably call us lazy, stupid, and self-absorbed, since we were too involved with our own lives to seek out what's going on in any other venue. Sullivan would more than likely encourage us to stay a bit more connected, since this is life as we know it, and it's the only we'll have. . . . live it in the moment!

As far as an actual discussion, this one is a bit difficult to facilitate, being completely honest. It's hard to compare and contrast such a personal matter. Some of us prefer to listen (radio), some prefer to read (paper), some prefer to watch (TV), and all of us must be online, and, at least on occasion, emerge from our cave and interact with others. Sullivan and Hedges obviously hold the news in high regard; that's part of their living. However, a discussion of OUR habits boils down to just that. . . . . a preference. We're all different, and while we might seem to follow the same pattern as someone else. . . . in the end, it's just a preference.

NEWSFLASH

I will be the first to admit that I'm not exactly "current events" literate. I catch it as it comes, really. Many people I know sit down every night to watch the evening news. I believe that's a really good, and quick, way to get depressed. I'm not one to watch TV anyways; I'd rather be reading! However, the news is so often full of doom and gloom, or events that don't matter to me as a real person. Another common venue is that of the newspaper. Definitely fading in popularity, the newspaper is NOT a venue I seek, either. It's big, crinkly, and it takes a personal trainer to learn how to read it without it engulfing your head by folding over. . . .

I do, however, use Yahoo News quite a bit. These are written articles or videos that come up every time I sign into Yahoo. Since I compulsively check my email, I log in quite a bit. I very rarely, if ever, miss out on the BIG things. The little things. . . . I could care less about. I also have a wonderful friend who is VERY much into the news, and if I miss something, he'll keep me up-to-date.

*musing* Now that I think about it, I'm more into tune than I thought I was. There is a definite give-and-take of information between groups of friends and myself. More of a factual gossip session than anything. . . . "Did you hear about that kid in the balloon?!?" "No, I didn't, but the mayor of Russia says he can prevent it from snowing in Mascow!" "Really!?!? I didn't know that! How's he planning that?" So on and so forth. . . .

Upon second glance, most of my news knowledge comes from word-of-mouth, with some knowledge being gained from brief glimpses online.

Conference Location

So I've noticed that there are a few people who have NO idea where the conferences are. . . . They're in the library coffee shop. That's the same little corner where Eric holds his office hours. It's a warm, welcoming environment, with great opportunities to grab some hot chocolate on the way. . . .

Draft Two . . . . Two Heads Are Better Than One

I'm finished, muahahahaha! It wasn't really all that bad, but it came at a bad time. :-) Timing is everything. . . . In any case, here's the link to my current copy. Google Docs did some REALLY interesting things to my formatting, and as such, I've also got the Word file for anyone interested.


FINISHED!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rough Draft, Take Two

Two Heads Are Better Than One

Here is an actual rough draft, as opposed to a panicked free-writing session done at midnight. I have plans to draw my conclusion and title into my intro, and thus pull it all together, and I will add documentation and bit more back-up as soon as I feel up to it. I'm having a bit of a rough couple days. :-) If you edit it, please do so in a different color, and if there are multiple edits, please choose a different color than the person before you.

**EDIT** Problem solved. . . . . I'm sorry. :-( It's been a very rough few days for me, so I apologize for my lack of watchfulness, and making you guys wait.

NEW LINK