R U OK?

Please note that for the sake of assessment this post has been written as if it were Thursday September 15, 2012 as per instructions by Graham. 

R U OK DAY helps people to reach out. 

R U OK day participants gather on Bondi Beach to launch the day of action- Thursday September 15, 2012

A simple question could be all that is needed to change someone's life. 

Today is R U OK Day, a day when Australians are encouraged to as each other this simple question in order to fight against mental illness. 

Celebrities including Hugh Jackman and Cate Blanchett have lent their support to the initiative this year. 

 

Depression and mental illness a a serious issue in Australia, with one in five people experiencing a mental illness at some point in their life. 

Information source: http://www.mindframe-media.info/site/index.cfm?display=85541

Rebecca Lewis, from R U OK Day notes that R U OK Day is a chance to raise awareness however people should be aware of mental illness all year around. 

" R U OK Day is a national day of action and it's really dedicated to encouraging people to stay connected throughout the year. So whilst we have one day a year where we encourage people to reflect on it it's something that needs to be a message that's promoted 365 days a year and not just one off," Ms Lewis said. 

The "She'll be right" attitude that many Australians, particularly men, take towards mental illness is concerning. 

"I think what we need to do better as a county is to not have that attitude of "she'll be right mate" it's a very blokey atitude. It's about recognising that asking for help is not a sign of weakness but an incredible sign of strength. 

Research has shown that women and young people have a higher awareness and understanding of mental health. 

John Mendell from Lifeline says asking someone 'are you OK?' is as Australian as you can get. 

"We need to look out for our mates. we need to look out for our family and friends and colleagues, and anyone we interact with. it's a really important first step in the path to seeking help and the path to recovery. 

Dr Gregory Carter is a Conjoint Professor in Psychiatry at University of Newcastle and director of the CL Psychiatry service at Calvary Mater Newcastle hospital and supports the day. 

"The placement of the R U OK Day coming immediately after the world suicide prevention day is very sensible," said Dr Carter

Dr Carter says while days like R U OK Day do not address issues that need to be fixed at the clinical level or within public health, they are a good way of raising awareness in the community. 

"At the community level, keeping an eye on family and the community and neighbours and checking whether they might be depressed and encouraging them to get the right help seems to be a very sensible thing to do."

Contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 if you are in need of immediate assistance or talk to someone you trust.

Click here to see a time lapse of R U OK day at Bondi Beach and more photos

How a tweet can change your day

This week I am doing TV with QUT News. I had my first day today and got to the newsroom super early. I was searching brisbanetimes.com.au and other online news sites to see what I could find when I thought I should check out Twitter.

To my surprise and benefit, Susan had tweeted about a fire at the Aboriginal Tent Embassy in South Brisbane. I told Steve our Chief of Staff about the fire and he said as soon as a crew was in, the story was mine. And so by just checking what was happening on Twitter at the right time (and following the right people), I had my first story.

I would love to link you through to my story but technical glitches mean it's not quite up yet- stay tuned and I'll send it out as soon as it's up.

A photo I tweeted from the scene yesterday

Live Blogging- A Recap

Friday was our in class live-blogging assessment. All I can say is WOW. I like to think that I'm a fast typer but even I felt totally overwhelmed by the piece. By the end I had cramping hands and a tired head but I thoroughly enjoyed the exercise. 

I think there is a great place for live blogs in today's journalism world. Today Cory Bernardi quit his position in the Liberal National Party. I was once again amazed at the speed at which I received this information. Brisbanetimes.com.au tweeted updates from the conference which I found massively informative. 

Even as a Gen Y who has grown up with the internet, this still amazes me. I'm so excited for what is still to come in the world of online journalism. 

P.S. if you want to see how fast you type, check out this site http://10fastfingers.com/typing-test/english 

Why I'm a sucker for photo galleries

Now here's the thing, even though I know that the only reason that online media organisations use online photo galleries is to increase the total amount of time on sites, I still view them almost every day. 

Today I got suckered into one on brisbanetimes.com.au of what Kate the Duchess of Cambridge wore on her latest tour and then this one of their time in LA. Celebrity galleries are normally what sucks me in and I think this has to do with a fascination of all things famous. 

I commend news websites for responding to what people want in order to generate hits and sticks (amount of time spent on a site). Maybe sites need to look more towards these popular "news" media as a way to generate money in order to continue to publish the harder, more serious news stories. 

I'm not sure if it's quite the answer but one of the most important things for the future of online journalism is being able to generate money- and so I think every avenue is worth looking into. 

The Perfect Envelope

Most of my spare time recently has been taken up by the search for the perfect envelope for my "save the dates" for my wedding next year. Most people would order a card or post card, something that can be posted around Australia for 60c. But one thing I'm hoping you're learning about me is that I'm not like most people. And so I decided to order a 14 inch personalised beach ball. 

After taking it to the post office I realised not only is there no envelope to fit these bad boys, but I would have to cut down the air piece and hand make envelopes all so that I could have a unique invitation. 


So this got me thinking, if there is room for online journalism, is there room for online invitations, or online weddings?

This skit about a "Skype Table" at a wedding made me laugh and laugh. 

http://gizmodo.com/5899531/going-to-a-wedding-do-not-get-stuck-at-the-skype-table

It seems that maybe, like in journalism, we have to work out the even medium of embracing the online world and holding onto some traditions. 

A Hybrid World

Spencer Howson’s tweet below is the inspiration for this blog post.

Of course, the brand in question in Apple- everyone loves a good Apple product and they are taking over the computer market- especially in the younger demographics.

Yet some companies are still missing out by making their products incompatible with Macs. The most relevant company to me who don’t cater for Macs is the Taxation Office. I can’t believe that after all this time there is still no eTax for Macs. For weeks now I have been trying to do my tax but the only PC available to me is the old home computer at my parent’s place. It would be so much more convenient if I could do it on my computer just like this blog post, which I am writing with a hot chai tea in a trendy café.

As someone who has a huge interest in marketing, I find the tax issue particularly interesting given that both Macs and eTax have similar target markets. Young, self-sufficient working people. And this got me thinking, if an organisation as big as the Australian Government is ignoring such a huge part of the market, what other companies are locking people out through technology.

One of my experiences of “technological lockout” is with my favourite news site brisbanetimes.com.au. I like to wake up and read the news before I roll out of bed to start my day. I also have an Android phone. Fairfax has tailored their phone viewing so specifically to the iPhone that the usability from an Android is appalling. I feel like I’m using a 100-year-old computer on dial up internet. The stories appear slowly, in poor format and without headlines or images in the right place.

And so I have come to the conclusion that in today’s society, it is not enough to cater just to PC or just to Mac. In order to make your audience feel included and as though the news is personalised for them you must cover all aspects of the technological world. It is a world that is rapidly changing and this is no easy feat for companies.

For now, I will just cross my fingers that next year I can do my tax on my laptop!

Why blogging isn't for me

So last week's lecture talked about how you should insert yourself into your blog....

I spent well over an hour last night writing a blog about me, myself and I and I just couldn't publish it. I might be wrong, but for me, I can't see any benefit in plastering personal things about me over the internet. Yes, I will admit, this probably means I will never be a professional blogger.

Over the years I have tried to embrace blogs and twitter- but it's just not for me. And so I have come to the conclusion that I am not a very good Gen Y. I have no interest in everyone knowing everything about me, I don't need to have 800 Facebook friends to feel validated and I don't have time to blog on the same day at the same time every week. 

I do 5 subjects, work in a demanding marketing job and am trying to plan a wedding- I'm too busy living my life to blog about it! 

And I don't want anyone to take this the wrong way- I think it is great that people can be organised enough to create and maintain a blog- what I'm saying is that it's not my cup of tea. 

I will continue to post my blogs for online journalism because of two main reasons- First I need a good mark and the assessment is compulsory. But secondly and more importantly because I think the blog posts are an effective way of reflecting what has been learned over the course. I think I can do that and meet the criteria of the blog without telling you why my silver jacket is my favourite piece of clothing or that I can't stand it when my fiance yells at the TV when we're watching the rugby... 

So this is me- someone who will probably never have a regular blog but who will keep trying because my GPA is desperate for a 7 in OJ1!

A bit about me

So in a bid to put a bit more personality into my blog, here is a post about what I like and what I don't like. The first thing I like is lists and so this post will be in the form of a list of likes and dislikes in no particular order. 

Likes

• friends
• family
• movies
• netball
• cooking
• cake decorating
• swimming
• the beach
• Law and Order SVU
• travelling
• shoes
• volleyball
• watching sunrise

Dislikes

• CSI
• people who don't reply to emails
• being celiac
• being late
• sore feet
• wearing glasses

I'm not sure if that gives you any more information about me but it's a little insight into me!

Twitter vs Facebook

Well this blog is a little bit late but you know what they say- better late than never. 

So last week we had Spencer Howson as our guest tutor and it was great to hear about how he uses Twitter as a journalist. 

I am an avid user of Facebook and a bit of a rookie on Twitter. The highlight of my Twitter life was when Spencer Howson tweeted me back twice in one day last Friday. And this for me, emphasised the difference between Twitter and Facebook. As Howson said in the lecture, Facebook is for people you knew at school and don't really like and twitter is for people you don't know but would like to. 

This is really why Twitter is so much more useful for journalists than facebook. The fact that I could tweet (and get a response!)someone who is a leading journalist shows that the world is at your fingertips in terms of information. 

So now, to continue my learning curve on Twitter I am going to tweet my story to Howson- let's see what happens!

An Olympic Affair

Source: http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/EJCYExWQypb/Giant+Olympic+Rings+Launched+River+Thames

Everywhere you look at the moment there is something about the Olympics. This is especially true in the online world. Take Brisbanetimes.com.au today for example. In the top section alone there is a medal tally and nine stories about the Olympics.  This is then immediately followed by a whole Olympics section before any local news. 

Source: Brisbanetimes.com.au screen print 10.08.2012 2:30pm

 

When I saw that Australia had won their 6^th gold medal, it took me a total of 10 seconds on my phone to find out who won it, in what sport and what the race circumstances were. Even as a Gen Y who has grown up with the internet, the speed and shere amount of imformation available never ceases to amaze me.

So how has the internet changed the way that people are sourcing their news about the Olympics compared to 4 years ago? During the last Olympics I was backpacking through Eastern Europe and virtually missed the whole Games. I didn’t watch any coverage because I wasn’t near TVs and the coverage on the internet was nowhere near as comprehensive. Wow what a difference four years makes!

As a Foxtel subscriber I could download a free Olympics iPad app which allows me to stream eight chanels on  my iPad 24 hours a day. I can sit at my desk with the Olympics on in the background all from a small device that fits in my handbag. Compare this with the fact that when I was backpacking in 2008 I didn’t even have a smartphone. Now you see people in every airport with an iPad, smartphones have become a staple in the Western world and a Macbook air weighs so little that there’s no reason not to take it all over the world with you.

 

Channel 9 has received a huge amount of flack about their coverage of the Olympics and I think that this is in part becuase people are now used to getting information/coverage that is tailored to suit them.

 

Source: http://www.facebook.com/#!/ch9fail

 A facebook page titled "Channel 9 Olympics Coverage sucks" (you can view the page here http://www.facebook.com/#!/ch9fail) has almost 27,000 likes. After all this backlash against the channel I can't wait to see how things change in the next 4 years and how Rio's Olympics are shown to the world.

Testing the Waters

Well here it is, my first post for Online Journalism. I must admit that I'm a little apprehensive about blogging and tweeting and storify-ing and tumbler-ing and a number of other social media websites-ering that I'm sure exist but that I don't even know about yet!

I dabbled in twitter a few years ago but it never really caught on in my life. But I guess for the sake of graduating with a semi-ok GPA, that's all about to change and I am about to wholeheartedly embrace the online world. 


And I can definitely understand why I need to embrace it.... For journalists, it really isn't an option to not be on a whole range of social media sites in order to stay across what is happening both in the world (for news tips) and in the industry. 


We all know that the traditional print media is gradually becoming a thing of the past and online journalism will, in my opinion at least, totally replace print media some time in the next 50 years. I for one, love to read news but would only pick up a newspaper once every couple of months. Every morning, I wake up and check brisbanetimes.com.au on my mobile phone. Then, when I get to work I check the same website on my computer and usually once more on my phone before bed. This puts me smack bang on par with how most people use different devices (although my student budget doesn't allow for a tablet!)

So now that I've established that I access my news at times and on the same devices very similarl to lots of people in the world,  I am looking forward to delving further into the online world and seeing the different ways that people and journalists interact with social media and the news and whether I'm the norm or not. 

I think I'm in for a steep learning curve about social media in the next week so stay tuned and I'll let you know how I go.