Friday, January 25, 2008
Spring 2008 MCOM 407 students: Welcome !
I realize classes don't start until next week, but I wanted to welcome you to MCOM 407 and get you started thinking about your semester project. The most important step for success in this class is coming up with a strong story idea early on, so I highly recommend you begin thinking now.
You will be working on a multipart multimedia story during the semester. AS you begin thinking about possible ideas, it's important to do a couple of things:
1) Look for a specific story idea, not just a general topic. For instance, "sports" is a general topic. "Special Olympics" is more focused. "How local coaches and Special Olympians are preparing for this year's events" is a story idea.
2) Make sure your idea is for a FEATURE story, not one or more news stories. The goal is not to write short accounts of events that happen during the semester but to create a coherent "big picture" story.
3) Start making a list of possible sources and consider how much access you will have to them. Many previous projects have failed because students tried to work with sources outside the area or sources that have limited availability. Stories dealing with minors or with people on the wrong side of the law are particularly tricky.
4) Think about multimedia possibilities. You will be combining words, photos, audio, video, animation, maps, slide shows and more to create your project. Make sure your topic lends itself to such rich multimedia.
5) Make a point of regularly checking this blog and some of the blogs listed on the online syllabus.
See you soon!
You will be working on a multipart multimedia story during the semester. AS you begin thinking about possible ideas, it's important to do a couple of things:
1) Look for a specific story idea, not just a general topic. For instance, "sports" is a general topic. "Special Olympics" is more focused. "How local coaches and Special Olympians are preparing for this year's events" is a story idea.
2) Make sure your idea is for a FEATURE story, not one or more news stories. The goal is not to write short accounts of events that happen during the semester but to create a coherent "big picture" story.
3) Start making a list of possible sources and consider how much access you will have to them. Many previous projects have failed because students tried to work with sources outside the area or sources that have limited availability. Stories dealing with minors or with people on the wrong side of the law are particularly tricky.
4) Think about multimedia possibilities. You will be combining words, photos, audio, video, animation, maps, slide shows and more to create your project. Make sure your topic lends itself to such rich multimedia.
5) Make a point of regularly checking this blog and some of the blogs listed on the online syllabus.
See you soon!
