Reading Assignment 2

Blog

Mike Klassen made some strong points in his article about blogs becoming the new journalism. Walking through his piece more than once, I took notice of a couple changes that the new online media world will showcase in the years ahead.

The first was talking about the "sleepless nights for ink suppliers." Obviously, when it's online, those are the men that can fluff their pillows before taking a break. This did bring up another behind-the-scenes side of the change for me, as there are so many people - with many positions - being affected by this whole new era.

The second part I thought of was when Klassen talked about the building of portfolios for the writers online. It's something I see often with younger writers looking for exposure. They especially head to Twitter and Facebook to share their articles, give updates on news hoping to be among the first to "break it" as well as posting pictures of video of the hot topics. This grabbed my attention since I have a YouTube channel devoted to my one-on-one interviews and racing videos. Though I don't often post on social media, I see it all the time.

Overall, the best point I found was when Klassen said "wisdom and experience of the elders will not be passed down to the newcomers." In a way, I agree as it could be argued that it is the other way around - teaching the "old farts" how to work the Tweeting device.

But I do believe the actual work of writing is still at the forefront of being a journalist. Advice from somebody who has been around the business for years or decades can absolutely be a help. Also throw in the work of conducting interviews and handling yourself professionally into what you can learn from your experienced elders.