Chelsey W.'s social media evaluation

In the bottom right corner of MSNBC's website are numerous links to various social media outlets including facebook and twitter.

It also has an alert and subscription feature that you can set up to have sent via mobile device or the old fashioned way (through a newsletter). Under this section, you can manually select which alerts you want. It is categorized by breaking news, mnbc.com, tv shows, and TODAY (which I assume is the morning talk show on its parent network, NBC). This is nice since it doesn't require you receive alerts about everything, but, instead can receive an alert from Rachel Maddow and the business section of msnbc.com. As with news features, you can also have different blogs alerts sent to your phone, but you have to register with the website to do this.

In addition to this, it also has a RSS feed and a podcasts feed which both require subscriptions as well. The podcasts are available on both itunes and zune so it doesn't limit itself to just itunes, which is interesting. These two can be found on separate links on the main page of the website in the bottom right corner, but they can also be found within the link for interactive news tools which is located in the same area of the main page.

Within the news tools link, msnbc has created apps, widgets, and a central dispatch that sends out mobile alerts, email newsletters, and online instant messages. Furthermore, the company has an online arcade that is made up exclusively of news-infused games, including the first ever cinematic crowd playing news game.

So not only does msnbc have the obligigatory links to facebook, twitter, RSS, and podcasts, it has also created numerous ways to have news alerts sent to a person and has even created arcade games inorder to make news reading fun and interesting.

Chelsey W.'s Profile of Laura Nehf

Chelsea Toledo's Briggs Assignment- Social Media

Classic City Rollergirls skate a fine line between athletic organization and social outlet. Their media committee and league president, UGA librarian Sheila McAlister, have taken measures to make information about the league accessible to their fans through a variety of social media outlets.

The Rollergirls' website boasts a "keep updated" tab, linking visitors to information about joining the listserv as well as CCRG's Facebook, Myspace, Flickr, and Twitter pages. The website also has a forum with public pages on which fans can direct questions directly to team members and team members can talk to each other.

Profile of Midge Leventry by Chelsea Toledo

Audio by Chelsea Toledo
Photos by Chelsea Toledo, provided by the Leventrys, or taken from public domain.

Daniel Suddes Profile Soundslide

Daniel Suddes Brigg's assignment

3) Social Media

CNN's Website is equipped with two of the bigger social networks (Facebook and Google) on their website. People can connect to the website using Facebook, and there is a twitter page for CNN breaking news. Additionally, CNN is creating its own "Digg" feature with an item called NewsPulse. This item helps measure the popular stories that are currently present on CNN.

CNN also has numerous blogs (a complete list can be found here). The most active one is the political ticker. Each can be subscribed to via XML.

Finally, there is an RSS feature present on CNN. However, the best way to use this feature is to have a Yahoo account. There are other ways (by pasting the address into an RSS reader) but this feature is not as user friendly.

Finally, CNN lists podcasts that it currently produces. Most of these podcasts correspond to the blogs. There are links to subscribe to each podcast, including a link to the podcasts on iTunes.

CNN's website uses many items related to social networks that it actively participates in. It is even trying to create some of its own versions of that social media.

First Coast News Social Media Channels

First Coast News (firstcoastnews.com) in Jacksonville, Florida actively participates in social media using Facebook and Twitter. The First Coast News Facebook fan page has 10,808 followers who have "liked" the page. Often, the producers and reporters/anchors post status updates on the site asking for story ideas. Of most news facebook pages I've seen, this one is one of the best and most kept up. Their Twitter account, appropriately named FCN2go has 1,311 followers.

You, Me & the Bus city project

Athens Land Trust

Xiaokui Huang Slide Show

Daniel Suddes Dog Ear Books Soundslide

"Protected from HPV...for free"

By Chelsea Toledo

Chelsea Toledo's Pick of Multimedia Story

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/09/nyregion/09astoria.html?_r=1&hp

When I went to NYT's homepage, a gorgeous image of a Queens streetcorner popped up. The story accompanying the picture was full of descriptions of the colorful people who had owned businesses in queens.

I think that, when you're dealing with colorful people, it's best to let them speak for themselves. The article mentioned how many business owners in Queens were immigrants, many of whom set up shop nearly a century ago. Wouldn't it be better to hear a variety of accents? How awesome would it be to track down an old-timey photograph of someone's great-grandfather setting up shop on that same street corner?

The article also gives an array of statistics. Statistics by themselves seem rather...dry. The issue is how small businesses are being forced to close because of the recession. An image of a row of closed storefronts is far more powerful than a statistic to that effect.

The article also reveals that new small businesses are sprouting up in the place of the old ones, demonstrating a resliency in these entrepreneurs. I want to see these people nailing up a new sign outside. I want to hear them explain why their business will thrive when others' failed.

In this case, a multimedia presentation would be far more powerful in getting the sentiment across.

Chelsey W.'s Video News Story Evaluation

US 'deprivation vacations follow recession (Associated Press)

http://www.ajc.com/travel/us-deprivation-vacations-follow-732247.html

This story was found under the travel section of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. It is very wide in scope in that it discusses the fate and trends of travel across the globe--North America, Europe, Asia, Middle East, and South Africa. Because of it's wide scope, it would be difficult to create an engaging, detailed story from each of these places. However, there were a couple aspects of the article that, if elaborated, I think would make great video news segments.

The first is the trend of 'deprivation' holidays and boot camp spas in North America. What exactly are deprivation vacations and what goes on at boot camp spas? Why are they popular? I think a video of showing people attending these spas and going on extreme trekking adventures would be much more interesting and compelling than just reading about it. I want to actually see business executives pushing their bodies to the extreme (as the article says) and hearing firsthand their reasons for coming instead of relaxing on a yacht. :o)

Second, I think the growth of astronomy and space tourism in South Africa would make a good visual story. It talks about hotels offering astronomy courses and rooms with telescopes, but I'd like to actually see some of those rooms and listen to the lectures. Why South Africa? The article states that its clear night skies are a major reason, but again, a visual would be more compelling.

Jacksonville Construction

http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2010-11-08/story/southside-begins-bracing-224-million-construction-project

This would make for a good video story because this road has been under construction in Jacksonville many times. It is heavily traveled during rush hour because it leads from a popular Jacksonville neighborhood, San Marco, to downtown where many people in that area work. During lunch, it is one of the biggest messes in Jacksonville because of the influx of downtown workers going out to the many restaurants around.

It would be good for video because you can get business owner reaction, as well as people who use the street every day. You can also stand during rush hour and during the lunch hour and shoot video with good natural sound of horns honking, etc.

Daniel Suddes Video Story

Story from the Atlanta Journal Constitution

This story just begs to be a multimedia story. Even the use of images that is displayed in the article would be better suited for a slide show. Still, a video could capture the mother's emotions as she describes her son, as well as interlace it with images of the son. The quotes that appear, while good enough on their own, are better if we understand the context. It is easy to imagine the mother crying as she speaks these words.

So much of the story is visual. This may be due to the descriptive phrases the journalist uses, as well as the strength of the quotes. A video would fit the material and create a better emotional response that the story requires.

Good Video Story

Christian Science Monitor: http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2010/1004/She-recruited-Facebook-friends-to-save-Gulf-Coast-s-hermit-crabs

This human interest piece has all the makings for a compelling one or two minute news video. First of all, it's primary setting is the beaches of Grand Isle on the Gulf Coast so it offers up oodles of natural sound, tide rolling in, seagulls, all of that ear music. Visually it would be just as appealing with, our heroine, in this case Leanne Sarco who recruited volunteers through Facebook to help save neglected hermit crabs, the crabs themselves scurrying to freedom and all of the volunteers helping out in whatever way they can. It's definitely a video segment you could see at the end of a nightly news segment about people making a difference. These altruistic stories almost always make for good eye candy, and anytime a beach and plenty of human and animal actors are involved, it screams video.

Podcast Evaluation Patrick McGinn

Here's my evaluation of a few podcasts, better late than never is what I always say haha.

NY Times Cast:

This was one of the first podcasts I began to follow when it started in 2007. I guess you could say that it's the umbrella podcast on the website because it is updated every morning and takes a closer look at the major stories by sitting down with the editors and beat reporters themselves for their perspective. For instance, today's TimesCast has video updates from Haiti about the upcoming presidential elections, a brief conversation between two editors about the highly anticipated New York governor's debate and then a moving photo slide show with audio about living to 100. All of the video is shot in HD, every segment is formatted differently to keep your eyes interested and the graphics aren't in anyway overdone. Grade: A

Not Your Usual Bollocks

This podcast comes from the other side of the pond and features music you would never hear on mainstream radio, because as they put it "it's shit". They usually have around 10 to 15 songs that they feature and then the two hosts come in on about every fifth song to add some much needed commentary. They also give you links to other websites that offer free downloads of some of the songs they just featured. This podcast is entirely aural unfortunately but it's just as pleasing to the ears as it is to my heart. This is an excellent way to hear new bands that haven't even been signed yet and though it lacks all the bells and whistles of higher-end podcasts, it gets the job done. Grade: B-

The Schwagcast

This is definitely one of the more entertaining podcasts I have ever listened to. The show is emceed by three ex-musicians, Bob, Jerry and Kevin who play their own instruments during the broadcast, play a few songs from extremely obscure bands and let off a little steam. Here are just some of the topics they discussed last episode: NYPD vs. Iraq Troops, Jerry talks about his fantasy cabin in the wood, and how to find Area 51 on GoogleMaps. Jerry is an older guy that sort of serves as the aloof comic relief and never fails to deliver in that department. Bob and Kevin spend most of their time trying to decipher what exactly Jerry is talking about and tryand keep the show on course. In other words it's musical comedy gold. Grade: B+

The Tipsy Diaries

This is another NY Times podcast that follows former restaurant critic Frank Bruni around New York to find the hidden gems in the seemingly endless bar scene. He has a very dry sense of humor and always begins his usually two minute long podcasts with extremely interesting hooks like, "This is the last place I'd expect to have a mojito" and "Hipsters aren't sure how to react to a guy playing ragtime in the corner." His video clips capture the essence of the bar showing the hustling behind the bar to fill orders and he manages to interview the most intriguing barflies. Once again this is at the upper echelon of podcast quality since it's backed by the Times, and maybe the only complaint that I have is that they're just a little too short. Grade: B+

Critic's Picks

This is probably my favorite podcast of all time. Renowned New York Times movie critic A.O. Scott picks a classic movie each month to spend five good minutes on. He alternates between his own opinions about the film and memorable 30 second clips from the film that always elevate his claims to near infallibility. One week he'll review Donnie Darko and the next he'll look at a much less mainstream English film like Howard's End. He never reveals too much about the film, for all of you worried about spolier alerts, and always has a powerful way of getting at the heart of the film right before the last clip, usually the best one. This satisfies all the criteria for a great podcast, superior technical quality, neat quick writing and the reassuring voice of A.O. Scott. Grade: A+

Podcast Points of View

Well, starting off I would like to state that before this week I've had absolutely NO experience with podcasts before - I've heard about them, but I honestly didn't even know how to find one!

I started off by looking up my usual source of info- something on parenting. I found two podcasts: MommyCast: Sharing Family Memories and Dad Labs: Stroller Strides. I was surprised to find that I enjoyed the dads' version more than the mothers. The dads had a better frame for their topic, complete with an intro & outro that leads you into the story, whereas the moms jumped straight from music into talking about a topic and if I had been only listening to the audio I was completely lost. Also, the moms podcasts was all over the place jumping from area to area and I couldn't quite figure out what the core was except that they were advertising something, whereas the dads' topic of choice was easy to identify. At this point I was informed that the purpose of this assignment was to evaluate podcasts mainly on their audio, so I switched up the topic and looked at three completely different areas.

Sex Chat with Dr. Kat - I enjoyed this podcast because it was very informative. In the intro, Dr. Kat informs the listener exactly what is going on, how the show works, & etc. As for audio, this show is recorded live so it's virtually like listening to a pre-recorded radio show, allowing for grammar mess ups and funny breathing and all. Overall, I enjoyed it.

CNN Student News 10/11/10 - This podcast is really an example of the kind that you have to watch in order to be well-informed. The various soundbites are awkward and come in the middle of stories, which may confuse the listener. Also, at times the speaker's voice is over music or some other noise effect which at some points is distracting but at others (while watching) actually works in its favor. For example, the segment on North Korea had a lot of different background noises that might have been distracting to the audio listener but for an aesthetic sense the sound with the background imagery really gave a keen insight to the environment of the news story - working in its favor. I wasn't too impressed with this segment though.

NY Times's Times Cast 9/29/10- This podcast was easily my favorite. It was clear and concise, brief and to the point. The cast made good use of narration and soundbites, playing almost the exact way that voices & quotes read in a newspaper article. It was easy to watch but also easy to listen too as well. There was a clear female voice that served as the narrator from introduction to conclusion and throughout the stories, while secondary voices were introduced to fill out the individual stories' content, making them easy to follow. A+

Chelsey W.'s Podcast evaluation

1. Stuff You Missed in History: Was there a female pope?

first, these 2 girls went to UGA, because they give a shout out to UGA and the bulldawg spirit when they briefly talk about the history of bulldog/bull fighting. This was very clean, clear audio, but the tone of the cast read like a formal script. The girls would talk back and forth at different points of the story, but it
was rare. On the positive side, they get into the topic very quickly so you aren't sitting listening to random converstaion before getting to the point of the podcast. It was also short (15 minutes) which I appreciated. While I am a huge history fan and was thoroughly entertained/intrigued by this, I think many people (who are not big history people) would find this dull and boring and would stop listening.

link:http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/stuff-you-missed-in-history/id283605519

it's number 12 on that list

2. Culturatopia: Boardwalk Empire, Filming Online Dramas, and more

this was a very long broadcast, but it kept me entertained. I chose this one, because I wanted to hear more about the show Boardwalk Empire it did not dissapoint. The narrarator interviewed both Steve Buscemi and Terrence Winter who had lots of information about the show. The interviewer did very well in not cutting off the person being interviewed or overlapping the audio. This was also very broad in the topics from the HBO show to movies about computers to the last episdoe of the soap opera, As the World Turns. There were several interviewers and their stories often sounded like any typical news report with sign-offs. It, of course, was very clear audio with tons of audio clips from everything they were covering. This is the only podcast I listened to that I thought really would've benefited from video. Although they explained the context of each audio clip before playing them, seeing the clip would've made it much better.

link:http://www.npr.org/templates/archives/archive.php?thingId=126677937

it's the one called Culturetopia: Golden Age (I think it's the third one on the page)

3. One-Minute Tip:Tech tips for Busy People

I picked this for its length and topic. It's very short and to the point. Everything is clearly stated in a way that is easy to understand. It often points out short-cuts for many complicated or frustrating things technology-related.

4. Citizen Radio: Epidemic of Gay Suicide

I didn't realize the obvious bias in this podcast until I started listening to it which made it VERY distracting. I saw that it was explicit, but, again, I didn't realize HOW explicit it was going to be. I was really interesting to hear about the topic, but was frustrated when it took over 20 minutes before they actually started talking about the topic at hand. Those first 20 minutes were spent talking about American Idol, The Office, or riding on airplanes. While the conversation was entertaining, I really could've done without it. Those first 20 minutes were just wasteful to me. I did appreciate that the 2 people talking (a husband and wife) did the show completely in a conversational manner. Nothing came across scripted. Instead, they bounced off one another's ideas or statements and kept the tone serious without being preachy. Audio was clear, sometimes there was overlap with the two talking, but that's bound to happen in this kind of environment.

5. Movies You Should See: Cinema Paradiso

This podcast basically summarizes movies it finds interesting and important in the history of film. It also often talks about the movie's lasting impact on the film world and how and why the movie was made. It's kind of like film studies 101 on radio. I chose this specific episode, because Cinema Paradiso is one of my favorite films of all time and I was interested to see what they had to say. While the audio is clear, the thick Brittish accent (especially the girl's accent) can make it hard to understand at some points. I also think this podcast might benefit from visual aid just to explain further what the people are talking about--especially when they talk about cinematography and lighting and things that yield better to vision.

link:http://www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/moviesyoushouldsee/

it's the second one on the website, number 234

Out of all these, I might only subscribe to 2. Length was a major factor in deciding for me and it was hard to find things shorter than 30 minutes. Anything longer than that must be thoroughly enjoyable and informative before I get bored and tune out.

Marcie McClellan's Review of 5 Podcasts

I believe audio journalism is essential to providing audiences with variety regarding accessing information. I reviewed 5 podcasts to evaluate their effectiveness, interest, quality, length, and topics.

The first podcast I reviewed was Anderson Cooper's AC 360 October 11, 2011 podcast. The podcast focused on a variety of topics and featured several interviews, including an interview with Rich Iott, the congressional candidate who dresses up and reenacts Nazi soldiers. While the the podcast was interesting, and I enjoyed the fact it was conversational and focused on multiple topics, I didn't like that images and video were often referred to, however I could not view them. In this instance, I think a vodcast would be more appropriate. I also think the length of the podcast was an issue. The podcast was 28 minutes and 56 seconds long, I think it would be more effective to reduce the podcast to 15 minutes.

The second podcast I reviewed was the October 11 ABC World News with Diane Sawyer. This was actually a vodcast, so I appreciated seeing the images with the audio. This podcast focused on multiple topics, as well. I enjoyed the coverage on the miners, especially since the vodcast featured video from the mine site. I also appreciated that this vodcast was only about 17minutes in length. I enjoyed this podcast more than the AC 360 podcast due to the shortened length and video imagery.

The third podcast I viewed was by ABC Good Morning America. Now what I really enjoyed about Good Morning America's podcasts is that they were separated by topics. Therefore, I choose to watch a podcast on a 6 month old McDonald's meal that hasn't started to mold. The podcast was only 3 minutes in length and I liked the ability to choose which topic I want to view, rather than waiting or fast forwarding to something I'm interested in.

The fourth podcast I chose was CNN Daily. Again, CNN Daily referred to video/images and aired audio from video but did not show images. The podcast was actually from August 2010 so it focused on the man who hiked up Mt.Everest to help Buddhist monks. The length of the podcasts was 5 minutes and 29 seconds. So the good things about the podcast was that it was brief and it was conversational.

The fifth podcast I evaluated was NPR's tiny desk music. This was very different for me because when you hear NPR you think scholarly or political content, however this vodcast wast taped in a small cramped office with a NPR sign propped in the bookshelf. The desk concert was only about 16 minutes long. However, the video was too cramped.

After evaluating these podcasts I definitely believe that the length, visual content, and quality are the top indicators when choosing podcasts. I would only subscribe to 2 of the podcasts I viewed.

Podcast evaluation from Xiaokui

Again, I tried something really new for me. I searched the Shanghai World Expo 2010 in the iTunes store and listened to six of them. They are:
1. Shanghai- Host of EXPO 2010 made by the Arts.21, a culture magazine
2. Show 84 Shanghai Expo made by CCC, Chinese Consumer Connection
3. Shanghai World Expo Opens May 1st made by Ebru News of Central Asia
4. Expo 2010, series programs about Shanghai Expo 2010 made by Life in Shanghai China, an individual podcast
5. Pavilions of Europe at Shanghai World Expo made by Wahoo Beach
6. Expo 2010 – Make or Break in Shanghai made by Made in Germany, a business magazine

Each of them describes the Expo in different point of view and provides good information in this topic. I ended up following the Arts.21 which broadcast on major fairs and festivals of the world.

Apparently, the podcasts that are made by formal news stations, like the first, third and last one are nice to watch. They all contain both audio and video. They have interviews with important people and plenty of information sources... The program have been planned and made through long time. Usually, they not only report on the Expo itself, they report the city Shanghai and at the same time analyze the event from political, economic, and cultural point of view. But they are all broad information, too formal for people who are really interested in the event.

The second podcast is an interesting one to listen. It tells what every visitor experience at the Shanghai Expo: crowds of people and endless queues. It gives a lively and unique impression about the event, one that is seldom mentioned by the formal news stations. However, purely audio is hard to follow and two speakers overlap each other sometimes.

The fourth one is an update program which gives each time an interview. It certainly provides the most information. But without an introduction for each interview, it really needs great interest on the topic to follow.

And finally the fifth one is a pure video made by photos and segments of video.

Chelsea Toledo's Podcast Evaluation

1. NPR: Jon Stewart, The Most Trusted Name in Fake News

The audio is very clean, and the interviewer speaks clearly without a single stutter. Natural sound exists in the form of audience laughter. Interviewer keeps Stewart on-task without interrupting or rushing him (i.e. "But what is the March?") Her questions are indubitably planned but delivered organically.

2. Auto-Tune the News #12: Legal Weed and Law-Making Lesbians

Auto-tune the News has the funniest podcasts ever, and this one is no exception. They're made by adjusting the pitch and rhythm of real newscasters' voices to sound like hip-hop music. The result is a mash-up of the most ridiculous stuff on TV (mainly gleaned from Fox News). The podcast includes the groups' signature videos, in which they insert themselves along newscasters. One touch I really enjoyed from this podcast was towards the end, when the singer sang directly into his lapel mic, which could be both heard and seen.

3. The NotHans Podcast: Tina Fey and 30 Rock

The speaker's voice is very engaging, reminiscent of old time radio. This clearly satirical podcast features a radio ad with "natural sound" from a haunted petting zoo and from radio interference. I'm fairly sure all the characters in this podcast are voiced by the same person. Even though this is supposed to be funny, I really wanted to navigate away at times. I think that's because the speaker seems to be reading. The podcast didn't get into the topic of Tina Fey (why I clicked on it in the first place)until 4 minutes in, and she didn't get to speak until 6 minutes in. Counting off all the phrases with "rock" in them is not the greatest way to introduce my favorite show. He should have let the audio clip from the show speak for itself, because Tina Fey really is funny. It was pretty clear he dubbed in the audio of her after the fact. The transitions are really choppy. Come to think of it, I don't think he interviewed her at all.

4. Fox News Radio: Latest 5-minute Newscast

From the sound of it, this audio was taken straight from the radio and turned into a podcast. While the timeliness is obvious, I'd appreciate an introduction, such as that given in the NPR podcast, before launching straight into the radio clip. There are commercials in this podcast!!! Why would anyone accessing news via iTunes put up with commercials? I think Fox News has a podcast for the sake of saying they have a podcast.

5. Stuff Mom Never Told You: Is Roller Derby Sport or Spectacle?

This feels like an old-timey radio show, with the cheesy music interrupted by a voice-over advertising Dove Body Wash. The speaker has a lot of pauses and repetitions, and her voice sometimes trails off at the end of sentences. (On a side note: she gave up on roller derby after one try. No one's good at it the first time around.) The podcast is a conversation between two podcasters. It makes it more conversational, but a little awkward, as their conversation is clearly planned.

The winner: NPR. The loser: Fox News.

Emily Parker Podcast Evaluations

Boston Globe Big Story: Patriots Trade Randy Moss: This was a short podcast, but doesn’t lack quality. I like to hear the news in bits, so that I can listen to what I want and ignore what I don’t care about. It gives the facts about Randy Moss going back to the Vikings. It’s nice that there isn’t any commentary about Randy Moss coming in from three or four people also hosting the show, we get one opinion and it seems to be an accurate one. This is a great example of why length doesn’t matter too much.

I also liked this one from a CBS affiliate because of the length. It is about an Emmy-Award winning reporter who is accused of sexually assaulting a four year old girl. Once again I like getting the news that I want to hear in two to three minute pieces instead of watching an entire half hour of news. The other nice thing about podcasts is that unlike most online news, you don’t have to watch or listen to an advertisement before it starts.

The next one I watched was Meet the Chef: Mario Batali. It was hosted by one person and there was an audience which made it different because more than one person was involved. IT wasn’t as easy to listen to because of the multiple people involved – sometimes I got confused as to who was talking. There was more humor involved in this. It would have been easier to keep up with if it had video involved.

LA Daily News: The next one involves food also. It is an LA Daily News podcast. It’s informational, because it teaches how to make multiple things inspired by BLT’s. But, it sounds like a recording you would hear when you call somewhere and are given a range of options. Better yet, it sounds like the emergency voice that comes on broadcast channels that says it’s doing an emergency test. Very informational, very boring and mundane.

Castle: The last one I listened to was information on the ABC show Castle. I don’t watch this show on a regular basis, so it was completely new to me. It has news about the show, and special interviews from actors on the show. In the beginning it gives you a tease of what’s to come later. I like this because it has background music that makes the podcast more than just talking. If you weren’t familiar with the show before, you will be after hearing the podcast.

Daniel S Podcast Evaluation

Celebrity Playlist-This is one of the most popular podcasts, in which various celebrities pick some of their favorite songs and play clips from them. It is very well researched, but varies greatly in content. The length between episodes are all over the place; some last ten minutes, others go half an hour. Also, in some cases, very little context is given to the songs in question. Most celebrities just say "I like this one" and away we go. In addition, some of the celebrities are bizarre choices. Who cares what songs have inspired, say, Quentin Tarantino. Perhaps it should focus more on musicians.

The Criterion Cast-This podcast deals with a botique DVD label, in which commentators discuss updates with the label and review the films on the label. The people who run the podcast are quite knowledgeable on the subject. Again though, it suffers slightly because of the varying length. Also, it may be too long. Individual episodes can last almost two hours, long after the commentators have anything to say. It could be better if the operators were better editors.

Leo Laporte - The Tech Guy One of the best podcasts in existence. Leo Laporte actually has a radio show in which people call in and discuss technology. Usually, it turns into people needing to troubleshoot their computer. Laporte's style is warm and inviting, and he remains quite knowledgeable of his topic. It is highly recommended that everyone listen to this podcast.

Here is the best caller he has ever had

NPR Intelligence Squared This is an interesting idea. NPR hosts a debate on a variety of topics and lets audience decide who "wins" the debate. Both sides are very well informed, but it does appear that the moderators do try and give one side credence of the other. This is especially clear when the differences between the titles (the announcer states a very different title in one debate than what has been labeled). Also, the introduction to the debates goes on far too long. Still, this is an informative broadcast that should be heard by everyone.

Jay and Silent Bob Get Old The film seems to be a sort of long discussion about two popular film characters, Jay and Silent Bob. It is hard to describe how the podcast is framed. At first it is the two actors relating stories of their youth rather than some new scripted material for the characters. It is amusing, but the whole thing seems somewhat pointless. Plus the audio on the podcast is not great. It is a good idea but it is balanced by terrible execution.

Patrick M.'s Blog Evaluation

Echoes and Shadows

The music blogosphere is a formidable force, so much so that the RIAA, is frightened to death of it. It allows them to circumvent the traditional channels of releasing music and put it all out in the open. This particular music blog, Echoes and Shadows, may not be much an eye pleaser as far as its layout, but it is brimming with information about all the latest music news. I have to say that it's masthead picture of a double-necked guitar is pretty sweet and the widgets on the side are very useful. The writing quality is on par with any major music magazine and they always incorporate other blog posts into theirs, hence their impressive blog roll. Probably the coolest widget of all is the HardRadio application which allows you to listen to whatever album they're playing while you're reading.

Kings of A&R

This blog is much more professional than Echoes and Shadows, mainly because it is now a critical outlet for signing talent off the Internet. Every day they post interviews, singles and music videos of undiscovered artists and have successfully signed dozens of them to huge labels like Atlantic and Virgin. I believe that blogs like this will supplant the Billboard system of tracking hot songs, since one of their widgets already tracks the top 20 songs in all the major genres. I'm not sure which A&R reps actually run this site, but it seems that it's paying dividends.

Indie Rock Cafe

This is probably my favorite blog because it not only offers a wealth of information on bands that no one has profiled, but it allows you to stream free mp3s from new bands every single day. Their layout is a little overwhelming at first, and could definitely be cleaned up a bit, but once you sift through it all, it's more than worth it. One of their coolest features is the In Dee Mail Service which emails you a round-up of five under-the-radar bands and two of their most downloaded singles.

Better my Blogging!

My 3 Blog Evals:

1. Absolutely Unsure: My Oxymoronic Life by Grady Grad Student Andrea Davis. - I like this blog because of its style. Andrea keeps an honest voice throughout her writing and is purely relaying to her readers what her graduate school experience is like - encompassing slide shows, YouTube videos, and any other forms of multimedia that help to convey her experience. Also, the blog is consistently updated and the reader is kept informed.
2. SMORE: Single Moms Overjoyed, Rejuvenated, & Empowered - This blog is extremely useful for single mothers such as myself. It's like a conglomerate of resources and useful content - links to other blogs, websites, and a list of resources right on the front page. Through this blog I found my way to my third blog which is also useful for single mothers. Overall, this blog's design and navigation is extremely beneficial for single mothers or any form of parents!
3. Single Mom's Care Package by author Cherise Bopape - Although this blog's editorial content was not kept entirely up to date, I once again found that the organization and utility of this site was extremely great. It allows the author to use this blog for a variety of reasons, including as a PR tool for her career and as a resource portal for her readers. I appreciated how the blog's content was neatly organized into a list that allowed you to click on topics and view all the available titles within that category. She, too, had useful web links and resources as well.

Chelsey W.'s blog evaluation

Foolocracy

This blog's biggest strength is its sheer amount of information and immediacy--there are several updates every day. The type of information is also a strength since it reports on stories that are underreported or ignored--all with a touch of the absurd. It is not a humor site, but it reports on information that is inherently funny. They are not stories that one would see on any other news site which makes it unique. It plays to its strength through the use of visual aid--lots of pictures and video to back up its stories. It's also very easy to navigate with recent topics links, past archives and everything is categorized. It builds community through comments and links to other blogs as well as other news sites. It also has a tip suggestion box for viewers to give tips on certain stories the blogger might not know about so he can look into them. As a result, the viewers play a key role in the site's success since the amount of information reported is nearly impossible for one person to do alone several times a day. He also has several links to follow him and the site on various social media sites including twitter, facebook, google buzz, etc.

The Flying Pinto

I know the name is weird, but this is a blog of a fellow flight attendant...I don't know if her last name is Pinto or what. She provides a humorous, although insightful look into the life of a flight attendant. Her layout is very simple and easy to navigate which is a strength. She has everything categorized so browsing for a topic is easy. Although, the topic of the blog is very narrow, she finds ways to discuss other things travel related-like tips for traveling with children, or where to go and what to do on layovers which brings in other people to her site than just employees in the airline industry. She incorporates pictures and videos in her posts to give it some style and to help relay a point in her posts. She doesn't post everyday, but she does post every few days which is pretty good, I think. As far as community, she actively responds to reader comments or letters in her posts with, sometimes, very in-depth answers. She also has links to other FA blogs, travel blogs, and pilot blogs and they have links back to her site which continously builds her community. In addition, her blog is the first option to pop up on google if you search for FA blogs and she has links to follow her on twitter and facebook.



The Broadway Pulse

a broadway/musical theater news blog with VERY in-depth posts with links to various sources. However, this hurts it also in that it often reads as a news feed rather than a personal blog. There is very little personality and very little commentary. This is probably because the blog is run from a commercial site-broadwayworld.com so it must be very professional. The writer works for the site, he is not a freelancer. Because it is a commercial site, it is very clean with many links and just looks very professional. However, the colors and layout are a little busy to me which sometimes distract me. It does have links to past blogs, but nothing is categorized so you just have to go slumming through all the archives to find a certain post. Although the posts are very news professional, the information is not limited in diversity at all: broadway, off-broadway, interviews, reviews, behind-the-scenes, musical theater around the world--it's all on there. I personally think it is lacking in the community area. Although it has a message board and links to follow it on twitter and facebook or RSS, there is no where to leave comments that I can find. It also only has links to other blogs within the broadwayworld website--no outside blogs are listed.

Chelsea Toledo Blog Evaluation

These are blogs that I follow:

Pamie.com

This is the personal blog of author and roller girl Pamela Ribon, whom I interviewed for my enterprise story. Its strength stems from its humor. Pamie often quotes entire conversations with and videos of her mother, who is essentially a supporting character on the blog. She also posts the chronicles of "Little Pam" by way of diary entries and love letters she wrote when she was 16. She plays to her strengths with clever titles and a simple, cheerful template. Her blog has actually created a community. When she was here in Athens, she stayed with two of her readers, who actually met via her blog.

Fitness Hotspots

...also a blog with a roller girl author (among other contributors.) This blog provides helpful information for those of us who play sports and/or exercise regularly. The template makes it look hard core, and even though the video presentations are a little cheesy, they're extremely helpful. The blog plays up its strengths with its organization. Readers can access exactly the information they want from the categories in the sidebar. The community is cemented by way of the blogroll (also in the sidebar.) This trainer invites roller girl traffic to her site by calling attention to theirs.

The Well-Timed Period

I have to admit I was drawn to this one because the title is hilarious. This blog provides myriad links to women's health in the news. It also provides a lot of opinions even I would call overly P.C. but I suppose it's important that we stay abreast (get it?) of the current terms for contraceptives and such. As for strengths, the sidebar gives resources to help women deal with (you guessed it) their periods. This obviously applies to a community (about 50% of the population). I think the blog would be more appealing to said community if the template were a bit more professional-looking and if the author didn't put out such attitude.

Blog Evaluation_Xiaokui

http://graybs.wordpress.com/
http://thecornercritc.wordpress.com/
http://www.oconeecountyobservations.blogspot.com/

Those three blogs are written by people we know. They are all great blogs because they are updated, well written, and nice to read. They all have stable readers and followers. Especially Daniel’s the Corner Critique and Doctor Becker’s Oconee County Observations, those two have very clear concentration and have in-depth analysis on their topics. I like the Corner Critique with all that videos and pictures on it. However, all three blogs neglect to build a readers’ community since they do not reply to their comments.

When I invited my friends to visit my new blog on wordpress, I found out they cannot open wordpress in China, which I do not know why. Apparently, famous people in China have blogs followed by millions on Sohu or Yahoo, not wordpress or blogger. I don’t think Wordpress and Bloggers can estime themselves as a global phenomenon unless they have people writing Chinese on them.

Blog Evaluation-Daniel Suddes

The Film Experience Blog

The blog's strengths are two fold. First is it's frequent updates. There are multiple posts per day, each detailing different ideas. The second is its diversity. The author has decided to take a specific medium and, rather than focus on a specific aspect, appears to try as much as possible to include every single portion. This means a discussion of foreign films (which only a select percentage of the population knows about) and blockbusters. Now, the blog has been active since 2004, and they have multiple writers working on it. It would be very difficult for a single author to do this, if not downright impossible. This is something to strive toward, certainly, but not something to emulate with a first blog.

The Monkey Cage

This blog is not updated as frequently and seems to take the role of an RSS feed at times rather than a full fledged blog, linking to several articles and not commenting as much as they could. Still, the articles are insightful and the data they present is not as well known as it should be. At the very least, the blog is meticulously researched and is graphically pleasing. The blog shows how helpful visual flair can be.

Journalistopia

This blog is very similar to The Monkey Cage in its form. The blog has also not been updated in quite some time - since July. Still, the blog's strength comes from the information that it provides. This is an examination of blogging and the technological driven world that we as a society currently inhabit. They promote certain innovations and certain websites that are vital to journalism and the increasing migration to blogging.

Blog Evaluation Emily Parker

Frumpzilla


Frumpzilla.com is a sports, entertainment, and social commentary blog. The biggest strength is the diversity of college sports covered. The teams covered can make this blog usable to any college sports fan because if you keep checking back, something about your team is bound to show up. This creates repeat traffic. It plays to this strength by posting scores, highlights, but also funny videos about teams that you may not find on a more professional site. Frumpzilla uses the Facebook fan page and Twitter to market themselves. Although it covers a lot on the front page, other sports stories can be found on the sidebar with links for readers.

FPRA blog

The Florida Public Relations Association blog has the most strength in professional design. This blog is designed to where it doesn't even look like a blog. Sometimes, blogs turn me off because they look very unprofessional, even if they have a meaningful goal. Having a professional and organized blog allows for many links and subheads, without them looking sloppy. Everything is organized and easy to find. It builds a community by giving links to events, and also teaching how to run a professional blog.

Athensworld

Athensworld.com is a blog aboutl life in Athens, GA. It's biggest strength is that it's frequently updated. I would say the biggest strength of this blog is that when I googled "athens georgia blogs" it was the first thing that came up. So, it has enough tags to get it up high on the search engine list. It plays on this strength by then having a variety of stories, about politics and nightlife, so it will attract a diverse (and large) group of viewers. It has links to the stories it uses for sourcing - for example the AJC article on Chambliss.

Chapter 9

I like Allen's idea of only spending two minutes per email. It makes getting through the quick emails more organized, and makes you feel like there's not so much on your plate when you go back to respond to the filed, longer emails. I also like the idea of a "Waiting On" and "Read This" folder.

The "Inbox Zero" concept by Merlin Mann could be immensely useful even for graduate students working on a research project. Having a list of emails from group members with different articles to go through is something that should be sorted through at least once a day.

The data-driven journalism section is an interesting one, because I feel either news organizations are masters at having databases, or they are terrible at it. Going to a certain news website to find a database can be a maze sometimes. Public records databases are the most useful I've come across as a journalist so far.

McClellan Profile

Marcie McClellan is a first year graduate student specializing in Health and Medical Journalism at the University of Georgia’s Grady College. McClellan is not new to Georgia. In 2007 she received her bachelors in English from Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia. McClellan admits that living in Athens is still a big adjustment. “While I have lived in Georgia for the past 7 years, I’m still trying to adjust to living in Athens.”

After graduating from Spelman, McClellan went on to work for Fulton County Government as an Information and Publication Coordinator. She wrote and designed the bi-annual magazine What’s Really Going On: Youth Violence in Fulton County.

Marcie would not stay in that role for long, as she was eager to learn about the various facets of county government. “I feel very privileged to have had the opportunity to serve in a few different positions. I learned a lot about the different aspects of graduate school.”

She went on to become a program developer and eventually the Call to Womanhood Coordinator, the position she most recently held. As the Call to Womanhood Coordinator McClellan was responsible for the successful development and execution of Fulton County’s Call to Womanhood programming. The Call to Womanhood programs consists of two initiatives: The Fulton County Youth Leadership Academy for Girls and Priceless University.

But today McClellan has focused her interests on health disparities. Her ultimate goal is to change the way historically underrepresented and low socioeconomic populations receive information regarding their health and well-being. That was one of the main reasons McClellan came to Grady College at the University of Georgia. “I was really glad that Grady had a Health and Medical Journalism concentration” says McClellan.

"I have a very hectic schedule. Therefore I have had to rely heavily on my time management and organization skills." Although she admits that adjusting to juggling classes, an assistantship, her internship, and living in a new city is a lot she is grateful for the opportunity.

Chelsey Willis Profile

A native of Lincolnton, Georgia, Chelsey graduated from Lincoln County High School in 2003 and followed in her family’s footsteps by attending undergraduate level classes at the University of Georgia. As an undergraduate, Chelsey was a member of the sorority Kappa Alpha Theta and volunteered at the local animal shelter in Athens-Clarke County. She graduated from UGA in 2007 where she attained two Bachelor of Arts degrees in Italian and Political Science.

Upon graduation, she moved to Atlanta, Georgia to work as an Italian language of destination flight attendant for Delta Air Lines. She was forced to commute to Cincinnati, Ohio as is it was her initial base for nine months. However, in March of 2008, she was accepted into Delta’s hub in Atlanta, Georgia and has been there ever since. As a flight attendant, she has traveled to numerous places she never dreamed she would ever see: Johannesburg, South Africa and Moscow, Russia among others. Now, she has returned to Athens to pursue a Masters degree in Journalism and continues to fly around the world on the weekends.

In her little moments of spare time, Chelsey enjoys going to the movies, reading a good book, or spending time with her two short hair domestic cats, Samson and Rascal. She also loves to sleep since it’s something she doesn’t get to do a lot. She is happy to be back in Athens and can’t wait to go to another football game at Sanford Stadium as long as she can get a Saturday off.

Emily Profile by Patrick McGinn

Parker Profile- Patrick McGinn

Stale coffee, overcrowded buses and bright fluorescent lights. Yes it’s that time

of the year again where we pretend to be scholars and slog through another semester. But

this isn’t just another semester for Grady graduate student, Emily Parker, it’s her first.

Parker, a 22-year-old native of Jacksonville, Fla., received her bachelor’s degree in telecommunications from the University of Florida just this past spring. The broadcasting industry isn’t where she attends to stake her future though.

“I was offered a production job at a news station in Jacksonville, but there was little chance I’d get paid a decent salary and I don’t think that’s where my future lies.”

She applied to Auburn, the University of Florida and the University of Georgia for graduate school, but knew she needed a change.

“Gainesville was great for four years, but I really think Athens has a lot more to offer for me.”

A major influence in guiding her career path was her mother, Susan, who already held a senior corporate communication position at World Medical, a medical supplier based out of Jacksonville. She not only considers her “the best mom in the world”, but reveres her for balancing a full-time career and spending any spare time with her.

Ironically enough, Donna Deegan, who happens to be one of the most famous news anchors in the Jacksonville market graduated with her mother from high school 35 years ago. She and Deegan have a personal and professional friendship that allows her enormous insight into the cutthroat and ever-diminishing world of local television. She understands how critical their guidance has been leading up to this point.

When she’s not trying to be overloaded by four graduate level classes, she’ll more than likely be running.

“That’s my idea of a perfect day, waking up early in the morning and running on the beach. Followed by a whole day of laying out in the sun, with a beverage or two perhaps.”

She also plays tennis recreationally and when she is back home she loves to fish on St. John’s River, meandering through the heart of Jacksonville. As much as she already loves Athens, she will definitely miss the hundreds of sun drenched beaches lining Florida’s Atlantic coast.

Parker is very organized and can’t stand people who aren’t operating on her same neat wavelength.

“I don’t know if I could date someone who had a messy room, it would drive me crazy!”

She also has a penchant for drinking Diet Coke. Aspartame aside, she doesn’t see herself kicking the habit anytime soon.

“I drink Diet Coke like it’s going to be gone tomorrow, it’s pretty bad.”

She has some reservations about taking four graduate courses this semester, but figures she might as well get it out of the way in her first semester.

“I don’t want to be stuck in graduate school forever, so the more classes I take now, the sooner I’ll be able to get my degree.”

There’s really only one tough question Parker has to answer. Who will she pull for at the world’s largest cocktail party, (The UGA vs. UF football game in Jacksonville). She might be conflicted about the answer but knows that this is where she needs to be in her life.

Xiao Kui Huang Profile

Xiao Kui Huang reported for her first class at the University of Georgia Monday morning with myriad concerns. Her brown eyes wide, she revealed some trepidation as to her ability to “follow the program, not fall behind.”

To be sure, Huang’s non-native English and previous concentration in French present major obstacles for a student of journalism at an American university. However, the work she has completed to date—whether professionally or within her course of study—yields more relevancy than meets the résumé.

Huang completed her undergraduate study at Zhejiang University (ranked 3^rd in her home country of China) this past July with a major in French. For the conferral of her degree, Huang composed a 30-page thesis in French on Les Années culturelles sino-françoises, a program that took place between 2004 and 2006 in the countries of France and China, respectively.

In her thesis, Huang elucidated the positive effects of the program, which allowed artists and performers to showcase their talents in another country and continent. Huang noted political and economic improvements for both France and China as a result of Les Années. More importantly, however, she noted her own knack for reporting.

In Huang’s view, the zenith of journalistic education resides in the U.S, where reporting practices are both “more free” and “more structured” than in her native China. As for pursuing her journalistic education in France, in which she spent six months during her baccalaureate study, Huang laments the propensity of French publications to consider only the French point of view. To counter accusations of ethnocentricity towards American journalists, Huang asserts, “There is a reason why the United States thinks of themselves as the center of the world.”

To decide upon a particular American institution, Huang applied to the top 5 graduate programs in journalism. Having had a chance to settle in, Huang realizes that coming to Athens is as beneficial to her psyche as it is to her schooling. “The past two weeks here is more pleasant than my time in other countries,” she beams, lauding in particular the acceptance of differences on the part of locals.

Looking to the future, Huang sees herself bringing American journalistic practices back home. She believes that, as the eyes of the world turn to China, journalists can impact the country’s effectiveness. Huang explains, “Communication contributes to economics and policy; that’s why I chose to switch my major.”

However, Huang does not view journalist as her ultimate career goal. Having held internships at two Chinese publications, one in her hometown of Dalian and the other at the Hong Kong Commercial Daily, she recognizes her particular skill set as being compatible with the position of editor, ideally at a magazine.

Huang is confident that the knowledge of theory and journalistic experience she amasses here at Grady will see her to her goal. “Really, I like to write something that I actually experience, as opposed to something I imagine,” she explains. In order to become an editor, Huang starts now as a journalist. Wherever her studies at Grady will take her, Huang is certainly ready for the trip.

Profile of Felicia Harris

The start of any new school year means a new chapter in anyone’s life. People are going back to school to chase their dreams and find a way to better their careers and their lives. Felicia Harris will be one of the many who is starting a new school year at the University of Georgia.

Harris , 22, is starting her master’s program at the Grady School of Journalism and Mass Communication. She received her Bachelor of the Arts Degree in English from Columbus State University in the spring of 2010.

“I chose (Grady) because it was only two and a half hours away from home and it was consistently ranked among the top journalism schools in the nation. My concentration is journalism, so that helps.”

Many young people will seek schools that either help them stay near their home; or to help them explore new territories. Yet for Harris, remaining somewhat close to Columbus remains a very important aspect of her school choice.

“I have a son who is two and a half years old. He is living with his father, Craig, in Columbus right now. “

Harris still concentrates on the future. When asked what she intends to do after her time at school, relocation seemed to be a key factor. “I intend to move to one of the big publishing hubs in the world. New York, London, and Chicago are my top choices. That just seems to be where all of the work is and will continue to be.”

However, at a time when traditional newsprint is undergoing a dramatic change and the publishing centers of the world may move dramatically, Harris does remain skeptical about whether or not the online presence will destroy traditional print. “I do fell” Harris explained “that print may survive as a niche market. Print is simply more traditional, and I am old fashioned.” Additionally, Harris feels that there will always be others who follow her philosophy. “I have a feeling that someone will always want to grab a printed copy. You simply cannot take (an iPad or Kindle) into the bathroom to read with you!”

Despite her future plans, Harris is right now concentrating on the present. Part of the challenge, she explains, is getting into a routine to help her through the day. “I drink herbal tea every morning” she said “but the biggest part is the music. Up tempo rap gets me ‘amped up.’” Music, Harris stated, is simply something that helps her in general. “Music helps me transition between different things. I listen to ‘bedtime music’ before I go to sleep and ‘church music’ before I go to church. It puts me in a groove.”

The future is bright for many students. Harris is certainly no exception; her determination and her ideas will likely make her one of the standout students of journalism at UGA. At the very least, her recommendations of herbal tea and music to help start the day may help many students still seeking for a way to cope with the start of a new year.

profile of Chelsea Toledo

Chelsea Toledo is a typical graduate student on her first day at UGA's Grady college of Journalism and Mass Communication. "I'm just as nervous as all the others" she said.

Three roller-coaster years have rushed past since Toledo last sat in a classroom. Toledo began college majoring in classical singing at New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. But she suffered a throat injury that silenced her singing, did some thinking and realized that despite her love for music, she wanted to pursue a career that was less fragile. Following successful throat surgery, Toledo transferred to UGA and graduated in 2007 with a degree in linguistic.

Although undergraduate school seemed relatively easy, thanks to all the French, German and Italian Toledo learned as a singer, Toledo's application for graduate studies in linguistics was turned down.

The following years were the nadir of her young life. Toledo signed up for two-years with Teach for America but quit after six months. She learned to be a barista, served coffee, and helped other people prep for the GRE. Then she and her husband decided to start their own magazine.

The magazine is named L+C Quarterly, stands for Lion + Canary or Literature + Criticism. Toledo will write a column called “From the beautiful mind of your barista”. The magazine will be available free in the waiting rooms.

And this is how Toledo arrived for her new adventure at Grady College.

“I lack background. I am not trained in the realm. What am I going to learn?” freak out like all other new faces, Chelsea receive great help from the professors.

Toledo chose health and medical journalism as her concentration, even though that has no obvious connection with the magazine, because, it appears to her that “it is better to have a concentration than not to”.

Fortunately, she doesn’t have to decide everything right now or even after two years of graduate school. Toledo hopes that after several weeks’ classes, her concerns will disappear.

Now all we have to do is to look forward to Chelsea’s magazine. Those new students who have either manpower or material, contact Chelsea and see if it will be a great opportunity and arena to enrich your own journey.

Profile of Patrick McGinn

McGinnprofile_Parker

Classes at The University of Georgia resume today and the look of summer around Athens is fading. Sorority recruitment is over, football season is right around the corner and Athens nightlife is sure to be back in full swing. Scared freshmen distinguish themselves with their eyes on campus maps.

Some begin their journey at UGA in need of a map, but are steps above scared freshman status. Well, they at least can cover up that they’re scared. Graduate student Patrick McGinn, 22, begins his journey today and says he’s even needed a map to find his first classes.

McGinn is a graduate student from College of Charleston starting his master’s program in mass communication. He majored in media studies during undergrad, which he says is the closest thing to journalism at College of Charleston. He also interned at a newspaper there. It seems a crazy twist of fate brought him to UGA.

“I wasn’t even going to apply” said McGinn. “My coworker mentioned it, talked about Grady College, and I applied. I got in. She didn’t, and she had way better grades than me.”

That late November decision to apply has led him back to Athens, and this time as a student. McGinn’s father went to vet school at UGA and he has, in the past, traveled from Charleston to football games. But that wasn’t the only draw.

“REM” said McGinn. “I like the alternative music scene. Where I’m from there’s a lot of country, beach music. It’s O.K., but Athens has a great alternative music scene. It’s like a smaller, hillier Charleston.”

McGinn has combined his passion for music with his journalism career. He was a DJ at the College of Charleston campus radio station. McGinn says he had a regular listenership of about fifty to sixty people.

His real calling to print journalism has led him to where his career goals stand at this point. McGinn is hoping to continue working in Athens for the Flagpole, which is similar to the newspaper he worked for in Charleston. It focuses on his own interests, film and music.

His career intersts are vaguely outlined by his role model, Hunter S. Thompson. But after a trip three years ago, McGinn has a specific, best-job-of-all-time dream.

“Move to Dublin and become the AP Bureau Chief there, if they even have a Bureau in Dublin.”

McGinn is also familiar with screenplay writing and is interested in writing for movies. He is basically interested in writing for an array of things.

“The Irish movie industry isn’t exactly big, but I’ve seen a few good ones” Said McGinn. “I may write for some more screen plays while I’m here in Athens.”

As for the nightlife, McGinn isn’t sure how much time he’ll have for that now that he’s in grad school.

“I went out a lot my freshman and sophomore years of college, on the weekends. Not sure how much time I’ll have now that I’m starting my scholarly career.”