Interview Questions

How do you plan on self-promoting yourself?

I plan on continuing to use Facebook and Twitter to promote myself and my writing. Most of my work is now online, so I can link it from social networks to build up a following. As long as keep producing quality writing pieces and putting them out there, I can build up a reputation and make my presence known.

Name three goals you have between now and graduation.

I want to continue doing freelance work for The Record and a couple of websites I currently write for. I aslo would like to apply for another internship in the spring semester and gain some more experience.

What employment goals do you have after graduation? Name three of them.

I want to keep writing for HockeyBuzz.com as a freelance writer, earning money by each page view. I plane on working on my own until finding something I really would like to do. Doing freelance work isn't bad, and I'm not sure what kind of job I'm looking to get after graduation.

Name three best-case scenario jobs you would like to have and why.

To have a position and reputation similar to Jim Kelley, who was a columnist for the sports section of the Buffalo News for numerous years. A position of this standard would also allow me to join the Sabres as they travel while writing for them.

Do you prefer to work professionally with a group or on your own and why?

I prefer to work independently, although does not mind working in groups. He feels as if writing on his own comes natural rather then having the interaction among other team members. When it comes to writing, it's easier for me to write an article on my own. I can still work in a group, but I usually like to work alone.

What contributions can you make to a group dynamic? Name three things.

I firmly believe that my role in a group is leading by example. I believe that a positive attitude and good work can reflect among other members in the group. I can come up with good ideas and I will share my thoughts with the other members, but I won't be the first to initiate the conversation. The finished product will be well done. I'll make sure that the final project turns out to be high-quality and I won't let other members bring down the rest of the group.

What contributions can you make working independently? Name three things.

I can come up with my own ideas and write something. I can get something done very quickly and at the last minute if I need to. I can have everything planned out and figure out how to do it on my own.

What are your pet peeves?

My biggest pet peeve is when an individual is watching me as I work. I believe that unfinished work should not be judged. The final product is what matters the most, a person over my shoulder does not help me when I'm working. It makes me nervous and since it's not done, it looks bad. I'd rather wait until something is completely finished before showing it.

Name three things you feel passionate about professionally - this could be school related, current job related, group or organizationally related - and outline why you feel passionate towards them.

In the past, I worked as the sports editor at Buffalo State College’s “The Record”. I was very passionate about making sure my section of the paper looked nice. It worked well while being in control of the layout of the section and shaping of the other writers.

I feel passionate about my writing in general. If I get frustrated and need something to calm down, I turn to writing. I can just sit down and write, whether it's just letting anger out or writing an article or story. Getting words down on paper (or on the screen) really eases my anger and calms me down. Perhaps it is the feeling of finishing an article that I look forward to. When I complete a piece of writing, I am proud of myself for it, so there is incentive for me to write, especially when I know it will be published.

How do you handle stress and pressure?

I'm very good at working under pressure. If something needs to be done quickly, I can complete the task at a rapid pace. As for stress, I don't handle it as well. I'm not the best planner and not the most organized, so I tend to push things off until they get real close. Then it becomes a whole list of things I need to do, putting myself under a bunch of stress. I have to just sit down and start working and keep going until I'm finished.

Name the last three jobs you had, and the best success and the worst failure you experienced at each of these jobs.

I currently work at Dash's bakery, which doesn't help my future writing career at all. I guess the worst failure I had there was when I first started, I called in sick a few times even though I wasn't. Since then, I was ranked as the bakery's top employee a few times.

I worked as sports editor of the record and the worst failure was seeing a typo in my section, which happened a couple of times. The best success was just improving the section overall, and having the executive editor notice.

How do you handle criticism?

Not well. Every comment I receive, whether it be verbal or written, I take to heart. I know that they can be constructive and improve my future writing, but they mean a lot to me. When I post an article online, I will read every single comment. They are not all good, and sometimes it's difficult to do that. You can't make every one happy. As long as I provide accurate stories with my opinion, I'll be fine.

Name two things that you can criticize about the interviewer and constructively criticize.

If Lynda could do anything better for the interview, it would be not jumping around so much with the questions. They could have flowed together more smoothly. Also, just physical things like playing with her hair could also be eliminated.

Outline three strengths you have in school.

I'm very good at getting assignments in on time and rarely forget or miss one of them. I'm very nice and have the ability to work in pairs or groups and can get along with just about anyone. I'm also on time for my classes, so tardiness is not a problem.

Outline three strengths you have in your workplace.

I can work with anyone. I don't like to create problems or drama in the workplace and can work with whoever I have to. I'm very good with customer service, and can keep them happy and help them effectively. By the end of the night, my job will have been done the right way.

Name three things - graphically -that you want to have on your website.

I want to include a couple of photos of me just so that people can put a name with a face. I want to include some photos of my work. I want a few journalism photos as well at the top as well.

Twitter

Microblogging is exactly what it sounds. Rather than posting entries that can be hundreds or thousands of words long, microblogging is a much smaller form of posts. Twitter is a perfect example of this.

People’s updates are limited to 140 characters, so the small amount of space has to be used wisely in order to fit the entire message into the update. Submitting a post is a short, complete thought or description of something.

Many social network sites use microblogging, such as Facebook, which allows people to update their own status while seeing their friends’ as well.

Facebook is much more than those statuses and has things like chats, games, applications, profiles, and messages. Facebook is much different, where most users are connected with just their friends and family members.

Twitter is almost purely for microblogging, with a few actual friend connections here and there. When I first heard about it, I thought it was a pointless idea and wouldn’t be successful. Now, I use it everyday and it has become a main source for finding news and information.

When I first joined, it seemed that people were just posting regular things about their day and what they were doing, which is what I thought it was going to be. I thought of it as Facebook minus all of the other things except statuses, which is basically what it is.

However, I found that I could control my own feed by following people and organizations that I am interested in. It became more than learning about my friends’ typical day. Instead, I can follow other people that I am interested in. I can quickly get the latest updates as to who is injured for the Sabres or when one of my favorite writers posts a new article.

Another nice thing about Twitter is the chance you have the ability to connect with more well-known people.

I think this can apply to many people when I say that it’s an exciting feeling when a well-known person or celebrity re-tweets you or replies to you. I have had a couple of NHL players tweet me, and I have Anna Graceman, one of the top 10 contestants from America’s Got Talent, following me.

Twitter is like a whole different world, where most of the people I talk to on there, I rarely see in person. I tend to follow a lot of sports writers and NHL players, broadcasters, and public relations people, so my actual friends are limited on there.

If I want to talk to my actual friends and people I know a little better, they are all on Facebook.

Twitter has become so much more than just socializing and talking to people. It works very well for microblogging about live events. I usually use it during Sabres games, updating people on the score or what I think about a specific player or team.

Twitter has also become a tool for news organizations and reporters can spread the news by posting a quick, simple update.

“Reporters now routinely tweet from all kinds of events — speeches, meetings and conferences, sports events. In February, a federal judge gave his blessing to Ron Sylvester of the Wichita Eagle to use Twitter to report on a trial of six suspected gang members, the first time tweeting had been permitted inside a federal courtroom. Sylvester tweeted frequently from the trial, providing a nearly contemporaneous account.” https://bscangel.sln.suny.edu/section/default.asp?id=201130-COM336-1977

I’m a daily user of Twitter and I use it more than just for socializing. I use it to help promote my own works of writing as well as posting updates about my life.

It’s a good tool to help promote my own blog and Twitter has accounted for 14% of my traffic. In other words, I’ve got a couple thousand views from Twitter just by linking my blog posts on it.

I think it’s a great way to help promote my writing. Being an aspiring journalist, I have already built up a following because of Twitter (just less than 500 followers) and my readers can connect with me through the site.

The best part of it is they do not have my entire profile to see, like they would on Facebook. They can only see my Tweets, along with any links or photos I put up.

If I do want to engage in a conversation with someone, Twitter is great for that to. I can reply to another user publicly or direct message them in order for privacy.

With Twitter, anyone can become a citizen journalist, and act as a reporter. With access to the internet now in our pockets, anybody can submit a status or report something as news.

There are problems that come with that. It hurts real reporters when everyone else is basically taking their job and posting the news first.

However, anyone can post anything, and they don’t even have to have a name associated with them. They can be completely anonymous. These people may not even post accurate, true information, leading others into a dangerous situation.

I have seen on Twitter, that people have posted news that isn’t true. Seeing that, some people and organizations jumped the gun, retweeting what that person said. Turns out that the news wasn’t true all along, and all of those who failed to verify it have now hurt their credibility.

No one can stop the citizen journalism from happening but it isn’t a bad thing, either. Twitter can be used as a call for help if someone is in a situation. Others have tweeted at events or in court rooms, letting their followers know in real time, what is developing.

I chose to follow the Buffalo State Men’s Hockey team because that is something that isn’t on Twitter. They have an overall athletic’s Facebook and Twitter account, but that fills up my feed and tells me about many of the other sports I don’t really care about. By doing just the hockey team, people will know what to expect and get information purely about the team, rather than the whole athletics department.

Web Design Evaluation for the Final

Worst websites:

http://www.gordonwaynewatts.com/ - This has to be one of the ugliest sites I have ever seen. As soon as the page loaded, I almost puked. My eyes hurt and had no idea where to go as there was text all over the place.

I still don’t know what it is about so it obviously isn’t successful. The colors clash and there is almost no organization at all.

Trying to scroll down to the bottom of the page would take me a few minutes. There is music that is set to auto play, which is annoying. The photo is blurry and looks like it was taken 15 years ago.

http://www.tnteventsinc.com/ - At least this one has a limited amount of information on the home page, OR SO I THOUGHT! There are random, hidden links that are in the background. Whenever I hover over certain parts, there are images, links and text popping up all over.

The colors in the background are gross and I’m really concerned as to who thought those looked nice while making the site.

At least I can tell that these people hosts events. Other than that, it would take some work to figure out any more.

http://www.pandminc.com/ - Who doest this?! I’m so frustrated looking through these websites. This page has an intro page with symbols spinning? After actually entering the site, it loads again, with more spinning symbols. It takes about 10-15 seconds before everything is fully loaded.

I can tell what the product is, but there is too much movement going on. It wouldn’t be too bad of a side if they simplified this.

http://webpagesthatsuck.smugmug.com/Other/Bad-Web-Design/6837311_tyvTi#752104126_zng6F-O-LB - So many different colors and boxes on this home page, I don’t know where the focus point is. It looks like a whole bunch of random things thrown on the page. They actually have some nice images on here, but didn’t use them well.

The menu on the left is helpful, but it doesn’t need to be so large. It blends right in with the unnecessary colorful boxes.

http://webpagesthatsuck.smugmug.com/gallery/6837311_tyvTi#440032429_6bJAm-O-LB - This one is just laughable. There is just way too much here. It looks like a million puzzle pieces and I have no idea what the product or message is. The page scrolls down forever, and the colors are all random, too.

This was really aggravating for me to see these horrible sites. Since I run my own Sabres blog, I like to see how others put their sites together, but these are horrible.

On to the best websites :)

http://www.grantland.com/ - This is a simple, nice way to provide articles to the reader. Everything is nicely organized and the title is right across the top of the page. The menu is easy to use and there are two even columns going down the sides. The colors go together nicely and the text is not cluttered and is easy to read.

http://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/ - I really like the layout and colors of the Business first website. There is a lot of information on this page, but it is a news organization, so there is going to be.

I think the blue color at the top and bottom makes it look really professional as it matches well and is appealing to the eye.

The site is easy to use and interactive. There is a menu across the top and a poll on the right, along with the ability to use social networks to subscribe to this site.

http://www.hbo.com/ - It will take a couple of seconds to load, but it is worth it. It’s a smooth layout well done as there is a bunch of information to display. It’s very easy to use and the menus are well-sized and very helpful. It’s an overall very nice layout.

http://www.sageflyfish.com/ - I really like the colors and the style of this site. I think the green and blue go together well. It’s a simple layout with a couple of photos. There is a basic menu and search bar at the top, and more information below the content slider.

It definitely makes me aware of the product, but it is so well organized. The photos flow to one another nicely, and it’s a very calm site.

http://sabreshockeycentral.com/2011/11/05/sabres-knock-off-senators-in-shootout/ - Of course I’m going to evaluate my own website. I try to keep mine simple and easy to read while adding some photos and vidoes. The colors all go well together and there isn’t an overload of text.

On the home page, there are two columns going down the side with more information. When you click a post, it opens and is full screen, like the link above. My title is at the top and the menu is there for simple navigation.

Necessity of Communication on Facebook

Trying to get people together for an event used to be a much more difficult task. Sending out invitations or emails and having them respond likely took days, or even weeks.

With events on Facebook, the entire process became so much better, and more detailed. A couple of years ago, me and a few others, organized a walk for diabetes event, in honor of my brother, who was diagnosed about 10 years ago.

We simply created the event, put in the info, and invited our friends. Then the event was linked from the walk for diabetes website, and a few hundred people became part of the online event.

All the information was listed on the event page, and people commented with their thoughts and how great of a day that was planned.

As for the group page, or fan pages, they can really help people stay up to date. I created a page for the Men's hockey team at Buffalo State. The Bengals already have an athletics page on Facebook, but that is for all sports. If you're only interested in one or two sports, the athletics page will fill your news feed with every single update.

The fan pages are a good way to let fans know the most recent news and information. I can put up the schedule and results and players who scored, and people can find that out right from Facebook. Any recaps will be linked directly to the Buffalo State website, which is a great tool for helping to promote Bengals sports.

Facebook and its use in social media

I remember the day when I first found out about Facebook and where I was. I was at my dad’s house on the day we were celebrating my high school graduation. One of my friends from school told me that I should get a Facebook. “I should get a what?”

Her and a couple others had a fun time setting me up with this Facebook thing. I had no idea that I was getting into this addicting social network.

So now, of course I’m on Facebook and I can’t help it. It’s such an easy way to stay in touch with people that I don’t see very often. I’ve found friends old friends from my elementary school in Pennsylvania that I went to school with when I was a kid.

The “stalker feed”, as I like to call it, is something everyone secretly likes. It’s nice to know what your “friends” are up to.

Facebook has changed many times since I activated my account six years ago. I still like having an account, but it has died down over the past year or so for me. I find myself not using it as often as I once did.

I usually use if more for promotional and business purposes than anything. I have a facebook page for my website, and everything I write is linked through there. I started my site in January 2010, and since then, a total of 13,840 visitors have come from the Facebook links I’ve posted. That makes up for about 15 percent of the total views I’ve had, so it’s a good tool for promotion...and it’s free.

As for my personal profile, I usually fill up other people’s feeds with Sabres and hockey statuses when there are games going on. I use it to keep an eye on others in my family and friends as well.

That’s mainly what I use Facebook for, but other people utilize it for many different ways. Hosting events, playing games, chatting and promoting their business seem to be the most common.

There’s a ton of information about me on Facebook, and probably more that I don’t know of. I don’t feel that it is private, but it doesn’t bother me that much. It may not be the safest to have that kind of attitude, but it really doesn’t phase me.

If someone wants to find out information on me, they can type my name into Google. I’ve written so many articles and for so many websites, that when you look me up, that’s all you’re going to see. There will be pages of articles I’ve wrote for websites, newspapers and magazines.

There’s plenty of information about me on the internet. Whether or not I put it on Facebook doesn’t really matter to me.

Being a Facebook user for so long has made me realize that there are rules for it. There are many unwritten rules that users have created over the past few years.

Making something “Facebook official” seems to have become THE most important step for some people when it comes to relationships. Once it’s confirmed on Facebook, everyone else can see that, which is why it has become so important.

Posting “happy birthday” on someone’s wall has seemed to carry some important matter as well. Many people view this as the final step to un-friending someone they no longer talk to. If you don’t talk to them and wouldn’t write “happy birthday” on their wall, they probably aren’t your friend.

A big thing I’ve noticed is that you need to think about what you’re posting. I’ve posted a couple of political things that really offended some of my close friends and others. It started some online fights and is something to stay away from in the future. Posting your views on your profile is fine, but don’t put them to put down others’ views.

I’ve had some awkward situations because of Facebook, but not because I posted something. I’m sure others do this, but sometimes I like to have a friend deleting party and I just go through my list and un-friend people I never talk to.

I did that once and saw one of those people the next day. I didn’t say anything to them and eye contact occurred, but we both ignored each other. I’ve also played the “Oh, I thought we were friends on Facebook” game. We know how that works. You dig yourself out of the hole, even though you both know you deleted the other person.

One of my favorite quotes I saw (I can’t remember where) about Facebook was this one:

“Facebook is a place where you can hate your friends. Twitter is a place where you can love complete strangers.”

Video Comments

Time - I think everybody in this group used time in different ways, but they all made sense. The overall goal of the video was to show how each member used their time, and they did a good job of illustrating that. Devon began by showing how time went by as she lost a sibling. She included some slow motion and speeding up effects, but the story itself did the job already. The music and photos made it emotional, but she, and the entire group, met the goal of the video.

The next video showed how Taniqua spent her day, from waking up, going to work, school, all the way to sleep. The entire video consisted of high quality shots where it was easy to see what was going on.

I thought the driving shots really helped the video, especially in Matt’s video. It was a good way to show time speeding up and kept me engaged because it’s not something you every day.

Wale’s video illustrated how everything had to do with time and how he is always late to everything. It was interesting to see how each student took the theme of time and applied it to a different situation.

Communication -

The group tied these videos together really well and showed some good and bad examples of communication, or lack thereof. There were uses of email and Facebook in the video, which is how most college students talk to one another, but a lack of talking face-to-face, which is probably true in today’s world.

I though the idea of having the class canceled and the students not telling each other was a very effective way of showing failure to communicate. They didn’t even say anything to each other or hold the doors open, and it was very effective.

The alphabet magnets on the fridge were just another little illustration of a way to communicate.

I thought the music transitioned very nicely throughout the video. I couldn’t tell you how many times it changed, because most of the time I didn’t even notice. The music fit in good with the video.

They related the video to today’s world by constantly being on their cell phones and using electronics, and it was something I could relate to.

Abstract -

I thought the traffic light was a perfect idea for this group. It’s too bad the other member didn’t get to finish it out, but the video

The song couldn’t fit in any better with the yellow part of the video. It went smoothly with the footage and the green one went in well, also.

The concept came together by using the traffic light, even though each group member represented a different color, and story.

I liked how the screens were filtered to show the different colors. There could have been so more footage that actually had those colors in them, but it worked well by using the effects. I also liked the idea of using the filmstrip to switch to different shots.

Vimeo vs. Youtube

Two of the top video hosting services, Youtube and Vimeo, are often compared and one can be better to use than the other.

Youtube is more widely used and is often the first video source that people will go to. The community it has supporting it is rather large, allowing it to have more potential exposure. One of the bigger highlights it has, in my mind, is that a user has unlimited high definition uploading 1 GB size.

However, there are a few downfalls with using and embedding Youtube videos. You need to know where to put them on your site, and make sure they are relevant. If the video is not embedded and just on the Youtube side, it’s an easy way to lose your visitors. There is a list of related videos on the side that can take the viewer away instantaneously.

Advertisements can become another little, annoying problem. With Youtube so large, it has allowed for others to advertise on videos. Either a 15-30 second ad will appear before actually playing the video, or a pop up will show up a few seconds into the video. It may not be a huge issue, but it can drive some impatient visitors away.

Vimeo has its pros and cons as well, but is not as popular as Youtube and money becomes involved later on.

Only one high definition upload per week is allowed with the free account that Vimeo offers, along with a 500 MB limit. Upgrading the account costs just under $60 per year, and that’s not including the HD “tickets” when you run out.

Despite the fact that it costs money and has less exposure than Youtube, Vimeo has a crisp, clean look to it and good quality videos. A big feature that can help keep visitors on your site is the fact that no related videos show up anywhere with Vimeo.

This becomes extremely beneficial when trying to keep visitors on your site. Embedding the relevant video in between paragraphs is a good way to keep the visitor on your site for an extra few minutes.

Vimeo is more attractive to businesses than personal accounts. With priority uploading, complete customization, and the ability to have your own logo and branding into the player, the pros outweigh the cons.

Vimeo allows for a much more engaged audience, while keeping a professional, clean look.

The Internet has become the number one source for many people when it comes to finding out the news. Web 2.0 has become a primary reason that news has spread so quickly.

Youtube, Dailymotion and Metacafe are all popular and allow for social networking and content sharing. Anyone can register, upload, and share videos using these services.

Many news organizations have used the services for their websites, to engage the audience, rather than just putting text on the page. When used at the right time, they can enhance the and improve the look of their website.

When a story comes out, or something happens, many people are not going to wait until the evening news is broadcasted on their television.

News organizations can put up a video recap of the story that is one to two minutes, while including a story around it. This information becomes available much faster than the scheduled broadcast.

Users of social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter are often the first to begin the chain of sharing those videos.

In my opinion, if I were looking to present my videos, I would upload them to Youtube. It has a larger audience, plays in high definition, and, it’s free. Also, if I wanted to upload many videos in short period of time, Youtube is the better option.

As a college student, I have a tough time affording things and am not willing to spend the 60 plus dollars a year just to have a cleaner look.

However, if I’m using one of these services as a business, I would consider using Vimeo first, as it has a more professional look, and is an easier way to keep the audience engaged.

Self Portrait Writeup

When I learned that my group chose and received separation as the topic, I thought the video would come along much easier, especially in the beginning. Trying to come up with a few ideas seemed hard at first, but then I realized that it didn’t all have to flow together as easily as some other topics would, because it is separation.

My biggest problem with this project was the fact that I didn’t know what to film, but mostly because I was unable to narrow my topic down to a specific idea. I had a vision of what I wanted it to look like, but still needed to piece it together. I took videos, but kept changing what my message was for the project.

I also found that the amount of time each of our videos had to be (1:30) was a lot less than I thought, especially after playing around with the slow motion and adding transitions. I felt that I was running out of time toward the end of my video because I still had so much left to say and show, so it took more editing.

However, the editing has probably been my favorite part. I enjoy using iMovie and bringing all the clips and music together. Comparing it to the way I write, this project was very similar. Here, I went out, and got footage, then put them the way I wanted to to make the story flow. In writing, it’s the same thing. I go out and report, get quotes, then piece it all together.

The unusual thing about this is, all the time and effort that went into producing the video, takes a minute and a half to show. When I write, the outcome is usually an article ranging from 500-1000 words.

As a print journalism major, I’ve mainly used my writing as a form of communication. This video project was something different and I’ve watched a few that illustrated much more meaning in a couple of minutes than I could on a few pages.

Video can illustrate things that perhaps words and photographs cannot. In video, you have the ability to add music and sounds, something that you cant do with written work.

As a group, it was interesting to see everyone go in separate ways with their videos. We all shared something different, and were all stronger in different parts than each other.

Since we had separation as a topic, combining the three videos was cake. We all did our own thing, and used a scene showing each of us walking to lead in to each story, or video. We were able to use black and white to show as a unique story.

I did want to include a bit more video in this project, but because I focused on people who are not here, it was difficult to do. Overall, I learned quite a bit from the project and iMovie, which I have started to use more and more.

Separation Self-Portrait

"Write about three ideas you have for your self-portrait; how does the theme get used for each idea? What kind of imagery are you thinking of incorporating? How much of your self-portrait will be metaphorical and how much will be literal? Each idea should consist of one paragraph and have at LEAST 50 words."

I didn't realize how difficult the topic would be until I really started thinking about it. Separation seemed to be an easy choice...

For my self-portrait, the first idea was a bit depressing, and I'm sorry. I thought of all the loved ones I have lost and how I am separated from them. I thought of using imagery that includes the sky (heaven), or perhaps a graveyard. It would be metaphorical by me paying a visit to a couple of the loved ones.

Another idea I had is the re-union of separation. My girlfriend and I are in a long-distance relationship and I can focus on that. I would use imagery that illustrates love, travel, sadness, and happiness. By the end of the video, the re-union will be the focal point of how everything came together.

A third idea that I came up with is having the screen split. One side in color, the other in black and white. I don’t have a concrete idea for this, but I thought it could show a difference of the good and bad things in my life. This would be metaphorical using symbolic imagery.

I really like the first two ideas so far, but I'm still not sure of how I can incorporate everything into the video.

Videos!

1. Rubik's Cube Rap

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYv_oB_PXSg&feature=BFa&list=FLXWji2sUyh9wExSNFagU3dA&lf=mh_lolz

(starts at about 25 seconds and goes throughout the rest of the video)

I chose this video for a number of different reasons. First of all, I really like how he split the screen the whole time. This could have been very simple and boring by him just showing how to solve it. I also like the slow motion effects he used. This video had a lot of colors in it and was eye catching. With the original rap, colors, split screen, and slow motion, there was so much going on that it kept me entertained and are reasons why this is one of my favorite videos on YouTube.

2. McDonald's Fast Food

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaS1xQvQEKg&feature=BFa&list=FLXWji2sUyh9wExSNFagU3dA&lf=mh_lolz

(start at 13 seconds, watch the rest of the video)

I didn’t notice this at first, but the video includes three guys. Every shot shows two of them, while the other person works the camera. It was a clever way to get what was going on without having all of them in the same shot again once.

3. Better Days

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-kHleNYIDc&feature=BFa&list=HL1317754906&lf=mh_lolz

(First 30 seconds) I love the lighting in the beginning of this video. The way the light moves in and out on the face of the kid playing the piano is great. The shadows moving back and forth across the screen really enhance the scene. I also like the use of the blur which was used a few times.

4. Sabres Tribute #1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wxgkTuwAKw&feature=mh_lolz&list=HL1317754906

I love how this video starts and not only because I’m a huge Sabres fan, but because it is such an unusual way to show videos. It’s in slow motion and he uses the white flag as a background to show clips in. I think that and all of the different audios he has going together work well and make it an nice video.

5. Sabres Tribute #2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhB6BAeaiZ8

Throughout this video, the audio and video go together really well. I like how it starts in black and white and then changes to color as the song gets going. I also like some of the transitions he uses, along with the slow motion effect.

Wiki Comments

The history of women in hip hop (Wikipedia)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:TMcduffie1990/The_History_of_Women_in_Hip_Hop

Taniqua

I thought it was good how you went from the history of women in hip hop to today’s world. It was very informative and well-written. You also use some strong sources that add details. The page is organized and nicely put together. The only criticism I have about it is the fact that you could have used actual headers instead of putting them in bold. It would have automatically created a table of contents. It is still nice and well worth the read.

Molinaro’s Ristorante (Buf Wiki)

http://buffalo.wikispot.org/Molinaro%27s_Ristorante

Devon

This page is very appealing to the eye. I like all of the different photos you included rather than just huge chunks of text. I think you cover everything somebody would want to know about Molinaro’s. It is very well-written and I like the Italian colors you include at the top of the page. Nice job, Devon.

http://buffalo.wikispot.org/Urban_Gardens (Buf Wiki)

A very organized and nicely put together page. There are a ton of sources used, making this very informational and worth the read. I think you expanded well on each category. I like that you used a few photos because they illustrate what you are stating in the paragraphs.

How to Cook Chicken Riggies

http://www.wikihow.com/Cook-Chicken-Riggies (Wiki How)

This looks very nice and sounds pretty good, too. You give a solid background and your lists are well done. It’s a how-to list, so I don’t have much to say about it. It looks to me that someone who follows this list would have no problem cooking the meal.

Bunmi Akinyemiju (Wikipedia)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bunmi_Akinyemiju

This is a well-written wikipedia page about a guy’s name who I will never be able to pronounce. You go into great detail about different aspects of his life and career. This is a page that tells me exactly who Bunmi is and I am surprised to see how much he has done already!

Wikipedia Link -Dash's Market

Here is the link to my finished wikipedia page:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dash%27s_Market

Wikipedia: Dash's Market

Info:

Dash’s Market is a small family owned and operated supermarket chain located in New York State. Dash’s has four locations throughout the Buffalo area and was started over 88 years ago. http://www.buffalonews.com/business/article514813.ece

The Dash’s on Hopkins and West Klein is known as the central location. Previous experiences pushed President Joe Dash to centralize the baking in order to avoid inconsistency of products.

All four locations include an in-store bakery and a Spot Coffee café. They also provide a simple meal opportunity by offering “Dinner in a Dash”, where customers can order some popular dishes to take home.

Dash’s is well known for their Famous Friday Fish Fry, as well as the ability to cater to large parties.

Dash’s is all about the customer experience. People are able to sign up for text message alerts notifying them of weekly deals, along with occasional coupons.

“Our goal at Dash's Market has been to create a shopping experience that combines the convenience of a smaller, more user-friendly store with great prices, while offering unique products and services and superior customer service.”

History:

Joseph and Mary Dash began the business in 1923, and have handed it down two generations. Joe Dash, the current owner and operator of Dash’s Markets is a third-generation grocer. The first Dash’s store was opened by his father, Frank, around 1955. The Dash family also had one of the first Tops franchise, turning it from a small store to an employer of almost 1,000 people.

However, the franchise was sold back to Tops in 2003 and since then, Joe has opened four Dash’s locations.

http://www.amherstbee.com/news/2010-11-03/Business/Dashs_Markets_gives_back_to_community.html

“We had to figure out how to take a new brand out onto the street that hasn’t been around, competing against some of the best supermarket competition in the world in Tops and Wegmans,” said Dash.

http://www.buffalonews.com/business/article514813.ece#comments

Community Involvement:

Joe has carried on his family’s tradition of generosity by helping various clubs and organizations.

The Tape Saver Program allows people to accumulate receipts and provides $3.50 for every $100 of the receipt tape value to nonprofit groups for them to use at their discretion. There are hundreds of organizations involved. Mark Mahoney, director of operations, said the store chain is also a big supporter of the Check Out Hunger Campaign, which assists the Food Bank of Western New York, and the 5K Dash for Dad, a race to help eliminate prostate cancer.

It supports other organizations such as Kids Escaping Drugs and the American Heart Association.

http://www.amherstbee.com/news/2010-11-03/Business/Dashs_Markets_gives_back_to_community.html

Dinner in a Dash:

One of the first things Dash and Mahoney did when they returned to Buffalo was to hire Chef Sean Van Volkenburg, who had been chef at a locally revered, four-star restaurant.

Unlike most supermarkets, Dash's always devotes an entire page in its ad circular to its fresh, prepared foods.

Headlined “Dinner in a Dash,” the page offers a huge variety of prepared foods, and different ways to buy them — by the pound, by the each, by the plate. “Dash's famous stuffed banana peppers” and other enticing entrees sold by the pound are advertised. At least three “family meals” to serve four, for $13.99, have a top spot in the ad.

The temerity it took to launch a long menu of chef-prepared foods just down the street from Wegmans — known throughout the industry for its hot meals and prepared-food programs — has continued to pay off.

“Our prepared-food sales have grown every year, including last year,” Dash said. “We didn't react [to tough economic times] by lowering prices, or quality or portion sizes, and still we did well.”

Last year before Lent, some customers had suggested that Dash's offer a tavern- or pub-style fish fry, but Dash said he was a little reluctant because he was “afraid the store would smell like hot oil.”

Apparently hot oil didn't bother anybody, because after a trial in one store, it was full speed ahead for the Wednesday and Friday fish fries.

“It worked so well there, that we quickly put it in all four stores. Now we're mobbed on Wednesdays and Fridays all day long. [The fry runs from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.] And sales are double what they were a year ago.”

Dash and Mahoney see their success with the meals business continuing to prosper. For one thing, consumers are not going to become less busy, they said.

“We'll continue to grow this part of our business disproportionately,” Dash said.

“We've already allocated more physical space for it, and it will be a larger part of our business going forward. We'll put more capital into it because we see a great future for hot prepared food to go and for grab-and-go.”

Seafood:

Dash’s seafood is delivered weekly from Hawaii and Boston, but finding a fresh source, keeping it fresh, and minimizing waste is a difficult task.

“We’ve always worked with third party companies, but I’ve never been a big fan of that arrangement,” said Dash.

Joe has hired two sushi chefs in order to gain control over the quality of the product and its ingredients. It took only two weeks before the sushi sales doubled as a result of the new chefs.

http://www.buffalonews.com/business/article514813.ece

Bakery:

Led by manager Penny George, the bakery is a cyclic, constant process. Keeping the floor filled with bread, cakes, pastries, muffins, bagels and doughnuts is not a simple task. The bakers are in the store overnight preparing the baked goods, which will be ready and shipped to the other location early in the morning.

Locations:

Clarence

8845 Main St. Clarence, NY 14221

phone: (716)-650-2888

fax: (716)-650-2890

Hours: Open daily 6am-11pm

North Buffalo

1770 Hertel Ave.

Buffalo, NY 14216

Phone: (716)-835-3082

Fax: (716) 834-9307

Hours: Open daily from 7am to 10pm

East Amherst

499 West Klein Rd.

East Amherst, NY 14221

Phone: (716) 204-0386

Fax: (716) 204-0433

Hours: Open daily 7am to 11pm

Tonawanda

1210 Covlin Blvd.

Tonawanda, NY 14217

Phone: (716) 874-1989

Fax: (716) 873-5277

Hours: Open daily 7am to 10 pm

Journalistic View of Web 2.0

Before the internet existed, news and information were delivered in completely different ways. Some people relied on the 6 o'clock newscast every day, or reading the newspaper each morning, but that has changed because of Web 2.0.

Journalists are seeing that newspapers are dying and moving to the internet websites. Why is this happening?

In today's world, news is 24/7 because people want the news NOW. Web 2.0 has made everything more and more user-friendly to the point where daily televised newscasts are not enough. Newspapers are not enough. People want their information as fast as they can get it, and this makes it extremely challenging for journalists.

Journalists are supposed to be a source for breaking news, but that doesn't always happen. Social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter are often ways people find out news. Whether it is accurate or not, anybody can post something and the word will spread within minutes.

What many journalists are doing is creating an account on Twitter to get their news out there first. This is a huge issue in social media. If a journalist has breaking news, their job may not only be to report it, but to write a story about it and link readers to the publication's website.

The first person to report the breaking news will likely be able to get more readers to click the link and go to the website. However, timing is impeccable and doesn't always guarantee success in this case.

What if their information is inaccurate or doesn't include the full story. The issue that journalists are having is trying to post first, but still be completely accurate and high-quality. One mistake could crush one's credibility.

"The reality is that news no longer breaks; it tweets. Some 200 million people learn about breaking events as they happen, triggering a network effect that demonstrates the reach and velocity of social physics. The human network is becoming a force, a distribution network that rivals traditional newswires." (From buisnessweek.com).

Below are a couple of charts that illustrate how information circulated before and after Twitter. (These were found on arkarthick.com). If you click on the images, they should get larger and easier to read.

The charts above illustrate that the news spreads much faster than it did prior to Twitter.

Twitter Co-Founder, Biz Stone, shared his opinion on Journalism and Twitter during an interview with Rory O'Connor from the Huffington Post.

"We think that social media is largely comparable to traditional approach, in that credibility is key. In the future, social media tools will help the news media know such things as the location of the person reporting, we will be able to provide a social graph of our users... Can we then triangulate about their credibility via algorithm? We can certainly begin to get very sophisticated on credibility with new tools, and combine that with journalists leveraging open systems such as ours to find and vet crowd sources, story leads, etc."

Twitter has made a huge impact on Journalism and continues to be possibly the biggest source for breaking news. I believe that news organizations should use Twitter to their benefit to inform and update their readers faster.

Again, people, including myself, want news as soon as it happens. We can now get updates when we are away from the computer, using our phones as a source of receiving news, thanks to apps. All of it is user-friendly as you can control who you follow on Twitter and what kind of news updates you want to receive.

It truly is amazing how much of an impact a simple social network can have on journalists and news organizations. As we continue to progress, I believe Twitter will become more useful and beneficial for journalistic purposes.

What is Web 2.0?

After reading a bit about, it seems to me that Web 2.0 cannot be defined by a single definition, but rather, a set of characteristics. Web 2.0 is a step above what websites originally were. I feel that many websites were created to share news and information, but now, they have become so much more.

Most websites are becoming more and more user-centered, where the user is able to customize what they want to see. For example, a news site is loaded with the latest info, but maybe one viewer is only interested in the sports section. They would be able to customize the page so sports would appear first or be the only section they see. Creating websites that are user friendly can be extremely beneficial.

User centered could also be adding different ways to login using social media networks. Facebook and Twitter are the most popular and it allows users to login faster using their profile that is already put together.

Anybody can post something on the internet today, which has been how news has been broken. Websites like Twitter can relay information fast, allowing contributors to beat reporters to the punch. The one problem that arises from that is how accurate the people that post it are. They cannot always be trusted, which is why it's safer to learn it from actual reporters.

Contributors are the reason Wikipedia has grown so rapidly. Anyone can update and add to it, but it makes for a much faster process when everyone is working together. There are pages for pretty much anything, and the amount of detail on them continues to improve. Wikipedia may not always be accurate, as anyone can post, but it has definitely become a good place to start when researching.

Another thing that has really helped some websites take off is dynamic content. I feel that adding things more than text can really improve the appearance of a site. Whether it's photos, videos, polls or slideshows, users can interact more, allowing them visit more.

Web 2.0 is a sense of freedom, and it comes with great opportunities, but also some consequences. The information that users submit is not always safe, so people need to be cautious when entering data on a site.

Many websites are able to make profit off of advertisements and selling things. EBay and ITunes are just a couple of example of how the companies make money. Even if they are not selling things directly, they are able to collect a portion of the sale.

I think it's going to continue to improve. I'm not exactly sure how, but it will. Paywalls have been talked about for a while and I think you will see more and more sites begin charging people to read their material. However, the down side to that is if people can find your stuff anywhere else, or for free, there is a good chance they won't go to your site.

Web 2.0 has improved the internet, but it is causing many new problems that we are still trying to solve.

Where the internet began for me and how useful it has become

I don't remember exactly how old I was, but I'm pretty sure I was in middle school at the time. I got off the bus and walked into the house and in the corner of the room, I saw a brand new Dell computer all set up. I was so excited when I heard that we also bought the dial up AOL internet.

Since the dial up tied up the phone line, me and my siblings were only allowed to go on at certain times. We were each awarded one hour of internet time per day.

I didn't really have anything in mind that as to what websites I wanted to go on. AOL instant messenger and email seemed to be the coolest thing at the time.

The main thing I used it for was to send electronic greeting cards to my Grandma, who was at work. Everyone used it for a different reason, but it was rarely used for homework purposes.

After that, computers and the internet became more and more important each year, and they continue to do so.

Once I graduated from high school in 2006, I bought myself my own laptop and that's when I really started seeing what the internet could do.

I began playing around with a website I made, just seeing how nice I could make it look. Since then, I have upgraded it, and made it a much more professional looking site. It's a Buffalo Sabres website that covers the team, and I have fun with it.

At sabreshockeycentral.com, it's a place where I can write articles and build up a following. Since I am going to school for journalism, the website has already helped me get a few jobs. I've never taken a class that taught me about code or websites.

Over the past few years, I've taught myself what to do to improve the site and I've even learned some code. I know some basic PHP, CSS, and HTML just by watching what I am doing in the visual editor.

Wordpress has come up with a simple way to publish and easy to get used to.

It's amazing how important and useful the internet has become for me, and how much information is actually out in the cyber world.

Over the last couple of years, I have used social media to build up and promote my site. Facebook and Twitter have been a huge help and I never realized how useful they could becoming in promoting my own site.

The technological advances in general, have amazed me since I was a little kid. I remember going to my Grandma's and playing Oregon Trail or the pinball game that was on a CD-ROM.

Now, I use the internet on a daily basis. With the IPhone, I have internet wherever I go and can get the latest news as soon as it is posted. It's amazing and I didn't think it would impact my life in so many different ways.