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BLOG BOG

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Something struck me as I researched the benefits of and the skills needed for blogging for this assignment. And that was how much blogging has become a business. At least half of the hits on each page of results referenced marketing, making money from blogging, or being a “pro” blogger. Instead of individuals blogging solely for friends and family, it began to encompass professional and personal/professional goals and became a way for people to promote their personal brand and their business (Minaev, 2021) . As someone who was part of the “blogiverse” (as a reader, not a blogger) from the early days, this hit me hard. When I think of blogging, I think of how advances in online technology (high-speed internet access, online software programs, and feed readers) were allowing people to express themselves, share their knowledge and their passions and to maybe make a difference in an area they loved (Dekmezian, 2016) . This was back in the days when Blogger required knowing at least a bit o...
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WHAT A RUSH

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 Not unlike the dopamine rush that we get from Facebook “likes” and other positive online interactions (as discussed in my IWant It Now! Blog entry,) the technologies that keep us connected to the world can also connect us to political and social activism – both good and bad – and provide equally addictive adrenaline rushes. Take, for example, the January 6 th Capitol Insurrection, Rebecca Heilweil and Shirin Ghaffary wrote in a Jan8 Vox article : “The kind of experience that a lot of people, especially the more extreme people, had on the 6th is not completely dissimilar to a drug,” Evans said. “They got a very powerful high from storming the Capitol and they will be looking for the next high, the ones at least who don’t wind up in custody.” The Capitol Insurrection had been in the planning stages for months before the actual event took place, virtually undetected. However, it was years of online radicalization that led to the Capitol riot. Hordes of far-right movements have ...
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I WANT IT NOW!

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  If patience is a virtue, then we, as a society, are doomed. I grew up in a household where hard work, perseverance and dedication earned the extra goodies I wanted. If I wanted something extra or out of the ordinary for myself, I had to save my money, then wait to go shopping for it.  Similarly, when I needed to do research for school assignments, I was at the mercy of our small-town public library and their brief hours. Oh, and I needed to ride my bike there and back. I couldn’t order a book from Amazon and download it instantly or have in 2 hours, and we didn’t have Google as an instant information source. I had to wait for things. I remember watching Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory when I was really young - somewhere around 4, 5, or 6 and as much as Gene Wilder mesmerized me, Veruca Salt’s impatience, greed and incessant demands for everything she saw horrified me, even then. I also remember being secretly pleased when she was deemed a “bad egg” by one of Wonka’s ...
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ARTIFICIALLY INTELLIGENT WRITING

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There’s more to being a writer than just writing. Writers must be innovative, adaptable, creative, stubborn, disciplined, focused and be able to learn new things. From the first instances of writtenlanguage in Sumerian in 3200 BCE, to the invention of movable metal type in1234 CE in Korea, to Guttenberg’s invention of the printing press in 1440 (World History Encyclopedia, n.d.) , writers have always been looking forward, finding ways to improve their craft, and bring their words to life. In modern times, technology has allowed even bigger leaps forward and what better way to bring words to life than by using computers and Artificial Intelligence. Technology has already forever changed the worlds of writing and journalism. Processes that once took an army are now often completed by a single author from writing the words to pressing the “publish” button in an online article. They self-edit, proofread their own work, edit their own photos, videos and audio, and they create their own g...
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THE ART OF EDITING

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  More than merely placing marks on paper, editing is an artform, carefully honed and painstakingly executed. Companies, corporations, and enterprises rely on an editor’s skills to help maintain their brand, uphold their image and put forth clear, concise and professional copy for their advertisements, promotions, websites and correspondence. Whether the words are printed on paper, on a screen or on a billboard, the importance of editing cannot be overlooked or taken for granted. A skilled editor can save a company time and money, improve/maintain customer satisfaction and help to uphold an image of professionalism (Kennedy, 2019) . But, as stated by Angela Anne Avery-Ahlijian in her Senior Honors Theses Copy Editing in the Digital Age: How Technology Has Changed Copy Editing , in the age of online journalism, traditional editing processes are changing, and the role of editor would likely be unrecognizable to editors of the past now that editors are expected to perform additional...
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POD PEOPLE

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           Podcast people, that is. The technology known as podcasting has exploded in popularity with consumers and has had a steady,almost meteoric, rise over the past 15 years (Richter, 2021) . During this time, podcasting has forced the evolution of modern-day communicators into a new realm of increasingly complex preparation including audio recording, sound effects, and podcast production. As part of the phenomenon of ‘Media Convergence’ (the practice of storytelling across multiple media platforms: print, audio, video, and online,) the popularity of podcasts reflects a modern audiences’ preferences to get their news (and entertainment) from multiple places and in multiple formats. Since the practice of convergence journalism involves getting the news to audiences where and when they want it  (Kolodzy, 2012) , this type of on-demand content allows people to listen whenever and wherever they want and to multitask while doing it . A Quick Look Back...
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