The New Form of News Media Online journalism is defined as reporting of facts — produced and distributed — via the Internet. Over the years, journalism has transformed to new shapes and sizes. Internet journalism has become equally important and powerful as the tradition media. Blogs, forums, discussions, and even emailing, are playing important roles in providing news and information. The Internet has become the Center of mass media or "mainstream media." Blogging has become a huge form of media, popular through the Internet. Many strong believe that blogging is the future of the reporting industry. Everything is becoming accessible via the Internet. Instead of picking up a newspaper, or watching the 10 o'clock news, people will log onto the Internet to get the news they want, when they want it. The Internet challenges traditional news organizations in several ways. People realize that eventually sports teams will need to adapt to this growing field. Those same individuals believe Internet sites constitute the new mainstream media and business model. Newspapers are the dying form of journalism. Blogs A blog (a contraction of the term "Web log") is a Web site, usually maintained by an individual, with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order. "Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog. Blogging has become a huge form of media, popular through the Internet. Many blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject; others function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic. The ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs. Most blogs are primarily textual, although some focus on art, photographs, sketches, videos, music, audio, which are part of a wider network of social media. Microblogging is another type of blogging, one which consists of blogs with very short posts. As of December 2007, blog search engine Technorati was tracking more than 200 million blogs. With the advent of video blogging, the word blog has taken on an even looser meaning — that of any bit of media wherein the subject expresses his opinion or simply talks about something. The first known use of a blog on a news site was in August 1998, when Jonathan Dubé of The Charlotte Observer published one chronicling Hurricane Bonnie. Some bloggers have moved over to other media. The following bloggers (and others) have appeared on radio and television: Duncan Black, Glenn Reynolds, Markos Moulitsas Zúniga, Alex Steffen, and Ana Marie Cox. Equally many established authors, for example Mitzi Szereto have started using Blogs to not only update fans on their current works but also to expand into new areas of writing. Origins The modern blog evolved from the online diary, where people would keep a running account of their personal lives. Most such writers called themselves diarists, journalists, or journalers. Justin Hall, who began personal blogging in 1994 while a student at Swarthmore College, is generally recognized as one
of the earliest bloggers, as is Jerry Pournelle. Dave Winer's Scripting News is also credited with being one of the oldest and longest running web logs. Another early blog was Wearable Wireless Webcam, an online shared diary of a person's personal life combining text, video, and pictures transmitted live from a wearable computer and EyeTap device to a web site in 1994. Early blogs were simply manually-updated components of common web sites. However, the evolution of tools to facilitate the production and maintenance of Web articles posted in reverse chronological order made the publishing process feasible to a much larger, less technical, population. Ultimately, this resulted in the distinct class of online publishing that produces blogs we recognize today. For instance, the use of some sort of browser-based software is now a typical aspect of "blogging". Blogs can be hosted by dedicated blog hosting services, or they can be run using blog software, such as WordPress, Movable Type, Blogger or LiveJournal, or on regular web hosting services. Rise in Popularity After a slow start, blogging rapidly gained in popularity. Blog usage spread during 1999 and the years following, being further popularized by the near-simultaneous arrival of the first hosted blog tools: • Open Diary launched in October 1998, soon growing to thousands of online diaries. Open Diary innovated the reader comment, becoming the first blog community where readers could add comments to other writers' blog entries. • Brad Fitzpatrick, a well-known blogger started LiveJournal in March 1999. • Andrew Smales created Pitas.com in July 1999 as an easier alternative to maintaining a "news page" on a Web site, followed by Diaryland in September 1999, focusing more on a personal diary community.[58] • Evan Williams and Meg Hourihan launched blogger.com in August 1999 (purchased by Google in February 2003) Blogging Becomes Mainstream By 2004, the role of blogs became increasingly mainstream, as political consultants, news services, and candidates began using them as tools for outreach and opinion forming. Blogging was established by politicians and political candidates to express opinions on war and other issues and cemented blogs' role as a news source. Even politicians not actively campaigning, such as Howard Dean and Wesley Clark, began to blog to bond with constituents. In January 2005, Fortune magazine listed eight bloggers that business people "could not ignore": Peter Rojas, Xeni Jardin, Ben Trott, Mena Trott, Jonathan Schwartz, Jason Goldman, Robert Scoble, and Jason Calacanis. Mass media or "mainstream media" Mass media is a term used to denote a section of the media specifically envisioned and designed to reach a very large audience such as the population of a nation state. It was coined in the 1920s with the advent of nationwide radio networks, mass-circulation newspapers and magazines, although mass media were present centuries before the term became common. The concept of mass media is complicated in some Internet media as now individuals have a means of potential exposure on a scale comparable to what was previously restricted to select group of mass media producers. These internet media can include:
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television, personal web pages, message boards, podcasts, blogs and video hosting services. Internet
The Internet (also known simply as "the Web") can be briefly understood as "a network of networks". Specifically, it is the worldwide, publicly accessible network of interconnected computer networks that transmit data by packet switching using the standard Internet Protocol (IP). It consists of millions of smaller domestic, academic, business, and governmental networks, which together carry various information and services, such as electronic mail, online chat, file transfer, and the interlinked Web pages and other documents of the World Wide Web. Toward the end of the 20th century, the advent of the World Wide Web marked the first era in which any individual could have a means of exposure on a scale comparable to that of mass media. For the first time, anyone with a web site can address a global audience. The invention of the Internet has also allowed breaking news stories to reach around the globe within minutes. This rapid growth of instantaneous, decentralized communication is often deemed likely to change mass media and its relationship to society. Mainstream media The Internet is quickly becoming the center of mass media or "mainstream media." Everything is becoming accessible via the internet. Instead of picking up a newspaper, or watching the 10 o'clock news, people will log onto the internet to get the news they want, when they want it. Many workers listen to the radio through the Internet while sitting at their desk. Games are played through the Internet. Even the education system relies on the Internet. Teachers can contact the entire class by sending one email. They have web pages where students can get another copy of the class outline or assignments. Some classes even have class blogs where students must post weekly, and are graded on their contributions. The Internet thus far has become an extremely dominant form of media. Online journalism Online journalism is defined as the reporting of facts produced and distributed via the Internet. Over the years, journalism has transformed to new shapes. Internet journalism has become equally important and powerful. Blogs, forums, discussions and even emailing are playing important role in providing news and information. Many news organizations based in other media also distribute news online, but the amount they use of the new medium varies. Some news organizations use the Web exclusively or as a secondary outlet for their content. The Internet challenges traditional news organizations in several ways. Newspapers may lose classified advertising to websites, which are often targeted by interest instead of geography. These organizations are concerned about real and perceived loss of viewers and circulation to the Internet. And the revenue
gained with advertising on news websites is sometimes too small to support the site. Even before the Internet, technology and other factors were dividing people's attention, leading to more — but narrower — media outlets. Blogging Popularity But, as of 2005, blogging has generally gained at least more attention and has led to some effects on mainstream journalism, such as exposing problems related to a television piece about President Bush's National Guard Service. Other significant tools of on-line journalism are Internet forums, discussion boards and chats, especially those representing the Internet version of official media. The widespread use of the Internet all over the world created a unique opportunity to create a meeting place for both sides in many conflicts, such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the Russian-Chechen War. Often this gives a unique chance to find new, alternative solutions to the conflict, but often the Internet is turned into the battlefield by contradicting parties creating endless "online battles." Most Internet users agree that on-line sources are often less biased and more informative than the official media. This claim is often backed with the belief that on-line journalists are merely volunteers and freelancers, who are not paid for their activity, and therefore are free from corporate ethics. Some online journalists have an ambition to replace the mainstream media in the long run. Some independent forums and discussion boards have already achieved a level of popularity comparable to mainstream news agencies, such as television stations and newspapers. Particularly interesting are About.com in the United States, Expatica in Western Europe and several others. Internet radio and Podcasts are other growing independent media based on the Internet. Online newspaper An online newspaper, also known as a web newspaper, is a newspaper that exists on the World Wide Web or Internet, either separately or as an online version of a printed periodical. Going online created more opportunities for newspapers, such as competing with broadcast journalism in presenting breaking news in a more timely manner. The credibility and strong brand recognition of well-established newspapers, and the close relationships they have with advertisers, are also seen by many in the newspaper industry as strengthening their chances of survival. The movement away from the printing process can also help decrease costs. Online newspapers are much like hard-copy newspapers and have the same legal boundaries, such as laws regarding libel, privacy and copyright, also apply to online publications in most countries. News reporters are being taught to shoot video and to write in the succinct manner necessary for the Internet news pages. Many are learning how to implement blogs that should help this development of the Internet. Journalism students in schools around the World are being taught about the "convergence" of all media and the need to have knowledge and skills involving print, broadcast and web. Some newspapers have attempted to integrate the Internet into every aspect of their operations, i.e.,
reporters writing stories for both print and online, and classified advertisements appearing in both media; others operate websites that are more distinct from the printed newspaper. Examples of newspaper online It would be difficult to find a daily newspaper in the UK or United States, in fact in the world, in the 21st century, that does not have or share a website. Very few newspapers in 2006 will claim to have made money from their websites, which are mostly free to all viewers. Declining profit margins and declining circulation in daily newspapers have forced executives to contemplate new methods of obtaining revenue from websites, without charging for subscription. This has been difficult. Newspapers with specialized audiences such as The Wall Street Journal or The Chronicle of Higher Education, successfully charge subscription fees. Many of the web papers have simplified their URLs so that, for instance, miami.com will take you to The Miami Herald, whose website first appeared in the mid-1990s. Most newspapers now have an online edition, including, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, and The New York Times. The Guardian experimented with new media in 2005, offering a free twelve part weekly podcast series by Ricky Gervais. Another UK daily to go online is The Daily Telegraph. Online-only newspapers To be a "Web-Only Newspaper" they must not be part of or have any connection to hard copy formats, and must be regularly updated at a regular time and keep to a fixed news format. They must only be published by professional media companies, and fall under national and international press rules and regulations and have 80% or above news content. For example, in 2000, an independent web only newspaper was introduced in the UK called the Southport Reporter. It is a weekly regional newspaper that is not produced or run in any format other than soft-copy on the Internet by its publishers PCBT Photography. Unlike blog sites and other news websites, it is run as a newspaper and is recognized by media groups in the UK, like the NUJ and/or the IFJ. Also they fall under the UK's PCC rules. The development of electronic newspapers, will very soon be replacing hard-copy printed papers via electronic paper. In February 2006, the Flemish daily De Tijd of Antwerp, announced plans to distribute an electronic-ink version of the paper to selected subscribers. This was the first such application of electronic ink to newspaper publishing. Blog Phenomenon With this Blog phenomenon booming, blogs are now accredited as mainstream media, just as newspapers and magazines. Whatever the reason for the Blog phenomenon, its not going to go away anytime soon. With the Blog and Internet phenomenon, the reporting business is no longer through newspapers, with it now turning to a website business these days. These are troubles times for newspapers, and its time that reporters consider a new future through the Internet. The newspaper production is nearly dead. Jay Mariotti, a former Chicago Sun-Times columnist, resigned his position making millions due to the decay in the newspaper industry. He has been saying all long that the Internet is the future of this industry, something that I already knew since I started my first Internet job in September 2002. He kept his ESPN "Around the Horn" job for several months, before signing on with AOL Sports in January. Sunnier Times in New Mainstream Media
As of a July 2008 Fox News Channel study: (this study continues to grow on a daily basis since that time) * Over 50 million American adults currently maintain a blog. * More than 200 million people in the World that use the Internet, with 75% of the World receiving their news from the Internet, including 57% of those visitors coming from blogs. * Over 80 million Americans read blogs. * 1.7 million American adults list making money as one of the reasons they blog. * 89% of companies surveyed say they think blogs will be more important in the next five years. * 79% of Internet users say they have created blogs. * 80% of the entire US adult population has created a blog. * Technorati is currently tracking over 200 million blogs. * Over 175 thousand blogs are created every day. * There are over 3.4 million new blog posts every day. * 22 of the 100 most popular websites in the World are blogs. * Blogs are vastly approaching more Internet sites than domain names; Blogs are free, while domain names can cost hundreds of dollars each year. * 37% of blog readers began reading blogs in 2005 or 2006. * 51% of blog readers shop online. * Blog readers average 30 hours online each week. * 92% of bloggers are under 30.