RESPOND TO TWO CLASSMATES ON TWO DISCUSSIONS AND REFERENCE YOUR RESPONSE

Convergence of Media

ASHLI

I interpret convergence as a way for print, online and television journalism to seamlessly blend together.  The text explains that, “Converged newsrooms break down the historical walls dividing print, broadcast and online journalism” (Friend, 2005). They essentially are reporting the news for not just one but all three areas of journalism so they have a lot of cross-feed/shared ideas.  According to the text, “They integrate the strengths of each medium: the context and analysis of print, the visual and audio impact of broadcast, the immediacy and interactivity of the World Wide Web” (Friend, 2005)  From my reading, I gather that convergence is the best of three worlds as it allows for somewhat of a super story to be told across the different platforms.

Since I am in the Air Force and in Recruiting Service, I am going to use Air Force media as an example.  We have the Air Force Times which is a print newspaper that comes out once a month.  We also have various online/social media avenues such as our Facebook page, Twitter and our official website, all providing us with more up to date information.  These two types of reporting can work together if AF Times breaks a big story and the online outlets pick up from there to keep the story going and provide follow up information.  

Reference:

Friend, C., Challenger, D., & McAdams, K. (2005). Contemporary editing. New York: McGraw-Hill. ISBN: 0072853980

DAMIEN

The convergence of media has greatly influenced the media writing and editing process. Convergence is defined as the "merging of distinct technologies,industries or devices into a unified whole" (Merriam-Webster.com). Technology and the birth of the World Wide Web have been able to break down the barriers between broadcast, print and online newsrooms. With this wealth of information access, the average person is more informed than ever. Media writing must be done at a fast pace, long gone are the traditional days when there were only publications going to print. 24/7 online access has set a fast pace where news must be reported in real time. Not only are news professionals reporting, so is the average person through the use of blogs and personal journals. The WWW has it's pros and cons for writing and editing. The use of Hypertext and online editing tools has made writing and editing easier and allowed stories to be shred in new and exciting ways through online links. However, the new technology also poses drawbacks to editors who now have to adapt to a new way of doing things and at  a faster pace. This convergence didn't come with a road map, the editors are forging the path in this new territory, "as the news conversation grows more democratic online, editors will become guides as well as gatekeepers" (Friends, 2010).

An example of media convergence that I witness in my everyday life is watching my local news as well as being friends with them on Facebook, which allows me to watch the regular programmed news on TV or check their FB page and get instant news.

Identifying Audience

MARVIN

To identify your audience is determining who you gain a following with.  You need to know who it is that reads your work, why they read it, and edit it to have your audience follow better.  If your audience can not understand your work, they will not understand your reasoning for what it is you are writing about.  Your views will be completely misread and thus your audience will stop following.

My writings from my recent class in creative writing, one being a fiction piece, and the other was a nonfiction piece.  Both gained an audience and each were different.  The fiction piece I created, I had more of an audience, as they were excited to see what happens next in the story.  The nonfiction piece, while not as well-known as my other fiction story, I gained a different audience who could see this story for what it was.  The point being, the two different audiences had likes and dislikes and each story catered to both of their needs.  Also, the audience will critique your writing and give you tips or praise and sometimes rip apart your work, but that is the name of the game.

Your audience can influence your writing and as thus, you influence them as they read.  Each has a weird way of connecting with one another to help the other. 

SHAMEKA

Identifying your audience is extremely important during the writing and editing processes. Tailoring writing to better communicate with the audience helps to ensure the information is received and understood by the listeners. Writing that is too complex for an audience or not edited to fit the intended message can cause information to get lost in translation. Identifying the audience should be done in the research process of writing focusing on the tone of the writing, content and wording to appeal to the target audience.

Recently I had to give a training session for the airmen in my unit. For the newer airmen who were not advanced in the career field I had to simplify the information and provided detailed examples in the handouts I wrote out for them for practice. I later had to give a refresher training course to my NCO's in the office. However, for my NCO's who were already more knowledgeable in our career field I was able to use more acronyms and use more complex wording because they were already familiar with the information. The audience influenced my writing by me identifying each groups skill level. I structured the content to be understandable for the receivers of the information to help them better retain the information.

References:

Friend, C., Challenger, D., & McAdams, K. (2005). Contemporary editing. New York: McGraw-Hill.