November 2009 Convergence Newsletter

Given the speed with which digital media have become part of our lives and the accompanying publicity, it's easy to understand how we might forget that such convergence is not necessarily widespread throughout all social strata.

A Knight Foundation-funded program headquartered at Newsplex, BGTIME, looks to bridge some of that divide when it comes to senior citizens. R.J. Kraft explains how BGTIME is using students to help older members of the community with technology -- the ultimate result being a richer civic dialogue for all.

Augie Grant also has a recap of the Convergence and Society Conference co-sponsored by the University of South Carolina and hosted by the University Nevada, Reno the first week of November. After two days of presentations, he concludes that social media are affecting journalism as much as the current economy is, only in a good way.

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November 2009: BGTIME: Building a community Web site from the ground up

R.J. Kraft, a University of South Carolina graduate student, has been integral in the creation of an original content website for a very particular demographic: senior citizens. The website, BGTIME.org, gives seniors an outlet to a new technology, as well as serving as a platform for original content written and edited by the seniors.

In his article, Kraft provides insight into not only creating a website, but also the trouble of teaching the seniors how to adapt to a new technology that could not be more foreign.

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November 2009: onference highlights challenges, opportunities in convergence

University of South Carolina Professor Augie Grant gives a first-hand look at the highlights and emerging challenges in the field of convergence represented at the eight annual Convergence and Society conference.

The conference, which took place on November 5-6 at the University of Nevada, Reno, highlighted some of the issues materializing in the field that will be contested in the future.

To read the entire article, click here.

Recent and archived issues of The Convergence Newsletter