Wednesday, December 15, 2010

December 2010 Convergence Newsletter

Discussion concerning convergent media tends to focus on the benefits of convergence, often overlooking "de-convergence." In the latest issue of The Convergence Newsletter, Marc Edge of Sam Houston State University explains Canada has seen a reversal of some early convergence efforts, as well as new combinations.

Augie Grant of the University of South Carolina, meanwhile, looks at the unmistakable presence of convergence in media and education as one theme of the 10th annual Convergence and Society Conference.


To read the entire issue, click here.

Happy Holidays from The Convergence Newsletter!

De-convergence and re-convergence in Canadian media

Discussion concerning convergent media tends to focus on the benefits of convergence, often overlooking "de-convergence." But Canada has not only seen a reversal of some early convergence efforts, it has seen some new combinations "re-convergence" as Marc Edge of Sam Houston State University explains in continuing to look at the successes and failures of convergence in Canada.

To read the entire article, click here.

Recent and archived issues of The Convergence Newsletter

December 2010: Convergence and Society conference recap

Augie Grant of the University of South Carolina looks at the unmistakable presence of convergence in media and education as one theme of the 10th annual Convergence and Society Conference.

To read the entire article, click here.

Recent and archived issues of The Convergence Newsletter

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

November 2010 Convergence Newsletter

Web content such as video and audio used to supplement printed content or substitute for it in newspapers and magazines is a sign of convergence. As a part of Missouri Western University's Global Journalism Research course taught by Dr. Robert Bergland, undergraduates Austin Jacobs, Emily Gummelt and Todd Fuller researched convergence here and in other countries. They presented their findings at the 10th annual Convergence and Society Conference at the University of South Carolina and recap those findings here.

Jacobs analyzed the multimedia features of Mexican newspaper websites, while Gummelt studied web content of the top U.S. magazines. Fuller analyzed findings about the interactivity and functionality of newspaper websites.

Also in this issue is the latest Research for the Newsroom from Clyde Bentley, associate professor at the University of Missouri.

To read the entire issue, click here.

Recent and archived issues of The Convergence Newsletter

November 2010: Research for the Newsroom

Clyde Bentley continues his Research for the Newsroom excerpts this month with a look at the Internet's impact on everything from the perception of newspapers to the tendency for women to consult the web before making decisions.

To read the entire article, click here.

Recent and archived issues of The Convergence Newsletter

November 2010: A content analysis of U.S. weekly newspaper websites: Interactivity and functionality

Todd Fuller, an undergraduate student at Missouri Western State University, analyzed findings about the interactivity and functionality of newspaper websites and presents his findings in this month's issue.

To read the entire article, click here.

Recent and archived issues of The Convergence Newsletter

November 2010: Magazines and their websites: A 2010 study

Emily Gummelt presents her findings concerning web content of the top U.S. magazines in relation to convergence. Gummelt completed the research prior to graduating from Missouri Western State University.

To read the entire article, click here.

Recent and archived issues of The Convergence Newsletter

November 2010: Multimedia features in Mexican newspaper sites: A comprehensive analysis

Austin Jacobs, an undergraduate student at Missouri Western State University, analyzes the multimedia features of Mexican newspaper websites. Jacobs presented his work at the 10th annual Convergence and Society Conference at the University of South Carolina.

To read the entire article, click here.

Recent and archived issues of The Convergence Newsletter

Friday, November 12, 2010

October 2010 Convergence Newsletter: Convergence and Social Media

As social media continues to infiltrate newsrooms, classrooms and businesses, questions of its use and effectiveness widen.

In this issue, Dr. Glen Nowak, who is in charge of news and electronic media relations for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, discusses the integration of social media into the agency's communication efforts.

The CDC in Atlanta is one of the largest components of the U.S. government's health initiatives. It may be most widely known as the agency in the news when there is a disease outbreak, such as the recent H1N1 flu strain. But its mission is wider, to provide people and communities with all necessary expertise, information and tools to protect their health, according to the agency's website.

Nowak sat down with The Convergence Newsletter to further discuss social media. To read his comments, click here.

To read the entire issue, click here.

Recent and archived issues of The Convergence Newsletter

Thursday, September 30, 2010

September 2010 Convergence Newsletter

As newsrooms incorporate convergent technologies with traditional newsgathering to find the best model for delivering information, individual journalists are embracing convergent techniques as complementary elements to their articles.

To read the entire issue, click here.

Recent and archived issues of The Convergence Newsletter

September 2010: Convergence can save jobs, level playing field for print journalists

Dr. Chris Roberts of the University of Alabama highlights the findings of his and fellow researcher Dr. John Besley's interviews with journalists for whom a large part of the job is covering government and other civic meetings, noting three ways journalists find convergent techniques especially useful.

Click here to read the entire article.

Recent and archived issues of The Convergence Newsletter

Saturday, August 14, 2010

August 2010 Convergence Newsletter

The introduction of convergence into the setting of a classroom has always been an issue that is fraught with great highs and many pitfalls. Although the world of professional journalism is still grappling with the meaning and usefulness of convergence, the process has yet to achieve familiar parameters of implementation within the classroom.

To read the entire issue, click here.

Recent and archived issues of The Convergence Newsletter

August 2010: Research For The Newsroom

Clyde Bently continues his Research for the Newsroom excerpts this month, with an interesting look at a theory that posits that mass media as we know it is simply an anomaly and is anything but perpetual.

Click here to read the entire article.

Recent and archived issues of The Convergence Newsletter

August 2010: The Successes and Challenges of Converging On Campus

Texas Christian University’s Aaron Chimbel gives an inside look at the school’s introduction of a renovated journalism school that places a direct emphasis on convergence and its application within the classroom.

To read the entire article, click here.

Recent and archived issues of The Convergence Newsletter

Monday, July 26, 2010

June 2010 Convergence Newsletter

Convergence and social media have given society powerful tools once reserved for the traditional media. Access to technology and creativity allow for anyone to disseminate a message and build a following.

To read the entire issue, click here.

Recent and archived issues of The Convergence Newsletter

June 2010: Research for the Newsroom: Making Us Tick

Clyde Bentley presents “Research for the Newsroom,” in which the University of Missouri professor provides a look at current research with pertinent information for media professionals.

Click here to read the entire article.

Recent and archived issues of The Convergence Newsletter

June 2010: Band on the Run: Building a Fan Base from Afar

Blake Arambula, a founder of the band Death of Paris, discusses his guerrilla social media campaign to promote and create an online community for the band that included letting fans see its first studio sessions in almost real time.

To read the entire article, click here.

Recent and archived issues of The Convergence Newsletter

May 2010 Convergence Newsletter

From backpack journalist, to video blogs, convergence has pushed not only the media to its limits, but also the audience and its means of interacting with journalists and the stories and information they produce.

Click here to read the entire issue.

Recent and archived issues of The Convergence Newsletter

May 2010: Citizen Journalism in the Newsroom and Ad Office

Joe Marren of Buffalo State College looks at how social media require media workers to rethink their traditional gatekeeper roles, not just in the newsroom but in the advertising office as well.

To read the entire article, click here.

Recent and archived issues of The Convergence Newsletter

May 2010: Cedar Rapids Newsrooms' Grand Experiment in Convergence

Wartburg College's Cliff Brockman analyzes one newsroom's attempt to embrace convergence by moving from the idea of selling one product to a world of "multiple products."


Recent and archived issues of The Convergence Newsletter

Monday, May 17, 2010

April 2010 Convergence Newsletter

In looking at convergence and the myriad ways it affect us, it is easy to forget the rest of the world is not far behind - or in some cases ahead - of North American media. From the economics of convergence as well as initial application of the idea, the international community is moving forward in exploring convergence as a function of news.

To read the entire article, click here.

Recent and archived issues of The Convergence Newsletter

April 2010: Emerging Media Models in Ukraine

Augie Grant and Alexander Gorelik provide an in-depth review of a program designed to train early and midcareer journalists in Ukraine in of convergence. By engineering a study that analyzes the business plans of these journalist, new models of news have been recognized.

Click here to read the entire article.

Recent and archived issues of The Convergence Newsletter

April 2010: Convergence blamed for media mess in Canada

Mark Edge looks at the possible causes of Canada's of unstable state of television. As stated by Edge, "with some television stations closing and others selling for a token few dollars, and with the country's largest news media company in bankruptcy, Canada's media system is broken, according to the country's converged media players."

To read the entire article, click here.

Recent and archived issues of The Convergence Newsletter

April 2010: Newsroom convergence in Spain

Guillermo Coll describes how one can view the product of how convergence has been implemented by Spain's media. By looking at the situation of the media in the country, Coll provides a contemporary picture Spain's journalistic industries.

Click here to read the entire article.

Recent and archived issues of The Convergence Newsletter

March 2010 Convergence Newsletter

To look at how convergence has affected journalism and the news business, a couple of key elements come into play. One main factor is the quality of journalism and how to compare it with traditional journalism values. Another is the interaction with the journalism process that convergence allows s to have.

Click here to read the entire newsletter.


Recent and archived issues of The Convergence Newsletter

March 2010: Convergence leads to questions of journalism quality

Serena Carpenter of Arizona State University explores the new perceptions of journalist, journalism and quality in the digital age. The question of quality is addressed in an in-depth manner in this article.

To read the entire article, click here.
Recent and archived issues of The Convergence Newsletter

March 2010: Do readers have rationale behind commenting?

Val Pipps of the University of Akron analyzes the interaction between community and news source. By looking at the activity of users of a Web 2.0 site, Pipps finds the some of the reasons and rational behind users' comments.

Click here to read the entire article.

Recent and archived issues of The Convergence Newsletter

Thursday, April 1, 2010

February 2010 Convergence Newsletter

In looking at the newsrooms of 10 or 20 years ago and those of today, the comparisons are staggering. The process of making, gathering, buying and selling the news has changed dramatically, with everything from massive layoffs to totally integrated newsrooms.

To read the entire newsletter, click here.

Recent and archived issues of The Convergence Newsletter

February 2010: Knoxville's newsroom convergence

Jack Lail, the Knoxville News Sentinel's news innovation director, gives a firsthand account of his newsroom's evolution and the mental and emotional strains that came with it. Lail also analyzes how the Sentinel's staff has measured the effectiveness of its efforts.

Click here to read the entire article.

Recent and archived issues of The Convergence Newsletter

February 2010: Community involvement and news use remain linked online

As newsrooms converge, one of the questions to be examined is whether the community involvement that researchers have found correlates with newspaper reading also carries over to online. Jennifer Cox of the University of Florida finds a relationship, but with a simpler metric than time spent on site.

To read the entire article, click here.

Recent and archived issues of The Convergence Newsletter

Monday, January 11, 2010

December 2009: News Organizations don’t practice what they preach

It’s a familiar refrain, the constant need for traditional news organizations need to retool to a form that embraces convergence. But some Virginia Commonwealth University students learned that this idea still has little traction on the front lines of news organizations.


Tim Bajkiewicz of VCU expounds on the research he delivered at the Convergence and Society Conference in Reno, Nev., in which his students questioned the heads of major news organizations.