Wednesday, February 29, 2012

February 2012: The effect of our words on others

One description of research is a conversation – with the participants in research, with other researchers, and with professionals who apply the research. In this issue, the featured researchers look in very different ways at the meaning and effect of words on others. Both have important implications for how journalists operate in a world where understanding the conversation is critical. Read the latest edition of The Convergence Newsletter, then join the conversation here or on the newsletter's Facebook or Google+ pages.

Recent and archived issues of The Convergence Newsletter.

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

February 2012: Don't touch my news website video

Barbara Selvin of Stony Brook University sparked an extensive, sometimes heated, and occasionally international discussion of the use of video on news websites. The debate hits several important issues: experimentation versus productivity, timeliness versus production value, specialization versus cross-training. Read her article in the current edition of The Convergence Newsletter, then join the conversation on the newsletter's Facebook or Google+ pages.

Recent and archived issues of The Convergence Newsletter

Monday, February 27, 2012

February 2012: How comments influence reader perceptions of online news

In online journalism, news is now more than the staff-written news story but a whole package with multiple elements. At the University of Alabama, doctoral student Yan Yan is investigating how, or if, user comments affect people's immediate perceptions of news. Looking beyond positive and negative comments, she included rational and emotional appeals for a four-by-four study design that yields interesting insights.

Read about her work in the February edition of The Convergence Newsletter, then join the conversation here or on the newsletter's Facebook or Google+ pages.

Recent and archived issues of The Convergence Newsletter