If you couldn’t get to October’s Convergence and Society Conference at the University of South Carolina, we’re here for you. Our November issue begins our spotlight of some of the interesting presentations and discussions during the conference.
Be sure to check back with TCN, as we hope to bring more highlights from the conference in future issues.
Read the November issue of The Convergence Newsletter here.
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Thursday, December 11, 2008
November 2008 Issue Now Available
November 2008: The Duality of 'The Participatory Web'
As the organizing force behind USC's annual Convergence Conference, Dr. Augie Grant has, as much as anyone, been witness to the broad changes that have taken place in the study and practice of convergence over the years.
In our November, Grant offers his reactions to this year's conference and lessons learned.
Read the full article here.
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November 2008: By-product Learning in the Communication Age - Instant Message Use and Political Learning in China
With the U.S. hosting a major election in November, politics were understandably top-of-mind among some of our conference presenters – but not just American politics. Jinghui Hou, a master’s student at Syracuse University, delved into how the Chinese are using instant messaging and social networking Web sites to fuel political learning.
Read the full article here.
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November 2008: MySpace/MyVote - Young voters, social networking and 2008
This issue's second look at politics turned its attention stateside, as Dr. Tim Brown and Jasmine Jones from the University of Central Florida explored how the roles of MySpace and other social networking Web sites were expanded during the 2008 elections.
Read the full article here.
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November 2008: Conferences and Paper Calls
Read the conference schedule from November's issue here.
Recent and archived issues of The Convergence Newsletter
November 2008: Job Annoucement - Elon University
The School of Communications at Elon University is searching for six new tenure-track assistant or associate professors, effective immediately.
Click here to read the full announcement.
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Monday, November 3, 2008
October 2008 Issue Now Available
In April we took a special look at convergence internationally. As promised, we have revisited the topic, this time with perspectives from India and China, plus a how-to guide for keeping up with developments around the globe.
Read the October issue of The Convergence Newsletter here.
Recent and archived issues of The Convergence Newsletter
October 2008: With Newspapers on a Roll, Convergence has yet to Happen in India
Sometimes the story isn't just about convergence that is taking place, but also about convergence that's not. Sunil Saxena explains that the Indian media have yet to experience major convergence, and why.
Read the full article here.
Recent and archived issues of The Convergence Newsletter
October 2008: Mobile by the Millions: Pocket-Sized Convergence Goes Big in China
Much of the discussion about convergence in the U.S. has fixated upon computers. But in some parts of the world, the big story is what's happening with mobile technology. China is one of those places. We sat down with USC's Dr. Ran Wei for an update.
Read the full interview here.
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October 2008: Keeping up with International Developments
You don't need to be in the thick of international convergence to know what's going on. TCN Executive Editor Doug Fisher tells us the best spots online for keeping up with global trends.
Read the full article here.
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October 2008: Conferences and Paper Calls
Read the conference schedule from October's issue here.
Recent and archived issues of The Convergence Newsletter
Sunday, September 21, 2008
September 2008 Issue Now Available
This month’s issue offers a couple of first-hand perspectives on convergence from two practicing journalists, a pair of reports from the “convergence trenches.”
Stan Zimmerman of the Sarasota, Fla., Pelican Press, reflects on a career that has seen its share of industry trends and changes. Drew Brooks, formerly of The (Shelby, N.C.) Star, tells us what it was like using a mobile newgathering tool to provide up-to-the-minute reports.
Read the full September issue of The Convergence Newsletter here.
Recent and archived issues of The Convergence Newsletter
September 2008: Don’t Fear Media Evolution – Outrun It
Stan Zimmerman of the Sarasota, Fla., Pelican Press, reflects on the evolution of journalism and discusses the "how" of getting news stories in front of eyeballs in today's changing media landscape.
September 2008: Star Car Helps Paper Adapt to the Future of News
In a world of 24-hour newsrooms, how are small news operations adapting? Drew Brooks, a former reporter at The (Shelby, N.C.) Star, shares his experience with the Star Car, a mobile newsgathering van aimed at revolutionizing small-town news.
September 2008: Conferences and Calls for Papers
Read the conference schedule from September's issue here.
Recent and archived issues of The Convergence Newsletter
Recent and archived issues of The Convergence Newsletter
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
August 2008 Issue Now Available
As we hunker down for the new semester, The Convergence Newsletter is pleased to offer a special issue designed especially for educators. This month's articles talk about specific ways to practice convergence with students, the need to spot the difference between technology access and information processing, and the danger in hyping convergence without considering how to best serve audiences.
In addition, this month's issue features a special announcement about October's Convergence Conference at USC.
Read the full August issue of The Convergence Newsletter here.
Recent and archived issues of The Convergence Newsletter
August 2008: Convergence Conference Agenda Released
Some exciting changes are in store for the 7th annual Convergence Conference at USC. Dr. Augie Grant, conference chair, discusses some of the innovations he says will increase participation and help attendees better synthesize the ideas on offer.
Read the full announcement here.
Recent and archived issues of The Convergence Newsletter
August 2008: Making Your Wiki Sticky: Allowing Students and Faculty to Experience Convergence Together
The Mass Media Department at Washburn University does not merely talk about convergence -- they walk the walk, too. Drs. Maria Raicheva-Stover and Kathy Menzie tell us how the department has been using a wiki to allow students and faculty to learn about convergence together.
Read the full article here.
Recent and archived issues of The Convergence Newsletter
August 2008: Rescuing our Classrooms and Students from their Technology
Rapid developments in technology mean each successive generation of students brings different information-processing tendencies and competencies. Former USC professor Dr. Paul S. Lieber discusses the need to bridge the gap between students' access to information and their perceptions of information value.
Read the full article here.
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August 2008: Pause, Watch, Listen, and Learn … Then Converge
Media hype is a phenomenon we are all familiar with. Have we considered that convergence may be among its current beneficiaries (or victims, depending on your perspective)? Hofstra University's Victoria Geyer thinks so. She offers sound advice for how instructors can teach students to see through the hype and use convergence wisely to serve audiences -- even (and especially) those who refuse to give up their newspapers and TVs just yet.
Read the full article here.
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August 2008: Conferences and Calls for Papers
Read the conference schedule from August's issue here.
Recent and archived issues of The Convergence Newsletter
Friday, June 13, 2008
June 2008 Issue Now Available
It is illuminating and important to highlight what convergence means for those in the media business, and also for those who teach tomorrow's media practitioners. Those are considerations we regularly take up at The Convergence Newsletter.
But we should keep in mind that media exist to serve audiences, and so the effects of convergence upon these audiences is no trivial matter.
June's newsletter is another in our ongoing series of special theme issues. This month's focus is on communities, and how they are impacted by convergence. We include in our analysis communities both physical and otherwise, for when we talk about "communities" in the same context as "convergence," the intangible are in fact as real as their material counterparts.
Click here to read the June issue of The Convergence Newsletter.
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June 2008: Community Embraces a Converged Journalism-Sourcing Project
Paul Niwa may have hit upon sometime rather big. The Emerson College professor devised a unique project to create a new model of compiling sources for journalists, using the "snowballing" method of sources referring sources. Niwa and his students created a visual, Web-based schema displaying the sources and their degrees of interconnectivity.
And then something funny happened. Niwa discovered community members began to use the project not for its original journalistic function, but for a host of other purposes serving community concerns.
Niwa's piece reminds us that the Web remains, as always, organic and unpredictable.
Read the full article here.
Recent and archived issues of The Convergence Newsletter
June 2008: Radio and Newspaper Converge in one of Iowa’s Smallest Markets
The effects of convergence, it might be argued, can be felt more acutely in smaller communities. In the case of Iowa Falls, Iowa, changes were in store when the town's newspaper and a major radio station came under the same roof.
Cliff Brockman of Wartburg College tells us how the convergence has been a miniature boon to the town — better news coverage and new jobs followed the merger, Brockman reports.
Read the full article here.
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June 2008: Knight Foundation Looks Online to Connect with Innovators
In the tradition of our recent interview with National Public Radio, this month we contacted Marc Fest, vice president of communications at the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, to ask about Knight's recently created position of online community manager.
We asked Fest why Knight decided to create the position, and what they hope to get out of it. Fest's observations and insights remind us how much stands to be gained, not only by nonprofits like Knight but also by those in the for-profit arena, by plugging into the ever-growing online community.
Click here to read the full interview.
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Friday, May 9, 2008
May 2008 Issue Now Available
From high-tech newsmobiles to book reviews to Convergence Conferences, our May issue takes a diversified look at convergence happenings in industry and academia.
If you have reactions to any of this month's articles, you can use this blog's comments feature and leave your thoughts at each piece's corresponding blog post, below.
Click here to read the May issue of The Convergence Newsletter.
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May 2008: Newspapers Go Mobile to Compete with TV
L. Carol Christopher's look at the Star Car has been republished with the generous permission of The Seybold Report.
Read the full article here.
Leave your thoughts on this article by using the comments link below.
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May 2008: Book Review – Online Journalism Ethics: Traditions and Transitions
Ethics and changes to the industry, many brought on by technology, are of primary consideration in the next text Online Journalism Ethics: Traditions and Transitions, according to USC's Dr. Chris Roberts, who reviews Cecelia Friend and Jane B. Singer's book for our May issue.
Read the full review here.
Leave your thoughts on this article by using the comments link below.
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May 2008: Convergence Conference at USC
The call for papers deadline for this year's annual Convergence Conference at the University of South Carolina is June 15. USC's Dr. Augie Grant provides details for those who may be interested in submitting. Also included is a call for participants on a panel dedicated to convergence education.
Read the full article here.
Leave your thoughts on this article by using the comments link below.
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May 2008: What's Wrong With the Convergence Conference?
Once upon a time, we promised to bring the results of our invitation to last October's Convergence Conference attendees to tell us how to improve the conference. Two attendees provided some great feedback, which TCN editor Brad Petit compiled for this issue.
Read the full article here.
Leave your thoughts on this article by using the comments link below.
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Thursday, April 10, 2008
April 2008 Issue Now Available
Over the years, we have featured the occasional article from outside our borders in The Convergence Newsletter -- contributors in locales from China to Chile have leant an international touch to the newsletter.
But we figured it was time to take global convergence more seriously. So, we intend to release two special international-themed issues a year; this month's issue is the first. We hope our readers -- ours is a worldwide audience -- will appreciate this broader look at convergence, in all its intercontinental applications.
If you have reactions to any of this month's articles, you can use this blog's comments feature and leave your thoughts at each piece's corresponding blog post, below.
Click here to read the April issue of The Convergence Newsletter.
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April 2008: Australia’s Fairfax Embraces the Multimedia Future
Reporters equipped with high-tech PDAs? Online-only dailies? Over 5 million monthly pageviews? This is life in the digital fast lane for Fairfax Media, Australia's largest media group. Dr. Stephen Quinn of Deakin University tells us how the digital "future" is now at Fairfax.
Read the full article here.
You can comment on this article by using the comments link below.
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April 2008: Media Convergence and Journalism Teaching in Brazil - A Project Using Newsplex as a Reference
We head south of the border (well, our border, anyway) with Lorena Tarcia of Brazil, to explore an in-depth convergence-teaching project Tarcia has engaged in with her students at University Center of Belo Horizonte. Tarcia first introduced us to this project, which was based on the Newsplex model, at last October's Convergence Conference at USC.
Read the full article here.
You can comment on this article by using the comments link below.
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April 2008: Are We Paying Enough Attention to Space in Newsroom Studies
The third of our international contributions come from Ivar John Erdal of the University of Oslo in Norway. Erdal expands upon his presentation at last October's Convergence Conference at USC, in which he called our attention to the need to think of convergence in real, spatial terms -- especially when considering how newsroom personnel interact in a converged environment.
Read the full article here.
You can comment on this article by using the comments link below.
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April 2008: Book Announcement - Principles of Convergence Journalism
Dr. Augie Grant announces the publication of a new practical textbook for teaching convergence. Principles of Convergence Journalism, from Oxford University Press, takes a step-by-step look at reporting across platforms, using new media, and a host of other tools of interest to the convergence journalist. TCN Executive Editor Doug Fisher and past newsletter contributor Dr. Jeff Wilkinson are co-authors.
Read the full announcement here.
Recent and archived issues of The Convergence Newsletter
Thursday, March 6, 2008
March 2008 Issue Now Available
Fresh off our first theme issue of the year -- February's look at broadcasting -- we at The Convergence Newsletter found ourselves with still more solid material on broadcasting. So we've extended the February theme, if you will, to this month's issue, with a look at how TV stations use new-media technology to stay in touch with viewers, followed by the conclusion of our interview with National Public Radio's Maria Thomas. We featured part one of our interview with Thomas, NPR's senior vice president of digital media, in February.
If you have reactions to any of this month's articles, you can use this blog's comments feature and leave your thoughts at each piece's corresponding blog post, below.
Click here to read the March issue of The Convergence Newsletter.
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March 2008: How Television Stations are "Broadcasting" Their News to Your Pocket
As technologies like text messaging and e-mail continue to gain prevalence in our society, many in the world of traditional media are seeking ways to capitalize on these new delivery formats to provide their customers with content.
Dr. Tim Brown of the University of Central Florida discusses research that has delved into the question of how local television stations are taking advantage of these new-media options.
Read the full article here.
You can comment on this article by using the comments link below.
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March 2008: NPR: Not your Parents' Radio – Part Two
In February's issue of The Convergence Newsletter, we presented part one of our interview with Maria Thomas, senior vice president of digital media at National Public Radio. This month, we're pleased to present the conclusion to that interview.
Thomas speaks at length about how a media company that has been traditionally tied to a particular format -- in this case, radio -- can become an innovator in the arena of new technologies while at the same time staying true to its core values.
Read part two of the interview here.
You can comment on this interview by using the comments link below.
While NPR continues to embrace new technologies, some traditional radio stations are worrying customers will stop tuning in for over-the-air NPR content, and possibly stop donating to those listener-supported stations, as well. Randy Dotinga of The Christian Science Monitor explains.
Recent and archived issues of The Convergence Newsletter
March 2008: The Colorado Colloquium on Media Ethics & Economics
In September, a collection of Colorado universities will bring together scholars in Estes Park, Colo., to explore the intersection of media ethics and media economics.
Colorado State University's Dr. Patrick Plaisance, one of the colloquium's organizers, provides details for those who might be interested in submitting proposals for the colloquium. The deadline is April 15.
Read the full announcement here.
Recent and archived issues of The Convergence Newsletter
March 2008: Training
There is only one space still available at the Newsplex Summer Seminar 2008. Details here.
Recent and archived issues of The Convergence Newsletter
Thursday, February 14, 2008
February 2008 Issue Now Available
After a brief holiday layoff, The Convergence Newsletter returns for 2008 with the first in an ongoing series of theme-oriented editions. In the interest of bringing greater cohesion to the newsletter, we will be organizing upcoming issues around their own (more or less) unifying motif.
This month's topic is broadcasting. How are broadcasters fitting into the world of convergence? How about those whose job it is to teach broadcast journalism?
As always, we hope you'll take advantage of the commenting feature on this blog to give us and our contributors your reactions to this month's articles.
Click here to read February's issue of The Convergence Newsletter.
Recent and archived issues of The Convergence Newsletter
February 2008: The Problem with Broadcast News on the Web
While it's true that many TV networks are making the most of the Web to offer interactive, multimedia content for their audiences, not all are.
For our February issue, Sid Bedingfied draws upon his experiences as former head of CNN's U.S. network and current visiting professor at the University of South Carolina in examining how some TV entities -- notably, local affiliates -- are falling woefully behind in the push toward rich online content.
Read the full article here.
You can comment on this article by using the comments link below.
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February 2008: NPR: Not your Parents' Radio
We would be wise not to exclude the radio industry from a discussion on how broadcasters are (or aren't) adapting to the new media landscape.
Count National Public Radio among those who aren't just adapting, but leading the way. This month, we talk with Maria Thomas, NPR's senior vice president of digital media, about what's happening in their world.
Read part one of our interview with Thomas here. Check back next month for part two.
You can comment on this interview by using the comments link below.
While NPR continues to embrace new technologies, some traditional radio stations are worrying customers will stop tuning in for over-the-air NPR content, and possibly stop donating to those listener-supported stations, as well. Randy Dotinga of The Christian Science Monitor explains.
Recent and archived issues of The Convergence Newsletter
February 2008: Book Review -- "Advancing the Story: Broadcast Journalism in a Multimedia World”
One question that has weighed on the minds of many journalism educators recently is: "How can we give our students the tools they need to get by in the world of converged media?"
Authors Deb Wenger and Deborah Potter propose some answers in their new text "Advancing the Story: Broadcast Journalism in a Multimedia World.”
In his review, Dr. George Daniels of the University of Alabama gives the book high marks. Though the book is written from the perspective of former broadcast journalists, Dr. Daniels notes that both broadcast and newspaper educators are sure to find the text helpful.
Read the full review here.
You can comment on this article by using the comments link below.
Recent and archived issues of The Convergence Newsletter
February 2008: Training
There is only one space still available at the Newsplex Summer Seminar 2008. Details here.
Recent and archived issues of The Convergence Newsletter
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