Convergence
Newsletter
From
Newsplex at the University of South Carolina
Vol. III
No. 8 (February 7, 2006)
Commenting
on Convergence
By Jordan
Storm, editor of The Convergence Newsletter
This
issue of The Convergence Newsletter challenges us to think conceptually about convergence,
albeit with an injection of humor. First, Michael Sheerin of Florida International University
responds to Douglas Starr’s piece, “Dispatch from the Convergence Trenches,”
which was featured in the January Convergence Newsletter supplemental issue. You can
access Starr’s piece, as well as other issues of the newsletter at http://www.jour.sc.edu/news/convergence/.
Sheerin’s
article asks Starr, as well as the newsletter’s readers, to recognize
convergence goes beyond changes in print media to also include “sound, visuals,
something I can write to and interact with, thus altering the communication in
some way.”
On that
note (pun intended), I am also excited to share a how-to on convergent audio or
podcasting, which Oxford Dictionary named 2005’s word of the year. Scott Lunt
of BYU details the fundamentals of podcasting as well as a link to more
detailed instructions.
Augie
Grant of the University of South Carolina also addresses the question, “What is
convergence and more specifically, what is convergence now that non-journalists
are adopting the term to define other phenomena?”
As
always, I invite you to respond to the ideas highlighted in this issue. This
newsletter should be a forum that piques the interest and results in
engagement.
View past
newsletters at http://www.jour.sc.edu/news/convergence/.
Jordan
Storm is working toward a Master of Arts degree at the University of South
Carolina. Contact her at convergence-editor@mailbox.sc.edu.
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Feature
Articles
A Response
to “A Dispatch from the Convergence Trenches”
Podcasting:
2005 Word of the Year
What’s in
a Name?
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Conference
Information
Citizen
Media: Engaging an Empowered Audience
Ver 1.0:
Institute for Analytic Journalism
ASNE Convention
BEA2006:
Convergence Shockwave
Newsplex
Summer Seminar Series
World
Editors Forum
NAHJ in
the Old West: El Portal a un Nuevo Mundo
ICA:
Networking Communication Research Conference
Asian
American Journalists Association National Convention
AEJMC
Convention
Native
American Journalists Association Convention
SPJ
Convention & National Journalism Conference
Convergence
and Society: Ethics, Religion and New Media
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
---------------Feature
Articles
A Response
to “A Dispatch from the Convergence Trenches”
By Michael
Scott Sheerin, Assistant Dean and Assistant Professor, School of Journalism and
Mass Communications, Florida International University, Biscayne Bay Campus
Well,
this is the first time I read the word “Drat!” in an article about convergence.
So that’s new. I agree with much of what Starr writes, as framed by his vision
of newspaper convergence. I say newspaper convergence because he obviously
knows the ropes of that industry and writes from hard earned experience.
However, the lens through which he views convergence is a telephoto lens,
focused narrowly on the effects of convergence on the newspaper medium and its
mediamorphosis into an online medium. But convergence goes beyond that. It is
much more encompassing.
Starr,
like many convergence naysayers, misses the big picture: a picture that has
sound, visuals, something I can write to and interact with, thus altering the
communication in some way. Even in his thorough dressing down of
convergence’s role in the newspaper industry, he fails to mention the
interactivity brought about by online news. He may argue that we have always
interacted with the writers and news gatherers of yesteryear via letter writing
and phone calls.
But the
ease by which this happens today has changed the communication process in terms
of timing and volume, and this sometimes-instantaneous feedback alters the
agenda-setting mindset of the Gatekeeper. An example of this is the myriad “citizen
gathered” images and videos sent in after Hurricane Katrina’s devastation of
the Gulf coast. I would not have learned as much as I did about the aftermath
of this storm if I had only read a newspaper.
Starr
seems to point a finger at convergence, blaming it for problems such as the
lack of good stories, a result of the News Reporter’s dual role of writer and
photographer. I don’t think we can blame convergence (unless we are strictly
talking about economic convergence) for management decisions that determine the
number of hats News Reporters will wear. Just because the technology allows for
this dual function role doesn’t mean we have to embrace it. This organic
convergence (defined as the ability of the user to apply multitasking
strategies when navigating the new media) has its limitations, and it is up to
us, not His Royal Highness Convergence, to define them.
Starr
also tries to cut convergence down by stating that web surfing is “just like”
flipping the pages of a newspaper. Well, maybe the act is similar, but the end
result is incomparable. One newspaper’s information on a story is not even a
drop in the bucket when measured against the information you can find surfing.
Convergence gives us that and much more. It’s not just about convergence in the
newsroom. It’s about getting information when we want it, no matter where we
are. It’s about listening (legally) to the world’s library of music, without
owning one album or CD. It’s about watching TV and movies on our schedule (and
thus forcing the advertising world to adjust on the run). It’s about
participating in the making of, the telling of, and the dissemination of the
events of our lives.
Starr
excludes all of this. By only discussing how news writing has been changed by
new technologies (or not), and then dismissing those changes, he is kind of
denying other aspects of convergence, as well as the fact that the news writing
style of the inverted pyramid was in fact due to a new technology - get the
facts delivered STOP before the telegraph machine STOP stops sending type! FULL
STOP
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Podcasting:
2005 Word of the Year
By
Scott Lunt, Masters Candidate, College of Fine Arts and Communications, Brigham
Young University
A few
weeks ago my sister called with a quiz. “Guess what the word of the year is?”
she asked. After a few wrong guesses she told me that the editors of the Oxford
dictionary had declared “podcasting” as the word of the year for 2005. That
came as no surprise to me since I have been neck-deep in podcasting for several
months as a podcaster, listener and scholar. But, I thought, what makes
podcasting such a buzz word to the Oxford dictionary editors that it can edge
out “sudoku” and “trans fat”? And, why should anyone care? Well, it turns out
that podcasting is a worthy and quite interesting development in new
communication methods. Simply speaking, podcasting has changed the paradigm of
how people think about broadcasting, especially audio-based broadcasting. It
has given a new, inexpensive outlet to any would-be broadcasters and a new
delivery method to seasoned broadcasters.
What
is podcasting?
Podcasting
first emerged in the Fall of 2004 when former MTV VJ Adam Curry and software
programmer Dave Winer teamed up to add audio attachments to their daily blogs. Then
in June 2005, when Steve Jobs announced podcasting support in Apple’s popular
iTunes audio player, podcasting was on the map.
Put most
simply, a podcast is a radio show delivered on the Internet. The basic concept
is this: podcasters can deliver audio content to an audience that will download
the audio files and listen at their leisure rather than at a pre-programmed
time. The term “podcast” can refer to two things, either the show in general,
or a specific episode of that show. A “podcaster” is a person who puts the show
together and delivers it for listening.
The term
podcasting gets half of its name from Apple’s ubiquitous iPod, since podcasts
can ultimately be listened to on an iPod. But, an iPod is only one of many ways
to listen to the shows. Audiences can also listen to downloaded MP3 files on
their computers, directly from the Web, or on any number of portable digital
audio players.
How
does it work?
Each
podcast episode is a compressed digital audio file (usually an MP3) that is
created using either a computer, a recording studio, a portable recorder, or a
combination of those three. Once the audio file is created, it is uploaded to
an Internet site and a blog is used to publish each episode for the public. Since
a blog can utilize what is called an RSS feed (RSS stands for Really Simple
Syndication and is essentially a standardized blog format) the podcasts can be
retrieved automatically by computer software. (To learn more about how blogs
and RSS feeds work, see http://www.podcastyourheartout.com.)
Audiences
can listen to podcasts by using “podcatching” software (most notably the iTunes
audio player by Apple) or by viewing the podcast’s blog/Web site and clicking
on a link. Using iTunes has a distinct advantage over the Web, however, since
the software will check for new episodes automatically. Once the software
detects a new episode, it is downloaded and the user can either listen with
their computer or easily copy the file to an iPod or other portable for later
listening.
Why
should we care?
Creating
a podcast is inexpensive, so virtually anyone with Internet access and basic
recording tools can create and publish their own show. Recording devices are
common (in many cases only a computer is needed); free audio editing software
is available; uploading shows and generating the server files necessary to
facilitate a podcast can be done with virtually no cost (aside from a minimal
monthly hosting fee). And, since there is no station overhead (unlike for
television content providers), podcasters need not be concerned with a large
audience to help pay for the costs, yet large audiences can easily be served.
What this
means, in sum, is that audio broadcasting is available to anyone with Internet
access and a microphone. Although podcasting is almost entirely audio-only
content today, the infrastructure is available for video podcasts as well. Once
a show has been created, it can be listed for free in a podcast directory.
Anyone interested can search in the directory or on the Web for that podcast
and subscribe.
So, like
blogging, Web and desktop publishing, podcasting offers a new method for
individuals or organizations to be heard. If you’ve got a microphone and a computer,
you too can be a podcaster. If you would like more information or help in
creating a podcast, see http://www.podcastyourheartout.com.
Scott
Lunt’s research focuses on issues of new communication technologies and
community radio with a special interest in the democratization of radio
broadcasting. He can be reached at scottlunt@yahoo.com.
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What’s
in a Name?
By
Augie Grant, executive editor of
The Convergence Newsletter and associate professor in the College of Mass
Communications and Information Studies, University of South Carolina
Studying “convergence”
has become a great deal more complicated over the past year. In journalism, the
term has been applied to the melding of technologies, organizations, individual
job functions, and the structure of the media itself. But outside the field of
journalism, the term “convergence” has proven to be equally useful to describe
phenomena that are only tangentially related to journalistic convergence.
The best
example I’ve seen this year comes from the telecommunication industry, which
has broadly applied the term “convergence” to describe the transmission of
telephone calls, video and data over the same wires. My personal encounter was
an invitation to attend a “Convergence Conference” in January. (Note to
academics—the registration fee was a clue that this conference may not
have been relevant to the study of convergent journalism.)
In the
telecommunications industry, the emergence of an IP (Internet Protocol) based
network with layers of control protocols has enabled the transmission of
virtually any content or message that can be digitized through the same wires,
prioritizing data (such as video signals) that are more time-dependent.
Convergence is an appropriate term for this process.
The
telephone companies — and their competitors — that have this
technological capability are now taking the next logical step — figuring
out how to take advantage (and profit from) all of the signal flows on their
networks. The result is a set of organizational challenges that is, in many
ways, quite similar to those that we are facing in convergent journalism. The
clash of organizational cultures between telephone companies and cable
television is comparable to that between newspapers and broadcasters. As well,
both industries are facing the financial challenge of trying to extract
additional revenue by offering multiple services without compromising existing
revenue streams.
There are
two important implications of these similarities. First, if the
telecommunication industries can learn lessons regarding the opportunities and
challenges of convergence from journalism, we also have the opportunity to
learn similar lessons from studying the challenges and solutions of the
telecommunication industry.
Perhaps
more important, we need to reconsider our use of the term “convergence.” Like the words “broadband” and “love”
(to use two examples that stymie many of us), the word “convergence” means
something different to each individual who hears and uses it. Some of the
interpretation of the word is a function of the context in which the word is
used, but a great deal of the interpretation is a function of a person’s
personal history, background, etc.
The
alternative to the use of the general term, “convergence,” is to use specific
terms that more precisely describe the phenomena we are discussing or
exploring. In addition to being more specific, the use of specific terminology
also forces us to address each of the dimensions of convergence separately,
helping to ensure that we and the ones with whom we communicate share a similar
meaning for the terms we are using. As of today, that is certainly not the case
with most uses of the term “convergence.”
Instead
of “convergence,” we should be asking specifically about co-ownership,
producing content for multiple media in the same newsroom, having a reporter
generate content for multiple media, selling advertising in multiple media
simultaneously, etc. Using precise terms for the different dimensions of
convergence will not only ensure that we are focusing on the specific
phenomenon in which we are interested, but it also reminds us of the multiple
dimensions represented by the term.
The
challenge is twofold: identifying specific, precise terminology for the
individual dimensions of convergence, and knowing precisely when such a
multidimensional term such as “convergence” can be used in communication
without uncertainty about its meaning. An example: This newsletter will
continue to be known as The Convergence Newsletter.
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---------------Conferences
American
Press Institute and J-Lab
Citizen
Media: Engaging an Empowered Audience
April
4-5, 2006
Reston,
Virginia USA
http://www.americanpressinstitute.org/06/Citizen/
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Institute
for Analytic Journalism
Ver 1.0
– A Workshop on Public Database Verification for Journalists and Social
Scientists
April
9-12, 2006
Santa Fe,
New Mexico USA
Participants
in the three-day workshop will explore developing statistical and other
methodological tools suitable for social scientists, biomedical and behavioral
researchers, journalists and other interested investigators to determine the veracity
of public records databases.
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ASNE
Convention
April
25-28, 2006
Seattle,
Washington USA
http://www.asne.org/index.cfm?id=5052
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Broadcast
Education Association
Convergence
Shockwave: Change, Challenge and Opportunity
April
27-29, 2006
Las
Vegas, Nevada USA
The BEA2006
Conference aims to create a forum for discussion and research on the issues
that face media convergence today. The deadline for pre-registration is March
10, 2006.
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The
University of South Carolina School of Journalism and Mass Communications
Newsplex
Summer Seminar Series
May 8
– June 30, 2006
Columbia,
South Carolina USA
Four
separate seminars will be held at Newsplex in May and June 2006, ranging in
topic from a broad overview of convergence trends to more specific training in
Web publishing and specific software operation. The seminars are:
May 08-12:
Convergence Software Bootcamp #1
May
22-26, 2006: Teaching and Research in Convergent Journalism
June
12-16, 2006: Web publishing in Convergent Journalism
June
26-30, 2006: Convergence Software Bootcamp #2
For more
information, or to reserve a spot, visit: http://Newsplex.sc.edu
or e-mail Augie Grant: augie@sc.edu.
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World
Association of Newspapers
World
Editors Forum
June 4-7,
2006
Moscow,
Russia
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National
Association of Hispanic Journalists Convention and Media & Career Expo
NAHJ in
the Old West: El Portal a un Nuevo Mundo
June
15-18, 2006
Fort
Worth, Texas USA
http://www.nahj.org/Events/2005/convention/convention.shtml
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International
Communication Association
Networking
Communication Research Conference
June
19-23, 2006
Dresden,
Germany
http://www.icahdq.org/events/conference/2006/conf2006info.asp
Conference
pre-registration starts January 15, 2006.
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Asian
American Journalists Association National Convention
June
21-24, 2006
Honolulu,
HI USA
http://www.aaja.org/programs/convention
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AEJMC
Convention Call for Papers
August
2-5, 2006
San Francisco,
CA USA
http://www.aejmc.org/convention/
The
programming groups within the Council of Divisions of the Association for
Education in Journalism and Mass Communication invite submission of original,
non-published research papers to be considered for presentation at the AEJMC
Convention, postmarked no later than April 1, 2006.
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Native
American Journalists Association Convention
August 10-13,
2006
Tulsa,
Oklahoma USA
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SPJ
Convention & National Journalism Conference
August
24-26, 2006
Chicago,
IL USA
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University
of South Carolina College of Mass Communication and Information Science and
Newsplex
Convergence
and Society: Ethics, Religion and New Media Conference
October
19-21, 2006
Columbia,
SC USA
http://newsplex.sc.edu/newsplex_cfpapers06.html
Since
September 11, ethics and religion have emerged as important topics in the study
of new media. At this conference, the moral implications of emerging media are
addressed at the levels of society, culture, and the media professions. It is a
forum for scholars, media professionals and theologians to discuss converging
media from the standpoint of competing values. Papers and panels may include
institutional, content, audience, cultural, political and technological
perspectives on media from the perspective of social responsibility. Abstracts,
completed papers and panel proposals for this conference should deal with one
or more of the following four themes:
= Ethics:
Examination of current approaches to moral reasoning about convergence
= Values:
Analysis of values related to converging technologies (i.e., information equity,
privacy, diversity, etc.).
=
Religiosity: How denominations are contributing to public and policy discussion
of convergence and values.
= Media
Convergence, including convergent journalism, technological convergence and
audience behavior.
The
purpose of this conference is to provide a scholarly exploration of these
issues individually and of the connections among them. Submission may address
theory, history, media practice, social influences, cultural issues, legal
implications and effects upon consumers.
Faculty
and graduate students are invited to submit in one or more of three categories:
completed papers, proposals or abstracts of papers in progress and proposals
for panels.
Submissions
may address practical, theoretical, phenomenological, critical and/or empirical
approaches to any of the subjects listed above. All submissions will be
reviewed by a jury that will consider: 1) relevance to the conference theme, 2)
the quality of the contribution, and 3) overall contribution to the field.
Submission
guidelines:
=Electronic
submissions (Word or RTF attachments) are encouraged (send to augie@sc.edu).
=Paper
copies may be submitted: five paper copies of the submission should be mailed.
=A
detachable cover page should be included with the title of the paper or panel
and authors’ names, addresses, telephone numbers and e-mail addresses. For
electronic submissions, the cover page should be in a separate file.
=Submissions
deadline (postmark) is June 15, 2006. All submissions will be jury-reviewed
with notification to authors and organizers on or before July 31, 2006.
For
registration and further information about this academic conference, visit the conference Web site
at: http://Newsplex.sc.edu.
Papers,
proposals, abstracts and panel proposals should be addressed to:
Augie
Grant, Conference Chair
ERNM
Conference
College
of Mass Communications and Information Studies
Carolina
Coliseum
Columbia,
SC 29208
e-mail: augie@sc.edu
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---------------Interesting
Web Sites and Blogs
For those
of you interested in convergent media and academia, or just convergent media,
check out the Reinventing College Media Web site at http://reinventing.collegemedia.org/.
Operated by the College Media Advisers association, the site acts as a forum
for new ideas and a log of successes and failures in practice.
Ole Miss,
otherwise known as the University of Mississippi, is also blogging the school’s
Student Media Center’s new media efforts at http://mediafirst.blogspot.com/. The
Weblog, called New Media, identifies itself as an experiment and may be of
interest to many of you.
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---------------Announcements/News
Publishing
a book about convergence? The Convergence Newsletter regularly publishes information
about new and upcoming books on convergent journalism. Send your submissions to
convergence-editor@mailbox.sc.edu.
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---------------Publisher
and Editorial Staff
The
Convergence Newsletter is free and published by The College of Mass Communications and
Information Studies at the University of South Carolina.
Executive
Editor
Augie
Grant, Ph.D.
Editor
Jordan
Storm
convergence-news@mailbox.sc.edu
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---------------Copyright
and Redistribution
The
Convergence Newsletter is Copyright © 2006 by the University of South Carolina, College of
Mass Communications and Information Studies. All rights reserved.
This
newsletter may be redistributed in any form - print or electronic - without
edits or deletion of any content.
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The
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---------------Submission
Guidelines/Deadline Schedule
The
Convergence Newsletter provides an editorially neutral forum for discussion of the
theoretical and professional meaning of media convergence. We welcome articles
of all sorts addressing the subject of convergence in journalism and media. We
also accept news briefs, calls for papers and conference announcements. Our
audience is both academics and professionals and the publication style is APA
7th edition. Feature articles should be 750 to 1,500 words; other articles
should be 250 to 750 words; announcements and conference submissions should be
200 words. All articles should be submitted to The Convergence Newsletter editor at convergence-editor@mailbox.sc.edu.
Please include your name, affiliation and contact information with your
submission.
The
Convergence Newsletter is published the first week of each month except January. Articles
should be submitted at least 10 days prior to the publication date. Any
questions should be sent to convergence-editor@mailbox.sc.edu.
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---------------Subscribe/Unsubscribe
Information
To
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