We as journalists can learn a lot from video games. They can help players explore unfamiliar worlds and experience stories, almost literally, through the eyes of another person. Designed well, video games guide players to feel emotion and conflict, as well as learn the intricacies of complex subjects and systems. They engage users in a…
Words many of us never want to hear: “It’s the transmission.” “We can’t get a technician out there until next Tuesday.” “Your ex will be there.” And, of course: “Welcome to our redesigned site!” —Why I Resist Web Redesigns (And Maybe You Do, Too) : Monkey See : NPR. Similar:Mom’s Fears About Daughter Leaving For…
RT @KatySny: A big week for online news wp.me/p1VKki-eZ Similar:Habits for happiness: tips for looking on the bright side of lifeHabits for happiness: tips for looking o…PersonalCarolyn Gombell Is Not a Real Person: #JusticeforCarolyn Is a Campaign Against Twitter Ref…Fascinating use of social media. To be c…Current_EventsShe doesn't have keys or a phone or an…
I’m actually rather happy at the thought that somewhere in Facebook’s database exists a picture of my personal preferences that is so wildly inaccurate as to suggest this. Similar:Portofess”If people can confess on Oprah, Phil an…EthicsMeme unfairly blames "protesters" for four crimesA Facebook meme that claims “3 of these …CultureThe Search, Part 1 (#StarTrek #DS9…
It doesn’t happen often but when filler text is left and actually makes the printed edition, it’s a big, public embarrassment. Guess the rule of thumb is – always, always, always, always, always double check your headlines. They don’t call it dummy text for nothing. —15 Times “Filler Text” Become a Journalist’s Worst Enemy. Similar:The…
As “one big news team,” all 54 student reporters work for TCU360 regardless of their story’s medium. Content is published on the website and social media throughout the day, seven days a week. The Daily Skiff, still published Tuesday through Friday, acts as an aggregator of the week’s best content. The “leadership team” consists of…
Lots of links, lots of repeated key words, and multiple postings of a press release to different sites, are all red flags to Google under the new rules. Such actions are viewed by Google as blatant attempts to trick its algorithm into ranking a site higher than its allotted position. Yet these have all become…
Plenty more where those came from. The Lost Art of Proofreading. Similar:When is the phrase "when asked about…" part of good news writing? Rarely.A new graphic for an existing handout, w…AcademiaCould We Just Lose the Adverb (Already)?I can’t really get myself that worked up…CultureMr. Chen Goes to WuhanA Chinese media personality with over ha…CultureJournalism has…
This “Histomap,” created by John B. Sparks, was first printed by Rand McNally in 1931…. This giant, ambitious chart fit neatly with a trend in nonfiction book publishing of the 1920s and 1930s: the “outline,” in which large subjects (the history of the world! every school of philosophy! all of modern physics!) were distilled into…
Most of the time, I religiously avoiid watching TV news; however, every 2 years, right before I teach my “News Writing” class, I refamiliarize myself with what a large percentage of my students will think of when they hear the word “news.” (I listen to NPR for context, check the Drudge Report for hype, and…
Adorable photos help tell this story about a type-A parent realizing she’s been blessed with a type-B child. “You don’t have to rush. Just take your time,” I said gently. Her whole face instantly brightened and her shoulders relaxed. And so we sat side-by-side talking about things that ukulele-playing-6-year-olds talk about. There were even moments…
I was quietly reading online when @CBSNews force-fed me a loud, unwanted video. I’ll be more wary of CBS links from now on. #backbutton Similar:Parallel structure in writing: Use it!These comic panels cover the issue well….HumanitiesOverheard at Quora: "Why after all these years is Moodle still so ugly?"Moodle is a free course-management tool …AcademiaRT @JordanFor:…
I spent more time than I’d like to admit this summer redesigning my WordPress website. The new theme emphasizes thumbnails, which are very easy to create on an iPad or handheld and upload via the WordPress iOS app. Most important for me, though, is the fact that this new theme is responsive — that is,…
According to the Modern Language Association: Begin the entry in the works-cited list with the author’s real name and, in parentheses, user name, if both are known and they differ. If only the user name is known, give it alone. Next provide the entire text of the tweet in quotation marks, without changing the capitalization.…
MLA Style: How to cite a tweet. mla.org/style/handbook… Similar:RT @PhilKomarny: A floppy disc… In #context htt…RT @PhilKomarny: A floppy disc… In #co…TweetsJuror's CreedWhile researching my obligations for #ju…CultureIt's been nice knowing you, iPad3 It’s been nice knowing you, iPad3, but…TweetsParallel Structure vs. Faulty ParallelismI just touched up a handout on Parallel …HumanitiesOverheard at Quora: "Why…
What if the most underrated skill in school is thinking? I know, that sounds crazy. But how often do we tell kids what they are going to learn, tell them what to make, tell them what tool to use, tell them when to finish, tell them what questions to find the answers to. What if…
Christian Goldeman felt compelled to match beard illustrations with their typeface equivalents. Similar:The Girl's Obsession with Scottish History ContinuesWife: “What did you do with your bedshee…AestheticsBlender Griffin, Part 3Okay, that’s enough work for one evening…AestheticsLeftovers from the food my colleagues brought in to bribe/reward those few students who sh… Leftovers from the food my colleagues…
The University College London (UCL) Centre for Digital Humanities–in collaboration with 4Humanities–has created a new The Humanities Matter! infographic with statistics and arguments for the humanities in high-impact visual form. Countering clichéd, factually ungrounded criticisms, The Humanities Matter! draws on published statistics and a crowdsourced poll to give a shout out to the humanities in…
Just 23 percent of charter students scored proficient in language arts, compared with 31 percent in public schools overall. That’s a greater gap than had shown up in last year’s exams. In math, charter schools beat the public school average in each of the past two years — but not this year. On the new…
RT @THATCampPGH: Is there anything more exciting than attending #THATCamp #Pittsburgh @ChathamU on Oct 5+6? We think not! Come meet, greet… Similar:RT @DDeClaudio: Who do you think controls the news…RT @DDeClaudio: Who do you think control…TweetsJuror's CreedWhile researching my obligations for #ju…CultureLoved seeing A Comedy of Errors @setonhillLoved seeing A Comedy of Errors @setonhi…TweetsTweet: For…