tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31541849752430353572024-02-19T09:58:21.994-05:00Ivan LajaraDaily Freeman Life Editor Ivan Lajara talks about journalism, living in the Hudson Valley, language, the Web, cats and even politics. But he shouldn't.Ivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246812103290044984noreply@blogger.comBlogger2063125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3154184975243035357.post-10429689556186919572017-10-17T20:14:00.000-04:002017-10-18T12:47:25.447-04:00Mobile 360 reporting: What's in my backpack<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyA4oWqr2m636gKziCpofhYuw1LVnlKeKwRJMR_BaPwWhelw98yYc5j5rz7MRZf6PWiDYJO7w1iXMO0IH8Y_Mr2x9noWiczWWpZwQzoii26PHKKQ3DDrZR0kW6ec_SUqLhZCYKz6ABRQ/s1600/IMG_5695.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyA4oWqr2m636gKziCpofhYuw1LVnlKeKwRJMR_BaPwWhelw98yYc5j5rz7MRZf6PWiDYJO7w1iXMO0IH8Y_Mr2x9noWiczWWpZwQzoii26PHKKQ3DDrZR0kW6ec_SUqLhZCYKz6ABRQ/s1600/IMG_5695.jpg" width="100%" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
As a somewhat ~mobile~ journalist, I carry a lot of things inside my backpack whenever I get to go out to cover something (even though I'm technically an editor and I'm supposed to be at my desk but whatevs!)<br />
<br />
Because I also work and experiment with mobile 360/VR journalism, I carry some extra equipment. So I try to make it so that the accessories and cables can be interchangeable, and that the equipment can help me cover something efficiently for quick publication in our small newsroom.<br />
What follows is a list of the equipment I carry when I go out.<br />
<br />
<img class="alwaysThinglink" src="//cdn.thinglink.me/api/image/976944337285808130/1024/10/scaletowidth#tl-976944337285808130;'" style="max-width: 100%;" /><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//cdn.thinglink.me/jse/embed.js"></script><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Smartphones</b><br />
I have two phones, one personal and one for work. I currently have an iPhone 6 and a 7 with ATT and Verizon. I also carry an iPad mini 2nd gen, but that has no data plan so I'm not including it here. Because of the work with 360 cameras, I have found myself repeatedly using the two phones at the same time, including using one as a hotstop for other devices or to live stream while doing other things. Suffice it to say that a smartphone is indispensable and all other devices and accessories are dependent on it.<br />
<br />
<b>360 cameras</b><br />
<br />
I have three, not because I need these many cameras but because they are getting better and cheaper quickly and I'm starting to have a collection:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>I started with the <a href="https://theta360.com/en/about/theta/s.html">Ricoh Theta S</a>, which uses wifi and it's the official company camera. It shoots 1080p video, which is too low in resolution for actual workable video, so nowadays we just use it to quickly upload photos to Google Maps, using the StreetView app. <a href="http://bit.ly/2xMaCHQ">We have a bunch of photos.</a> I once live-streamed from it using a hack with a laptop and a phone for data, but it was pretty cumbersome (it did allow me to put other floating elements - a video and a logo - within the live stream, but resolution was too low).</li>
<li>Next up is the <a href="https://www.insta360.com/product/insta360-nano/">Insta360 Nano</a>, and this little guy delivers. Video is 2K and its smartphone app allows you to upload quickly to Facebook or Youtube, plus you can live stream to Facebook, Periscope or Youtube. It's better used clipped to a phone. This is the cheapest of the cameras. </li>
<li>The <a href="https://www.insta360.com/product/insta360-one/">Insta360 One</a> is a recent entry in the consumer 360 camera landscape and is now my default camera to shoot video (at 4K) and photos (24MP). As with the nano, you can live stream when attached to a phone, but its app and stabilizers really set it apart.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<b>Attachments</b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>The first pole I obtained was<a href="https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-WT1003-67-Inch-Monopod/dp/B00FAYL1YU/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1508272263&sr=1-1-spons&keywords=monopod&psc=1&tag=thinglink09-20"> a basic monopod</a> to replace the bulkiness of a tripod, which didn't fit in my backpad (collapsed, the monopod barely does, at an angle). the monopod extends to 67 inches. </li>
<li>I have a <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00XN1P9QI/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1&tag=thinglink09-20">selfie stick with a stand</a> that I've used repeatedly — and not for selfies! It can also be attached to the monopod. Add the Insta360 One to the top, and you've got yourself a floating camera.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="true" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="280" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FFreeman%2Fvideos%2F10155804160233185%2F&show_text=0&width=560" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" width="560"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li> I have <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Livestream-Gear-LS-Jaws-Clamp-Phone/dp/B00WIT5TFM/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1508272287&sr=1-3&keywords=clamp+livestream&tag=thinglink09-20">a clamp with a phone mount</a>, which you can pretty much attach to anything, including <a href="https://www.periscope.tv/ivanlajara/1DXxyOPrOmbGM">your bike as you live-stream in 360.</a> That's the clamp attached to the bike, holding an iPhone with an Insta360 nano. For this purpose, I add rubber bands to secure the phone, the 360-camera and the clamp, just in case.</li>
<li>I also have <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0018LQVIA/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_x_hqO5zbTMXFNVY">a super clamp</a>, one of the heaviest things in the backpack and not one thing that needs to be brought to cover all events. The mandatory<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00009R6AY"> flex arm</a> to go with it is pretty heavy as well, and I fold it in a "U" shape so it fits in the backpack. You can attach the selfie stick to the top of the super clamp and that'll open up more choices for where your 360 camera can be placed. If you use the Insta360 One, it will look like the camera is floating.</li>
</ul>
<b>Miscellaneous</b><br />
<ul>
<li>I have a <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00C7J5ZC0/">Jellyfish tripod mount </a>and that can be used in a number of combinations with a phone and a 360 camera, including a monopod or a clamp. It can help with live-streaming in 360 from very unique angles or just from very high up.</li>
<li>Duct tape. Solves all the problems. ALL OF THEM.</li>
<li>I have a micro SD card for the Insta 360 Nano. I use 64GB to keep me from going overboard.</li>
<li>I have two portable batteries, one old one I can't recommend anymore because it's garbage and I can't even, and a <a href="https://www.amazon.com/KMASHI-10000mAh-Portable-Power-Output/dp/B00JM59JPG/">KMASHI battery</a> (which I got as a #wjchat Secret Festivus present!) that can charge two devices at the same time. It's saved me from going dark a number of times. The 360 camera, phone, and data plan will consume more energy than normal and you'll need it for anything longer than an hour.</li>
<li>Asparagus rubber bands. I get nervous when I attach the phone to the Insta 360 cameras, so I use the rubber bands to secure them to the phones and the phones to whatever is holding them. The issue with the Insta360 cameras is that your phone can't use a protective case (I have Otter Box heavy duty cases; don't mess with your phones, kids), so the rubber bands make sure that nothing flies away when your phone and 360-degree camera are attached to a monopod or clamp. Also, asparagus is delicious.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HZHM526/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_x_DWM5zbSBK5H45?tag=thinglink09-20">Expansion screws.</a> I have two small expansions that I initially was using to be able to plug the Ricoh Theta while using it (which I still use when using the Theta). But nowadays is mostly used in conjunction with the Jellyfish tripod mount or just to give the camera a bit more distance. They're easier to screw and unscrew on clamps and monopods, so they come in handy often.</li>
<li>Cables and plugs. I have two iPhones and three cameras so I carry at least two lighting cables and three USB cables, with 3 power adapters that work with USB in case I can plug somewhere. </li>
<li>Lens cleaner. The Insta360 Nano came with one, but I had one just in case. The 360 camera lenses are exposed, so you'll find yourself cleaning them often.</li>
<li>I also have a 360/VR viewer (cardboard) to do quick demos. I used to carry a <a href="https://www.target.com/p/homido-mini-virtual-reality-glasses/-/A-51516542?ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google_pla_df&CPNG=PLA_Electronics+Shopping&adgroup=SC_Electronics&LID=700000001170770pgs&network=g&device=c&location=9004747&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIleGY8ez41gIVhgJpCh2HugYrEAQYASABEgJ2ufD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds">Homido clip</a>, which was good, until it broke, which was not good.</li>
</ul>
<br />
Not pictured: Sometimes I bring my laptop in the backpack if I know I'm going to be writing something from the field. But mostly I can upload from the phone itself, so I'm not including it.<br />
<br />
I should also note that, partially, the reason I carry all these things is because I'm also likely taking photos, regular videos and sending live updates from the field, if I'm to cover something or help others with coverage. There's no need to bring the kitchen sink if you know what you're covering and how. Also, I wouldn't impose on others the tasks I give myself, so make sure you just bring the right equipment for the story.<br />
<br />
And yes, I know it looks like a lot of things. But it all fits neatly!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAHbD-ztP4s7ECFlL7x_oOlkAczeREi9P17cZmhCquSBTPwy6n4fyaElrX16QcJQmq8W4UPlr6fr8TOONdM5TvgT9vPhA-mi9shvDXHBEg3pv-1VqyDXkz10Jqr5R3_7eYtJb6UFN3rw/s1600/giphy-downsized-large.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="270" data-original-width="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAHbD-ztP4s7ECFlL7x_oOlkAczeREi9P17cZmhCquSBTPwy6n4fyaElrX16QcJQmq8W4UPlr6fr8TOONdM5TvgT9vPhA-mi9shvDXHBEg3pv-1VqyDXkz10Jqr5R3_7eYtJb6UFN3rw/s1600/giphy-downsized-large.gif" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />Ivan Lajarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03137025115662952185noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3154184975243035357.post-68483390790404997932017-08-30T11:49:00.001-04:002017-08-30T11:49:34.026-04:00DFM chat on verification of content via social media<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZSz_vQj4OkJ8YiRht0YD32Q3cJArewlb5ZdbIbZb0cMFELS-YqX9Yq04AEVxtI2imZ7T2tRzfnqwOJ-uqN3_PgfiZazeOtnnIpz0HxCbS0MSii1GrSACOhwDeB0bGenJ5YwEjuJE97w/s1600/shark.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="807" data-original-width="1431" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZSz_vQj4OkJ8YiRht0YD32Q3cJArewlb5ZdbIbZb0cMFELS-YqX9Yq04AEVxtI2imZ7T2tRzfnqwOJ-uqN3_PgfiZazeOtnnIpz0HxCbS0MSii1GrSACOhwDeB0bGenJ5YwEjuJE97w/s640/shark.jpg" width="100%" /></a></div>
<br />
Digital First Media friends and other journalists, members of the community and fans of journalism are invited to take part in a Twitter chat Wednesday at noon, Eastern Time, to talk about all things journalism.<br />
<br />
Today we are talking about producing, consuming and crowdsourcing news during emergencies and natural disasters, in the wake of Harvey in Texas. As social media literacy improves, hoaxers find new ways to fool audiences, especially when news breaks. The 'old' social media tips still apply, but what do you need to look for in today's environment? What steps do we need to take as consumers and producers to make sure content we share is real?<br />
<br />
If you want to be in the post chat archive, post a comment in the container or a tweet with the hashtag <a href="https://twitter.com/search?f=tweets&vertical=default&q=%23dfmchat&src=typd">"#dfmchat</a>" so it can automatically appear below.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="scrbbl-embed" data-src="/event/2653505/17460">
</div>
<script>(function(d, s, id) {var js,ijs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(d.getElementById(id))return;js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//embed.scribblelive.com/widgets/embed.js";ijs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, ijs);}(document, 'script', 'scrbbl-js'));</script>Ivan Lajarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03137025115662952185noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3154184975243035357.post-18724108473399468032017-08-16T01:17:00.001-04:002017-08-16T11:02:43.793-04:00Can you be a fly on the virtual reality wall?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVnPcNUBNzatCAxLL-a4ZKHhb8zMz9-UXzVXA4PfNT2LwKtNzf8_4ep-vARLPjOjlMxPMTq5pQlYcfUUqG1hWOgKg_fQlMwgx_N-M9pfawJcXtI1m1vwutRugS7vdcC5_jVEPRDuw_0g/s1600/IMG_6064.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVnPcNUBNzatCAxLL-a4ZKHhb8zMz9-UXzVXA4PfNT2LwKtNzf8_4ep-vARLPjOjlMxPMTq5pQlYcfUUqG1hWOgKg_fQlMwgx_N-M9pfawJcXtI1m1vwutRugS7vdcC5_jVEPRDuw_0g/s1600/IMG_6064.JPG" width="100%" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Pretty things are pleasant to look at, but that doesn't mean they work.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
For more than a decade now, I've been trying to figure out the many ways of not just how to cover the news, but how to present the news in the best way possible.<br />
<br />
I've been doing this from my little corner of the news landscape and I've been using the tools available to me as the baseline, if you will, for what can be done. I also do this because it's fun.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
In the old days, this would come in the form of developing a new type of feature for the paper. Slowly (too slowly, if you ask me) but surely, these efforts evolved into it what encompasses the digital world. That is where things really started to bloom. There's always a risk of getting carried away by the latest shiny thing, but the underlining focus is always about what is the best tool to use to cover the news as best as possible with the limited resources that we have (and limited, they are).</div>
<div>
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="450" src="https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m0!4v1502860560504!6m8!1m7!1sCAoSLEFGMVFpcE1fZTdiN3NQMDNOMUFPMzFfYjRaTGhyWUVXZjFOaHlRQ1JjYXhz!2m2!1d41.9183702!2d-73.98127699999999!3f259.5801945787061!4f-14.247637787376476!5f0.7820865974627469" style="border: 0;" width="100%"></iframe>
<br />
Anyway, there's a new virtual reality live stream function that can be shared with people in a two-dimensional format, and I decided to take it for a spin. <a href="https://medium.com/journalism360/with-facebook-spaces-all-your-360-content-is-now-in-vr-6c190991b62c">When Facebook Spaces first came out, I gave my first impressions</a>. Now that it has a livestream function (and beards!), I gave it another go.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>You'll notice that I used two very recent 360-degree videos <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pg/Freeman/videos/">by the Freeman</a>. I'm brainstorming ideas for when it would come in handy to use a 360 video already posted and then have an anchor to guide the viewer through the video. I'm aware of the ethical issues this could raise. Having a cartoon avatar with a hard news video can be jarring and can easily be seen as disrespectful to the issues portrayed in the video, which is the opposite of what one would want. </div>
<div>
<br />
It does work for light-hearted and whimsical topics. And you could even have a 'show' around a topic, with a 'guest.' Stay tuned. </div>
<div>
I have some ideas. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
In the meantime, you're stuck with this:<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="true" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="476" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FLajaraIvan%2Fvideos%2F10159165270520015%2F&show_text=0&width=267" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" width="267"></iframe><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
***</div>
<br />
It's becoming increasingly difficult to share links around the web when there is currently a supernova of news (it's orange) taking up all the space. But let's give it a shot:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/who-wears-short-shorts-not-my-daughter-1502295345?mod=e2tw">The Wall Street Journal has discovered short shorts. </a><br />
<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/11/fashion/weddings/senior-citizen-older-couple-wedding.html">What can one possibly say about this couple from Middletown?</a><br />
<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/08/08/upshot/what-is-your-opposite-job.html">What's your opposite job?</a> Mine's a model, because of course.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2017/aug/08/local-news-crime-reporting-quitting-journalism?utm_source=CJR+Daily+News&utm_campaign=0a04cae046-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2017_06_05&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_9c93f57676-0a04cae046-174331993">This reporter worked for local news and could not take it anymore.</a><br />
<a href="https://www.cjr.org/first_person/new-york-post-reporting-lessons.php">This one worked for the New York Post and it's as bad as you could imagine, but worse.</a><br />
<a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/for-reals-origin-and-meaning"><br /></a> <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/for-reals-origin-and-meaning">For reals.</a><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
***</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
One video: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BWdgP8VgBY4/">Let's get out of hereowait let's go back</a><br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style="background: #fff; border-radius: 3px; border: 0; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0 , 0 , 0 , 0.5) , 0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0 , 0 , 0 , 0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 658px; padding: 0; width: 99.375%;">
<div style="padding: 8px;">
<div style="background: #F8F8F8; line-height: 0; margin-top: 40px; padding: 28.125% 0; text-align: center; width: 100%;">
<div style="background: url(data:image/png; display: block; height: 44px; margin: 0 auto -44px; position: relative; top: -22px; width: 44px;">
</div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;">
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BWdgP8VgBY4/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">Thirsty down on the Rondout Creek</a></div>
<div style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">
A post shared by Daily Freeman (@dailyfreeman) on <time datetime="2017-07-12T21:06:41+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jul 12, 2017 at 2:06pm PDT</time></div>
</div>
</blockquote>
<script async="" defer="" src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script>
</div>
</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
***</div>
The Four:<br />
* <a href="http://media.dailyfreeman.com/2017/08/05/photos-from-el-galeon/#1">That's a big boat.</a><br />
* <a href="http://media.dailyfreeman.com/2017/08/08/photos-massive-steam-generator-down-the-hudson-river/#1">That's a big engine.</a><br />
* <a href="http://media.dailyfreeman.com/2017/08/14/photos-from-vigil-for-charlottesville-virginia/#1">That's a big vigil.</a><br />
* <a href="http://media.dailyfreeman.com/2017/08/07/photos-from-tyrannosaurus-wrench/#1">That's a big metal dinosawhere are you goiiiiiing?</a><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
***</div>
One cat: Preach it.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
hello I tried to use your news site and now I'm stuck under a table <a href="https://t.co/HIgwnthXhR">pic.twitter.com/HIgwnthXhR</a></div>
— Digital First cat (@DFNewsCat) <a href="https://twitter.com/DFNewsCat/status/889864965905108993">July 25, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><i><a href="http://tinyletter.com/ivanlajara"> Yesterday's Internet, Today!'s</a> opposite job is dirty microwave oven with a funky smell and some weird substance on the oven ceiling and sticky door and it doesn't work and you don't know how to dispose of it. You can dispose of this by forwarding it to a friend.</i>Ivan Lajarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03137025115662952185noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3154184975243035357.post-1064270077886541852017-07-26T11:15:00.001-04:002017-07-26T11:18:35.428-04:00DFM chat on journalism metrics in a fragmented environment<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWS5SbX0egtd9xykwZipAAWhzxFY5sj7xXZSvZOAn58sDWor8-mpRgDaZUg98q-d4KkrZESzhDX3gMfh-kL73OOANeVVxIVMkU8tSR1xcNl7pDwqIsXnt-4BAH_PTHlCKnEcDnV71NlA/s1600/reach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="872" data-original-width="670" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWS5SbX0egtd9xykwZipAAWhzxFY5sj7xXZSvZOAn58sDWor8-mpRgDaZUg98q-d4KkrZESzhDX3gMfh-kL73OOANeVVxIVMkU8tSR1xcNl7pDwqIsXnt-4BAH_PTHlCKnEcDnV71NlA/s320/reach.jpg" width="245" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Spike in reach or boa constrictor<br />digesting an elephant?</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span id="goog_1157054991"></span><span id="goog_1157054992"></span><br />
<br />
Digital First Media friends and other journalists, members of the community and fans of journalism are invited to take part in a Twitter chat Wednesday at noon, Eastern Time, to talk about all things journalism.<br />
<br />
Today we are talking about metrics. What to use and how to use it in a way to further your journalistic goals. But further, how do you measure success in such a fragmented environment? How do you quantify other endeavors like alerts, newsletters, social videos or podcasts? And when do you pull the plug when something isn't quite working out?<br />
<br />
If you want to be in the post chat archive, post a comment in the container or a tweet with the hashtag <a href="https://twitter.com/search?f=tweets&vertical=default&q=%23dfmchat&src=typd">"#dfmchat</a>" so it can automatically appear below.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="scrbbl-embed" data-src="/event/2633200/17460">
</div>
<script>(function(d, s, id) {var js,ijs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(d.getElementById(id))return;js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//embed.scribblelive.com/widgets/embed.js";ijs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, ijs);}(document, 'script', 'scrbbl-js'));</script>Ivan Lajarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03137025115662952185noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3154184975243035357.post-5088653802866918692017-07-07T16:55:00.000-04:002017-07-07T17:04:39.934-04:00When national news organizations cover the Mid-Hudson Valley<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style="background: #fff; border-radius: 3px; border: 0; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0 , 0 , 0 , 0.5) , 0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0 , 0 , 0 , 0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 658px; padding: 0; width: 99.375%;">
<div style="padding: 8px;">
<div style="background: #F8F8F8; line-height: 0; margin-top: 40px; padding: 50.0% 0; text-align: center; width: 100%;">
<div style="background: url(data:image/png; display: block; height: 44px; margin: 0 auto -44px; position: relative; top: -22px; width: 44px;">
</div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;">
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BU5C0w-D5vd/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">Little planet</a></div>
<div style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">
A post shared by Ivan Lajara (@ivanlajara) on <time datetime="2017-06-03T20:45:31+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jun 3, 2017 at 1:45pm PDT</time></div>
</div>
</blockquote>
<script async="" defer="" src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script>
<br />
<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Every now and then on Facebook, an "article" pops up rating this town or that other one as the best something-something or worse whatchamacallit of the U.S. It is usually done by a marketing or real-estate agency as a rather transparent ploy to create some virality. Often, the older articles keep popping up on feeds. And we sometimes get "tips" with those articles.<br />
Other times, a national publication writes about something related to the Hudson Valley, and the tone can range from knowledgeable to curious to condescending. Sometimes it feels like reading the same old story. Sometimes is a fresh perspective on something familiar. But it's always interesting.<br />
How do other people in the country see us in the Hudson Valley and the Catskill regions?<br />
Also interesting are our reactions to such pieces, which can be more revealing about ourselves than the articles themselves.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy-w9-AyR1SbjZ4fPd4B5myq6DjyKZ8d794cHrx7o7jnX-Ex9XDhjNMXpo_qvpdeOfpBd0W5IEAzPzsmYDg6qy7pO-AZVCMXP4A0ZIjdWFBZ7HBKUP7CPH_NVxxgGnaFNDqrpkJmsEdA/s1600/little+planet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1481" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy-w9-AyR1SbjZ4fPd4B5myq6DjyKZ8d794cHrx7o7jnX-Ex9XDhjNMXpo_qvpdeOfpBd0W5IEAzPzsmYDg6qy7pO-AZVCMXP4A0ZIjdWFBZ7HBKUP7CPH_NVxxgGnaFNDqrpkJmsEdA/s320/little+planet.jpg" width="296" /></a></div>
Small world.</div>
<br />
***<br />
Four articles from outside the area about the area:<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>* <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/14/realestate/tivoli-ny-authenticity-on-the-hudson.html">"Tivoli, N.Y: Authenticity on the Hudson,"</a> New York Times, June 16, 2017.</b><br />
Key passage: "But it is not Brooklyn on the Hudson, she said."<br />
Why a key phrase: This is a meme that <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/07/nyregion/hudson-river-valley-draws-brooklynites.html">has been used by</a>, you guessed it, The New York Times, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/21/travel/tmagazine/21T-TALK-TIVOLI.html">repeatedly</a>. And the gray lady is<a href="https://storify.com/ivanlajara/omg-every-community-in-the-hudson-valley-is-the-ne"> not the only one. </a> <br />
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
<b>* <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/07/03/my-dentists-murder-trial">"My dentist's murder trial,"</a> The New Yorker, July 3, 2017.</b></div>
<div>
A very <i>New Yorker</i> ~longread~ on the murder trial of Kingston dentist Gilberto Nunez,<a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=gilberto+nunez+site:dailyfreeman.com&rlz=1C1LENP_enUS529US529&oq=gilberto+nunez+site:dailyfreeman.com&aqs=chrome..69i57.6185j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8"> which we covered extensively</a>. There was also NBC's "<a href="https://t.co/LZdteAwyYa">Dateline</a>," and CBS's <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/news/gilberto-nunez-ny-dentist-who-stood-trial-for-death-of-tom-kolman-accused-of-more-than-murder/">"48 Hours."</a> </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>* <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/27/sports/soccer/dennis-crowley-kingston-stockade-fc.html">"A Tech Executive’s Latest Start-Up Has Cleats, Jerseys and Goals,"</a> New York Times, June 27, 2017. </b></div>
<div>
A story about Dennis Crowley and Stockade FC, which, as you probably know, is going to the playoffs. There are some nice photos in that piece and you might know some in there. <a href="http://media.dailyfreeman.com/2017/07/03/photos-from-kingston-stockade-soccer/#1">We've got some too.</a> That story mentions how the goal is to have 1,000 people per game. <a href="http://www.dailyfreeman.com/sports/20170704/soccer-kingston-stockade-fc-drops-4-3-decision-to-tsf-academy-fc-in-last-regular-season-home-game">The last game drew a record crowd.</a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<b>* <a href="https://www.marketplace.org/2017/06/21/economy/how-towns-are-hurt-when-malls-close">"How towns are hurt when malls run into trouble,"</a> Marketplace, June 21, 2017. </b><br />
<div>
The case of a national news organization using an example to illustrate a national issue. In this case, the example is the Hudson Valley Mall. This is also a case where the <a href="http://www.dailyfreeman.com/general-news/20170623/impact-of-hudson-valley-mall-woes-on-town-of-ulster-draws-national-attention">attention ended up in a story by us. </a> We have covered the issues surrounded the mall extensively as well.<a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=hudson+valley+mall+site:dailyfreeman.com&rlz=1C1LENP_enUS529US529&tbas=0&source=lnt&tbs=qdr:y&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi1mP63-ffUAhVBGz4KHf_qD0YQpwUIHg&biw=1670&bih=851"> Here's a large sample from the last year.</a> And<a href="http://media.dailyfreeman.com/2014/10/06/hudson-valley-mall-through-the-years-photos/#1"> mall photos from yesteryear.</a><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<b>BONUS: * "<a href="http://nypost.com/2017/06/29/this-chimp-lived-in-a-two-bedroom-uws-apartment/">This chimp lived in a two-bedroom UWS apartment</a><a href="http://nypost.com/2017/06/29/this-chimp-lived-in-a-two-bedroom-uws-apartment/"></a>," New York Post, June 29, 2017.</b> </div>
<div>
The source of this story now lives in Kingston. If you consider today's standards, this story is bananas.<br />
<br />
***<br />
One video:<br />
<br /></div>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style="background: #fff; border-radius: 3px; border: 0; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0 , 0 , 0 , 0.5) , 0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0 , 0 , 0 , 0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 658px; padding: 0; width: 99.375%;">
<div style="padding: 8px;">
<div style="background: #F8F8F8; line-height: 0; margin-top: 40px; padding: 50.0% 0; text-align: center; width: 100%;">
<div style="background: url(data:image/png; display: block; height: 44px; margin: 0 auto -44px; position: relative; top: -22px; width: 44px;">
</div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;">
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BWLOADVAIKF/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">Happy piggy Sister Mary Frances @catskill_animal_sanctuary in Saugerties, NY</a></div>
<div style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">
A post shared by Daily Freeman (@dailyfreeman) on <time datetime="2017-07-05T18:40:54+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jul 5, 2017 at 11:40am PDT</time></div>
</div>
</blockquote>
<script async="" defer="" src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script><br />
<br />
Short and sweet.<br />
***<br />
<br />
<b>The Four:</b><br />
* <a href="http://www.dailyfreeman.com/general-news/20170629/kingston-gets-in-on-uber-and-lyft-action-mayor-lauds-affordable-reliable-rides">Ride-sharing,</a><br />
* <a href="http://media.dailyfreeman.com/2017/07/06/photos-from-catskill-animal-sanctuary/">Animals.</a><br />
* <a href="http://www.dailyfreeman.com/general-news/20170705/hotel-developer-and-partners-buy-3-more-uptown-kingston-buildings">Development. </a><br />
* <a href="http://www.dailyfreeman.com/general-news/20170627/applestone-meat-co-in-stone-ridge-just-like-a-butcher-shop-but-without-butcher-counter">Meat.</a><br />
<b>Cat:</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<br />
<div class="tumblr-post" data-did="f7e161acf6bdbb9413308dd58d85a4963c371b83" data-href="https://embed.tumblr.com/embed/post/CywNKJnYApftQZ0Nk88bbw/161359148822">
<a href="http://newscatgif.tumblr.com/post/161359148822/when-your-story-gets-bigger-and-you-get-another">http://newscatgif.tumblr.com/post/161359148822/when-your-story-gets-bigger-and-you-get-another</a></div>
<script async="" src="https://assets.tumblr.com/post.js"></script>
<b><br /></b>
<i><br /></i>
<i><a href="http://tinyletter.com/ivanlajara">Yesterday's Internet, Today!</a> comes in when you least expect it. <a href="http://tinyletter.com/ivanlajara">This is what it's all about.</a></i><br />
<br />
<br />Ivan Lajarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03137025115662952185noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3154184975243035357.post-40201282337621278542017-06-28T11:30:00.001-04:002017-06-28T11:30:57.313-04:00DFM chat: Mobile hardware and software for journalist<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfhflgQMF2HzmrJEXiPPgj9eThsppsA1_jgIv9vIrgHBexjgqp5N28CdJ8eFRKnZoRFMmfxNLltS1yLBUkp9GoYGcfJot8KzTd-kJuEnJ-2ONr2ZoTSpEEmq9WK0MTEA3tr2MrUOL87Q/s1600/007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1175" data-original-width="1600" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfhflgQMF2HzmrJEXiPPgj9eThsppsA1_jgIv9vIrgHBexjgqp5N28CdJ8eFRKnZoRFMmfxNLltS1yLBUkp9GoYGcfJot8KzTd-kJuEnJ-2ONr2ZoTSpEEmq9WK0MTEA3tr2MrUOL87Q/s400/007.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJri_kVSWCY34QSyB7Pqq4qofqKkDCPqwlaRCEEKGZ1zjBvRozCn-qxkvUBkMAC3dHTtiJ-r6ilVZb-aT5OwkEad8Jl-7GBNSi8q6TX5n1aONMxvoGy7ai4XVgD0clvuVDULNJVczZkg/s1600/IMG_0048.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1136" data-original-width="640" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJri_kVSWCY34QSyB7Pqq4qofqKkDCPqwlaRCEEKGZ1zjBvRozCn-qxkvUBkMAC3dHTtiJ-r6ilVZb-aT5OwkEad8Jl-7GBNSi8q6TX5n1aONMxvoGy7ai4XVgD0clvuVDULNJVczZkg/s200/IMG_0048.PNG" width="112" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Exciting parking lot video</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Digital First Media friends and other journalists, members of the community and fans of journalism are invited to take part in a Twitter chat Wednesday at noon, Eastern Time, to talk about all things journalism.<br />
<br />
Today we are learning about mobile hardware and software for journalists, beyond the basics. Sure, you have a smartphone and Facebook and Twitter. What else do you bring to the field while on assignment? What apps do you have? What do you use for video? What's on your home screen?<br />
<br />
If you want to be in the post chat archive, post a comment in the container or a tweet with the hashtag <a href="https://twitter.com/search?f=tweets&vertical=default&q=%23dfmchat&src=typd">"#dfmchat</a>" so it can automatically appear below.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="scrbbl-embed" data-src="/event/2614477/17460"></div>
<script>(function(d, s, id) {var js,ijs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(d.getElementById(id))return;js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//embed.scribblelive.com/widgets/embed.js";ijs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, ijs);}(document, 'script', 'scrbbl-js'));</script>Ivan Lajarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03137025115662952185noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3154184975243035357.post-4092567724013396702017-06-09T14:56:00.001-04:002017-06-09T15:07:41.998-04:00RamsHorn-Livingston Sanctuary, in 360 degrees and virtual reality<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://goo.gl/maps/h7amF8PHNFU2"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje7GMAZQV6P8sd5fdjyvO3iEf_2QH7KAta_DpECsGidgxtyOdKkxbep5IMjt1icYzjBz2hqAz-ubXs5okdXbGEUJ04vNUK-aufplaS2C3OUFjVXGnhz7ke9LDVZEGPYkFcZY_Ge16ZKQ/s1600/ramshorn.jpg" width="100%" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
Yet another cool hike around the area is the <a href="http://www.scenichudson.org/parks/ramshornlivingston">Ramshorn-Livingston Sanctuary in Catskill</a>, a pleasant hike with neat sights and sounds and a marsh overlook that's fantastic (and shakes a bit on top, which makes it better in my view).<br />
<br />
As with previous tours posted here, <a href="https://goo.gl/maps/h7amF8PHNFU2">The Street View map</a> below constitutes many 360-degree images, all connected so that you can 'walk' around the trails. I did a big loop so I ended up touching on all trails. There are more than 30 images, all taken on June 3.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="450" src="https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m0!4v1497034274574!6m8!1m7!1sF%3A-o2N01p-ono0%2FWTNU9U-5jxI%2FAAAAAAAA6mw%2FVUJ9_hvPqxU4om2bbga6AFPRkihCkuruwCLIB!2m2!1d42.20009415015975!2d-73.86645678430796!3f226.93394136538637!4f-12.553251269628703!5f0.7820865974627469" style="border: 0;" width="100%"></iframe><br />
<br />
This tour, as noted previously, will also work in virtual reality with the <a href="https://www.google.com/streetview/apps/">Stree View app. </a><br />
Search for Ramshorn-Livingston and click on any image by yours truly. See if you can find me sitting on a bench.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
I explain further in this video from earlier this week.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
Take a 360-degree tour through some Hudson Valley parks <a href="https://t.co/Pd7jY9yXoA">https://t.co/Pd7jY9yXoA</a></div>
— Ivan Lajara (@ivanlajara) <a href="https://twitter.com/ivanlajara/status/872147231561793536">June 6, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
Ivan Lajarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03137025115662952185noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3154184975243035357.post-28170631123326952882017-05-31T01:23:00.001-04:002017-05-31T01:23:51.887-04:00DFM chat: How do you learn new journalism skills?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTqk05MnCt2TrGBe1xQifYcwfguLr0b28wMdv34RYkERLbBQzdgX3qdz3WLWeRMvj1Y6m3gdLzZhn2mDPtPCeXxYjDLY2v_lFa3Chvyl5R7osIzukcZOFVCzHFh6KvvAtW7C1m_N_V9A/s1600/catvid.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="481" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTqk05MnCt2TrGBe1xQifYcwfguLr0b28wMdv34RYkERLbBQzdgX3qdz3WLWeRMvj1Y6m3gdLzZhn2mDPtPCeXxYjDLY2v_lFa3Chvyl5R7osIzukcZOFVCzHFh6KvvAtW7C1m_N_V9A/s320/catvid.gif" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">I like to break things. With cats.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Digital First Media friends and other journalists, members of the community and fans of journalism are invited to take part in a Twitter chat Wednesday at noon, Eastern Time, to talk about all things journalism.<br />
<br />
<br />
Today we are learning about learning! What are the best ways to acquire skills in today's constantly evolving news environment? What's the best way to share them? Where do you go to learn new things outside of your newsroom or workplace? Grab your tools and bring your links!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
If you want to be in the post chat archive, post a comment in the container or a tweet with the hashtag <a href="https://twitter.com/search?f=tweets&vertical=default&q=%23dfmchat&src=typd">"#dfmchat</a>" so it can automatically appear below.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="scrbbl-embed" data-src="/event/2574523/17460">
</div>
<script>(function(d, s, id) {var js,ijs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(d.getElementById(id))return;js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//embed.scribblelive.com/widgets/embed.js";ijs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, ijs);}(document, 'script', 'scrbbl-js'));</script>Ivan Lajarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03137025115662952185noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3154184975243035357.post-83512332630805982412017-05-30T18:47:00.000-04:002017-05-30T18:50:10.375-04:00Take a virtual tour of Falling Waters Preserve in Saugerties<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVuZtjwsKheZ-PwkZxSQM6c5tDPXsnfP5s6y1Wc7aQpdKnT8M69Vd0Hhc7a33iv0v2IYhpKvyyoqaWmNqX3aqIRn-cTu9qAZmT7vcYDc9Lb6MJ8nPbfs7SXrFVdElIi_D_ReVWINAmjg/s1600/falling+waters+google+maps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVuZtjwsKheZ-PwkZxSQM6c5tDPXsnfP5s6y1Wc7aQpdKnT8M69Vd0Hhc7a33iv0v2IYhpKvyyoqaWmNqX3aqIRn-cTu9qAZmT7vcYDc9Lb6MJ8nPbfs7SXrFVdElIi_D_ReVWINAmjg/s1600/falling+waters+google+maps.jpg" width="100%" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
Another one of my favorite hikes around the area is the Falling Waters Preserve in Saugerties, an easy hike with some rewarding views of the Hudson River and the falls, two of them, that give the preserve its name.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://dailyfreeman.blogspot.com/2017/05/lets-take-virtual-reality-hike-around.html">As with the previous tour of Shaupeneak Ridge</a> The Street View map below constitutes many 360-degree images, all connected so that you can 'walk' around the pond. This time, there are more than 40 images, all taken on May 29.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="450" src="https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m0!3m2!1sen!2sus!4v1496172802505!6m8!1m7!1sF%3A-DQ9SCnaDGPk%2FWSyHqXGM7zI%2FAAAAAAAACOs%2Fg0poZMEOjMgMmrN0RBAKyAOxMNV-FjNZACLIB!2m2!1d42.05840985219891!2d-73.94064702093601!3f293.1271545535304!4f-17.363361885910734!5f0.7820865974627469" style="border: 0;" width="100%"></iframe><br />
<br />
Similarly, as was with the previous presentation, this tour will also work in virtual reality with the <a href="https://www.google.com/streetview/apps/">Stree View app. </a>
<br />
Simply search for Falling Waters Preserve and click on any image by Daily Freeman. They're all connected.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0nci66c1CeFqTItCWR-AID9_5Wze42-TDSXu_huoiWgCirahp1VH9W2pADS7pAtLY8dbMw5MDkDV58Z1uK3sb9rsSO4gn6K8UJFOrjv8hFbHJ9R6-CnqyJtmh5DoFQ5U87xhMs9VM5A/s1600/IMG_5402.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1334" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0nci66c1CeFqTItCWR-AID9_5Wze42-TDSXu_huoiWgCirahp1VH9W2pADS7pAtLY8dbMw5MDkDV58Z1uK3sb9rsSO4gn6K8UJFOrjv8hFbHJ9R6-CnqyJtmh5DoFQ5U87xhMs9VM5A/s400/IMG_5402.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Ivan Lajarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03137025115662952185noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3154184975243035357.post-10564449379100727602017-05-16T15:28:00.000-04:002017-05-17T11:40:31.807-04:00Let's take a virtual reality hike around Louisa Pond at Shaupeneak Ridge <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.google.com/maps/@41.8367018,-73.995639,3a,75y,292.61h,73.65t/data=!3m9!1e1!3m7!1s-glxctuwku0U%2FWRib32eyJ4I%2FAAAAAAAAB-g%2FJyqMP-ZYRZovxeYxCIwZqL8KMFH7mUAAACLIB!2e4!7i5376!8i2688!9m2!1b1!2i41?authuser=1"><img border="0" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOZLo08jSFw6NFnVwRTQjbedepRabbE4GgkBO6NhjN89VgCcRso8O1lOu7f-NG3gIZkGO6Njmgs_zeCduCOepffVo_HhqZbEsrKQwxqrbhdTV2ZC42kh26QpbbvUOCsdkOc6iSMXVXgw/s400/ridge.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
One of my favorite hikes around the area is located at <a href="http://www.scenichudson.org/parks/shaupeneakridge">Shaupeneak Ridge in the town of Esopus, an amazing park kept by Scenic Hudson.</a> The tour you see below is the park's easy blue trail, a 1.18-mile trek around the pond.<br />
<br />
<br />
The Street View map below constitutes more than 30 360-degree images from May 14, all connected, so that you can 'walk' around the pond.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="450" src="https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m0!3m2!1sen!2sus!4v1494957751591!6m8!1m7!1sF%3A-HJBI7_wF2H4%2FWRib4mfydII%2FAAAAAAAAB-8%2F8paaAF-Y7vQcWVWvSavIhkc-AciZfV_GgCLIB!2m2!1d41.83739664508837!2d-73.99444241076708!3f266.91635318707887!4f-18.045796387884295!5f0.7820865974627469" style="border: 0;" width="100%"></iframe><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.scenichudson.org/sites/default/files/shaupeneak-2016_webmap.jpg">The park has other trails, which vary in length and difficulty.</a><br />
<br />
It works <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/@41.8373966,-73.9944424,3a,75y,251.06h,89.41t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s-HJBI7_wF2H4%2FWRib4mfydII%2FAAAAAAAAB-8%2F8paaAF-Y7vQcWVWvSavIhkc-AciZfV_GgCLIB!2e4!7i5376!8i2688">very nicely on desktop and mobile.</a> But I'd suggest using the Google StreetView app, because it works in virtual reality, and it's pretty neat. In the <a href="https://www.google.com/streetview/apps/">StreetView app</a>, search for 'Shaupeneak Ridge' and click on any image by 'Daily Freeman.' Click on the viewer icon and place your phone in your <a href="https://vr.google.com/cardboard/">Google Cardboard</a> viewer or any others, and simply press the viewer button to go to the next image.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Ck7VT5K-W8CK3pVWaNtoRctH7UreL19pJnExrZEmibV2vKw1iU3snOxI2eQCuvFAe81A-IUVRpeZvD89Wf5xjZWedbtFY1cZ2ls3ZAZruAk_hdWUWtoFtC1I5mO5LjBtn7q0EvzUHw/s1600/vr.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Ck7VT5K-W8CK3pVWaNtoRctH7UreL19pJnExrZEmibV2vKw1iU3snOxI2eQCuvFAe81A-IUVRpeZvD89Wf5xjZWedbtFY1cZ2ls3ZAZruAk_hdWUWtoFtC1I5mO5LjBtn7q0EvzUHw/s1600/vr.png" width="100%" /></a></div>
<br />
Put on your favorite Spotify track while you're at it.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />Ivan Lajarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03137025115662952185noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3154184975243035357.post-86847662406120099512017-05-12T17:14:00.000-04:002017-05-12T17:32:20.048-04:00Virtual reality and emerging technologies for small news organizations<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="450" src="https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m0!3m2!1sen!2sus!4v1494622570998!6m8!1m7!1sF%3A-18J-9exkmSc%2FWRDyLrAHNQI%2FAAAAAAAABus%2FugBRAEvxGskUCiMjKYGFUS1Lu6y9T3Z7gCLIB!2m2!1d41.9351796!2d-74.0191839!3f213.65460571343334!4f-22.147577208267975!5f0.7820865974627469" style="border: 0;" width="600"></iframe> <i><br /></i> <i><br /></i><br />
<i>The following are more (long) excerpts from a Slack chat with members of <a href="http://thelittlerebellion.com/">The Little Rebellion</a>. part of Nancy Heiz's SUNY New Paltz's advance editing journalism class. <a href="http://dailyfreeman.blogspot.com/2017/05/the-modern-journalist.html">Here's part I.</a></i><br />
<br />
In this follow-up post, I'll explore immersive storytelling and emerging technologies, specifically virtual reality and 360-degree content as they relate to journalism and small newsrooms.<br />
<br />
Let's get right to it!<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lRjvQsI_Eug?list=PLYSEcFCWCEbXx0HPHcPGOU2XVJMV_6ikw" width="100%"></iframe><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-size: large;">Will virtual reality have a transformative role in journalism?</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b> Virtual reality is <i>not </i>going to fundamentally affect journalism in a revolutionary way, for a number of reasons, which include its limitations (too expensive, blocks your view or reality); and penetration (not many people have it and nobody has it at all times).<br />
<br />
It is, currently, another tool that helps tell stories in a new way.<br />
<br />
However! Some of virtual reality's parts and other technologies are starting to form a new paradigm, which I do believe will change the way we consume information in a fundamental way, which could shake and disrupt journalism's forms and distribution, just as the Internet and social media have done before.<br />
<br />
<b>Because with these new technologies, everything's a platform.</b><br />
<b></b><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVl34KMyLBuoiLelLW3p7dPUcv4IbmSH-tZapIDIMK2NePJUY3d2T3X8nuWN_z6T18g0-D9e_dXTp-3rqSvTn9TEvZmhIweaHkjNtzMAJD5mDhK6o_GbWgUthl3IWVUtciQ-njrk7l0w/s1600/phone+004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVl34KMyLBuoiLelLW3p7dPUcv4IbmSH-tZapIDIMK2NePJUY3d2T3X8nuWN_z6T18g0-D9e_dXTp-3rqSvTn9TEvZmhIweaHkjNtzMAJD5mDhK6o_GbWgUthl3IWVUtciQ-njrk7l0w/s640/phone+004.jpg" width="640" /></a>On their own, a number of these emerging processes have failed to live up to their potential or over-hyped promises (hello <a href="http://dailyfreeman.blogspot.com/2011/03/what-happened-to-qr-codes-in-freeman.html">QR codes</a> and <a href="https://medium.com/this-happened-to-me/google-glass-and-journalism-4c24f8bb5b3a">Google Glass</a>). But if you take these technologies' best traits and seamlessly incorporate them into existing everyday affairs, then you can see how the way we get our news will change, and we won't even notice.<br />
For example, QR codes '<a href="http://wtfqrcodes.com/">failed</a>' because they were cumbersome to use and goals for them were too ambitious. But they didn't go away, they were simply absorbed by other technologies to perform modest and realistic functions— from Facebook Messenger to Snapchat codes, to authenticator and recognition apps, which include Google cardboard viewers.<br />
<br />
Similarly, there are many good things that <a href="http://dailyfreeman.blogspot.com/2014/12/reframing-google-glass-and-journalism.html">came out of Google Glass</a>, and you can see its influence in <a href="http://appleinsider.com/articles/17/05/11/snaps-fledgling-spectacles-sold-just-over-63000-units-in-march-quarter">Spectacles </a>or the emerging <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2017/05/11/scope-ar-brings-its-enterprise-augmented-reality-authoring-platform-to-hololens/">augmented reality field. </a><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC6LqC123k1-p0hbgQbXAu7a1O8vIV8ON3VxhLlPWhlDc-fAqcCQnJJZ0J9kv1MqSaW4b9Ay9bFhAmy3FT2e_FajSaHq5Sqjg-fbM-EMoDBk6jny-fVKTBrNb8ulnkeyBjS_mMDaz7KQ/s1600/paul+rudd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC6LqC123k1-p0hbgQbXAu7a1O8vIV8ON3VxhLlPWhlDc-fAqcCQnJJZ0J9kv1MqSaW4b9Ay9bFhAmy3FT2e_FajSaHq5Sqjg-fbM-EMoDBk6jny-fVKTBrNb8ulnkeyBjS_mMDaz7KQ/s400/paul+rudd.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">#neverforget</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
And then there's the Internet of Things, plus artificial intelligence helpers like Siri, Alexa, Google Home and Cortana. And we're not that far off from augmented and mixed reality (<a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/hololens">look at HoloLens</a>) on a mass market scale, but it won't be there until the tech gets small and comfortable (or invisible) and affordable, and one of the ways to do that is to integrate such tech into everyday objects.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="400" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ic_M6WoRZ7k" width="100%"></iframe> <br />
<br />
Right now, basically, we are in the baby stages of this emerging tech. So you need a phone to <a href="http://kingstoncreative.net/infographic-kingston-ny-pokemon-go-map/">catch a Charizard</a> (I know, '<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/pokemon-go-65-million-monthly-active-players-2017-4">nobody</a>' is doing that anymore, but whatevs). The next step is probably glasses that add 3D models to your view; the one step after that is probably holograms and screenless displays.<br />
<br />
How would your favorite news provider look like in a mirror when you're brushing your teeth? How do you design the news for a fridge (already, there are news apps for smartwatches and Alexa, etc.)<br />
<br />
Take artificial intelligence, for example. AI is already here, although not quite in the way we think of it (pick your favorite sci-fi movie or <a href="https://giphy.com/search/boston-dynamics">Boston Dynamics gif</a>).<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="giphy-embed" frameborder="0" height="269" src="https://giphy.com/embed/J4Pnwg0KVeVrO" width="480"></iframe><br />
<a href="https://giphy.com/gifs/robot-get-generation-J4Pnwg0KVeVrO">via GIPHY</a><br />
<br />
From algorithms to automatic captions that learn its user's accent, there are a number of processes that already use artificial intelligence aid in the production of stories.<br />
<br />
A lot more of this is aided by not-so-intelligent processes (automation) with code that scrapes primary documents for content, for example, or Twitter robots, or AP articles written by robots for basic business stories or sports results (<span id="goog_598842817"></span><span id="goog_598842818"></span><a href="https://www.poynter.org/2016/how-the-associated-press-uses-robotic-cameras-to-shoot-the-olympics/426891/">and also video</a>).<br />
<br />
All these are supposed to make the job easier— as they should and do— but they will also displace those who do these jobs to a degree, depending on how it's applied in the industry. I know the <a href="https://www.cjr.org/innovations/artificial-intelligence-journalism.php">academic version of this</a> is that AI and automation will make everything simpler, but it will also displace those who do this currently (and have not developed new skills).<br />
<br />
I can certainly see corporations overreaching and try to replace actual humans with <a href="https://www.poynter.org/2016/the-early-reviews-of-troncs-branding-videos-are-in-and-theyre-not-good/417785/">'machine-learning' and 'funnels' of content</a>.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="giphy-embed" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://giphy.com/embed/l3q2Q031P9SjCgk92" width="480"></iframe><br />
<a href="https://giphy.com/gifs/robot-boston-dynamics-fail-l3q2Q031P9SjCgk92">via GIPHY</a><br />
<br />
<br />
But generally speaking, the change is positive, in that a single journalist is able to do a lot more thanks to technology. The analogy I'd use is doing old-school research of an academic paper's in a physical library to find a quote vs. finding the same quote quickly doing a search via <a href="https://scholar.google.com/">Google Scholar</a>.<br />
<br />
Our small newsroom's experimentation with these emerging technologies is part of a realization that platform adaptation is a constant.<br />
We go where our audience is, yes, but the idea also is to have a good handle on these platforms and technologies by the time they become commonplace.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">So when is this happening?</span></b><br />
<br />
In a sense, it's all here already. Your Android or iPhone (6 or higher, sorry) is a VR device. All you need is a viewer, <a href="https://vr.google.com/cardboard/get-cardboard/">and they are cheap. </a><br />
<br />
There are tons of apps, and <a href="https://youtube.googleblog.com/2016/11/youtube-vr-whole-new-way-to-watch-and.html">everything that's on Youtube can be seen in VR</a> in the YouTube app. It's entry level because the quality is limited by the phone capacity and connection bandwidth, and you can't move around in the space or grab things. But the 'wow' factor is there, and it's a good introduction to VR.<br />
<br />
If you get <a href="https://www.google.com/streetview/apps/">Google Streetview app</a>, you can use the same phone to take a 360-degree picture that you can view in VR with the very same phone and a <a href="https://vr.google.com/cardboard/">Google Cardboard viewer. </a><br />
<br />
If you want to check it out yourself, I'd start with the cardboard app, and then some VR roller coasters (just do a search for that in the app store). For story examples, check out <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/marketing/nytvr/">NYTVR</a>, RYOT (via <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwi7yvq1-urTAhUE0YMKHRzpBMEQFgg4MAI&url=https%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fus%2Fapp%2Fryot-vr%2Fid1046058227%3Fmt%3D8&usg=AFQjCNFlrmYVL_OkwOrXcrEBY7P0knTW7g">Apple</a> or <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwi7yvq1-urTAhUE0YMKHRzpBMEQFggxMAE&url=https%3A%2F%2Fplay.google.com%2Fstore%2Fapps%2Fdetails%3Fid%3Dcom.apto.ryot_vr%26hl%3Den&usg=AFQjCNEDycLJ5Zc2hWI6SeyHYUpGBf37hw">Android</a>) and <a href="https://with.in/">Within</a>. There are many others, and, yes, some stories overlap among the apps.<br />
<br />
If you want to make some 360-degree and virtual reality content in a smaller newsroom, it's not reasonable to create it's not super simple to do. That's just a reality.<br />
<br />
This is something we had in mind when we purchased a<a href="https://theta360.com/en/about/theta/s.html"> Ricoh Theta S</a> over a year ago, with the idea that it would be as easy as pressing a button (which it is) and then the upload happens in the background or at the office, and everything else that's part of the reporting still takes place as usual.<br />
<br />
The Ricoh Theta S is not good for videos, though, as the resolution is too low (1080p is not good when you have to wrap the pixels in a sphere), so we're playing with an<a href="https://www.insta360.com/"> Insta360 Nano</a> with an iPhone, where video resolution is better but it's still easy to produce.<br />
(For the cost-conscious among you: The Ricoh was $360 at the time. The Insta is $200).<br />
<br />
Both have their own apps which make simple stitching and editing and that's enough for us.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="true" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="315" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FFreeman%2Fvideos%2F10155097069173185%2F&show_text=0&width=560&source=8" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" width="560"></iframe>
<br />
<b><br /></b> <b>But is it needed?</b><br />
<br />
Are photos and videos needed?<br />
<br />
A good starting point for when virtual reality or 360-content is <i>not </i>needed is to ask yourself a simple question: When planning to cover a story, is this something people may want to look around?<br />
<br />
Many times, a reporter or photographer has gone to cover an event with the camera and returned without 360/VR content because the story did not need it or it was not practical to do it, and that is OK.<br />
<br />
As a small newsroom, we're not going to be doing high-caliber documentary-level virtual reality stories. So, covering stories virtual reality and 360 can be a challenge.<br />
<br />
We've done some protests, festivals and sporting and weather events, which fit our resources and capabilities.<br />
<br />
Larger publications and outfits, are doing more immersive, personal stories. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jE5-f8WVbek">Reveal did an interesting, character-centered narrative, "Disfellowshipped"</a> Among its many empathy-centered narratives, StoryUP did one on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMenPTljHLw">what it's like to experience a stroke</a>. And then there's PBS' <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/investigation/360-films/">Frontline</a>,<br />
<br />
<div>
But if you're a small publication with limited time and resources, and you're trying to create something that will resonate with your community the immediate ideas that come to mind are covering a protest; or a travel piece; sporting and fairs; and weather events, like if there's a storm or flood, as these are news events that have more immediate impact when they happen.<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="450" src="https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m0!3m2!1sen!2sus!4v1494614885288!6m8!1m7!1sF%3A-_pJbsxFXC5I%2FWK8Dvu1QYnI%2FAAAAAAAABMg%2FQJom61SPwp0CK_W8S7PWz6Y9cODGBQp5ACLIB!2m2!1d41.7434313!2d-74.083126!3f212.39!4f-1.4000000000000057!5f0.7820865974627469" style="border: 0;" width="600"></iframe> <br />
<br />
<br />
This is basically a recognition that, in our newsroom, at least, we won't be doing a documentary-level production (which we don't do with regular video either) and those are the ones that really can push the envelope.<br />
<br />
Furthermore, there are current discussions about the proper length. How long will people watch a VR feature that's not interactive? For our purposes, we top the experiences at two minutes longer if doing it live because that's another matter). Yet another reason we do them short is because of processing time.<br />
<br />
But these are not rules. Everyone is currently trying different things, from the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/video/the-daily-360">New York Times' Daily 360</a>, <a href="http://bigstory.ap.org/vr360">to AP </a>, to our less polished <a href="https://youtu.be/GKMfS3EWm3g?list=PLYSEcFCWCEbXhytAaz4bKbgbXtnycB1km">'At the scene'-style videos </a><br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SElxBlUbbYQ?list=PLYSEcFCWCEbXhytAaz4bKbgbXtnycB1km" width="100%"></iframe> <br />
<br />
It is worth pointing out that for us, <a href="http://dailyfreeman.blogspot.com/2016/05/six-lessons-from-producing-360-degree.html">Facebook is best for distribution of 360 videos and even 360 live videos</a>. We are not producing content to be necessarily seen in a virtual reality setting because there are not that many consumers in our community with VR devices.<br />
<br />
(As a side note, Facebook — and Vimeo— have 360 controls; Facebook and Youtube both have automatic captions, as well. Thanks, artificial intelligence!). But a Facebook embed won't work on all mobile devices. And Youtube embeds will stretch the video.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="true" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="315" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FIvanLajaraPage%2Fvideos%2F1691143480912898%2F&show_text=0&width=560&source=8" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" width="560"></iframe> <br />
<br />
I haven't talked about monetization— it wasn't part of the chat — but I wanted to touch on this briefly. Currently, virtual reality can work better as a complementary tech when it's rolled in with the other news offerings, so the monetization is already built around it (YouTube, page views, etc). That is likely the most reasonable way to go, unless, of course, you have your own tech and players and apps and you are the New York Times, you bastards.<br />
<br />
But the main purpose from a news perspective is to better inform your audience. Virtual reality and 360 content have the potential to bring your audience to the very place where the news happens. The basic production is easy and relatively cheap to do, and getting easier, and the platforms are already there, with built-in audiences to boot.<br />
<br />
So, as a tool of the trade, today, 360-degree content and virtual reality can be a reasonable offering from a small newsroom.<br />
<br />
Go break some things.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Ivan Lajarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03137025115662952185noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3154184975243035357.post-39578730602933804362017-05-03T21:52:00.001-04:002017-05-15T11:36:14.754-04:00The modern journalist<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHOlMUFCj2dTlrovU6eu4UFd8OKrQB4W1FPKc_gcj1XOPdMXsZaQeVMsD1ZnCfhiJ69u3IALTgqKwZ3SXcUkWzDYiGaaZfpv_QH7VTcqSOzbpBS5ACasncBAlXn8Ph1xUuLelKEUkHyw/s1600/phone+006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHOlMUFCj2dTlrovU6eu4UFd8OKrQB4W1FPKc_gcj1XOPdMXsZaQeVMsD1ZnCfhiJ69u3IALTgqKwZ3SXcUkWzDYiGaaZfpv_QH7VTcqSOzbpBS5ACasncBAlXn8Ph1xUuLelKEUkHyw/s400/phone+006.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Let's talk about journalism.<br />
<br />
The following are excerpts from a Slack chat with members of <a href="http://thelittlerebellion.com/">The Little Rebellion</a>. part of Nancy Heiz's SUNY New Paltz's advance editing journalism class.<br />
<br />
The purpose of the chat was to explore:<br />
<div>
<ul>
<li>Reporting skills and the role of the journalist in the newsroom of the future;</li>
<li>Real-time live reporting and the platforms that enable it; and</li>
<li>Immersive storytelling, specifically virtual reality and 360-degree content.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<br />
The chat took place over a number of days at sometimes at some funky hours, which allow me to not-so-much wax poetically but hopefully comprehensively elaborate on these topics. I thought it could be of use to the larger audience, including consumers, aspiring journalists and journalists at large. I've added some extra notes here and there and a totally irrelevant image or two to break the gray. I'm also breaking the chat in two. It was long!<br />
<br />
In this post, I deal with the modern newsroom, digital tools and multitasking.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="giphy-embed" frameborder="0" height="270" src="//giphy.com/embed/3o6UBeN1MdbwLS5UKA" width="480"></iframe><br />
<a href="https://giphy.com/gifs/3o6UBeN1MdbwLS5UKA">via GIPHY</a><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The newsroom of today</b></span><br />
<br />
<br />
Traditional journalism roles are still there, but they are evolving and are adapting to the new realities of how people consume the news. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div>
In the ~Before Time~, a reporter would get a story assignment, gather the information, talk to sources, file a story and forget about it. That still happens! to some degree but now the gathering of content can happen in real-time via social media— with live updates or crowdsourcing of user-generated content, for example— and there can be leads and tips that can develop from engaging with the audience.<br />
<br />
FURTHER! Newsroom realities demand that reporters are able to be thrown into any situation. A reporter in today's newsroom can cover entertainment, police and sports (<a href="https://twitter.com/brianatfreeman">hello, Brian</a>) and, at least in our shop, everyone is expected to cut their own videos, and cover live things through Twitter, etc. So while a reporter in a newsroom can (and does) have a beat like city hall or the local town board, you shouldn't be surprised if that same reporter is sent to cover a murder trial, or a room full of cats (<a href="https://twitter.com/arielatfreeman">hello, Ariel</a>).<br />
<br />
And yes, room full of cats is a thing.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/puk2tV5jwHQ/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/puk2tV5jwHQ?feature=player_embedded" width="100%"></iframe><br />
<br />
<br />
Ariél Zangla shot that video at the SPCA. She also jumped in <a href="http://www.dailyfreeman.com/general-news/20170424/recap-sarra-gilbert-trial-updates-ellenville-woman-charged-with-fatal-stabbing-of-mother">to cover a murder trial in late April just for that day</a> and she usually covers Kingston City Hall and general assignments. <a href="http://www.dailyfreeman.com/general-news/20170427/sarra-gilbert-convicted-of-murder-she-was-aware-of-what-she-was-doing-juror-says">Patricia R. Doxsey fully covered that trial</a> and is our go-to person for such events.<br />
<br />
That recap from the trial is, basically, the sausage being made. <a href="http://www.dailyfreeman.com/general-news/20170424/she-got-what-she-deserves-sarra-gilbert-defends-stabbing-her-mother-to-death">Then there's the story that has to be filed, based on those notes </a><br />
<br />
So, a modern newsroom tends to look for someone who — on top of traditional skills like solid reporting and an ethical base— can properly use social media for journalism, do video, and basic multimedia. The advantage of having such a skill set means that you can basically apply to a number of jobs.<br />
<br />
By 'basic multimedia,' I mean the ability to shoot and cut video, be able to send live updates, add links and embeds for docs like primary sources to <a href="https://www.scribd.com/">Scribd </a>or <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/">Documentcloud</a>, <a href="https://www.google.com/maps">Google Maps</a>, and <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets">spreadsheets </a>(you're going to do numbers at some point).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It sounds like a lot but a lot of this basically comes down to grabbing the right URL and showing your work. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
If you looked at a website in the course of working on a story, why not show that site to your audience?<br />
<br />
Do note that having a bunch of skills doesn't mean you have to throw everything at one story all the time. Having many tools at your disposal simply means you'll be able to bring the right tools to the appropriate situation.<br />
<br />
It's important to also note that a lot of these we learned while already working, and there's more to come. So the main skill is keep learning and adapting. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And it's OK if you're not great at everything. My snap game is weak, but I'm an old so ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ<br />
<br />
I was asked, 'Do you think then that the most important trait employers are looking for is the willingness to learn?'<br />
<br />
Thus, employers that are worth pursuing seek a willingness to learn in their potential hires.</div>
<div>
We don't know what's going to be the THING next year so we're all in the same boat. </div>
<div>
But it crucial to have the core journalistic foundation: Reporting and writing in an ethical way. And a hunger for news. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
That's usually obvious from what you show. So if you're seeking a job in journalism, what you're doing now - be it a blog or stories or videos or your own site and even a band page you manage - becomes relevant. The tools will change, but the passion has to be there. And don't be afraid to show anything that can become useful in a news situation, which can be a <a href="https://giphy.com/gifs/3o6UBeN1MdbwLS5UKA">killer gif</a> <span id="goog_359821733"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a><span id="goog_359821734"></span>or a nicely edited <a href="https://soundcloud.com/ethylic/gallogate-song-at-kingston">SoundCloud file</a> (Editor's note: The gif linked is not 'killer' and the SoundCloud file was not nicely edited).<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="giphy-embed" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//giphy.com/embed/l3nWaCU2FbHwusUN2" width="480"></iframe><br />
<a href="https://giphy.com/gifs/l3nWaCU2FbHwusUN2">via GIPHY</a><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">But with so many skills to juggle, how do you manage?</span></b><br />
<br />
The answer will depend on what you are tasked to do.<br />
<br />
In many cases, a reporter will likely have to produce a written narrative with some visuals. The way to incorporate all that with live coverage is to use Twitter as your notepad (not for everything, obviously, sometimes you need to keep things in order to verify or dig further).<br />
<br />
Get to the scene, tweet a photo immediately, and start sending updates: "I'm at the scene of x; there's y and z happening" etc. Your tweets have time stamps so that also helps. Shoot a short film from 30 seconds to a minute so it uploads fast and gives people a sense of what's happening — and you have enough to feed the audience while you work on a full story and gather all the other important info. (You can pull all these elements into a Storify post).<br />
<br />
Think of it as giving chicken nuggets to an audience while you cook your full meal for another audience.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ5yKtd_2vGKWHyNGUHno5S2L7qw03brfRWaqNZ8yk3i1KsvpGILFotOv5trli7ZRBs_Nr5ANlQ8k7ImgwwMRukQe351HmKOTiHBFmnlrwr2Ec1KsqBYUp8RU5sQ6kfdJGREAtlV45a-xh/s1600/Journalism+and+social+mediapdf-16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ5yKtd_2vGKWHyNGUHno5S2L7qw03brfRWaqNZ8yk3i1KsvpGILFotOv5trli7ZRBs_Nr5ANlQ8k7ImgwwMRukQe351HmKOTiHBFmnlrwr2Ec1KsqBYUp8RU5sQ6kfdJGREAtlV45a-xh/s320/Journalism+and+social+mediapdf-16.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
BUT! One of the things that I've found is that, basically, if you're doing live video, that's all you're going to be doing, since your phone is likely the device being used (so you can't really tweet update or take photos), so I only recommend live videos when you're with someone else producing other content; or if the live video IS the content.<br />
<br />
I've managed to do a number of things along with live video in some controlled environments, but once something goes wrong, everything else falls apart because you're not gathering info when you're trying to fix a sound or a video problem.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
A few times, a story has been written by compiling information from the live video, but this usually just works with news conferences and such.<br />
<br />
Ideally, you want someone to be sending live updates (because audiences jump into live video at different times and you want them to be able to catch up) along with video. In our case, we also have to produce a print product and that HAS to happen, so if other things start failing, the priority is given to the gathering of information.<br />
<br />
The structure of your tasks will inform what you need to prioritize.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhINO1oFmOPPDekf4Byvc70sBHX3E109Xx5-omm-nrEmnlwI9OnXjpaWS4dWCP_1evlEiQOqB4Cvo8uHAZmQEkNDaNHscNJ0BE58rsk9ZmwRX_KLDmch_oVY036TTXdskpzOqMXFX_jPQ/s1600/phone+005.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhINO1oFmOPPDekf4Byvc70sBHX3E109Xx5-omm-nrEmnlwI9OnXjpaWS4dWCP_1evlEiQOqB4Cvo8uHAZmQEkNDaNHscNJ0BE58rsk9ZmwRX_KLDmch_oVY036TTXdskpzOqMXFX_jPQ/s320/phone+005.PNG" width="179" /></a>Some events don't really need a written narrative when a group of photos or videos will suffice. This is much truer online.<br />
<br />
Another important consideration when multi-tasking is deadlines. That will really inform what you'll stop doing. Something you just have to drop everything because you need to file something in time. Multi-tasking is possible but can add to your tasks tremendously if not managed properly.<br />
<br />
Also, your phone can die really quickly with live video! Have an external battery (same for other devices, including a laptop).<br />
<br />
It is crucial to know how much battery you can get out of a device. An iPhone or Android device can run out of battery in an hour with live video, or get really hot and stop working. Our iPhones are notorious for turning themselves off when it's really cold outside, especially when one is covering a snowstorm. A battery warms it up and wakes the phone up. So the tech will also inform your decisions and what tools to bring to an event.<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<br />
<b>What does multimedia add? </b><br />
<br />
''Boring" subjects can be made more interesting by creative presentations. Policy stuff can serve the audience better in an explainer format, for example, which can be both informative and entertaining. Sometimes an Infographic can help. For instance, you can make your own with <a href="https://www.easel.ly/">https://www.easel.ly/</a> and add <a href="https://www.thinglink.com/">Thinglink </a>to make them pop.<br />
<br />
<img class="alwaysThinglink" src="//cdn.thinglink.me/api/image/309731536624680960/1024/10/scaletowidth#tl-309731536624680960;1043138249'" style="max-width: 100%;" /><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//cdn.thinglink.me/jse/embed.js"></script> <br />
<br />
Sometimes just a video explainer can suffice.<br />
<br />
<b>And print?</b><br />
<br />
I am a fan of print, but print has many limitations. Distribution and timeliness and obvious lack of multimedia are major issues. But there's a certain serendipity when you go through a paper that you don't get online. It's a different experience (also, it can be more fulfilling), but it admittedly serves a different audience. I am not a fan of web layout, currently, in many news websites, because they just brought the print sensibilities into the web and that's not how the web works. Plus, don't get me started with all the ads, cookies, pop-ups, etc.<br />
<br />
Print audiences are diminishing in the industry as a whole, irreparably, so we have to focus where the audience is, which is increasingly online and more so via smartphones. I'm pretty sure some print outfit will somehow survive as an ironic product somewhere, but it's no longer the force that it once was. The forms of distributions are fractured, so print is now just one platform (albeit still the one paying the bills at many publications).<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaxKVSydLD-wvw8GMaxBscO44EJXiPP4MxHyfqDNGZjASX1cXhvqrfDiJGF-BLzYhisgOntjzpvw7zFS83FWeQrqGoBFjpJBcgPxjlHUPgZ99ipZtEh1JX_ZukXksd2CFXvVcWLP1dJQ/s1600/close.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaxKVSydLD-wvw8GMaxBscO44EJXiPP4MxHyfqDNGZjASX1cXhvqrfDiJGF-BLzYhisgOntjzpvw7zFS83FWeQrqGoBFjpJBcgPxjlHUPgZ99ipZtEh1JX_ZukXksd2CFXvVcWLP1dJQ/s400/close.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
What's important for platforms is an optimal user experience: good content! And ease of use, fast loading times, etc. If news organizations were to start there, the audiences will grow at a more organic and sustainable way. The current challenge for many news organizations is developing those audiences while maximizing their revenue in order to stay afloat. Those two goals are sometimes in conflict, and we in the editorial side always side with content and audiences but we're not always the ones calling the shots in our companies.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://i1.wp.com/www.ivanlajara.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/yit-gif.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://i1.wp.com/www.ivanlajara.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/yit-gif.gif" width="100%" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<b>The tools of the trade</b><br />
<br />
A lot of these tools are free to use so basically what you need is Internet access. Most newsrooms I know provide smartphones to their reporters so that they can do things mobile, but by then you should be at least somewhat familiar with them.<br />
<br />
Use of social media is free, for instance, and you're probably already adept at a lot of it, including some of these tools (like Slack, which is also used in many newsrooms). Anything out of Google is free. With <a href="https://drive.google.com/">Google Drive</a>, you have Docs, Sheets, etc.; Then there's Google Maps (with StreetView). <a href="https://www.scribd.com/">Scribd </a>is a free way to upload primary sources (so people don't end up with big PDFs in their phone); <a href="https://storify.com/">Storify </a>is free to use.<br />
<br />
The list goes on:<br />
<a href="https://newslab.withgoogle.com/">https://newslab.withgoogle.com/</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://webjournalist.org/topics/tools/">http://webjournalist.org/topics/tools/</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.journaliststoolbox.org/">http://www.journaliststoolbox.org/</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://knightlab.northwestern.edu/projects/">http://knightlab.northwestern.edu/projects/</a><br />
<br />
Your resourcefulness when presented with digital challenges — like having no money for a project, which happens, a lot— is one of the traits that can make you stand out as a digital journalist.<br />
<br />
A lot of times, in our newsroom, we see something a big news organization has done, and we're like, 'can we do that?'<br />
You'd be surprised what you can find for free that you can use. Then is a matter of when to use it and for what purpose.<br />
<br />
I remember seeing a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/04/25/world/asia/nepal-landmarks-before-after-earthquake.html">before-and-after quake NYT piece from Nepal </a>and Italy and then I realized I could use <a href="https://juxtapose.knightlab.com/">JuxtaposeJS </a>for free to do the same<a href="http://dailyfreeman.blogspot.com/2017/01/then-and-now-center.html"> for other issues</a> where the tool could come in handy.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitxbQDwGz6n1e1D97gLdlOnXd2DJbY88HqAxd-O7PAvqwvEK-eIqTYk1sPF4IHgnPuMPP9gmEfU-t9Bmcbojut0q8jDxIQuE8Nt_unKcBTaXpe_sT-PSt2n-OeU3W3fRtvW3ovX_n-5p6A/s1600/bridge2.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitxbQDwGz6n1e1D97gLdlOnXd2DJbY88HqAxd-O7PAvqwvEK-eIqTYk1sPF4IHgnPuMPP9gmEfU-t9Bmcbojut0q8jDxIQuE8Nt_unKcBTaXpe_sT-PSt2n-OeU3W3fRtvW3ovX_n-5p6A/s400/bridge2.gif" width="100%" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
So, for instance, You could have a before-and-after slide of the Wallkill River bridge in New Paltz to showcase the difference to illustrate a story about it.<br />
<br />
<br />
The consideration from the story conception is, what can you do digitally to make the story better, for free, and in the time that you have? Does this story benefit with a map? or a Soundcloud file? or an embed of a doc?<br />
<br />
Ideally, you want to have a smartphone. But journalists can't be everywhere anyway, and people usually are. When there is a news event, chances are someone has taken a photo and posted it already (even if you were to go, someone is already there). So you can always contact that person as a source, ask for permission to use the photo, etc.<br />
<br />
If multimedia doesn't add to the story, then it probably shouldn't be there.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLJ06UjoY-j48mMfl5mGwr0tpYymjY49N3jujO9cW2iP_OFOUBPkUw1tFAxS82UME-WdlLGN-yJMZyJOwYIuhhTAqXjcKhQHADeZ2eCSj-KhaoZzbnaiS-awTf5rQJ70WD8Jnh1gEXHkeh/s640/round5.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="159" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLJ06UjoY-j48mMfl5mGwr0tpYymjY49N3jujO9cW2iP_OFOUBPkUw1tFAxS82UME-WdlLGN-yJMZyJOwYIuhhTAqXjcKhQHADeZ2eCSj-KhaoZzbnaiS-awTf5rQJ70WD8Jnh1gEXHkeh/s320/round5.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
But adding multimedia to your stories can be the equivalent of showing your work and it adds value. If you google an address of an event you're going to cover, your audience probably would do the same. Adding that very map you already searched is a service (and not really more work, because you already did the work). Same with documents you obtained. Or perhaps you recorded an interview (that you can add as a sound file). The consideration here is time, and yes, you'll have to prioritize what you use and include depending on how much time you have.<br />
<br />
After a while, using a lot of these tools becomes second nature, so you're not even thinking about them while you use them to gather the info to write your story. It's like using a telephone or sending an email.<br />
<br />
However! Twitter and Slack and Facebook can be immensely distracting (I'm not even going to mention reddit) so time management is key.<br />
<br />
If you know you need a certain amount of time to write a story and gather information, you need that time. The early story or series of tweets serves an audience that craves immediacy and accuracy. Others want 'slow' news the next day (or in a newsletter at the end of the day, a paper the following day or a podcast on the weekend). I'm not saying there hasn't been an erosion of standards in journalism aided by social media and deadline pressures, but if you carry yourself with your basic journalistic and ethical foundation, you'll be able to navigate these turbulent times.<br />
<br />
<b>Is digital disruption and the 24/7 a bad thing?</b><br />
<br />
It can be a bad thing if one lets it be a bad thing. Obviously, not everything has to be out in the open all the time. There are many circumstances when you want to keep things close to the vest, especially if dealing with sensitive information. But generally speaking, it makes the process open and that is better by default. It should make journalists and their journalism better, ideally. But everyone's different and everyone's experiences on social media vary. The key is to be personable but professional.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6dL71mwLV9xaKuXyI4edItRYsDNdzGUiPvDsabSQPlQj77RafvQ21koHCDQEbVk4x4lyOJcmqldQGFu2TmdM0YpHGQM0ZEF73Sz6m2mNrvItcDU7ZqY52ceACj09u9cPSug6vJh8HYQ/s1600/eld.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6dL71mwLV9xaKuXyI4edItRYsDNdzGUiPvDsabSQPlQj77RafvQ21koHCDQEbVk4x4lyOJcmqldQGFu2TmdM0YpHGQM0ZEF73Sz6m2mNrvItcDU7ZqY52ceACj09u9cPSug6vJh8HYQ/s320/eld.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<i>A subsequent post will deal with emerging technologies, including AI, VR, and other acronyms, and what they mean to journalism.</i><br />
<br />Ivan Lajarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03137025115662952185noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3154184975243035357.post-37817088090963277822017-04-26T11:27:00.002-04:002017-04-26T11:58:22.351-04:00What skills do you need as a modern journalist?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUTOIQn6B5zeIncif1ifdERpdlm63u4Q5O14sWXOXeR7_2ngYXTIFF8nEAi_XS3GVcpsIILyeT1vN1NKaJZVIrCfbVlfFfyUZGSXKnW3LJ0SNfnWMoIpNI4SPx0I8LaIxqesFbFZ9HJg/s1600/007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUTOIQn6B5zeIncif1ifdERpdlm63u4Q5O14sWXOXeR7_2ngYXTIFF8nEAi_XS3GVcpsIILyeT1vN1NKaJZVIrCfbVlfFfyUZGSXKnW3LJ0SNfnWMoIpNI4SPx0I8LaIxqesFbFZ9HJg/s320/007.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This photo was taken with Google Glass lol</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Digital First Media friends and other journalists, members of the community and fans of journalism are invited to take part in a Twitter chat Wednesday at noon, Eastern Time, to talk about all things journalism.<br />
<br />
Today we're talking about a recurring favorite that changes with the times, as technology changes and newsrooms continue their permanent evolution (disruption, alas, is forever): What are, currently, the necessary skills for a journalist looking for a job or reporters or editors aiming to upgrade their skills? Is it better to be a jack-of-all-trades or a specialist in a niche? But even within a niche, what basic digital tools must a journalist possess or be familiar with? What resources can a journalist use (for free, preferably)? Bring your links and #realtalk.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="450" src="https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m0!3m2!1sen!2sus!4v1493220169587!6m8!1m7!1sF%3A-hqoAzglOqRI%2FWPdXH-j6M8I%2FAAAAAAAABmU%2FoCoVSj-NRDkVBeSxFsKYOeiQEmJBa46bACLIB!2m2!1d41.9375617!2d-74.0292!3f86.02948715561493!4f-10.019460348666001!5f0.7820865974627469" style="border: 0;" width="100%"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
If you want to be in the post chat archive, post a comment in the container or a tweet with the hashtag <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/search/%23dfmchat">"#dfmchat</a>" so it can automatically appear below.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="scrbbl-embed" data-src="/event/2562223/17460">
</div>
<script>(function(d, s, id) {var js,ijs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(d.getElementById(id))return;js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//embed.scribblelive.com/widgets/embed.js";ijs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, ijs);}(document, 'script', 'scrbbl-js'));</script>Ivan Lajarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03137025115662952185noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3154184975243035357.post-58595401620541037092017-04-21T19:22:00.000-04:002017-05-15T11:36:38.669-04:00 With Facebook Spaces, all your 360 content is now in VR, but is that a good thing?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVKH0T45G0E_IeAciQV4gHeVqrI5rrkwWEpNpkwtErLBUtBqkQ0qMfTawrgmK9GMRZIfEsYrFAKEct9v40yl1CCbidfh16t05UncaNQ1xwj_if93FynZMaAZzwq-ZxSJ_VbkrgsIKctA/s1600/avi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVKH0T45G0E_IeAciQV4gHeVqrI5rrkwWEpNpkwtErLBUtBqkQ0qMfTawrgmK9GMRZIfEsYrFAKEct9v40yl1CCbidfh16t05UncaNQ1xwj_if93FynZMaAZzwq-ZxSJ_VbkrgsIKctA/s1600/avi.jpg" width="100%" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="graf graf--p" name="903b">
Lot’s of people, or #foreveralone?</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i>First impressions about <a href="https://newsroom.fb.com/news/2017/04/facebook-spaces/">Facebook Spaces for Oculus Rift</a>:</i><br />
<br />
<b>TL;DR:</b> Facebook Spaces, the recently released virtual reality app for Facebook-owned Oculus Rift, is basically a bit like<a href="https://altvr.com/"> AltspaceVR</a>, but with Facebook bolted in.<br />
<br />
That is to say, you get to go to a ‘space’ where you can hang out with your Facebook friends in virtual reality with an avatar.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
The space you occupy in Spaces is a virtual table where you get to share photos and videos and chat and play with friends who also are logged to Oculus at the same time. You can draw in 3-D and you can take virtual selfies, (which I will never ever call ‘vrelfies’ so don’t even). You drag your photos and videos to the center of the table to display them. If they’re in 360 degrees, they’re spheres, and when you drop them in the middle of the table, the photos surround you, as do the videos.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVdB78Ux2xggWyY7wNe2z2lMmX-VkAvgaZhlzTJYp0rppQ9bQHVgfMMbCRJY1MiAd-2Gh62J92FOxAqjAR5jp64Y2hmwY1z87WqypZnNVi6UnpOCH5wQF0eCriZcViUSGsPODfA9lWGw/s1600/fs-hi.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVdB78Ux2xggWyY7wNe2z2lMmX-VkAvgaZhlzTJYp0rppQ9bQHVgfMMbCRJY1MiAd-2Gh62J92FOxAqjAR5jp64Y2hmwY1z87WqypZnNVi6UnpOCH5wQF0eCriZcViUSGsPODfA9lWGw/s320/fs-hi.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
There is an option to hang out with Messenger for those who don’t have an Oculus (aka, most people) and, from my limited experience, this currently means you’re going to be mostly hanging out by yourself. This is an interesting contrast to Altspace or <a href="https://www.oculus.com/experiences/rift/1257029974329451/">Rec Room</a>, because, in those platforms, everyone has a VR device, but they’re strangers. #foreveralone<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT1UABE7hFlbF0oeORxpQzkZoYJ7gsosQzkQR5DvX9BL7X5fBJ7X0b1GuufIFxZ_5PVX_TmDzdlOMMw__2jtSdCwYjIqzHjbezxLQWa0PWop4DTt-_tF_dn6xIBhAKUXjpwTc3KaX2qg/s1600/fs-change.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT1UABE7hFlbF0oeORxpQzkZoYJ7gsosQzkQR5DvX9BL7X5fBJ7X0b1GuufIFxZ_5PVX_TmDzdlOMMw__2jtSdCwYjIqzHjbezxLQWa0PWop4DTt-_tF_dn6xIBhAKUXjpwTc3KaX2qg/s1600/fs-change.gif" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<b>CONTENT: </b>All your 360 photos and 360 videos work in VR in ‘Spaces’, but this means the quality of images and movement in video ARE now an issue for those who would experience the content like this. That means <a href="https://www.facebook.com/StarWars/videos/1030579940326940/?permPage=1">that awesome ‘Star Wars’ racer video from a while back</a> doesn’t look good if you’re inside it while in ‘Spaces.’<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="true" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="315" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FStarWars%2Fvideos%2F1030579940326940%2F&show_text=0&width=560&source=8" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" width="560"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://theta360.com/en/about/theta/s.html">Ricoh Theta S</a> photos posted to Facebook look OK but <a href="https://www.facebook.com/PreviewDailyFreeman/photos/a.313254665407144.72698.310457072353570/1156734951059107/?type=3&theater">expect some blurriness.</a></li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="690" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FPreviewDailyFreeman%2Fposts%2F1156734951059107%3A0&width=500" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" width="500"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.insta360.com/">Insta360 Nano</a> static videos are OK, but relative distance from camera to subjects is important, unless, like with photos, you don’t mind <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10158274616385015&set=pb.679200014.-2207520000.1492800549.&type=3&theater">gigantic humans and/or cats.</a></li>
</ul>
<br />
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="503" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FLajaraIvan%2Fposts%2F10158274616385015%3A0&width=500" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" width="500"></iframe>
<br />
<b><br /></b> <b>LIVE: </b>360 FB live streams don’t work in VR if you try to watch them later. And since quality is lowered for a live feed, it’s just not compatible and won’t be for the foreseeable future.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="true" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="315" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FLajaraIvan%2Fvideos%2F10158548430665015%2F&show_text=0&width=560&source=8" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" width="560"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
The 'space' tries to render those videos into a cube but it doesn’t know how to place the video in the six panels. But even if it got fixed, I don’t see this working properly until the platform can support live streams in at least 2K, and that would only work if you had a strong data or wireless connection.<br />
<br />
<b>SEARCH: </b>You basically have to ‘save’ a bunch of 360 videos and photos that are not yours if you’d like to find them, (unless you’re not a big publisher *shakes fist at cloud*). Your profile stuff is there. I manage some pages with 360 content and could not get to the photos and videos, so I had to "save" things within Facebook to be able to access it in "Spaces."<br />
<br />
<b>JOURNALISM/OTHER USES?:</b> I can certainly see groups with common interests having a ~meetup~ in such a space that could be streamed out with <a href="https://obsproject.com/">Open Broadcast Software</a> for the rest, which would, again, would be a bit like AltSpaceVR. It would have to be more of a lifestyle or fun side of the news spectrum, as it would be awkward and unnecessary for a cartoon journalist to interview a source.<br />
<br />
Also, can’t find a ‘stach for my avi.<br />
<br />Ivan Lajarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03137025115662952185noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3154184975243035357.post-89924873781314511612017-03-29T11:05:00.003-04:002017-05-31T00:19:50.887-04:00How and why to do 360-degree video: DFM chat<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style="background: #fff; border-radius: 3px; border: 0; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0 , 0 , 0 , 0.5) , 0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0 , 0 , 0 , 0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 658px; padding: 0; width: 99.375%;">
<div style="padding: 8px;">
<div style="background: #F8F8F8; line-height: 0; margin-top: 40px; padding: 50.0% 0; text-align: center; width: 100%;">
<div style="background: url(data:image/png; display: block; height: 44px; margin: 0 auto -44px; position: relative; top: -22px; width: 44px;">
</div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;">
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BRY6qV-D-dd/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">weeeeeeee</a></div>
<div style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">
A post shared by Ivan Lajara (@ivanlajara) on <time datetime="2017-03-08T19:44:19+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Mar 8, 2017 at 11:44am PST</time></div>
</div>
</blockquote>
<br />
<script async="" defer="" src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBL3PDTK2dYTP_IVNaFSIRlxpcTCr3AJ8xBeG3kpqFvtYHox-iQYUn1bgYhGBVUxjUa5OKkaQEznWLlwdkzZMvclsHhzfScCRHsg1ziyB7_whmwDoy8qswtn1g21FdW2JhnAQIumh4NQ/s1600/wat.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBL3PDTK2dYTP_IVNaFSIRlxpcTCr3AJ8xBeG3kpqFvtYHox-iQYUn1bgYhGBVUxjUa5OKkaQEznWLlwdkzZMvclsHhzfScCRHsg1ziyB7_whmwDoy8qswtn1g21FdW2JhnAQIumh4NQ/s320/wat.png" width="255" /></a></div>
Digital First Media friends and other journalists, members of the community and fans of journalism are invited to take part in a Twitter chat Wednesday at noon, Eastern Time, to talk about all things journalism.<br />
<br />
<br />
Today we're talking about what the why, how of 360-degree (and VR) video. Should small newsrooms invest on such tech? What kind of stories would benefit from this? How would you go about it? What are the best tools to use for 360/VR video for a newsroom with limited resources? What about live-streaming?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
If you want to be in the post chat archive, post a comment in the container or a tweet with the hashtag <a href="https://twitter.com/search?f=tweets&vertical=default&q=%23dfmchat&src=typd">"#dfmchat</a>" so it can automatically appear below.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="scrbbl-embed" data-src="/event/2537261/17460">
</div>
<script>(function(d, s, id) {var js,ijs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(d.getElementById(id))return;js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//embed.scribblelive.com/widgets/embed.js";ijs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, ijs);}(document, 'script', 'scrbbl-js'));</script>Ivan Lajarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03137025115662952185noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3154184975243035357.post-91291417333704682092017-02-28T17:05:00.000-05:002017-02-28T17:14:22.977-05:00The cloud is broken<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLQ2iAkxYxl1VetjnctTj1i9CKLpNk1Pez1E3SNWp0W-6OLgPL5x49vmMqMTcARwqxzTd1o2Yr1w6RYymJrIOA8Cl95zlauO-hRESUoAP4Hlj0koCobQC0-sXsjLel0tgU_wWAO3VjMA/s1600/360+001.JPG"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLQ2iAkxYxl1VetjnctTj1i9CKLpNk1Pez1E3SNWp0W-6OLgPL5x49vmMqMTcARwqxzTd1o2Yr1w6RYymJrIOA8Cl95zlauO-hRESUoAP4Hlj0koCobQC0-sXsjLel0tgU_wWAO3VjMA/s1600/360+001.JPG" width="100%" /></a><br />
<br />
How dependent are we on technology? How do we act when we lose access to television or the Internet or our cell phones? It's a question I like to return often, especially when we lose power or services and the only input I get is the turbulence of my thoughts.<br />
<br />
I also remember having to go to the library and having to physically comb through index cards and rows and rows of books to find things. You might be nostalgic about the process, but it wasn't an optimal search experience, in that it took a long time to find what you were looking for.<br />
<br />
So I'm a fan of technology, but I also try to be in touch with what it means to us, and how it shapes what we do and who we are.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="450" src="https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m0!3m2!1sen!2sus!4v1488318388113!6m8!1m7!1sF%3A-dKgr6FV0Ba0%2FWLWk0JT9YlI%2FAAAAAAAABPY%2Fgq-e7vu5lq8jYTB2w1Vz5uiEL_LoMvoPgCLIB!2m2!1d41.9349052!2d-73.9985016!3f223.9774298506544!4f-7.824294172152236!5f0.7820865974627469" style="border: 0;" width="600"></iframe>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
***</div>
<br />
Case in point, were you having problems online today? <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2017/02/28/amazon-aws-s3-outage-is-breaking-things-for-a-lot-of-websites-and-apps/">It was a thing</a>. <a href="http://www.theverge.com/tldr/2017/2/28/14766020/amazon-s3-outage-2017-how-to-watch-it-online">Here's how to watch. </a> Blame the clouds.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
Live video coming in now from Amazon servers in Tokyo <a href="https://t.co/fLxKJMTPl1">pic.twitter.com/fLxKJMTPl1</a></div>
— Rudolf E. Havenstein (@RudyHavenstein) <a href="https://twitter.com/RudyHavenstein/status/836674505065967617">February 28, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script> This, as they say,<a href="http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/this-is-fine"> is fine. </a> Or is it?<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioqPnMey_BG4dt7UfIIQWumEcoWprTI3JvORr5w5576do8LSmVd79UTmV0WtcgT80yAM58hY0lZTp7ynj1EKnY_GARC-SB61aH6RqShCX7QQLKTm2Lj4kSWgxJ9SbPCEB5GftdwHTdJA/s1600/fine.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioqPnMey_BG4dt7UfIIQWumEcoWprTI3JvORr5w5576do8LSmVd79UTmV0WtcgT80yAM58hY0lZTp7ynj1EKnY_GARC-SB61aH6RqShCX7QQLKTm2Lj4kSWgxJ9SbPCEB5GftdwHTdJA/s320/fine.png" width="241" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
Friend of journalists and journalism <a href="https://stevebuttry.wordpress.com/2017/02/20/journalist-steve-buttry-dies-of-pancreatic-cancer-at-age-62/">Steve Buttry</a> died on Feb. 19 and his influence was remarkable. <a href="http://www.ivanlajara.com/2017/02/20/thanks-steve-buttry-for-being-journalisms-friend/">I collected my thoughts</a> and what others wrote about him. He is missed.<br />
<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/27/science/spacex-moon-tourists.html">Moon tourism is a thing. </a> We live in the clouds.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
***</div>
<br />
<b>One video:</b> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2NHa3gEziA">Kingston dream/psych/dark pop master Shana Falana dropped an official video for 'Cloudbeats'</a>. It beats the cloud servers that are not working.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/E2NHa3gEziA/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/E2NHa3gEziA?feature=player_embedded" width="100%"></iframe></div>
<br />
You can catch her on <a href="http://bspkingston.com/event/h-hawkline-shana-falana/">March 13 at 7:30 p.m. at BSP on Wall Street in Kingston</a>, or at Hannaford, if the video is any indication.<br />
<div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
***</div>
</div>
<div>
<b>The four:</b></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
* <a href="http://www.dailyfreeman.com/lifestyle/20170214/and-the-winners-of-the-2017-daily-freeman-pet-contest-are">Hey, remember the pet contest? </a> </div>
<div>
* <a href="http://www.dailyfreeman.com/general-news/20170222/jimmy-fallon-gives-100k-to-saugerties-high-school-his-alma-mater-to-fund-art-program">Hey, remember when Jimmy Fallon gave $100K to Saugerties High School a week ago?</a></div>
<div>
* <a href="http://www.dailyfreeman.com/general-news/20170224/faso-constituents-have-plenty-to-say-at-kingston-gathering-but-congressman-isnt-there-to-hear-it">Hey, remember the Kingston 'town hall'-style event with the U.S. congressman who declined to attend?</a></div>
<div>
* <a href="http://media.dailyfreeman.com/2015/04/09/spring-in-the-mid-hudson-valley-in-1982-photos/#1">Hey, remember the '80s (in spring in the Hudson Valley)?</a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>One cat: </b></div>
<div>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
Our webcam went down this morning. A review of the footage showed that this was the last image taken before we lost the feed. 🤔 <a href="https://t.co/n2s4z3jyhh">pic.twitter.com/n2s4z3jyhh</a></div>
— KittenRescue (@KittenRescue) <a href="https://twitter.com/KittenRescue/status/836642333726670848">February 28, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
</div>
<a href="http://tinyletter.com/ivanlajara"><i>Yesterday's Internet, today! also is a thing.</i></a>
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Ivan Lajarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03137025115662952185noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3154184975243035357.post-76332435283133089132017-02-22T14:34:00.002-05:002017-02-23T11:39:22.719-05:00Journalism lessons from Steve Buttry
<div class="storify"><iframe src="//storify.com/ivanlajara/some-journalism-lessons-from-steve-buttry/embed?header=false&border=false" width="100%" height="750" frameborder="no" allowtransparency="true"></iframe><script src="//storify.com/ivanlajara/some-journalism-lessons-from-steve-buttry.js?header=false&border=false"></script><noscript>[<a href="//storify.com/ivanlajara/some-journalism-lessons-from-steve-buttry" target="_blank">View the story "Some journalism lessons from Steve Buttry" on Storify</a>]</noscript></div>Ivan Lajarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03137025115662952185noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3154184975243035357.post-86948582293132333052017-02-02T17:24:00.000-05:002017-02-02T17:24:31.565-05:00Floating cats in the age of dogs<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="450" src="https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m0!3m2!1sen!2sus!4v1486062778086!6m8!1m7!1sF%3A-Sgi-wSHhcvE%2FWHP3Bg8-VII%2FAAAAAAAABB0%2FmHrndS5x3BAv10NPNOP3B8YOW8ADZNAlACLIB!2m2!1d41.9411005!2d-74.0624435!3f356.7046458737646!4f34.05630163373223!5f0.7820865974627469" style="border: 0;" width="100%"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
There's a hidden gem on Hurley Mountain Road, but if you get too close and are not careful, you might hurt yourself. Such is seemingly the current state of online discourse.<br />
<br />
There is a difference between staying informed and driving yourself crazy, and information overload can result in unbearable stress and unnecessary and unproductive conversations, if you can even call them that.<br />
<br />
So limit your social media consumption if you're finding yourself engaging with things that are not the original purpose of your visit to the networks. I get paid to do all news all the time and it can be exhausting.<br />
<br />
What can you do? Glad you asked.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>* I'm skipping the 'become politically active' or 'go for a walk' advice because they're too obvious and obviously if you can, you should. But I'm generally speaking about those times when you're likely to be plugged in and might want to spend your time better. SO:<br />
<br />
* Lose yourself in a podcast. There's a certain serendipitous quality to <a href="https://gimletmedia.com/reply-all/">"Reply All,"</a> from the mysterious <a href="https://gimletmedia.com/episode/zardulu/">rat-training world of Zardulu</a> to a Facebook <a href="https://gimletmedia.com/episode/29-the-takeover/">"group where members pretend to be corporate drones."</a> I also listen to <a href="http://www.wtfpod.com/">WTF with Marc Maron</a> and "<a href="https://gimletmedia.com/crimetown/">Crimetown</a>." Good stuff for commuting or doing mindless chores. I'm open to your suggestions.<br />
<br />
* Make a <a href="https://play.spotify.com/">Spotify </a>playlist or play your Discover Weekly tab. Same with <a href="http://www.pandora.com/">Pandora,</a> etc.<br />
<br />
* Do that thing you enjoy doing. Cook, write, paint or live-stream floating videos of cats in 360 degrees.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGwDuoJ6zNWSNTdp_81M9ee6nS0K_CHiO9UgmCZsgqNhd0KA_7kPhrZOIpqDjeFP3imn6XoaP_SGqjThZnaIOKsP6oSMLP5LvEKSPrTUuTlFrcN6qI-_AGFXaTpBgCnk7Jb-iKZ6-ZQg/s1600/catvid.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGwDuoJ6zNWSNTdp_81M9ee6nS0K_CHiO9UgmCZsgqNhd0KA_7kPhrZOIpqDjeFP3imn6XoaP_SGqjThZnaIOKsP6oSMLP5LvEKSPrTUuTlFrcN6qI-_AGFXaTpBgCnk7Jb-iKZ6-ZQg/s320/catvid.gif" width="266" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
* Did you finish that book?<br />
<br />
Random reads:<br />
* <a href="http://tedium.co/2015/05/12/were-literally-navel-gazing/">Navel gazing.</a><br />
* <a href="http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/02/01/512901179/westminster-dog-show-welcomes-new-species-cats">Dog show to include cats.</a><br />
* <a href="http://www.vox.com/2015/2/2/7963267/punxsutawney-phil-accuracy-evil">Groundhog: Incompetent or evil?</a><br />
* <a href="http://www.vox.com/videos/2017/2/2/14483952/why-cartoon-characters-wear-gloves">This is why cartoon characters wear gloves.</a><br />
<br />
***<br />
<b>One video:</b> What's your <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/marymeehan/2017/02/02/super-bowl-commercials-2017-star-studded-lineup-lots-of-teasers-and-a-potent-tribute/#546c1dd3ef96">favorite Super Bowl commercial</a> this year? I don't care!<br />
Here's the Rondout Lighthouse<a href="https://vimeo.com/166731426"> from a drone's perspective</a> instead.<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="338" mozallowfullscreen="" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/166731426" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="640"></iframe> <a href="https://vimeo.com/166731426">Roundout Lighthouse</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/user52183895">John Gotelli</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
***</div>
<b>The Four:</b><br />
<br />
* <a href="http://www.dailyfreeman.com/arts-and-entertainment/20170131/winter-hoot-returns-to-ashokan-center-this-weekend-featuring-natalie-merchant-paul-rishell-amp-annie-raines-and-friends">Winter Hoot! </a><br />
* <a href="http://www.dailyfreeman.com/general-news/20170130/health-quest-wants-to-occupy-former-macys-space-at-hudson-valley-mall-in-town-of-ulster?source=most_viewed">Health Quest wants to be at the mall,</a> where Macy's was.<br />
* <a href="http://www.dailyfreeman.com/general-news/20170201/rupco-saved-kirkland-building-in-kingston-but-planned-restaurants-never-came-to-pass?source=most_viewed">Remember those restaurants that never happened at the Kirkland? </a>Good times.<br />
* <a href="http://www.dailyfreeman.com/general-news/20170125/ny-gov-cuomo-helps-demolish-route-213-bridge-in-high-falls#at_pco=cfd-1.0">Surely you saw the governor blowing up the High Falls Bridge the other day.</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="tumblr-post" data-did="adc2238e3d0657a3f73e682531a0e70f00c1fa41" data-href="https://embed.tumblr.com/embed/post/6iT2DDRg2VQFmSbe14yk0Q/156369709968">
<a href="http://dailyfreeman.tumblr.com/post/156369709968/ny-gov-cuomo-helps-demolish-route-213-bridge-in">http://dailyfreeman.tumblr.com/post/156369709968/ny-gov-cuomo-helps-demolish-route-213-bridge-in</a></div>
<script async="" src="https://assets.tumblr.com/post.js"></script>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
***</div>
<b>One cat:</b><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/01/us/ollie-bobcat-found-national-zoo.html?module=WatchingPortal&region=c-column-middle-span-region&pgType=Homepage&action=click&mediaId=thumb_square&state=standard&contentPlacement=22&version=internal&contentCollection=www.nytimes.com&contentId=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2017%2F02%2F01%2Fus%2Follie-bobcat-found-national-zoo.html&eventName=Watching-article-click">Ollie the missing zoo bobcat was near the birdhouse because of course. </a><br />
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
Video of bobcat Ollie's arrival at our vet hospital. She was found on Zoo property & ID'd via a transponder chip. <a href="https://t.co/RbKM7ns4ko">https://t.co/RbKM7ns4ko</a> <a href="https://t.co/dRbk2duJlx">pic.twitter.com/dRbk2duJlx</a></div>
— National Zoo (@NationalZoo) <a href="https://twitter.com/NationalZoo/status/826939040570155009">February 1, 2017</a></blockquote>
<i><br /></i> <a href="http://dailyfreeman.blogspot.com/search/label/yesterday%27s%20internet"><i>Yesterday, </i>Internet</a><i><a href="http://dailyfreeman.blogspot.com/search/label/yesterday%27s%20internet">, Today! </a>has some news, but not </i><b class="">those </b><i>news</i><i>. </i><br />
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>Ivan Lajarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03137025115662952185noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3154184975243035357.post-37589545004510062342017-01-25T11:20:00.001-05:002017-01-25T11:44:14.908-05:00DFM chat on the why and how of live video during breaking news<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHDwq_-XQj6s-4upqYgPEcl7tkkg3Hlu5-E-DXc6ahfYCWzuQgjzuGDXc7fHcGMmjkxaanoycMJPbauoiqprko6R14FH46BkX2Pza4QdcYo4pumQuNis_vTRYp1Kf1T1Fh1YoZvmzGrQ/s1600/33333.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHDwq_-XQj6s-4upqYgPEcl7tkkg3Hlu5-E-DXc6ahfYCWzuQgjzuGDXc7fHcGMmjkxaanoycMJPbauoiqprko6R14FH46BkX2Pza4QdcYo4pumQuNis_vTRYp1Kf1T1Fh1YoZvmzGrQ/s320/33333.gif" width="217" /></a></div>
<br />
Digital First Media friends and other journalists, members of the community and fans of journalism are invited to take part in a Twitter chat Wednesday at noon, Eastern Time, to talk about all things journalism.<br />
<br />
Today we're talking about what the why, how of live video during breaking news. What are the best tools to cover breaking news with video? What do you do when reception is spotty when there are large crowds? How do you repurpose those videos for later viewing? Are there circumstances where live video is not recommended? How do you juggle ALL THE THINGS when you're the only one doing story/video/photos/etc.?<br />
<br />
If you want to be in the post chat archive, post a comment in the container or a tweet with the hashtag <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/search/%23dfmchat">"#dfmchat</a>" so it can automatically appear below.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div>
<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<div class="scrbbl-embed" data-src="/event/2473684/17460">
</div>
<script>(function(d, s, id) {var js,ijs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(d.getElementById(id))return;js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//embed.scribblelive.com/widgets/embed.js";ijs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, ijs);}(document, 'script', 'scrbbl-js'));</script>Ivan Lajarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03137025115662952185noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3154184975243035357.post-79969437490948076832017-01-24T16:09:00.004-05:002017-01-26T13:29:08.921-05:00Then and now, a centerI went through the old library earlier today, looking for some old images and testing some new technologies.<br />
<br />
I was able to live-stream video in 360° to Periscope while moving around and was also able to do a static live-stream for more than 30 minutes without the need for a battery. These are developing technologies that can be useful during a potential breaking news situation, and I want us to be ready for when that happens.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
</blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/periscope360?src=hash">#periscope360</a> from the <a href="https://twitter.com/DailyFreeman">@dailyfreeman</a>'s old library <a href="https://t.co/S4ScEBLlvj">https://t.co/S4ScEBLlvj</a></p>— Ivan Lajara (@ivanlajara) <a href="https://twitter.com/ivanlajara/status/823935444664492032">January 24, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<br />
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script> Nothing exciting, other than the ability to do it (and getting tangled in my own cables).<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
***</div>
<br />
After that successful experiment, I was also able to find a<a href="http://media.dailyfreeman.com/2017/01/24/photos-mid-hudson-valley-anti-war-protests-through-the-years/#1"> collection of quintessential anti-war protests from way back when</a>, containing local demonstrations about Vietnam, the draft and the Contra affair.<br />
<br />
One particular image's location was instantaneously recognizable for me (and I imagine for many others).<br />
<br />
So I went ahead and did a slide in case you couldn't <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/@41.93262,-74.0131409,3a,27.2y,123.52h,91.49t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sEq1QCf2Gj9HRQ5badZLKCg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656">place it. </a><br />
<br />
<!-- IMAGE: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYRzpOLZ_hVCenKIPc1QLtzcH8cf7X5Q9Pj6CjqUjCKSn6ruXPtT6_fMGMxo6toZbebJp9FL93QGe9ZfHBloIjYBl4-00on3O5tTFUx22EHfHNVAo5VOLAsmhF19U42d44tBRJ33z_XQ/s1600/rent+a+center+gsv.jpg--> <iframe class="juxtapose" frameborder="0" height="588" src="https://cdn.knightlab.com/libs/juxtapose/latest/embed/index.html?uid=2df1b2a8-e279-11e6-8b75-0edaf8f81e27" width="100%"></iframe>
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
***</div>
The New York Times' "<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/22/nyregion/womens-march-montclair-nj.html">OMG DADS HAVE TO DAD WHEN MOMS ARE NOT AROUND</a>" has been panned by everyone, including the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/23/public-editor/women-march-dads-liz-spayd-public-editor.html">New York Times</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/filipbondy/status/823608153531105280">even the guy who wrote it</a>. It probably didn't help that the original headline started with, “How Vital Are Women?"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/20/books/mark-twain-childrens-book.html">Mark Twain wrote what will soon be a new book. </a><br />
<br />
<div>
It appears the new White House press secretary's nemesis is not the media, but <a href="http://www.npr.org/2017/01/23/511278562/dippin-dots-beef-puts-white-house-press-secretary-on-the-spot">Dippin' Dots</a>.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
***</div>
<br />
<b>One video:</b> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9EaZtgDftc">Mark Hamill reacts to new 'Star Wars' title</a> is a thing (from the Associated Press, no less) so there you go. And since you don't click on these things, it's 'The Last Jedi.'<br />
<div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #555555; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.8; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , "times" , serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/t9EaZtgDftc/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/t9EaZtgDftc?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #555555; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.8; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , "times" , serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></div>
<b></b><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><b>***</b></b></div>
<b> The Four:</b><br />
* The <a href="http://www.dailyfreeman.com/20170121/woodstock-womens-march-draws-hundreds">Women's March was a local thing </a>as well.<br />
* There's<a href="http://www.dailyfreeman.com/general-news/20170122/phoenicia-diner-draws-visitors-and-locals-by-offering-classics-with-a-twist-view-of-the-catskills"> a diner in Phoenicia</a> and a recipe with the story.<br />
* Whose house? <a href="http://www.dailyfreeman.com/general-news/20170124/rupco-seeks-ny-state-and-us-historic-designations-for-former-alms-house">Alms House.</a> <br />
* <a href="http://www.dailyfreeman.com/general-news/20170124/50k-dedicated-to-study-of-allowing-swimming-again-at-kenneth-l-wilson-campground-in-woodstock">$50K to find out if you can swim at Woodstock park again. </a><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>***</b></div>
</div>
<div>
<b>One cat:</b><br />
<div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #555555; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.8; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , "times" , serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #555555; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-weight: bolder; line-height: 1.5;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #555555; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.8; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , "times" , serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #555555; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-weight: bolder; line-height: 1.5;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #555555; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.8; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , "times" , serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
When I’m waiting on tech support to fix the network crash so I can publish <a href="https://t.co/1ZSHwxZz82">https://t.co/1ZSHwxZz82</a></div>
— Digital First cat (@DFNewsCat) <a href="https://twitter.com/DFNewsCat/status/824016639259721728">January 24, 2017</a></blockquote>
</div>
<i><a href="http://tinyletter.com/ivanlajara">Yesterday's Internet Today is a thing you can subscribe to</a> which will contain some musings, some links from outside, four non-crime links from the Freeman, one video, one cat. And no Trump, because you get plenty of that from everywhere else (OK, Dippin' dots but c'mon it's Dippin' dots).</i>Ivan Lajarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03137025115662952185noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3154184975243035357.post-29186806125065139032017-01-05T08:31:00.001-05:002017-01-05T08:31:45.224-05:00That news problem<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Jy7QO6CRmcrsXBhTGyluhX7UUH4u-wCuQWDAto2NUr2VLX1u7zM2PpR-yve8Ur7PkB8DbQvyCLNuXqrNZ8PERQvEgzesGUcZldLqdn4U30KVOYtsI2MS3t93f0wU0pTU6b1cp4Ru9BVU/s1600/news1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Jy7QO6CRmcrsXBhTGyluhX7UUH4u-wCuQWDAto2NUr2VLX1u7zM2PpR-yve8Ur7PkB8DbQvyCLNuXqrNZ8PERQvEgzesGUcZldLqdn4U30KVOYtsI2MS3t93f0wU0pTU6b1cp4Ru9BVU/s320/news1.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
Don't you sometimes wish, in this world of instant news where everything looks the same no matter where it comes from, that you could get a reliable, filtered summary of the day's news at some point during the day?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Thinking of a way to do this, as a sort of evolution for Yesterday's Internet, Today!, I glanced upon two emails I get daily. The first one is the <a href="http://www.dailyfreeman.com/epaper">epaper email in the morning</a>, that you should be getting if you're a subscriber. It's basically the paper as it appears in print, which comes in handy if you're away (you might notice that all the pages are in color as well). </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"But those are yesterday's news!" astute <a href="http://tinyletter.com/ivanlajara">Yesterday's Internet, Today!</a> readers might say. And you would be correct! What if you want what's happening up to now, but in email form, and without a subscription maybe? Why, <a href="http://www.dailyfreeman.com/email_signup">there's an email alert for that! And a breaking news email alert if you don't want to wait.</a> </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
There's also <a href="http://www.dailyfreeman.com/sms">text alerts,</a> and <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.spreedinc.providers.digitalfirstmedia.dailyfreeman&hl=en">Android </a>and <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/daily-freeman/id520227762?mt=8">iOS apps</a>. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And you can keep up on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Freeman/">Facebook </a>and <a href="https://twitter.com/dailyfreeman">Twitter</a>. Or maybe you just want to get away from it all and simply get nice photos from Instagram. <a href="https://www.instagram.com/dailyfreeman/">And we do that too.</a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So perhaps the problem is not so much that we don't do this but that we haven't told you about it well?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3f1n6dx1U-GY-FMgdmjlL8vYvhAK75e-HMHoA-VhndYpYYuOFwDKPrlg6K1MVShQ_Nl1GE594fdeVxV4HG53BBs988Nd083TlBHQcR3ztU8bptua6e1xEyu10dsvnUnn0SPTghl7sHIaU/s1600/R0011170.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3f1n6dx1U-GY-FMgdmjlL8vYvhAK75e-HMHoA-VhndYpYYuOFwDKPrlg6K1MVShQ_Nl1GE594fdeVxV4HG53BBs988Nd083TlBHQcR3ztU8bptua6e1xEyu10dsvnUnn0SPTghl7sHIaU/s1600/R0011170.JPG" width="100%" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: center;">
***</div>
I'd add that a good newsletter would have a bit more personalization, and I can understand why small news organizations just aren't able to do this. (If you're wondering how I have time to write this, I'm doing it on my day off). So the daily emails can suffice (and do for thousands).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
In an ideal world, the email would add some links from outside the Freeman, a sort of "we also saw this and you might want to check them out too." This is the sort of thing my newsletter was aiming for, but with a focus on what's of interest to me because, well, it's my newsletter, after all.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
For example, from yesterday:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/04/us/politics/dabbing-paul-ryan-cal-marshall.html?smid=tw-share">Look at this kid dabbing in front of House Speaker</a>. </div>
<div>
<a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/lawmakers-officials-frown-on-donald-trumps-dismissal-of-u-s-intelligence-1483554450">And look at these kids playing with fire. </a> </div>
<div>
Everybody's grounded. Go to your rooms.</div>
<div>
***</div>
<div>
So let's keep the format going. Thus ...</div>
<div>
***</div>
<div>
<b>One video:</b> <a href="https://youtu.be/5yGQhzK_WoM">Jess X. Snow painted the "O Wind, Take Me to My Country" mural in Kingston as part of the 2016 O+ Festival.</a><br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5yGQhzK_WoM" width="560"></iframe>
***</div>
<b>The Four!</b><br />
* <a href="http://www.dailyfreeman.com/general-news/20161228/hillary-clinton-spotted-at-mohonk-mountain-house-in-new-paltz">I posted a tweet about Hillary the other day. </a> It went viral and made the front page of Drudge and now it's the most popular thing I've ever done ever. You're all terrible.<br />
* <a href="http://www.dailyfreeman.com/general-news/20161230/year-in-review-a-look-back-at-mid-hudson-stories-that-made-news-in-2016"> I made a massive interactive timeline of the news of the year the other day.</a> I spend a lot of time doing it and it didn't even crack the most popular things of that day. You're all terrible.<br />
* <a href="http://www.dailyfreeman.com/general-news/20170103/ny-gov-cuomo-proposes-free-suny-cuny-and-community-college-tuition-for-income-eligible-state-residents?source=most_viewed">Free college proposal so of course everyone's angry?</a><br />
* <a href="http://www.dailyfreeman.com/arts-and-entertainment/20161231/uptown-kingston-new-years-celebration-replay">We covered the new year live</a> and I was able to <a href="https://twitter.com/ivanlajara/status/815403696938958848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">live-stream directly to Twitter in 360° from the office beforehand</a> as a precursor of things to come this year (not many can do this yet). Stay tuned. I've got ~surprises~<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>One cat?</b><br />
<a href="http://media.dailyfreeman.com/2017/01/04/photos-of-cats-for-adoption-at-spca/#1">How about a bunch of cats? For adoption? </a> Locally? Right MEOW!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://photos.smugmug.com/Cats-for-adoption-at-SPCA-in/i-KHSvCJV/0/X2/DSC_8925-X2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Cats-for-adoption-at-SPCA-in/i-KHSvCJV/0/X2/DSC_8925-X2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<i><a href="http://dailyfreeman.blogspot.com/search/label/yesterday%27s%20internet">Yesterday's Internet, Today!</a> was going to wrap up forever but then I was, like, nah let's see what happens. There's more to do.</i><br />
<br />Ivan Lajarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16042735732881579163noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3154184975243035357.post-58714180388524325172017-01-03T11:21:00.000-05:002017-01-03T11:21:08.384-05:00The final countdown<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="450" src="https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m0!3m2!1sen!2sus!4v1483460376994!6m8!1m7!1sF%3A-IN8wPrjiJDU%2FWGiWz9tUSJI%2FAAAAAAAAA-4%2FDDrwzjN-tdM6A4JV-Nv_w-QNf_tBQJsDgCLIB!2m2!1d41.93512339999999!2d-74.020141!3f46.75200779153275!4f-11.670749109823234!5f0.7820865974627469" style="border: 0;" width="600"></iframe>
<br />
Relive the countdown!<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ppjQLDsH1Ao" width="560"></iframe>
Ivan Lajarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16042735732881579163noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3154184975243035357.post-83072558750397771072016-12-31T14:31:00.000-05:002016-12-31T14:33:24.124-05:00Livestreaming in 360°It begins (crudely, but hey)<p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/periscope360?src=hash">#periscope360</a> test! <a href="https://t.co/pDYJ0z42K9">https://t.co/pDYJ0z42K9</a></p>— Ivan Lajara (@ivanlajara) <a href="https://twitter.com/ivanlajara/status/815244484686417920">December 31, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>Ivan Lajarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16042735732881579163noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3154184975243035357.post-33529081628786317832016-12-28T17:22:00.000-05:002016-12-28T17:34:38.613-05:00Hillary Clinton at Mohonk Mountain House<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Hillary at breakfast this morning at Mohonk Mountain House, upstate New York. Photo by my former NYT colleague Mike Smith. <a href="https://t.co/yyrVQT43vt">pic.twitter.com/yyrVQT43vt</a></p>— carolynryan (@carolynryan) <a href="https://twitter.com/carolynryan/status/814182546955206656">December 28, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<p>
<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/12/28/lets-all-over-analyze-this-photo-of-hillary-clinton-alone-looking-forlorn/?tid=sm_tw&utm_term=.01225360f46b">If only there was a news organization that could over-analyze this. </a>Ivan Lajarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16042735732881579163noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3154184975243035357.post-51541935727994832962016-12-22T14:21:00.003-05:002016-12-22T14:30:32.026-05:00Ulster County Comptroller vs. Executive lawsuit highlightsThe Ulster County Comptroller sued the executive in a bid to stop county budget from taking effect. (<a href="http://www.dailyfreeman.com/general-news/20161222/ulster-county-comptroller-loses-bid-to-stop-county-budget-from-taking-effect">SPOILER ALERT: A judge said nope</a>).<div>
<br />
The full suit is embedded with the story, it's more than 90 pages and with more than a hundred accompanying documents, which you can see here.<br />
We also used Documentcloud in this instance because it makes the text in the PDF file searchable, and we can also annotate parts of it that are mentioned in the story.<br />
<br />
Thus,<br />
<br />
You can click on the tabs so you can navigate the full document. Here is a note I added, which is mentioned in the story.<br />
<div id="DC-note-332764" class="DC-embed DC-embed-note DC-note-container"></div>
<script src="//assets.documentcloud.org/notes/loader.js"></script>
<script>
dc.embed.loadNote('//www.documentcloud.org/documents/3245912-Ulster-Couty-Comptroller-vs-Executive/annotations/332764.js');
</script>
<noscript>
<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/3245912-Ulster-Couty-Comptroller-vs-Executive/annotations/332764.html">View note</a>
</noscript>
Here's another one:
<div id="DC-note-332763" class="DC-embed DC-embed-note DC-note-container"></div>
<script src="//assets.documentcloud.org/notes/loader.js"></script>
<script>
dc.embed.loadNote('//www.documentcloud.org/documents/3245912-Ulster-Couty-Comptroller-vs-Executive/annotations/332763.js');
</script>
<noscript>
<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/3245912-Ulster-Couty-Comptroller-vs-Executive/annotations/332763.html">View note</a>
</noscript>
<p>
What else are you seeing? Ivan Lajarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16042735732881579163noreply@blogger.com