I guess the hardest part of the course for me would have been taking the first step to contribute my thoughts by way of commenting. When I read articles I never read the comments. I’m not sure why really. I like to talk about current events with people, why no do so in an internet forum? I’m not really sure, but for some reason it does not really interest me. The other difficult part for me was the blog it self. I think I’ve always been very self conscious of my writing (even though I’m and English major, go figure) so it was hard for me to put things I write in such public view.

My favorite part of the course has to be the talk radio project. As I mentioned in my post about the assignment, I LOVE talk radio, and always have. I never had the nerve to call up a station however, and contribute to the program. The assignment forced me to do just that, and over all it was a very positive experience for me. I had a lot of fun speaking my mind on air, and I only stumbled over my words once!

I’m not sure that I would consider any of the feedback I have given to be a success. I very rarely had people comment in response to my comments. I think that in the future were I to comment in hopes of capturing and audience that would respond to me, I would say something a little more controversial. I think that most of my comments were quite vanilla. I would say “I like…” or “I agree with…” instead of making a bold statement that would spark controversy and interest. Despite my lack of “success” I do think that comments I made added to conversations, if for no other reason than they were there. Maybe my comments helped to persuade someone else to comment, or at least to think about the article, video, etc in a new way.

I learned a lot from this class, about the need for people to create dialogues about things they are consuming. The interest has created a place for people to be able to share what they know or think with others. Think can be very beneficial for journalists and people from all different professions and walks of life. Commenting does most definitely seem to have an impact on journalists, because it forces them to look at what they are writing under a more sharper lens, knowing that if they mess up, they are certainly going to hear about it.  

I think that in the future I may participate in some commenting, but there is no way I would do it at the pace that I have for this class. I think that I have been exposed to a lot in terms of commenting, and if something should present it self that I have a strong reaction to , I would be willing to contribute my thoughts. I think for me the hardest thing is to force myself to make a comment about something that I’m relatively indifferent to, which I feel like I did a lot. This was pretty clear in many of the comments I left, that passion was totally lacking. Hopefully there will be things in the future that spark my interest and will prompt me to participate in the dialogue.

Collegehumor.com posted a spoof of the secrets called “Postsecret through history“. I have only one word. HILARIOUS! Maybe its because I could actually figure out who the secrets were supposed to be written by, or perhaps it is because I am a fan of postsecret already. Either way I found it to be highly entertaining.

I saw that the bottom of the page had a Digg icon, and because I enjoyed it so much, I dugg (?) it! I created an account and the whole shebang! Digg is a good idea I must say. It is great for find news and entertainment that you might not find in other locations.

What is there to say about swine flu that hasn’t already been said? The answer is not much. That’s ok though, I’ll give it a shot anyways.

I got an email from the University, as did many others I am sure, regarding the possibility of swine flu at Amherst College. Apparently my mother got a similar email, because no sooner did I open the email, but she called to yell that I needed to wash my hands. I discovered that she had read a posting on the UHS website, which sent her into a not-so-uncommon frenzy.

The swine flu is obviously a serious threat to some people. The elderly, the very young, and the sick. Having such a strain on their immune systems can be dangerous and damaging.

With all the pandemoniumsurrounding the swine flu, it was only a matter of time before the jokes started surfacing. I received a text message from friend that said “Fwd: back in the day people said we’d have a black president when pigs flew… obama gets elected and 100 days into office swine flu!”. Cute right?

That is just the tip of the iceberg.  I got an invitation to a party via facebook for a “swine flu ho-down”. The idea of the party was that everyone was going to be dressed up as either a pig or a frightened person (wearing masks and gloves).

Despite the humor on the surface of these type of things I think it is important that we remember not to take pandemics like this too lightly. It is near impossible to make it through any bad situation without a sense of humor, however we need to be respectful of those suffering.

Had anyone else heard any good swine flue jokes? Or do you know the kids at Amherst that have been quarantined?

One of the main themes found in Wallace’s article is what is talk-radio supposed to be? According to the text, talk radio tends to be nothing short of “stimulating” entertainment.

The fact of the matter is that it is not John Ziegler’s job to be responsible, or nuanced, or to think about whether his on-air comments are productive or dangerous, or cogent, or even defensible. That is not to say that the host would not defend his “we’re better”—strenuously—or that he does not believe it’s true. It is to say that he has exactly one on-air job, and that is to be stimulating.

It is a little frightening to think that individuals are given the power to spew off thoughts, which out being required to give consideration to the effects that they may have to listeners. I personally think that there should be more accountability placed on radio show hosts and station for statements made on air.

 In the text Wallace discusses the types of information and “truths” that are found on talk-radio programming.

…”explaining” the news really means editorializing, infusing the actual events of the day with the host’s own opinions. And here is where the real controversy starts, because these opinions are, as just one person’s opinions, exempt from strict journalistic standards of truthfulness, probity, etc., and yet they are often delivered by the talk-radio host not as opinions but as revealed truths, truths intentionally ignored or suppressed by a “mainstream press” that’s “biased” in favor of liberal interests.

As citizens of the United States we are afforded the right of freedom of speech, so thusly biased opinions are bound  be incorporated into media coverage and reports. This can be a very good thing. By exposing ourselves to more ideas and view points, we become trained at questioning, which is one of the greatest things that we as people can do. Despite this people need to be aware that talk-radio is by definitions infused with biases. We can not blindly believe anything we see, read, or hear from the media, and this includes broadcasts by talk-show hosts like Ziegler.

TalkRadio was similar in both film and play form, although there were a couple of obvious differences. First in the play the entire script was written to reflect no scene change. In other words the entire story took place in the studio during the shows broadcast. The other big difference is the ending of the film. The play does not end with Barry being murdered, nor does it allude to his death at all. This is obviously a drastic difference.

I must say that I preferred reading the play to watching the film. I thought the end of the film was a little contrived, and it did little to enhance the storyline. I would love to have seen TalkRadio on live stage. I would assume that it would be challenging for an actor to continuously be visually interesting without any change in backdrop.

Both variations were entertaining, and gave an interesting slant on the life and mental state of a radio talk show host. I would assume that it is not uncommon for hosts to have such strong emotions as Barry, although I doubt they often express themselves in the same way that he does. If this were the case, we wouldn’t have many talk radio hosts left, per the film version.

I have to cop to something here…

Ahem, well the thing is I actually listen to talk radio. A lot. I love it.

I know what you are thinking. You’re thinking that I sound like your dad. And I have nothing to say other than… I know.

Ever since I was a kid I listened to talk radio. My family would listen to Pat Whitley’s Restaraunt Show on Sunday mornings on the way to my grandmothers house, and my love for talk had grown from there. I listen to both uber left and right wing talk. From NPR to the Boston FM station 96.9 (elephant central), I just can’t get enough.  I think what I like most about it is how unpredictable talk can be. When you listen to music you know the general formula. Song, song, song, radio DJ quip, commercial, rinse and repeat. With talk radio you never know what kind of lunatic is going to call up, it’s great.

Despite my veteran years listening to radio I have never called in. This all changed a few fateful weeks ago. I was listening to JimBraude and MargeryEagan on Boston 96.9 FM and they were talking about the new Massachusetts state standards that effect school children. Apparently the state wants to do fitness test to children that will indicate whether or not they are obese. I decided to chime in.

When I called I talked to a screener, who quite honestly sounded flustered. I told him that I am a 22 year old college student who is studying to be a teacher. I have a feeling that  a talk show in the middle of the afternoon does not get many calls from people around my age, so after about 5 minutes on hold, I made it on to the air. Sadly for me I have no technological abilities, so I was not able to record my radio debut.

Jim and Margery were quite fun to speak with. I told them my opinion, which was that these type of examinations can be traumatizing for children, and they would be better off seeing a pediatrician than a school nurse. We had a little chuckle about how teachers would fair if they were subjected to this test, and then I was off the air.

I had fun talking on the radio, but I can’t say that I would call up again, unless the subject is on something that I am an expert on. I feel as though it is hard to make valid and convincing points unless you already have information to support what you are saying. All in all I have to say that this assignment was a good experience for me.

 Twitter. What do I think about Twitter?

Well, first of all I am not a Journalism student. Taking a class about journalism, specifically feedback journalism I can see that value in utilizing Twitter as a means of communication between journalists and interested parities to share information.

That aside, what do I think personally about Twitter? I’m just going to say “…not so much”. Yes, I am a Twitter hater, and this is for a few reasons. First I am not a journalist, so thusly I can’t really utilize it in a professional manor. Next my life is pretty boring. I don’t really go anywhere or do anything particularly interesting. I would be willing to guess that my Twitter audience doesn’t care that I “went to the mall” or “ate a bowl of soup for lunch”.  Lastly, I don’t care what celebs or even most of these journalistic figures have to say in 140 characters or less. For the pretty peoples, John Mayer and the like, I realize they are famous for a reason (usually), but I really feel no need to know much more about them than the generic label of singer or actor. As for our friends the journalists… I watch the news, I read actually printed newspapers, that’s enough for me. I think that Twitter is an information overload, for people like me who would like to keep informed, but do not want to spend hours clicking links.

My other gripe with Twitter is that I think the format is ineffective. It is way too confusing to try to remember what all of the symbols. All I have to say about this is @#&*%!!! Pardon my language, but I’m sure all of you Twitter users are not offended because you make those symbols daily.

Ultimately I feel like Twitter is a thing for an older crowd. Larry King and Barbra Walters are two notorious Tweeps, (did I seriously just say that?) and they clearly are no spring chickens. Maybe I could get into the Twitter community a little more if they reformatted and someone I know, in person (you  know, like a friend?) had an account. Until then I think I’ll just spend my time blocking strange men from viewing my account.

I have to say for a quiet person and technology-phobe having a day of feedback was definitely a different experience for me. I left a grand total of 16 comments throughout my day of feedback. Most of these comments happened on my new favorite website: *Trumpets*- televisionwithoutpity.com.

I’m not a huge tv person. I watch the news, 20/20 type shows, and ANYTHING that quenches my morbid thirst for knowledge about cults, polygamists, and strange religious behavior. Why I love this stuff, I have no idea, however one of my favorite shows about odd balls is 18 Kids and Counting. This show is on TLC and features the Duggar family and their conservative Christian way of life. Via TWoP, I discovered a whole community of people like me, who so much enjoy watching this family, if for no other reason than to thank universe that they do NOT in fact live in Arkansas.

I joined the conversation of TWoP after creating an account, and about an hour after I added my thoughts to the mix, two people had responded. Well of course I had to jump back in again, since isn’t this what this whole assignment is about? I raised the idea that one of these Duggar children (Jinger to be exact) seems a little too butch for the family. This started a whole snowball of conversation speculating on what the Duggar family might do if they found out that one or more of their children were homosexual.

I had a really great experience with TWoP, and I think that I may forever up grade myself from lurker to participant of this type of thread. It seems like few comments are ignored and it is very easy to jump right into the mix. I think my favorite part of the whole thing was that I found out that there are people out there who have as much free time to think about such silly and trivial things as me with fervor and passion.

In addition to commenting on TWoP I also threw up a few comments on an interior design blog that I follow called Apartment Therapy. I’m moving to Allston after graduation in a couple weeks, so I’ve been looking for affordable decorating tips. None of my questions and comments on AP solicited much response from other readers. Apparently people are far more interested in discussing religious fanatics than ways to decorate a small three bedroom.

 I eat out. A lot. Whether I’m with my friends, boyfriend, or parents a default activity is heading to a restaurant that we’ve never been to ordering some food and having so good old fashion conversation. Of course being such a foodie means that I read reviews of restaurants before I go to them, and one of my default sources of such info is Yelp. Despite the fact that I look at yelp reviews, once or twice a week I have never been compelled to add my own opinions into the mix, so this was my shot.

I decided that my first review would be to someplace that I knew I liked, so I wouldn’t have my first yelping experience complaining about bad service, food, etc. I decided to review one of my favorite restaurants in Boston, Shabu Zen.  Shabu Zen is a Japanese-style hot pot restaurant where you basically order up a bunch of raw food, and then cook it in a pot of boiling broth that they put in front of you. YUM!

I gave Shabu Zen four out of five stars, because as good as it is, you are cooking your own food. Anyway, here is was I said:

4/1/2009

Shabu zen is pretty much my favorite Allston eatery. I love the interactive dining, as well as the quality of the food. The veggies and meats are always fresh and tasty. The wait staff is friend and unobtrusive. My favorite thing to order is the meat combo (with chicken and pork), mild kim che broth, and a watermelon smoothie. That meal is perfection.

I know, a little bit dry and basic, but then again I’m just starting out in the new yelping world. I made this post on April 1, but no one has given me any feed back, which is a little annoying, since I’ve been going around tell people that their reviews are “cool” and whatnot. But alas, no one thinks that I am cool… shocking.

I am a student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. I am currently taking a course on feedback journalism, and as an assignment for the class I have read your book “Journalists and the Public”. I must say that although I find the topic of your book every interesting, the presentation of facts was not to my liking.

Overall your book was very informative. After completing the text I feel as though I have left with an added sense of the importance of the public participation with newspapers etc, as well as the editing process and the representation of the people in news media. I found much of the factual information on the topics though provoking and a great place to beginning class discussions.

My concern with the book is its accessibility to the general public. This book is filled with very dry factual information with few “real life” accounts or examples to back up the information. The information in the book would be beneficial to many people; however I feel as though many would be put off by the language and lack of relatable examples.

As someone who is nearly finished earning her college degree, I found the book, to put it simply, boring. This is partly due to the repetitive nature the text took on after the end of the second chapter. Another problem with it was the amount of fluff surrounding the facts the one had to sift through just to find your point.

Over all I feel as though this book is an important addition to the library of journalists, students, and composers of letters to the editor. All of these categories (as we learned in the text) tend to be well education and will be able to pull out the key elements in the text. I also feel this book needs to be synthesized and edited to reach a more general public, so that they may find the importance of participating in the democracy in which they live, and so we will not have to listen to a bunch of old white guys complain in the letters sections of newspapers.