Adobe Contribute- Worth it?

Considering that hiring somebody to make a website for you can cost anywhere from $100-$1,100, buying Adobe Contribute and being able to create as many personalized websites as you like seems like a great option.

It's mostly used to update website that a person already has, but you can also use it to design a website as well.  Either way, it's still easy because all you have to do is create a website on Blogger or Wordpress and then use Contribute to design it afterward.

One thing that I found cool about Contribute is that it can link to your website.  Isn't it odd that a computer program can be linked to the Internet?  Pretty cool.

The problem with Contribute is that it is really hard to navigate, which is probably why they include a tutorial that helps you through it.  A lot of people don't use tutorials (me being one of them) but this one is really necessary if you want to be able to get the full effect of Contribute.

If you don't want to use the built-in tutorial, you can click HERE.

Click HERE to buy Adobe Contribute from Amazon.

5 Best Tips for Journalists' Use of Multimedia/Social Media

Click here for source.

Social media and multimedia are beneficial for journalists.  There are so many social media websites that are just screaming for users to take advantage of them, but most people don't know how.

Click here for source.

1.  Use Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon, and other social media websites to look for trends.  Check out all of the social media websites to find trends and possible ledes.  There is no better way to see what people like than to go straight to the people.  This is the best way to do it; if you see what people are talking about firsthand, you can easily write a popular lede.  Source: click here.

2.  Use Blogspot, Wordpress, and other blogging websites to promote your work.   Journalists can use all the publicity they can get.  If you start writing a blog, you become part of a community and those are the people that will support you.  Source: click here.


3.  Make podcasts and vlogs to promote yourself.  Use YouTube, make vlogs, and podcasts to promote yourself.  Publish your works on Youtube and other websites and talk yourself up.  YouTube is a popular website and it's very easy to get people to notice you.

Click here for source.

4. Be the first to know something.  Want to be the first person to get a news lede?  Well Facebook is the best place to get this news.  I sometimes find myself checking Facebook before I check the news.  When the Oklahoma earthquake hit a couple weeks ago, I found out about it on Facebook.  Then you can follow up the story on CNN or other news websites.

5.  Compare and contrast both sides of a story.  When writing a story, it's important to be unbiased but be able to get both sides of the story.  With personal websites like Twitter, it's easy to follow 'important' people and read about their personal lives.  It'll also helpful if you want to dig up some dirt on people. Source: click here.

Interesting study:

Click here for source.

Networking- The Most Important Part of a Job Hunt?

There are many ways to get a job.  Duh, we all know that.  Of course it's important to have a good resume, do well in an interview, and get an education, but networking will get you places you never dreamed of.

Think of it this way:  If you send in an outstanding resume to a company of your choice, but someone else whose resume isn't quite as good as yours knows the person doing the hiring, who do you think will get the job?  Probably not you.  But what would have happened if you would have done some networking beforehand and gotten to know the person doing the interview?  Maybe your resume would have mattered then.

So, it's not that a resume isn't important, it's just that you may need to take some necessary steps to make it important.

You have to know how to network, though, which is why the following link is important to read.

Link: 8 Rules of Networking.

Picnik Vs. Photoshop

After working with Photoshop in Steven Youngblood's class, I came to the decision that Photoshop is awesome.   However, I'm a religious user of Picnik and even after using Photoshop in class, I still use Picnik.  Why?  Let's weigh the pros and cons of each:

Picnik--


Pros:

• Free
• Easy to use
• Available online without a download
• Fun effects

Cons:

• Not good for big files
• Unprofessional

Photoshop--


Pros:

• Lots of features
• Professional

Cons:

• Difficult to use without help
• Expensive

Link of the week: Photoshop Alternatives

My work:

Photoshop Photo

Photoshop Illustration

Should You Use Survey Monkey?

Survey Monkey is a website where people can go to create and take surveys.  Dr. Joan Aitken's Theories of Communications class was required to create a survey to distribute to others to acquire information.

There are many advantages of Survey Monkey over other survey websites.

1. It's free. Not all of their surveys are free, but to a certain extent, you are able to create free, distributional surveys.
2. Great customization options.  You choose your own style/font/color/etc.
3. No advertising in free surveys. On most free surveys, you'll find advertising.  Not on Survey Monkey though.
4. Advanced analyzed responses.  Once you take the survey, you'll be able to see what other people said as well.

To take our Theories of Communication survey, click here: Communications Survey