Opening up Pandora’s box
February 24, 2010 in consulting, hope for the future, Multimedia views, Training
Recently, I was on a plane flying back to St. Louis from a two-day workshop at The Daily Toreador at Texas Tech. (I say 2-day – thanks to the airlines and the weather, it was a little less, but that’s a story for another time). #
Thinking back on it, I just realized the feeling I usually get when I do these workshops – it’s like opening Pandora’s box. Because I never just talk about audio or video. I always walk through all the other free and easy to use online tools that are available to tell a story online. #
I’m so used to seeing all these tools and seeing possibilities to use them that I guess they almost seem mundane in a way. #
but when I unpack them in front of a group of students who have never seen an online timeline, or known how easy it is to create a map or edit a piece of audio, I get a glimpse of the magnitude of the vista that is out there for some young journalist who wants to explore online storytelling. It can be intimidating. #
That’s why I always repeat the advice I first gave several years ago – pick one thing and learn how to do it well. Don’t worry about the entire river, just find one current to surf for a while. After you’ve got a handle on that, then move to something else. #
Everyone will settle on something different, but the crucial part is to get going. #
This weekend, I’ll be in Phoenix for ACP’s National College Journalism Convention preaching the multimedia gospel again. #
I'd like to add to this post a bit. I wouldn't necessarily say to learn one thing and be good at it. Journalists need to be jack of all trades, masters of none (well, except the art of story-telling. They should be masters at that, but it manifests through all the other trades). So when you say "pick one thing and learn how to do it well," it really might not be beneficial. What good is a videographer who can't also take stills and capture crisp audio, create supplemental graphic, edit it and export it, tag it and write a good description/headline to accompany? Instead, I'd rephrase your advice to read, "pick one thing to start with, do it well, then the rest will be easier to learn."Specifically in student newsrooms, if each editor/student learns one skill really well to start with (i.e. masters it), then they can be the go-to person on that topic and cross-train each other so that everyone's well-rounded.
To clarify, I was speaking about a reporter who was already trained in writing or photography or graphic design, but not doing anything online. And yes, I do mean pick one thing to start with, but I think a student is better served by trying to get good at one thing and then moving on to something else, another area of online reporting. Trying to get a reporter to go from nothing to the entire suite of tools is like expecting someone to go from hammering nails into a board to building a house – it's an overwhelming task that is better accomplished by starting small and adding to the tool kit as you go along.I originally wrote about this concept in October 2008, and should have linked to that earlier post here for further explanation.thanks for the comment.
To clarify, I was speaking about a reporter who was already trained in writing or photography or graphic design, but not doing anything online. And yes, I do mean pick one thing to start with, but I think a student is better served by trying to get good at one thing and then moving on to something else, another area of online reporting. Trying to get a reporter to go from nothing to the entire suite of tools is like expecting someone to go from hammering nails into a board to building a house – it's an overwhelming task that is better accomplished by starting small and adding to the tool kit as you go along.
I originally wrote about this concept in October 2008, and should have linked to that earlier post here for further explanation.
thanks for the comment.
To clarify, I was speaking about a reporter who was already trained in writing or photography or graphic design, but not doing anything online. And yes, I do mean pick one thing to start with, but I think a student is better served by trying to get good at one thing and then moving on to something else, another area of online reporting. Trying to get a reporter to go from nothing to the entire suite of tools is like expecting someone to go from hammering nails into a board to building a house – it's an overwhelming task that is better accomplished by starting small and adding to the tool kit as you go along.
I originally wrote about this concept in October 2008, and should have linked to that earlier post here for further explanation.
thanks for the comment.