Gabriel Dance

Gabriel Dance’s lecture at the CUNY Grad School of Journalism focused on some pretty interesting things. Well we know he talked about these five things….usablility, context, transparancy, innovation and user-generated content.
What struck me as interesting was when he talked about using the resources available and taking the time – as a graduate student – to experiment with certain projects. I think this class has given us a good head start to doing this. Also I think it is going to be interesting to see how we deal with project management when dealing with our groups in class. Also when he talks about using the internet for transparency, I think he is mentioning something really worthwhile. Journalists don’t always have the time to provide the extra content, research, etc. that they have done. When the story goes to the newspaper it has to fit within the space allotted for it after the ads go up; it also has to be edited.
Through the internet, journalists are able to provide readers with the original documents and research, extra photos or other source material. He mentions that many people have a problem believing the context in which certain materials (in the presentation he uses government documents as the example) are used for stories. Many skeptical readers feel that the journalist uses the materials to support the stories that they want to tell. Providing readers with the original content does lead to higher credibility for the reporter and ultimately the reputation of the newspaper/magazine.
I also like the different examples he used of user-generated content. I think his ultimate goal is not only to see what users have to say but to grab new ideas and get an snapshot of the larger picture: looking at your audience, what they are interested in and what contributions they might have. That woman who posted the picture of her dying mother in the Polaroid gallery was such a great example.
Two Questions – 1. What are some tips on effective project management? Is it more about organizational skills or communication skills? 2. What is the one thing that you think universities should require of their graduate students in mass comm./journalism/social media before they can get their degree?