When I answered the call for neighborhood bloggers put out by this newspaper in February 2007, now that I look back it would have been a far less taxing and hairpulling experience if I had been directed to Mark Briggs' readable and concisely written manual Journalism 2.0 - How to Survive and Thrive, A digital literacy guide for the information age (c.2007, John S. & James L. Knight Foundation, 128 pages) before jumping-in.
Of course I am speaking of the same Mark Briggs, a former sportswriter with highly readable and entertaining pithy & punchy style whose deft touch is all-over this online edition. According to publicity on the jacket, Briggs, is also The News Tribune's associate managing editor for Interactive News and arrived at The News Tribune in 2004.
He formerly lead online operations at The Herald of Everett, WA where his work attracted numerous regional and national awards and honors for the paper and its online innovations.
In 2002, Briggs was personally recognized as that year's winner of the James K. Batten Innovator Award.
At the TNT , Briggs posts his own thoughts at the highly readable blog entitled Online in the South Sound. Online is a bulletin board of various interesting tips, comments and alerts about what's new in this expanding area of the communications universe.
Briggs also uses the column to pass along news alerts to upcoming and ongoing educational opportunities for journalists, bloggers and other persons in the community with an interest new developments like last fall's highly well-attended and interesting South Sound Technology Conference at UW Tacoma in November 2007.
Briggs is a graduate of Gonzaga University. He has a master's degree in journalism from The University of North Carolina and his publicity notes as well he has served as an adjunct professor at Seattle University. He is a frequent participant at seminars and conferences on the new media and journalism including the technology conference mentioned above.
If you are interested to see what went on at last year's conference click here.
I just recently completed reading Journalism 2.0. It was well worth the time. As a former journalism school student in years past, it was already evident that changes in reader demographics, advertiser preferences, and other forces in the marketplace would have a considerable impact on the media even as far back as the late seventies when I was in school.
The practice of and philosophical framework upon which my education was constructed was already acknowledged to be out of date, but what was coming in the future was not clear. Briggs has ably filled in the gaps for persons like myself and explained the evolutionary unfolding of the new media easy-to-read and easier to digest format.
More significantly, for a technical enthusiast he is readable, enthusiastic and encouraging! South Sound residents who are interested in joining our neighborhood of bloggers and posting at this site, current bloggers, or anyone with a curiosity about blogging will enjoy this affordable book.
The practice of and philosophical framework upon which my education was constructed was already acknowledged to be out of date, but what was coming in the future was not clear. Briggs has ably filled in the gaps for persons like myself and explained the evolutionary unfolding of the new media easy-to-read and easier to digest format.
More significantly, for a technical enthusiast he is readable, enthusiastic and encouraging! South Sound residents who are interested in joining our neighborhood of bloggers and posting at this site, current bloggers, or anyone with a curiosity about blogging will enjoy this affordable book.
Journalism 2.0 deserves a spot in your family library as well. It's pithy, punchy, portable and despite the slew of changes in the media that are coming along as we speak down the proverbial pike, this book will ably serve as your 24/7 personal blogging coach for years to come.
1 comment:
Thanks for the great book review, Mizu! Mark, thanks for being a blogging resource and advocate!
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