Oct
12
“How wired are you?”
- Could you create web page? Are you able to use Web0authoring software like Dreamweaver — or better yet. write your own HTML code — to produce a Web page that includes text, headlines, images and links? Sort of/Maybe.
- Have you written a blog? Many of us create a blog, post an entry or two, then abandon the whole thing. But have you blogged more consistently that that? Have you tried building a loyal following by posting several times a day? Sort of/Maybe.
- Are you an avid consumer of digital content? Do you watch YouTube videos? Download podcasts? Shop online? Stream TV shows and movies? Is your music library digitized? In other words, if your daily life plugged into cyberspace? No.
- Do you comment, chat, and tweet? Are you active in online social networks like Facebook, Myspace or Twitter? Do you participate in discussion groups, post comments and even get into arguments in response to online stories, blogs, wikis, etc.? Yes.
- Are you familiar with different online platforms? Are you comfortable using a wireless laptop to send long text messages and photos? Surfing the Web with a smartphone? Yes.
- Can you shoot a video, edit it and post it online? Online editors expect all their staffers to provide visuals as well as words. Can you be trusted to shoot edit and upload video that meets basic journalistic standards? Sort of/Maybe.
- Can you record audio, edit it, and post it online? Could you interview someone then turn the highlights of your conversation into a podcast? No.
- Could you create and interactive graphic? Have you tried turning a database into a Google map mashup (like this one, pinpointing local gang-related crimes)? Or could you produce a clickable chart of diagram using software like Flash? No.
- Is the web now your primary news source?Are you a loyal reader of news sites and blogs? (“Loyal” mean you visit these sites at least twice a day or get updates via RSS feeds.) Sort of/Maybe.
- Could you cover an event at 9 a.m. where you shoot photos and video for your narrated slide show, then post a 6-inch story (complete with links and images) by noon? Yes.
Scoring: 6-10 pts. Time to reboot and install lots of new brainware.
