3.4.10

1.http://www.columbiaspectator.com/2010/03/04/read-all-about-it-how

A. The only thing we can rely on is change, this is especially true in the world of communications. From reading this article I learned that although the world of communications changes shape every few years, it never completely ceases to exist. HUmans will always be communicating, and there will always be experts in the field. Always. A second piece of information that I gleaned is that although it is true that jobs in the communication field are becoming more and more scarce, the truth is that if you are the best at what you do then you will always be employed, and I do not ever intend to be second best so not having a job is not a possibility.

B. According to the article, there is another truth "Nothing disappears. In venues around New York, you can still hear someone recite poetry in the old, oral tradition. Some things are still printed on flat-bed presses, one page at a time. Radio is still ubiquitous—television didn’t kill it. Each kind of communication seems dominant and then moves to a smaller part of the spectrum." Communication will continue to be essential to the human experience, the only question that remains is who will be doing the communicating and in what medium will this communication take place? Flexibility is an essential trait for any journalist, finding ways around traditional means of information spreading and shedding new light on old concepts will always be a valuable skill.

C. In my beat coverage I need to try to utilize different types of media, I am so addicted to print, to writing it, but everything I read is online. The only time I ever actually hold a tangible piece of newsprint is when it is a publication I have participated in. Other than that, the majority of information that I gather is online or in person. What if a hundred thousand years ago the journalists had refused to give up etching on to stone tablets in favor of papyrus? It sounds ridiculous but it is not different then the foolish way we cling to the "traditions of our fathers" that serve no purpose other than to hold us back from our potential that can only be accessed through new technology.

2.http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/04/business/04JOBS.html?scp=8&sq=March%204,%202010&st=cse

This story is great because it appeals to the nytimes demographic. There is definitely something to be said for the principal of catering to your audience, and that is exactly what this article does. I have no concrete evidence to back this statement up, but when I imagine the average New York times reader I imagine a someone elitist middle aged east coaster. Of course this is a HUGE over simplification, everyone reads the New York times ( obviously, I am none of those things, but I read it) but I do think that this publications target market is an older generation struggling to find employment in this technological age that has completely fried the traditional scenario of starting at the bottom of corporate America and work your way up until the Leave it to Beaveresque American dream is yours. This article speaks to that generation and I sure attracts a lot of traffic on their site and to their publication.