Freshmen admitted into the School of Journalism and pre-journalism students are being advised to purchase an iPod Touch or iPhone to aid their studies at the Missouri School of Journalism, the Columbia Missourian reports.
The requirement will not be enforced, however, and there will not be a penalty for students who choose not to buy the items, the associate dean of the school told the reporter.
paidContent:UK reports: “Just as newspapers were looking to attract new mobile readers, Apple has rejected the first version of Newspaper(s), an iPhone app that let users read the content of over 50 newspapers around the world, including the New York Times, France’s Le Monde, and the UK’s tabloid the Sun. Apple rejected the app on the grounds that The Sun, with its topless Page 3 Girls, was ‘obscene’.
The Guardian’s inventive use of mobile application Audioboo during last week’s G20 news coverage isn’t the end of the paper’s experiments with the audio recording service.
According to a tweet from Guardian journalist Matthew Weaver, who was posting sound clips or ‘boos’ frequently during the summit, today’s article on the Tamil protests in London is the first time a recording from Audioboo has been embedded in a news article on the site.
Nice.
Extra nice is a Twitter update from Audioboo CEO Mark Rock suggesting that a version of the service for non-iPhone users is near at hand…
Amateur photography and video platform backed by Agence France Presse (AFP), Citizenside has launched an English version of its iPhone application in beta.
The app is intended as a mobile news reporting app for news organisations
“We’re really proud of this V1.2 application as French contributors are using the 1.1 version more and more and understand its goals: share news, faster,” Matthieu Stefani, vice president of Citizenside, told Journalism.co.uk in an email.
“As the international application market is more than 20 times bigger than French one, let’s hope we will receive more than 20 times more pictures.”
In an interview last month, Stefani told us the app will tap into an existing community of picture-sharers and amateur videojournalists, as well as promoting geotagged submissions.
Yesterday Journalism.co.uk spoke with Audioboo founder Mark Rock about the potential for the iPhone audio app to be used for local news reporting:
“[E]veryone knows what’s happening to traditional media and local newspapers are dying by the moment. But is there a very simple and easy way [for others] to start collecting audio data and using it?”
As the tool is developed – both by Audioboo’s team and third-parties once the API is released – there’s even more scope for using geotagged audio news reports.
You can see the possibilities from how it’s already being used by some Audioboo-ers:
Pie & Bovril
The Scottish Premier League site ran a trial of the app last weekend. The aim? To get ‘sound byte updates’ from fans in and around stadia, the site’s David MacDonald told Journalism.co.uk.
“Although the big clubs are well catered for of an afternoon with live commentary we felt that the smaller clubs weren’t really in a position to service the information requirements of their fans who can’t make it along for whatever reason or those ex-pats who are keen to find out what’s happening from afar on a Saturday afternoon,” explains MacDonald.
“We pick up the information via feeds from Boo which automatically populate the appropriate section of our site.”
P&B has tried updating web pages using email to text gateways and experimented with SMS updates, but these were time consuming and failed to convey the mood of fans at the game, he adds.
“It’s early days but we feel this could be a really neat, low cost way, of getting information back from around the grounds to those unable to attend. We’ll continue to grow the trial and get a few users on it and see how it goes from there,” says MacDonald.
London SE1 Community Website
James Hatts, editor of community website London SE1, published by Banksidepress said the site is also experimenting with Audioboo and has uploaded newsworthy clips, such as updates on a local fire.
“I think AudioBoo has great potential for local reporting – it’s just so easy. No waiting to get back to the office, no transcribing endless recordings, no editing, no waiting for YouTube (for example) to process your video,” says Hatts.
According to Hatts, the ‘idiot-proof brilliance’ of the app is comparable to using a Flip camera and could make it an important part of a modern reporter’s kit.
However, using it in a way that makes economic sense is a key consideration for Bankside:
“It’s early days for Audioboo but at the moment there’s no way to drive traffic to our own site from a boo page, for instance,” explains Hatts.
“There are interesting future possibilities for using voice recognition software to display contextual adverts around the audio player (or even to insert relevant audio adverts).
“At the moment it’s great for novelty value and building an audience and building a brand, but even an operation like ours which is run on a shoestring needs to be able to derive some revenue from our content.”
Our Man Inside
Rock said Audioboo should be used to augment other reporting and that audio was an emotive medium – both ideas that seem to have been taken on board by ‘social media mongrel’ Christian Payne in his use of the app.
“[W]hile i experiment, I have fallen back in love with audio. It makes you think more about how you describe your surroundings. It makes me want my surroundings to explain themselves. Either by getting close to a person and their opinion or close to environmental sounds,” he writes in a blog post.
“Combined with a photo attached to act as a catalyst for the imagination, the listener is not being force fed the story. They have to take a moment to let their imagination get involved in the media.”
Guardian.co.uk will be available as a new mobile site from March, a release from the publisher has confirmed.
Specific versions of m.guardian.co.uk will be available for iPhone and Blackberry handsets will be released. The decision to launch a dedicated mobile site follows growing mobile traffic to the Guardian, Adam Freeman, commercial director, said in the statement.
Distribution deals for mobile content have been signed with 3 and Vodafone. The site itself will be ad-supported.
Meanwhile the Daily Mail is planning to make its content available on the US version of Amazon’s Kindle e-reader, according to a report from NMA – part of a push to capitalise on the Mail’s growing US audience. The site previously told Journalism.co.uk that its commercial focus remains on the UK, but perhaps this marks the beginnings of an overseas push.
Video gaming website NowGamer.com was launched by publisher Imagine Publishing on Friday. The site is the first in a series of ‘supersites’ from the company to go live in the next couple of years, according to a release from the group.
The clean, easy-to-navigate site was created with Bedford-based technology partner, Evolving Media and, unlike most gaming websites, it avoids a typically overcrowded, hectic layout.
The stand-out thing about NowGamer.com though it allows you create your own personal space of sorts:
Users can drag and drop different content widgets around the homepage, ranging from podcasts to previews, and reposition each element according to their interest – or even just delete it if they see fit.
Users can also redefine the content so that it only includes material relevant to the video games platform they use, be it Nintendo Wii or iPhone.
This modern, mature approach is also combined with a wealth of expert knowledge. The people behind the site, from Imagine, have all had a history in the field of video games journalism, working on titles including SegaPro and 360 in the past. The site is also able to make use of Imagine Publishing’s extensive back catalogue which started in 1995.
Although only formed in May 2005, Imagine Publishing is already responsible for 25 websites and 20 magazines.
This afternoon @journalism_live ‘twinterviewed’ the Twitchhiker, aka Paul Smith, a freelance journalist from Newcastle. The background here is that on March 1, 2009, Smith will set off on a 30 day mission – to see how far he will get with the Twitter community as his only aid. Yup, he’s truly in the hands of Twitter altruism. And it’s all for charity: the same charity supported by Twestival, Charity:Water. Full details on his site, Twitchhiker.com. You can follow him, and his conversation with this search tag ‘#twitchhiker’.
So here’s how it went. When @twitchhiker ‘met’ @journalism_live
twitchhiker: Yes, hello. Good afternoon from a rather snowy North East of England.
Journalism_Live: So. No. 1. In 140 chs. what is @Twitchhiker all about?
twitchhiker: Twitchhiker is an attempt by me @paul_a_smith to travel the world in 30 days relying only on Twitter users
Journalism_Live: aha. so you have a real name,@paul_a_smith. And was this @dave_gorman style mission dreamed up in the pub?
twitchhiker: No, the slightly disappointing answer is the bread aisle of Gateshead Tesco about a fortnight ago.
Journalism_Live: Only a fortnight? You’ve acted fast. Has it been hard to organise?
twitchhiker: In terms of travelling, nothing’s organised. One of the rules is I can’t plan my route more than 3 days ahead.
twitchhiker: In terms of everything else, Twitter users are currently helping me to compile a list!
journalism_live: blimey. so let’s hear the other rules…
twitchhiker: I can only accept offers of travel and accommodation on Twitter, from Twitter users. No third party offers.
twitchhiker: I only spend money on food and what I can carry. If there’s more than one offer, I choose. If not, I don’t.
twitchhiker: Finally, If I’m unable move on from a location within 48 hours, the challenge is over and I go home.
journalism_live: do you reckon people might join Twitter in order to help you out?
twitchhiker: I’ve had messages from people who’ve seen the press coverage and joined up, so here’s hoping they’ll help!
journalism_live: and we hear you’re a journalist by trade…?
twitchhiker: No formal qualifications, but I freelance for the Guardian, write and edit for other sites and iPhone apps too.
journalism_live: ever worked as a travel writer before?
journalism_live: (impatient! – ed) it ain’t over yet. Can your thumbs keep up?
twitchhiker: A feature for the Guardian site, the iPhone app, some unpaid stuff, that’s it. More radio, tv and consumer.
journalism_live: aha! now we see the Tweet! So could this be a venture into pastures new for you?
twitchhiker: Possibly, but it’ll be an aside. Anybody who writes can lend themselves to writing about their experiences.
journalism_live: so money: you want to get sponsored? For water? Pray tell us more…
twitchhiker: Charity: water is a brilliant charity supported by today’s equally brilliant #twestival. Hope to do my bit too
journalism_live: nice. And how will you be reporting back from the field?
twitchhiker: Hopefully a mix of blogs, video, images and tweets. Not sure of the detail yet – mobile tariff’s [sic] aren’t cheap!
journalism_live: indeed! and making it to NZ – a realistic goal?
twitchhiker: I think it’s possible -it’s more important we’re all in this together and prove Twitter can make a difference
journalism_live: ‘we’re’ – you’re on your own! @journalism_news will be in the warm eating toast when you’re rummaging in dustbins
twitchhiker: If I’m on my own, I’m going nowhere. That’s the point really. There are 3,175 followers who are here too
journalism_live: ok! let’s wrap this up if not Qs from the crowd? Your biggest fear… and your biggest wish?
twitchhiker: Biggest fear – not enjoying the experience. Biggest wish; make this work, raise the money, meet great people.
journalism_live: @twitchhiker lovely! That’s us done. And woo-hoo – a Q from @DannyDougherty: @twitchhiker?
DannyDougherty: OK, how ambitious are you. I’m over in Wash, DC — any chance you’re going to make your way out here? Do you have travel goals?
twitchhiker: @DannyDougherty Twitterers offer to get me places, I have to go to one of them. So I might come the States
DannyDougherty: So, you’re free as the wind, no personal goals you want to hit, eh?
twitchhiker: @DannyDougherty I am, but as a freelance, I still have to work. I’ve got my full time workload to fit in too
twitchhiker: @journalism_live There you go! Thanks everyone! That’s why this will work. It’s a brilliant community. Global but together #twitchhiker
journalism_live: Send any new Qs to @twitchhiker; have to get back to work. We’ll post link/s later via @journalismnews. Cheers @twitchhiker!
and then the party continued without us…
ITN has launched a free news application for the iPhone and iPod Touch.
It is the first, video-focused news application created for the Apple products and its special offline function allows users to access UK, world and sports news when they are out of wifi range, according to a press release from ITN.
“News is one of the biggest services on handsets and ITN has built a great reputation as a provider of high quality videojournalism on mobile,” said Nicholas Wheeler, managing director of multimedia division ITN On, in the release.
The application is available to download at the iTunes’ store – and at time of writing is the seventh most downloaded free news app from iTunes.
FT.com is also looking to tap into the iPhone market with plans to introduce a new site for the handset.
Conde Nast title Lucky has created an iPhone application that directly links to store inventories.