Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Day 1,095
So where do we go from here?Simply put, we don't know. (As if you couldn't tell that from our retrospectives.)
We've wrestled with what to do with the blog as we approached our deadline. It's our baby, so we'd love to see it continue, but we're different people now than we were when we first started this journey and we'd have to account for that. For sure, Ten95 as you know it will be taking a hiatus - likely brief, but potentially permanent - while we decide where we want to go with this. And when, or if, we decide to restart Ten95, it will likely be in a very different form than you've come to know it.
Know this: the "Ten95 Experience" has been a great one and that's thanks to you. From day one we got great, insightful and encouraging comments regarding our work and our lives. We had a community to vent our feelings to, and people who looked to our experiences as affirmation that they weren't alone in their struggles. We met young journalists who came to us for advice (which was humbling) and readers - seasoned veterans and rookies - who congratulated us on a project with such a unique perspective.
This experience has been one that we can safely say, made our first three years as journalists good ones and shaped our identities in the industry.
And for that, we thank you.
Sincerely,
The Ten95 Crew
The Ten95 Crew
P.S. -- For those of you who may need a Ten95 fix and will be in the Tampa area for the NABJ convention, 1/2 of the crew will be on a panel entitled "Reinvent Yourself, Not the Wheel"on August 4. And the rest of the crew will likely be hanging out in the audience, if you'd like to say hello.
Labels: convention, for journalism's sake, fun, growing pains, heart, inspiration, journalism, love, milestones, musings, NABJ, the industry, unity
continue...Thursday, August 21, 2008
Aaron's Tech Corner: Microphones
While at UNITY 2008 in Chicago, Veronica and Talia were panelists on an internship forum. I captured most of it on film, and was excited to post Ten95's first video...with us in it. Alas, the sound captured with my trusty Aiptek HD-DV camcorder was terrible. (That camera, by the way, is awesome! Just not for capturing the panel.)Why?
Well, mostly because the sound system in the convention center meeting room wasn't loud enough, and I had no way of "mic-ing up" the panelists or the moderator. Soooooo...when life presents you with lemons, you make another installment of Tech Corner. (Then you drink some lemonade.)
Click on image to view.
Labels: microphones, multimedia, tech corner, unity
continue...Thursday, August 07, 2008
Summer Survivial
One-third of the Ten95 crew participated in a panel during Unity called "Paying it Forward: How to Maximize Your Internship," as a part of the all-star crew that included recruiting phenom Joe Grimm, radio guru Doug Mitchell and reporting superstars Chloe Hilliard and Marlon Walker. Veronica moderated and I was a panelist.The room was packed. The kids were eager. The advice was super sound. Below are a few pics from event and our Top 20 lists of things to do -- and not to do -- while on a summer internship. The tips were written from a print perspective, but are applicable across mediums.
- DO learn who is who on the staff.
- DO understand that each staff is a living organism that you should easy your way into SLOWLY. Assertiveness is great but sometimes misplaced enthusiasm can rub some the wrong way.
- DON'T blog (Facebook or MySpace) about your internship. Your employer is watching and reading.
- DON'T feel a sense of entitlement while you're in a newsroom. Just because there are front page stories (or great packages) without writers, don't think that one is going to be yours.
- DO watch your editor to determine his or her work pattern and the best time of day (or week) to seek guidance and feedback.
- DO arrive 30 minutes early every day to get the best assignments. The early bird gets the worm. There are stories that your editor is probably waiting to assign as people come in for the day so make sure you're in the mix!
- DO cultivate a few relationships with people who understand your thought process well enough to be excellent references in the future and collect their business cards.
- DO offer to help out in any little way with a big story.
- DON'T jeopardize your credibility by having a romantic relationship during your internship --- especially not one with a permanent staffer.
- DON'T ever be hard to reach. Questions and opportunites can arise at any time.
- DON'T take criticism of your work personally. Work with your supervisors to make it better.
- DON'T say "I don't want to," and don't hesitate to say, "I'm not sure how, but I want to learn."
- DO make sure that you understand your assignment and ask detailed questions before you head out to report. You can write the best story in the world, but if its not what your editor requested, it won't earn you any points.
- DO make or beat your deadline.
- DO chat up other reporters. If you see a story someone did and you liked it or are interested in the process, ask them out for coffee or stop by their desk.
- DON'T forget to check every name, age, address and fact in your story, in addition to running spell check. No one likes messy copy.
- DON'T turn your nose up at any assignment. Small stories lead to bigger opportunities.
- DO ask for feedback. Midway through your internship, schedule a sit down with your editor/supervisor to discuss your performance to-date. What areas need work? In what areas are you excelling? What does your editor want to see going forward? Take the feedback to heart and work on the areas that need improvement.
- DO set tangible goals. Make a list that will serve as the roadmap to your internship. What skills do you want to learn? What particular stories or topics would you like to cover?
- DO come up with your own story ideas and pitch them to your editor.
(Photo captions from top to bottom: Talia answering a question on the panel; Chloe and Marlon dropping knowledge on the interns; Veronica keeping us all in line.)
Labels: internships, Job survival, NABJ, office politics, tips and tricks, unity
continue...Sunday, July 27, 2008
Beyond Unity
*sigh*Unity is over. Usually I'd be in denial after such a fun and eye-opening week of journalizing, but it's kinda hard to ignore the fact that I'm sitting in my DC apartment -- looking at the pile of clothes that, five days ago, were rejected from my suitcase.
I guess I know what I'm wearing to work tomorrow.
Lukewarm denial (and wardrobe considerations) aside, I can say, in three years of attending journalism conferences, this week has been the best for me yet. I returned home re-energized and ready to take on the journalism world -- something that, yes, is par for the course, but my rejuvenation is more amplified this time around.
Probably because it's a more targeted rejuvenation. Usually folks have a broad goal (become the best darn journalist/producer/whatever ever!), but little direction as to how to get there. Which is problematic, because excellence and success comes in steps. So it's key to figure out what path you want to take to your goal.
I used to have a hard time figuring out that path, but after this week, I've come up with my first step: I want to build a reputation on my broadcast writing. I found myself in workshops this week dealing with putting words together for news, including one with Dr. Roy Peter Clark of the Poynter Institute. And I realized -- I've gotten compliments and praise for my on-air writing before I even thought about the benefits of professional development. Imagine if I took more time to invest in that aspect of my craft. I could become a pretty bad mamma-jamma.
So that's my focus for now. Finding Veronica's Style of Broadcast Writing and getting it noticed. It'll take practice, training and seeking out advice and feedback -- all to enhance what (I'd like to think) is a natural ability.
But I know I'm not the only one rejuvenated after Unity. What steps are you taking so you can make your way to the top of the journalism world?
Labels: convention, inspiration, musings, unity
continue...Thursday, July 24, 2008
Ask and Ye Shall Receive
By 7:45 a.m. today, I was up, dressed and having breakfast with Arthur Sulzberger Jr., publisher of The New York Times.Yeah, I was doing it up. But not really.
See, the breakfast was sponsored by the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. In honor of the milestone, they invited alumni of their programs to this breakfast and conversation about the future of the industry with Sulzberger.
I ain't an alumni. But my boss is.
When I told her I was going to UNITY, she mentioned that she'd been invited to this breakfast and wouldn't be able to go. It sounded interesting so I asked.
"Do you think you could see if I could go in your place," I asked her. "Since I'll be there. I don't like mornings, but at conventions, I try to go to as many sessions and events as possible to take advantage of my time there. Just let me know if it is a possibility."
It was.
And the sausage, blueberry pastry and pineapple were mm mmm good.
That's one of the cardinal rules of internships, jobs, shoot, just life. Ask and ye shall receive. If there is an opportunity for you to even play a small part on a large project, or you see a reporter grumbling about a story you'd love to have, ask to help out. The absolute worst thing that can happen if you ask is that a person says no. At best, you'll have a great byline, or tagline on an important story and you'll build relationships with coworkers and gain reporting/interviewing/writing techniques by osmosis. So identify what you want, who might be able to give it to you, and see if they're willing to do so. You might be surprised at their answer.
To be honest, I almost didn't make it there this morning. Last night, we were out singing karaoke at a local club in the Sheraton lobby. I didn't make it to bed until 2:30 in the morning. So when that clock went off at 6:20 a.m., I pressed snooze.
And again at 6:45. And 7:00. In my head, I said no one would care if I missed this breakfast. And I'd get to sleep. But I'd asked and I really did want to go to the event. Plus, I was hungry.
So I dragged myself out of bed, threw together an outfit and hoofed it to the Sheraton. I found the room and hopped into the buffet line, figuring that by the time I got through it, everyone would have sat down and I'd be able to find a seat. I ended up standing behind Wil LaVeist, a former columnist at the Daily Press (the local paper in my college town) and we chatted it up about Hampton, his move away and back to the tidewater area (he now works for the Virginian-Pilot) and how I'm finding Providence. There was a vacant seat at his table, so we continued the chat over eggs and OJ.
The conversation, led by founder Dorothy Butler Gilliam (formerly of the Washington Post), centered on the changing industry and what our product and the journalists of tomorrow should look like. Among the highlights:
- In your newsroom, there should not be a newspaper division and a Web division, Sulzberger said. With the emphasis on the Internet as it is today, there should be one person coordinating the news and web postings for each section. Not one person coordinating the news and another posting it to the web. (Interesting because my paper is definitely set up with two distinct divisions)
- People have been predicting the death of newspapers for the last 10 years. But at the Times, Sulzberger said, the circulation has nearly doubled in recent years. While print readers have remained stagnant, the number of online readers has increased steadily.
- The average person spends 35 minutes a day with the paper; the average online reader spends 35 minutes a month on a newspaper Web site, he said. To survive, we have to find out how to make sites "stickier" so people will spend more time there.
- As we learn more about shooting video, writing stories and collecting audio, always remember the product. The tools are nice, but just remember you are using them to create quality work -- they shouldn't take away from that main goal.
- The Times is doing a great job with hiring minorities in its Web division, but those minorities are overwhelmingly Asian. They need a larger pool of qualified applicants from ALL backgrounds (hint: if you're trying to get in at the NYT, get your multimedia on).
I learned something else today, too. Sulzberger is pretty funny. He's a likeable guy -- at least from afar. Seems like it would be pretty cool to sit down to a cup of coffee with him.
Well, I at least got close to it today, just because I asked.
Labels: internships, Job survival, musings, NABJ, unity
continue...Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Live from Chicago, it's Ten95!
It's time for Unity! I'm finally in the Windy City, chillaxin' with fellow Ten95er Aaron in the Hyatt Regency as we wait for the for the rest of the crew to arrive (or for Marcus to answer his phone).It's not even noon yet, and already we're overwhelmed with what the week has in store for us. Receptions, parties, lunches, brunches and dinners... and that's just in the first two days!
But my primary focus right now is a Saturday afternoon workshop called Paying it Forward: How to Maximize Your Internship. No, I won't be among those in the audience taking notes. I'll be on the other side of the podium instead, running the show as moderator.
Yeah. Someone put me in charge.
There will be another member of the Ten95 Brat Pack right there with me too. Talia is one of our panelists, along with fellow young journos Marlon Walker and Chloe Hilliard, and veteran recruiters Joe Grimm and Doug Mitchell. (And you can probably count on seeing the rest of our cohorts causing trouble somewhere in the room.)
But there's a bit of a dilemma: We have six professionals with one very important subject to talk about. And we only 90 minutes in which to talk about it.
Clearly -- and regrettably -- we won't be able to cover everything we want in just one session.
Thank goodness for the blog. The Ten95 crew is jumping on the internship advice bandwagon and will be posting on the subject throughout the convention. (And maybe, if we're lucky, our esteemed recruiters will even guest blog. *wink wink, nudge nudge*) That way, we have a place to share all the wisdom that time won't allow on Saturday, as well as all the reeeeeally, reeeeeally important stuff that does make it into the discussion, and that's worth discussing again.
So while you take in the sights of the Chi, be sure to keep one eye glued to this space for internship advice and all kinds of other Ten95 coverage from Unity. Happy Convention!
Labels: convention, internships, unity
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