About - Blog - Comm 361 - Stories - ConnectMason - More

Phil Meyer’s Journalism 2.0: How to Survive and Thrive is a succinct, easy-to-read manual for using the new tools necessary to survive as a journalist on the web.

Managing File Size

Meyer explains the importance of managing file sizes, and decodes bits, bytes, and ASCII ("As-kee") characters for the reader. He provides basic guidelines for how big a file you should use in certain situations. For email, he recommends a file size no larger than 1MB, and offers FTP as a suggestion for those who need to send big files like pictures out to multiple recipients.

The information offered here is basic, but even experienced computer users don’t always know the fundamentals behind the tasks they carry out every day. For example, that a single typed character takes one byte of memory (open up notepad and try it!) or how many bytes are in a kilobyte.

The Internet

Meyer gives a basic definition of the internet: a group of computers that are connected and able to share information. He explains that the World Wide Web is just one facet of the Internet. Other ways to access information are instant messaging or e-mail applications.

The information covered in this section is a retread for most internet users, but is helpful as a guideline for what basic knowledge necessary to understand the main topic of the chapter: RSS.

All About RSS

What is RSS? Really Simple Syndication. RSS is a subscription feature that allows you to compile new entries from multiple web sources in one place. Your RSS reader feed sorts the entries for you and loads new ones on its own.

First You Need a Reader. Meyer suggests just doing a google search for RSS readers. Firefox users can use their browser’s optional plugin do display the feeds.

Putting it in Context. Meyer’s explanation for why people are using RSS feeds – and why news organizations are providing feeds for their content – deals with information management. More people are cutting out home pages and going straight to the articles, he says, and news organizations are following the lead of readers by changing the way they offer information.

For some, this means they can no longer rely on readers to navigate to their main page to see their ads. They can resist the change by allowing only a paragraph or two to be read by RSS feed, or find a way to adapt. Websites like www.MyLATimes.com are adapting by offering RSS feeds themselves where readers can personalize what news comes up on their homepage.

Other Things to Try on the Web

Meyer also suggests readers give instant messaging a try – His audience reaches across a broad age range, but most college students and teens would have trouble living without either an instant messenger or a social network. For those new to instant messaging, he lists fun and convenience as the main reasons to try it.

But there are a few other great reasons to IM that he doesn’t touch on. For example, the ability to have simultaneous conversations with multiple peers using not only words, but also images, links, and rapid file transfer. Instant messaging is daily communication with the tools of the web.

Finally Meyer gives a rundown on how to use FTP – a convenient tool for sending large files, but only if you have access to an FTP server or you want to send a file to someone who does.

He explains the login system and the dual folder system. Your computer’s file structure will be on the left side of the FTP window, and the FTP’s structure will be on the right. To transfer a file, just drag it from your folder to an appropriate folder on the right.

Back to Stories.