Social Media Effects

As we approach the end of high school and near the start of college, it's a good idea to start thinking about your social media presence online. As much as we think accounts are private, it's on the internet so obviously it's out there for people to see.

As far as colleges looking up students, I have mixed feeling toward the subject. I know colleges are just trying to filter out people who might not be favored at their college, but it also leaves a lot of room for error. There are too many people in this world, the chances of mixing someone up online with a different person is extremely likely. I know two different people with the same name just in Johnson County. The content that people post online sometimes might be altered from what they really mean. I know there's a whole "don't say it if you don't mean it" aspect but that's not really true in real life either.

But at the same time you should filter what you post online. Negative pictures of yourself can portray a negative image even if you aren't like that in real life. Cussing online or crude comments can also effect your persona. Sure, most of the people who "follow" or are "friends" with you online actually know you and know how you are in person, but every once in a while, one of your "followers" is a faceless person whom you don't know. This person can develop false pretenses about you and or spread them to others who don't know you, just your name. This is how bad reputations are built too. It really bothers me when people post pictures of them doing illegal things as well. 1) It's illegal. 2) This is just you begging to not be accepted into a school or hired at a job.

When it comes down too it, use your common sense. If you can't do that, think of it this way: would you want your parents to see it? If the answer is no, then you probably shouldn't post it. Be careful because these posts could ruin your life if you let them.

ONW...NOW Reflection

In this edition of ONW...NOW! I took on the "star" of the show (in the news room that's the anchor). Anchoring was actually really fun despite the nerves I had about it. Your job is to present the information, you're the one everyone is watching. You have to be cool and collected, which I think I was. It was my first time anchoring too, so for having no experience, I did pretty well.

I could improve on my sentence fluency. I pretty much just read off the teleprompter which probably sounded a little choppy. I also mentioned how I was nervous, which made me more tense than normal.
Just being more relaxed would be something I need to work on.

As a whole, our class needs to get the overall feel of the show. Our roles are limited and everyone should know how to run everything. People are good at specific aspects of ONW...NOW! Some have mastered the soundboard, some are great anchors, but that's all they know. Each week if there are people missing, we struggle because we don't know how to fill that person's role. If we all knew (or almost all) how to do more than one job, the show would run so much smoother and quicker. However, we do have some interesting stories. We do a good job of coming up with things that students want to hear about. The packages and the music going along with them fits in; made by students, for students. It works because we know what will be entertaining to our fellow classmates.

ONW...NOW! I feel is always going to be a work in progress. Hopefully throughout the year we become better and more experienced as a class.

Who are you as a journalism student?

My name is Ashley Couch; I am a journalism student and I am proud to be one. My work ethic has been equal to how interesting my stories are and so far I think they've been pretty interesting. It's fun to see things happen and tell it back to people. Making students more aware in my school is actually really exciting and I'm happy to take part in that. My style as far as web writing is very relaxed. I feel as if people can comprehend better if I make things relatable, almost like you're having a conversation with them. However keeping professional is part of the job, but you shouldn't be afraid to have a little fun with it.

I've learned many things this year and one of the most important things is to just roll with it. Especially when broadcasting, you have to learn to go with the flow. You messed up? That sucks, skip over it like nothing happened because everyone makes mistakes. Being on both sides of the camera is something everyone needs to experience. I've both anchored and been switcher which are two super important jobs. I mean all jobs are important when producing a show but it's up to you in both positions to make things run smoothly. It's good to have experience in a couple areas so you're not limited to just one. It's like a restaurant, you see what's going on in the dinning room but not what's in the kitchen. But still both sides balance each other out.

I look forward to moving on to bigger and better things. Developing my skills is important if I want to become successful. Going into a journalistic career is a very good possibility but really knowing the ends and outs of journalism would help you in any career. To get information across successfully in any way shape or form is going to push you forward in the steady flow of humanity and social darwinism. This class has helped me get ahead in mass communication as well as in other, smaller aspects of life.



Links to written stories:

http://www.onwravens.net/ravendaily/review-smash-burger/

http://www.onwravens.net/ravendaily/student-profile-maddie-schneider/

http://www.onwravens.net/ravendaily/soccer-recap-onw-vs-oe/

http://www.onwravens.net/ravendaily/fall-sports-anticipation/

http://www.onwravens.net/ravendaily/tips-and-tricks-of-the-lunchroom/