Red Sox fans connecting on social media

"Social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter have created a kind of virtual sports bar — a place to debate, vent, strategize, and bond — as the game unfolds. It creates a sense of connection, of being part of a bigger group, many say, even when they are alone on the couch." ~ Peter Schworm 

So, I stumbled upon this interesting article this morning on The Boston Globe about social media and the Red Sox. The overall point of the article is to show the ever-evolving community of social media playing a role in our lives. For instance, there are plenty of avid sport fans (like myself), who love to share their own opinions online. Twitter and Facebook are key social media sites to find where this "venting" is going on, according to Globe writer Peter Schworm up above. Schworm gives great insight on how these media sites create a "connection" to people from all over the globe watching the same game. 

These statistics only further prove this growing community:

"This year, 64 percent of avid fans reported using Twitter during a game, up from 53 percent a year earlier, according to a fan survey by Catalyst, a consulting company.

After the game, 70 percent used Facebook, up from 55 percent." ~ Peter Schworm

The fact that in a year the use of twitter by avid fans grew as much as 53% from last year is staggering. Next year, it will grow even more, I guarantee it! 

"During Monday’s game, an estimated 500,000 Tweets were sent, and were read by well over 60 million people.

“Nothing is as much fun as watching a game with like-minded people,” he said.

A sense of connection is key for far-flung Red Sox fans, who say it helps them experience the passion around the team from afar.

Annie Clark, a Massachusetts native who now lives in New Jersey, said perusing Twitter during a game provides her with a digital community of kindred spirits." ~ Peter Schworm

Schworm goes into statistics, but then get's a perspective from Annie Clark, who feels this sense of connection over the digital community who shares the same passion as other people she interacts with. Not only does this form of social media seem positive, it really sets a bridge between people who need connecting. The article was well organized with statistics, commentary from people, and a well-rounded filter of the importance of this connection is to avid sport fans. It is also a great time for this article to come out, since the World Series is among us all. 

P.S The Red Sox are going to win the World Series tonight! Go SOX!!!! 

Why I am not worried about not getting a job with a Journalism degree.

Jobs are hard to come by right now, especially with college students. You work hard, you pay loads and loads of money to get an education and then when it comes to finding jobs it's tough. I see all these things, I hear all these things, but I won't let it get to me.

 If you graduate with an Engineer degree, yeah you will probably find a job faster than someone with a Journalism degree. All my roommates are engineers in the making, and well I am the oddball. The more I think about being an oddball to the world of no-jobs, I shake it off. I will be happy wherever life takes me. Journalists are needed in this world, and I am a true believer in that.

 News will never die, so journalists won't either. In order to get a job, you have to work for it and I feel like if I get involved more in writing, TNH, and the world around me I will be successful. Writing is a passion and it is something I will be dedicated to doing for the rest of my life. So when people tell me "Good luck finding a job", I am going to say "Thanks", because I won't have a job, or even work a day in my life. Why? Because I will love what I do, and that's not working.

How I can make sure I get a job with a Journalism degree:

1) Keep writing

2) Keep reading

3) Keep asking questions

4) Get involved

5) Establish yourself as a credible resource

6) Make your presence known (in a good way)

7) Complete an internship

8) And still keep writing

I'm sick and tired of just being average, and just getting by. It's about time I start putting my foot in the door and make a dream a reality. BRING IT ON.

P.S. The Kendrick Lamar concert was great, even though people just wouldn't stop pushing to get to the front of the stage. Red Sox lost recently bringing the series knotted at 1-1. They play tonight in St. Louis for game three. So, I will be sticking my head in the TV screen tonight. Go Sox! #BostonStrong

Max Brooks and other random stuff going on this week.

Well, I have a story for next week which is a plus from last week's struggle to get all my sources in. I am doing an article on NY Times Best-Selling author Max Brooks (World War Z), and it is also a speech article. The lecture took place this past Monday in the Granite State Room, and it was fantastic. He was not only an entertainer, he was funny, engaging and he was honest.

 He didn't B.S any questions that went his way such as a question asked by a UNH student in the crowd: so what inspired you to write about zombies? Brooks answered, "No one has ever wrote a novel about them before, so I wrote it." It was the short and sweet responses, that made Brooks believable. With constantly pointing out to the people in the crowd, he made the people who were there for him be equal. With that said, on to other exciting things.

 The Red Sox are playing amazing, including their recent 8-1 beat down against the NLCS champions St. Louis Cardinals last night in game one of The World Series. Game two is tonight and it would be superb if the beloved BoSox get the victory, along with the commanding 2-0 lead in the biggest stage of baseball. Also, tonight I will be attending the Kendrick Lamar concert and I am beyond pumped. A little over a month ago, I had to wait 8 hours in line to get student-floor tickets to go to this concert, which will be held at the Whittemore Center.

For those who don't know Kendrick Lamar, he is the hottest rapper right now, and deserves the title of the Best Rapper out right now. He is a great lyricist, story-teller, and an amazing free-styler. I am hoping those hours waiting in line for tickets will pay off after tonight's concert. I am also hoping no one gets hurt at this concert, especially after the recent events with Wildcat fellow students dying at concert scenes. The rest of the week will be watching the Red Sox, Bruins and Patriots. I can't help that I am a beloved Boston sports fan.

 I will also be working on homework, including the article. So with this all said and done, I will be getting ready for the concert. Oh, and I just read an interesting article on The Boston Globe about how today marks the official date to where The Boston Globe is bought by Red Sox owner John Henry.

An article I had to squid out

I am not a fan of being late. That includes everything, whether it is a meeting, a class, sporting event, television show, date, anything. It turns out that this week story that I have spent a couple days working on just hasn't been working in my favor. Not being able to get in touch with a UNH campus fire chief really was something that bothered me.

 I spent a couple of times calling and leaving messages, but I was unable to get a call back in order to get credible quotes to the story I was working on. I was able to receive quotes from students, UNH Dining Hall director, but I needed to speak with the fire chief to bring my article at full-circle. It is just unfortunate because it wasn't the lack of me not trying to get this article done, it was the lack of response from the source that I needed.

 All in all, it leaves me with using my pass to "squid" out an article that is due for the class. Stories are getting hard to come by for me as it seems, and I knew this story would have been a good thing to write about, but I knew if I didn't have the quote from the fire chief that this article would have lacked credibility, so I have to dismiss it. However, I do have an article in mind for this coming week and I am excited for that. I think I just need more practice on finding stories, and really getting the sources I need. Maybe if I took a trip up to the fire department I would have been in better luck than trying to get in touch via phone.

The more I think of it, the more I feel like I cheated myself out of an article, because that would have been a great thing to do. All in all, I am late with this article, and the pass will have to be used. Am I disappointed? A little bit, but at least this pass will be used and it will push myself more to go out and find a story then laying back on a pass to just get me by.

It's a win-win situation for me and I am one to look on the brighter things in life. I take this past "fail" attempt at an article as I lesson learned, and that is not to give up, and to always keep pushing for answers; whether it is going out your way to get in touch with someone or simply looking at other angles to take into consideration with finding a story within a story.

Covering UNH men's hockey

Last night I was at the Whittemore Center for the UNH vs Michigan men's hockey game. The best thing about being there was being able to cover the game from the press box. I had an opportunity to go to the game with one of my co-workers from TNH and cover the game, and I jumped right on it! The game was fast-paced, exciting, at the edge of your seat thriller type of game that went into overtime.

The game resulted in a tie 1-1, however it was just a great atmosphere to be in. I envy all the other journalist or media people who live showing up to these types of games on a regular basis. Someday I would like to be apart of that consistently. During the game my job was to write a side-bar story, which is a side story on a particular event, player that stands out in the game. These stories range from 500-600 words, and are directed to the reader for a more in-depth look on something they might have not seen at the game.

For instance, Michigan's starting goaltender went out, which allowed there back up (a freshman) a shot to play, and it was his first ever game in net. Right there is a story, and to some people out in the crowds, might have not realized that this goaltender was a freshman and was playing in his first game. The side-bar story that I decided to write about is how UNH is using two goaltenders in the season, at least for now. There is a little controversy with two goaltenders switching in and out of starts, however it brings up a good story to write about. Jeff Wyer took the start last night in net, and today Casey DeSmith will be in net for the Wildcats.

So, it is interesting to see what UNH Head Coach Dick Umile is trying to do with this swapping of goalies so early in the season. Is it because he is trying to decide which goaltender to ride during the crucial last part of the season? Or is it because he has two solid goaltenders who he can play back and forth, thus allowing the opposing team to be on their heels to whom they are preparing for in net? Either way it is really to early to make predictions, but it is an interesting topic to discuss as a side-bar story.

Getting the experience to cover the most popular sport here on campus is very exciting, and it is something I hope to get involved in more often. From being in the press box to asking interviews around a wide body of media in the media room is just so cool. With this type of experience, I can almost taste the work life I will be pursuing, and doing after college.

Working for TNH this semester and future goals.

I just came back from a staff writers meeting tonight, and I felt like writing about TNH. This is now my second year working for the student-run newspaper and it has just been a great experience. I first started out as a contributor last September, until I got hired in October for the staff writing position. I have been in sports the whole time, and I love it.

Sports and writing is a passion of mine, so it is obviously the perfect match! However, I would like to experiment with other articles other than sports to write about. That's a goal of mine. Another goal of mine is being given the title of sports editor, and I think I have a great shot for next year.

Things have been going well, and my articles are really improving. Including my last article, where my editors praised about how well it was written. It has given me huge confidence in the next articles I will be writing. I really think News Writing 621 has helped with my article's being better. My next sport I will be covering for TNH is men's basketball, and I am excited for that starting in November. I have never written about basketball, so I think it will be a great experience to get my hands in another sport.

Overall, TNH has given me a great opportunity to tune in my writing skills, and also shape me into a better news writer. Another goal of mine is to participate in production nights this semester, which is helping the paper be put out for the following morning. I think it will also be a great opportunity for me to learn the tools and trade of how a newsroom works as far as playing with the technology, setting up articles in the paper, formatting, and all that good stuff that makes a newspaper. It is going to be exciting, and I can't wait to start doing more. The more I do, the better I will get.

Boston Globe article reaction: Together despite all, glimpsing the distant finish.

This article was simply amazing. Sarah Schweitzer beautifully crafted a profile of Marc Fucarile, an injured victim of the Boston bombings that took place last April. Schweitzer opens the article with an image, that draws the reader in.

"Three days had passed since the bombs went off.

Doctors had done what they could and left him to recover in a coma. She was sitting by his side when he opened his eyes. There was panic in them.

She asked him: Who’s the most beautiful girl in the world? It was a question he had posed rhetorically and answered a thousand times.

Jenny May, he whispered. He remembered." ~ Sarah Schweitzer

In the opening lines we get a beautiful, yet touching image of Fucarile's fiancee waiting at his hospital bed. Not only does Schweitzer paint an image, she brings in the relationship of these two people without mentioning it.  

As the long piece goes on, Schweitzer continues to craft the story well. She breaks down the piece into several subheadings, that represent the main idea, and also the long journey of being at a hospital bed to where the two stand today.

One of my favorite moments of this piece is when Schweitzer focuses in on the struggle, and busy schedule of her catering to her injured fiancee months after the bombing.

"THREE WEEKS into being home, they are rarely there.

The refrigerator-mounted white board on Aug. 6 is typical: Monday: 11:30 a.m. Dr. Kwon @ MGH; Tuesday: 10 a.m. PT @ Peabody Spaulding, 2:15 p.m. Dr. Goverman @ MGH; Wednesday 10:15 a.m. Dr. Crandell, 11:15 a.m. Speech therapy, 3 p.m. Dr. Schneider @ Spaulding; Thursday: 9:30 a.m. visiting nurse; Friday: PT 10:30 a.m., OT 11:30 a.m.

Jen pads out of the bedroom shortly before 9 a.m. Her hair is combed into wet pleats and her skin is scrubbed to a taut sheen. Eyeliner seems to hold her eyes open." ~ Sarah Schweitzer

Not only does Schweitzer describe "they are really there" with the overwhelming number of appointments in the week, but closes it out with Jen being drained out from the words "eyeliner seems to hold her eyes open." Schweitzer displays of in the moment scenes, and that takes the reader back a bit on the journey as a whole. What makes this profile so great, is her descriptions, her ways of picking the right scenes to fit the article, and the lasting appeal this article carries. It is heavenly thriving on emotion, and it really makes the piece, because it is such a serious profile on a serious event that took place a few months ago. 

Going into my profile, I wanted to strive to paint an image, and most importantly get the lasting appeal and I believe this article is something to strive for, because it is just so great. 

Check out the article here:

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2013/10/12/together-despite-all-glimpsing-distant-nish/oXFtpHuZqmOn430ddmtNbM/story.html  

Speech story continued.....or not?

Turns out the speech story is not happening anymore. Being a writer series, Collier was there to read a few of his poems and well that was it. Getting a speech out of poems and a few words regarding how he created them is not bulletin material, therefore I went after a profile with the UNH soccer team, whom I write for on a weekly basis for the school newspaper: TNH. The profile will be covering UNH goalkeeper Travis Worra, who is having a breakout year in net, so I though it was newsworthy since he is No.2 in the country with goals against average, and save percentage. It was kind of depressing not to be able to do a speech story, since I thought it would be interesting to see how a poet creates his/her poems, and how long the writing process takes. The speech story will live another day in due time. The profile piece is interesting, because I look into the background of Worra, the road to get to UNH, and well to where he is now. It's always interesting to see how student athletes do what they do, and well getting to talk to a few of them, they are just as human as everyone. Obviously they are playing on a scholarship, so they have to live up to high standards, and on top of that show up to class, and do well in school. If the profile didn't work, then I could have a potential wide range of stories since it is homecoming weekend, and well there was a heck of a lot of tailgating going on today. Overhearing a police officer, and some other people who were in the area of the tailgate witnessed over 6,000 people tailgating, which is one of the bigger numbers the campus has seen in over 20 years. It would have been interesting to look into homecoming weekend as a whole, and how it is a getaway for students/alumni to get together and celebrate. Overall, I was satisfied with my work, even though I had to switch up a last minute story, but that's what journalists have to do. They have to adjust, think on their feet, and well I think I'm learning how to do just that early on. It's a good sign!

Speech Day

Today I will take a crack at reporting a speech. Oh. Boy. I am a tad bit nervous about it, because it's out of my comfort zone on writing. However, it will be quite interesting how I will come up with a good story behind it. The speech will be taking place in a few hours on campus as part as a writing series taken place at the MUB.

 I did some research on the speaker (Michael Collier) before hand, so I at least have an idea of what he is about. He is a poet, a very acclaimed one as a matter of fact. So, it should be interesting on what he has to say. I NEED GOOD QUOTES. Good quotes are going to fuel the story, and well since it is a speech.....it kinda has too don't you think? Writing has been on my side so far, and I feel good about whatever I write, but it will not matter how good my writing is unless I have some good quotes. They can't be cliches, and they can't be irrelevant.

Coming into this speech, I am going to try to depict a quote that will resemble the whole lecture as a whole, basically pertaining to why Collier is here at UNH doing a lecture. News Writing 621's book of "Inside Reporting" has been a great tool for me, and has given me some ideas of how to go about writing this speech story effectively.

 So there you have it. I have a plan, and I have a speech story to cover today, and I am looking forward to getting this checked off from the series of different articles I have to write. I will inform you all on the aftermath of this lecture later on, and hopefully it will be all good news shared!

Scavenger Hunt: Rob, Olivia, Tucker.

Allie Stagler uses a moped because it's easy transportation, more affordable than a car, and easier to use. 

"It's a great way to get to and from classes, or going somewhere, rather than having to worry about parking a car", Stagler said.

137 mopeds are registered at UNH campus. Mopeds have smaller engines and most do not require a motorcycle license except for a speed over 40cc, while a motorcycle is the complete opposite: faster, bigger in all aspects. 

Amanda Taitle's favorite flavor: Toasted Coconut

"I'd definitely have to say Toasted Coconut", Taitle said.

37 different flavors of ice cream and frozen yogurt at the Dairy Bar restaurant.
Vanilla, Chocolate, Strawberry, Coffee, Moosetracks, Black Raspberry, Apple Pie, Pistachio, Cookie Dough, Chocolate Lovers, Cake Batter, Mint Chocolate Chip, Maple Walnut, LL Bean Muddy Boots, Black Bear, Chocolate Chip, Maine Lobster Tracks, Toasted Coconut, Cookies and Cream, Pumpkin, Graham Central, Mango Sherbert, Raspbery Sherbert, Cappucino Yogurt, Black Raspberry Chip Yogurt, SF Vanilla W/ Raspberry Ripple , Chocolate PB Yogurt, Peppermint Stick, Fly Fishing Fudge, Hot Fudge, Caramel, Strawberry, Brownie, Vanilla Yogurt, Dutch Chocolate, Twist Yogurt, Orange Yogurt.

Swasey Swimming Pool

30,000 - 40,000 gallons of water are in the pool.

"The temperature is on average 80 degrees on any given day," Jean Mitchell said.

5 examples of how government shutdown has affected UNH Campus: Financial Aid Office, Veteran Affairs, NOAA, UNH Joint Center for Ocean Observing Technology, Professors doing research, and Carsey Institute. 

"In late October the veterans affair office will run out of money for GI bill payments, pension payments and disability payments", Lady from veteran affairs said. 

Boston Globe reading : Miley Cyrus

I recently read a great article on the view of Miley Cyrus, a well-known pop star in this day and age by James Reed. In this article, Reed attacks the reader with an image of Miley Cyrus seen by many of people across the world with her recent outings of being ridiculous, too-sexy, raunchy, and over the top seductive performances on a national stage. Yet, this article breaks down why Miley Cyrus is doing what she is doing. It's for attention, and it's to be even more successful than she already is. 

"Yes, I thought her performance at the MTV Video Music Awards was tasteless. Yes, her twerking skills leave a lot to be desired. Yes, I’d like for her to put her tongue back in her mouth. Yes, she’s officially overexposed." - James Reed
 I love how he opens up the article with having the same acknowledgement as the common crowd.  Reed then goes into how he loves the new album, and how Miley Cyrus is really not doing anything different than what other great pop stars have done in the past. He expresses this as an artist trying to "gain independence", as well as separate herself from the norm. 

"That bump and grind at the VMAs was a rite of passage. It put her in the pantheon of pop stars who use that stage to declare their independence. There was Madonna writhing on the floor to “Like a Virgin” in 1984, not to mention those lip locks she planted on Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera nearly two decades later. Spears, too, has raised eyebrows on the show, notably with her striptease to “Satisfaction” in 2000." - James Reed

Reed uses sources of great pop icons from the past to further his argument that Miley Cyrus is not that different from what we have seen. 

As the article finishes, Reed comes to a reason of conclusion, that Cyrus chooses her fate, and not other people. She is independent, she is growing, and she is learning. Her recent phase of acts is helping to further her career, and is establishing herself as a person who is independent, has a voice and is not afraid of being different. While others frown upon her by some of her acts, others are praising it as an art form, and a success at being an entertainer. When it came to music in her new album, Reed revealed that her music had no effect on her personality, but that her recent triggering of performances will lead to many people to listen to her music and buy it. 

What I liked so much about this article was that in grabbed interest, because Miley Cyrus is a popular figure right now. I enjoyed the comparisons from other people in the past to establish the argument that Miley Cyrus is trying to find new ground: independence. Also how Reed digs deep into the actions and what they really stand for from Miley Cyrus, and how it ties down into business, and gaining a new status of a higher pop icon in today's age. Reed's language was simple, intriguing, and his handling of subject to subject throughout the piece made it a very interesting read, and I feel like this could be a tool for a different style I can use in a future article. 

The interviewing process in hindsight.

The past two stories has been fun. The interviewing hasn't really been a challenge to me surprisingly. I feel like it's been easier is because I am asking the right questions. Like the NPR assignments we had to listen to, I adapted to ask short and sweet questions that avoids a yes or no answer, and I also make comments in between while the person I am interviewing talks to make me sound not only interested, but paying attention to what that person has to say. By doing this, I get good quotes, and the answers I am looking for. 

"Sawatsky's rules are simple, but he says they get broken all the time: Don't ask yes-or-no questions, keep questions short and avoid charged words, which can distract people." ~ David Folkenflik

Sawatsky expresses the effective ways to conduct an interview, and as long as you are doing these few things, you are going to succeed. In both of my stories I felt that I did indeed ask the right questions, and the sources I used were credible. There was no unanswered questions, and it felt great to walk away from an interview knowing you did the best you could at getting answers.  As far as improvements go, there is always room for that. The more I interview, the better I will get and I think that's the only way I am going to improve. When I walk into an interview, I don't have questions written up. I am in more for the moment, and I think if you have good knowledge of what you are interviewing then you are going to have effective questions to bring to the table regardless if you have them written down or not.  I believe my sources were attributed correctly. Putting in quotes that gave the article justice rather than filler makes it effective.  Concerning sources, they have to be good, reliable, and credible to your article. When I attacked my story, I went to the performer of the event ( Mike Super), and his stage/visual manager, because they were the center pieces of the event. Also, I had to get into the audiences reactions to the show, so I went from an older woman, to a younger gentlemen, and a woman in my interview. I went for a diversity of different views instead of sticking with a couple of guys, or a couple of girls all in the same age bracket. I feel like it gives the reader a more understanding of the vent by different opinions of different people. 

My goal coming into my next article.

In my last article, I was able to get some solid quotes but I wasn't satisfied. Maybe it was because I felt like the majority of the people I interviewed had little or the same thing to say. So, now it comes to my goal to prevent that. Instead of talking to 3-5 people, I am going to talk to as many people as I can possibly get and find the better quotes to contribute to my article. I also learned that instead of quoting everything someone said, I could paraphrase the unimportant quotes as a filler to inform the reader as long as that filler is important to the article. Since this article is going to be covering an entertainer, my goal will be to entertain the reader. I am going to strive to be really descriptive, to paint an image in the reader just as if they were there at the event. Instead of sticking to common ground, I guess you could say I wan't to step out of the comfort zone with this one.

The comfort zone I find myself in is writing to what I know. What's the fun in writing if you already know? I rather not know. Whether its an event I am covering, a lecture, a meeting. I want to walk into it without any knowledge, and with that mind state I will ask many questions which will help fuel my writing later on. Doing things different will help me adapt not only as a person, but in my skills. I may have the ability to gather information well, but to grasp something that is foreign to me is a thing I want to work on, and with that the million questions will follow until I am comfortable with the answers. It's like news articles. People tend to read the same one's on a particular topic, well for me it's like writing in the same way. If you want it to be interesting, you have to do something no one has done before and that is what I am going to strive to do in this next article!