The beginning of my day at the Daily Freeman was typical..JRCChat! I really have started to enjoy the chats because I really do learn a lot just by watching. I am starting to get the desire to add my own to sense as well; however, it is intimidating all the same. Luckily, Ivan shared a link today that has encouraged me to try to get involved in the next chat!
Today the topic of discussion was implementing web tools into journalism. We talked about using maps for stories that involve traffic, road detours or closures, crime, weather, foreclosures, the census, or local locations (holiday lights, grand openings, etc). The question is who is going to put these maps together? Using web tools has become easy enough for any regular, every-day reporter to create. You no longer need to be a web designer, or a programmer to come up with these things. Therefore reporters should be able to create maps and graphs on their own.
We also talked about using Google Documents and Scribd to upload government documents, programs for festivals or events, or excerpts from papers. These can be embedded into a website or a blog and can be scrolled down to read from that specific website, or can be printed out as well.
After talking about timelines last week, everyone at the Journal Register Company who was in the #JRCChat agreed that timelines are indeed worth the time and can be very useful when it comes to online journalism. Although there is still some discussion over which is more effecient- TimeToast or Dipity.
One problem that there seems to be in newsrooms all over the place is that some people are not exactly on board to learn how to use these web tools. The chat discussed ways to get other reporters excited to use web tools. Some suggestions included being patient when teaching other people, letting others know that it is okay to make mistakes with the tools, and sharing knowledge about the tools with others. More suggestions included having sessions in which people can learn step by step how to use specific tools, and forcing people to learn to use web tools rather than waiting around for them to decide it is necessary.
It was after the chat that the headache started. Ivan asked me to search for KMZ and KML files. These files are only to be opened using Google Maps or Google Earth. When it comes to this kind of specific technology, I am completely lost. I actually start to feel queasy thinking about it.
The most I can really understand about it is that KML is a type of file and KMZ is KML zipped. That is really all I understand about the files. I figured out that if you can download one of those files and open it up in Google Earth, it is really really cool to play around with because it is so interactive. The problem that I ran into is that they are hard to find.
Maybe I was just looking in the wrong spot, searching for the wrong terms; but as I continued to search for these files my head began spinning faster and faster.
I finally downloaded a KML file that had to do with the Hudson Valley Estuary Drainage . I downloaded it and then used Google Earth to open it. This is what i saw...
The map is interactive and you can zoom in and out as much as you want. It also includes layers in which you can decide if you want to see photos, roads, traffic lights, etc.
After playing around with that for a while I started to look up information on the 2010 Census results. I wanted to make a chart or map of some sort with the results; however, the results for New York State had yet to come out. So instead, I started thinking about what kinds of maps and graphs could be created once the results do come out.
A map or line graph of the increases in population of each county in the Hudson Valley would be interesting; you could also measure in the decrease in population of surrounding areas.
An interactive map of the shift in immigration might also be an interesting aspect to use a web tool for. I found some sites with more interactive tools to use, but I am not going to give them away until I have a chance to play with them with real numbers from the Census in the upcoming weeks.
Until then, click this.
And this.
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