Microblogging: “Tweet Tweet”

Having previously been a regular Twitter user, I had not thought much into Twitters relationship with journalism, let alone tweeting being classified as something called ‘microblogging.’ Microblogging is a broadcast medium that falls under the category of blogging. It differs from a traditional blog because its word count is often short in length, thereby encouraging the author to publish more frequent posts. Clearly recognisable as a function of Twitter, I want to tell my experience of becoming a citizen journalist and using Twitter to communicate with an audience on a journalistic rather than sociable level.

When discussing Twitter in light of microblogging, I see the 140 character posts in relation to ‘soundbites.’ From an array of information and ideas, the author has chosen a short extract, or snippet that best reflects what they want to say. In essence the micro blogger is giving his or her audience a preview of the wider story and over the course of a few tweets, drip feeding them with news and information.

Screenshot: My Twitter 

Having practised and written over the last couple of years coherent, precise news stories that followed the step by step regulations of traditional journalism, microblogging seemed a bit of a problematic task at first. It was almost like giving the audience the headline and then cutting out the main body of text, leaving them wondering what comes next. In many way’s this does have its perks. It means that the author can be more adventurous in their tweeting, they can produce a few sentences and entice their followers to return to their Twitter page to see what they have to post next.

I published a few follow on tweets:

Screenshot: My Twitter

Posting pictures and links alongside tweets could sometimes be very frustrating, as both forms of material take up a lot of the word count, therefore limiting even more what you can say. However, I believe that pictures and links are necessary in forming an engaging tweet, allowing them to speak for themselves. I tended to include a lot of links in my tweets so my followers could be re-directed to other sources of information that could further their knowledge and meant I didn’t really need the extra characters anyway.

Screenshot: My Twitter

Likewise with imagery. It’s always thoughtful as a micro blogger to show your audience with a photograph what you are simply trying to say. Also the use of the image can immediately liven up a tweet and tailor it to ‘you,’ personalising the information sourced. As discussed in my previous blog posts, news lovers in a digital era are craving the subjectivity in their news reading.

Screenshot: My Twitter

Screenshot: My Twitter

Like I previously said, I used Twitter more on a social basis and the use of the #hashtag was not something I had really thought much about. When using my own personal account, I didn’t really feel the need to connect with an audience beyond my own followers. However, since using my ‘journalism’ account and posting tweets on topics that would be of interest to those outside of my followers, I decided to incorporate the hashtag. A trending hashtag is the most popular and these change on a daily basis, however, a frequently used hashtag will attract a substantial amount of Twitter users to your tweet. I believed that because I was in essence a citizen journalist sourcing news, using a tool that would encourage more users to read and take notice of my tweets was extremely important in circulating news and spreading it across the Twitter platform.

Screenshot: My Twitter

Twitter offered other forms of engagement, such as polls and retweeting. I found I did not recieve a lot of votes on my polls, so if I was gathering responsive information this would not be very beneficial. 

Screenshot: My Twitter

Using the retweet button was always a good move. It enabled me to collect and post other sources of news on my own Twitter page, which added to my previous tweets or acted as a building block for my future tweets. I wanted my followers to see other views from organisations or indviduals. This further heightened the attraction of my Twitter. 

Screenshot: My Twitter

Screenshot: My Twitter

Having contributed to my own blog and being an English student meant I was all too familiar with expressing my thoughts in ‘wordy’ sentences. I enjoyed being able to test my other writing abilities and using Twitter as a way of helping my journalistic skills. I found it palatable and appealing as a medium for news sourcing. I can now articulate a sentence in a more concise manner, which I feel is a key attribute if I want to dip my toes further into the journalistic waters in the future. As well as a citizen journalist and long form blogger, I can now say I have put my hand to microblogging. The list is endless in a digital journalism era.  

To finish with, a question that I have been asking myself is, does this make microblogging more of a journalistic task, because authors are having to think more into the structure and clarity of the information they are tweeting?

What are your thoughts? Comment below. 

Vlogging and Advertising: The legal Issue

Screenshot: Guardian Article 

The Guardian released an article last year that discussed vlogging, advertising and the legal issues surrounding the two together. The headline stated that vloggers must clearly tell fans when they’re getting paid by advertisers as part of the Advertising Standards Authority rules and regulations.

The ASA told vloggers that “it pays to be honest” and that video bloggers are committing a criminal offence if they fail to tell their fans that they are being paid to promote a product or service. This came to light after a host of YouTube stars featured in an Oreo biscuit campaign which they did not clearly label in the video that they were being paid for their appearance. The Oreo company owner Mondelez signed up YouTube stars, Phil Lester, Dan Howell, Thomas Ridgewell and other vloggers to promote the product on their channel.

Screenshot: Orea Advert

However, the ASA received a complaint from a BBC journalist that argued Mondelez was not making it clear that his advertisements were actually marketing messages. Although the Oreo owner claimed he had not intended to mislead viewers and that the vloggers were made aware that they should be transparent in the fact that the ad was a promotion. Vloggers answered to the compliant and alleged that they stated in the description box that the video had been created with the brand Oreo. The ASA responded stating the ads were in a similar style to the content of their blog and therefore were not overtly clear that the Oreo clip was a marketing communication.

After much controversy, the sister body Committees of Advertising Practise (CAP) produced a new guidance for bloggers in August 2015, to help them attain a better understanding of how and when the advertising rules apply to their vlogs, so they maintain a fair relationship with their subscribers. It strongly claims that advertising rules, which are the same across all media platforms indicate that vloggers incorporating ads on their channels must make is clear that they are being paid to promote that product or brand and the advertiser is responsible for controlling the message when it becomes an ad.

Screenshot: Vlogging Guidance

Who knew vlogging faced so many legal challenges!

Legal Issues Facing Vloggers

Video blogging, or otherwise known as vlogging has stormed the internet over recent years. Much like blogging, users have the ability to express subjective, personalised perspectives on an issue or topic, but instead of hiding behind a computer screen, users are showing off their blogging talents in front of a camera. Many viewers prefer this type of digital, citizen journalism, because of the connection they can make with the blogger and the fact they can listen to what they have to say as opposed to reading. Maybe described as a ‘lazy’ way in which to receive news and information, but definitely one that’s growing in popularity.

YouTube vlogger: Emma Blackery

However, vloggers face the same legal issues as ‘traditional,’ professional journalists and other individuals who publish their work publically. Vloggers are entitled to the same freedoms in regards to speech and press, but they are also subject to restrictions in areas such as defamation, in particular slander, which is defined as the communication of a false statement that could harm the reputation of an individual, business, product or nation.

In regards to material with a copyright, although many have extremely long time expiry dates, some even ranging from 1989 to 2049, those that have expired are said to be within the public domain and can be used without permission or copyright infringement.

If a vlog is uploaded for educational purposes then the use of copyrighted material falls under the “fair use” provision of the Copyright Act, which claims that a reasonable use of copyrighted work can be used without permission or criticism. Even so, many vlogs will share a notice at the beginning or end of their video, giving credit to the copyright owners. Vloggers must be aware of the fact that not citing sources can be seen as an attempt to pass off copyrighted material as their own and is not considered fair use. This can result in being deemed as plagiarism and the vlogger could even face a penalty.

Because both fair use and public domain are complex areas, vloggers are advised to seek permission through a written contract from the copyright holder of any material that they wish to include in their vlog.

Many vloggers tend to review products over YouTube. The legality issues that surround this type of vlogging state that as a long as you mention the relationship between you and the product maker you cannot be accused of slander. If the product is received free of charge, then when reviewing the product the vlogger must state that they have received the product for free or brought it themselves. In a product review vloggers are allowed to quote or report expert’s opinions.

Screenshot: Vlogger

If you watch product reviews they are mainly filmed within the vloggers home, an area that they hold ownership of and are not bound to copyright. However, as long as vloggers are filming in a public place or a private area whereby permission is attained from the owner, then no laws are being broken. 

If a newbie to the journalistic world of vlogging, then I would suggest reading the legal section on the YouTube homepage and if unsure on any of your content in a vlog then seek legal advice before publication.  

Screenshot: Legal terms on YouTube

The rise of digital journalism, means both citizen journalists and professional journalists face very similar legal issues when reporting news or information, regardless of the platform that it is being reported on. 

Blogging is not Journalism: True or False?

Image taken from Jon

After looking at blogging and its threat to traditional journalism, I thought I would publish a follow up post on ‘Is blogging really considered a form of journalism?’

Some media pundits are sceptical to this question and claim that blogging cannot really be considered a form of serious journalism.

Blogging does not seem to follow the same conventional journalistic standards of imbalance, accuracy and objectivity that large media and news outlet organisations are strictly made to abide by. Described as a media platform for ‘amateur’ citizen journalists, blogging is essentially subjective and seeks an emotional response of some sort from its reader. These are features that do not fall under traditional journalism and if digital journalism is dismissed, then blogging in essence could be challenged as a form journalism.

Mike Smartt, editor of BBC News Online, told dotJournalism: "It's like all stuff on the web," dissemination of information is great, but how much of it is trustworthy? They are an interesting phenomenon, but I don't think they will be as talked about in a year's time.”

Lloyd Shepherd, chief producer for Guardian Unlimited agrees, claiming “weblogs have a role alongside the usual news output, but are not journalism: Blogging is not structured in the way journalism is. People are putting their views out in a relatively unprocessed manner.”

Nevertheless, many of those who are embracing the digital journalism culture are pleased to welcome blogging as a form of serious or light-hearted journalism.

Image made on Pablo Buffer

In a modern age of constant thirst for something new, frequent internet users who need their daily fix of news are interested in a new media realm that print or TV journalism cannot offer, such as a personalised, interactive account, which provides a new ‘voice’ on the angle of news. At the heart of this growth is the dissatisfaction and loss of faith in large media conglomerates. If journalism by formal definition is to report in a non-bias, objective manner, than blogging is not journalism. However, if professional media outlets do not even follow these codes and conventions then surely blogging cannot be pushed off of journalism territories?

Some also believe that blogging is not monitored, but much like news organisations who have a system of editorial practises, blogging has a community of editors, who will likely report any misconduct or inappropriate published material.

Screenshot: Blogger content

Blogging has attained an authoritative status, by readers who have trusted their content over the content of a professional news mediums. Reflecting on the discussion and weighing up blogging in light of ‘new found’ and digital journalism, I would answer false to the blog title question. Blogging does infact play a significant part in the world of journalism, especially in a society that is growing in contemporary means of communicating news. 

Is Blogging a Threat to Traditional Journalism?

Over the past few years, blogging has become an elite phenomenon in the online journalism world. Ordinary individuals are becoming citizen journalists and expressing their thoughts, debating a topical issue, or simply discussing a particular subject over a ‘blogging platform.’ Blog posts commonly consist of a short and snappy discussion, an analysis or debate that can include hyperlinks, imagery and even videos that are often posted in a chronological order, with the ability to allow the viewer to easily access previous blog posts through the blogs navigation tools.

Screenshot: Navigation tool

I was first introduced to fashion, beauty and lifestyle blogs, which have grown in popularity over the past year, seeing the most impressive blogs creating successful career pathways and immense publicity for their authors. Famous lifestyle blogger Zoella, has made it big in the blogging industry, after receiving an incredible amount of views on and responses to her blog.

Screenshot: Zoella Google Page

Screenshot: Zoella's Blog

However, it is not just fashion, beauty and lifestyle blogs that have thrived, other blogs surrounding topical issues, or journalism debates are very popular online readings.

Screenshot: Journalism Blog

But are these bloggers posing as a threat to traditional journalists?

Some may answer yes, because of the opinionated, often biased and incoherent views of bloggers, who have the ability to express almost anything that they desire online, which can reach hundreds of thousands of internet users in a matter of minutes. Something that is highly personalised and frequently informal in its content, seems to attract more people to read and take notice. It appears that we are more receptive to what normal, everyday people have to say on an issue than to the same issue that may be reported by someone in the professional industry. Is this because we feel more comfortable listening to and have more faith in a citizen journalist, we understand their point of view because they are removed from the system of legislation that bounds journalists to a particular set of rules of expression? Or are we simply lazy in the fact that we spend more time on the internet, making blogs more accessible and exciting and newspapers unattainable and dull? These are all questions that modern day, digital journalism speaks for.

Some blogs are regarded as undermining traditional journalism, because they do not hold an objective stance, or present the correct information and data to be a reliable ‘news’ source. For example, many bloggers are discussing recent news topics, such as the current reporting on ISIS:

Screenshot: Blogging on ISIS

Screenshot: Blogging on ISIS

A story that features prominently in professional news organisations and with such magnitude to many civilians, blogging on such a serious topic can sometimes illustrate false information and often display the wrong facts that in essence can cause hysteria and confusion. In light of this news story, blogging by the inexperienced can cause a threat to traditional journalism, because the truth could be twisted and distorted, as a way of alluding to the thoughts and opinions of the blogger. In this case it should be the professional news outlets that individuals are turning to in order to obtain a ‘truthful’ headline.

Although, the rise in digital journalism means we spend a lot more time engaging on social media and scrolling through the internet, our fondness for blogging as means of acquiring news dictates because of our loss of faith and lack of trust in notorious journalists and news organisations. For example, after the phone hacking scandal from the now defunct News of the World Corporation, many who relied heavily on their validity and good nature, were disappointed in their unlawful actions.

Image taken from: Mickey

So, we can’t really blame people for turning their backs on traditional journalism and finding a new source of news, especially since ‘new found’ online journalism has so much to offer.