MEMO

I think that the most financially feasible was www.irunthistown.net. I think that the creator pinpointed a hole in the market for a specific group- beginner to intermediate runners. I really like the idea of the different maps for runners based on location, type of terrain and elevation. I do not run, but a lot of people in my family do and I think that they would really appreciate this feature. My family members also often discuss what kind of shoes they should buy, so I know that they would use this feature on the site. I also think that aspect of the site has the most chances of bringing in profits. Maybe she could set up something like A store but with shoes and other running accessories to make a profit. I think that this has the potential to make a lot of money. My only concern is that the desire to profit from the sale of shoes and running accessories does not affect the unbiased reviews of these products. That will negatively impact their fan base.

I think that the “honorable mention” is www.all4girls.com. When I was younger, I would have loved a website like this. Also, since younger generations grew up with the Internet, they are more likely to use it a lot more than older people. This should boost the visits that they site gets daily.

I think that both of these sites, along with many others proposed over the last 2 weeks, have a good chance of being successful.

Is "The View" Considered Journalism?

I really hope not. But the Elizabeth Hasselbeck/Erin Andrews controversy made me think. If Hasselbeck had made her "joke" on Letterman, Leno, The Soup or Chelsea Lately, none of the public outcry would have happened. In fact, I think we can pretty safely assume that the exact opposite would have happened. People would have laughed at it because it was originally considered a joke. (And while I don't agree with what she said, Hasselbeck did have a point about some of Andrews' costumes. Most sports journalists would never wear them in public, especially on one of the most watched shows in the country).

A lot of people complained about the venue that Hasselbeck chose to make her joke. I consider

"The View" to be one of the worst shows on television. But, do some people consider it to be real journalism? If they do, they really need a dose of reality. The women on the panel are about as qualified to talk about current events as I am to discuss nuclear fusion. So, what's wrong with Hasselbeck making a joke (in poor taste) on "The View?" It's just a bunch of middle aged- old ladies gossiping. Gossiping involves jokes.

Why is this Relevant?

This has got to be one of the most useless stories I've ever read. It has pictures (with really stupid and pointless captions) of the alleged Times Square bomber, Faisal Shahzad's, Connecticut home. What is the audience supposed to learn from these pictures? Yes, he lived a "normal" American suburban lifestyle. Yes, he ended up allegedly trying to blow up a van in Times Square. Aren't terrorists supposed to blend in so that they don't draw attention to themselves? What good does showing Shahzad's child's room do? How is that supposed to help Americans understand what happened? Why don't we focus on the political implications and the reasons why this happens?

CNN and CBS to Team Up?

I'll admit with the finals rush that I haven't been keeping up with the news as much as I'd like to. However, I did read this on Perezhilton.com of all places. (If you want the same story from a more legitimate source, here it is) I will be the first to admit that it's embarrassing that I got this from Hilton's blog first. However, it's also very interesting that the entertainment blogger decided that this was an important enough story to post on his blog. While he does occasionally post real news stories on his blog, it's usually when something really bad happens (like the shooting in Binghamton). The only "real journalist" that he's mentioned on his site recently is Anderson Cooper, and it was only because there was a picture of him at the gym or something.

Hilton's editorializing of this story is the especially interesting part. This is the quote that I found to be most telling: "And the best part of the merger would be that the networks wouldn't need any government approval, so as soon as they are ready, they can move right into it."

I understand a blogger not wanting to have the government involved in journalism, but at the same time, wouldn't someone who has taken part in independent media want more voices out there?

PBS

I remember watching shows like Sesame Street, Wishbone and Reading Rainbow on PBS when I was younger. They were my favorite shows and I was always so upset when they did those telethons to raise money. They seemed like the lasted forever and always interrupted my favorite shows. Plus, the people on tv would always use things like stuffed animals of Cookie Monster and Big Bird to try to get the kids to guilt their parents into donating. I also remember that my mother HATED PBS's annual fundraising attempts. (I think it's because it turned me into a whiney brat for a few days).

Over winter break I was watching one of my little cousins and she turned Sesame Street on. It instantly made me feel really old because I didn't recognize it at all. It has changed so much in the 15 or so years since I watched it. I don't think it changed for the better, either. I remember the Sesame Street of my childhood being much more educational than what my cousin was watching. This definitely is a problem for PBS.

As stated in the article, their shows are not high quality television by any stretch of the imagination. I don't watch PBS- ever. I did watch one of their Frontline documentaries for a class once, but I watched it online. I also wouldn't have watched it if it wasn't assigned. PBS really needs to get rid of all of the ridiculous programming that they have to get a larger viewership.

America's broadband problems...

I will openly admit that I don't understand a lot of the technological jargon used in the debate over internet speed and net neutrality. I knew that the U.S. was way behind on broadband speed, but I had no idea that it was this bad. It's embarrassing how far behind the U.S. is.

Even more frustrating, however, is that Ithaca College has the worst internet system of any college I've ever been to. (When I visit high school friends at other colleges I'm amazed at how fast their internet is.). Students pay a lot to go to IC, and the free internet that is provided isn't even able to load a Youtube video in a reasonable amount of time. How is that supposed to foster good research skills?

I really hope that Obama doesn't focus just on health care (which I admit is very very important) and does have time and support to dedicate to broadband speed and net neutrality. They're both really important issues that need to be addressed to increase the United States' ability to compete on a global scale.

Bill Clinton's "love child"

When I read Drudge's coverage of President Bill Clinton's "love child," I had trouble understanding how he got away with such bad journalism.

My favorite part is:

"Could Bobbie Ann Williams and her sister be blackmailing the President of the United States with outrageous and false claims of sex for money and the pregnancy that resulted?

What becomes immediately obvious to the viewer watching the videotaped confession is that this is clearly not gossip, rumor or anonymous charges being maliciously directed at a politician.

Bobbie Ann Williams does not hide her face in shadow when she names Bill Clinton as the father of her son.

And there is something sad and lonely about the woman's story the way she tells it."

So basically, he's analyzing video footage that he doesn't provide his reader with. Perpetuating untruths isn't a great way to get your name out there in a positive way.

For example, USC's Annenberg School of Communication (fun fact: it was my top choice for college. I got in but they're really bad at giving out financial aid), posted a time line of this whole fabricated story. Since when do tabloids inspire actual legitimate news outlets to run with a story? My roommates and I are addicted to supermarket tabloids (they're our guilty pleasure). I just read a story about how reality "star" Kourtney Kardashian is leaving her boyfriend/ baby's father. Does that make it newsworthy, important or true? No. This was clearly a larger scale issue when a tabloid had way too much influence on "real" journalism to the point that some mainstream media outlets lowered themselves to tabloidism.