I think that one of the the most important things that I’ve learned from this class is being able to communicate clearly with others using multiple forms of communication. Even though I am a M.I.S major and will most likely end up somewhere in the tech field, clear communication skills are still vital. I may have to document a process, explain what a client wants, talk with clients or any other number of tasks that requires communication. Beyond just having clear communication you also need to make sure what you are saying is true, and that yo have the legal rite to say it. When we went over the copyright section of this class it was a real eye-opener since even an honest mistake can be disastrous to your life.

Also this class really emphasized ow important it is to keep up with the news. Being aware of what is happening not only locally but globally is vital in today’s world since we live in a such a connected world that is constantly pumping out news. Knowing what is going on can keep you prepared and head of the curve, instead of behind it.

This class has really helped me improve upon my writing skills, especially when it comes it comes to clarity.

For our group project we are focusing on consumer technology, mainly things that people use in their everyday life. We decided to focus on iPhones, gaming consoles, and the Twitter IPO. I have been following articles on the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 throughout the semester. Today I searched for our topic in some international news sources.

For one of these sources (Al Jazeera America) my particular topic was nowhere to be found. I think that this is because Al Jazeera is more focused on political and global impact stories. While they did have a technology section on their site, it was mostly filled with more global perspective and tended to focus on “Middle East” topics. However I was able to find an article on the Twitter IPO, which still surprised me since  Twitter seems to be globally used and instrumental in some aspects of the Arab Spring.

On both BBC and The Guardian it was very easy for me to find articles pertaining to the X1 and the PS4. I think that this is because the audience for both of these news outlets are more concerned with the release of these two systems while the audience for AL Jazeera America would not be concerned with the release of the console.

On BBC there was a slew of articles on the X1 and it’s release. The article that came up first was about the Global Launch that took place today. This article mainly focused on the efforts that Microsoft has put into launching the Xbox One and how despite the early release of the PS4 in the US, that the X1 actually has an advantage in the UK since the PS4 isn’t coming out till the 29th. Many of the other articles on BBC were reviews of the console and the games that are coming out for the X1.

The Guardian was very similar to BBC in terms of content related to the consoles. There were many reviews and first impression articles and videos for both the Xbox One and Playstation 4. However The Guardian did have some more interesting stories related to the release of the X1. One article in particular was how two men were mugged after purchasing their consoles. After buying their consoles at a midnight launch two men were mugged as they were loading their newly bought Xbox’s into a van. The article then went on to say that officials had warned shoppers to be extra vigilant if buying a new console due to the high demand of the consoles.

My group is covering consumer technology/electronics and news related to them. This includes things such as tablets, laptops, smartwatches, google glasses, game consoles, smart phones etc. With such a wide array of technologies out there we deiced to narrow our focus down to the release of the new iPhone 5s and 5c, the release of the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, and Twitter going public. The topic that I have been focusing on is the release of the X1 and the PS4.

The PS4 was released in Nov. 15th in the US  and sold over 1 million units in the first 24 hours. Leading up to the release there were many different news outlets covering the “War of the Consoles” and many of the articles were feature articles filled with more opinion then anything else. However, news outlets such as Forbes, and The Post mostly  refrained from releaseing articles until they were able to try the PS4 and give a more object review.

The X1 will release on Nov 22nd. Despite not being released yet there still has been a ton of articles written about the console. Many of these are more akin to feature articles and opinion blogs then an actual news story.

For this week’s blog I read up on the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) code if ethics for their members. Reading up on their ethics and standards was an interesting read, esoecially the examples of what not to do.

The core values of the PRSA are: advocacy, honesty, expertise, independence, loyalty and fairness. Essentially the PRSA holds it members to be the best that they can be while still serving the public and the clients to the best of their ability. These standards aren’t just for members of the PRSA but for the professional field of public relations as well. To help reinforce these principals the free flow of information is vital to the PRSA. This flow of information is designed to help the public make informed decision because the information they are receiving is accurate and truthful.

Another principle that the PRSA has is promoting fair competition. Information should be disclosed to the public when appropriate and in a truthful manner. Members should also not try to stifle competition with false information or insider information. To go along with this the PRSA also has prinicples to protect confidences, how/when to disclose information, and conflicts of interest. Esentially they recognize that information can either be private and non disclose-able or public information that can be released. By doing this the PRSA beleives it will build the relationship with clients since members wil be acting in their best interest.

By following these principles members not only gain the trust of their clients but also help build the professionalism of the field as well. Which is another goal of the PRSA member code of ethics.

If you wish to join their is a pledge at the end of the page, which you can sign and date. The pledge basically states that you will conduct yourself in accordance with the code and do your best to uphold it at all times, and also recognize that breaking the code will ultimately lead to you being kicked out of the PRSA.

If I were to start a company I would start a bakery. This bakery would sell all types of freshly baked goods from cookies to breads. I would locate my business in one of the suburbs of Houston because of the high volume of people and restaurants there. To be successful we would need to know what do people think of as “good” bread and other baked goods. Do they prefer sourdough, rye, whole wheat etc.

We would also try to partner with a local restaurant and supply them with all of their bread and baked good needs. By using this relationship we would issue a press release  that say something along the lines of “If you like the bread from XYZ, you’ll can get it from us any time.”  This press release would go to radio stations and social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Then we would rely on Word of mouth for the information to spread that we supply local restaurants. We would use this relationship to grow our reputation and brand name so that we could have an easier time using social media to reach the masses and then rely on their word of mouth to help spread our name.

We would also take part in local farmer’s markets and other such events. While we would incorporate social media and a website, the main focus of our company would be on word of mouth and people coming into our brick and mortar store. We would use our website to display what we have available and what we plan to make in the coming days. Social media would be used to indicate flash sales or a special item of the day.

To further promote our business we would take the unsold bread/baked goods and deliver them to local food banks and kitchens. By showing that we support the community by supply for local restaurants and then donating to local charities it would build our reputation and our brand name.  We would try to get into more local newspapers and magazines of things to do rather then just the rely on the Houston Chronicle. This would allow us to really focus on specific communication rather than mass communication in hopes someone reads it.

I listened to the Friday Morning Show from NPR this week. NPR stands for National Public Radio and is funded both privately and publicly. NPR covers a very broad range of news topics from sports, national news, and politics, to foreign affairs and happenings. It can be listened to and read online, through iTunes, or on the radio 24/7. NPR also targets a more educated audience and those who are 30 and older in my opinion.

One of the news story that was covered was ‘Ender’s Game’ Movie Shows Hero’s Lasting Appeal. While this was a short story I enjoyed it because I have read the series and really enjoyed the books. It also saved me some time from having to go see the movie as well, since it was a movie review as well as a discussion about the topics covered in the movie and books. From how to deal with bullies, and using brain instead of brawn all the time.  While it gave some negative reviews of the movie there were also good reviews and sparked my interest in going to go see the movie since I now know not to expect the book.

Another story was titled Which Plan Covers Abortion?  No Answers On Health.Gov.  It covers the controversial matter of abortion and how the  Affordable Healthcare Act deals with it.  The short answer is “No one knows how it will be covered”.  Laws for insurance agencies vary by state with some saying it can be a separate policy and others flat out denying it.  There are also the states that would allow for it in instances of “unfortunate circumstances” such as rape. Since this is such a controversial topic members of Anti-Abortion/Pro-Life groups are very upset with the unclear standing on abortion within the ACA.

A third story that caught my interest was Food Stamp Benifits to Shrink. This story caught my eye because earlier in the semester I had reviewed a story on it. On November 1, over 47 million Americans lost a large majority of their food stamps. The combination of the debt that the United States is in as well as politicians believe that the current system is flawed, a large chunk of Food Stamps were slashed and the program reformed. While this may be a good idea it also harms those who rely solely on Food Stamps. In the mean time politicians from both sides are meeting in order to discuss possible changes to the cuts in order to keep those who require Food Stamps in the program and ensure that they are not limited in their use of food stamps.

NPR is in my opinion a great news source for those who are educated or want to hear about a wide range of news stories and interesting stories as well. However, if you like your news fast and immediately, NPR is not the place for you. While there are some short stories, a majority of them are longer and since they are talked about and debated on sometimes they can go on for awhile at times.

I have mixed feelings about copyright rules and laws. I think that it is important to protect someone’s work, but at the same time I feel like many of the copyright laws go overboard at times. The story from this blog is one of those times, in my opinion, that copyright laws and those enforcing them went overboard. Also I think that there needs to be major reform in the area of copyright laws because technology has made sharing easier and the chance for copyright infringement even easier. Not many people know that simply giving credit the photographer for their work is not enough. While important you can still be claimed for copyright infringement unless you have received permission for the use of their work. To be safe, you should just take your own pictures or use work from the public domain or a creative domain.

Below are a few examples of images that are O.K. to use

The images in this gallery are O.K. to use because they are in/covered by the Creative Commons Act or the owner has released the photo into Public Domain.

Also here is a link to a song that is in the Public Domain.

This week I read the Dallas Morning News website. This media outlet mainly targets people who are interested in what’s going on in the Dallas-Fort Worth area or live in that area. It does include some state and national news much like the LA Times, but is still heavily focused on local news. The Dallas Morning News has the typical range of articles that you would expect from a news source: local and national news, business, sports, life etc. The website also has video section as an alternative to reading articles, which some may find convenient for news on the go.

One of the articles I read from The Dallas morning News was one about a cop who could not properly recall a shooting. Dallas police Officer Christopher Watson has now twice given his account of the events surrounding his partner shooting a Rylie resident. Watson’s partner Spencer shot Bennett, who is mentally ill, on Oct 14. Watson’s account of this incident was that Bennett approached Spencer violently with a knife in his hand. However, a neighbor happened to catch the independent on video and the video depicts an entirely different event. The video depicts Bennett rolling away from officers and then standing with hands by his side. While standing frozen in one spot Bennett goes down after being shot by Spencer. After viewing this video Watson still claims that Bennett gripped a knife and appeared to pose a threat. Spencer has subsequently been fired after this incident. While this may seem baffling experts say that this is a common phenomenon and is known as tunnel vision. In most every day situations our brain remembers the gist of things and not extreme detail. This is amplified in stressful situations where all that we remember is what we are focusing on such as a gun in someones hand instead of the sex of the person holding the gun.

Another article that caught my interest was The Girl In the Closet Part 8. This article was the last in an 8 part series on Lauren Kavanaugh. This articles focused on her life growing up in middle school and high school and the struggles she faced during those times. After growing up being abused mentally, physically, and sexually Kavanaugh has had a hard time forming relationships with others. This was seen throughout the article when her friends wouldn’t come to her birthday party, or her junior high date canceling on her. While Kavanaugh has struggled to live a normal life, her step-mother, Sabrina Kavanaugh, has been their for her time and time again.  Kavanaugh has also made the decision to go on and live life rather than give up. When her step- mother was diagnosed with cancer, she became a care-taker for her step-mother and was by her side just as she was for her until she became cancer free. Kavanaugh is now attending courses at her local community college and is continuing to pursue as much of a normal life as she can.

The Dallas Morning News’ article on TxDot’s hope to curb drunken driving also got my attention. The TxDOT Fan Van attends tailgates throughout Texas and allows fans to play various games with “Drunken Goggles” to show how much alcohol affects their motor skills. It also allows fans to sign a pledge to not drive drunk as well. This past week the TxDOT Fan Van was at the SMU game. SMU plans to allow for beer sales inside it’s stadium at it’s sporting events and sales could begin as soon as January. While a controversial topic many agree with it and say that as long as it is highly regulated they do not have a problem with it.

While The Dallas Morning News is a good news source, the focus on Dallas and Ft. Worth area really turns me off from it. I do not live their and the local news has zero impact on my most of the time. The national news that is covered is also tied back to Dallas most of the time as well. Also I am personally not a fan of video news and prefer to read an article then be forced to listen to one. The interactive articles also were bothersome at times since all I wanted was an easy to read article instead of one with embedded videos and other fancy options.

This past weekend I watched the film All The Presidents Men (1976). This film depicts the story of Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein investigation into the Watergate scandal. All The Presidents Men starts off with the discovery of the break in at the Watergate complex and goes all the way to President Nixon taking the Oath of Office. The movie concludes with the future headlines in the continuation of the Watergate scandal and ends with  Nixon to resign, Gerald Ford to become 38th President at noon today.

This film in my opinion did a great job at showing what Woodward and Bernstein did to uncover the truth behind Watergate. From using contacts in Washington to asking round-about questions for confirmation or even a clue as to whats going on, the film did a great job depicting what they went through. One of my personal favorite moments was after Woodward and Bernstein received the list of employees for the Committee to reelect the president. Going from house to house to ask the same questions over and over again only to get rejected in the same way again and again. Another part of the film I liked was how it emphasized everyone’s unwillingness to talk. Everyone would always say “They’ll see your car.” or alluded to the fact that someone got to them and told them to be quiet about the issue. From knowing very little about Watergate this was really surprising to me that nobody wanted to speak up about what was happening.

Another aspect of this film I liked was how everything was a mystery. Without prior knowledge each scene was a new piece of the overall puzzle. Who were the burglars? What were they doing? Why were there relationships with Washington? These questions were all present at the beginning of the film and were slowly answered throughout the rest of the film. While these were answered throughout the film, new ones kept arising. Such as Why was no one willing to talk? Who was in control of it all? Who was Deepthroat? While only one of these questions was answered out right, the film continued to pile on more and more questions. I really liked this as it kept you involved with the movie and wanting to know how would Bernstein and Woodward get the answer and what would the answer be.

One thing I did not like about the film was how it ended in the middle of the Watergate scandal. I would have liked to have seen the movie continue through the subpoena and the tapes and then to Nixon’s resignation. To me the film could have been helped by adding in these moments of the Watergate Scandal instead of just showing a montage of headlines of them at the end. While I know that this would have made a 2+ hour movie even longer, I think that it would have helped explain the Watergate scandal and its resolution even more. However, since this movie did come out in 1976 I can understand why there was no need for the last scenes since knowledge of Watergate was more widespread.

While All The Presidents Men was a good movie, I don’t think I’ll be watching it a second time. The only way I could see myself watching it a second time was if I watched it with someone who had a ton on knowledge of Watergate so they could fill in some holes of the movie, especially all the headlines at the end. Also since I watched it online and through my laptop speakers the sound quality wasn’t very good and I had to replay certain parts (especially any scene with Deepthroat in it) to understand the dialogue. Also I think the movie progressed really slowly and assumed that viewers had previous knowledge of Watergate. Despite this though I did like the movie and learned a lot about Watergate and am glad to have watched it.

This week I evaluated The Washington Post again. However, this time I focused on The Post’s page that is dedicated to the 40th anniversary of the Watergate Scandal. The page puts a modern twist to the news that came out of the Watergate Scandal. With videos, tweets, and a Facebook page all dedicated to the telling of Watergate. Along with the modern social media The Post also included a large amount of articles that detail the happenings of Watergate and give background information on it as well.

One of these articles entitled Watergate: The long shadow of a scandal talked about how Watergate effected Americans and American politics. This article discusses how the older generations during the scandal were shocked and in disbelief that a president would lie, and how the younger generations grew up only knowing that the President of the United States lies. Watergate not only altered the perception of the president but also altered how Americans look at politicians and the government as a whole. All of a sudden the government was being scrutinized for everything that it did. Also Republicans and Democrats began to stop working together and seemed to put party before country due to their fear of the media. This article was very informative to me as all I knew of Watergate was that it was a presidential scandal that caused a president to resign. This article gives a little bit of background as to the events and more importantly in my opinion how the scandal has filtered through time and how it affected America as a whole.

Another article that is on The Post is The Post investigates. This article focused on The Post’s investigation into Watergate and the news that came out of The Post. It goes from how Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward began their work in the journalistic investigation on the Watergate Scandal the the events surrounding it such as the arrest of the burglars, the White House denouncing  The Post and other aspects. I found this article to be very interesting and enlightening to what went on during Watergate for those who knew very little about it or nothing at all.

Another article is Deep throat revealed. This article focused on the revelation and role of Deep Throat, the FBI correspondence for Woodward during The Post’s reporting. Mark Felt ,came out at Deep Throat in 2005, more than 30 years after the Watergate scandal. Woodward confirmed Felt’s revelation and also said that he believes that Felt’s contribution and role is being overstated and overshadowing the other events that took place during The Post’s reporting. This article did a good job on doing a short brief explanation of who Deep Throat is and what role he had in the overall scheme of The Post’s reporting on Watergate.

This page that The Post has on Watergate is interesting and very informative. In my opinion it does a good job of trying to reach out to today’s generation and try to relate to them the story of Watergate. I however disliked many of the social media news attempts at explaining Watergate since ,as someone who knew next to nothing on it, the Facebook posts and tweets made me more confused as to what happened. This forced me to have to read all of the other articles to finally appreciate the Facebook page and understand fully what was being talked about. Overall though I liked how The Post treated adapting Watergate to today’s news meta.