Career Goals for An Aspiring Journalist

As a broadcast journalist being one of the better storytellers in the business is the consummate goal. As an aspiring sports reporter with the eye of going from a small market to a medium then a major market that type of work ethic to tell the story should shine and work as a branding tool for you the reporter. It brings back to light the week five discussions on branding yourself and what it means to actually brand as an independent person.

A trend has been happening ever since the growth of social media and that is self promotion and branding. Journalists and reporters getting out their stories with a link while also adding a small description. The writing quality and the gained following only help the individuals doing the branding and promotion for themselves as writers or broadcasters. It definitely can be argued that this is one of the most important aspects of this business and class. How are you making yourself unique in the eyes of your target audience?

In the sports and news world people recognize the better storytellers in the business of journalism. Branding goes beyond the name. It is all the pieces that communicate to the reader, listener and viewer about who you are and what you do. For me this is key to understand and continue to work at because getting noticed online, through social media and your stories being shown on-air is tough to do nowadays because as Michael Hyatt would put “It is just too Noisy.”

Ways of sharing the stories have gone from Facebook to twitter as two main user realms that help grow your audience or get you one.  A chance to get views, likes and listens. For example, I have a sound cloud account I was a reporter this year for a High school basketball show in West Virginia called Basketball Friday Night. I would report on the stories of our standout athletes of the week. Trying something new I posted a link to one of my stories from sound cloud on twitter. The story went from zero listens to ten. I found that linking the stories to my social media accounts helped my listening total number as my followers continued to click on the links and hear the story on the standout-athlete.

No one is better at knowing your platform than yourself. The process for branding takes time but can be built to your benefit without the need for hiring outside help. If you have done a great job of this self promotion and building of quality work not only is there audience growth but audience trust for you the writer and broadcaster. Everything hinted at in this post is something I need to be aware of. Making sure I utilize all these aspects to the fullest extent to help build a following and audience. This connection comes full circle for any journalist wanting to make a name for themselves in a crowded and competitive field.

ERUPT IN A NOISY WORLD

            Just as high school basketball player Nicolas Greely pictured above erupts to the basket for the slam dunk that's what has to be done to also make an impact in the online community. Erupt is a strange word to use I know but would you be reading if the word wasn't there. Michael Hyatt wrote in his book Platform: Get noticed in a Noisy World about attracting your audience by turning on the brightest lights you can find. Hyatt talks about "erupting" technically to grow you visitors by having a simple platform.

Platform = Content

Platform and content go hand and hand each are foundations to your sites, stories and products. It is important for the field of journalism because without quality content there won't be a growth online for the creator of that platform. Many pieces of content do not stand on there own anymore it needs a what and who. We have had to learn more about building the audience through understanding how design and simple catchy titles can get your foot in the door for people to read your content. Content is a concept learned week through week in this class without it you do not have a site or blog.

Using it to brand yourself in journalism

We talked about content being used to help establish audience growth and credibility throughout the semester. We also talked about branding. Branding connects with Hyatt's book because in the book it is explained if you have a great platform marketing doesn't become difficult or tough. Branding yourself takes time and in journalism that can be helped with credibility. Learning in week 5 that branding is what sets you a part from many others that cloud the online atmosphere. Hyatt also introduced the fact that messaging comes together with the branding concept because it can be a as simple as a savvy tagline.

Remember

These are points that show the same thinking we have learned from the modules this semester and the book Platform. How each have segments that equal each other. They will be what the people would and should expect from your blog or site that cuts through the noise. Causing the audience to ask themselves if "they identify" and "is there a connection. Platform and content, branding and messaging these four concepts help the individual creator erupt in a noisy world. 

https://www.quicksprout.com/the-complete-guide-to-building-your-blog-audience/

http://www.diygenius.com/10-content-marketing-ideas-to-grow-your-audience-in-2015/

The Game Changer : Sports told in storytelling fashion

Best ways to story tell

Being authentic in sports stories is key to attracting the audience the writer wants as well as keep the ones they already have. Being genuine and using statistics to back up your story. Making sure you are credible and concrete giving your story the power it needs. Using all forms of media as well to convey the story impact. Take for instance the game I want to tell through these game photos of Marshall men’s basketball last home game in the 2015-16 season. The game was a thriller that came to a last second make by Marshall’s Austin Loop (#35) over Southern Miss. Still photos can tell the outcome of the game by the reactions and give you a look at the key point in a game or situation. Having these options give your story weight and power a chance were even multimedia highlights and a recap could be put in the story that do not overwhelm the reader.

A Connection

This is a connection that is important to storytelling because plain text does not do it. More avenues are need to give the story more power. Also giving the article and the site a chance to be search more in an engine as you draw links closer to the site and article. Making sure your HTML can connect easy. Making sure there are ALT txt for photos. SEO options and multimedia are needed to draw traffic to the site and to story tell correctly. Without this there is a struggle to understand the true nature of being a good communicator and storyteller. This needs to happen and videos, audio, text , infographics should be used to tell the story. In my career I have to be able to do this at the best of my ability. I will be in the business of storytelling and to attract an audience I must have vast but not overwhelming media and tools.

http://www.herdzone.com/sports/m-baskbl/recaps/030516aae.html

http://goodgracioussports.blogspot.com/2014/10/a-consummate-weapon-nod-to-one-best.html

SOCIAL MEDIA EFFECTIVE TREND USE IN PROMOTING YOUR WORK

     For the last couple of week we have talked about as a class the importance of social media and it’s effect on growing your blog. Everyday individuals and businesses publish content from their own blogs to build the audience and traffic.  As a journalist or serious blogger one must take the needed effort to have a concerted effort to drive traffic to your content. One of the ways that can be done and is done happens to be the way of social media and it’s just not a one time thing it has to be consistent to let you twitter or Facebook audience for example know that something new has just been published and take a look or a read.

     You want to be able to gather enough click on a daily basis or day basis after you post on a blog 1 time sharing on social media won’t help garner the attention you want on your site do it more about three times in one day because people see that on there feeds are more likely to click on it and get to your blog. While doing this type of sharing on a regular basis can benefit it also can annoy some so you will see some backlash when it comes to sharing to promote yourself and work. But if you do not share the links to you work as we do in this class, your audience may never see any new updates.

CAREER IMPACT

     ALL of this connects to our everyday lives and for my career or any journalist career. Sharing links to you work not just your blog for social media has been a way that can help set you apart from everyone and garner enough attention. How can you drive traffic if you don’t use the trend of social media that has been happing the last couple of years. Social Media is now a tool for getting news out there before the articles are written. The different avenues allow for greater exposure and build you and your site. This all repetitive I know and not new to many of you, but it is such a necessary reminder that in our business our careers can stall if we are not with the times and trends. It’s about growth and success and one component to achieve that is making sure to share and promote your work because you are all promoting yourself. In a way it’s what makes everything revolve around sharing a message but not always the same message more than once on the sharing site because variety in wording and title will separate you from what some call spammers (blasting the same content with the same wording) can lose attraction quickly had variety on the different sites to not have your audience just continue to scroll through there feed.

A CONSUMMATE WEAPON: A NOD TO ONE THE BEST WAYS TO ATTRACT A READER "STORYTELLING"

 By Andrew Harrison

 

  

   There are plenty of examples of storytelling in sports. All through different medias television, radio and the worldwide web. The message that you hope to make with your writing for the web is to make sure it fits the target market. Sports are entertainment and with that come several narratives to spark your audience to get involved through your message.

     One of the best guys to try to follow a template is Adrain Wojnarowski, he has made yahoo sporting news big not only because of his constant inside knowledge but his ability to tell a story through his writing, and especially when it revolves around a social issue or social blindness.

Sports Addressing a Larger Issue

Storytelling can hint at a bigger picture and a larger story based on society culture. One month ago the social issue of racism popped up ago in the NBA a GM said some things about a free agent. Adrian Wojnarowski wrote a piece about the GM Danny Ferry of the Atlanta Hawks about how he never owned the comments he made. Adrian told a story that had a great beginning and stellar ending. Sports can be that larger story now especially with the growth of social media.

Readers want more than the Hero

Readers now don’t want the puff pieces about the there sports icons, the more compelling story to them are how they got to where they are. It’s almost that human quality in your writing wanting to read the flaws and struggles going back to the idea of social issues like poverty and how they fought through. Having built your platform and target audience it makes it better to tell the story through compelling writing. Giving the readers if you write about the stars the storyline about there life before and they’re life now. Another point you can go for in explaining that as well Marshall own star quarterback Rakeem Cato look on the web and see how many stories revolve around his struggles in Miami and triumphs here at Marshall. It can open up the fact the audience wants what it wants and that’s a good story.

The Herd looks for Redemption in the Lone Star State

         The state of Texas is home to many football teams from high school to college to the pros. The Marshall football team with endure travel to a state that has not been a friend to the Thundering Herd.  Marshall plays Rice in Rice stadium this weekend to kick off Conference USA play.

Marshall is 0-8 in Texas going back all the way to 2004. Players and coaches are aware of this fact making this time a chance at redemption. Marshall and Rice football head to head series has resulted in a 2-1 lead for Marshall, but with both of those wins in Huntington. Players say they are not influenced by not having won. A quote from the Charleston daily Mail from Marshall Player Aaron Dobson gives a glimpse, "We don't really even discuss that," Dobson said. "It's brought to our attention, and we see it in the papers, but we don't look at it in that way."

          Both teams are 1-2 on the season with disappointing losses. But with the high octane offense of Marshall coming in and the dual threat quarterback Rice has this game could turn out deadly. The last time Marshall was in Houston happened to be last year against a very good Houston Cougar Team.

          Rice stadium which was built in 1950 will try to be the place the Rice Owls even the series against the Marshall Thundering Herd. In this stadium in 2008 Rice notched a win against the Herd.  The irony in it all is that Marshall is undefeated in Huntington against any Lone Star team.

         The last time these two teams met was in Huntington in the 2011 season. The Herd got a win past the Owls 24-20. The team was led by then senior defensive end Vinny Curry who had 3.5 sacks that game. It was also the game former Marshall player AJ Graham had his first collegiate start.

         Players have said there is no excuse for the losing streak in Texas. Charleston Daily mail said that even six year guard John Bruhin could not pin point why the Herd has struggled so much in the lone star state. John Bruhin was quoted having said "I can't really put my finger on it," he said. "Just going down there is a long trip. There may be the lag time over it, but that's no excuse."

         Along with John Bruhin Marshall’s leading tackler Dominick LeGrande added courtesy of Herdzone the Herd goal isn’t focused on the program’s first win in history in Texas. “It’s about winning, period,” he said. “We need to win, to get that tough loss (to Ohio) out of our heads. One-and-oh in the conference is what we need now.”

        With Conference play wide open for both teams it is not a win all loss all situation. But for the Herd it is clear the stigma of not being able to win in Texas must end. As these two teams will continue the series that started in 2007