MMJ 191 WEEK 8-9

Social media working best to convergence journalism.

The need for adoption of social media and delivery to multiple mobile devices is increasingly becoming essential for retaining and attracting audience in convergence journalism.

Social Media Network Rappler in the Philippines is one ideal.

News Organizations like this is taking a holistic approach to branding and delivering content to various platforms such as video documentary, photos, online breaking stories, other social media sites, print and other channels.

Good content shared on multiple channels is becoming a valuable asset for them.

Social news organizations like this  that leverage social networking, content and knowledge assets will be those best positioned for future success.


They believe the people now has the control of the news unlike the traditional practice of agenda-setting from the news editors, publishers and media elites.


Targeting around 27 million of Filipinos on Facebook. This number has surpassed the 15 million households that own a television sets which they see as the biggest audience market to cater relevant stories.

Year 2011 saw a surge in mobile users, but 2012 is the year when smartphone owners become the majority of users, currently hovering just below 50% of U.S. mobile phone users. Tablets, too, take center stage with a near 24% in adoption according to a research.

The smart phone is the next content platform.  It’s a powerful touch point and a highly personal channel.

We could think about all of the events leading up to this moment today and the role your smartphone or tablet played in helping your discover, share, communicate and learn. You might in fact, be reading this on your mobile device now.

This is an important moment in the evolution of mobile as it no longer simply about smart communication.

Mobile is causing a fundamental shift in society where consumers are evolving into connected consumers. This connected mindset is empowering as people take advantage of on-demand access to not just information, but other people, opinions, shared experiences, and help make more informed and efficient decisions than ever before.

HALAD FESTIVAL

Midsayap celebrates its yearly patronal fiesta every 3rd Sunday of January in honor of its patron saint, Santo Nino (child Jesus).
“Halad” means offering. 

As part of people’s thanksgiving, a festival to express one’s gratitude to their Lord was established in 1988 through street dancing parade.
Hand held radio owners who called themselves REACT MIDLAND GROUP was the first group who spearheaded the annual festivity.

Since then, they received strings of awards and recognitions as one of the country’s tourist destination and best of local festival merry making.
Halad festival gathers the potential of its town in terms of friendly people, rich culture and traditions, talents and skills. This boasts the town’s culturally and socially involved citizens since almost everybody is participating.
The celebration showcases also the image of Midsayap as a peaceful place with hospitable citizens.
With the confidence and influx of visitors, the economy has expected to gain.

MMJ 191 Week 7

In Convergence Journalism, smart phones rules

On the go journalists like me engaging into multimedia journalism and works in a convergence zone requires sophisticated gadgets to complete a task on time.

Thanks to the technologies present nowadays, which from time to time, revolutionizes its products (so long we could afford to buy).

An iPhone4 is one example gadget tested and proven as digital convergence tool based on experience.

Afternoon of July 15, 2011, a powerful car bomb went-off in Tacurong City in Central Mindanao targeting a convoy of politicians, this was captured by my iPhone seconds after the explosion.

Instinct for a journalist, I ran to the crime scene, which is 200 meters away, took action-packed scenes of the incident, conducted interviews and broke the story with exclusive enthralling footages.

I was in a travel that time and have not brought with me my laptop, the iPhone has served as my all purpose communication, from calls, texts messages for the script advisory, photo, video, audio recorder and serves as PC to the story submitted for national TV newscast of GMA network.

Aside from that I have the chance to tweet my story since I was connected with a 3G signal on the web.

The iPhone 4 is one of the varieties of tools that work for convergence. In fact, I’m using it as a back up for my DSLR camera with video and audio capturing features, digital audio recorder (zoom) and a MacBook Pro laptop, which are the ideal and present tools I use for processing news stories and multimedia projects.

Integrating the story in content management systems for news operations works great on blogs and storify.

In blog, you can package the story with all the pictures, video and texts, just like the storify where you can curate also the contents based on the opinions from other social media sites like Facebook and twitter.

MMJ 191 Week 6

Citizen journalism invites more people participation but is it fading the role of journalists?

Citizen journalism is not yet the answer; we still need professional journalists who follow standards in the news making. However, citizen journalists can help bolster news content since we are getting closer to the audience and they tell personal accounts of what they witnessed, observed or wish to call for an action.

Media companies, which embrace convergence, are reaching out now to the audience by inviting them to share their stories as citizen journalists like the Youscoopers of GMA Network and Bayan Patrollers of ABS-CBN Network(Philippines).They treat the audience as part of the story.

Although news organizations used their stories for free, they are credited for videos and photos shared. And acquiring of this kind from citizen journalist is happening by coincidence or very seldom.

So if the issue is about ethics to take free or cheap content from the audience and not paying them, my idea is its better to give them a token from to the company or a recognition plaque, unless the citizen wish to ask for a payment.

It is understood that they are fan of a certain news company or an avid reader of their online, which is why they share to them the story.

Somehow citizen journalists also threaten the job of many news people or stringers. I had a case learned once from my fellow, he rushed to a tragedy site, shot better video with all of his equipment, spent time to write, travelled too far, and only to find out the visuals sent by a citizen journalist was the one picked-up by the producers for a TV newscast.

User-generated content and the changing news cycle like the mushrooming number of bloggers is seen as the future news.

Coming from the community and using technology to really engage with other people than doing the jobs of journalists is agreeable that traditional media would have to change because “moblogs” or v-blogs were the next major step in publishing.

The battle soon is seen more on a “personal media revolution” but will the audience rely on their credibility, balance and accuracy of the story?

"Kamindanawan" Women, Seriously

In its first decade of existence, the Mindanao Commission on Women (MCW) based in Davao City honored 11 Mindanawon women and one man who have “broken silences, barriers and new ground for women.”
The Mindanawon achievers for MCW’s 10th anniversary given last December 8,2011 in Kamindanawan event were Mindanews founder and editor Carol Arguillas; Islamic scholar Prof. Hamid Barra; renowned Moro woman leader Hadja Bainon Karon; and peace activists Raissa Jajurie, Myla Leguro, and Obo-Manobo tribal chieftain Bo-i Era Espana.
The other honorees are national artist for dance Agnes Locsin; Davao-based obstetrics-gynecology specialist Dr. Regina Dela Paz-Ingente, and Betty More who is executive director of the Kababayen-an Alang sa Teknolohiya nga Haum sa Kinaiyahan ng Kauswagan, Inc. (KATAKUS).
Also recognized were Major Rosa Ma. Cristina R. Manuel, the first female battalion executive officer of the 10th Civil Military Operations (CMO) Battalion of the Armed Forces of the Philippines; and Chief Inspector Grace Taculin of the Davao City Jail.
Director Zenaida Hadji-Raof Laidan of the Department of Science and Technology in Region 12 was also among the Mindanao achievers. Laidan initiated the establishment of the only existing halal laboratory in the country.
According to MCW, the recognition was based on the achievements of the honorees from the three categories set by MCW.
The categories are: those who broke the silence (i.e. spoke of issues not openly discussed), barriers (i.e. engaged in fields traditionally dominated by men), or new ground (i.e. introduced innovations and breakthroughs).
MCW chair emerita and chief executive officer Irene M. Santiago said, “MCW believes that it is only fitting that we give recognition to these persons at this year’s Kamindanawan.”
Santiago said that the occasion has centered on the theme “Women. Seriously!,” anchored on MCW’s slogan and goal: “for women to be taken seriously.”
Santiago said that MCW has “tremendously advanced the status of women in Mindanao since it was established on December 8, 2001.”
She admitted though that “much still needs to be done.”
Maria Ressa, author-in-residence of The International Center for Political Violence and Terrorism Research in Singapore, was the keynote speaker who discussed the new media, the "Social Media Evolution for Social Change.”
She was formerly head of the ABS-CBN News and Public Affairs.
Another resource person is executive director of Coalition Against Trafficking in Women – Asia Pacific (CATW-AP) Jean Enriquez who tackled on “The Scourge of Human Trafficking.”
Program manager Myla Leguro of the Catholic Relief Services Peace and Reconciliation Program has talked also on “Peacebuilding from Below” during the event.
The celebration started its opening rituals at at the People’s Park in the morning of December 8, 2011.
This was followed by a short parade to the Royal Ballroom of Royal Mandaya Hotel for the formal opening and recognition ceremonies.
Aside from Santiago, MCW chair Margie Moran Floirendo and MCW vice-chair Dr. Melchora Ambalong has taken the lead in the occasion.
Minister counselor for Development Cooperation Program Titon Mitra of the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) honored the celebration.
MCW was formed and institutionalized ten years ago by Muslim, Christian and indigenous women leaders of Mindanao.
The group aims to “influence public policy and public opinion by incorporating the women’s perspective in peace and development with the goal “For women to be taken seriously.”
During a gathering of Mindanao’s young women leaders in October this year, Santiago has stated: “For if women are taken seriously, I have no doubt that the challenges of our era for human security and peace will be resolved with a combination of good sense, compassion, and boldness which are hallmarks of women’s leadership.”