Articles by AWcom Staff

Online Auto Content – Journalism Or Fandom?

In previous installments of our look into Auto Journalism 3.0, we’ve looked at the inevitability of the web in the future of our business, and what the structure of the information chain may look like in the very near future.

Tom Kelley and friends.

Terry Parkhurst recently added his take on sites that are operated more for the sake of gaining access (fandom), than for the practice of journalism. This month, we’ll build on Terry’s foundation by offering at least one perspective on what separates journalism from fandom in the world of online auto content.

The goal is not to create a protectionist environment that secures spaces for the old-timers at the expense of the up and coming, but rather, to identify the relevant elements of traditional journalism, and discuss how they apply to the online world.

The Society of Professional Journalists (www.spj.org) defines journalists as: “persons who are engaged in directing the editorial policy or editing and preparing news and editorial content of independent news media products.”

As definitions of journalism go, the SPJ version is perhaps the best example of being distribution channel neutral. It doesn’t matter whether an outlet is print, radio, television, online, or whatever comes next, nor does it matter whether the practitioner is a writer, photographer, graphic artist, or voice/video reporter, the SPJ definition focuses on actions rather than who or where, so it serves as a good starting point for our discussion.

What may need further definition though, is what qualifies as news and editorial content.

Editorial content is defined as commentary and/or opinion, specifically, that offered by the editorial or management staff of the media outlet. As a practical matter, commentary/opinion provided by freelance contributors is not differentiated from that of the media outlet’s staff. News is defined as a report of recent events or previously unknown information, interesting enough to the general public to warrant reporting. Though not explicitly covered in the above definitions, feature coverage (interviews, how-to, profile, etc.) is also within the realm of journalism.

Whether you call it a blog, a clog, a vlog or a podcast doesn’t matter, it’s about the content, not the delivery channel.

Michael Larner, a graduate of USC with degrees in Psychology and Chinese, has been a contributing editor of PC Quarterly Review for the past five years. He is a member of the first generation to grow up fully immersed in interactive media. In addition to recently being named managing editor of the new Automotive section of PC Quarterly Review, Michael’s duties require him to cover advances within the consumer electronics industry and to assess how they will affect our lives.” He can be reached at: mlarner@pcqreview.com

The Destructive Effects of Digital Distraction

With the ever-quickening rate of technological progress, we rarely pause to reflect upon the negative consequences that such advances have had on society. By the late 1990’s, more than 10 million families in America had signed up for unlimited Internet usage. Since then, instant messaging services have become an integral part of the desktop landscape of an ever-increasing number of Generation Y’ers. As the years have passed, that landscape has grown to include a number of instant messaging applications, social networking windows, RSS feeds, streaming media content, and a whole host of other digital content.

Michael Larner, Managing Editor, Automotive Section, PC Quarterly Review

Generation Y has become the first generation to integrate multiple streams of on-demand content into their daily lives, while the younger Generation Z will never experience anything but a fully integrated world. And with this consolidation of information, I fear that we’re witnessing a decline of the essential critical thinking and communication skills that have provided the foundation for society’s progress, including the technological revolution.

Given that these streams of information are designed to be digested simultaneously, they have been watered down to make for easier reading. Twitter limits its posts to 140 characters. Status updates on Facebook can only be three times longer. Communicating via instant messaging and texting has become such a prevalent issue that we’ve passed laws dictating when it’s acceptable. Add in the overwhelming number of one-paragraph blog posts that share a single interesting tidbit of content and it’s easy to see how this information can be absorbed so quickly. But an entire generation has been trained to instantly identify and use information in the most efficient manner possible. So when they come across a full-length article, it’s only natural that these same youngsters will revert to skimming the story. This wouldn’t be so bad if it were the extent of the problem, except that it’s not. All of these bite-sized pieces of information take little to no brainpower to extract meaning from and to understand. So, in a use-it-or-lose-it fashion, an entire generation is slowly forgetting how to process information. And, with their skimming method, they’re probably missing some important details as well. Read the rest of this entry »