Jul 05
In the past few days, I’ve seen some great journalism. Deadbeatdolehead has documented an “error” by House of Ireland, who advertised for a Jobbridge intern. As DBDH points out, the job description differed when the same position was listed on a jobs website. As people protested to House of Ireland about what they had done, …
Feb 20
I want facts. And that means that often, some of my most productive reading is on blogs. Bloggers (unpaid, writing in their spare time, dismissed as hobbyists by “proper” journalists) produce the goods often enough to keep me coming back. Whether its Tony Humphreys‘ views on autism, a questionable advertising claim, or alleged social welfare …
Oct 08
The Irish Independent today carries the story of the 10.10.10 virus. “Fears that a computer virus could be unleased (sic!) on October 10 – 10.10.10 – are circulating on the internet, with experts warning users to be careful”, the newspaper reports with breathless urgency. (10.10.10 has a particular significance to many in geekdom, since in …
Aug 28
“There’s no revenue model for journalism on the web.” Or at least, so Geraldine Kennedy told Charlie Bird this morning. Twitterfolk listening in to the show were quick to react.”Old school thinking,” said Adrian Weckler, Sunday Business Post technology editor. “Is perhaps a little too used to economics of an ageing generation.” Mark Little pointed …
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Aug 23
So I’ve got some unleavened bread here. To some people, it’s just a piece of flour, mixed with water and heated. And to some people, it’s the body of a god, sacred beyond imagining. Plain unraised bread, made without yeast or other raising agent, is ‘unleavened’. A few years ago, a Florida student called Webster …
Aug 12
So you want to get the word out? Maybe you’re a political party, or an advocacy group, and you’ve got an opinion you want others to hear. But it’s a crowded market, so how do you get your voice heard over the others? Well, you could start with a blog. No, this isn’t an argument …
Jun 17
Following the success of the Freelance Forum, and in particular the contributions on online journalism, I’ve been asked to put together a brief guide to creating an online profile for freelance journalists. The brief is simple: How to use online tools, be it LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, or creating your own blog or website, in order …
Apr 18
Sometimes, the internet intrudes on the “real world”. And sometimes, the real world intrudes on cyberspace. The Crystal Swing phenomenon began when they came to the attention of ‘pantibliss’, the blog account of Pantibar, a Dublin gay bar. [Pantibliss in turn gives the credit to Robert Popper]. From there, word spread across twitter, and the …
Mar 23
I’ve been distracted by other things, but I continue to mull over the idea of a blogger newspaper. Two responses in particular to my last word on the topic deserve a reply. First, An Spailpín Fánach points out that good writing is not the same as journalism. That’s true. Indeed, it’s why subeditors exist. Yes, …
Mar 16
With the Blog Awards approaching, it’s time to revist an idea I’ve been toying with for some time. Blogs are fine, but even the finest blog in Ireland has a limited readership. Unless yuou’re lucky, you may never stumble across some of the best writers out there. The result? many well written articles are overlooked. …
