WRITING FOR THE WEB

source: http://www.muirtech.com/servers.php

It is amazing that a lot of times, we do things instinctively, but have little knowledge of its actual workings. It is just like driving a car for instance- so many can drive a car, but how many understand its workings? I discovered this truth when we began this module on 'Writing For The Web.' It was an eyeopener in so many ways for me because it hit me that I had assumed a lot of things about the web. I want to summarize what I grasped from these sessions.

In writing for the web, just like writing for any other media, a common trait for all demographics is information. The purpose varies and one could be writing to educate, entertain, or inform. A lot of people come online to search for all sorts of information on different subject areas. In order to satisfy this quest for knowledge, it is imperative to know what people are searching for, in order to satisfy the need. The use of google keyword planner comes in handy to serve this purpose.
The internet is still a huge mystery for so many people, who do not understand how it works, and are afraid of all the technical jargon associated with the web.I will simplify a few terms as much as I can.

• Website- a collection of files stored on servers.

• Servers- the web hosting company manages the servers. A server is a computer connected to a network that other computers may or may not access. Unlike other computers on a network, a server is a dedicated computer set up for one or more purposes. For example, a user may setup a server to authenticate and allow or prohibit users from accessing a network, send/receive e-mail, manage print jobs, or host a website. Every server has an address which is identifiable by numbers.
 

• IP- internet protocol. A unique address assigned to every computer on the internet which does not change and is differentiated by numbers.
• DNS- this is the domain name system which translates data imputed on the net to readable form. 

A good website should not only be easy to navigate, it should be well organized and have good content among other features. Images should be used creatively to attract people. You must test your contents for: accuracy, completeness, precision and efficiency. Determine what is more important and begin with that. Be concise and do not write too much, but present your ideas succinctly. Facilitate scanning bu using keywords, short paragraphs, indention, bulleted and numbered lists, labels, headlines, and summaries.

AWARES 13- A JOURNEY DRAWING TO AN END.

It was mixed reactions yesterday from the class when Dr. Eugene Ohu asked if our expectations for deciding to participate in the Advanced Writing and Reporting Skills (AWARES) program have been met. The program will be ending in the next few days and it has been short (two and a half months), tasking, but very interesting and engaging. AWARES is one of the programs offered by the School of Media and Communications (SMC) of the Pan-Atlantic University, Lagos, which concentrates on helping students improve on their writing skills. It also focuses on proficiency in research and critical thinking. It is designed for media practitioners, public relations personnel, or professionals who want to enhance their writing skills.

The AWARES 13 class, of which I am a member, is a rich blend of 16 participants drawn from different sectors-media, Private and Corporate Organizations. Everyone begun the program with different expectations.  Some students said that their expectations for participating in the course had been met, some said it was more or less a refresher for them, while some others said that their expectations had not been fully met as they felt that the major beneficiaries were the journalists in our midst.  One of the women said that she would have wanted more industry captains in the media to come in and teach some of the modules, as this would have afforded a good opportunity for networking and having firsthand information on how the media works.

I registered for the program because I wanted to enhance my creative writing and reporting skills and I must say that I have enjoyed my time at the school. Not only has the course served as a refresher for me in so many ways, but it has also afforded me the opportunity to add to my field of knowledge as I have also been taught concepts in other subject areas that I find educative such as: Writing for the Web,Narrative and Expository Writing, Process/Report Writing, the Law and Abuses of the Media, Writing Readable Business Reports, and so many other topics. While it has been fun learning my parts of speech all over again, I have also enjoyed being more enlightened about economic concepts like: inflation, depression/recession, cost of capital, trade balance, economic indicators, and a host of other terms that I had once glossed over. If nothing else, I now realize more than ever, the important role that the media has to play in our polity in order to push for positive change in our country. It has been fun learning to design with the CorelDraw app and tinkering with pictures using adobe Photoshop. I even had to get someone to install both apps on my system so that I could practice more on my own in my spare moments.  

In Dr. Ohu’s words, the course is relevant for all attendees as there are lots of graduates who cannot write readable reports or letters, which is a shame. W all have to write at some point in the course of our work. It could be a business proposal, reports, minutes of meetings or writing for the web; but it is important that our presentation is professional and neat. It has been a fun two and a half months and I have no regrets at all and would not hesitate to recommend this course to everyone out there who is interested in writing effectively and efficiently. 

INVESTIGATING REPORTING- a summary of Mr. Richard Ikiebe's lecture.

Investigative journalism goes by different names: advocacy reporting, public service journalism, adversarial reporting, and expose reporting or muckraking. It is defined as, “digging beneath the surface” so we can help readers understand what’s going on in an increasingly complex world”

(Bolch and Kay 1978: 3; Mollenhoff 1981: 19).  It could also serve to check the abuse of power by government and mold opinion to shape public policy. Bob Greene of Investigative Reporters and Editors identifies three basic elements of Investigative reporting:

-it must be the reporter’s work

-the subject of the story must be of importance to his readers

-that there are attempts by others to hide the truth from the people.

Investigative reporting, which characterizes most reports, serves as a watchdog to independently monitor the affairs of government and business chieftains. It is not designed as a tool of affliction for the comfortable. Sadly enough, this is an aspect of journalism which seems to be on the decline in Nigeria. Notably, Segun Osoba made a mark via investigative reporting, and so did foreign journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein who pursued the Watergate scandal story to its logical conclusion. The only way in which the press can truly live up to its role as the watchdog of society, is when it is free and unrestrained.

Beyond exposes and muckraking, elements of an effective investigative reportage involves making the management and execution of power transparent, uncovering secrets hitherto unknown to the public, and helping the public to grasp the effects of power. The watchdog role of the media becomes weakened when it ignores blatant abuses of power  like non-accountability, mismanaged foreign policy matters, corruption in all sectors, and focuses on trivialities, or become unabashed celebrities themselves, amongst other things.  The quote below captures this point:

“Clever men hire PR people to plant stories; they pay lawyers to threaten those who do not believe them; companies put out PR fronts about who they are. Most papers are only too happy to accept that but let’s go and find out”.

- Michael Gillard, The Express

A good investigative reporter must have an incisive mind, a clear sense of history, curiosity, and luck. Also, he must be prepared for unpopularity, single-minded, motivated, angry enough at injustice, and dogged in his pursuit of truth. An investigative report first begins from a hunch or tip, which is closely examined, and if anything is proven, then a more serious investigation follows, after which the reporter analyzes, organizes and writes the story. Mere suspicion is not a good enough basis to launch an investigation or else you will only be embarking on a chase that leads nowhere.  You must have a reason that is compelling enough to push you to action and that reason must be based on facts, not gossip. You must also keep an open mind and do not back down on your investigation because you uncovered something unexpected. Open mindedness is a vital trait for any good reporter.

Once you decide that a course of investigation is worth your time and efforts get organized and methodical in your approach. Ensure that as you develop your story, there is accuracy hence, you must continuously double-check and ensure that all loose ends are well tidied up and the people, who are a part of investigation are included in the story through good descriptive powers. Simplify your story as much as possible, and with the availability of facts, help your readers to understand how the results of your findings affect them and make your recommendations.

ABUSES OF THE MEDIA

The class had quite an interactive and interesting session with Barrister Tomi Vincent, Esq. on the abuses of the media and I want to share what I understood from the whole discourse with you below.

In any society, the media plays an important role; it is a means through which many positive  societal changes can be effected. However, it can also be a tool for abuse, if there are no checks and balances in place. Thankfully, media ethics can be used to curb these abuses. There are four areas which pose ethical dilemmas for the journalist: fairness, truthfulness, privacy and responsibility.  These five philosophical principles serve as some sort of guide in the application of ethical decisions:

1.       Aristotle’s golden mean which is more or less a philosophy of moderation and compromise.

2.      Kant’s Categorical imperative, which poses the question of, ‘what if everyone acted this way?’ It provokes one to think about principles which one would want to see applied universally.

3.      Mill’s principle of  utility, which is all about seeking the greatest good for the greatest number of people.

4.      Rawl’s veil of ignorance which is a strong advocate of an egalitarian society.

5.      The Judeo-christian philosophy of, ‘love your neighbor, as yourself.”

Several professional media bodies such as: APCON, NUJ, NGE, NIPR, NPC, have ethical codes of conduct which govern their practices. Other methods, which have been adopted as legal means of curbing the excesses of the media include the setting up of various laws such as: privacy law, obscenity law, defamation law, sedition law, and copyright law.

Without mincing words, it is clear that checking the abuses in the media sector is of utmost importance.

NEWS RELEASES AND HOUSE JOURNALS: a lecture by Dr.Josef Bel-Molokwu

News releases and house journals are vital marketing applications that are useful in selling a sustainable positive image of a company and its output to both the public and media. The responsibility for doing this lies with the Corporate Affairs unit of each organization, or whatever other name they are called, and must be driven by staff in different capacities to the friends of the house and other personnel who are favorably disposed to the organization.

Press releases go out in the form of  emails, through corporate websites, social media platforms, and blogs. With the emergence of the new media, the bulk of the information that goes out is disseminated through this medium, but it does not eradicate the usage of the conventional media, and an editor still oversees the content to ensure high quality, conciseness, formatting, reader-friendliness and authentication. However, regardless of the medium, good formatting is an imperative. The features of the release must include the date, title, body of the letter, name, signature and designation of the person issuing the release. From the moment a press release is sent out, the process must be well managed to ensure that the writing is in the interest of your organization, good liaisons are maintained with editors and friends of the house, rules of embargo are observed, the release is well distributed, received and read.

The House journal goes by different names e.g. corporate bulletin, corporate or in-house journal, corporate newsletter, and house magazine. This publication serves as an eye into your organization hence its contents must be as diverse as it is enriching. Everybody’s interest should be catered for, and sycophancy reduced to the barest. It is however worthy of note that the approach to House Journals might change with the creation of the editorial, marketing, promotional, and other corporate literature. It is left for the organization to work out how it intends to distribute this journal, determine if its orientation should be commercial, include adverts or displayed in the competition’s terrain.