Digital Savant

By carson

November 20, 2005 5:50 PM | Link to this

What's really bothering me about the blog subject is that alot of older generation journalists have this growing fear of blogs being the wave of the future. I even heard experienced journalists say that they fear that blogs will take over news journalism. I personally think this idea is absurd. I don't know anyone who refers to a blog as a credible news source, and I am starting to make the assumption that most people that spend alot of free time blogging have nothing else better to do.
I see alot of publications trying hard to jump on the blog bandwagon, and I think they are trying to hard to figure out what the next wave of journalism will be. Maybe these actions are a little too preemptive. If you want this information, go to the source and ask the next generation of journalists. Apparently no one in the classroom raised their hand when asked if they read a blog, that should be taken as a sign.

By collie

November 18, 2005 5:05 PM | Link to this

Don't give up on the future of blogs...We do read them. I don't read a certain blog with any regularity (besides "Out and About" and those of my classmates). I usually stumble into a blog when something interests me. When the blogger hits a self-indulgent spell, I tend to tune out.
But I suppose this supports your concern about the visit to our class: maybe we simply lose interest quickly. I don't dedicate an extreme amount of time to online commentary because I'm in college; I'm still trying to figure out my own ideas!
Either way, best not morn the loss of potential readership just yet.
I can't speak for my classmates, but I found your visit interesting.

By Omar G.

November 18, 2005 5:04 PM | Link to this

Hee -- sorry about the assumptions I made, but I think we're saying the same thing -- blogs can be pretty terrible (they're getting better, I think) and I believe a lot of young people have already incorporated what they need of that kind of writing and ditched the rest; meanwhile, folks in the mainstream media (like, say, me and my bosses and others in newspapers) are making a mad rush toward blogs as if they'll save the medium. We're sort of two ships passing in the night, maybe.

Which is to say I think people in college are often far too busy to read blogs that don't directly speak to them, which is just and right; I don't think I watched anything apart from Animaniacs on TV my entire time in college.

LCP is working on a pilot right now, but we're planning a show of new material to follow up "Citizen Quien?" sometime next April or May. We'll probably start writing that show in January, although we are working on new material for the pilot that may make its way to that new spring production.

Thanks for your interest!

By Michael Rowland

November 18, 2005 4:12 PM | Link to this

Omar:

Thank you once again for visiting Mr. Michael Barnes' class. I'm pleased to see that there is a strong Latino presence in Austin that is getting the attention it deserves thanks to publications like Ahora Sí.

As for blogging, I'm sorry that us youngsters didn't share your enhusiasm for the medium. Perhaps we really are all destined for PR writing. My hopes tell me otherwise.

I think you have a point about the the flowers, though, and that many kiddos in college do tend to sacrifice a personal voice for shallow desires to be like must-see TV. Blogs are like the Internet, I say, just another flower to count on the wall.

When is LCP performing? Soon I hope. Hasta la proxima vez, be well--

By A St. Ed's Student

November 18, 2005 1:19 PM | Link to this

Whoa there. As one of Dr. Barnes students, I wasn't bored one bit. On the contrary, I was blown away that one person could balance so many projects at once. It's pretty inspiring actually.

Secondly, I've read plenty of my friends' blogs on Livejournal and Myspace and after killing brain cells reading about their daily drama, I got pretty sick of it. I don't think that makes me technologically clueless. It means I believe in self-preservation!

Are all blogs bad? Of course not! But believe it or not, students hardly have time to waste reading about other people's lives when there's class, schoolwork, jobs, and oh I don't know, lives to live! Why read about it when you can do it?

Also, you can never make assumptions based on who speaks up in one class. Honestly now.

Anyway, I enjoyed your visit considerably but I think you seriously misread us.