Letter to the Class

Selecting a single website from dozens of bookmarks seemed to be a more difficult task than creating a blog carnival to catalog all the sites that could be included in this project. This site is an attempt to organize websites and utilities that could be beneficial to a BECA major throughout their student career at SFSU. Students are encouraged to comment and contribute. I will be periodically updating and adding to this site, to give the readers more applicable information. A blog carnival works much like an online magazine, where people submit articles and links that are approved by an editor, and published online.

Though at this point it is just a skeleton site, it has potential to grow through user participation. In addition to improving skills in classes, you may want to learn about content creation, because it could make you stand out as a potential employee. Since Broadcasting is an art form, it is necessary for us to create a portfolio to demonstrate our work. Everyone in the BECA department is a potential content creator, or contributor to online content. It's important to take the time to learn the web tools you can use to organize, improve, and promote your portfolio for free. Also, be aware of trying to establish a positive and professional online identity.

I’ve included some videos on the site as an introduction to some of the tools out there for organization, improvement, and promotion. Many students already participate in online social networking sites like MySpace or FaceBook, but few take the time to think about them from the perspective of media businesses, and the future of media content providers.

As for future articles, I hope to find online articles which cover some of the “Do’s” and “Don’ts” of online content, including link love referencing, copyright infringement, and search engine optimization. Feel free to leave a comment on the blog with your favorite BECA site, for all current and future students to share.

Information Overload

Narrowing down useful BECA websites was more of a chore than creating one that referenced all of them. These are pieces of the puzzle that will make classes easier, digital creativity more accessible, and careers in new media more realistic than ever. I've arranged these links into categories on the right.

In addition to learning skills, part of what will make you stand out as a potential employee is content creation. Since Broadcasting is an art form, it is necessary for us to create a portfolio to demonstrate our work. It's important to take the time to learn the web tools you can use to organize, improve, and promote your portfolio for free.



The above Common Craft video is not only a good explanation of a complex tool, but it also is a good example of where new media might be headed. Low cost, narrow audience videos may become more and more popular as time continues. Did that help you think of some new ways to organize a project? Watch the video below about blogging. Imagine your own easy-made website that promotes you to a potential employer.




If you learn where to look, you can find amazing things. Find blogs that already exist from people who share interests. Share with them the things that you have found by commenting on their blog, and they will share it with their audience. In turn, they will keep you connected to the things you care about.

Remember to show "Link Love" and connect readers to the source of information that you're sharing. Blogossary says "Link love is posting a link to sites or blogs, usually unsolicited, that you enjoy, admire, or find useful." and it also includes quotations or other information from another source. Pictures, Video, and Text should all be referenced with a link to the original source.

If you show Link Love, people are more likely to respect the professionalism of your writing, and link back to your site, thus increasing traffic. This free promotion can work well if designed correctly.



Above Video: Hitchcock explains the Kuleshov effect.