Bureau Blog Assignment

Bureau Blogging was a new experience for me. The deadline itself played a big role in trying to accomplish multiple, fast yet effective interviews. I noticed that when conducting an interview, my body language said more than the questions I was asking. When I came off as not rushed or pushy, people not only were more open with their answers but they felt more at ease even though the topic was pretty stressful. The interviewee has to be the focus, not the deadline.
It was a different feel to the experience altogether due to my texting all the interviewee’s answers. I could tell they felt uncomfortable, because texting is not used for occupational purposes, but is usually used to discuss something with a friend; in general it is a tool used for comrades, not co-workers. But I reassured them that this was a scholastic project that was teaching us to use mobile electronics to accomplish journalistic tasks. I did find it a bit difficult though, because a text can only convey so much information - 160 characters is not that many when you are required to describe the interview, the person’s body language and general emotional response. Fortunately this was overcome once my team sat down and integrated everyone’s information into one text.
The team aspect of this project was very crucial. Often , one person does too much work while the rest slack off and pay no mind to how inconsiderate they are. We had to communicate effectively with one another while out and about, as well as continually communicate with the Chief. After we had gathered all our individual information, we sat down to filter out what we would use and not use, and make sure that we covered all the required ground. Moving the individual quotes into one mass text was challenging, but beneficial. The team really had to rely and communicate with one another, and make sure that they had covered all their bases.
I am not a natural blogger, but I saw how quickly and efficiently a team can put together an informed and articulated blog. One team member put particular importance on the links in our blog, another wanted to make sure that we had diversity in age and race, and another made sure that we had numerous interviewees of all groups. A good blog uses as many sources as possible, as it gives its readers assurance of the opinions and information conveyed.

Specialized programs are being provided to help students:
http://chronicle.com/article/The-Message-Your-Money-Can/48260/

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