Journalism 2.0 - Knight Citizen News Network

Chapter 3: Tools and Toys
Newspapers such as the Roanoke Times in Virginia and the Naples Daily News in
Florida began “vodcasting” in 2006. Each paper has built a studio for recording
and producing video segments and each is making those shows available for
download to an iPod or viewable on the Web site.
National Public Radio, meanwhile, serves more than 6 million downloads of its
podcasts each month.
What does this mean for you? Every news organization is likely to try adding
video to its mix very soon (if it hasn’t already). If you can be an early adopter
and find a way to incorporate video into your beat or your specialty, you will have
a leg up on the competition.
‘Other’ wireless
Some people actually still connect to the wireless Internet with a laptop computer.
OK, that’s being too flip, since laptops are still the primary vehicle for people to
use with the Internet, but when you see what’s happening with iPods and cell
phones, it’s easy to forget.
Hitting a coffee shop with your laptop and paying a few bucks to connect to the
Internet is one of the most popular ways to work wirelessly these days. But that
business model doesn’t look promising. Independent coffee shops, restaurants, car
dealers, rock-climbing gyms and all sorts of other small businesses now offer free
Wi-Fi access, too. And the field is only getting more crowded.
• Many cities are working on municipal Wi-Fi systems to bring free wireless
Internet access to a concentrated area like a downtown.
• Special cards provided by the major cell phone companies insert into most laptops
and allow wireless connection to the Internet from anywhere there’s cell
phone coverage. Users pay for the card — usually less than $100 — then pay
a monthly service fee for unlimited connectivity. A new service, called EV-DO,
offers broadband-like speeds.
• A company called Clearwire, founded by Craig McCaw, who built one of the first
cell phone companies, is launching in several U.S. cities. It offers standard
wireless service or a special modem-like device that can be plugged into a laptop
or desktop computer for more reliable service at a higher speed. The idea
is that you could pay for one service that would go with you anywhere, so
Clearwire would be your provider at home, at the local coffee shop, or wherever.
You would use this external modem to connect at home or take it into coffee
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Journalism 2.0: How to Survive and Thrive