Online Journalism

New Pew Internet Project studies reveal a decline in blogging among those under 30 and an increase among those over 30. Also, those under 30 increasingly use wireless and social networking.

Although it’s not scheduled for “official” approval until 2022, some features of the new HTML standard will be creeping into browsers and authoring programs before that. Improved semantic tags, geolocation and non-proprietary multimedia insertion are among the highlights. Here’s a nice overview, with demo links for more information.

This “online graphical dictionary” allows you to look up words and then see visual connections to other words and concepts. An interesting use of Flash, and potentially a nice reference for reporters and other writers.

We’re seeing this in an increasing number of states, and it’s a great resource. . . now it’s Florida’s turn. The Florida Digital Newspaper Library gives you access to more than 800,000 pages of historic and current newspapers. You can search by terms, or even enter coordinates on a Google map.

This site, made by a lawyer with a degree in art, focuses on how lawyers can improve their legal documents’ typography. But there’s quite a bit of good stuff here for everyone, including typography basics and more advanced topics.

This site from the Library of Congress gives you access to a growing database of newspapers from 1880 to 1922. You can search the scanned pages online, or learn more information about papers published in the United States since 1690.

A very cool interactive site from the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School. It lets you learn about the redistricting process, one of the least understood aspects of the American Political system. The site lets you see how the system can be abused and learn about reform efforts.

I have moved all of the links mentioned in previous posts into their appropriate sections. They will now be accessible under BOOK CHAPTERS.

Leah Betancourt of the Star Tribune in Minneapolis has compiled a nice overview of how journalists can use twitter. She also gives examples of some journalists who are using Twitter in interesting ways.

An interview with a former employee of the now-defunct Rocky Mountain News on his efforts to build a new online home for some other former Rocky employees.