IMPROVING SALES AT PLANET 3 WITH PRODUCT PLACEMENT & SOON TO BE TESTED STRATEGIES

WILL THIS WORK? I THINK SO. 

I began this journey thinking about my future and what I wanted in my portfolio. I love to take something that has cosmetic issues and transform the space so that the product will sell. We all know there are theories to customer manipulation. This study on my very own store, Planet 3, will be a detailed journey of making more money with tips from the internet and of course-my love and knowledge of production. 

*******************************december 3, 2013

PLANET 3 MAKEOVER

GENERATE MORE SALES

FILL IN OTHER NOTES:

http://smallbusiness.chron.com/guerrilla-marketing-ideas-clothing-retailers-56485.html

Retail advertising strategies: Guerrilla marketing means finding ways to generate maximum interest and excitement in your products using unusual, low- or no-cost tactics

***Bagvertising

Branded shopping bags have been used for advertising for many years. This has morphed into a much more adventurous method of guerrilla marketing that works well for clothing retailers. Instead of simply adding the store name and logo to bags, retailers use them in place of expensive print advertising. Kansas-based Habitat Shoe Boutique uses “bagvertising” to advertise its range of high-end, classic European shoes and accessories by printing them on the store’s shopping bags.

Flier Swaps

Swapping fliers with other businesses in the same area gives both companies an opportunity to reach a complementary target market. You can print low-cost paper fliers or postcards and ask retailers of purses, fashion accessories or cosmetics to place them in a prominent position in their stores. In return, they can place fliers advertising their products in your store. The products appeal to a similar audience while avoiding direct competition.

Long Lines

Long lines attract attention, in the same way flash mobs do. Contact all your friends and family members and arrange for them all to turn up and queue outside your clothing retail store on a specific date and time. Invite the local press, take photos and post them on your social media profiles to generate interest in the store. You may have to throw a party, give away freebies or pay them to come, but plenty of young people will queue for an hour for $10 and a cup of coffee. The images of your lineups can become valuable marketing collateral.

—–Perfect for Connect –jessica & Bill Dawars -Mason come up with some type of contest, etc..big group shows up/flash mob, but something cooler

To create the big event: Contests

Run a contest using prizes donated by a clothing manufacturer or a large company that wants to connect with the same target demographic your product appeals to. This benefits both the prize sponsor as well as the retailer, so the cost to both parties remains minimal. Your costs are limited to promoting the contest and the method of entry, such as printed posters, coupons and entry forms. Generate a buzz about the contest on social media, and store the names of all entrants for future newsletters, emails or telemarketing appeals.

 

 

That could be a contest or get Hernobal involved.

Ask landlord if we can paint outside-something-and get public art people to do it for free.

http://www.mikemichalowicz.com/the-50-best-marketing-strategies-for-small-business/

Never Stop Growing Your Network
Expand your network of contacts and potential clients. Ask your best, most powerful, most influential friends or business associates to introduce you to the five people they think you should meet to expand your business. Take each of the contacts out for coffee and get to know them. Discuss your plans and future goals, tell them about why your business is special and ask for their advice. You will be amazed at how these new contacts will pay off ten-fold with recommendations to you for new business and innovative ideas you hadn’t thought of.

MASON!!!! & RY-Twitter Giveaways
Give away your product or promotional item on Twitter. Ask a question about a product on your website or blog. The first person to answer wins. When you send the item write, “Retweet upon receipt,” to be entered in a second contest.

Listen. Tweet. Listen. Listen Again.
Identify your ideal clients and find them on Twitter. Then start following them! Spend weeks listening to them; you’ll be amazed what they will tell you about their concerns, their ideal products, their current frustrations with their vendors. It’s a great way to get open honest market research.

Get a Twitter account in your business name. Post links to your articles educating people in your niche market. At the bottom of the article have links to your products & services. Also offer discount coupon codes to twitter members. This has worked very well for me.

 

 

Leverage Linked-In
Join as many Linked-In groups as you can that are related to what you sell and post a question or tip on a regular basis. If you have a blog or e-newsletter, post an announcement to your Linked-In groups with a link whenever you release a new issue or blog posting. It’s free, you’ll be recognized as a leader, and you’ll reach thousands of business people interested in your field.

Facebook It!
Your Facebook friends can be your greatest free marketing tools so enlist their help! In Facebook, use the NOTES application to create a special, limited-time “friends and family” promotion (i.e.: enter “facebook09″ at checkout to receive 10% off), tag all your friends and ask them to pass along your exclusive deal to their own friends. A great offer goes a long way quickly…especially through our favorite social networking sites!

Tweet It!
Twitter is a great place to share photos (TwitPic), host contests, shout out to loyal customers, have scavenger hunts, and promote events. Think of ways you can incorporate Twitter into your promotions in a fun, engaging way. Thank loyal customers, retweet their tweets, and even host fundraisers. All the cool kids are doing it. Why shouldn’t you?

 

 

Network Your Networks
Network with friends who then network with their friends. There’s power in numbers. Don’t spam of course, but utilize your network to get the word out to your people who know people who know people. Someone ultimately knows someone that can help you out…and believe it or not…will want to. When networking, do NOT focus on getting a referral or lead. Instead, focus on helping others. If you help them first (by adding value to their life/business), they’ll help you later.

WE NEED TO GET INVOLVED IN A CHARITY. GET SUGGESTIONS FROM STAFF.

FOLLOW UP CALLS-?

Maintain Relationships With Clients
The difference between a successful company and a mediocre one often boils down to an owner’s commitment to building (and sustaining) relationships with clients and prospects. While it’s important to keep up traditional communication and PR, business owners should also be extending their relationships through online forums – website, blogs, and social networks. Conversations are happening all around you – are you listening, are you participating? Are you a thought leader? Be visible!

 

Inspire Customers To Call You
Do something really different. Send a monthly postcard instead of a hard copy newsletter. Self-printed cost is $0.46 ea. including the stamp. Make it fun and colorful with a strong “Call to Action” title, like: “100 reasons to call us. List 10-to-20 reasons, including your skills, talents, and tasks. Give customers a coupon for a discount, or a free doughnut, or something fun to inspire them to call.

OR EMAIL DISCOUNT CARD TO THOSE THAT HAVEN’T BEEN BACK LATELY.

THAT WOULD INCLUDE GOING OVER EVERY PIERCING CLIENT’S INFO

Be Generous
To keep customers loyal to you, instead of a frequent buyer program, send your customers small “surprise” gifts. Customers come to expect rewards when they are members of a program. Surprises always work to instill loyalty and retention.

Have a VIP CARD. Cost 10$ to join, but they are first to know about the best deals, etc..??

Or a card that gets stamped or licked –whatever- and 10^th purchase gets 20$gift card.

Own Your “Wow” 
Marketing gurus often refer to it as “differentiation.” Academics who fancy themselves as marketers – they’re the ones who write marketing textbooks – prefer to call it a USP, your Unique Selling Proposition. What they’re both taking about is more correctly described as the “Wow!” factor. Whatever it is that separates your Stuff – your products or services – from the similar Stuff your competition is selling, that’s your Wow!

What is our WOW factor?

Student discounts? Military discounts? What other discounts? Birthday this month, show id-discount? Food & Beverage discount day!! Bring Liq lic or pay check stubb.

Online-Map Listings
Online map listings are essential for businesses with brick-and-mortar locations. They are the first thing people see on search engines. They offer a concise snapshot of business info so customers can easily contact you or visit your store. And best of all, they don’t cost any money!” Make sure your business is on Google+ business, as well as all the local review sites and other map listings you can find.

Claim them all and update.

 

 

 

http://retail.about.com/od/ecommerce/tp/internet-marketing-tips.htm

what??

A piercing trade letter. ???

5. Submit Your Site

Many new website owners submit their site to the major search engines and then sit back and wait for customers to come. While this is an important step for marketing online, website owners often overlook all the other directories available. 

Look for specialized link directories and niche sites to submit your business information and website. Not only will these directories help increase your link popularity, but they can drive highly targeted traffic to your retail store.

No More Search Engine Submission

6. Grab Local Listings

Google, Yahoo, Superpages and other directories and search engines are creating tools for local shoppers to find your business, provide maps of location, hours of operation and even coupons. Many of these listings are free with upgrade options for a fee.

Create Your Own Commercials

 

Local Search Marketing For Local Business

Video marketing online allows a retailer to extend the reach of their message to a larger audience for little investment. Unlike traditional marketing, producing a unique online ad or video to convey your message or brand your store can have an extremely high ROI.

 

Talk to Jessica about ways to have planet 3 name mentioned without spending too much money-sponsored by, etc.

Ask her advice too.

 

http://www.bizfilings.com/toolkit/sbg/marketing/advertising-pr/advertising-benefits.aspx

Effective advertising reaches potential customers and informs them of your products or services. Ideally, advertising should capture the prospective customers attentions attention and entice them to use your product. Regardless of the method, all your advertising should be clear and consistently reflect the unique positioning statement of your business.

 Word-of-mouth advertising is considered the most effective form. It has the desired qualities of strong credibility, high audience attention levels, and friendly audience reception. It features open-ended conversation with questions and answers about the product, psychological incentives to purchase, memorability, efficiency and frequency. Word-of-mouth advertising passes product information to many other potential buyers (and may even include promotional trial demonstrations and free sampling), at little or no cost to the business. Whenever possible, a small business should build an advertising program that results in word-of-mouth advertising. Satisfied customers are your best advertisements.

 

Create Your Own Newsletter

Depending upon the nature of your business, creating your own newsletter can be an effective way to reach customers. Your newsletter can be a blend of advertising and informational text that reminders your customers of your logo and identity and keeps you in touch with with them. You can save postage costs, buy leveraging an email customer list and by having the newsletter available on your website. Just be sure to keep your image consistent, wherever it is seen in print, and have it seen as frequently as you possibly can.

Point-of-Purchase Displays Trigger Sales-what??/

The importance of POP displays cannot be overemphasized. Impulse buying accounts for a huge amount of product sales. Service businesses can also use some POP techniques, especially when going to add-ons to a regular service such as “wax my car as long as you’re going to keep it to change the oil” type of last minute decisions. But it’s in the product realm that POP is king.

Often it’s manufacturers who pay the cost of POP advertising. Providing a retailer with an attractive display is money well-spent by any manufacturer if it entices a retailer to feature the product and the consumer to purchase it on impulse.

POP can take the form of danglers, signs, posters, banners, custom display racks, special lighting, or video monitors with promotional loops playing all day long. Bounceback and register tape coupons (printed on the back of the cash register receipt) are good to give at a POP location to stimulate customer’s return to your business in the future. POP even has its own trade magazine, Shopper Marketing, and there are numerous website providing POP information, such as the In-Store Marketing Institute. If you are a retailer or a maker of consumer goods, you’ll want to study the opportunities POP offers.

 

Signs and Displays Convey Your Identity

Signage is a key component of establishing and perpetuating your identity. Billboards, blimps, search lights, and skywriting are exotic and expensive; you’d be better served by concentrating on more down-to-earth signs. Matchbooks or boxes with a logo and vital information were always the thrifty solution, but nowadays smoking is on the wane. So try something different such as boxes with little toothpicks instead of matches. This has been very successful in several markets, particularly with upscale restaurants. Key chains, pens and pencils, and calendars are premiums and ad specialties. If they are appropriate for your kind of business, they’re worth their weight in ad dollars. People use them. They don’t usually end up in drawers or waste baskets.

Bumper stickers, balloons, buttons, decals, and even T-shirts are examples of ad specialty signage that works. Paper or plastic bags and packaging make economical billboards too. Print your name, logo, and message on anything you can, on all sides. Don’t miss an opportunity to get your word out. Mailing labels are a perfect medium. Everyone who handles your mail will see your ad at no cost to you.

Also consider “branding” your vehicles. Cars and trucks are great traveling billboards. You can readily find a magnetic sign supplier who can fashion a flexible rubberized sign to attach to your company truck or your personal car. When not in use for company business, simply remove the sign. Employee uniforms are another form of sign. Your logo and identity must carry through all possible aspects of your business. T-shirts are great signs that even your customers can wear.

Interior and exterior signs should be lighted to take advantage of every opportunity to be seen. Neon is becoming popular again, and creative things are being done in this medium.

Reader boards, those signs using individual letters so you can change the message at will, are very useful if well-positioned, lighted, and maintained. Zoning ordinances often limit the use of reader boards. These signs can be portable, on wheels, fixed to the ground in what is called “monument” style or, most often, high up on a pole. Changing the message often and avoiding misspellings will enhance their effect on your business.

DIRECT MAIL-INVOLVES UPDATING ALL CLIENTAL.

Direct mail and catalogs remain popular. despite the rise in online shopping. Whether you use direct mail promotions or develop your own catalog, the demographics of your mailing list (database) is the key to success. Firms like L.L. Bean, Land’s End, and Eddie Bauer are masters of database marketing. If you hope to get started in this arena, our advice is to start very small and narrow your niche to a needlepoint.

 

YARN BOMBING ARTICLE FROM JESSICA AT CONNECT

http://www.connectsavannah.com/savannah/covered-in-color/Content?oid=2316174

ART MAKES YOU SMART

I just randomly saw this news feed while scrolling through the FB feed. I decided to read about it since it’s up my alley. I had no intentions of critiquing the article until I was confused over the word “a”.  

Here is the sentence:

“Students who, by lottery, were selected to visit the museum on a field trip demonstrated stronger critical thinking skills, displayed higher levels of social tolerance, exhibited greater historical empathy and developed a taste for art museums and cultural institutions.”

–Okay, so I haven’t finished the article and maybe it will clear up my confusion, but so far I have (albeit an opinion) written words trying to suggest that research was done during

“a field trip”. Just one.

 

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/24/opinion/sunday/art-makes-you-smart.html?smid=fb-share&_r=0

 

 

• Art Makes You Smart

 

Alain Pilon

By BRIAN KISIDA, JAY P. GREENE and DANIEL H. BOWEN

Published: November 23, 2013

FOR many education advocates, the arts are a panacea: They supposedly increase test scores, generate social responsibility and turn around failing schools. Most of the supporting evidence, though, does little more than establish correlations between exposure to the arts and certain outcomes. Research that demonstrates a causal relationship has been virtually nonexistent.

A few years ago, however, we had a rare opportunity to explore such relationships when the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Artopened in Bentonville, Ark. Through a large-scale, random-assignment study of school tours to the museum, we were able to determine that strong causal relationships do in fact exist between arts education and a range of desirable outcomes.

Students who, by lottery, were selected to visit the museum on a field trip demonstrated stronger critical thinking skills, displayed higher levels of social tolerance, exhibited greater historical empathy and developed a taste for art museums and cultural institutions.

Crystal Bridges, which opened in November 2011, was founded by Alice Walton, the daughter of Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart. It is impressive, with 50,000 square feet of gallery space and an endowment of more than $800 million.

Thanks to a generous private gift, the museum has a program that allows school groups to visit at no cost to students or schools.

Before the opening, we were contacted by the museum’s education department. They recognized that the opening of a major museum in an area that had never had one before was an unusual event that ought to be studied. But they also had a problem. Because the school tours were being offered free, in an area where most children had very little prior exposure to cultural institutions, demand for visits far exceeded available slots . In the first year alone, the museum received applications from 525 school groups requesting tours for more than 38,000 students.

–Okay, now this story is starting to take shape and I like where it is headed. I did not even think about doing a study about the students visiting the museum. I love that there are enough creative people to explore every aspect of an idea and then explore it some more.

As social scientists, we knew exactly how to solve this problem. We partnered with the museum and conducted a lottery to fill the available slots. By randomly assigning school tours, we were able to allocate spots fairly. Doing so also created a natural experiment to study the effects of museum visits on students, the results of which we published in the journals Education Next and Educational Researcher.

–Wow. That is pretty cool. I would love to be involved with something that monumental.

Over the course of the following year, nearly 11,000 students and almost 500 teachers participated in our study, roughly half of whom had been selected by lottery to visit the museum. Applicant groups who won the lottery constituted our treatment group, while those who did not win an immediate tour served as our control group.

–I find the last sentence a bit confusing. I’m guessing the immediate tour is the same thing as a lottery tour. So, it seems they are saying that those people who visited the museum randomly on their own served as the control group. Oh wait. Perhaps those that won the lottery went to the museum first while the other schools had to wait? I feel like this part of the story should be very clear. This is the meat of the story and it a huge disappointment. I need facts and stats and clarity.  

Several weeks after the students in the treatment group visited the museum, we administered surveys to all of the students. The surveys included multiple items that assessed knowledge about art, as well as measures of tolerance, historical empathy and sustained interest in visiting art museums and other cultural institutions. We also asked them to write an essay in response to a work of art that was unfamiliar to them.

–The first sentence in that paragraph confuses me. Is it just the treatment group that took the survey? Is the word “all” referring to all of the students in the treatment group or all of the students that attended the museum?

These essays were then coded using a critical-thinking-skills assessment program developed by researchers working with the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston.

–That is attention-grabbing, but I’d love to know their critical-thinking-skills assessment program outline. Perhaps that’s a whole other article.

Further, we directly measured whether students are more likely to return to Crystal Bridges as a result of going on a school tour. Students who participated in the study were given a coupon that gave them and their families free entry to a special exhibit at the museum. The coupons were coded so that we could determine the group to which students belonged. Students in the treatment group were 18 percent more likely to attend the exhibit than students in the control group.

–Why am I so confused?

Moreover , most of the benefits we observed are significantly larger for minority students, low-income students and students from rural schools — typically two to three times larger than for white, middle-class, suburban students — owing perhaps to the fact that the tour was the first time they had visited an art museum.

–And then they use the word perhaps, but I need to remember it is an opinion piece. It’s OPINION!! NOT FACT!!

Further research is needed to determine what exactly about the museum-going experience determines the strength of the outcomes. How important is the structure of the tour? The size of the group? The type of art presented?

Clearly, however, we can conclude that visiting an art museum exposes students to a diversity of ideas that challenge them with different perspectives on the human condition. Expanding access to art, whether through programs in schools or through visits to area museums and galleries, should be a central part of any school’s curriculum.

–The first sentence in that paragraph so vague. The wording leaves a lot to the imagination. “diversity of ideas” what kind of ideas? “different perspectives on the human condition.” What exactly does this mean?

Brian Kisida is a senior research associate and Jay P. Greene is a professor of education reform at the University of Arkansas. Daniel H. Bowen is a postdoctoral fellow at the Kinder Institute of Rice University.

 

=

Bottom of Form

 

THIRD DRAFT: YARN BOMBING SAVANNAH

Here is the third draft. I am going to work on it for a bit, then step away for a few hours. My mind usually becomes muddled with ideas and the article seems to take a stroll down boring avenue.

 

THIRD DRAFT: YARN BOMBING SAVANNAH

Under the moonlight, equipped with doughnuts, twine, and pre-made 9×9 vibrant crochet squares, you could see knitters delightfully attaching their creations to old signs and bike racks.

The top secret location had just been revealed 23 hours ago at the local coffee shop as the yarn bombing team united for the last time at Green Truck Pub in downtown Savannah at 6am. This particular yarn bombing was the brainchild of Jessica Leigh Lebos, writer and art enthusiast.

“I knew if I ever had the chance, I would do a yarn bombing.” Lebos said, “I’m very passionate about public art.”

Public art is always the topic with Matt Hebermehl and his collaborator, James “DrZ” Zdaniewski who cofounded the art organization called See Savannah Art Walls or SeeSAW, for short, and are the sole reason public art is permitted in Savannah. After public art enthusiast were punished with fines after their creations went up, Hebermehl and Zdaniewki worked with Metropolitan Planning Commission to create a mural ordinance and policy. The mural policy was approved in late 2011.

When Savannah locals have an open spot on their property that they would like to display public art, they know who to contact and being friends for quite some time, Habernehl presented the opportunity to Lebos. She gleefully took over the area to facilitate her creative intentions, yarn bombing.

After the preliminaries of locations and logistics were in place, Lobos began her quests to find knitters keen to her idea.

“I am actually the world’s worst knitter. That’s what makes this project so amazing,” Lebos said

The Facebook page, Savannah’s First Ever Crowd sourced Yarn Bomb, was created. Lebos patiently waited for the buzz to filter its way through social media and when creators of all ages contacted the Facebook page wanting to help, the group decidedly met every Thursday.  

For over a month strangers and friends swapped crocheting techniques over wine and tea. At every gathering, more and more polychromatic crochet square were added to the basket.

“It’s amazing what happens when one person inspires others to come together and create!” Star Kowtoski, owner of ART POP Balloons said.

The act of crocheting and knitting unexpected pieces for public display has been coloring the city streets for about a decade. Yarn bombing is a type of public art that involves covering anything from trees to telephone poles with acrylic yarn.

The New York Times read, “Yarn bombing takes that most matronly craft (knitting) and the most maternal of gestures (wrapping something cold in a warm blanket) and transfers it to the concrete and steel wilds of urban streetscape.”

Considered by many to be the mother of yarn bombing , Magda Sayeg, says her interest started on a slow, drab day in 2005 at her shop in Houston. She knitted a blue-and-pink cozy for the shop’s door handle and it grabbed people’s attention.  Fast-forward seven years and Sayeg is still at it, but with more ambitious projects that include covering buses and cars with yarn.

In 2009 with the publication of the book “Yarn Bombing: The Art of Crochet and Knit Graffiti,” by Mandy Moore and Leanne Prain, knitters from Vancouver, Canada , the public art of yarn bombing quickly found its niche.

The Andy Warhol Bridge, located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is considered the largest yarn bombings in the US. The bridge received a knitted makeover with more than 1,800 knitters and 600 colorful blankets of city landmarks showcasing knitted or crocheted masterpieces. When the public art was removed, the blankets were given a fresh wash and then were donated to different charities around the community.

While Lebos Savannah’s First Crowd sourced Yarn Bomb won’t be able covering bridges anytime soon, her message is still clear about public art.

“When you are out and you see some something unexpected on a wall, it makes you think differently about where you live. Makes you think they are mischievous people out there that want to take life creatively.”

 

 

 

 

TICK TOCK-NEXT DAY-Second rough and tumble draft-Yarn Bombing Savannah

NEED TO NARROW THE ARTICLE:

—-I had so many ideas and any story can go so many different directions. I may have started with an idea of where the article would begin and end, but as I write, I know I need to focus in on just one idea instead of SeeSAW or Jessica or Green Truck, etc. I have decided to make this article ONLY about yarn bombing…Where yarn bombing originated from, history of it in savannah and then our exact mission.

I’m also wondering if I can find some useful words concerning yarn, yarn bombing from other articles on the web. I don’t know exact terms, so this would be part of the research.

Second rough and tumble draft:

Under the moonlight, equipped with doughnuts, twine, and pre-made 9×9 vibrant crochet squares, you could see knitters delightfully attaching their creations to old signs and bike racks.

The top secret location had just been revealed 23 hours ago at the local coffee shop.  The yarn bombing team united for the last time at Green Truck Pub in downtown Savannah at 6am. This particular yarn bombing was the brainchild of Jessica Leigh Lebos, writer and public art enthusiast.

“I knew if I ever had the chance, I would do a yarn bombing.” Lebos said “I’m very passionate about public art.”

Public art is always the topic with Matt Hebermehl who first approached Lebos with a space for her to use to her liking. Hebermehl and his collaborator, James “DrZ” Zdaniewski cofouned  the art organization called See Savannah Art Walls or SeeSAW for short and are the sole reason public art is permitted in Savannah. SeeSAW worked with Metropolitan Planning Commission to create a mural ordinance and policy. The mural policy was approved in late 2011 and under that policy, SeeSAW successfully petitioned for a designated mural wall at 34th and Habersham Street.

People often locate Habermehl when they have an open spot on their property that they would like to display public art and Lebos was more than happy to take over and facilitate her ideas.

After the preliminaries of locations and logistics were in place, Lobos began her quests to find knitters keen to her idea.

“I am actually the world’s worst knitter. That’s what makes this project so amazing,” Lebos said

She set up a Facebook page Savannah’s FIRST EVER Crowd sourced YARN BOMB and waited for the buzz to filter its way through social media. She had immediately had people of all ages wanting to help. The group met every Thursday for over a month and swapped crocheting and knitting techniques over wine and tea.

“It’s amazing what happens when one person inspires others to come together and create!” Star Kowtoski, owner of ART POP Balloons said.

The act of crocheting and knitting unexpected pieces for public display has been coloring the city streets for about a decade. yarn bombing is a type of public art that involves covering anything from  trees to telephone poles.

The New York Times read, “Yarn bombing takes that most matronly craft (knitting) and the most maternal of gestures (wrapping something cold in a warm blanket) and transfers it to the concrete and steel wilds of urban streetscape.”

Considered by many to be the mother of yarn bombing ,Magda Sayeg,  says it started on a slow, drab day in 2005 at her shop in Houston. She knitted a blue-and-pink cozy for the shop’s door handle and it grabbed people’s attention.  Fast-forward seven years and Sayeg is still at it, but with more ambitious projects that included covering buses and cars with yarn.

In 2009 with the publication of the book “Yarn Bombing: The Art of Crochet and Knit Graffiti,” by Mandy Moore and Leanne Prain, knitters from Vancouver, Canada , the public art of yarn bombing quickly found its niche  all around the world.

The Andy Warhol Bridge, located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is considered the largest yarn bombings in the US. The bridge received a knitted makeover with more than 1,800 knitters and 600 colorful blankets of city landmarks showcasing knitted or crocheted masterpieces. When the public art was removed, the blankets were given a fresh wash and then were donated to different charities around the community.

While Lebos Savannah’s FIRST EVER Crowdsourced YARN BOMBwon’t be able covering bridges anytime soon, her message is still clear about public art.

“When you are out and you see some something unexpected on a wall, it makes you think differently about where you live. Makes you think they are mischievous people out there that want to take life creatively.”

FIRST ROUGH AND TUMBLE DRAFT FOR LAST ARTICLE-YARN BOMBING SAVANNAH

First rough and tumble draft:

Scurrying from front to back like busy elves, mice, bees…who scurries..yarn..cat…  With twine, plastic needles-ask star- and pre-made 9×9 crochet squares in hand, the first ever crowd sourced yarn bombing team united again for the last step of their undercover..pun on crochet?—what word??– journey.

(Need Segway into what Public Art is….

Or

Segway into what yard bombing is instead bc Public Art is so BROAD

Public art has become….

AND

History of public art in savannah

Still to BROAD

So what to Segway into to>>>>>>>.hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm…………….)

****Found myself stuck here for a minute, but continued to toss the story around in my head until I found a cohesive structure)

The mission began when Jessica ….insert article I found about Jessica and the first time she saw yard bombing…..

A good quote about the first time….from Jessica here.

“I knew if I ever had the chance aI would do a yarn bombing..etc”

Then that will easily Segway into Matt’s opportunity….he asked about the space and if I wanted to use it…need direct quote….or at least info

****how did they meet????? And how did this collaboration organically thrive from?***********

Get around to Mark and it was his idea…he had the space available. Quotes from Mark about public art and what it means to him. This event and current future or past events. Any info he would like to add… Then back to Jessica and how she coordinated the event..

(this would all be intertwined)

(maybe seesaw should be at the end)..public art in general to wrap it up. I like jessica’s quote about “the idea of people getting together and creating….”…now moving it.

Facebook, etc

Then different memories I have about the first meeting…WELL

Tell of history-now friends-swapping numbers taking pix

Then the last meeting, the excitement-

Use dialog from the notes taken…no direct quotes, just overheard anticipation quips.

Then we go straight into the very first paragraph again….brining it full circle….

Meeting at 6 in the morning with doughnuts…

Rewrite first sentence……

Scurrying from front to back like busy elves, mice, bees…who scurries..yarn..cat…  With twine, plastic needles-ask star- and pre-made 9×9 crochet squares in hand, the first ever crowd sourced yarn bombing team united again for the last step of their undercover..pun on crochet?—what word??– journey.

Need to get Green Truck’s thoughts on the Yarn Bombing…Who is the owner? Or an employee? Customer? Who would the reader most like to hear from?

That’s what this is all about…” quote from jessica Then go into SeeSAW

He will talk about seesaw and his part in change laws in savannah concerning public art.

And then we have made full circle.

Questions for Matt:

What does he think of public art?

I know about your organization, but is there anything new or relevant you want the public to know?

Questions for Jessica:

Try to ask her NONE! ZEROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Questions for Employ?

Did you know this was happening?

If so, did you know when, level of anticipation ad then excitement about it, response from customers and if it has inspired them.

Questions for the customer?

Do you eat here often?

What do you think about the yarn?

Have you seen it before?

Does it inspire you?

Gauging U.S. Economy-Comparing Two Articles

Gauging U.S. Economy-Comparing Two Articles

An example of a blog that was not done to it’s fullest ability. However, I did put in the time to read and look for certain words or ways he phrased sentences to look for clues of how the author thought and wrote.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/23/business/economy/shutdown-will-hinder-true-gauge-of-economy.html?hp&_r=0

Shutdown Will Hinder True Gauge of U.S. Economy

 

 

Like a driver with a broken speedometer, economists are being forced to come up with new ways to gauge the economy’s strength as the aftereffects of the government shutdown distort the usual metrics.

-The writer included a metaphor just like you suggested.

Unlike the delayed jobs data released on Tuesday, figures for unemployment and job creation in October and November, experts say, will be skewed as hundreds of thousands of government workers and contractors disappear from the work force and then reappear in next month’s survey.

–Immediately explains the situation in the first two sentences. It say government shutdown-explains that the numbers for unemployment will be skewed bc “hundreds of thousands of government workers and contractors disappear from the work force and then reappear in next month’s survey.”

And from the canyons of Wall Street to the corridors of the Federal Reserve, that lack of data will have real-world ramifications.

-How will it have real world ramifications?

One reason the Fed is likely to wait until early 2014 to begin easing back on stimulus efforts is that policy makers there simply will not know if the labor market is gaining or losing strength before then. Not until December will the monthly jobs survey be free of the shutdown static, and that report does not come out until early January.

–and it answered my question.

The September jobs report was disappointing, with the economy adding 148,000 new jobs instead of the expected 185,000, but stocks rose on anticipation that Fed stimulus efforts would continue well into 2014.

The Fed’s purchase of $85 billion in bonds a month has buoyed Wall Street this year, because the flood of stimulus money makes riskier assets more appealing while keeping interest rates low and reducing borrowing costs. The benchmark Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index is up more than 23 percent so far this year.

On Tuesday, the S.& P. 500 index rose 10.01 points, or 0.6 percent, to 1,754.67. The Dow Jones industrial average gained 75.46 points, or 0.5 percent, to 15,467.66. The Nasdaq composite index increased 9.52 points, or 0.2 percent, to 3,929.57. In the market for government bonds, the price of the benchmark 10-year Treasury note rose 25/32 to 99 29/32, and its yield fell to 2.51 percent from 2.60 percent late Monday.

-Now the writer has included a lot of numbers to prove his point and add credibility to the article.

With traditional yardsticks like the jobs report blurred for the next two months, Ethan Harris of Bank of America Merrill Lynch said he was planning to look more closely at theUniversity of Michigan’s monthly consumer confidence survey to assess the fallout from the shutdown and other trends.

-“With traditional yardsticks like the jobs report blurred for the next two months” This sentence gives me the impression that the jobs report is extremely important.

One clue on that front could come Friday when the university will revise its monthly reading for October. The preliminary estimate recorded in the first half of October revealed a decline to 75.2 from 77.5 in September. Economists are expecting a small downward revision in confidence reflecting polling in the second half of the month, so anything more significant will probably get economists buzzing.

Paul Edelstein, director of financial economics at IHS, said those confidence figures could occasionally produce what he calls a “head fake” in terms of whether they translate into lower spending, for example, so he is keeping an eye on data from nongovernment entities, like chain store sales.

–I am curious if this was originally a quote that has been shortened and paraphrased.

Mr. Harris expects economic growth in the fourth quarter of 2013 to run at a 2 percent pace, weighed down by the government shutdown, but to rise to 2.8 percent in the first quarter of 2014 as the fiscal drag from Washington fades.

Other veteran seers are basically waiting until the smoke clears.

“We’re all going to have to calm down and be very patient,” said Julia Coronado, chief economist for North America at BNP Paribas. “It’s going to take a few months to get a good read after all the trauma.”

-Quote from “chief economist for North America at BNP Paribas.”

Even during otherwise-normal survey periods, there are complaints about just how accurate a picture of the economy can be drawn from government figures. For example, out-of-work Americans who give up looking for jobs are no longer counted as unemployed, thus helping to lower the unemployment rate .

-Sounds like the entire process is super confusing.

Then there are the revisions that take place regularly, which sometimes are huge but come long after initial impressions have been formed.

For example, the number of jobs added in August was revised upward on Tuesday to 193,000 from 169,000 — a difference of 24,000 that now makes August look like an upside surprise in job creation, rather than the disappointment it was reported to be at the time.

In addition, critics on the left complain that the unemployment report understates the true extent of joblessness in the economy, while some on the right have suggested the Bureau of Labor Statistics is manipulating the numbers for political reasons.

The truth, experts say, is that the government’s data set is still the best tool that economists have, whatever the flaws. “Nothing can compare to what we get from the government,” said Augustine Faucher, senior economist at PNC Financial Services Group in Pittsburgh.

Still, Mr. Faucher said he would be looking more closely at measures like the privateInstitute for Supply Management’s monthly manufacturing numbers, and the economic survey by the Fed’s regional banks, which comes out eight times a year and is known as the beige book.

Alan Greenspan , the former Fed chairman, was famous for watching obscure statistics like rail car loadings, but Mr. Faucher said that as services take up a bigger share of the economy, that kind of number becomes less relevant. “I think qualitative assessments become more important, and I’ll be paying more attention to the commentary in the I.S.M. and the beige book,” he said.

Guy Berger, an economist at RBS Securities, said he would be focusing on data for the housing market, one of the few sectors of the economy to shine in recent years. “Even before the shutdown, we thought housing data would be important, and it’s something that the Fed is also looking at closely,” he said.

Like most economists, Mr. Berger will also be keeping an eye on the usual statistics, however skewed by the shutdown.

“We’re going to look at the same stuff we always do,” he said. “It’s just going to be more murky than usual.”

 

 

http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2013/10/22/up-next-october-jobs-report-likely-skewed-by-shutdown/?KEYWORDS=shutdown

 

By

• JEFFREY SPARSHOTT

 

• CONNECT

The October jobs report, due out in just two and a half weeks, will likely offer only a muddled picture of the U.S. labor market as the effects of the partial government shutdown ripple through the data.

After Tuesday’s release of the September employment report , a “clean” reading of the labor market may not come until December or January. That could generate more uncertainty about the economy’s progress.

“We’re going to take the data with a grain of salt,” said Chris Rupkey, chief financial economist at Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi in New York. “The data could be distorted.”

The partial shutdown, which ran from Oct. 1 to Oct. 16, will influence economic figures on several fronts.

First, government furloughs, temporary layoffs for contractors or vendors, and hiring delays caused by uncertainty from Washington may tilt the underlying numbers .

“Although the direct impact of furloughed government workers will be minimal, the spillover into the private sector is somewhat more worrisome,” Sophia Koropeckyj, managing director for Moody’s Analytics, said in a research note.

Second, data collection was thrown off.

The Commerce Department‘s Census Bureau, which collects information for the employment report’s household survey, wasn’t able to work during the shutdown. If the government had been open, it would have reached out to households during the week beginning Oct. 14, asking people about their employment status the prior week. Those answers determine the monthly unemployment rate, workforce participation rate and other numbers.

Instead, Census is in the field now, asking about the week of Oct. 6-12, a longer lag than usual that will force respondents to recall earlier dates.

Economists worry that the result could be fewer and less accurate responses.

“The next household survey will have questions about reliability and consistency,” Jay Feldman, director of U.S. economic research at Credit Suisse, said in a note to clients.

Bill Bostic, associate director for economic programs at Census, said the agency carefully weighed data collection, processing and release dates to come up with a revised schedule for its reports. The delays mean more work and additional follow-up for the array of information that Census collects, he said.

“If we really feel uncomfortable with the quality of the data, we would suppress that particular data cell for the month,” Mr. Bostic said. “I think for the most part we will be just fine.”

The Labor Department collects information for the payrolls part of the survey, which shows how many jobs employers added during the month. That survey period will now end on Nov. 4 .

A Bureau of Labor Statistics spokesman declined to comment on data-collection issues.

 

 

Up Next: October Jobs Report Likely Skewed by Shutdown

 

I choose this topic bc I don’t know much about it. I feel I can come in with an open mind and not be bias.

 

 

The Beginning Process of My Last Article-Yarn Bombing in Savannah

I wanted to document my process of researching and writing an article.

Here are the first notes I had concerning YARN BOMB:

FIRST: It was lots of photos and getting to know the women and of course, how to crochet. I did not tell anyone except Jessica, the coordinator of this event, about the article.

SECOND: It was typing whatever conversation i heard on the eve of the Yarn Bombing. I wanted this process to be organic. the week before I approached the situations from a journalist view and alerted the women that I would be asking questions for The Inkwell and they clammed up. I vowed to find another approach. I decided to sit and listen and hear is what I heard:

Savannah’s FIRST EVER Crowdsourced YARN BOMB

Dialog on Yarn Bombing eve:

SO THERE IS ALSO A SIGN POST IT’S ON THE FRONT

ALSO BIKE RACKS

ALL THEY NEED IS THIS>>YOU GO IN AND TWINE

AND SO WE CAN MAKE IT

left over squares for the bike rack

so this is the other panel

to make them not curl

I wonder if the best thing is do it this way< opposites

the weight of one do the opposites

these are so pretty

so I have yarn< needles and twine

so this panel is done

8 x 5

The rest will be extra

Start stitching those together by the 5’s.

This is one. The other one needs to be put together

We need rows.

I have needles

I did not bring scissors

Sorry about that ya’ll

like the way they go together

Try to make it mix matched

Once you get the concept it is so east

This is great I love it

Dom you want us to sew things together

Mom

Okay, so, she’s gonna cast off

Put your stuff down

I have more needles

So pissed I don’t have scissors

What do you need?

Two strips

Can I just take this twine in this basket?

Yes that is what is for.

I want to know that I’m doing my best.

Make sure everyone is reinforcing the corners really well.

What’s the location again?

YES!!

Green truck!!!!

I’m really excited!

He went to matt to use the old sign as a public art project

Can I just take this over?

Would you please?

I love it I’m so happy

Show me how to do this

Here is this. And you need some twine

Did I give you the needle already?

Thread the needle and do it first

Half way there with secure knot

Make it look pretty

And then you just sew this together

Try and get them to line up as much

9×9 squares

Sew these up

Special care on the corners

Matt co

Sub project of SeeSAW..see savannah art walls

An organization

Hebehmale..matt
he’s currently during a huge mural for scad

Matt is trying to inspire

Public art very passionate about it

“When you are out and you see some something unexpected on a wall, it makes you think differently about where you live. Makes you think they are mischievous people out there that want to take life creatively.”

Mix these up….sew them in rows of 8

So 3 of these together will be the post

2 of 8 for right now for bike rack.

Any idea what you want to work on next?

Everything I write is from personal

Working at connect get the journalistic out there, but I have my own…

The odd size ones needs to be on their own

Is the other panel almost done yet?

It’s so soft

Check out this square that Trisha made

Do you want me to do squares or sew

Attach them to what?

To each other

Here is another 5×3

That’s awesome Sandi

THIRD: It was the first idea page…thoughts of what order the article will flow”

November 22, 2013

 

Thoughts for the flow of the paper.

With sewing needles ad yarn in hand, the women of savannah just united for this event were scurrying around connecting the last twine to its designated spot around Green truck. (Straight with the end and roll back around)

Public art has become….

History of public art in savannah

Get around to Mark and it was his idea…he had the space available. Quotes from Mark about public art and what it means to him. This event and current future or past events. Any info he would like to add

He invited Jessica to use the space

She wanted to yarn bomb something for a while

Quotes from Jessica about her association with connect and the love of public art, yarn bombing…etc

History of yarn bombing in savannah

Then back to Jessica and how she coordinated the event

Facebook, etc

Then different memories I have about the first meeting…WELL

Tell of history-now friends-swapping numbers taking pix

Then the last meeting, the excitement

Meeting at 6 in the morning with doughnuts…

And then we have made full circle.

MATT:

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Matt+Hebermehl&qpvt=Matt+Hebermehl&FORM=VDRE#view=detail&mid=890C6B5133943B1D8873890C6B5133943B1D8873

http://savannahartwalls.org/

SeeSAW (See Savannah Art Walls) is a Savannah, GA based art organization with the goal of synthesizing local art, commerce and civic participation through contemporary public art thereby creating opportunities for Savannah and its creative community to engage in a global cultural dialogue.

Friends and collaborators Matt Hebermehl & James “DrZ” Zdaniewski co-founded SeeSAW in 2011. Under the banner of SeeSAW, Hebermehl and Zdaniewski worked with Ellen Harris of Savannah’s Metropolitan Planning Commission to create a mural ordinance and policy after public works of art on private property were arbitrarily buffed by the city and/or resulted in illegal signage citations for property owners. At that time there was no way to formally apply to paint a mural on private property. Savannah’s celebrated historical preservationnecessitated a mural application process in order to facilitate SeeSAW’s goal of creating a culture of contemporary public art in Savannah.  The first iteration of the mural policy was approved in late 2011, under that policy SeeSAW successfully petitioned for a designated mural wall at 34th and Habersham Street, the first wall of its kind in Savannah. The policy went through several reviews over the course of 2012 and a final version was approved and officially implemented into city planning by Savannah’s City Council in January of 2013.

The mural policy and application form can be found on the Metropolitan Planning Commission’s website: Mural application form 

Beautiful end quote

November 22, 2013

 

Thoughts for the flow of the paper.

With sewing needles ad yarn in hand, the women of savannah just united for this event were scurrying around connecting the last twine to its designated spot around Green truck. (Straight with the end and roll back around)

Public art has become….

History of public art in savannah

Get around to Mark and it was his idea…he had the space available. Quotes from Mark about public art and what it means to him. This event and current future or past events. Any info he would like to add

He invited Jessica to use the space

She wanted to yarn bomb something for a while

Quotes from Jessica about her association with connect and the love of public art, yarn bombing…etc

History of yarn bombing in savannah

Then back to Jessica and how she coordinated the event

Facebook, etc

Then different memories I have about the first meeting…WELL

Tell of history-now friends-swapping numbers taking pix

Then the last meeting, the excitement

Meeting at 6 in the morning with doughnuts…

And then we have made full circle.

FOURTH: Research Research Research. I also made phone calls and emails to people I would like quote from.

MATT:

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Matt+Hebermehl&qpvt=Matt+Hebermehl&FORM=VDRE#view=detail&mid=890C6B5133943B1D8873890C6B5133943B1D8873

http://savannahartwalls.org/

SeeSAW (See Savannah Art Walls) is a Savannah, GA based art organization with the goal of synthesizing local art, commerce and civic participation through contemporary public art thereby creating opportunities for Savannah and its creative community to engage in a global cultural dialogue.

Friends and collaborators Matt Hebermehl & James “DrZ” Zdaniewski co-founded SeeSAW in 2011. Under the banner of SeeSAW, Hebermehl and Zdaniewski worked with Ellen Harris of Savannah’s Metropolitan Planning Commission to create a mural ordinance and policy after public works of art on private property were arbitrarily buffed by the city and/or resulted in illegal signage citations for property owners. At that time there was no way to formally apply to paint a mural on private property. Savannah’s celebrated historical preservationnecessitated a mural application process in order to facilitate SeeSAW’s goal of creating a culture of contemporary public art in Savannah.  The first iteration of the mural policy was approved in late 2011, under that policy SeeSAW successfully petitioned for a designated mural wall at 34th and Habersham Street, the first wall of its kind in Savannah. The policy went through several reviews over the course of 2012 and a final version was approved and officially implemented into city planning by Savannah’s City Council in January of 2013.

The mural policy and application form can be found on the Metropolitan Planning Commission’s website: Mural application form 

Yarn Bombing in general?

http://www.billdavenport.com/yarnworks/yarnworks.html

Bill Davenport:Yarn works 1993-99

In 1993 I was taught to crochet by Delfina Vannucci, who had learned from Italian nuns when she was a girl. Being left-handed, I never learned to knit very well , and crochet, with it’s ability to be added onto anywhere, lent itself to the complicated sculpture I wanted to do. I originally thought of it as a new type of ultra-thick paint.

http://www.magdasayeg.com/about.html

http://design-milk.com/shes-crafty-yarn-bombing-pioneer-magda-sayeg-knitta/

wrapping that first stop sign pole just felt right

 

Biggest Yarn bombing savannah?

OMG-article found by Jessica, the same girl who oversaw this project:

http://www.connectsavannah.com/savannah/yarnbombs-away/Content?oid=2175465

another article:

http://www.scaddistrict.com/blog/2013/02/12/yarn-bombing-brings-cheer-to-the-mundane-objects-that-surround-us/#.Uo-MWMQ3u3I

http://www.scaddistrict.com/

 

http://mentalfloss.com/article/51583/14-street-art-terms%E2%80%94illustrated

Jul 10, 2013 – A stylized name or signature done with various materials, such as a ….The lines between graffiti, street art, and public art have begun to blur.

13. YARN BOMBING

Olek

In 2005, Magda Sayeg knitted a cozy for a doorknob at her Houston boutique, and spawned a movement. Since then, knit bombers have covered statues, buses, signs, trees, grocery carts, telephone poles, benches, and other objects both sentient and non. Also called “grandma graffiti,” yarn bombing brings an element of domesticity into the streets, counterbalancing the traditionally male world of street art with a traditionally female art form.

Read the full text here: http://mentalfloss.com/article/51583/14-street-art-terms%E2%80%94illustrated#ixzz2lOZTsecv

Public Art?-look above…above ya head..and pray

Public Art in Savannah?

Found a contest and then found the results.

http://www.emergentstructures.org/submit-a-proposal-public-art-at-savannah-gardens

It’s my seesaw guy!

http://savnh.com/post/15677737304/savannah-public-art-its-a-muralcle-at-34th

 

***Need to get Green Truck’s thoughts on the Yarn Bombing…Who is the owner?

Somebody who works there

And a customer

FIFTH:

Take a break. By this point I’m feeling a bit inspired, overwhelmed and foggy. As we all know, it’s a great idea to let all this information we just ingested to simmer around until the creative juice brims over.

SIXTH:

FIRST DRAFT

SHOW ME THE NUMBERS FOR HUMAN INTEREST STORIES & ESPN OWNS FOOTBALL

Now I will begin my blog from another set of lecture note.

 

Aug 26, 2013

Online Media Class Lecture:

 

                       

***Contact news editor this week and CC the Prof.

Drives the entire approach to journalism: does the public know what TheY wants.

They have to make money so why do they print those certain stories.

Editorial decisions that drive stories.

Wag the dog.. we can get easily manipulated to focus on other things even though other stories are just as important.

Had to be a good story teller back in the day. Didn’t need college education.

Protect the little people (no money) bc we are the majority. The 1% of the rich folks hold the cards. We need to keep our eye on them.

***Show him some numbers about how the human nature stories are not as interesting.

Simple stories and make them interesting

Probably be a good idea to really know who your audience is and hire more of those people  bc they have a way in and/or knowledge on the topic.

Easy stories-murder, celeb suicide..of course we are going to run those stories.

Walden-homeless people/freedom to stay homeless

***Does ny times are they for or against the Egyptian military coo? My opinion from the headlines.

****Muslim brotherhood

Does an editorial bias slide in there somehow?

***ESPN partnership with taking over colleges.  It was all of them now it’s narrowed down to Louville.

Morris Hates apple.

Okay. I am going to go against the grain (actually the instructions for the blogs) and do a little research for this one.

I remembered in class you asked us to show you the numbers on hbuman interest stories. There was also some debate about if they were interesting or not and some of thse students voiced their poisons, but they had no real evidence. That is when you asked us to show you some numbers as you saw in my notes above. I did come home that day and did a little research on that topic, but soon became distracted with my on human interest life.

Today, I will search to find your answer. I do enjoy researching. After that, I will look for an article about ESPN owning the colleges.

RESEARCH

First part of my research I just googled Human Interest. This came up:

http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-a-human-interest-story.htm

Much news is focused on presenting facts and statistics, which may get a little boring unless someone has a keen interest in the subject. While people may be very interested in the latest presidential polls, something that may cause cancer, a food recall, or what the weather will be like tomorrow, news sources like newspapers, magazines and television shows may also want to put a “human face” on the news by covering a story more in depth. Sometimes called the story behind the story or an emotional news story, the human interest story may look at news in a more personal way, especially by interviewing people affected or creating a report on one or several people facing challenges that have been covered in the news. The goal is to engage us emotionally in presentation of the news.

It’s common to see at least one human interest story on a nightly news broadcast or in a morning newspaper. A newspaper might be covering home foreclosure rates and have an article that deals with statistics regarding them. To flesh out this story and offer greater coverage, it might then feature an article on a few people in the neighborhood who are experiencing a home foreclosure. Emphasis would be on the personal effects of such a difficult experience, and would be likely to raise readers’ understanding about how the “facts and numbers” on home foreclosure were really working in their community.

 

A human interest story doesn’t have to be deeply moving, and it may be added more for entertainment value. A news story about a presidential candidate’s favorite vegetable or his or her daily workout really isn’t “news” in the traditional sense. Other stories that can make it into the news may be unrelated to news content and provide a needed break from the “if it bleeds it leads” style of journalism. For instance, Anton the Amazing Squirrel who has learned to build with dominoes, might be added as a story that adds levity to a broadcast or newspaper that primarily covers murders, dangerous statistics, and reports on the negative aspects of the country.

 

Okay. A few things that pop up that you did tell us to look for. This article is giving me lots of so called facts, things that would seem likely, but there are no numbers or sources to back up his conclusions. This is purely a fluff story.

However, the article helped me understand why these stories might be used. I never even considered having an angle when publishing a human interest story. I just assumed they were picked out of a bag of stories, but the media could defiantly provide a specific story to influence the community. Very interesting.

I will now look and try to find numbers. Solid proof that these stories are less interesting.

This was a bit interesting: http://www.owenspencer-thomas.com/journalism/newsvalues. It was more of a classroom chapter site, but the information was relevant.

Then I stumbled across this gem. http://shorensteincenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/soft_news_and_critical_journalism_2000.pdf

Hmm, published in 2000.

You have said this in class before “Evidence also suggests that soft news and critical journalism are weakening the foundation of democracy by diminishing the public’s information about public affairs and its interest in politics”

“We will argue:

 That hard news and not soft news is the reason why most people pay attention to news;”

Notice on page 2, (left bottom) what they intend on proving ……RIGHT!!

They are going to prove that hard news is more interesting. Although the information may be 13 years old, here are the numbers you were looking for.

Page 13-Young Adults: Why They Don’t Care Much About News or Politics.

Page 14-Protecting the Watchdog Role. “Americans believe that press skepticism is an

important factor in keeping politicians from

abusing public office.”

I found that incredibly interesting. I hope you did too.

Moving on to ESPN bc I did not know they owned colleges.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/25/sports/ncaafootball/college-footballs-most-dominant-player-its-espn.html

College Football’s Most Dominant Player? It’s ESPN

Wow. That is quite an intense article. It doesn’t surprise me. Everything is big business.

Check this site I found:

http://www.whatyoupayforsports.com/2013/08/espn-college-football-chilling-effects/

Now this is great. This article references the intense NYT article.

“ESPN might control college football today, but that control comes at the cost of its journalistic efforts. Disney and its shareholders aren’t about to let ESPN risk losing billions in subscriber fees and advertising money by reporting on the modern gridiron game’s inherent health risks. ESPN’s reliance on college football for TV programming practically prevents it from publicizing this story — which suits the NFL just fine, thanks.”

 

 

 

 

After 11 Years in Prison, Skakel Goes Free on Bail

Hello Professor. I have recently been bit blocked on how to approach my blogs. I have started about 10 now and have not completed them. I actually had an email typed out to send to you asking for more ideas. I then realized is should use my lecture notes and apply that days lecture information to an article, so here we go.

I have read the lecture, pretty funny notes….

I am selecting this:

1. Truth-
2. First loyalty is to the public-

The essence of journalism is verification.

1. Must maintain an independence from those that they cover.

I am going to pick a random article and apply these ideas to it.

Aug 12, 2013-Lecture Notes

Prof. Morris

Intro to Print and Online Media

 

What should news cover?

Sept 21^st..bootcamp for inkwell

Attend at least one class

www.tonymorris.org/aasu/jour3200/overview.htm

what is bellicose (demonstrating aggression and willingness to fight) & querulous (complaining in a petulant or whining manner)?

What are the opinions of the news?

Bias news?

We are already bias, so how do we gauge the news?

Elements of news writing and

Main txt-elements of journalism-2 books

Red/white

Gray and white/blue

Journalism goes, democracy goes. The fear is this.

10 principals that support journalism:

Should provide people w information so that they can self-govern

1. Truth-
2. First loyalty is to the public-

The essence of journalism is verification.

1. Must maintain an independence from those that they cover.
2. Monitor of power. Holding people accountable. Who keeps the powerful accountable? Accountable to the obligations of their office. i/e: Weiner ..the press/media keeps him accountable by keeping the public informed.

Look at the movies and determine if the fictional president is D or R.

What is getting monitored? Prof Morris thinks everybody should be monitored.

News should monitor power.

1. News is supposed to make news interesting. i/e:Water plant in savannah? Do we need it? (Fictional topic)
2. Must strive to make it interesting.
3.  
4. It must keep the news comprehensive. Polls.

9.

10. Can an independent press survive or not?

Lecture:

International Wire Service.  Tracking over 300 employees bc they were trying to find out how one employee got some info.

Can we trust the president? Hell no.  look at the photo they selected of the president. Not an accident. New York Times. National Security Agency

 

Should we trust the rich and powerful? No

First amendment ..freedom of press/speech. Practice their beliefs.  A market place of ideas. Got to let them battle it out. Don’t shut down Rush L. we need to hear all opinions. If we silence people then we give them more power. We need them to be out in the open so we can see what they are doing.

Journalists in Syria are lost. Kidnapped.

Back to syllabus:

Grading scale:

Articles for the inkwell-3

In class exercise

Blog for class-needs web address…critiquing news-100 pts.

Final essay/portfolio and self-critique 

Get digital subscription to NYTimes-student and wall street journal. Use these sources for the blog!

Everything should be typed and printed. No handwritten work turned in.

Got hit the deadlines!

Go to Ink Well asap for articles to write about.

tonyraymorris@gmail.com—–blog address

Destiny-study buddy

Minimum of 12 weeks. 24 entries.-find a story and follow it on both sources. And then compare the two. Is there a difference on how they cover it? Why did one pick a certain angel? Look at the words used to describe. Words have subtly meaning. “controlling” used in Obama article. Why did they use that word?

Bruicifed and newsbusters –fun sites.

1-7 look for

Tools for writing

Read chapter one. EOJ-write a response.

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Truth– can the author provide the true details and present them to the reader and the reader will believe what he is being told is the bottom line, the absolute, the truth? “This ‘journalistic truth’ is a process that begins with the professional discipline of assembling and verifying facts.”

And “…identifiable sources dedicated to verifying that information and putting it in context.”

1. First loyalty is to the public-The writer needs to stay unbiased at all times rather his own biases or that of a person or company he is affiliated with. “While news organizations answer to many constituencies, including advertisers and shareholders, the journalists in those organizations must maintain allegiance to citizens and the larger public interest above any other if they are to provide the news without fear or favor.”

The essence of journalism is verification.

1. Must maintain an independence from those that they cover.-Wouldn’t this be a lot like #2?

“Independence of spirit and mind, rather than neutrality, is the principle journalists must keep in focus.” And “In our independence, however, we must avoid any tendency to stray into arrogance, elitism, isolation or nihilism.”

http://www.journalism.org/resources/principles-of-journalism/

 

ARTICLE I SELECTED:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/22/nyregion/skakel-is-ordered-free-on-bail.html?ref=todayspaper&_r=0

STAMFORD, Conn. — After spending more than a decade behind bars for the murder of a teenage girl in Greenwich, Conn., Michael C. Skakel, a cousin of the Kennedys, was ordered free from prison on Thursday to await a possible retrial.

Christopher Capozziello for The New York Times

 

Judge Gary White of Connecticut Superior Court in Stamford set bail at $1.2 million, ordering Mr. Skakel not to leave the state without permission and to wear a tracking device. The bail hearing came after another judge ruled last month that Mr. Skakel did not receive a fair trial because his first lawyer, Mickey Sherman, had not represented him effectively, depriving him of his constitutionally guaranteed right to counsel.

As Judge White made his announcement, friends and relatives of Mr. Skakel burst out in applause. Mr. Skakel, dressed in a suit and blue tie , tapped his chest as he walked out of the courtroom. Shortly after 2 p.m., he emerged from the basement of the courthouse and embraced supporters in enthusiastic bear hugs. He stood silently while his lawyer spoke to the throng of reporters outside before being whisked away in a waiting car.

—-Interesting choice of words. I understand this guy is a big fella, but this just added a little underlying bias. Even though he is speaking about their embrace, you can almost feel the love in the air. Also, is there any signafigance to saying what color his tie is?—–

 

Hubert J. Santos, Mr. Skakel’s current lawyer, declined to publicly reveal where Mr. Skakel would go once he was released. His brother John Skakel, who lives in Portland, Ore., provided bank checks to cover the bail.

It was the latest twist in a case that has fascinated the public and confounded investigators since 1975, when the battered body of Martha Moxley, 15, was found beneath a tree in her family’s backyard, pieces of a broken 6-iron golfclub by her side.

Mr. Skakel, 53, was also 15 at the time of the murder, and the two were neighbors in a town that has long been a bastion of wealth. At different times, both Mr. Skakel and his brother Thomas were suspected of killing Ms. Moxley. But it was more than a quarter of a century before Mr. Skakel was tried and convicted. In 2002, he was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison.

The judge who ruled last month, Thomas A. Bishop of Superior Court in Rockville, wrote in a scathing 136-page decision that Mr. Sherman failed to show an attention to detail, lacked a coherent strategy and “was in a myriad of ways ineffective.” Those failures, he wrote, led to a “conviction that lacks reliability.”

After the ruling, Mr. Santos filed a motion for his client to be released on bail. In a later hearing, Judge Bishop decided that the question of whether to grant bail belonged with the criminal court in Stamford, where Mr. Skakel will be retried if the state decides to go forward with another prosecution.

From the outset, the case has attracted national news media attention, offering a potent mix of power, money and sex. It inspired a made-for-television movie, and became a staple for tabloids and an unending source of interest for true-crime writers, particularly Dominick Dunne.

Mr. Skakel is the nephew of Ethel Skakel Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy, and the link to one of America’s most famous families fueled additional interest in the case.

His trial in 2002 lasted three weeks and revealed tawdry details about his life as a young man, including his drinking and his drug use. In his defense, Mr. Skakel acknowledged that on the night of the murder, he had climbed a tree and masturbated while trying to look into Ms. Moxley’s bedroom.

During the trial, the prosecution painted Mr. Skakel as an emotionally disturbed man who was consumed with guilt after the killing, prompting confessions and suicide attempts. In one particularly vivid example cited in court documents, a man employed by the family as a gardener described how Mr. Skakel once tried to jump off the Triborough Bridge after saying that “he had done something very bad, and that he needed to get out of the country, and that he had to kill himself.”

Mr. Skakel has always publicly maintained his innocence.

Throughout the trials and appeals, Mr. Skakel’s family has fought fiercely on his behalf,spending millions of dollars in various bids to win his freedom.

On Thursday, the prosecutors did not object to the setting of bail, just the amount. Mr. Santos suggested $500,000; John Smirga, the lawyer for the state, recommended a number closer to $2 million. Among the factors he wanted the judge to consider were the brutality of the murder, and Mr. Skakel’s resources, character and mental condition.

Mr. Santos dismissed the notion that his client could flee if he wanted to, given the notoriety of the case. “His is the most recognized face in America,” he said. “So he’s not going anywhere.”

At a news conference outside the courthouse on Thursday, Ms. Moxley’s mother, Dorthy, and brother, John, expressed disappointment at the decision but confidence that Judge Bishop’s decision to overturn the conviction would be reversed by the state’s appeal.

“We knew this day would come, so I wasn’t completely destroyed,” Mrs. Moxley said, adding “There’s a lesson to parents: If your child does something wrong, face up to it.”

Mr. Santos used the bail hearing to once again criticize the original prosecution of Mr. Skakel. He said the case had been weak and was based on hearsay.

“If the prosecution found a homeless guy at a train station” who claimed that Mr. Skakel confessed to the murder, Mr. Santos said, “he would be on the stand in a New York minute.”

Mr. Smirga defended the handling of the case but also noted the difficulties of prosecuting a crime so long after it took place.

“Each time the facts of this case are presented, they mutate,” he said. There was no single piece of evidence — like DNA, an eyewitness or a photograph — that could be used against the defendant, he said.

He compared the case to “a giant jigsaw puzzle,” but one without a picture to show what it is supposed to look like when all the pieces are put together. Mr. Smirga said he was confident the state solved the puzzle and vowed to continue in its appeal of Judge Bishop’s decision to vacate the conviction. “His lawyer was found ineffective,” Mr. Smirga said. “But he hasn’t been found innocent in any forum.”

—I like that sentence. I like that he paraphrased it with quotes around the most important part. That to me proves the truth is there. It is right in your face wrapped up in a nice bow. It gives the person name, Mr. Smirga, which validates the comment.

Mr. Santos said Judge Bishop’s ruling revealed flaws in the state’s case against Mr. Skakel.

Mr. Santos and the Skakel family said they would continue to fight until Mr. Skakel was fully vindicated.

“This is the first step in correcting a terrible wrong,” the Skakel family said in a statement. “We look forward to Michael being vindicated and justice finally being served.”

Mr. Skakel was ordered to have no contact with the Moxley family.

He has a 14-year-old son, but, after more than a decade in prison , no home to return to. His lawyer declined to publicly reveal where Mr. Skakel would go once he was released.

While the joy of the Skakel family was evident in the courtroom, Mr. Moxley said he could not see how anyone could be happy about all that has happened.

He said that even if Judge Bishop’s ruling cast doubt on Mr. Skakel’s guilt, it left a cloud of suspicion over his brother Thomas, who was 17 when Ms. Moxley was killed. He was the last person known to have seen her alive.

“It is difficult to fathom how there could be any victory in this,” he said.

Alison Leigh Cowan reported from Stamford, Conn., and Marc Santora from New York.

A version of this article appears in print on November 22, 2013, on page A1 of the New York edition with the headline: After 11 Years in Prison, Skakel Goes Free on Bail.

      

—-It was a clean article and with only that one bear hug comment, I think the author provided a nice and fair article. I think he kept his bias out of it and just presented the facts. He did not force his beliefs or show an opinion in the article. While it was full of facts, it was also boring as hell.—–