Wow what a busy couple of weeks. I tried relaxing the month of May and June as much as possible, but recently, things have intensified a notch and have began overlapping. I began building this site on July 2, and have been freelance writing for the Perry County Tribune while working part time at WHIZ AM.
July 8, I covered the 125th anniversary event at the Opera House Theater in McConnelsville. July 9, was a race at Midway Speedway. Monday was a crash day. Tuesday, I had to repack front wheel bearings on my pickup, Wednesday was class in Athens, Thursday and Friday were spent covering the Crooksville Roseville Pottery festival and Saturday events will overlap. What’s next?
The drive times across Southeastern Ohio are extensive and Morgan County internet speeds are brutally slow. What can be done in minutes in Athens and Zanesville takes hours in McConnelsville.
Tuesday, July 18, at 6p.m. there will be an FCC representative at Marietta High School publicly discussing internet concerns across the region – I plan to attend.
So, this blog will cover my thoughts on: Why Journalists Need To Code./ Usability and Interface Design.
Journalist shouldn’t have the need to code, but in this ever changing world, it may become necessary. As traditional news outlets are disappearing, downsizing and consolidating, Journalists are becoming more independent.
This independence may mean more flexibility, but it also means Journalists need to become more tech savvy. Do Journalists really need to learn code? Some say yes and some say no. Some have corporate IT departments that can code and some don’t. Some say I’ve never had to learn it, and some do all of their own coding. And a few say they’ve learned, but the industry is changing so fast, what they’ve learned isn’t applicable.
So, Do I need to learn to code? I say yes and no. What that means is yes I need to learn the basics of coding- what it is, and what it’s about. Enough to recognize it, understand it and get comfortable with it enough to maybe expand it on my own.
Today’s news industry is less about disseminating facts ans more about popularity: ratings, appearance and profitability. Today’s independent Journalist needs to become self sufficient and marketable. While a simple, plain web-page can work; a catchy easy to use web-page will make anyone more appealing to hire.
While a flashy website may be appealing, an easy-to-use website will add a certain tangibility. Website development should revolve around usability. Easy use for the viewer to navigate, as well as the people who access and maintain the site.
WordPress seems to offer the platform providing that all round simplicity, with its wide-array of themes and options for simple navigability. A web-page should be thoughtless, self-evident and easy.
Content should be easily navigable, logically located with an architectural hierarchy, brief and comprehensible. Reduce your text by speaking precisely.
A hierarchy should prioritize information in a logical and consistent manner. Navigability benefits by logical standardization. Your page can stand out, but it should adhere to a common understanding of how a site should act. WordPress offers an administrative dashboard in much the same mindset. All administrators have a common accessibility platform that is simple and common.
Coding offers website administrators versatility, but versatility can lead you astray from web standards. WordPress themes allow you to use some coding skills while maintaining web usability standards. It allows for individualized appearances while not letting go of common navigability issues.
Should a driver need to know how to change a flat tire? Should a driver need to know how to change motor oil? Should a driver need to know how to pump their own fuel? Or just how to drive?
Does a journalist need to know coding? Yes, but in the same way as Microsoft Office, Google Drive, Adobe CC or industry specific software; a tool that fixes and maintains. A Journalist’s main job is to drive. Punctuate, use grammar and write. Not get bogged down by the endless specifics of software and coding.
A basic understanding of coding allows a journalist to be flexible in this free-for-all world of instability and bottomless wages. It allows the Journalist the ability to save a buck, by doing instead of subletting. And it allows a journalist to exit the turnpike and venture the back-roads.
