This module has taught me about using th internet as a platform for journalism, in particular, the use of blogging in contemporary media writing. Getting links to my blog, hits and views are essentially how it becomes a commercial project.
There are so many blogs on the internet available however, that finding a niche target audience is definitely the hardest element of this project. I'm not sure that my individual blog has a target audience ( i know it is for module purposes) but I certainly wouldn't read it in my free time!
I experienced blogger which you are reading this on and wordpress.com which we used for our group blog. I much prefer blogger as a platform because of it's accessible style and continuity in editting posts, uploading pictures and videos. News feeds and other blogs which I'm following are also much easier to manage in blogger.
I hope my feature on charities has enough variation between each posts but still has enough continuity to call it a feature. I have tried to include online elements such as links and video posts to show that I understand the difference between and online feature and a print one.
Friday 19 December 2008
Suicide Season
The run up to Christmas is notoriously a stressful time of the year with suicide rates and homelessness peaking putting extra strain on already stretched services and charities designed to help individuals in need. The Samaritans charity, has warned that the recession in Britain is likely to push up suicide rates even further over Christmas. Rising unemployment, or the fear of losing ones job, financial pressures for homeowners and insecure investments will all be contributing factors to this expected crisis.
"Mental health effects of the recession are being overlooked by the Government," said a spokeswoman from the Samaritans.
Research earlier in the year by the Charity Commission and the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations (Acevo) showed that up to three-quarters of voluntary organisations had seen demand for services rise, and provided an early portent of difficult times ahead. However, charities covering areas that traditionally see a spike in demand during the holiday season - such as drugs and alcohol addiction groups, domestic violence organisations and homelessness support - are feeling a renewed squeeze, and many believe that worse is to come.
"Mental health effects of the recession are being overlooked by the Government," said a spokeswoman from the Samaritans.
Research earlier in the year by the Charity Commission and the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations (Acevo) showed that up to three-quarters of voluntary organisations had seen demand for services rise, and provided an early portent of difficult times ahead. However, charities covering areas that traditionally see a spike in demand during the holiday season - such as drugs and alcohol addiction groups, domestic violence organisations and homelessness support - are feeling a renewed squeeze, and many believe that worse is to come.
Chugging through the shoppers
As the festive period is upon us, people are flocking to the high streets across Britain and although they are watching their pennies a lot more, shopping still remains to be one of Briton's favourite past times.
So where do charities fit into this spending splurge that we all indulge in? The technique charities have adopted in an attempt to receive more monthly donations is what's fondly known by the general public as "chugging"; charity mugging!
From a distance, all can see why charities would put ambassadors on the street to try and gain passers by support and most importantly money, but when we become those passers by, desperately trying to run our errands, they become horribly annoying.
Is it the idea that we know what they want before they've opened their mouths? Maybe that we really are in a hurry and have absolutely no ability to spare a minute for these charity workers?
For me, I find the idea of giving my bank details to a stranger on the street makes me reluctant to stop. Seriously they could be anyone, and I know from personal experience that the majority are getting paid according to how many people they get to sign up for regular donations. So this desperate, begging and even harassing nature of the chugger is surely working against charities..... WRONG! They are still raising millions for their specific charities each year.
But the concept is deeply flawed and although charities need to pull out all the stops in such hard financial times, there must be another way.
Research has been done into the work of charity street fund raising, read more about the fundamental flaws of the job which are not going unnoticed by an ever growing apathetic general public.
So where do charities fit into this spending splurge that we all indulge in? The technique charities have adopted in an attempt to receive more monthly donations is what's fondly known by the general public as "chugging"; charity mugging!
From a distance, all can see why charities would put ambassadors on the street to try and gain passers by support and most importantly money, but when we become those passers by, desperately trying to run our errands, they become horribly annoying.
Is it the idea that we know what they want before they've opened their mouths? Maybe that we really are in a hurry and have absolutely no ability to spare a minute for these charity workers?
For me, I find the idea of giving my bank details to a stranger on the street makes me reluctant to stop. Seriously they could be anyone, and I know from personal experience that the majority are getting paid according to how many people they get to sign up for regular donations. So this desperate, begging and even harassing nature of the chugger is surely working against charities..... WRONG! They are still raising millions for their specific charities each year.
But the concept is deeply flawed and although charities need to pull out all the stops in such hard financial times, there must be another way.
Research has been done into the work of charity street fund raising, read more about the fundamental flaws of the job which are not going unnoticed by an ever growing apathetic general public.
Thursday 18 December 2008
Addaction
This charity is held very dearly to me since it helped me receive treatment and advice on a very personal level. It is therefore my number one charity I am suggesting for your much needed donations and support. Getting their message out there and bringing addicts from out of the shadows of society is something this country should embrace, not hide from.
This charity is held very dearly to me since it helped me receive treatment and advice on a very personal level. It is therefore my number one charity I am suggesting for your much needed donations and support. Getting their message out there and bringing addicts from out of the shadows of society is something this country should embrace, not hide from.
Charity Profile: Addaction
Addaction is the UK's largest alcohol and drug treatment charity helping those who suffer with the disease of addiction.
It receives less donations per year than the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and has recently embarked on a huge marketing fund raising appeal in an attempt to receive more donations. The poster campaign which can be seen on tubes, buses and bill boards has a very hard hitting message that although the problem of addiction is very unpopular and often hidden in society, it is not unimportant. Families and lives are destroyed each year by alcohol and substance abuse.
It receives less donations per year than the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and has recently embarked on a huge marketing fund raising appeal in an attempt to receive more donations. The poster campaign which can be seen on tubes, buses and bill boards has a very hard hitting message that although the problem of addiction is very unpopular and often hidden in society, it is not unimportant. Families and lives are destroyed each year by alcohol and substance abuse.
Charities feel the Crunch this Christmas
As the economic downturn hits Britain, Charities of all kinds are experiencing a huge dip in donations as individuals and corporate donators rethink their generosity. Charities, which rely on donations for their services will face a billion pound black- hole in their funds by this time next year as individuals cancel their standing orders and companies reduce their donations in an attempt to save money they don't have.
Christmas is notoriously an important time for charities, with suicides, homelessness and domestic violence at a year long high. Charities such as The Samaritans, The Salvation Army and Shelter specialising in these areas will be badly affected by the credit crunch and with no hope for change in the near future.
Twenty- seven UK charities also lost over £50 billion after the collapse of the Icelandic financial market in which they had money invested. The Government have rejected pleas of a bail out because of their own lack of financial stability in the present economic crisis.
Individuals cannot be blamed for the change in conditions for charities, since many households have either been feeling the pressures of the financial climate first hand, or will do in the near future. Charity begins in the home and most families in Britain are recognising this in the breeze of the recession and cancelling their donations.
The squeeze has already seen the value of corporate donations tumble. The British Red Cross was forced to cancel its winter gala ball beside the Thames this month as it could not find a corporate sponsor for an event which usually raises £500,000. Shelter, the housing charity, lost £400,000 in the space of six weeks this autumn when corporate sponsors, including the nationalised mortgage lender Bradford & Bingley, cancelled donations.
In such an uncertain economic climate, charities are suffering this Christmas, so remember, anything you can spare will not go unappreciated.
Christmas is notoriously an important time for charities, with suicides, homelessness and domestic violence at a year long high. Charities such as The Samaritans, The Salvation Army and Shelter specialising in these areas will be badly affected by the credit crunch and with no hope for change in the near future.
Twenty- seven UK charities also lost over £50 billion after the collapse of the Icelandic financial market in which they had money invested. The Government have rejected pleas of a bail out because of their own lack of financial stability in the present economic crisis.
Individuals cannot be blamed for the change in conditions for charities, since many households have either been feeling the pressures of the financial climate first hand, or will do in the near future. Charity begins in the home and most families in Britain are recognising this in the breeze of the recession and cancelling their donations.
The squeeze has already seen the value of corporate donations tumble. The British Red Cross was forced to cancel its winter gala ball beside the Thames this month as it could not find a corporate sponsor for an event which usually raises £500,000. Shelter, the housing charity, lost £400,000 in the space of six weeks this autumn when corporate sponsors, including the nationalised mortgage lender Bradford & Bingley, cancelled donations.
In such an uncertain economic climate, charities are suffering this Christmas, so remember, anything you can spare will not go unappreciated.
Individual Feature
Sincere apologies for the late entries of this blog feature, i understand it will be reflected in my mark.
I have finally settled on an idea for my feature which will be a set of varying posts on charities around christmas. I will try to write news stories, opinion pieces and profiles on individual charities and the effects of their work over the festive period.
I have finally settled on an idea for my feature which will be a set of varying posts on charities around christmas. I will try to write news stories, opinion pieces and profiles on individual charities and the effects of their work over the festive period.
Group Blog Assignment
When joining with my group and creating the blog Wandersee, I initially really liked the idea of a journalistic world of word relationships. Each member of the group had to write a piece connected to a random word choice of the day. Our words were wander, boobs, home, twisted and dream. I found the creative element of this assignment surprisingly challenging and the random words which I thought would be really easy, the most difficult. Boobs for example, was brilliantly blogged by colleagues leaving my post seeming vacuous and with no purpose. The photographic parts of this day were obviously entertaining.
I'm also not sure that my posts lived up to the high standards of my colleagues with my far lesser computer literacy effecting the amount of links, videos and pictures i used. I hope they do not feel disappointed with my performance during the week long assignment because I often thought for hours about what to post, and then still felt inadequate when reading their posts. On the whole the project was successful and the artistic variety within our group created a very interesting range of blogs which despite our difference, works well as a group blog.
I'm also not sure that my posts lived up to the high standards of my colleagues with my far lesser computer literacy effecting the amount of links, videos and pictures i used. I hope they do not feel disappointed with my performance during the week long assignment because I often thought for hours about what to post, and then still felt inadequate when reading their posts. On the whole the project was successful and the artistic variety within our group created a very interesting range of blogs which despite our difference, works well as a group blog.
Thursday 4 December 2008
Student, Tori Pawsey was dramatically rescued from a high speed car chase yesterday by an unknown handsome hero. Bystanders described him as the hottest thing they've seen since Superman with a breathtaking air of confidence and stunning physique. The unknown man, known as O.B, the initials on his slim fitting T- shirt, are the only clues to his identity. In an emotional and steamy TV appeal, Miss Pawsey has called for the ambiguous O.B, to get in contact with her so she can personally thank him for her rescue: "He was so brave and strong I'd like him to know I'd do anything to make it up to him!"
Monday 1 December 2008
With our democratic leaders locked into a battle to save Woolworths, the escalated violence and bloodshed in the Democratic of Congo continues. It’s the worst humanitarian crisis since World War Two, with over five million people dead since the early nineties and estimate of 45,000 dying each month. The most surviving are refugees, living in basic camps with little food or clean drinking water. Hunger and disease are everywhere, and so is the threat of violence, rape and torture. The memories of such crimes haunt thousands of families, what’s left of them. Hope for returning to their homes is futile.
And there are ways to change what’s happening in these resourcefully rich countries but nothing ever seems to be moving urgently enough, leaving Western nations looking naïve and apathetic in the eyes of the international community. China has invested in minerals in Congo and is prepared to invest in hope for a peaceful nature. China’s investments in other war torn nations such as Sudan have so far been very successful.
What about the President – elect of the U.S.A, Barack Obama? Well he’s been elected in by a young generation of Americans, keen to see peace and aid given to Africa and the Middle East. Building an international coalition committed to addressing the root causes of conflict in a serious and sustained manner should be very high up on Mr Obama’s list of “Things To Do”. United with China, the States could seriously revive efforts in some of the hardest wars on the planet, but in a far more sensitive manner than predeccessing White House Administrations.
With several points of hope for the wars in Congo and Sudan, there are scary issues which have to be addressed by our leaders; things which are constantly ignored or over- looked by the international community, which should be resolved by them. In places where no medicine or food can get through to those fighting for their lives, how is heavy artillery and war weapons getting through? Who is paying for them or even providing them? These are the dangers of war. The guns and weaponry used to kill innocent people and prevent progress in countries where different groups arm themselves against each other. There is something very wrong going on here.
Britain as a nation needs to avert their attention to this crisis in Congo. Aid is urgently needed in the East of the Country as well as political efforts to ensure that the people suffering don’t feel abandoned by the rest of the world. Aid agencies which are doing their upmost to raise funds are becoming overwhelmed by the scale of displaced people and those in need of aid. This is where each of us can help by donating what we can to appeals. The amount charities are receiving has dropped considerably since the credit crisis in Britain. Commercial donations are decreasing as well as individual donations leaving charities with huge sums missing from their funds. I appeal to you all to give what you can to the refugees in Congo whilst our world’s leaders hopefully tackle the difficult political dispositions, which clutch the country.
Signing a petition calling for action from the President will especially help women in the Democratic Republic of Congo, who are viciously attacked, mutilated and gang raped as a weapon of war.
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