As we wrap up this semester, there are a lot of thoughts going through my head.
First, this is the most reading I’ve ever done for a class. Or at least it seems that way because of the short time period. Either way, it was an intense amount of reading, but I feel most of it did have a lot of value – even the older articles or studies I disagreed with.
One of the biggest takeaways for me is some basis for the faith and conviction I have in my thoughts and opinions. I believe Twitter is the most valuable tool journalists can use. I believe things should be free (and that we shouldn’t bitch and moan when they occasionally don’t work). I believe in niche storytelling, that crime isn’t the only thing that deserves air time in television newscasts. I believe raw data is a great source of potential story ideas for journalists. So it’s nice to know people much smarter than I also subscribe to these ideas.
Also, this quick summer session allowed me to finally come to an informed decision about net neutrality. I didn’t quite understand the concept when we briefly discussed it in previous classes, but this Daily Show clip really made it make sense. And now I have a solid footing in arguing why net neutrality is important and vital.
Finally, I am fully pumped up for next year’s SXSWi conference. It’s exciting to know that I will meet many of the people whose work we have read and it’s exciting to even think about what will change between now and March 2011.
