Blogging the News

An ASPCA van containing cats for adoption on the corner of First Avenue and 18th Street.

“I went out today to go shopping but I didn’t expect to be bringing home a cat instead of a pair of shoes,” said Evelyn James, 28, who lives in Stuyvesant Town in Manhattan.

This was the beginning of an exciting conversation I shared with James one afternoon as we stood beside an ASPCA van at one of their mobile adoption events. As an animal lover myself, and someone who was raised by a family that has adopted several dogs over the years, I was intrigued by James’ decision to adopt that day.

I met James, who currently has no pets and had no intentions of getting one in the near future, while walking to Starbucks one recent afternoon. I noticed a group of people huddled around an orange van on the corner of First Avenue and East 18^th Street. Out of curiosity I decided to take a look at what was going on, and as I drew nearer I could see that branded across the side of the van were the letters “ASPCA.” Better yet, the van was filled with cats and kittens, all of which were up for adoption by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

“I hope my boyfriend isn’t allergic to cats,” she said with a chuckle. James explained that while growing up, her family always had a cat in the home. Since moving out of the house, she always felt her apartment was lacking something without a furry friend to come home to.

An orange Tabby cat that was adopted at the mobile adoption event.

Thanks to an impulse decision, this little guy will finally have a home for the first time. The two-year-old Tabby mix has known nothing but a life of neglect and abandonment.

“He was found on a street in the Bronx, with matted fur and bones sticking out,” explained Dan Rizzo, an ASPCA volunteer working at the pop-up adoption van. “We believe he probably belonged to someone at some point because he seemed pretty comfortable around people and his nails looked like they hadn’t been clipped too long ago.”

Pet adoption is a process that benefits both the animals being rescued, as well as the adopters themselves. Despite the large amount of dogs, cats, and other animals that live in shelters and need to go home to a loving family, many people continue to buy animals from pet stores. It is my hope that by promoting the mobile adoption events that the ASPCA holds, people will become curious about adoption and feel compelled to take further action.

The ASPCA has several of these “mobile adoption events” throughout the city, which have so far been a great success. All of the pets presented are spayed and neutered, up-to-date on vaccinations, and micro chipped.

“It’s one thing to look at pictures of the cats and dogs we have up for adoption on our website, but it’s a completely different story when a person sees an animal in person and can’t help but fall in love,” Rizzo said.

The van was surrounded by men, women, and children of all ages. Most people looking through the glass at the available cats were people simply admiring the tiny kittens, yet there were a few interested people who were interested in either adopting one of the cats within the van, or another cat that the ASPCA has available at the main headquarters at 424 East 92^nd Street. People stood around the van and observed these cats and kittens, which ranged in size, color, age, and breed.

According to national estimates released by the ASPCA, 41 percent of cats, and 31 percent of dogs, entering shelters are eventually euthanized, so the ASPCA strongly advocates the spaying or neutering of pets. Besides just having mobile adoption events, they also offer low cost spaying and neutering services at several of their mobile clinics throughout the five boroughs.

It warmed my heart to watch Evelyn hold her new cat for the first time with a smile from ear to ear. Finding this ASPCA van was an unexpected, but gratifying, detour. Eventually I did make it to Starbucks after a few minutes of obsessing over the kittens and considering how mad my roommates would be if I actually brought one home. Kittens and coffee… not a bad way to begin my day.

My very satisfying hazelnut iced coffee. Apparently my name is not Nicole… It’s Michol.

Contact the ASPCA Adoption Center:
424 East 92nd Street
New York, NY 10128
www.aspca.org
(212) 876-7700 ext. 4120

Hours of Operation:
Monday-Saturday: 11am-7pm
Sunday: 11am-6pm

Mission Statement:
Cycling in NYC

By Cheick Toure
The purpose of my blog is to discuss and explore the experience of being a cyclist in New York City. I’ve lived in New York City for about 14 years, and for whatever reason I never considered commuting with a bike as an option. Commuting in new york in itself is a different challenge then most places, the trains can be often crowded during rush hours and if you drive then you’ll experience traffic on the roads. But recently I just wanted to have an alternative to my commute, and decided to purchase a bike. I live on the border of Long Island and Queens, so I often take the Long Island Railroad and then the subway to get to work or school. Both my job and school are in the city so I spend an awful amount of time in the city and on my commutes. Although commuting is cheaper than owning a car in New York, its still not cheap when you include the cost of monthly metro card and a monthly Long Island Railroad pass (LIRR). The long Island railroad monthly pass from Rosedale to Penn station is $210 along with my Subway monthly pass $112.Being a college student, I look for ways to lower my cost of living so that I can have more funds for other things, this encouraged me to bike in attempt to lower my commute cost. But New York City is city of the yellow cabs and reckless drivers, and that makes it intimidating to bike. Drivers have this sense of ownership towards the road and don’t like sharing, specially with bikers. But recently things have been changing, with the introduction of CitiBike which was introduced by the collaborative effort of Mayor Bloomberg and Citi Bank, more New Yorkers are using the CItibike’s as a vehicle to get them through the city and also avoid some of the traffic. So because of this there’s more bikes in New York city aside from the delivery bikers and bikers like myself. Along with the introduction of the CitiBike came new bike lane paths, a little sense of security among bikers knowing that their not being rebels by choosing to be cyclist around the city. Cycling is looked at differently now since business people dressed in business attire use the citibike’s to get around the city. On another note, although commuting in New York may seem frustrating for those of us who have been living in New York for quiet sometime we have to admit that commuting here, may still be  easier than some other big cities. So my blog aims to discuss some of the challenges, joys, benefits and experiences that biking in New York has to offer. Even if your bike is your only form of transportation or if you are a part bike rider and part subway rider or LIRR rider like myself, I want to hear your story.
Riding a bike around the city makes me feel as if am new to the city. I get to explore places I would never have explored if I wasn’t on a bike. Biking makes certain places accessible that wouldn’t be otherwise, it makes me appreciate the beauty of the city, and i’ve become sort  of a tourist to this city. There are things in this city have taken for granted because I got accustomed to seeing the same things during my commutes on the trains. But riding my bike lets me appreciate the beauty of a bridge, it’  engineering and the view of the city.
I believe my blog may have a purpose because before taken on this experience I had questions about biking in New York City, but I could hardly find anything on the subject. Am sure maybe somewhere on the web someone might have written about their experiences as well, but I am looking to get a little deeper and cover this experience from many angles. From the people riding the bikes, the people sharing the road with bikers, and much more.
My target audience for this blog will be those interested in the experience of being a cyclist in NYC and along with bringing up discussions with other people that are affected by cyclist in New York. The content of the blog will include photos, videos, maps, bike shops, repair shops and so on, anything that can help make the cycling experience come off as real as possible to the readers. In regards to videos I am aiming to take on a Gopro camera in order to show some of the places a bike can take you that a car just couldn’t. Mainly the things you can experience riding a bike that you wouldn’t be able to do while driving. This blog isn’t aiming to convert everyone into a cyclist, that would probably make cycling just as frustrating as driving, but this blog will advocate that cyclist, drivers and subway riders can coexist in one ecosystem in partnership. I would also hope that through this blog effort we can all see the importance and health benefits of cycling and take on the responsibility of preserving it and making it a safer commute for the current cyclist and future cyclist.

Editorial Plan:

Editorial Plan

The goal of my blog is for it to cover the experience of being a cyclist in new york city, cycling as a form of commuting or just getting around the city.

Types of content

Q&A’s:
-In such a metropolitan city what drives people to want to get around in bikes versus all the other options available?
-what are some of the advantages or disadvantages of being a bicycle rider in new york? challenges, opportunities and benefits.
Mainly the questions are going to be around the experiences that a bicycle rider can have and others wouldn’t be.

Coverage of events:

Coverage of events would of been much easier during the spring or summer, but as the weather gets colder their are less and less events going on about cycling in new york. But that doesn’t mean their won’t be any, just very rare. My goal is get out their and seek those events out and try and get as much coverage out of them as possible. But I will still make the coverage on bike shops and their events, to promote more bike riders within the city, development or implementing of new bike lanes within the city.

What other people are saying about cycling:

It’s also important to hear from other people who are affected by cyclist in the city, we want to coexist, but by being able to respect each others riders rights. So well discuss the things that cyclist can improve on from the perspectives of does who are not actual cyclist. Every perspectives matter.

Creating process of the post:
I aim to make the post media driven as possible, that being said I also have to keep in mind that cycling is a thing of motion, this is new york city after all and people have places to be. With that being said, some of the images or reoccurring themes maybe bikes in motion, which will be images of cyclist going about their day, but mainly capturing different genre of cyclist going about their days. So images I feel will be very important for the blog, along with videos and interviews. Those two form of media will be able to tell the story in much more words then you ever tell it. Video footage are the things that may be just a tad bit complicated to obtain, unless i set up equipment that allows me to record the videos as I commute. Photos can be captured by being at places where cycling normally occurs, bike lanes, dedicated bike paths, riding in the park, and bike riders at the stop lights.

The Editorial process of the blog will evolve and take a life of it’s own, I am sure this is something I won’t be able to control as much as i’d like. Because cycling is a living a breathing activity, so the majority of it will take a life form of it’s own, and I hope to be able to capture as much as possible of it to recreate some of the experiences on this blog.

Social Media
Am looking to make Instagram and Snapchat will be my main platforms of social media, Instagram is just instant, and so is Snapchat. With those two together I can make micro-blogging posts in advance of the main blog posts I aim to make.

Business in Brooklyn (BIB) was started to assist underprivileged talents living in Brooklyn. Living in underprivileged areas can often hinder an individual’s growth due to the lack of resources available. Business in Brooklyn exists to educate, empower and equip underprivileged aspiring and existing entrepreneurs as well as those seeking or looking to succeed in their careers. A lifestyle, service blog, Business in Brooklyn offers tutorials, how-tos, what not to do, and mock interviews that serve as resources and tips on starting and growing a small business and choosing the right career.

Entrepreneurship is booming and everyone wants a part in it. Everyone wants to move up the ladder in hopes of being able to live the “American Dream.” The issue is that not many know all that goes into starting a business or what sacrifices must be made to efficiently manage an existing business. The same goes with a career. Many people want a thriving career but may not know the best one suitable for them, or they are currently in careers but feel stagnant. This can be due to many factors. One – people are not knowledgeable about the risks of starting a business and lack the resources needed to begin. In many underprivileged neighborhoods you have all sorts of talents but none can be flourished due to two key factors – lack of knowledge and resources. Two – there is the issue with finding funding. Now in days there are so many ways to receive funds to start a small business other than going to the bank. There’s crowdsourcing, angel investors and more excitingly; contests that giveaway start-up money. But how will people know these things if they are already at a disadvantage? BIB is how. Another factor and sure not the least is having the right team of people. Many go into business as a one-man show but to start a successful business you need a team. It takes hard work and dedication to be successful and without the right people around you, you are heading towards disaster. This is where TBC comes in. Here people will find answers and solutions to normal setbacks that first time entrepreneurs face all for free 99.

Of course there are multiple service blogs that exist that offer information for small business and start-ups but there are none like BIB. Business in Brooklyn will breathe a new and exciting way to learn business tips and we are also offering career advice. Not everyone aspires to be an entrepreneur so why not infuse the two together. Our blog will feature real entrepreneurs who derived from underprivileged neighborhoods in Brooklyn that have existing businesses or are currently starting a business or venture. With this feature our readers will be able to engage in Q&A’s, view videos of interviews and read how these individuals got started. We will also feature workshops, webinars and events that readers can attend to receive live interaction and feedback.

Using multiple streams of social media like our Facebook page, Twitter and Instagram, BIB readers will be able to interact with us daily. Our social media will have links to our posts, Q&A’s, photos, contests and giveaways. It will also inform our readers of upcoming events and projects. BIB will be mobile friendly so that it is accessible from any smartphone device and/or tablet and the iPad.

The goal of Business in Brooklyn is to offer a platform of advice to those who are not privy to specific business and career advice and information. It is to inspire and teach those who are willing and eager and receptive to learning.

Statement of Purpose

As a wheelchair-bound New Yorker and avid concertgoer I have found that not all venues are prepared to offer their physically challenged patrons an awesome experience. This blog is meant to help physically challenged concertgoers navigate their experiences, increase venue awareness, and ultimately come up with practical solutions.

Target Audience

My target audience won’t only be physically challenged concertgoers. It will  appeal to everyone who has a love for live performance including people who follow I Love Free Concerts, My Free Concerts, and even buying and selling ticket Facebook group. Admittedly, at the beginning the content will be targeted toward mainstream music listeners.

Blog Necessity

This blog is a necessity because physically challenged patrons pay for their tickets like everyone else. So at the least, they should expect to be able to access the venue, be able to view the concert, and access the bathrooms. These are all things that if not possible can ruin the concertgoer’s experience regardless of how great the show is. This blog is meant to avoid or help these issues. No one should have to say that they disliked a concert because the service was bad—physically challenged or not.

Content

The content of the blog would consist of tips for concertgoers, venue reviews, and an occasional venue spotlight that would either include an interview from a venue employee. There will also be Concert Critique from recent concertgoers detailing what they liked or disliked about their experience. This would be where the multimedia would come in.

Special/Sets Apart/Other Coverage

There’s no other blog out there that is focusing on what I am. There are other blogs that focus on accessibility issues and disability awareness, but they all focus on “serious

issues” like education equality or affordable housing.

 Editorial Plan

.In regards to content I feel like the best forms would be interviews, coverage of shows, and an occasional guest bloggers who would talk about their experiences. In an ideal world I would post about three times a week. Depending on the kind of the post I have to write, I would say 6-8 hours or so, that includes planning and coordination. In regards to interviewees, I don’t have all the names yet. But venue managers at Highline, Irving Plaza, Gramercy, and a few others. As well as some people from Live Nation and the Barclays Center. I feel like the blog would be photo centric but the camera on phone is kind of iffy. Recurring content would be “Concert Critique” and “Venue Reviews” along with the interviews.

Trufa Restaurant’s store front.

Trufa, located on 140^th Street and Broadway, is the smallest restaurant I have ever dined at. Despite its size, this Italian/New American eatery plays a huge role in the neighborhood’s budding gentrified restaurant scene. Trufa has taken the place of a restaurant that once offered Mexican eats, and currently serves Italian/New American comfort food; including pressed sandwiches, pasta dishes and burgers. On a Sunday afternoon, my boyfriend and I entered this “hole in the wall,” and were greeted with a warm welcome from Corey Havens, manager at Trufa. He directed us to our seats, only one foot away from the entrance, and handed us brunch menus.

Trufa has re-introduced itself to residents four years ago, and is one of many new restaurants that have made its way to Harlem. The owners of the old Mexican restaurant are the same owners of the current revamped space. While plates range anywhere from $7 to $21, the refined appearance and tranquil ambience of Trufa says otherwise. “Harlem needs more upscale restaurants like Trufa,” manager Corey stated. In fact, the majority of the people who visit have seemingly left the restaurant satisfied, as reported in most of Trufa’s customer reviews on Yelp.

Soup and desert specials of the day.

Harlem has a rich history, but many of the incoming restaurants are eliminating, rather than preserving, the neighborhood’s historical culture. Many of the new restaurants in Harlem are built to appeal to an upper class demographic, which is why several of the old businesses are undergoing drastic, physical transformations. “The earth tones and cozy look of Trufa attracts ‘other’ types of crowds,” Corey said, “The older restaurants (in the neighborhood) appeal to less socially high class people.”

As a born and raised Harlem native, I can attest the major differences in the neighborhood compared to five years ago. Being able to enjoy a hearty brunch at a restaurant five minutes away from home still shocks me. Prior to visiting Trufa, I searched for a restaurant that would satisfy my huge pumpkin sweet tooth. My boyfriend suggested Trufa, and while I did not look at their menu, I crossed my fingers hoping they would have pumpkin French toast. Unfortunately, the only seasonal pumpkin dish was the “pumpkin gnocchi” – a dish I never came across at any restaurants I have visited in Harlem. Corey, who was also our waiter for the afternoon, sincerely apologized. I opted for the caramelized banana French toast, added a mimosa to my order and left Trufa completely forgetting my pumpkin cravings.

My Sunday brunch meal.

Ten years ago it would have been difficult to find a restaurant in Harlem that offers a standard brunch. Today, there are a number of restaurants in the neighborhood that have brunch menus. Gentrification has made a strong presence in Harlem, and this is visible through the transformation of Mexican fast food restaurants to fancy Italian/New American eateries. Watch out West Village, Harlem is making its way into New York City’s bustling brunch scene.

Trufa Restaurant’s store front.

Trufa, located on 140^th Street and Broadway, is the smallest restaurant I have ever dined at. Despite its size, this Italian/New American eatery plays a huge role in the neighborhood’s budding gentrified restaurant scene. Trufa has taken the place of a restaurant that once offered Mexican eats, and currently serves Italian/New American comfort food; including pressed sandwiches, pasta dishes and burgers. On a Sunday afternoon, my boyfriend and I entered this “hole in the wall,” and were greeted with a warm welcome from Corey Havens, manager at Trufa. He directed us to our seats, only one foot away from the entrance, and handed us brunch menus.

Trufa has re-introduced itself to residents four years ago, and is one of many new restaurants that have made its way to Harlem. The owners of the old Mexican restaurant are the same owners of the current revamped space. While plates range anywhere from $7 to $21, the refined appearance and tranquil ambience of Trufa says otherwise. “Harlem needs more upscale restaurants like Trufa,” manager Corey stated. In fact, the majority of the people who visit have seemingly left the restaurant satisfied, as reported in most of Trufa’s customer reviews on Yelp.

Soup and desert specials of the day.

Harlem has a rich history, but many of the incoming restaurants are eliminating, rather than preserving, the neighborhood’s historical culture. Many of the new restaurants in Harlem are built to appeal to an upper class demographic, which is why several of the old businesses are undergoing drastic, physical transformations. “The earth tones and cozy look of Trufa attracts ‘other’ types of crowds,” Corey said, “The older restaurants (in the neighborhood) appeal to less socially high class people.”

As a born and raised Harlem native, I can attest the major differences in the neighborhood compared to five years ago. Being able to enjoy a hearty brunch at a restaurant five minutes away from home still shocks me. Prior to visiting Trufa, I searched for a restaurant that would satisfy my huge pumpkin sweet tooth. My boyfriend suggested Trufa, and while I did not look at their menu, I crossed my fingers hoping they would have pumpkin French toast. Unfortunately, the only seasonal pumpkin dish was the “pumpkin gnocchi” – a dish I never came across at any restaurants I have visited in Harlem. Corey, who was also our waiter for the afternoon, sincerely apologized. I opted for the caramelized banana French toast, added a mimosa to my order and left Trufa completely forgetting my pumpkin cravings.

My Sunday brunch meal.

Ten years ago it would have been difficult to find a restaurant in Harlem that offers a standard brunch. Today, there are a number of restaurants in the neighborhood that have brunch menus. Gentrification has made a strong presence in Harlem, and this is visible through the transformation of Mexican fast food restaurants to fancy Italian/New American eateries. Watch out West Village, Harlem is making its way into New York City’s bustling brunch scene.

Mission Statement

One the most communal experiences we have as human beings is getting the chance to sit down in a dark room with a group of total strangers and enjoy the same film. After a long day of work, school, or dealing with family issues, we all seek the distraction and escapism that a film provides us.

One very popular networking forum for film lovers is the ability to be able to go online and discuss your favorite films with other people. Online film reviewing is a fast-rising way for individuals to reach into their own inner critic. There are literally hundreds of blogs and online threads that give the regular average Joe the opportunity to sound off on their favorite films.

One of the things I have noticed about these film blogs is that they mostly seem to focus on a certain type of movie: mainstream ones. Comic-book blockbusters, young adult adaptations, big-star vehicles; all these genres get plenty of ink within online-film forums. In terms of blogs, I believe that one underserved and undervalued market is that for people with more high-brow taste in films. These so-called cinephiles are relatively small in terms of size but they more than make up for it in terms of film devotion.

A cinephile studies film theory and film history with ardent passion. They follow the career of all their favorite directors, screenwriters, cinematographers, etc. They usually collect DVDs from the Criterion Collection, which has thousands of titles of classic films from the days of the French New Wave and Italian Neo-realism to the German expressionism films and 70’s American cinema.

In today’s film market, one type of film that the cinephile craves the most is the “indie” or the art-house film. Independent cinema allows filmmakers to accomplish things that are not possible in more mainstream Hollywood films, which are usually tinkered with by the big studio executives.

Indie films make it possible for the director to present his or her auteurial vision onto the screen. Everything from the production design and the aesthetics to the choice of actors and the establishing of camera shots, these are all decisions that the director has a last take on. These are qualities that the indie film audience takes note of and appreciates. Films directed by the likes of Wes Anderson, Paul Thomas Anderson, David Fincher, James Gray, Quentin Tarantino, Jonathan Glazer, Spike Jonze, Mike Leigh and Steve McQueen are all perfect examples of must-see “event” films that the average indie film enthusiast would not dare miss. This audience deserves a blog or a forum where they can discuss and debate with other cinephiles.

Which brings me to our proposed blog; The Art-House Attic will allow indie-film lovers the chance to sound off on the latest releases from the world of independent cinema. Getting a front-row view from the historic Angelika Film Center in New York City, we constantly see what this audience craves from the films they watch and their opinions are usually very varied and passionate.

Unfortunately, there is a recent trend of independent films getting released on video on demand (VOD) while simultaneously being dropped in only a few theatres, usually in large urban cities like Los Angeles and New York. On one hand this is very convenient for individuals who live in states located in the southern part of the country or in the mid-west because they get to see thought-provoking films that otherwise they would have had to travel thousands of miles to get a glimpse of. On the other hand, I believe that VOD takes away from the traditional communal experience that watching a film on the big screen brings to the most rabid of cinephiles. The smaller studios that distribute independent films see VOD as a more attractive option in terms of recuperating their investments. The Angelika Film Center is an exception in that it provides an opportunity for these specialized VOD movies to show in the cinema for at least a month.

Unlike most film blogs that usually feature the administrator and a few outside contributors to write their reviews of the films, The Art-House Attic will allow New Yorkers and cinephiles of all stripes to give their opinions on the spot, immediately after watching the films. Everything from documentaries to foreign cinema and the latest mind-bending indies will be put on the table for our readers and audience to dissect. The Art-House Attic will also seek to perform Q & A’s with the latest indie filmmakers who sometimes have special screenings of their films at the Angelika Film Center.

Other art-house film blogs like The Film Experience, Indiewire and Shadow & Act are very informative and articulate about films. But they are not very inclusive in terms of who gets to contribute on their blogs besides in the comments section of course. The Art-House Attic will seek to provide that open space for the regular, non-professional indie film lover to let his or her voice be heard.

Editorial Plan:

I plan to feature in-depth reviews of the latest independent films as told by regular New Yorkers. There will be intellectual debates, agreements and disagreements and most importantly, entertaining analysis and dissections of the most talked-about releases in art-house cinema.

Currently in Theaters:

This section will focus on films that are still playing in theaters. Reviewers will be interviewed immediately after watching the films. This will allow us to get an unfiltered reaction from the reviewer. We will also post reviews on VOD (video on demand) films that are currently available.

The DVD Corner:

This section will focus on reviews of films that are already out on DVD. There were a lot of thought-provoking films released earlier in the year that had cinephiles raving. Usually, the best Indies are released in the fall or the winter but recently there is a new trend in which these types of films get an early-year release date. We will also look back at older films that are considered classics, specifically from the Criterion Collection. The DVD release of these films will be the perfect time to look back at these gems.

Mainstream with an Indie sensibility:

This section will focus on reviews of films that although are produced by a major studio, are still rich in character development and story narrative.

New York on Film:

Whether new films or classics, New York has always been a major inspiration for filmmakers. This section will focus on films that take place in New York. Reviewers will analyze how the big apple is portrayed on the big screen.

My take:

This section will allow me to analyze a film that has captured the cultural zeitgeist, not just focus on plot points and narrative. I will go in depth to seek how the films I review portray serious issues such as politics, socio-economics, class, gender, race, sexuality, etc.

Interviews:

At the Angelika Film Center we get to meet filmmakers of all stripes. Hopefully in this section we will get the opportunity to interview a cast or crew member of an Independent film that has been recently released in theaters or on VOD.

Multimedia:

In this section we will feature podcast interviews with the reviewers and hopefully with the filmmakers of the latest art-house films.

Length and frequency of blog posts:

The reviews will be from 400-600 words. The interviews will depend on the guest but they will be anywhere from 400-1000 words. Hopefully the frequency of the posts will be a minimum of twice per week.

PLEASE email me your first posts by today. I will be marking off for late arrivals. I will send you back edits and comments by the end of this week. Please email me your rewritten posts by Wednesday, Oct. 15. I will be grading these posts.

Here is your midterm assignment:

DUE: MONDAY, OCT. 20

By the above date, all students must have completed the following work:

—Created a blog using Blogs@Baruch, including the name of the blog in the URL. The settings on this blog must be set to public. Go through the different themes that are available to you through Blogs@Baruch and choose the one that works best for your blog.

–Uploaded a unique header image that reflects the character of the blog and includes the name of the blog and a cutline. (USE YOUR OWN PHOTOGRAPH. DO NOT TAKE IMAGE FROM ANOTHER SITE)

–Created an “About” page (Condensed version of mission statement, aim for 200 words)

–Created a blog roll of related blogs and websites. (INCLUDE FIVE TO SEVEN SITES)

–Posted THREE stories to your blog each illustrated by a photo. (This number includes the post you sent to me today. Therefore, you must report and write two additional posts before Monday, Oct. 20. Each post must include relevant hyperlinks.)

–Created five categories for your blog and tagged your posts appropriately.

–Added a post to our class blog with the URL of your individual blog by class on Monday, Oct. 20.

OUR CLASS ON WEDNESDAY, OCT. 15 WILL BE A PRODUCTION CLASS DEVOTED TO WORKING OUT ANY PROBLEMS OR ISSUES WITH YOUR WORDPRESS BLOG.

Mission Statement

Junior Development Hockey Programs–21 and under hockey players, in over 40 leagues in the U.S and Canada, honing their skills before making the jump to college or professional careers – need their own source of news covering in-depth advances in player development, instructional findings and sports psychology insights. Where can junior hockey players or even aspiring junior hockey people more generally expand their minds to a wide variety of approaches that better serves developing hockey personnel? How can players better fight injury? What can video analysis do for a player, team or coach in terms of hockey IQ? Is there a scheduled sequence of hockey system-training in practices or is everything catered to a unique team? How often does a player need to be reminded to hit the net, or does their “burn” or ice-time speak for itself?

Junior Hockey Producer will fill this void with original content and multimedia features. We are striving for a junior hockey cultural shift; instead of reading  about other junior hockey players and their accolades, read about what will give, you the player or coach, an edge in development—the ultimate goal for players in the junior stage. We envision stories on video’s role in youth hockey, strength, conditioning, and nutritional information, advanced stats role in hockey, team practice ideas, individual practice ideas, where junior players want to improve, even eight & under players and where they want to improve, systems players ought to know, systems players can scrap, sports psychology insight, well rounded athlete vs. hockey concentration theories, and injury management guidance just to name a few. Content will feel current and always have a twist towards the future of the game. Collaborating with other news organizations, on hockey development, will also be a feature of the blog.

One important difference between Junior Hockey Producer and other niche hockey blogs is we do not just focus on highly touted prospects or organizations. We are hockey people, still involved in the game, covering all junior organizations that are doing something successful, as well as something that could link to a common trend, in youth development. We offer not only journalistic experience but also the context that comes from being personally invested in a development program.

We will be innovative in how we deliver our news, taking full advantage of new technology and the ways people now get information. Simply put, we will have a Twitter account that gives our followers a brief glimpse of the featured story. From there, our followers can access the stories in full.

For the business world, we imagine potential advertising opportunities on our blog. A similarity Junior Hockey Producer and many retail hockey companies have is we both want players to develop into the best hockey player possible. Video ads or sponsored articles are potentially great ideas if certain stories are receiving great exposure.

Competitive Analysis  

News coverage of Junior Hockey by websites and blogs—Core Hockey Development, the Junior Hockey Truth Blog and The Junior Hockey News are all very league oriented. Junior players and coaches are not getting enough reported news on information regarding the many realms of development and the insight that goes into producing stronger, more knowledgeable hockey players.

The Junior Hockey Truth Blog is a great blog for parents to submerse themselves in why and what junior hockey is all about for their child. Junior hockey players can be as young as 15 so this is a useful blog that gives insight on aspects ranging from creating a schedule to league stature and where those league participants navigate post-junior career. Mostly Q&A stories and advice blogging; the Junior Hockey Blog can prepare families with information outside of the game.

Junior Hockey News is extremely league orientated producing news on highly touted prospects and league standings. No coverage on player development philosophies or coaching techniques–very similar to the format of a league website; all about the league and its players, not about the contribution to junior hockey development from an experimental or learning standpoint.

Core Hockey Development, is the most similar blog. It primarily focuses on off-season hockey training. They have multimedia features on work-outs tied into what aspects of the game players will likely see improvement.  Sports psychology, hockey systems, and advanced stats are just some of the realms of Junior Hockey Developer that Core Hockey Development does not cover.

It is our view that there is an opportunity to capture a large viewership on the many ways youth hockey players and coaches can better serve their own development with a variety of stories. None of these organizations are dedicated to hitting so many angles of youth hockey development. When youth players view our content they will hopefully think and possibly implement something they saw as useful to their own game or organization. The blog is about the players and coaches everywhere.   Sharpen your development and become the well rounded hockey player you were born to be.

Junior Hockey Producer Editorial Plan

I want to create a page that provides engaging and insightful news coverage on youth hockey from many angles. There is a lot to cover and I don’t think any media has been really focusing on it. From coaching strategies to drills and everything in between. There are so many articles I can produce. The articles are going to be written pieces that include original reporting, featured entries from coaches, and multimedia videos. Long term I think I could have a running segment that might receive exposure. It could be called “what sticks” and it would be simple. Ask the players of a certain age and skill level what have their coaches have been  emphasizing, then ask the coaches what have they been truly pushing on the players. What are the players taking away from all the talk.

Types of Content:

Q&A- these would be shorter articles that would run more frequently, maybe once a week. There are a lot of people in the industry I could interview, different type of coaches, youth hockey parents, the players, managers and even referees.

Profile- I want to write individual profiles on a select group of coaches. There are innovative, passionate coaches in the industry that put their lives into their team. They are not paid a lot as they have regular jobs and are not looking to move up to higher levels. These individuals have so much experience and knowledge about the game. Stories of what they’ve been implementing and what has change will be compelling. Coaches and players learn from other coaches

Numbers:

For the interviews I’m not sure how long they will be, it depends on the subject and how long their responses are. The profile pieces would be longer form stories, maybe 600-800 words.

The Q&A’s I would try to keep up once a week, and produce the longer form pieces every two weeks. As for videos I hope to do at least two. The videos could accompany a story or stand on its own with a short story.

There many articles about hockey leagues around the world, however there is not a steady source of information to learn about youth hockey from a learning standpoint. I want to provide an inside look at the players and coaches all hockey players have had and give them a voice. The same coaches garnering attention is boring, Junior Hockey Producer will give the hockey communities foundation a voice.

Multimedia

I am going to try to include photos in as many posts possible. If I can get a picture of the subject, or of the practice or game that would be great. Additionally I think it would be great to include a video of some kind as more of social media is inclined to share video content.

Mission Statement

Allen Strk
The purpose of my blog would be to inform people on how to eat well on a busy schedule. This would be targeted towards a college audience, although it could attract older people as well. I travel to and from school on a combined three hours for four days a week. My school and work schedule is rampant, but I’ll always prioritize on eating clean. From January 2013 to May 2014, I went from 235 to 170 pounds. I’ve had experience in maintaining a diet, despite having to travel so much. The content that I’d focus on would be towards moderation and what are good spots to go to in New York City. Also I’d speak about what to avoid, regardless of how appetizing it may look like.

With the obesity rate so high, I’ve heard several people blame it on work overshadowing there life. That still isn’t a valid excuse to eat pizza or a burger on a consistent basis. What sets my blog apart would be incorporating different meals, while traveling from place to place. Most blogs that cover diets are based on eating home cooked meals and focused on avoiding eating out. What I’m doing is looking at places to eat that can keep you trim. Now granted, I’ve appreciated home cooked meals and it contributed to my weight loss. That doesn’t take away how much I had to eat out. When I’m going to school, there are several long days that I have to endure which leads to not being able to eat at home.

I’ll break down on what to avoid while eating out, along with what to look for as well. I’m not sure how the competition is for this particular topic. This is more of a unique take to help younger people that aren’t fortunate in being able to eat a home cooked meal on a frequent basis. This content will be mostly exclusively to schools that are involved in the city or driving to school. It doesn’t apply to people eating on campus because they don’t have to travel extensively. I’m working towards people who are consistently on the move.

I’d update my blog around twice a week. For my posts, I’d envision it would take at least 60 minutes to write each blog. I pride myself on providing information from other websites and my overall experience. I’m not sure whom I’d interview because this is a unique blog. It’s more from a personal experience, while giving out health tips. In terms of specific stories, it wouldn’t be about any specific day. It would be more about past weekly regimes. Then I’d look at other people, who prioritize on health and dieting. With features, I’d like to dictate it from meats, vegetables, pasta, and how to utilize having cheat meals. I’ll have to plan out on what to focus on a weekly basis in breaking down what food to exclusively talk about. It’s a process, but my ideas are starting to flow together.