Blogging the News

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1OHfICtZKd34SYq8F6dabO_R9NH4iqNF1YdXfvr8BpcI/pub?start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000

This slideshow features a series of photographs capturing Spanish Harlem in the midst of the gentrification and changes to the community as they are still underway. Many establishments that have had their doors closed several years ago still look the exact same, leaving remnants of what used to be bustling businesses and housed many tenants. Spanish Harlem has witnessed exponential changes to the neighborhood within the past decade, and will continue to develop into a “new Williamsburg”, with a changing demographic.

This slideshow features a series of photographs capturing Spanish Harlem in the midst of the gentrification and changes to the community as they are still underway. Many establishments that have had their doors closed several years ago still look the exact same, leaving remnants of what used to be bustling businesses and housed many tenants. Spanish Harlem has witnessed exponential changes to the neighborhood within the past decade, and will continue to develop into a “new Williamsburg”, with a changing demographic.

Mission Statement:

Boxing is a sport that is more than what it appears to be on the surface, which is just glorified fighting. The sport is actually more about technique, discipline, footwork, IQ, and testing an athlete’s ability to out-box his opponent. Many fans of professional boxing have criticized the sport for not delivering match ups between big-name fighters such as Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. Egos and disagreements over money and steroid testing have halted that fight for years. Local boxing and smaller fights can be considered a pure form of the sport. There is no large network coverage, no large amounts of cash, and this is where you can find men and women doing it because they enjoy the sport. This blog will essentially dive into the local boxers and gyms around NYC such as Church Street Boxing Gym in Manhattan, Trinity Boxing Gym, Mendez Boxing, and maybe a few lesser known gyms. These locals may not garner much coverage from mainstream media but may very well be just as talented, have adopted the same training regimens, and face competition levels that are entertaining for fans of these amateur events.

I do not want to limit myself to one boxing league or gym, I would like to travel around the five boroughs and try to find as many gyms and leagues as possible to see the differences in approaches, promotions, event structures, training regiments, as well as the similarities. The audience for this kind of blog would be local gym trainers, local fighters looking to gain recognition, leagues looking to attract larger audiences, and of course, the local communities who enjoy boxing and witnessing people they may know go toe to toe with others. However, this may not be for boxing purists who may see this form of fighting as degradation to their sport and “the sweet science.”

A Bronx league, called BX Fight Club, that I recently discovered, has potential to be interesting enough to include in the blog. It holds events every Friday and anybody is allowed to enter. In addition, the events are free to the public and most of their promotion occurs from their Instagram page. They hashtag #GlovesUp #GunsDown which I assume is a way of the fight club saying it wants people to come together and box and not resort to violence. The page contains a link to their YouTube page which contains uploaded fights in their entirety. The event has garnered some interest from a few public figures such as Bronx rapper and current MTV personality on “off the bat”, Fat Joe, and Queens rapper 50 Cent. There is no official ring, instead, there are barricades set up in a square outside a secluded area which appears to be a lot for cars but I am unsure. There is plenty of space for the boxers to fight with a “referee” keeping things under control.

“Friday Night Throwdown” is another unlicensed league in Chinatown in New York City and it pits male boxers, against “pretty boy” male models in a boxing ring with proper head equipment. This league is almost like a party, containing DJ’s and the boxers are apparently allowed to drink booze, not your traditional boxing match. In this league, the models are paid around $150 or more to get in the ring in front of a crowd of nearly 1,000 people.

What differentiates this blog from others is that this one would cover the local, more underground aspect, while blogs like “Bad Left Hook”, are more focused on discussing the professional aspect. I have not discovered many blogs containing content locally based so mine has the potential to be unique. However, I did find a website called Mishka NYC, which covers sports, style, and TV and film, but does not exclusively cover underground boxing. They did have a promotion of a Friday Night Throwdown event that teamed up with Transmission, an up and coming magazine, for its magazine release party back in June. It is unclear what Transmission Magazine covers since you need to buy an issue to view any content. Also, the Huffington Post did a brief blog entry on Friday Night Throwdown in 2011, and another blog called “Oddity Central’ did an entry on the league in 2012, but it’s not the primary focus of those blogs.

The coverage by those blogs as well as the New York Times Magazine, and a video by a local cinematographer by the name of Scott Cramer, all seem to hone in on the event held by Friday Night Throwdown in June 2011 which pitted NYC amateurs vs. Texas amateurs, different from its traditional models vs. “street fighters,” mention of other events or leagues were rare. The posts were also very short and rarely offered anything in depth aside from Oddity Central which mentioned how much the models get paid, and a model who is a regular at the event called Rockstar Charlie, the only model to win a fight against the boxers. This is an event a friend of mine, who is a member of the military, participated in and it apparently had enough buzz to garner the coverage from a few major publications, but other than that, any mentions or updates on the league have been quiet. All other leagues, local boxers, and local gyms have been overlooked by these blogs and publications, opening the door for my blog to fill that void.

Editorial Plan:

Types of Content:

My blog is primarily based on the “underground” aspect of boxing so the majority of the content will focus on boxing events around New York City. Although I only know a few leagues in Manhattan in the Bronx, the hope is to find others around the 5 boroughs to keep the content from becoming repetitive. Aside from these events, there will be information on these boxers, where they train, their background, gyms around NYC, and the promoters and hosts of boxing events. Each of these ideas provides its own unique aspect while all still falling under and contributing to the larger picture of this underground world.

-Q&A’s with the boxers, as well as fans and anyone else involved with events, and/or training is going to be essential to keeping the blog full of content. But they also have potential to lead me to at least one or two people who have a story which really highlights this culture, similar to a profile, maybe even “a day in the life” blog post.

Reoccurring Content:

“Touch Gloves” or “Pound for Pound” – This section of the blog can give viewers a more in depth look into the men and women who step into these rings around New York City. It will be a one on one Q&A with boxers who are willing to share information about the league or themselves. You can find out why they began participating and how often, how they got involved, where they train, are they amateurs in more mainstream leagues who may not be allowed to participate but still do, are they looking for mainstream recognition, their upbringing, and other information. (500 words max unless I decide to do something similar to a profile on a specific boxer)

“Can we make this mainstream?” – Aside from the boxers, somebody has to promote and host these events and that’s where each league comes into to the picture. The event makers play a big role in this culture. The people responsible for administering these fights will be interviewed to try and provide people with information on how these events are ran. Questions such as who secures the location, if they host outside do they move inside during colder months, if  the league is profitable and why, is their referee legit or just some guy with no experience in the field, and is the goal to be more widely recognized among other things. (300-500 words)

“Hot? Grab a fan” or “Public Opinion” – These will essentially be simple questions after events about their thoughts on the fights, why they come to these events, and maybe a comparison to professional boxing. (Around 100-200 words)

“In The Gym” or “Shadow Boxer” – This section can be a way to find out about the gyms in New York City and how each one operates differently or the same from one another. They will give the trainers of these boxers a chance to describe their preferred training regimens among other things. It can also give them a chance to promote how they can help someone who do not want to be boxers but want to learn self defense and would like to be able to defend themselves if a problem arises. (250-350 words)

Post Frequency/Time needed:

-At least twice a week would be ideal. That gives enough time to gather enough information to post a decent amount of coverage and content due to interviews and wanting to gather more information for a post such as a mini profile. It will also allow enough time for me to get footage or audio if multimedia is going to be included in a post. The amount of time needed to complete one post should take no more than an hour or two leaving a few minutes to proofread.

Potential Interviews:

-Malik – Boxer and current member of the Military

-Baby Tyson – Boxer at Bx Fight Club

-Rockstar Charlie – Model Boxer for Friday Night Throwdown

-Event Coordinators and promoters, Fans, Trainers, and other boxers.

Multimedia Options:

-Photos to include with interviews of the Boxers as well as each event

-My own video of the events. Leagues have their own video content, but it’s better to have my own to avoid any issues regarding footage

-Footage of boxers training, going through their routines etc.

Mission Statement 

With a statistic of one pet per every three households within New York (specifically Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn) it is only inevitable that this city holds a great deal of uplifting, inspiring tales of pet rescue. It is not uncommon to find yourself talking to a pet owner, whom you’ve merely crossed paths with on the sidewalk and known for just a few minutes, but is nonetheless delighted to share the story of how they rescued or adopted their pet, and explain the cruel conditions from which their pet was saved. These are stories that deserve to be heard in an effort to promote the importance and necessity of adoption.

This blog could spark the interest of a range of readers, from those who are interested in adopting and would like to learn more, to those who have already participated in the adoption process and are supporters of the cause. Who doesn’t enjoy a good success story when it comes to animals? The purpose of each story would not just be to brighten someone’s day with an account of how an innocent animal was saved by a person’s simple act of kindness, but to also act as a gentle push in the right direction for people who would like to make a difference in an animal’s life.

Each post would begin with a focus on a specific story as told by the owner of an adopted pet. It could include ideas such as where his or her pet came from, what conditions the pet was saved from, the overall adoption process, how the pet reacted to a new home and owner, how the pet has transformed, and so on. This would include direct quotes from people, as well as pictures of the pet and their happy owner. The idea is to begin each post with a focused and in depth story, similar to those found on Humans of New York. Instead of dedicating an entire post to just a story from an owner, the blog would only use these stories as a starting point to delve deeper into more factual content. The bulk of each story would consist of statistics and information relevant to adoption in New York, revolving around a central topic that relates back to adoption story told earlier. The posts will be concluded by information that one could utilize in order to obtain information about adoption, as well as places they can visit if they are ready to begin their adoption process.

A blog of this type is necessary because of the fact that it would convey important information regarding pet adoption in New York, while being presented in in the form of and enjoyable, heart-warming personal account of how their pet was able to overcome a harsh upbringing and become a valued member of the family. There are not many other blogs out there that contain as much pertinent information as this one will. The world needs a blog like this in order to demonstrate how meaningful and beneficial adoption could be, which will hopefully in turn compel others to do the same.

There are many other blogs out there devoted to the general topic of pets or animals. Some blogs focus primarily on promoting a single adoption agency, and some exist solely to provide an audience with cute pictures and stories of pets. This blog would be unique in the sense that it would incorporate a mixture of photographs, personal accounts, data and statistics of adoption, and vital information to learn more about adoption in New York. This could be a blog that people turn to for a variety of reasons. Some readers may just be looking for a light-hearted, entertaining read, while other may be people with serious inquiries about pet adoption. If someone is interested in adoption but has their doubts and worries, it may comfort them to read about other who have made the decision to adopt and are very content with the choice they made.

Upon researching other blogs revolving around the same topic, I found some that were similar, but none that were really comparable to the vision I have for this blog. Most of the blogs I found were simple websites created by a pet adoption foundation such as Homeward Pet, Pets Alive, Adopt A Pet, and so on. These blogs in particular are only interested in promoting pet adoption at their own facilities. They feature pets they currently have on site, and limited information on the process of adoption. My blog would go well beyond that. I hope to create an online community of animal lovers and adoption advocates alike.

In all, the ideal blog I wish to create would be both relevant and entertaining. By combining both interesting tales and factual data in one presentable manner, the blog could be a great success. It could have the capability to attract a variety of readers with varied interest. This unique blog could act as a great platform to promote pet adoption throughout New York, benefitting both animals in need and people seeking a loyal companion.

Editorial Plan

The overall aim of this blog is to promote pet adoption in New York while incorporating relevant, factual data revolving around adoption in such a way that is entertaining yet compelling. In order to do so, I will need to actively interview people whose stories of adoption could be featured, as well as do extensive research regarding the facts and figures known about pet adoption in New York. With that said, I think an appropriate name for this blog could be The ManPETtan Project.

As far as the type of content, each blog would begin with a person’s story as a starting point and use this to frame the rest of the piece. The post would continue on to factual reporting relevant to the preceding story. Each post would end with information as to where one could go to learn more about adoption or actually begin the adoption process.

Within just my neighborhood, I have met many people who have adopted and have very interesting stories to tell. I believe that finding people to interview will be fairly easy, as most people are readily willing to give information. I already know several neighbors and relatives who would be more than willing to be featured on the blog. One potential idea I have is to write a piece specifically about puppy mills, as I already know much about this topic because I had a dog that came from a puppy mill, however my family did not find this out until years later. Throughout the entirety of my dog’s life, she had several health problems and passed away at a very early age, which we believe may have been the result of being bred in a puppy mill. Another idea I have is to cover certain events. I’m aware that sometimes North Shore Animal League comes to areas in New York City or states surrounding New York to create pop-up adoption centers in which people can go to see the available pets and adopt one on the spot. I could attend some of these and create blog posts about it, or I could do some sort of live coverage in the form of a tweet. As for other blog posts, I would like to incorporate interviews with people who work for adoption agencies or are in some related field.

As for the multimedia aspect, pictures will definitely be used frequently in order to attract readers. I would like to highlight pictures of animals with their owners. In addition, if people have any pictures from when they first adopted their pet, maybe they would be willing to let me use that to create a “Then and Now” side by side comparison. If this proves successful, I would like to make it a recurring post to show how many animals’ lives have been significantly improved since being adopted. I believe videos would also be powerful if I could get the opportunity to take videos at certain shelters.

I feel as though social media outlets would be extremely useful and effective for a blog of this type just due to its nature. Many people spend time scrolling through Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram when they are bored but would pause if they saw an image of some cute animal. A picture is a useful way to draw attention, but it would include a follow through link leading the reader to the actual blog post. On Facebook, I would try to make the blog interactive by holding contests. Each week these contests would be themed, and would encourage readers to submit their own stories based on the topic at hand. I would then choose the winner each week and feature them in a “Guest Writer” blog post. I would also like to hold similar contests on Instagram each week. At the beginning of each week I would announce a hashtag (such as #MyFavoriteToy, #AWalkInThePark, and so on) and people could post their photos with the hashtag. From there I could pick a few finalists and post the pictures on the Instagram page to have followers like the picture they think is the best. In doing so, I hope to gain more readership and followers.

In an ideal world, I think one solid blog post a day with several smaller updates in between would be effective, however for this class I don’t think it’s realistic. Since I am working by myself, it will some take time to interview pet owners, adoption agency representatives, and shelter workers. The statistical research aspect of this blog would be a bit quicker and simpler, as most of this information can be readily found online. In all though, I think I will be able to achieve most goals I have set for myself in creating this blog.

Mission Statement

My blog is built around the preservation of Asian identity. I realize that the United States is a cultural melting pot but as an Asian American, I know next to nothing about my culture, traditions, nor do I keep up with the Chinese newspapers or the events going on in New York’s Asian community. Chinatown is presumably one of the largest Asian filled communities and as such, I will begin my research there. I eat in Chinatown occasionally and I participated in the Summer Youth Employment Program sponsored by the Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC) but it wasn’t until recently that I learned of the impact of these organizations on the Asian community. CPC alone provide services to Asian Americans which range from translating letters into Chinese to providing English and art classes to informing the Asian community about their healthcare benfits. Other organizations in Chinatown include the Committee Against Anti-Asian Violence (CAAAV), Emblem Health Neighborhood Care, and the Asian/Pacific Islander Coalition of HIV/AIDS (APICHA), which all strive to benefit the welfare of the Asian community. As a student at Baruch, I am also aware that Baruch College has a large Asian population and numerous Asian interest clubs and organizations to match those interests. Therefore, my statement of purpose, the basis for blog, is to inform the public about Asian American communities in Manhattan, particularly in Chinatown and Baruch College, inclusive of all their traditions, habits, events, as well as hardships they may encounter.

As a first generation American, I am able to speak Chinese, but that is about the extent of my Asian heritage. There are traditions and customs that my family and I engage in, but the meaning behind those traditions are lost on me. For instance, I am not supposed to wash my hair on Chinese New Year, I cannot gift someone a clock or a pair of shoes on any occasion, and when visiting someone else’s house, I must never show up empty handed. These are practices I know to do, but when I ask my parents the meaning behind these traditions, they simply tell me, that is the ways things have always been done. Unfortunately, I think much of the younger generation, like myself, do not understand the true meaning behind our traditions and as such, cannot really truly appreciate or pass on our cultural heritage.

My goal is to build awareness among non-Asians and close the generational gap within the Asian community. In that respect, my targeted audience would be the younger generation of Asian Americans. My personal quest is to learn more about my heritage and culture and share my findings with other young Asian Americans like myself who are interested in the subject matter. As for the purpose of this blog, I believe there is a niche in this field and a need for this topic because there is a lack of news coverage in regards to Asian news. This blog would also serve to preserve the Asian culture and shed some light on what is going on in the Asian community, especially since it is not widely covered in the news. The main news channels seem to only have enough time to cover the pressing issues that will generate interest among their viewers and in doing so, fail to cover all aspects of the news. In addition, the language barriers in the Chinese newspapers only serve to widen the cultural gap. My blog will hopefully be the place that readers can go to stay updated with news in the Asian community as well in Asian countries. Informing the public about these events can also make them more tolerable and knowledgeable about what actually goes on around the world.

In order to generate quality content for this blog, I plan to interview organization leaders in both Baruch College and the non-profit Asian interest organizations listed above to generate a general understanding of their role in the Asian community and the struggles they face. I will focus on the community in Manhattan, specifically Chinatown and the clubs in Baruch College. I also plan to gather articles from Chinese newspapers and information from Chinese news channels to report the most accurate and up-to-date news. What would set this blog apart from all the other blogs is its specificity and target towards the Asian American community. One of the advantages in writing this blog is actually being Asian American and as such, I have unlimited access to this wealth of information. What also makes this blog special is the fact that this topic is not very much established on the internet and being so, I have few competitors.

That said, one of my biggest competitors covering the same topic is the Angry Asian Man. As his page states, his blog is about Asian America and he covers a wide range of topics from new Asian restaurants to Asians in the entertainment industry to upcoming events and instances of racial discrimination that he rants about to his readers, but all his posts convey an issue that he is angry about. According to his mission statement, this blog seeks to acknowledge the blatant racism that permeates in the United States, through an exaggerated perspective which only seeks to make the issues more open for discussion. One of the things I do like about his blog is the way he pays tribute to certain Asian Americans with posts titled “Angry Reader of the Week.” As the sole author of the blog, the Angry Asian Man highlights his so called “angriest posts” which are the most viewed posts instead of rolling feed and I think that aspect is unique to his blog. Although his blog is very simple, in both layout and design, Phil Yu, creator of Angry Asian Man, keeps consistent with his theme and stays true to his mission statement. My only comments would be that because of his wide coverage across the United States, he can’t provide a specific account of issues with interviews which is something that I will aim to do in my blog. I also dislike how the home page is not immediately accessible and how I have to click on this image before being directed to the blog. The Angry Asian Man’s blog is more comical and understated and I plan to take my blog in a different direction to make it more resourceful and entertaining.

My Editorial Plan

Types of Content:

My blog is interested in exploring the Asian American Communities in New York, specifically the borough of Manhattan, so I plan to include a mixture of different types of posts to accomplish this. The bulk of my blog will be separated into four main types of blog posts, as follows. I will aim to incorporate at least some sort of multimedia in each post.

Types of Posts:

– “Tea Time” or “Cha time:” This type of post is essentially a Q&A interview which will feature someone who is either very active in one of the nonprofit organizations I listed, or heavily involved in club activities around the Baruch College Campus. I will start with a little bit of their background, how they came to their position, if their parents had a role in it, what their role is in their organization but more importantly, what their organization does for the larger Asian community. For instance, I know that someone in CAAAV mentioned to me that some licensed Chinese vendors face police harassment simply because they can’t speak English. This type of post will probably be 500+ words.

-“What’s Happening in Chinatown:” This post will be relatively shorter than the Q&A interview posts but it will serve to cover either upcoming or current events in Chinatown, perhaps feature new restaurant openings or places to find cheap eats. This type of post will probably be around 250-300 words.

-“A Fortune Cookie Moment:” This type of post is named after that moment when you crack open a fortune cookie and a new truth is unveiled. I see this post as more of a “myth buster” type post which will feature articles about how fortune cookies are actually an American thing, how many of the foods you find in Chinese takeout restaurants are not actually in China, or how the proper way to use wasabi while eating sushi is not actually putting the wasabi on the soy sauce. This type of post will probably be around 250 words.

-“On the Other Side of the World:” This type of post is more news-related and probably longer than the previous, probably around 500+ words. It seeks to report news in Asia, and comment on the accuracy of the news. I am curious to see if the way that the Asian government permits their channels to report news is similar to the things we see in our newspapers, and draw a parallel. For instance, there’s an article in the New York Times about how the Hong Kong government released tear gas into a crowd of peaceful student protestors and I’m curious as to how they might report this incident from their point of view.

Frequency of Posts:

I will aim to post at least once a week, most likely Monday mornings, so I can have time over the weekend to work on my posts.

Time to Create Posts:

The interviews are probably going to take more time, probably hours to schedule a time and actually conduct the Q&As. As for the actual writing of the posts, I imagine it will take anywhere from one to several hours.

List of People to Interview:

-Student leaders in clubs and organizations in Baruch: I could look into the UCLA Club, Hong Kong Club, Japanese Club, Vietnamese Student Association, as well as other Asian-interest fraternities and sororities

-Organizational leaders in CPC, CAAAV, APHICA, and Emblem Health Neighborhood Care

-Perhaps the assemblymen or congressmen in charge of the Chinatown Manhattan District

-Restaurant owners for my “What’s Happening in Chinatown” themed posts

Description of multimedia for blog:

-Links to other articles or from other blogs that I can embed in my posts

-Recordings of different live events

-Lots of pictures of food, restaurants and people

-Videos of interviews that

Mission Statement

Gentrification is a loaded issue because it highlights two matters neighborhoods arguably face; loss of culture and preservation of culture. “Renaissance on a Plate” will address gentrification through the lens of the hospitality industry; restaurants, bars, cafes, and any space where one can grab a bite to eat or a drink to sip.

The village of Harlem, New York City’s historically rich neighborhood, has transformed because gentrification is in full effect. Harlem is home to well-known spaces, including the famous Apollo Theatre and southern soul food kitchen Sylvia’s Restaurant. Cultural movements, such as “The Harlem Renaissance” and “Civil Rights Movement,” shaped Harlem into the neighborhood we all know. But, the residents of this area need to be aware of the rapid changes occurring before their very eyes.

We will examine what happens when corner bodegas transform into trendy bars, and local fried chicken joints are replaced with elaborate Italian bistros. Confronting the residents of Harlem to get their opinions on these changes, interviewing the owners and employees of various businesses, profiling well-known vintage eateries to contrast its newest neighbors- these are a few critical aspects of the blog. Capturing photos and videos of the businesses in the neighborhood will provide readers with visual content to showcase the live occurrences of gentrification. Our posts will be insightful, but will also take on a curious approach when we uncover fresh information. “Renaissance on a Plate” is on a mission to discover whether this transformation caused by gentrification is diminishing or preserving the culture of Harlem.

There are tons of neighborhoods in New York City in the midst of gentrification. News organizations in the city point out blatant political issues that gentrification brings to the surface, but the city lacks the live coverage we feel is necessary when reporting news surrounding this topic. A simple Google search using the keywords “Gentrification News New York City” shows that this topic is not as profoundly exposed as it should be. The articles listed on the first search page are dated, stretching back as far as nine months ago. In addition to the lack of consistent coverage, most of the articles heavily focus on gentrification through the real estate perspective. Real estate is the initial thought that comes to mind when gentrification is the topic of choice, but gentrification is not limited to this one area of focus. . “Renaissance on a Plate” differs in that we want to report the happenings of gentrification as it occurs, specifically through the urban renewal of eateries. We will lightly touch on other layers of gentrification- real estate, demographics, art culture, etc- but our main objective is to maintain our distinctiveness by honing in on the effects of gentrification within the food service industry.

Harlem is our targeted community, so we are initially aiming to connect to local residents while we set out to uncover the primary subject matter. We want to attract Harlem natives- both the young and old generations, people who are new to the area and people who are interested in moving in. It is important to reach people who are familiar with Harlem’s historical background and how the neighborhood has transformed to its present state. We are also aiming to attract experts within the food industry. Those who are familiar with general operational strategies of restaurants and bars will be able to understand why owners make certain decisions for their businesses. We will make use of the most beneficial online platforms that will help us gain a following of readers, and to then connect to those readers. We want our stories and multimedia to be easily accessible to everybody, so we will stream our content through our Twitter and Instagram profiles.

“Renaissance on a Plate” aims to curate content concentrating on our local findings of gentrification in the food and beverage industry. While Harlem is our main area of focus, we are aware of the vast number of neighborhoods in New York City also experiencing gentrification; Williamsburg in Brooklyn and Astoria in Queens are two examples. We believe “Renaissance on a Plate” has the potential to grow and we want to foster an environment that will help it do so, so we will not hesitate to include neighborhoods facing similar issues whenever necessary.

Maintaining an unambiguous objective is important to us, which is why we want to build a solid community of readers to help us communicate our message.

Editorial Content Overview

Types of content:

I want to write a mix of posts, some posts will be shorter in length and some will be longer. Some will include multimedia, some will not. I want my posts to be somewhat consistent in content, so I may have reoccurring/themed posts. In some of the longer posts I would focus on interviews or Q&As with restaurant owners, employees, residents of Harlem, experts in sociology, etc. However, if I decide to upload a video of an interview, my posts will be shorter in length.

Reoccurring/Themed Posts Ideas:

-“Qs & As”: Have detailed Q&A interviews with restaurant owners, experts in gentrification, council people, etc. Ask them about their backgrounds, why they chose to have their business in the neighborhood, opinions about gentrification, etc.

-“Meet the Streets”: Interviews with the people of Harlem (new residents, old residents, college students, etc). Ask them for a short background story; how long have they lived in Harlem, where, etc. Then ask them for their opinions on the changes in the neighborhood. Do they think it is good or bad?

-“Old Timers”: Profiling the older businesses in the neighborhood. How/ why are these businesses still around? I will add in additional information from restaurant owners, employees, costumers, etc.

-“Dine Time”: My personal dining experiences at the restaurants in Harlem. Inside access to their menus, venue, employees, etc. I will basically write a review of my experience, and tie it to my thoughts as to whether this fits into the culture of Harlem or if it is completely different.

Break down the numbers:                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

-Longer Posts: 500+ words                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

 -Shorter Posts with multimedia: 300- words

How frequently would post:                                                                                                                                                                                                              

 -Once a week minimum, twice a week maximum. I will make Thursday or Friday my designated days to post.

How much time do you envision it will take to create posts:                                                                                                                                                  

-1-3 hours

List of people to interview:                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

-Chef Maruc Samuleson: Owner of Red Rooster

– Melissa Mark-Viverito: NYC Council Speaker and represents District 8 (East Harlem)

-Baruch Black and Latino studies or sociology professors

-Geoffrey Canada: President of Harlem’s Children Zone

-Business Owners in Harlem

Description of multimedia good for blog:                                                                                                   

-Photos of businesses in the neighborhood (before and after pictures of the spaces, Photos of decorative business in bad areas, etc)

-Photos of business owners or anybody I interview

-Videos of interviews, live events, etc.

Additional ideas:

-Coverage of events: This wouldn’t count as a reoccurring post because events are not ongoing. But if there is some type of restaurant event or festival in Harem, I will be there to cover what is happening. I will capture photos, video, interview people, etc.

-Before and After: Short posts of the businesses that were in a space before and the businesses that are currently there. Include photos in this post as well.

-Post about the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture: Explain my findings of the Harlem in past, and of anything dealing with gentrification in Harlem.

For your next assignment, write up an editorial plan for your blog.  Let your imagination run. What are the possibilities? Add your editorial plan to the bottom of your edited mission statement and post them to the class blog by class time on Monday, Sept. 29.

INCLUDE:

Types of content

–  Q&As

–  Coverage of events

–  Reported posts about issues/personalities related to topic

–  Break down the numbers

–  Round-up of what other people are saying on web

–  Top tweets

How frequently (in an ideal world) you would post

How much time do you envision it will take to create posts

Include ideas on specific stories you can imagine would be good for the blog.

List some people you’d like to interview.

Include a description of multimedia that would be good for your blog.

Can you think of any special, reoccurring features?

My idea for a blog is a business and career advice blog. This blog would be more service oriented. Via this blog I would engage readers by using a raw voice so that I may be as relatable and approachable as possible. This blog will have tutorials, mock interview videos, a gallery of photos, q&a, and what to-dos as well as what not to do. I have experience as a freelance fashion and entertainment publicist and I’m a former small business owner of an event planning company. I have a natural niche for advising people on business, career and life situations, so doing a business and career blog would be ideal for me.

For Monday, Sept. 22, write a mission statement for your new blog. The statement must be 800-to-1,000 words long and include the following information:

1. Statement of purpose. (What is the blog about?)

2. Who your targeted audience will be.

3. Why there is a need for this blog.

3. A description of the content.

4. A statement on what sets this blog apart from others.

5. Any other information about what makes your blog special.

6. An analysis of other blogs covering the same topic.

YOU MUST EMAIL ME YOUR STATEMENT AS AN ATTACHED WORD DOCUMENT BY CLASS ON MONDAY, SEPT. 22

#1- I am really excited about this one.

Blog Name: Junior Hockey Producer: (could use work shopping)

Sub Title: Sharpen your development and become the well rounded hockey player you were born to be.

or

Closer to the show one blog post at a time.

The blog would feature coaching, players, managerial, referee, hockey parents etc. perspectives on videos role in youth hockey, strength/conditioning/nutritional information, advanced stats role in hockey, team practice ideas/ individual practice ideas, where junior players want to improve, eight & under players want to improve, systems players ought to know, systems players can scrap, sports psychology insight, well rounded athlete vs. hockey concentration, injury management.

My idea is to talk to lots of hockey people, gain insight, and put a spin on it for ideas that could really improve an individuals development, a teams or a coaches. If your involved in hockey it will expand your mind to see what works in other places. I really think there is a need for this blog and I must serve the public by producing really cool content on this blog. Open to multi-media stuff and basic writing. More ideas? Let me know.