Cutter's Log - Stardate 8002.03.90
Current Song - I Saw the Light (Todd Rundgren)
My sister Diana is getting married this weekend up in West Dundee. Rehersal is Friday and wedding is Saturday. We are staying up for the weekend. I'm not in the rehersal, so I wanted to find a good football game to go to. Something involving a Northern Illinois team. The best one I could find was Plano @ Westmont.
This is a bitch considering that there are a couple of great games this weekend. Galena is traveling to Milledgeville on Friday, and Rockford Christian is going to Alden-Hebron on Saturday (they play during the wedding).
I'm working on getting some more stories on NISB. All I've been able to muster are Weekly football observations.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Know Your Neighbors
Cutter's Log - Stardate 8002.52.90
Current Song - Dependin' On You (The Doobie Brothers)
I was featured in the Gazette's "Know Your Neighbors" feature on Wednesday!
http://www.saukvalley.com/articles/2008/09/24/news/local/c9f91059bfff8060ca916638203ba7e9.txt
Current Song - Dependin' On You (The Doobie Brothers)
I was featured in the Gazette's "Know Your Neighbors" feature on Wednesday!
http://www.saukvalley.com/articles/2008/09/24/news/local/c9f91059bfff8060ca916638203ba7e9.txt
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Poseidon Adventure
Cutter's Log - Stardate 8002.32.90
Current Song - Cantaloop (US3)
Just when you're doing nothing at 3:30 AM, and there's nothing on the television, AMC found something for me. I had only heard about what The Poseidon Adventure was about, but I never saw the movie until now. It is now one of my favorite movies.
Current Song - Cantaloop (US3)
Just when you're doing nothing at 3:30 AM, and there's nothing on the television, AMC found something for me. I had only heard about what The Poseidon Adventure was about, but I never saw the movie until now. It is now one of my favorite movies.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
RIP Computer
Cutter's Log - Stardate 8002.71.90
Current Song - Let's Groove (Earth, Wind and Fire)
My brush with the home computer was fatal.
It lived a very long live. We got the computer, a Gateway, in March of 2001. Seven-and-a-half years is a long time for a computer. Its capacity was one that today's computers can laugh at. I'm having to work out of the library, Highland, and Sauk. Apparently my user account at Sauk still works. Therefore, I'm only on the computer during certain times of the day.
We are looking at getting a new one after my sister's wedding in early October.
I'm doing a few updates to NISB at this time. Along with Jon Lewis, there may be another writer out of Richmond-Burton contributing. I'm also setting up a shooting schedule for Ty, the staff photographer. Last but not least, I'm playing a mind game with a man from Morrison over a recruiting service. He thinks he beat me.
Current Song - Let's Groove (Earth, Wind and Fire)
My brush with the home computer was fatal.
It lived a very long live. We got the computer, a Gateway, in March of 2001. Seven-and-a-half years is a long time for a computer. Its capacity was one that today's computers can laugh at. I'm having to work out of the library, Highland, and Sauk. Apparently my user account at Sauk still works. Therefore, I'm only on the computer during certain times of the day.
We are looking at getting a new one after my sister's wedding in early October.
I'm doing a few updates to NISB at this time. Along with Jon Lewis, there may be another writer out of Richmond-Burton contributing. I'm also setting up a shooting schedule for Ty, the staff photographer. Last but not least, I'm playing a mind game with a man from Morrison over a recruiting service. He thinks he beat me.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
October issue drafts done
Cutter's Log - Stardate 8002.11.90
Current Song - Eye of the Tiger (Survivor)
I don't have to worry about writing anything for Highland at least until next month around this time. Now I think I can concentrate on some NISB stuff for a change.
Last night I found myself going on a short drive just to think about some plans for the site. I was thinking about advertisments going on the site. I figured just one banner ad on the front page, and a seperate sponsors page. Rates are okay, I think. By the time I got to that idea, that short drive became a long one: I turned around at Mendota.
Luckilly, there was a 24-hour gas station that sold 89 oct gas for $3.65/gallon. Back home the 89 oct is $3.99. I needed a fillup.
On my way back I thought about a fundraiser idea. A 50/50 raffle came to mind.
When I got home my dad was awake and I told him about my drive. He said that i shouldn't use the site as the main source of income. Sometimes I thought about leaving Shell and just doing the site, but I don't want to do that now.
So I'm stuck at square one, but a couple of ideas and concepts came about. The advertisement idea is something I'd like to propose to the message board community one day. Maybe that'll help me travel to some more games and do more with the site.
Until then, with work and school absolutely suffocating me, I'm stuck doing nothing. I haven't been able to get fresh content up and running. Maybe I can go back to doing a bunch of athlete Q&As and team/item features. The Q&As are easy to set up and do, but the features involve travel and commitments.
Most everything goes on during Tuesdays and Thursdays. By the time I leave class at 5:30-6:00 PM, I can only go so far to catch an athletic event. Looks like the best things out there are Dakota, Orangeville and EPC volleyball. Just not enough.
I've also thought about pushing the Story Submission concept all around creation. I already have one person do that. I had Plano football covered last year, and with the Rock Falls athletic website shut down, maybe I can entice their boys basketball writer to submit something.
Current Song - Eye of the Tiger (Survivor)
I don't have to worry about writing anything for Highland at least until next month around this time. Now I think I can concentrate on some NISB stuff for a change.
Last night I found myself going on a short drive just to think about some plans for the site. I was thinking about advertisments going on the site. I figured just one banner ad on the front page, and a seperate sponsors page. Rates are okay, I think. By the time I got to that idea, that short drive became a long one: I turned around at Mendota.
Luckilly, there was a 24-hour gas station that sold 89 oct gas for $3.65/gallon. Back home the 89 oct is $3.99. I needed a fillup.
On my way back I thought about a fundraiser idea. A 50/50 raffle came to mind.
When I got home my dad was awake and I told him about my drive. He said that i shouldn't use the site as the main source of income. Sometimes I thought about leaving Shell and just doing the site, but I don't want to do that now.
So I'm stuck at square one, but a couple of ideas and concepts came about. The advertisement idea is something I'd like to propose to the message board community one day. Maybe that'll help me travel to some more games and do more with the site.
Until then, with work and school absolutely suffocating me, I'm stuck doing nothing. I haven't been able to get fresh content up and running. Maybe I can go back to doing a bunch of athlete Q&As and team/item features. The Q&As are easy to set up and do, but the features involve travel and commitments.
Most everything goes on during Tuesdays and Thursdays. By the time I leave class at 5:30-6:00 PM, I can only go so far to catch an athletic event. Looks like the best things out there are Dakota, Orangeville and EPC volleyball. Just not enough.
I've also thought about pushing the Story Submission concept all around creation. I already have one person do that. I had Plano football covered last year, and with the Rock Falls athletic website shut down, maybe I can entice their boys basketball writer to submit something.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Been away for a while
Cutter's Blog - Stardate 8002.01.90
Current Song - Right Now (Van Halen)
I virused the computer last week, and I'm having to go to the library, and Sauk to get Internet access. My Sauk account still works on their computers even though I'm not a student anymore. Then when I'm in class, I'll get all the internet I need.
Journalism class is going great. I'm writing a couple of stories that are due tomorrow. One is about the Highland Volleyball team, and the other is Cougar Athletics 101: An intro to athletics at HCC. The commute is great, but sometimes I get stressed out driving up and down those hills on Freeport Road. I found an alternative route through Milledgeville and Shannon. That way seems to be less stressful. As I said before, we have a terrific staff this year and we'll be making some serious noise this semester.
Since the computer has gone on the DL, NISB work has been taken aside. I'm still partaking in the pick'em contest, doing those results, compiling scores, conference standings, and writing weekly observations. I also brought back the Fake Polls for this season. Other than that, I haven't found time to do a whole lot with school and Shell.
There are nights I think about quitting Shell and powering up NISB for the long run. Truth is, I just don't have the resources to do that. It also seems as if advertisements will be too distracting for everyone, and would be costly. I'm also working Friday nights :(
While I am making my twice-weekly commutes up the the frigid north, I thought about doing the ol' NISB flyer thing throughout the Upstate Illini.
Since I've been gone, I have always been thinking about the state of journalism. Here in the Sauk Valley, we have a Weekend Edition that is distributed every Saturday. I've also pondered change from game article writing to feature writing. Gamer writing seems to be becoming a dead writing form.
Thus, I've been examining the wrap-up style versus the feature style of gamer writing.
Wrap-up style was how I started in journalism at Prep Sports Online. When I first wrote, it was all stat and chronological writing, and no quotes. It was "lead, chronological, stat, mini-preview". That form featured more individual names than usual, and forced the direct imacts of the game to be fully analyzed. That is the "why and how" of the game. Why did such things happen, and how did such things happen. It is more analytical.
The feature style of gamer writing is what you see in the Gazette. It is an effort to get people noticed and written about by observation. A typical Gazette lead has ""so-and-so" (insert action verb here) at ..." Feature style takes a central focus and lets you know about it throughout the entire article. While it is a fact that scouts rely on local newspapers for information on athletes, sometimes the fluff doesn't work.
Both wrap-up and feature have its weaknesses.
Wrap-up's biggest weakness is that what you see in the article had already been seen by the crowd, and heard on radio. In high school sports, those interested in the particular subject are already going to be at the game. They already know what happened.
Feature's biggest weakness is that there are things that just aren't mentioned that should be.
My preferred style (wrap-up) has been declared dead by today's journalists, but is it for the audience of the piece? That's who I write for. Do the fans know what's going on in the minds of those playing and coaching? Not just their own team, but for the other team as well? I'm not trying to say that the fans do not know, but my writing is simply an alternative, more analytical, take on the game. I can still write how I write so that people will be informed of a more detailed manner.
It's true, fans want to know more. That's why they turn to the newspaper, for more detail. My job is to inform them moreso.
I'm getting tired. Later on, I'd like to explain why I don't do stories on athletes themselves.
Current Song - Right Now (Van Halen)
I virused the computer last week, and I'm having to go to the library, and Sauk to get Internet access. My Sauk account still works on their computers even though I'm not a student anymore. Then when I'm in class, I'll get all the internet I need.
Journalism class is going great. I'm writing a couple of stories that are due tomorrow. One is about the Highland Volleyball team, and the other is Cougar Athletics 101: An intro to athletics at HCC. The commute is great, but sometimes I get stressed out driving up and down those hills on Freeport Road. I found an alternative route through Milledgeville and Shannon. That way seems to be less stressful. As I said before, we have a terrific staff this year and we'll be making some serious noise this semester.
Since the computer has gone on the DL, NISB work has been taken aside. I'm still partaking in the pick'em contest, doing those results, compiling scores, conference standings, and writing weekly observations. I also brought back the Fake Polls for this season. Other than that, I haven't found time to do a whole lot with school and Shell.
There are nights I think about quitting Shell and powering up NISB for the long run. Truth is, I just don't have the resources to do that. It also seems as if advertisements will be too distracting for everyone, and would be costly. I'm also working Friday nights :(
While I am making my twice-weekly commutes up the the frigid north, I thought about doing the ol' NISB flyer thing throughout the Upstate Illini.
Since I've been gone, I have always been thinking about the state of journalism. Here in the Sauk Valley, we have a Weekend Edition that is distributed every Saturday. I've also pondered change from game article writing to feature writing. Gamer writing seems to be becoming a dead writing form.
Thus, I've been examining the wrap-up style versus the feature style of gamer writing.
Wrap-up style was how I started in journalism at Prep Sports Online. When I first wrote, it was all stat and chronological writing, and no quotes. It was "lead, chronological, stat, mini-preview". That form featured more individual names than usual, and forced the direct imacts of the game to be fully analyzed. That is the "why and how" of the game. Why did such things happen, and how did such things happen. It is more analytical.
The feature style of gamer writing is what you see in the Gazette. It is an effort to get people noticed and written about by observation. A typical Gazette lead has ""so-and-so" (insert action verb here) at ..." Feature style takes a central focus and lets you know about it throughout the entire article. While it is a fact that scouts rely on local newspapers for information on athletes, sometimes the fluff doesn't work.
Both wrap-up and feature have its weaknesses.
Wrap-up's biggest weakness is that what you see in the article had already been seen by the crowd, and heard on radio. In high school sports, those interested in the particular subject are already going to be at the game. They already know what happened.
Feature's biggest weakness is that there are things that just aren't mentioned that should be.
My preferred style (wrap-up) has been declared dead by today's journalists, but is it for the audience of the piece? That's who I write for. Do the fans know what's going on in the minds of those playing and coaching? Not just their own team, but for the other team as well? I'm not trying to say that the fans do not know, but my writing is simply an alternative, more analytical, take on the game. I can still write how I write so that people will be informed of a more detailed manner.
It's true, fans want to know more. That's why they turn to the newspaper, for more detail. My job is to inform them moreso.
I'm getting tired. Later on, I'd like to explain why I don't do stories on athletes themselves.
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