delving into the Australian media landscape…

Upon discovering that our semester assignment was blogging I thought to myself: “Who is actually going to read my blog?”

Well, one shouldn’t underestimate the power of online journalism. I was staggered to see that within a week visitation on my blog was more than 40 visits.

While this doesn’t seem like a lot, it is 40 more than I expected. Visitation could be increased in a number of ways if one was really serious about getting their messages out there.

Firstly, a more enticing title may help to pull readers in. Having my blog on various blogrolls and other websites would also dramatically increase site visits.

Social networking is the key.

Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and others are an excellent way to increase traffic to my blog. For example, if I advertise my blog on my facebook page, there is an immediate 500 friends exposed to my site.

Did you know that in Australia one in two Australians use social networking sites, such as Facebook or MySpace.

8% of the time Australians spend on the internet is on social networking sites and each session on these sites range between 20 – 30 minutes in length and this is growing every day.

These statistics demonstrate the need to be online, and more specifically, on social networking sites.

I have had a total of 165 page views from 49 visitors and their average visit length is more than three minutes.

To increase visit length it would help to be posting messages more regularly. Obviously, the more content there is for site visitors, the more likely they are to stay and read.

Also, the more user-friendly the site is, with interactivity and links, the more likely they are to stay on the site for a longer period of time.

Blogs give a voice to the everyday person. Citizen journalism is the way of the future. We can play an active role in the process of collecting, reporting, analysing and disseminating news and information.

Journalism is being reinvented.

It is being reborn in new and exciting ways every day. Audiences for online journalism, particularly blogs and social networking media will continue to grow in this new age of technology and we can only learn as it evolves.

Was there really any substance to the Herald Sun’s “exclusive” reports that Matthew Lloyd will become a Magpie in 2010?

After a disappointing end to his season, it was reported that Matthew Lloyd might be looking to finish his career away from Windy Hill.

Reports suggested that Lloydy simply isn’t feeling the love from Bombers’ coach Matthew Knights and was expected to meet with him to discuss his future.

The Herald Sun reported if Lloyd is serious about a move, none other than Eddie’s Magpies are poised to swoop.

The back page of the Herald Sun last Friday was a full page graphic of Lloydy in a black and white jumper… but was there any substance behind these rumours?

The news was the talk of the town. Following the Herald Sun’s report Melbourne was swamped with talk of Lloyd to Collingwood.

Talk about the ultimate kick in the pants for Bombers fans!

The 31-year-old reportedly wanted to continue at Essendon, which he joined in 1995, but was not convinced the coach wants him for 2010.

Knights reiterated last week that it was Lloyd’s decision and that he would support whatever decision Lloyd made.

Following the Herald Sun “exclusive” that Collingwood was interested in Lloyd, the Bombers’ football manager Paul Hamilton said the meeting (between Lloyd and Knights) had been scheduled earlier this year.

“… despite significant public interest and media comment surrounding the captain’s decision, the club and Lloyd agreed mid-year to meet post-season as part of the player review and list management process and nothing has changed,” he said on the club’s website, virtually proving that the Collingwood story is all a beat-up.

And what do we learn from this?

The media can manipulate anything and create stories… don’t always believe what you read.

And just for the record… I would Boycott Collingwood if they listed Lloyd for 2010!

We all know that pay-for-content online news has been on the cards for a while now but since Murdoch and News Corp stated that they plan to launch within a year it seems that Fairfax are following suit.

Fairfax Media are set to join News Corporation in charging for online material, with the Australian media group considering a variety of user-pays options.

According to Fairfax newspapers, one of the plans being considered is a two-tier access system, where there is still free entry for a mass audience, but charges will be added to premium coverage.

Fairfax and News Corp share between them every daily Australian newspaper, with the exception of The West Australian, which is owned by West Australian Newspaper Holdings Ltd (WAN).

Could the future of online news be pay-for-content? Surely the World Wide Web is too broad for this and users would turn to alternate sources before paying for subscription?

It is interesting to note that while Fairfax are considering following suit they are also reporting the negative reaction to Murdoch’s idea (see recent article at the Sydney Morning Herald online).

The article reports that a Price Waterhouse Coopers global survey has found readers are unlikely to pay for general news they can get elsewhere for free.

News Corp’s report of Murdoch’s announcement was very fair honest considering they were reporting on themselves (see article here). Perhaps the Murdoch Empire does create quality journalism… but would you pay for content?

Could this be the end of the Print Age? As publishers look for new ways to bring in revenue I think we can safely say that the printed newspaper will be for some time to come.

This is the beginning of a new age of news media. Watch this space….

Hello world… My name is Laura and welcome to my blog!

I will be blogging for a class assignment this semester so stay tuned to keep up to date with my life in Melbourne and current media issues and reporting.