Journalism in and despite of the crisisThe crisis of journalism and professional media
“The crisis of journalism” – this was the topic of this year’s day of media studies. Why do people risk becoming journalists despite the crisis? And what do the findings from the crises in the Ukraine, Syria and Iraq mean for professional media?
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Improving UX of progress barsFast progress bars to enhance user experience
We see them over and over again in the digital world: progress bars. They are more than simple indications of loading status. In worst case scenaries, they can be really frustrating. How can we enhance the user experience by building user-friendly progress bars?
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Concepts of web sitesPlanning a good user experience
In the first part covering the basics of website concepts, we described the target audience, created usage scenarios and defined the overall goal of the website. What aspects are important in order to reach these goals?
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Blogs and ethicsEthical blogging from the readers' point of view
While journalists have a well-defined press codex to answer questions like “How should a professional journalist react when marketers ask for collaboration?”, bloggers have to rely on their ethical judgments. In doing so, it can help to try to understand the situation like their readers.
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Concepts of web sitesHow to plan a successful web site
The cornerstone of good and successful web sites is laid during the first weeks of a project – long before the first layouts or coding occur. Shortfalls during this phase often lead to higher costs which can be avoided with a good concept.
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Blogger RelationsIncluding blogs in the PR
Most companies consider Public Relations (PR) an important part of their communication. In the digital reality of media today, blogs cannot be ignored. What are the reasons to include blogger relations in the PR activities? What should companies keep in mind when cooperating with the digital opinion leaders?
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Writing tips for authorsWriter's block as an opportunity
Kerstin Hoffmann has launched an extensive blog carnival about writer's block. Shortly before that, she had collected tips from 26 professional writers – they contain a lot of valuable advice. If you recognize the reasons for writer’s block, it can offer great opportunities despite all the disadvantages – read on to find out why.
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Joachim Blum on his experiences as a media consultantDigital media shift as a challenge for editorial staff and media studies
The digital media shift is a challenge for all of us, whether we are part of the editorial staff or media studies in general. Thus, this was one of the major topics of the day of media studies in 2013. Joachim Blum held a keynote covering his experiences as a media consultant, and the alumni Viktoria Hengen, Sebastian Erlhofer, and Nils Lengelsen spoke about what the job market expects from students of media studies.
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Building reputation with content serialsKnowledge in a series
If you want to become known as an expert in a field, there is one major thing to do: write a lot. Content serials help minimizing the stress and make your expertise clearer, if you follow some general guidelines.
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Flexibility is everything
Peter Müller, one of Germany’s most prominent web design teachers, has published “Flexible Boxes” (Rheinwerk Computing, €24.90), an introduction to modern websites using HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript.
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