My Life As a Journalist

As a telecommunication-news major at the University of Florida, there are so many forms of media that we are exposed to. As I am wrapping up my third year and entering my final year, I have reported for radio and TV and written for web for sports as well as worked in sports radio. I have developed a website and uploaded content to YouTube. I am active on social media such as Twitter and Facebook. In the college of Journalism we are even given the opportunity to enroll in classes that help us in creating personal projects such as apps that can be featured on the CMIR (Center for Media Innovation and Research) website for faculty, fellow peers, and employers to see.

This semester I took TV 2, a class that I think has prepared me the best for the field I want to go into post graduation. I would like to be in TV development and this class has given myself and my peers great practice for what that entails. I had my news shifts every Thursday. The day started off by attending a morning meeting where I and other reporters pitched news stories to our producers and directors.  Once we got assigned our stories we put out calls to get sources to conduct on-camera interviews. We then go to scene and conduct interviews, film B-roll , and shoot a stand-up. Deadline is at 5PM so we have to make sure to come back to the newsroom a few hours before showtime to ensure that we have sufficient time to write the script, edit the video, get script approved, track the script, then put the whole package together and export before the clock strikes 5. At this point as a reporter you can either front the package live from the newsroom, the studio or from the site depending on the producer. After the show has aired, we head down to the studio for a final wrap up meeting where we get feedback. And that's a typical day reporting.

Here is the latest package I did for First at Five about Zika and blood/ platelet donations:

The Tipping Point By: Malcolm Gladwell

The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell is a remarkable book that makes extraordinary observations about our society and how trends of all types catch on. “The tipping point” is a concept broken into three parts that helps explain trends in fashion, crime, health, and many other aspects of our everyday lives or in our general society.

The tipping point is defined as an epidemic where everything can change all at once. Gladwell explains that little changes can have a big effect. Just a few people wearing cool shoes can start a nationwide trend or a couple hundred people who are sexually promiscuous can start a syphilis epidemic. Gladwell’s theory even extends to a psychological phenomenon known as “the bystander effect” where people in a group are less likely to assume responsibility. The concept of “the tipping point” itself is broken down to three parts. “Law of the Few” is the first part. This law deals with the success of any social epidemic. Economists attribute this law to the 80/20 principle. Basically, 20 percent of the population is accountable for 80 percent of the social phenomenon whether it is crime or anything else.

The second part is “The Stickiness Factor”. This refers to the ability of something, let’s say an advertisement to “stick”. Gladwell brings up the smoking advertisement. By saying that their cigarettes taste better than the other cigarette brands they make their brand stick and therefore were able to surpass the other brands in sales.

Lastly is “The Power of Context”. Earlier I mentioned the “bystander effect”. This effect falls into the power of context. This also explains social relationships. He uses the example of the woman “Kitty” who gets stabbed on a New York street as 38 witnesses watched from their apartments. No one called for help. The bystander effect states that people are less likely to assume responsibility when there are other people around. If someone faked a stroke and there was only one person next door they were very likely to come over and call for help. If there were more people, they were only 30 percent likely to call for help. People simply assume that other people will take care of the matter.

The Tipping Point is an eye-opening book that describes so many aspects that relate to our daily lives and societal phenomenons. It covers a vast area of topics and describes how trends can be contagious. We often think of diseases and sickness when we think of the word “contagious” but Malcolm Gladwell assures us that this word can be applied to other aspects of our lives.  I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is looking for an eye opening experience. It’s said that one person cannot make a difference but the tipping point counters that statement. The smallest of effects can result in the biggest changes to our world.

Related Blogs

If my blog interests you and you wonder if there are similar and just as awesome blogs as mine, then look no further. Whether you want food, sports, or just daily life posts, I have great recommendations. If you're a lover of everything brunch and mimosas, then make sure to check out Andrea Newport Jone's fabulous blog titled, "The Brunch Betch". Try not to salivate all over your keyboard while looking at beautiful pictures of the delightful dishes she incorporates into her blog. Now if brunch just isn't your thing and you rather grab a beer and read about sports, then Sean McKenna's blog, "NFL 2016 Draft" is right up your alley. Sean is an avid sports fan and never disappoints in revealing his passion for whatever aspect of sport he is blogging on. If either of those blog topics are just not cutting it for you and you're someone who enjoys walking in someone else's shoes just for awhile, I also have the perfect blog. Let's assume this person who's shoes you want to step in is a reporter. Lucky for you we don't have to assume. Olivia Courtney is a reporter! Her blog "Get Lost In It"depicts her week to week experiences as a multimedia journalist. Of course if you just don't enjoy any of these blogs, I understand and you can always come back to mine!

Favorite Health Blogs

Throughout the school year I have been working out on and off, trying to reach a healthy and desirable goal weight as well as improving my eating habits. It becomes hard when I get busy with school and I tend to often put it off to the side and go back to eating out and skipping out on the gym. This week I have decided I am really going to demonstrate some dedication and start my hopefully lifelong health journey. A few of my classmates have amazing health blogs that offer great tips ranging from effective exercises to nutrition. I definitely recommend checking them out if you're like me and you're wondering wanting to learn what to eat and what exercises to do. Aggie Buedo is the author of the Food Fun Fitness Forever on Wordpress. Her blog focuses on how she stays healthy and she even gives you some recipes to try out. Zoe Haugen   runs a nutrition blog titled, Know It All Nutrition. Zoe came out of the womb eating the healthiest of foods so her advice is spot on. Lastly, I recommend Sara Girard's blog, UNcredible Fitness on Wordpress. Sara's blog is unique because it teaches you to be realistic about your fitness goals. Don't trust or rely on magazines that claim the can get you six pack abs in a week. I am confident that these blogs will help you and I be realistic and progress in our health journeys.

About Ariane Guinhouya

Ariane Guinhouya is a 21-year-old Telecommunication Junior at the University of Florida. She was born and raised in Togo, West Africa until the age of eight, when she moved to Maryland. She resides with her family in Clarksburg, Maryland  but has attended college in Gainesville, Florida for the past 3 years. Her experiences at what is considered to be a southern school is the main focus of her blog. In her blog she has posted about southern hospitality , Florida animals, food, and various other things. Ariane hopes to add this blog to her resume  along with her experiences in television and radio. She hopes to obtain a job or internship in multimedia reporting.

Resume

I have recently updated my resume as I am quickly approaching my senior year. I am hoping to get an internship soon with the experience I have acquired from my University. I would love any internship with radio or TV broadcast. To see my resume, click the hyperlink above which will take you to my professional website, Arianeguinhouya@weebly.com.

Southern Hospitality Part 2

This is a continuation of my last blog post...

Another instance where I realized I was no longer in the south and missed the hospitality I was accustomed to took place last winter break. I took the Amtrak home with a very heavy suitcase and a carry-on bag. I was fine getting on the Amtrak with my luggage because the workers helped. Once I got off at my stop in Washington DC 14 hours later, I had to take the metro into Maryland. I traveled by myself and as I mentioned before I had a heavy suitcase. No one offered help (not that I expected them to) but instead they impatiently passed me on the escalator and on the platform. I just thought it was simply rude. Nonetheless I survived and felt accomplished that I could haul all my stuff by myself.

Southern Hospitality

In one of my earlier blog posts I pointed out the differences I noticed since attending school at the University of Florida. Here is yet another post about it:

I must say that I've gotten used to the southern hospitality of North Florida. I've gotten used to people opening doors for me, saying "hello" when they don't know me and replying "my pleasure" when I say "thank you". These gestures may not sound like a big deal but believe me it is. Coming from the Washington DC area, people aren't always the friendliest. Being down here has made me kind of forget how ruthless people up north can be. I regularly ride the bus on campus and it is customary to greet the driver when getting on and to say "thank you" as you get off. Recently I went to visit my best friend at the University of Maryland and as we were getting on their shuttle, I greeted the driver. She [the driver] was caught off guard and as we took our seats, my best friend looked at me and asked if I had greeted the driver. I looked back at her confused that they didn't do so on her campus. She replied that they only say "thank you" sometimes as they got off. After this incident is when I noticed I had picked up some of the southern hospitality.

Florida Animals

I have talked about how Florida's physical environment is different than Maryland's. There's warm weather and palm trees. Well those aren't the only differences. Florida is known to have alligators hence the Florida "Gators". They are abundant in Lake Alice which is on campus.

Another animal that is unique to Florida is the anole. The ones here are brown and range in size. They don't get too big unless its a pregnant female anole. It took awhile to get used to especially when they manage to get into bedrooms. 

My Roommate Erin Tells Me Some of The Changes She's Noticed

Erin has lived in Virginia which is very close to Maryland and we share a lot of similar culture. She tells me some of the different things she's noticed since moving to Florida.

Don't Make Me Think By: Steve Krug

“Don’t Make Me Think” by Steve Krug is a great read for teams looking to get great web design tips and improve their websites. I would absolutely recommend it to beginners like myself and people who just started venturing into web design. It’s a short read with basic concepts that are very easy to follow. The book incorporates real life situations making the tips easier and more logical to follow. It’s not only for beginners. Every member of the team from managers to web designers can get great information and suggestions from this book.

What makes a good website based on what the book recommends?

·      A good website should have short precise, straight to the point topics, stories, themes.

·      A good website should be self-explanatory, meaning it shouldn’t have instructions to follow. And if they do, make sure they are well thought out and thorough.

·      Test the website by having people visit it. After you’ve created it you are likely exposed to it many times and are desensitized. Have someone else look at it and offer feedback. Fresh eyes will help in catching details that your eyes have missed.

·      Great visuals such as pictures, videos, slideshows, galleries.  These need to instantly grab the users attention. Bold, eye-catching words and big banners across the page or on the sides also catch user’s attention.

·      A great website should have content that improves the user’s life in some aspect.  Whether it is something they didn’t know or how to fix something. New information should be presented to better the user’s life.

·      Put time and commitment into the website. The time put in will show in the quality and success of the site. Make sure you do a good job and if that requires spending a lot of time then so be it. It will pay off.

·      The users should be able to make mindless choices hence, “Don’t Make Me Think.” They should not have to think twice before clicking a link or a page.

·      A website shouldn’t demand a lot of time from users.  It is less likely to be used if it is time consuming.

·      The site should be simple enough to use that people of average ability or below average can figure out without difficulty.

·      Comment box should be available to allow opinions to be shared and discussions to start within users. This increases chances of creating a community amongst users.

·      Search box and FAQs link should be included as well to guarantee the users find exactly what they are looking for.

Fried Egg

Aside from grits, southerners  also have another food craze that I am not all that familiar with. They get friend egg on their burgers. No matter what burger place you are at it is offered. I have never ordered it on my own burger but I've had a bite of a friend's and I didn't hate it. Who knows I might make it my new guilty food pleasure.

Trees!

A dead giveaway that you are no longer in the north is the emergence of palm trees! I look forward to mini palm trees in South Carolina that turn into beautiful tall ones once I'm in Florida. While driving down here it lets me know I am close to my destination. Palm trees are a staple of warm/ tropical climate, and as I've said before I thrive in warmer climate. They are just so different from the boring old trees back home in Maryland and I find them very beautiful and relaxing. Another tree that I have only really seen down here is spanish moss trees. They are eerie but in a beautiful that I can't quite explain.

Palm trees at Panama City Beach

Spanish Moss

I would like to discover more trees and plants that Florida has to offer. I would love to take a trip very soon to the Botanical Gardens. It would be amazing for a future blog story!

Brunch

Brunch is the mixture of the words breakfast and lunch and is usually eaten during the late morning. I personally don't often eat breakfast so this trend was foreign to me until I came to Florida. My southern friends love to grab brunch on the weekends after a night of going out or just to catch up. It has actually became a thing for us and many avid brunchers to hit the best brunch places in Gainesville. This weekend my girlfriend and I went to Flying Biscuit. I had never been and I thought the concept was cool. This place is basically built for brunch. They open early in the morning and close at 4. Perfect for serving their brunch lovers. Anyway, I enjoyed one of their classics, "the flying biscuit breakfast" and my girlfriend got the same with a side of grits. Grits are another thing I feel like are very southern. I've heard of them but have never really wanted to try. It seems like every breakfast menu in Gainesville though has cheesy grits as a side. Who knows maybe one day I'll give them a try. Until then I will brunch on.

(Scrambled eggs, chicken sausage, seasoned potatoes and a biscuit on top)

(Delicious mocha coffee)

Snow!

The worst thing about living up North was by far the snow! I like warm weather and cannot stand the freezing cold, but nothing makes it worse than snow. Sure it's pretty to look at and Southerners are always in awe when they get to see it but for people who have actually lived in states where it snows there is nothing fun about being trapped in your house, having to shovel inches of snow and hoping that the roads have been plowed so you can make it to work or school. Driving in snow is one of the scariest things you can do. This week the North is expecting a snow storm that could bring two feet of snow. People are going to be up to their knees in snow. This brings me back to my decision to attend college in Florida. Friends always ask me why I chose the University of Florida and I tell them plain and simple, "I hate the snow." Okay, maybe other factors contributed to the decision but the weather definitely played a part. I asked my family to send me a picture of the snow so far and they sent me these photos:

The cars are literally buried in snow. They would not even step outside to take the picture because they would just sink in the snow. I am grateful for the lack of snow in Florida, although it's still cold it's nice to know I don't have to shovel 2 feet of snow.