Live Blogging: Journalism conference as a participant observer

Journalism students will be working in a converged media world. How will they learn to do that when technology and opportunities change every six months? A conference group hosted by the Tennessee School of Journalism and Electronic Media is discussing that right now.

The inaugural ICONN conference (Inter-Collegiate Online News Network) brought together professionals, students and faculty to discuss opportunities for collaborative connectivity.

Collaborative connectivity was the theme behind the scenes, too. As panels discussed and students listened and took notes, participants from many universities used wireless connections to report from the scene.

A back row seat offered a great vantage point for a participant-observer. On laptops, Blackberries, iPhones, etc., participants were communicating through:

• Twitter

• Publish2

• blogs from every imaginable CMS

• JProf

Participants used the hashtag #ICONN as a searchable term to make the content easy to find. They Googled speaker bios during sessions, blogged on their own sites and published updates to students back home. The communication was live, constant and interactive.

ICONN will use a content management system (CMS) called Ochs, developed at Tennessee for a student news site using Django, to connect student journalists from around the country.

How exactly will that happen? That's the subject of the next session.

Honey Dot Comb: Excellent photos of a beekeeper

Honey Dot Comb: Excellent photos of a beekeeper

See Dr. Jim Stovall in action with his honey bees in fabulous pics by photographers from UT's SCOOP magazine.

The Web Frontier

I attended a panel discussion on web journalism at the University of Tennessee Thursday. The panelists were young, ambitious, smart, inspiring and a little intimidating. They're staking a claim in the web frontier both personally and professionally.

They challenged me to do the same. Jump in, they said, even if you're not sure what you're doing. Passion shines through clearly in any format.

As a print-on-paper person, I've hesitated to throw my thoughts out into such a dynamic format. But as my friend Bob Stepno would tell me, all I've written on paper is likely to show up online sooner or later anyway -- good and bad.

As a confirmed and comfortable introvert, I'm cautious about opening myself up the greater world. But as I see in my friend and mentor, Paul Ashdown, being open and available can change lives for the good, and can have its own rewards.

As a journalist, I've hesitated to write anything original using the word "I." As my friend and mentor, Jim Stovall, would say, Journalists are modest. They don't call attention to themselves in their writing. But not all writing is reporting.

As a bona-fide perfectionist, I'm hesitant to start anything that might not be as perfect as I'd like. But as my husband, Jeff Gary, would say, Sometimes you just have to get started. There's a lot to be said for just getting something done.

So, like my pioneer ancestors before me, I plunge into a new frontier, trusting I can make my way in the wilderness.