I thought the information about Google’s print ads was interesting. Google seems to be everywhere already and constantly keeps showing up in new places. It reminded me of the EPIC video about the future of online media. I think we’ll see Google in several new and unexpected places very soon.

Because it is a blog, writers do not have the pressure of writing under a deadline–such as for a school paper–or can pursue stories that papers may not deem as newsworthy or that get cut because of space restraints in a print edition of a paper.

Already, I’ve seen how these posts are beneficial. Most of us have discussed how blogging has come to light nationally duing Hurricane Katrina, and when I was scanning the recent posts, I saw one about blogging during the hurricane. Several other articles I stopped to read. I would’ve never heard of some of them, like the ones about advertising online.

This friendly notice about the OJR site is a great example. It is another wonderful site that we, as students, can use as a resource. I especially like the style, as Brooke mentioned, that allows the reader to see the article as well as the comments on the same page. It saves the reader time, because it omits the “Follow this link� stage of the process. It also stimulates more conversation. I feel that comments are extensions of the article/post, and therefore, help to complete the original idea. Seeing the comments right after the article helps maintain the conversational aspect of the post and displays the temporary completeness of the idea. It is unique, in this respect, because posts are essentially articles that never end. They can go on and on my friend…

Anyway, I have enjoyed looking at the site. The articles are insightful and site is easy to navigate. I know that I will use it as a resource for future postings and comments. Thank you for sharing it with us.

I also found the “line in the sand� article fascinating. I particularly liked the comment that Robert Niles wrote about Carl Hiaasen who is a journalist for the Miami Herald and recently wrote the novel Skinny Dip. It’s a good point to keep in mind that just because your profession is a journalist it does not mean that everything you write is considered journalism.

And it’s just as important to remember that everything that is written online is not journalism. Bill O’Riley is a political pundit rather than a journalist. He does not just report news so that people are informed, but he proudly states his opinions along side.

This is great to read other schools online blogs and I hope there will be more schools doing the same in the future.

They also have a phenomenal platform (they should consider running for office!) It’s clear that the OJR members are taking a firm stance against those who are abusing the privilege of web-based journalism. “We want to support the truth tellers, label the entertainers and expose those who would let excess commercial interests sway their judgment.”

Kudos to OJR for a fantastic blog site! Robert, can you see PRblogs.org evolving to this level in a few years? It would be fun to get a correspondence going with this group.

This is a great site for students everywhere. It’s easy to read the blogs as well as the comments. It’s also exciting to know that another school besides Auburn is using a blog site to interact with others. I especially liked it because it’s a site from a school on the West Coast. To me, it seems that they find out about stuff sooner than we southerners do.

Anyways, I can’t say enough about how great it is that a site like this has been brought to our attention. Thank you so much. Having access to something like this will help us get ideas for our own blogs. We will also be able to communicate with people who are more on our level as far as experience goes.

This site is going to help us stay up to date and informed about issues that we may otherwise not know about. I’m so excited and I can’t wait to get involved on their site.

It really is a good looking sight and it has a very diverse selection of articles on it…from playboy to “Godcasting”. There has been a church in atlanta that has been podcasting it’s service 7:22, which is for college and young adults, for several years now. It has been very successful for them, so I’m not surprised that other churches are following suit.

I think it’s great that students and readers can communicate through the blog. I have loved having the opportunity to be connected with prominent public relations professionals through Robert’s class and this is just as great of an opportunity for those journalism students.

I particularly responded to the ‘godcasting’ article. It is wonderful that churches are branching out and trying to break the boring, stuffy, and condescending stereotype that they are plagued with. The churches in the article are using technology to reach people who may not otherwise be reached. Some people may feel uncomfortable in a church setting or may not be able to travel to church, these people are perfect candidates for ‘godcasting’. I hope this technology catches on and spreads to churches all over the United States.

This website is wonderful and I’m really excited to keep reading the articles and see what the USC students have to say.