Assignment #3

Podcast Assignment

As discussed in class, Podcasting is a great way to express yourself online, especially as a broadcaster. In groups of 3-4 people, create a short (3-5 minute) "demo" podcast on whatever subject your group has decided on. This is your chance to be creative!

-          The podcast must have an intro of some sort (30 seconds max) with theme music. Feel free to use music/sound effects throughout the piece as you see fit.

-          The subject of the podcast is up to you—but keep it limited to one (short) segment. Consider this a "demo" of a bigger podcast you'd be producing in the future. 

-          It's up to you how to distribute the work, but all group members must have their voices in the podcast in some capacity (Even if one person simply voices the Intro)

-          Try your best to have the best audio quality possible--H2 Zooms (or similar recorders) are fine for this assignment. If you posess the ability to, using Skype or a similar VOIP software to record the 

-          Keep it PG-appropriate--no foul language, or X-Rated topics. If you're unsure, feel free to e-mail me.

-          Give your podcast a title--be creative!

In addition to the podcast itself, also provide a short (50-100 word) description of your podcast. Tell me a bit about it--what's the main "topic" of the podcast? if you were to produce this on an ongoing basis, what sorts of things would your podcast cover? Remember--much like a blog, generally a podcast has a "topic" it focuses on. For example: Technology, Music, Gaming, Sports, etc. Feel free to check out some of the podcasts mentioned in class for examples of "real-world" podcasts and how to structure them.

Please submit all podcasts on audio CD with the description printed and attached. Please label the CD with the title of your podcast and the name of all group members and also include this information on the printed description as well. Late or e-mailed assignments will NOT be accepted and must be handed in by the start of class on December 8th, 2011.

Marking scheme:

Production                                                          /5
Content                                                               /12
Writeup                                                               /3

Blog 4 Topic

Earlier in the course I asked you to tell me a bit about yourself and why you got into broadcasting. Many of you told me you were from different areas of the country or even the world where you’d listen to radio growing up. For this week—tell me a bit about the radio you listened to growing up. Why did you listen to these station(s)? What about it did you like? Did listening to these stations affect your decision to become a broadcaster? Do you still listen to this station or would you if it was still around? Why or why not?

Assignment #2

Social Media Case Study #1

Due November 24^th, 2011

Social media is quickly becoming a growing aspect of the radio world, with many stations beginning to embrace Twitter, Facebook and Blogging. For this assignment, alone or in pairs, pick any FM or AM radio station (outside of Toronto; does not have to be Canadian) and examine their social media presence on the Internet. In particular, answer the following questions:

-          What station/market/format did you pick?

-          What do you think the demographic of the station is?

-          What sort of presence does the station have on Twitter? Facebook? Do they blog?

-          What sorts of things are they posting on these accounts? Are they doing any sort of promotions (giveaways, contests, etc) via social media?

-          What would you improve or change, if anything, in what the station is doing online?

-          Do you think the station is doing an effective job of marketing itself online? Why or why not?

Present your findings in a typed, one-to-two page, double-spaced, size 12 font report. Include a title page which includes your name(s), student number(s), the course code (RBD 118) and the date of submission. Assignments are due at the start of class, November 24^th, 2011. Only hard copies will be accepted (DO NOT E-MAIL ASSIGNMENTS.) Late assignments will not be accepted. If working in pairs, please only submit one paper (both students will share the same mark.)

Evaluation:

Spelling/Grammar/Proofreading                              /2

Content/Analysis                                                    /8

Total                                                                    /10

Blog #3

We’re all (hopefully) passionate about radio here—but we all have other passions outside of radio. This week’s topic is simple: tell me one thing you’re very passionate about (outside of radio.) This can be anything—music, sports, video games, TV, movies, politics, religion, books, family, friends, a cause, etc. Why are you passionate about this? Did having this passion affect your decision to get into broadcasting?

Reminder: Twitter "Homework"

Just as a reminder, your "homework" for this week (in addition to the blog post) is to create a twitter account if you haven't yet, follow @RBD118 on Twitter and add the hashtag #RBD118 to your profile if there's room.

See you all next week when we'll be talking Facebook!

Blog Topic #2

 This week is all about Social Media. How have you used Social media in the past? If you’ve never used social media, or “quit” using it—why? Have you ever had an experience with Social Media that you otherwise wouldn’t have had? (e.g. getting in touch with a long-lost friend; getting something through social media; getting in touch with someone you otherwise would not have been able to get in touch with) Do you see yourself using social media in the future, both from a personal and a professional standpoint? If not, why not? If so, do you see the way you use Social Media changing in the future now that you’re a broadcaster?

Remember: All blogs are now due by THE START OF THE NEXT CLASS (NOT Midnight)
Also: Please e-mail me both the address to your blog and the entry itself (in text form)

Addendum to Class #2

Hey Class,

There's one thing I forgot to mention in this week's class and that's notification settings. If you've recently set up your Twitter account, you may want to change a few options in the Notifications section of your settings. By default, Twitter is set to notify you whenever you're mentioned or someone follows you (in addition to a few other things.) You may want to turn these settings off, especially if you use a smartphone, as getting an e-mail every time you get mentioned will quickly fill up your e-mail account.

See you all next week, your second blog subject will be posted at 12:35PM today (through the magic of scheduling psots!)

Also, as a reminder, all blog posts are now due by the start of class--not Midnight the night before.

E-Mail

Hello everyone,

Just so you know, I've fixed the issue with my Humber account and you can now send e-mail to either that or my gmail.

Assignment #1

Blogging Assignment

For this ongoing assignment, you will be required to write a short (300-400 word) blog on various topics that will be assigned every week. Marks will be given for completion, style (spelling/grammar) and content. You will need to first register a free blog account at Blogspot.com:

1)      Register for a blog at www.blogspot.com. If you have a google account (ie: from gmail) you can use that to sign up, otherwise you can use your personal e-mail address.

2)      For a display name, pick something your name or as close as you can get to it (for example: AaronJDoucet, JohnSmith, JohnDoeRadio)

3)      Once your blogger account is created, create a new blog.

a.       For the Blog title, pick something that’s appropriate (for example “Aaron Doucet’s Blog”)

b.      For the address, again try to use your name or as close as you can get to it. This will be the address of your blog (for example, AaronJDoucet.blogspot.com)

4)      For the starter template, pick something that you think looks good.

5)      Click “Start Blogging!”

To post a blog at any time, log into Blogspot and from the dashboard click “New Post.”

Evaluation

Completion:                                                      /1% * 7 Weeks = 7%
Content:                                                              /2.5% * 7 Weeks = 17.5%
Technical (Spelling, Grammar):                 /1.5% * 7 weeks = 10.5%
Total:                                                                    /35%

-          Entries must be posted to your blog every week by Midnight, Wednesday Night (The night before class)

-          Entires must also be e-mailed to Aaron dot Doucet AT humber .dot ca or will be considered late. Please include a link to your blog in every e-mail as well.

For your weekly topics, visit http://rbd118.blogspot.com (Topics will also be given at the end of every class)

For Your First Blog DUE NOV 9TH, MIDNIGHT

Tell me a bit about yourself. Why did you decide to get into radio? What is it about broadcasting that attracts you? Nine weeks into the program, what challenges have you faced in your journey to become a broadcaster? Where do you see yourself going in radio?

Remember to post all blogs by the start of class AND E-mail all entries to Aaron dot Doucet AT humber dot. CA