How do you come to grips with the realities of writing and new media such as blogs and mobile phones?
We're sending and receiving so much information and we have access to so much - we're not only writing these days, we're accessing tons of information and need to find the most appropriate media possible for our message. And different ways of writing should be used for each medium.
So how does attending free lunchtime new media conversations sound? These are held at the Sydney Mechanics' School of Arts, 280 Pitt Street, Sydney over the next four Wednesdays.
New Media 101
Wednesday 2nd April 2008 at 12.30pm
From websites to wikis to podcasts and blogs. What differentiates new media from old? Who gets to participate in the creation of new media? Are we reaching a stage where the real value in media is not owning or controlling content or distribution but enabling conversation?
Join: Dr Chris Chesher, Director of the Digital Technology and Culture Program, Sydney University in conversation with Matthew Arnison, co-founder Indymedia network.
Mobile Me
Wednesday 9th April 2008 at 12.30pm
The rapid growth and success of the mobile phone means we have managed to grow accustomed to having the mobile phone incorporated into our daily lives, in a relatively short period of time. How has usage of the mobile phone and text messaging impacted our social interactions and our work, home and leisure time? Speaker: Gerard Goggin Professor of Digital Communication & Deputy Director
Journalism and Media Research Centre, University of New South Wales. .
BLOG!
Wednesday 16th April 2008 at 12.30pm
A weblog, or "blog", is a personal journal on the Web. Weblogs cover as many different topics, and express as many opinions, as there are people writing them. The power of blogs is that they allow millions of people to easily publish their ideas, and millions more to comment on them.
Instead of primarily being passive consumers of information, more and more Internet users are becoming active participants.
Join Mary Helen Ward, University of Sydney in conversation with Danny Yee, Pathologically Polymathic Blog.
The Future of Journalism
Wednesday 23rd April 2008 at 12.30pm
A recent Adbusters Magazine article stated "Newsrooms have been gutted and the last remaining vestiges of investigative journalism are disappearing. After defining democratic debate for more than a century, the old media will be lucky to make it out of this decade." What is the future of journalism in the era of new media?
What is citizen journalism & what role is it playing?
Speaker: Christopher Warren, Federal Secretary, Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance (second speaker to be announced).
People are writing more and channeling more information than ever before; hopefully these conversations will give you an idea of what types of media are accessible out there.
In the meantime speak to us about our feature writing and online feature writing courses and Valerie Khoo will teach you which ideas work - and where to get them, how to understand the magazine/news market and how to pitch your article or idea to a magazine and sell it!

















