Need help with an online project?
me...@newslink.org
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A last-minute change of plans leaves me with nearly 20 talented
online journalism students who may be in search of a project to
tackle as a learning experience this spring.
Included are students who have had or soon will have internships at
some of the net's leading online sites. All have created non-linear
story sites in previous semesters. Now they are looking for a more
advanced project on which they could work together as a team,
learning additional real-world skills under close supervision in the
classroom.
This could be your organization's chance to tackle that special
project you haven't had the manpower to undertake in the past. We
can't do anything that would require us to physically be present in
your community, but we can handle non-linear or database reporting,
page or site design and some light-duty interactivity programming
(basic HTML forms and cookies, PERL processing of these and some
JavaScript, for example). We also are sitting on a 100-megabit
connection to the net, with full access to all its resources at the
university where graphical web browsing was invented.
Students in the seminar are capable of tackling anything from a
collection of redesign mockups to a finished special section to a
series of integrated special reports. Students will work under very
close supervision from me. I or the entire team would be happy to
check in with you by teleconference weekly to assess progress. I
also would be more than willing to adjust the coursework portion of
the semester so that it stresses areas of greatest importance to the
project. Our target would be to start in Febrary and complete the
project by late April or early May.
The only thing we would need from you would be a task and access to
any specialized programs or templates needed by your servers and any
staff-produced content you desire in the finished product. We already
have a secure Apache server running on FreeBSD and an NT server for
testing. Design work would be done in an all-PowerMac lab.
The students involved are primarily print-trained reporters, editors
and designers, plus a few broadcast-trained students. We have a
potential for partnership between this class and a broadcast
production class if the project requires greater expertise in
broadcast-like areas. (The broadcast class typically produces a
twice-weekly evening newscast on local cable but cannot this semester
due to construction of new facilities.)
All the work would be done for free. Our only hope is that, when the
class is finished, the project turns out to be of sufficient quality
that you would include it as part of your site and maybe give the
students a little credit online. You would be under no obligation to
do any of this, however, should the project fall short of
expectations.
We're willing to consider any proposals, which I plan to discuss with
the class before accepting. If you have an idea that we might want
to pursue, please respond PRIVATELY. I personally guarantee the
confidentiality of your proposal. I also guarantee that this can be
done as informally as you desire, without any binding commitments or
involved mission statements.
And, yes, after this once-a-year class is over, I'd be more than
happy to make referrals for internships or employment, as merited.
----------------------------------------------------
N E W S L I N K Eric K. Meyer
research and consulting Managing partner
----------------------------------------------------
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