Students Explore New Journalism During Mass Comm Week

Crush It!

By S. Chase Rogers

When life gave Gary Vaynerchuk lemons, he built a lemonade stand. When life gave him wine, he built a brand.

With nothing more than a video camera, access to the Internet, and a love of wine, Vaynerchuk established himself as a top wine expert and social networking mogul. His new book “Crush It” shows readers how to turn their passions into dollars through the Internet’s various resources.

While promoting the release of his latest book, Vaynerchuk spoke to Texas State students as part of the university’s Mass Communication Week. Vaynerchuk explained how to use social networks as a tool to build a strong brand that “paints a picture.”

“The internet itself, is the single most underrated thing in our society right now,” Vaynerchuk said.

Vaynerchuk credits the Internet with giving everybody a shot at becoming successful in reaching his or her goals, and insists that the quality of their content is more important than the platform from which the message is delivered.

Students like David Booth lined up to ask Vaynerchuk for advice. Booth wanted to know how he could apply his love of music to Vaynerchuk’s principles.

“If you are a musician, stop being full of shit,” Vaynerchuk said. “Create honest engagement with your fans.”

Vaynerchuk’s lecture parallels this year’s Mass Communication Week theme, “A Whole New Media.” Many of the panelists spoke to students about changes in the media and the future of journalism.

Kaitlin Walsh, public relations junior, found the different sessions and panelists informative.

“The session I enjoyed the most was Christina Moore's 'Enhancing Your Career' because it focused on the importance of being accredited in Public Relations,” Walsh said. “It definitely gave me something to look into when I graduate to further my career.”

Students can visit the Mass Communication Week blog for more information including a schedule of events, lecture videos, and students’ reactions.

http://www.txstatemcweek.com/

http://garyvaynerchuk.com/

http://crushitbook.com/

http://twitter.com/garyvee

http://www.facebook.com/gary

Exploring Online Journalism

By S. Chase Rogers

Charlotte Anne Lucas, project manager of NOWCastSA, started her career with a typewriter, but as technology progressed, so did the medium for which she practiced her craft.

Ten years ago, Lucas switched to the web which led her to her current position at NOWCastSA, an online community news outlet serving San Antonio.

Lucas discussed the future of online media and highlighted a growing number of news outlets that strive to focus on hyper-local and community journalism.

“We are all publishers right now,” said Lucas when describing the recent trend of information moving to the Internet.

NOWCastSA is similar to other sites, like the West Seattle Blog and Pegasus News, that provide community members with the oportunity to view and post neighborhood events and news.

http://nowcastsa.wordpress.com/