End of the One-Trick Pony

With the rise of new online medias, journalists today are expected to be able to craft their message into every outlet possible. Not only do they need the skills to write a 10-inch piece for newspaper, they need to know how to translate this story into RSS feeds, Twitter posts, Facebook updates and video blogs.

It is an expectation that asks a lot from the few. The journalist that once wrote solely for print is now expected to adapt their story for the various online media channels. And with today’s depressed economy – Florida’s unemployment rate now over 11 percent – companies are “restructuring” their staff. By “restructuring,” I mean laying off everybody that cannot do the job of five.

If you do not have all these skills, you will be unemployed, or at least less competitive in today’s job market. It is interesting to see these changes taking place, and it is somewhat scary. The mass media is essentially being placed into the hands of anyone. The consumer is picking and choosing what information they want to receive. And Google is attempting to control access to all of this information.

It is a changing world, and a changing world of journalism. But with this change, comes great possibilities. Many of these new media outlets are very useful, but media changes so fast that it can be hard to understand how to deal with the changes. Still, there is definitely no stopping it now.

In this competitive job market – where I need to know how to design a blog, report and upload video feeds, manage websites – I find it very exciting, and something that I already have some experience with. I have always been interested in design. I like to tell stories. I like to write. By possessing the knowledge, understanding the tools, I can share my story and the story of others more effectively.

The era of the one-trick pony is over. To stay competitive, you better have more tricks up your sleeve! For me, I already have some experience recording a podcast, embedding video into my own website and doing design work. I understand the importance of it, but I am also excited about it. It is not something I have to do to get a job. It is something I like to do. I like learning new things and having an understanding of many different tasks.