Mobile Content Expansion

Mobile content providers are expanding their services for users and their wallet. Non-voice applications are becoming a must due to the trend personalization of cellphones that are popping up throughout the mobile community. The applications are more complex and include interactive features such as interactive java games and video on demand.

For the businessman and traveler they also provide stock tickers and mapping systems.

Once the service is developed properly, customers will pay a small cost for non-voice applications. According to a survey conducted by ForceNine Consulting and Wirthin Worldwide, the results showed that 40 percent of U.S. adults with cellphones and who use non-voice applications also pay extra for them. Charges amounted to 10 percent of the users bill on average.

If your bill is $100 a month- that’s just an added $10 to have access to a range of interactive applications.

To find out which service provider already has these non-voice applications, check out the world’s top ten providers.

Cell Phone News Content

Your mobile content has expanded!  Ask your service provider about the recent non-voice applications coming your way.  They include:  interactive java games, stock tickers, mapping systems and video on demand.  All of these and more for an affordable price.

How MLK Assasination Affected Vietnam Soldiers

The sign said “Veterans of Foreign Wars: Post 2205.” It sat in the middle of a small parking lot next to a long brown lodge just off of University Drive. Inside the lodge was a smoky bar to the right and convention hall to the left. Signs of patronage were posted up everywhere:

“Welcome home to our HEROES serving in Foreign lands. Thank you for helping to keep us safe and free!”

When I asked to speak to someone regarding the 40th Anniversary of the assassination of civil rights legend Dr.Martin Luther King, Jr. – Wayne Trebathan, post Commander, came to my call.

“The Vietnam war was a terrible time for it to happen,” begins Trebathan.

Trebathan was in Vietnam at the time of the assassination and remembers what he was doing when the news of Dr.King’s death arrived.

“I was at Quinnon on the flight line, I was taking blood off planes and taking them to the hospital – It was a great shock.”

A shock that was shared amongst his comrades and soon caused turmoil within the unit. Black soldiers started to ban together afraid of being mistreated. Misinformation circled around the unit that blacks and whites would revolt against each other. Sensationalist media was the only source of news feeding the far away soldiers. The assassination of Dr.King “tore them up.”

“So many divided people,” Trebathan said with a shake of the head.

He recalls a night in the flight lines’ bar, of a black soldier who had heard the news of the assassination, “He said, ‘I don’t know why I’m over here. I should be back in the U.S. to help kill white folks.’ A fight broke out and my commander stood by him and said,’This man is my brother.’ “

It took weeks for things to settle down. But Trebathan was proud of his unit and their brotherhood.

“I watched my people pull together,” he smiled, “it has moved American people into a mode were they work together.”

Although Trebathan is safe in Denton, socializing with his fellow V.F.W members, his unit left a part of history back in Vietnam. The constructed a small memorial for Dr.King at Quinnon.

“We weren’t elaborate but we left a message,” said Trebathan.

And his favorite part about Martin Luther King, Jr.,

“He never said anything that was detrimental to the community.”

Religious Books Banned in Prision

Fahrenheit 451 takes on a new name: Standardized Chapel Library Project. The federal Bureau of Prisons has created a list of acceptable religious books. The plan identifies about 150 books for each of 20 religious categories.

The reason was due to a Department of Justice report that stated religious books that incite violence could infiltrate chapel libraries. This prompted immediate action from the bureau to ban a plethora of religious books. After much criticism from Republican lawmakers, liberal Christians and evangelical talk shows for creating this list. The bureau has decided to compromise and return some religious materials that had been purged from prison chapel libraries.

The bureaus plans to add additions to the Standardized Chapel Library Project list once a year. Slowly filling the empty shelves of chapel libraries that once housed thousands of books collected over decades. Still many are troubled that the criteria for returning the books may not be constitutional and lawful.

Hampton Hotel Restores Historical Landmarks

April 4, 1968 marks the 4oth anniversary of National Civil Rights hero Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. King was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee while standing on the second floor balcony of the Lorraine Motel. Now, the motel is the site of the National Civil Rights Museum – a museum in need of a little tender loving care.

Actor Samuel L. Jackson and Hampton Hotel volunteers are working together to re-vamp the historical landmark. Putting in more than 1,000 volunteer hours to restore four exhibition rooms. They plan to replace the wallpaper, repaint the walls, repair displays, mend electrical components, renovate the exterior walkway and facade – and upgrade the landscape. Jackson and the Hampton Hotel volunteers hope to complete this project by April fourth, the anniversary of Dr. King’s passing.

This is not the only national landmark the Hampton Hotel volunteers plan to rescue. Under their new Save-A-Landmark program the Hotel plans to restore three others to kick start their 2008 campaign, Landmark Legends. Amelia Earhart’s Birthplace and Museum will take flight first, the Barnum Museum will be next and the Poe Museum will become a “Dream Within a Dream” when the volunteers get through with it.

Anyone can nominate their own Landmark Legend to Hampton Hotel’s Save-A-Landmark site.  Here are a few Landmarks already in the database:

Blogs Vs. News Stories

   With the creation of Blogs anyone can be a “Journalist” these days.  Yet there are key factors that set blogs and news stories apart.   For example, some blogs contain the bloggers user name in the piece they wrote.  Example: AllThingsRepublican, Kmg0100 – names of that nature.  Secondly, you’ll find a hint of bias in whatever it is they’re writing- since a blog is supposed to be an expression of thoughts.  Thirdly, I found that most blogs that correspond with news stories are in a section on the news website labeled “Blogs” – no confusion there.

I searched and searched and found plenty of blogs in the blog section of websites.  But I couldn’t find any connected to a news story.  So how did I know that I was reading blogs? Simple, I had to get to them through the blog tab and once I was at the page there were tell-tell signs everywhere:  “post comment here,” ” What do you have to say?” and etc.

A good blog place to go is Guidelive .  It’s basically a website built on blogs.

The Five I’s

A)  Story

“A fatal car accident took the life of a Univeristy of North Texas student returning from the Thanksgiving holiday.  Police say a tractor trailer and the car collided on Interstate I-35.  Just a few exits from the University.”

Interactivity & involvement:  I will provide a slideshow of statistics (fatalities, traffic doubled, percentage of traffic able to handle, etc.) 

Immediacy:  Shown by using short-declarative sentences and sent out in a “Breaking News” bulletin on website.

Integration:  Include a video of the accident.

In-depth Opportunities:  Ability for viewers to click the “Breaking News” bulletin and connect to another page that includes a detailed story.  Including links to the video, slideshow, history of the highway and stories of all the other accidents on the highway.

B) Story

“One highway has a reputation of being dangerous to travel.  The two-lane highway carries more then double the percentage of traffic it is designed to carry.  A student from the University of North Texas was on the way back from the Thanksgiving Holiday when it collided with a Tractor trailer.  Police say the accident was a few exits from the University.   There are six fatalities so far this year and one more has just been added to Interstate I-35. ”

Interactivity & involvement:  a fact box of the highways history.

Immediacy:  Shown by using  a “Breaking News” bulletin on website to link to it.

Integration:  Include a video of the accident.

In-depth Opportunities:  Ability for viewers to click the “Breaking News” bulletin and connect to another page that includes a this story.  Including links to the video, fact box and stories of all the other accidents on the highway.

USA Leading Global Response to Crisis in Darfur

The United States is providing humanitarian assistance, enabling deployment of an international peacekeeping force and promoting a political settlement to ensure peace in Darfur. The commitment to end genocide is shown through the many steps the USA has taken to relieve the habitants of violent political factions. The Comprehensive Peace Agreement signed in January 2005 created the Government of National Unity which calls for a democratic national election before July 2009. This will led troops away from the border and help provide a framework for a unified Sudan. The USA will also provide $100 million in funding for the training and equipment of 26,000 African peace keepers under UNAMID, United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur. USA supports the United Nations and African Union in renewing a peace agreement between the Government of Sudan and rebel groups like the Darfur Peace Agreement of 2006. Implementing an agreement between the government and rebels can be the solution that will allow millions of people in Darfur to return home and rebuild their lives in peace.

Currently 2.5 million refugees live in campus for Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs. Monetary assistance as well as a large percentage of the World Food Program’s food aid has been given to Sudan.  Serving more than 6 million people in Sudan and eastern Chad.

Poynter Institute Eye Track Study

It won’t be hard for newspapers to step up the pace and hold a permanent spot in the viewers eye.   According to the Eye Track study there where 100 subjects, about 50% where male and 50% where female. 71% read print or online 4 or more times a week. People choose what they want to read and they read a lot.

Much larger percentage of a story text is read online than in print. 2/3 of the participants read full text online.  So how can the newspaper step up their material?

Well, jumps are read.  So are Q&A, timelines, fact box and short list’s.  They help the reader remember what is read.  Considering that 75% of print readers are methodical, this is a much needed feature.  Another visual aspect are the photo’s within the text.  Large photos draw in the eye and color photos.  Documentary photos are perfered over step up frames and mug shots.

So for newspaper adding the Q&A, timelines, fact box and short list’s are a great idea as well as including large colorful stylistic photos.

People who read tabloids on the other hand aren’t there for long text.  They are scanners who go for the jump text and headlines.  Large pictures are usually good for this kind of print as well.

The Basic Online Layout

Denton Record-Chronicle and NPR

The DRC’s home page has a big flashing Cadillac advertisement on the left column which poses as the first place my eyes shoot to when I open the page.  There are two headline stories; both related specifically to Denton.  Next to these headline stories are the other top news stories which involve the DFW area and are in sub bullets.  The weather is at the top of the headlines.  There is good focus on the headline stories and they are related to Dentonites.   As for advertisements, there are three large ones and they are flashy.  One is located at the top of the home page; the second along the left column; the third on the bottom right corner.

NPR’s home page is quite exceptional to look at.  There are no poppy advertisements; in fact, the only advertisement there is from “Progressive” and it is small and matches the light blue color scheme of the page.  The feature that catches my eye is a picture for on e of the headline stories.   There are three featured headlines and other little AP stories in sub bullets.  On the left there is a website index and when scrolling down towards the bottom of the home page there is a section for NPR Blog’s and NPR Radio.  Everything is nicely organized and easy to search through.

Overall the NPR website has the best online layout.  No flashy advertisements; findable index; categories; pictures.  It is eye catching without being corny and looks like a very reliable source.  I would go to NPR first for news just due to it’s website appearance.