7 anos a blogar

Faz hoje sete anos anos que comecei um blog, que primeiro era sobre nada, depois era sobre comunicação e acabou por ser sobre jornalismo online.

Estes sete anos foram os mais importantes da minha vida, e tiveram tanto de sucessos como de fracassos e dificuldades.O blog abriu-me portas que de outra forma nunca se abririam e, por outro lado, fechou-me algumas pelas quais também não queria entrar.

Não tenho escrito ultimamente muito sobre o tema que me trouxe até aqui porque estou farto. Não tenho fé nenhuma no panorama jornalístico nacional, nem nas estratégias e objectivos que regem os projectos que por aí andam. Vi e falei de muitos que, na sua maioria, falharam. Outros tiveram algum sucesso, mas quase nenhuns eram revolucionários e eficazes. Alguns que realmente o foram, falharam na mesma.

O jornalismo para mim esgotou-se porque, como bem me lembraram na última entrevista de emprego a que fui, tenho 36 anos e pouca experiência de redacção. Eu também não sou jornalista, sou outra coisa, que não tem espaço nesta lógica.

Tenho trabalhado em Comunicação de Ciência e a dar formação  em comunicação digital, mais virada para o lado empresarial. Aprendi muito nas duas e é isso que gosto de fazer: aprender. Infelizmente, aprender não mete comida na mesa.

Ao fim de sete anos não me arrependo de nada a não ser não me ter ido embora de Portugal de vez.  Mas ainda vou a tempo. Sinto que estou no fim de um ciclo, tanto de objectivos profissionais como pessoais.

Apesar de ter voltado basicamente ao mesmo ponto onde estava há sete anos, apesar dos pesos extra que arrecadei na minha vida, sinto que estou mais rico e melhor. Não em dinheiro, não em qualidade de vida, mas como pessoa e como profissional.

Olhando para o que escrevi ao longo destes anos, acho que não me enganei em relação ao futuro (agora presente), e já nem ligo a certas discussões sobre o tema porque para mim já não fazem sentido: há quem ainda viva em 2007, eu sempre estive mais à frente.

A todos os que me acompanharam ao longo deste percurso e me deram o seu apoio, o meu muito obrigado. Não sei o que se vai passar a seguir mas, como disse Kundera, “o que for, será.”

Vejam a minha página pessoal para contactos, perfis online e CV.

 

 

Eurosport’s Data World Cup infographic is great

Simple, usable, beautiful. Eurosport’s latest infographic “Data World Cup” correlates which clubs provided more World Cup winners, how far did the Ballon d’Or laureates get in the World Cup (none, which doesn’t bode well for Ronaldo), and other interesting information about the competing teams in Brazil 2014.

countries
Click to visit the infographic

What I like the most – besides the design – is how so much information is compressed to such a minimalistic presentation. The animations are tasteful, and they bring dynamic.

It is one of those examples that prove how infographics with dynamic design can be better than any other format.

Online is not television

That’s what I have been saying, but no…

Creating compelling television, it turned out, meant more than putting talking heads around a table. It required millions of dollars, new innovations, and, most important, experienced producers and compelling on-air talent…

“Is video alone going to save newspapers? Absolutely not,” said Bruce Headlam, managing editor of Times video. “A lot of newspaper people quite comfortably make fun of television people, but it’s very hard and very expensive to do what CNN, Fox, MSNBC do.”

Why isn’t live video working for news sites?

The Verification Handbook: verifying UGC for emergency coverage

I’ll just copy/paste the press release:

The European Journalism Centre (EJC) has released the Verification Handbook, the first ever guide for using user-generated content (UGC) during humanitarian emergencies.

Whether it is debunking images of ‘street sharks’ during Hurricane Sandy, or determining the veracity of videos that depict human rights abuses, reporting the right information is critical in shaping responses from the public and relief workers as a crisis unfolds.

By providing the exact methods needed to validate information, photos and videos shared by the crowd, the Verification Handbook forms an essential component of any organisation’s disaster preparedness plan.

The Verification Handbook draws on the experiences of practitioners from some of the world’s premier news and aid organisations, including BBC, Storyful, The Guardian, ABC, Buzzfeed UK, NHK, Poynter Institute, Digital First Media, the Tow Center, GigaOM, the Qatar Foundation’s Computing Research Institute (QCRI), the Internews Center for Innovation & Learning, OpenStreetMap, Amnesty International, Circa, Meedan, the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), WITNESS, the Dart Centre Europe, and Shabab Souria.

An online version of Verification Handbook is available for free at http://verificationhandbook.com, and a PDF, Kindle and Print version will be released on 7 February. An Arabic version of the Handbook will also be released soon thereafter.

The initiative is financed by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, as well as by the African Media Initiative (AMI), and supported by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Ethical Journalism Network (EJN), Humanity Road and many other organisations.

Website: http://verificationhandbook.com
Twitter hashtag: #emjo

Did I mention it’s free?

Authors of amazing Interactive Doc “Hollow” explain how they did it

When I started going through “Hollow” (can’t find a better verb, “watching” is not what I did) I was amazed with the amount of elements it has. Imagine a dynamic collage of audio, stills, images, data and video, divided in six different chapters, each one including short but deep, well crafted video stories.

In a nutshell, it’s a story about the rise and fall of McDowell County, West Virginia, USA. The remaining inhabitants of this now decadent area show their lives in this empty land, while making ends meet and trying to resurrect their towns.

Its makers, Director and Producer Elaine McMillion, Sound Designer Billy Wirasnik, Technical Director and Senior Developer Robert Hall and Art Director/Designer and Architect Jeff Soyk, held  a Hangout where they talked about this project, their sucesses and failures.

I’d like to highlight Billy Wirasnik’s advice : “Don’t forget about sound!”. This project relies a lot in natural soundscapes and music tracks, which adds a whole new dimension to the story. Try it without sound and you’ll see what I mean.

Another thing you should notice is that you have to watch some videos to unlock extra  features. It’s a way to reward the users who explore the most.

There is a lot to learn from the mechanics and looks of this interactive doc, especially the mix of still and dynamic visual elements, pushed forward by html5/css3/js cogwheels, and the awesome video narrative.  A must “scroll through” (?!?).

Check out Elaine McMillion’s blog to watch the Hangout videos and access the links they mentioned and other assorted tools and tips for storytellers.

Here’s the trailer for “Hollow”:

bits, hands and feeds on digital media