Seven Steps to Master the Art of MoJo

Seven Steps to Master the Art of MoJo
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"Mobile Journalism is… not something you're going to succeed at super quickly"
Mobile Journalism is the new-age journalism where journalists use portable electronic devices (smart phones and tablets) to gather, edit and distribute news to an audience. Reporting with a mobile device is as complex as the traditional news-gathering methods. Mobile Journalism is a process with a learning curve.
Allissa Richardson, a mobile media professor at Bowie State University, in her years of working with students has come up with a list of seven steps that can streamline the process of effective mobile journalism: Research, Write, Shoot, Edit, Geo-tag, Storage and Socialize. These steps can be very useful to independent MOJOs (Mobile Journalists) and even in traditional newsrooms.
The seven steps for effective Mobile Journalism are the following:
1. Research: The first step in MOJO is same as in traditional journalism- "Research". Before publishing any story, you should verify the content. Make sure that the content is not plagiarized or fabricated.
2. Writing: The next step is "Writing". You have the story, you have done the research. Now, you have to write about it. You cannot just share the video/image content without any description. You have to tell what the video is showing or what the image is supposed to be telling.
3 & 4. Shooting & Editing: These steps go hand in hand for MOJOs. When you are reporting from the scene of an event, "Shooting & Editing" have to be done simultaneously. You don't need to wait to get back to the office to do the editing and then share the story. Good MOJOs are those who can do the shooting and the editing on the fly. With the right softwares or Apps on your mobile, you can do the editing right on the spot.
5. Geo-tagging: "Geo-tagging" is an essential part of being a MOJO because you are always on the move. After spending a long time interviewing a lot of people in large crowds or far-flung places, it's hard to remember where and to whom did we talk to. So, Geo-tagging the exact location where you have been helps a lot.
6. Storage: When you are a MOJO and always on the move, you need to keep your content safe in one place. The best solution for that kind of "Storage" is cloud storage for audio & video content. Or, an external hard drive.
7. Socialization: When you are a MOJO and you need your audience to see your content easily, "Socialize" your content by using "#". If you don't share your content aptly, then it's the worst to have the best story which no one reads or views.
In conclusion, it is easy to become a MOJO; all you need is a smartphone and a passion for journalism but as Michael Ventura says, "Without context, a piece of information is just a dot. It floats in your brain with a lot of other dots and doesn't mean a damn thing. Knowledge is information-in-context… connecting the dots."


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