Another example of a live chat

Here is yet another example of a live chat. This maybe a little too mainstream, but I feel that this website is a really good example of how a live chat can generate good discussion. The Daily Mails website - http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/pages/live/webchats/webchats.html?in_page_id=1868 has a whole section dedicated to web chats, where viewers can voice their opinions, on a variety of topic matters. By taking part in an online chat, it is producing views from ordinary members of the public and less of the mediated information from other sources. Therefore an article is able to reflect real opinions rather than a desired opinion by the owners of the newspapers.

Back to Live Chats, and a great example

Ok, so now I have focused my blog on a specific area, that being fashion, inparticular the killer heel, it is clear to see that the best information can be found from non mainstream sources.

However, I am now going to focus my blog back to my specific area of online journalism, that being live chats. After searching the internet for non mainstream sources, I came across a rather interesting link.http://www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk/news/2004/online/040315cam.shtml.
This is a review of a live chat that involved the Prime Ministers former official spokesperson Alastair Campbell. When looking through the script of the hour long live chat, it came to my attention that live chats are a great tool for finding out information, as viewers can ultimately ask whatever they like. This can be seen by Mr Campbell being asked about his future in and out of politics. The viewer to some extent is in complete control, as they are the ones to ask the questions, getting the converstaion flowing. A great point to make about this site, is that there is also the chance to view the script of the chat, so people are able to refer to the discussion again and again.

Shoe Blog

An article on the subject matter of shoes, would obviously need research in to the topic of shoes, therefore I have found two great blogs dedicated to shoes:

http://shoeblogs.com/ is a great blog dedicated to shoes, as it shows the 'shoes of the oscars'. It is however, interesting to see that each of these shoes does have a killer heel. This can only prove that this style of shoe is a great trend of the season, if the celebrities on the red carpet are all opting to wear them.
Commenting on the shoes at the oscars could also be used when writing the back grounder article.

http://shoegallery.blogspot.com/ This truely is exactly the kind of blog that a fashion journalist would need to look at when writing an article on the heel. Devillish heels is a blog 'from a high heel perspective'. It does have a variety of pictures, however lacks in information.


Shoe Forum

http://shoes.about.com/mpboards.htm What a great idea! If a journalist wants to know about shoes, then probably the first point of research, would be to get comments from the people who are in the know. Thats right the people who actually wear the shoes, and in this case it would be the public.
To do this, a forum dedicated to shoes, is possibly the best place to go. This forum enables the user to exchange ideas, ask questions and generate general discussion about shoes.
Starting up a conversation about the killer heel would therefore generate a whole new discussion area, and the journalist would be able to gain first hand information, that would help back up the article. Some of the questions that could be posed could be, firstly; if the users wear heels themselves, and if so why, also do they worry about the implications. All of these questions would generate discussion from numerous users, and prove helpful for the journalist.

Maybe a little too mainstream?

http://www.itv-thismorning.co.uk/FashionAndBeautyArticle.aspx?fid=616&tid=2
This site may be a little too mainstream as it is a strand taken from topical daytime show This Morning. However, it has a great source of stockists of the killer heel, that could be useful to readers of the prospective article.

Tara Palmer Tompkinson's heels!
This article taken from the Daily Mirrors website, may also be a little too mainstream. However, it is a very focused opinion piece by Tara Palmer-Tompkinson, about why she loves her killer heels so much. It can be seen that the article, may be a little out dated, as it was written in 2004. It is clear that an opinion based article is very appealing. This is perhaps an idea that a fashion journalist may opt to look at when writing an article surrounding the killer heel.
If a journalist is able to make a contact, who carries a considerable amount of celebrity status, then an article focusing on their love for the heel may be successful.

A rather witty forum!

http://forums.portlandmercury.com/showthread.php?t=519 I know this article is a little out of date, but searching the internet, I came across a really great forum, with a post dedicated to the killer heel. Again it is about a Sex in the City Character, (well they are the ultimate fashion icons, and just love their heels) who ran in a pair of heels and tore the tendons in her foot. This would make a good point of reference in an article about the killer heel, and what not to do in them.

The Killer Heel

With the fashion world seeing the return of the Killer Heel, it is refreshing to know, that there is actually a variety of information on the net. Some of this information is positive, however unfortunately there is also a lot of controversy surrounding the heel, in particular the effects the heel has on womens health.

I suppose that when trying to find information based around the killer heel, most journalists would delve straight in to mainstream websites such as Vogue and Glamour.However, these websites will only objectify the heel as being a great tool 'for lengthey legs', and obviously will not comment on the controversy surrounding them.

However, with a little bit of research, I have proved that when looking at non-mainstream sources, a journalist can write a great article on the killer heel. With the pros and cons of wearing the hottest trend.

If a journalist were to write an article on the heel, then some of the following would prove useful, especially as they are based on the health problems concerning the heel, which in itself could generate a potential article.

Good sites about the controversy surrounding heels

http://www.nydailynews.com/city_life/thersday/story/181520p-157630c.html- A website focusing on the dangers of wearing heels. However also has comments from individuals about why they like to wear heels. A good source of information, especially as there is reference to hit TV programme Sex in the City!

IC WALES - Killer heels, a survival guide
This website is a survival guide for all women when wearing high heels. I think this could make a really entertaining read when added to an article about the killer heel. Obviously the article will focus on the controversy surrounding the heel but, I feel that adding a witty checklist to the end of the article would be really entertaining.
This article focuses on ways to help your feet, by limiting the amount of time to wear heels, so you can still dance the night away.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_heels- This website gives an in-depth definition and description of high heels. It also gives links to other issues surrounding the heel. I found the section dedicated to the history of the high heel very useful, as a journalsit may want to comment upon the history at the beginning af an article. With there being comments about the past, present and future of heels. This in itself could generate a debate, which in turn could spark an article.

http://www.mcg.edu/news/2002NewsRel/heels.html Due to the controversy surrounding the heel, and the health problems associated, I found this to be a really great website, especially as it details research comparing the function and balance of elderly women, and college aged girls when wearing high heels. The study identifies that younger women have more balance when wearing heels, however their forefoot can still suffer from deformities that occur when wearing heels over a long period of time.

Fashion Blogs

Some good sites

http://fashion.about.com/od/fashionblogs/p/stylechatter022.htm A really good source for fashion news, and the current trends that fashion bloggers are talking about. The good thing about this site is that there are loads of links to other blogs, and news articles, aswell as sponsered links. However, I have to say that this blog mainly focuses on that of celebrities. I am aware that what a celebrity is wearing is normally classed as being newsworthy, as people aspire to be like their favourite celebrity. However, there does not seem to be anything on this site for ordinary people. Probably is a little too simple for my liking.


http://fashion.about.com/od/fashionblogs/p/fashionblog.htm - While looking at the above link, I came across a really great explanation for what a fashion blog is. Not only is it relevant to fashion bloggers, but also bloggers in general, answering the who, what's and why's of blogging. Just thought this would be an informative piece of writing.

A Forum

As we are all aware, forums can be an excellent place to communicate ideas with other people. A fashion journalist may find forums useful when seeking opinions about latest trends, especially if they are concentrating on a particular article that they need an about about.

http://Fashion-forums.com/news is a forum that focuses specifically on fashion. There is a section that focuses on fashion magazines, Here there are discussions based on what the hottest magazines are talking about, This in general would pose very useful for a fashion journalist who works for a magazine, as they are able to communicate with other magazine journalists, who may be focusing on a similar topic.

When entering the forum, and seeing an area dedicated to what celebrities are wearing, it became apparent to me that an article matching celebrity clothes to that on the high street could potentially generate discussion. If a celebrity is wearing something that reflects the latest trends, then the fashion journalist could venture on to the high street trying to match the clothes, but for a fraction of the price.
The forum could also offer advice to the journalist about where to go when seeking to match the trends, with other users giving opinions and advice about where to shop.

An unusual fashion website

When searching the internet, I came across quite an unusual website; http://shesheme.com/.
This website focuses on a fictional story of an archetypal fashion victim, and is brilliant as it concentrates on latest products to hit the fashion world. As the website is primarily written in first person, it makes it very personal to the reader. However, a flaw is that the website is not very focused based as it concentrates on the fashion world as a whole.

When looking through the site, it occured to me that a weekly fashion column concentrating on one persons experiences throughout the week, may be a good project for a fashion journalist. Following a fashion victims shopping experience every week, would be a really great column for a local or even national newspaper. Likewise a magazine journalist could also do this, but instead for a monthly magazine. I am sure that people would start to follow a so called 'fashion diary', as this would help readers to be kept up to date with all the modern trends, as well as being entertaining to read.

A Great Message Board

When searching the internet for messageboards dedicated to fashion, I came across a great site:
www.thefashionspot.com/forums - This site holds loads of message boards concerning fashion, with a whole list of discussions taking place. When scrolling through, I came across some quite interesting subject matters, that a fashion journalist could turn in to some really great articles.
Here a just a few of the ideas taken from the message boards.
1)What do you think fashion will be in 2010? This could prove to be a really interesting subject matter to talk about, as the journalist can get fashion experts and designers opinions, to make a lively read!
2)'The whole lady like thing'. An article based on the tomboy v's the sophisticated lady. What men like women to look like, and what women prefer to look like. i feel that this subject matter would be of interest to both men and women worldwide.

Links To Fashion News

There are loads of links related to fashion, that a fashion journalist may find useful. Here are a couple that i have found to be pretty good.

www.lookonline.com/blogger- A blog that offers daily fashion reports. The latest info concerning the fashion industry can be accessed, before it gets to Vogue!

http://www.widemedia.com/fashionuk/news/ This site may be a little mainstream, but I like the way that it is updated daily, as it shows that they are up to date in the fashion world. There is a news archive that dates back to 2003, proving that this site could be a good research tool for an on-line fashion journalist.

www.fashionunited.co.uk offers all fashion related websites for the UK, from holiday bling, latest fashion news and catwalk shows. The great thing about this site, is the huge amounts of latest fashion news it has to offer. There is a huge section dedicated to news on the right hand side of the page, where a fashion journalist can really get to grips with the latest headlines.

www.myfashionlife.com This is perhaps in my opinion one of the best websites dedicated to fashion. This website tells you everything you need to know about whats going on in the fashion world, from lists of designers, fashion events, fashion advice, the hottest models, and of course those all important contacts. A list of other blogs dedicated to fashion can also be accessed from this website, which all proves to be a successful source for fashion journalists. It is also updated almost everyday, which proves a reliable source for the latest fashion news.

Fashion Journalism

I have decided that I am going to focus my blog on fashion. as this is a huge interest of mine. Ideally I would love to be a fashion Journalist for 'Vogue' magazine. well, thats my dream anyway! But for now, I guess my first step in the fashion world is to focus on producing this blog. I am going to post some links to non-mainstream sources of fashion news, aswell as some that you will already know. There will be postings to different fashion blogs, aswell as specialist sites, for all of you out there, who too have an interest in the fashion world.

Advantages of Live Chats as a form of Online Journalism.

Journalism is able to be combined with all the new tools of Technology. A good explanation to how this combines can be found on http://www.portalonline.org/portal2005/jenn/Essay/online.html
This site comments on the relationship between the internet and journalism. And how the new media (newspaper with a website) has started to change the way a journalist works.
There is also a strong focus on how blogging became apparent in the new media, and the implications of people being able to voice their opinions, with the fear of blogging taking over the newspaper industry.
There are details about the pro's and con's of blogging, and also the effects on journalists.

Sites where readers are able to participate in Live Chats.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/liveonline/0,,181170,00.html
The guardian website is a great place for a live chat.
' A place to talk about the biggest issues with people who make the decisions'
If you want to really get to grips with the latest revelations in the news, then this is the place to be. You can talk to anybody from Journalists to Politicians. With talks always being arranged on a variety of topics, the only thing you will need to do is register and keep those eyes peeled for anything that is likely to interest you.


http://www.mcpmag.com/chats/

An analysis of one newspapers Live chat

http://www.press.umich.edu/jep/05-04/young.html

Live chats allow people to interact with material, asking questions about statements. This website helps to promote the fact that information is easily accessible, with the consumer able to voice their opinions.
This website is a great source of knowledge to really get to grips on Live Chats. It details exactly what a Live chat is, and how they work. Take a read, it really is quite simple.

Live Chats, what are they?

In brief , live chats are an interactive version of the Q&A format. When taking part in live chats, readers are able to express their own opinions and ideas, based around a particular news story, adding a different angle on the issue.

What is online Journalism?

Online Journalism aims to present news in small, digestible bits of information, rather than throwing everything to the reader at once.
Three basic principles are apparent to online journalists when presenting the news. They firstly use print to explain, Multimedia to show and Interactives to demonstrate and explain (Jonathon Dube).

My name is Melissa Marshall, I am posting about on-line journalism forms, in particular Live Chats.