Web
As the world is shifting to the internet, journalism is too. More publications are moving toward digital engagement as opposed to conventional means of distribution. Web media provides a unique, interactive platform for the release of immediate news. This year, it became vital for our publication to have a strong presence online in order to stay relevant and timely. Through our online website and our social media presence, The Hoofbeat has capitalized on every opportunity created by digital media.
Web Publication
After recognizing the necessity of maintaining a strong online presence, we (our adviser, my Co-Editor-in-Chief, and I) created a new editor position on The Hoofbeat. Our Co-Online editors have done a fantastic job leading the push for a strong digital outreach. Click here or on the image to the left to view The Hoofbeat Online.
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Online Stories
Stories that are uniquely published online at The Hoofbeat are written differently than regular news stories. The intent of online stories is to give either a quick preview of an upcoming event or an update about an event that just passed. Since The Hoofbeat has a monthly print schedule, online stories are necessary to keep our publication timely. After publishing an online story, we follow it with a tweet to get the student body's attention. (Read more about social media marketing in entrepreneurship).
Stranger Things Are Happening in the White House
When Senior Jessie Chen flew out to the White House Film Festival in D.C. to meet President Obama, she was the talk of the school and the community. It was pressing for The Hoofbeat to release a story to stay timely. That is why I immediately pursued Chen for an interview, wrote a preview article for our online publication, and tweeted out the link for the student body. I also attached Chen's award-winning short film with the preview so readers could view it. We later went on to publish a longer article about Chen in print and online. Read article → |
Spreading Empowerment in a Divided World
When the Amnesty Club hosted an international speaker to discuss identity, culture, and privilege, I knew that students would be interested in reading about what he had to say. I attended the presentation as soon as I heard about the event and observed the speaker's interactive style. While I was chatting with the speaker after the event, I realized that he had a unique relationship to one of the teachers at our school. I immediately started writing, pursued the teacher for an interview, and published the article online for timely coverage. Read article → |
Online Packages
The presentation of stories online goes beyond simply uploading them to a website. At The Hoofbeat, we strategically add different elements to each page in order to enhance the story and give relevant background information. Here are some examples of how we create effective story packages.
Post-Election Love Rally
Photo Slideshow Since there were over ten powerful photos that were taken at this rally, I chose to use a photo slideshow to display the photos instead of committing to just one. This allows the viewer to click on each thumbnail as desired instead of having to scroll down for each photo.
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Anxiety In-Depth Coverage
Integrated Graphics Anxiety is a complicated issue for many people to process, which is why it is vital to provide readers with appropriate background information. In the presentation of this story, I integrated graphics throughout the article that were appropriate to the relative content. I also linked a related story at the end of the page so viewers had access to more information.
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White House Film Festival
Embedded Video This story featured a student who won a film contest based on a short film, so I embedded the video at the end of the page. Having access to the video was necessary with this package since it was the item that prompted the story in the first place. Viewers have easy access to view it.
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