Saturday, September 23, 2017

Notes before next class: Monday, Sept. 25

Hi everyone,

Just a few quick notes to get this page on the blog.

I'll update it with more material this weekend as I read through the assignments.

As of Saturday morning, I'm missing brochure copy from about half the class.

So please try to get this in so I'll have time to look it over. Thanks!

I'm on the road for most of the rest of the day on Saturday, Sept. 23, but I'll be doing classwork on Sunday.

Thanks and hope you have a great warm weekend.

Jeff R.

Saturday, September 16, 2017

Notes before next class: Monday, Sept. 18

A peek at Raven Gaudreau's class blog, complete with eye-catching photo.

Hi everyone,

Just a few notes prior to our next class.

• As of Saturday, Sept. 16, I've received blog addresses and info from almost everyone.

If you're still working on yours or having trouble, please get in touch and we'll work it out.

In our next class, we'll look at what people have set up and then start writing!

• If you haven't submitted your assigned press release, please do so right away.

• For class on Monday, Sept. 18, Matt Mowry from Business NH magazine will come in during the first half and go over the Young Reporter's Project.

• We'll also go over the quizzes, talk about the reading assignments, and talk about some new rules for our style guide.

• More notes to be posted as I get organized.

Friday, September 8, 2017

Notes before next class: Monday, Sept. 11


Hope everyone had a great Labor Day weekend!

Our next class is Monday, Sept. 11. Here's a preview of what we'll cover.

• In the first hour, we'll be visited by Matt Mowry, editor of Business NH magazine.

It's a monthly publication aimed at business people and anyone with an interest in the local economic scene.

Matt will talk about the magazine's "Young Reporters Project," in which we'll be participating this semester.

Later in the course, you'll write a short feature story for possible publication in Business NH.

On Monday night, we'll hear all about how the program works and get to ask questions.

In the second half, we'll...

• Look at the postcards with the recipes. This will lead into a discussion of writing in general, with an emphasis on the idea that readers often face many barriers to getting your message. Depending on the medium, some barriers are within your control, and some aren't.

• Review what's wrong with this article from the New York Times. (You can read it now, but we'll be looking at it together on the big screen.)

• Go over blog topics and talk about next steps in setting up blogs.

• Discuss the first three chapters of the Ben & Jerry's book, and also Chapter 11 in the Media Writing textbook.

Our topic of the week: press releases. You'll be asked to write one as your take-home writing assignment.

• Set up our class style guide and talk about how that'll work.

• Welcome a new member to our class: Robyn Caron!

Any questions, let me know!

Also, let me know if you've had any trouble obtaining the books. You really do need these starting with next class. :)

Have a great weekend and see you Monday night!

Monday, August 28, 2017

Welcome to Media Writing

And there's always plenty of free parking. This image proves it!

It's the last week of August 2017, and that can mean only one thing: time to start CA500 Media Writing for the fall semester at UNH-Manchester! Yay!

Okay, settle down, and welcome. Thank you for enrolling in this class, which I hope you'll find useful, informative, and fun.

I also hope you'll find it sharpens your skills and gives you tools and knowledge to tackle any writing project in the ever-changing media landscape of today and tomorrow.

But first, I hope you'll find the classroom where we'll meet. It's P-345, in the recently renovated former Pandora Mill Building at 88 Commercial Street, now home to UNH-Manchester.

Consider this blog a class resource center to help organize the various projects and assignments and readings that make up this course.

In weeks to come, I'll be populating it with notes about our class as well as posting pages with writing resources and other things I hope will be useful.

It will also be home to a directory of student blogs and an ever-growing Class Style Guide—not about fashion, but about usage and common writing problems.

Right now, let's start off with a link to online directories of student blogs from earlier editions of this class. Here are two you can check out:

Media Writing Fall 2016

Media Writing Fall 2013

For now, thank you again for enrolling in Media Writing this semester. I look forward to collaborating so that you get the most possible out of the course!