To conclude...

Image: Toothpaste for dinner

As we've come to the end of our Online Journalism module I thought it would be good to write a little summary of what I've learned and how the module has been useful for me in general.

It's really easy as a journalism student to get complacent about writing and even just keeping up with the news - despite it being something that has been drilled into us since day one.

So the reason why I've really enjoyed this module is that it forced us to write a lot and to realise that we should be journalists now, not wait until we graduate to start writing on a regular basis.

Also, as I am interested in political and international journalism, I found the module quite useful in its flexibility, which allowed everyone to choose the subject they wrote about.

For my group and individual blog this meant getting used to doing a lot of research before I could begin writing any articles. Ultimately, this made for good practice considering all the 'fluffy' journalism modules we've done so far.

I've learned quite a lot about how to set up a blog, how to market it and make it interesting... things which have helped me to set up my own blog, which I will hopefully keep going now that the module has finished.

Egyptian opposition party members arrested after Gaza protest

Critics slam what they see as a crack down on the opposition. Image: The Economist

Egyptian police arrested 64 members of opposition party, the Muslim Brotherhood, yesterday for organising protests against the Israeli siege in Gaza.

The Brotherhood’s website revealed that the members were arrested during a series of dawn raids in Alexandria, Ismailya and other cities in the Nile Delta.

The arrests came after the Brotherhood organised “events across the country showing solidarity with the Palestinian people, particularly those facing the deadly siege in Gaza.”

The party won a fifth of seats during the 2005 parliamentary election, which was criticised by many for police intervention and corruption.

The recent crack down rounds off a year in which police have arrested dozens of members and barred key party figures from leaving the country.

Iranian court orders for man to be blinded with acid

Eye for an eye: Victim Amenah Bahrami before and after the attack. Image: Sky news

An Iranian court has ruled that a man who blinded a woman with acid after she spurned his marriage proposals is to receive the same fate, according to Iranian newspapers published yesterday.

27-year-old Majid Movahedi was also ordered to pay the victim, Amenah Bahrami, compensation for the attack which happened in 2004.

The ruling was made after Bahrami appealed to the court for retribution, which is legal under the system of Qisas, meaning equivalence.

Bahrami, who also said that Movadehi had threatened to kill her, went to Spain for reconstructive facial surgery. However, efforts to restore her sight failed.

She told the court: “Ever since I was subject to acid being thrown on my face I have a constant feeling of being in danger.”

Although Movadehi claims that he did not realise the acid would cause so much damage he also maintains that he has no regrets. He added: “I threw acid on her face so that she would be mine forever.”

Movadehi can appeal to overturn the verdict.

Iran to set up marriage bureaux

Banks will issue more loans to help with the cost of marriage. Image: Shiva

In an attempt to ensure that young people find suitable spouses and avoid falling into unsuitable relationships, the Iranian government are to introduce a network of marriage bureaux across the country.

The centre aims to advise citizens on appropriate ways of finding a husband or wife, something which is difficult for many Iranians who have little opportunity of meeting the opposite sex socially.

A large number of Iranian marriages, whilst not arranged, are orchestrated by family and friends who look for suitable partners and matchmake. There are also private matchmaking agencies, some of which are run by clerics.

The government used the anniversary of the marriage of Ali to Prophet Muhammed’s daughter Fatima to announce the series of measures aimed at making marriage easier for Iranians, a message which was reinforced during Friday sermons across the country.

Having a blog Vs Having a blog which people actually read

"See, it ain't that hard!" Image: Darryl Bush

Setting up a blog is really easy - the hardest part is actually getting people to read what you're posting. So through the Online Journalism module I'm currently taking and much perseverence, this is what I've learned:

1. Have something a bit different. Would you really want to read someone's blog if they were just reiterating what's being said all over the blogosphere?

2. No blog is an Island... to get people to come to you, you have to go to them. Search for bloggers who write about similar subjects and leave comments (adding to the discussion, not spamming) with a link to your blog.

3. Try and post something everyday... this is what I find particularly hard. Especially at the weekends or on busy days when you just can't be bothered to research and write about something.

4. When you put labels/tags on your posts try and have a look at the sort of words people put into search engines.

5. Realise that for every 200 people who read your blog, you will probably only get one comment. It's unfortunate, isn't it? Most people only really comment if they feel very strongly about something. Think of how many times you read people's blogs and don't bother commenting.

But at the end of the day, blogging is a great way of publishing your thoughts, opinions and random bits of writing on the net. And if anyone reads your stuff, that's just the icing on the cake.

Why I hate Blogger...

I bet he's been using Blogger. Image: Flickr

I know I shouldn't say this - afterall, I am using Blogger right now - but I cannot honestly recall a time when I have used it without wanting to bang my head against a brick wall.

Okay, so I have the technical abilities of Dot Cotton and still don't really understand HTML/ Widgets/ etc... but surely a blogging service as popular as this would be a little more advanced?

Blogger Vs Wordpress?... both are free, both are easy enough to set up... however, Wordpress allows you to see how many people actually visited your blog (unlike Blogger, which ups the total everytime you refresh the page).

Wordpress bloggers have powers which I imagine are not that dissimilar from MI5 tactics... we can track down exactly where our visitors come from, what they've put into search engines and which links and tags lead them to our posts...

Compare that with Blogger where simply sorting out the paragraph spaces in your posts is a nightmare. And I won't even get started on what happens when you try and choose a theme other than the four they have available.

So to conclude, I advise all fellow bloggers to save themselves the headache and give Blogger a wide berth.

... And why I love Google Reader

Did you know that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has a blog? Image: The Sun Online

Ever since we learned about the nifty online tool that is Google Reader I have been privy to a completely different set of current events...

I had no idea, for example, that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has a blog of his personal memos where he sends "Merry Christmas" messages to Americans... although what might be even more interesting are the comments from international readers, which either sing his praises or are stingingly venomous.

I also had no idea just how much news stories written about the same event could differ so much... just a quick scan of news articles published in Iran, Egypt, Israel and the USA about the same subject and one could mistakenly think that they were reading about four different events. This is something which I found quite interesting and further looked at for my article on Arab/Israeli news coverage of the recent settler dispute.

I must admit however, that the main thing I like about Google reader (and which makes me rely on it heavily) is that I can personalise it so that all the news on the topics I'm interested in is neatly gathered in one place. So when I'm writing articles for my Wordpress blog I can quickly flick through and find news stories that haven't received much coverage, which I can then further expand upon.

Because, to be honest, why would anyone read my blog (or anyone else's for that matter) if they could read about the same stories in the mainstream press?

My Feature: Blogging the Middle East

Cairo skyline at night. Image: Darby Sawchuk

As I am interested in what is going on in the Middle East, I thought it would be quite fitting (not to mention good practice) to focus my feature on news from the region.

One of the things which stood out most from my experiments with Google Reader, was how many news stories there actually are, which don't get written about outside of the country in question.

This particularly strikes a chord with me as much of what I read about in the West of the Middle East paints a very dark picture of a dangerous, volatile part of the world.

I can't actually recall ever reading about anything positive - or at least anything not relating to war or terrorism.

I think this feature is a good way of showing a different side of the Middle East and gives me the chance to cover something that not many bloggers are focusing on.

FEATURE: Economic difficulties sees Dubai’s first soup kitchen

One hotel in the glitzy Gulf state has come up with a novel idea to counter the economic crisis and attract more customers - opening up a soup kitchen for those who have lost their jobs.

The scheme at Arabian Park Hotel simply requires the unemployed to show up with their lay-off letter in order to receive free meals.

General manager Mark Lee, explained: “A lot of people are finding themselves in a very difficult situation right now. Being made redundant at this time of year is no fun at all, and we’re trying to give a little bit of festive cheer back.”

The initiate comes as Dubai, famed for its wealth and extravagant architecture, struggles to deal with the economic slump which has resulted in hundreds of job losses in recent weeks.

State-company Nakheel, which was responsible for building the palm-shaped islands, recently announced that it was laying off 15 per cent of its work force.

On Thursday publicly traded investment company, Shuaa Capital, also said that it had begun shedding 9 per cent of its Dubai-based staff.

FEATURE: All-Iranian car provides hope during economic struggle

The Miniator has been hailed as a sign of Iranian pride. Image: Amir Pourmand

The Miniator, a car designed and made by Iranian engineers using only Iranian parts, will be available next year, according to manufacturer SAIPA.

President Mahoud Ahmadinejad and industry experts attended the unveiling ceremony in Tehran on Saturday where managing director Mehrdad Bazrpash revealed that pre-sales of the Sedan will begin in February.

The Miniator is aimed at giving poorer consumers a chance to own a car - something which holds resonance with many Iranians struggling to deal with the financial crisis.

“The price of the car will certainly be less than 100 million rials (GBP£6,800), but we will try to lower the price to less than 90 million rials,” he said Bazrpash.

Bazrpash also pointed out that the reduced price tag will not affect the all-Iranian car’s quality. “The car will have a duel-fuel system and it’s safety devices are better than those installed in Pride Sedan.”

The Miniator is hailed as a symbol of Iranian pride, something which was strongly reiterated during the ceremony as President Ahmadinejad expressed gratitude to all those involved in the project.

Ahmadinejad also called on Iranian industrialists and experts not to limit their outlook to the geographical borders of Iran, “because Iranian talent and thought can find an appropriate answer to the human society needs.”

Minister Aliakbar Mehrabian later awarded the manufacturers a plaque of appreciation whilst expressing hope that the car would gain popularity both domestically and abroad.

FEATURE: Regulating Egypt’s multi-million dollar organ market

The problem of illegal organ-trade is a global one. In developing countries such as Pakistan, China, Moldova and Egypt, rich patients in need of transplants can often find someone desperate enough to part with their organs in return for some much needed cash.

In Egypt however, the organ donor industry – worth millions annually – stirs up its own cultural and religious issues, particularly with the introduction of laws to regulate organ trade.

The Egyptian Medical Association stated that the legislation, which aims to solve the issue of the growing black market trade fuelled by the wealth gap, would limit organ donation to between close family members.

With over 25 per cent of the country’s population living below the poverty line (on less than $2 per day) selling organs such as kidneys has become a lucrative, if not highly controversial, way of raising money in desperate economic times.

Former bus driver Mustafa Hamad, for example, became a donor in order to pay for a life saving operation for his 4-year-old son who was diagnosed with cancer. “I sold part of my liver to save my son,” said Hamad.

“But some people who come to me aren’t that desperate. They could find other solutions. Many men I see now want to sell their organs so they can afford to buy an apartment to get married. That doesn’t seem desperate enough to me. I try to tell them: ‘Be patient. You don’t need to do this.’ ”

The legislation has come under fire however, from clerics who argue that organ donation is forbidden. Interestingly, religion is also cited by those on the other side of the organ debate.

Hamad explained: “Even if something bad had happened to me during the operation, I would not have minded as long as the objective was to rescue my son. If one dies for the sake of his son, he gets rewarded by God.”

FEATURE: Qatar leads the way in Gulf art bid

Qatar, famous for its oil and towering skyscrapers, has now set its sights on becoming the art capital of the Middle East after unveiling its impressive Islamic art museum on Friday.

The museum, a minimalistic stone building with a traditionally sculpted interior, was designed by Chinese-born I.M Pei, who also created famous landmarks the Louvre pyramid and the East Building of the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC.

The 1000 dignitaries who had flown in especially were treated to a first look at collections spanning over 1000 years of Islamic history, including 16th century Persian miniatures and antiques bought by Sheikh Saud al-Thani, the Qatari emir’s second cousin, during a £1 billion shopping spree in 2005.

This marks the first in a series of efforts to put Qatar, the country which gave us Al-Jazeera, on the culture map. Museum heads have already signed a deal with the Tribeca film festival, founded by Robert De Niro after 9/11, to launch Tribeca film festival Doha which will showcase Arab films and documentaries next to new Hollywood releases.

Sheikha al-Mayassa, arts patron and daughter of the emir, told journalists she was hopeful that the country’s foray into the art world will open up dialogue between cultures. “We want to show that Islam is a peaceful civilisation, which has always called for tolerance and coexistence among different peoples.”

FEATURE: Bethlehem’s Christmas market brings festive tourism to Palestine

As Bethlehem opened its Christmas market today, officials in the Palestinian city were hopeful that a profitable festive season would round off a successful year of tourism.

“It’s been an excellent year,” said mayor Victor Batarseh who pointed towards a halving in local unemployment and revealed that 1.25 million visitors were expected by the end of 2008.
“We don’t have any empty beds. Two years ago, all the hotels were empty.”

Tourism in the biblical birthplace of Jesus was devastated during the second intifada, the Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation, which began in 2000 and ended in June 2006 after Hamas signed a truce with Israeli Authority.

Eight years on however and the Palestinian city located in central West Bank has experienced a boom in the number of travellers and pilgrims visiting the region. “We have witnessed a rebound in tourism,” said the Palestinian Authority’s tourism minister, Khouloud Daibes-Abu Dayyeh as she toured the market looking at the handicrafts and festive decorations on sale from the wooden booths.

Daibes-Abu Dayyeh also emphasised that hotel occupancy rates are now typically above 70 per cent as compared to 10 per cent just a few years ago. “We have put Palestine back on the map as a destination”.

However, many Palestinians believe that the Israeli-constructed walls and fences surrounding the the West Bank discourage travellers and prevent tourism from reaching its full potential.

"The tourists believe the Israelis - they’re scared of the Palestinians and they leave their money behind when they come here. It would be better without the wall, the occupation.” said Khalil Salahat whose souvenir stall is packed with olive wood crucifixes and Nativity cribs.

“Unless the occupation stops, we will always be under economic stress and psychological stress,” Mayor Batarseh added.

However, Palestinian officials are still hopeful that tourism can help overcome the difficulties facing the region.

Daibes-Abu Dayyeh explained, “We see tourism as a tool to achieve peace in the Holy Land … and to break the isolation from the outside world.”

Evaluation of "Our Global View"

Our group blog, "Our Global View", has finished today and whilst I really enjoyed writing it and being part of a team, there are many things which we have hopefully learnt from. 

Let's start with what worked well... as individuals, our team of seven people all come from different backgrounds and have different perspectives on current affairs and what interests us, which I think made the blog really gel well together.

The end result was a mash up of of styles, opinions and perspectives which ultimately helped to differentiate our blog from other news blogs. Especially as our different backgrounds helped us to have access to stories which haven't been reported in the mainstream western media. I think the overall content of our blog was quite good, the main problem which we had was in terms of layout and the software we chose to use. 

Firstly, our decision to set it up using iWeb (which ultimately meant that only one group member - Marianne - was able to put up posts and edit the layout) really put us at a disadvantage. 

We chose to use iWeb as we initially thought that the software allowed for more flexibility and as Marianne was our blog editor, we also thought it would be realistic for the editor to have a lot of control over how content was laid out.

However, this ultimately resulted in our blog having more of a website/ Web 1.0 feel which wouldn't have been the problem had we used Wordpress. Our blog's homepage didn't indicate when we posted new content so remained  consistently static... also, the software was not as compatible with certain elements of Web 2.0 such as news feeds via RSS.

To conclude... The actual content was good, if we had used Wordpress the blog would have worked much better and been a more successful attempt at Web 2.0.

The Israeli blockade: A dangerous move

Israel’s choking stranglehold in Gaza has posed a crippling challenge to Palestinians, one which leaves them no choice but to rely on ingenuity and resourcefulness to survive.

Ever since Israel cut off fuel shipments forcing the only Gaza power generator to shut down, residents living in darkness unable to power their cookers have had limited options. If they’re lucky they can afford to buy diesel smuggled in through tunnels from Egypt.

However, if buying basics such as food is a problem, as is the case with the majority of the 1.5 million Gazans, then they have to make do with the little that they have.

Crowds of women bring trays of already-prepared food and unbaked bread to bakeries like that of Khalil Awad’s, who charges them a relatively meagre fee to put it in his oven. It should be pointed out that Awad has only managed to stay in business by using dirty oil drained off from car engines to power the equipment. With flour supplies quickly dwindling his competitors have resorted to using animal feed to make bread.

Israel closed the border after Hamas fired rockets in response to the Israeli raid on November 4 which killed five Palestinian militants. Houses in the Hamas-controlled region are now plunged into darkness for 16-20 hours per day and the aid supplies of food and medicine, which more than half of the population desperately depend on, are running out. To top it off journalists and media crew have been barred from entering the region as have doctors and European diplomats.

Although the UN criticised the siege, calling it “an assault on human dignity with severe humanitarian implications”, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert denies that there is a humanitarian crisis claiming: “The situation in Gaza is much better than presented outside.”

Well Prime Minister Olmert, if you had not banned journalists from entering Gaza perhaps they would have been able to better present the situation as it is – or, as most media outlets have noted, perhaps that’s exactly what you’re afraid of.

Still, Olmert insists “We haven’t done anything in Gaza that we should be ashamed of. If anything, Hamas should be ashamed.”

Israel’s stance is a dangerously reckless one. Whilst tit for tat is appropriate for the playground it has disastrous consequences for innocent civilians if played out between countries. By cutting off Palestinians’ supply to basic necessities the Israeli government has achieved a temporary sort of revenge against Hamas – but it’s one that is likely to later shoot it in the foot.

In the long-term Israel's actions would have only further fuelled the anger and resentment felt by Palestinian citizens who have no affiliation with the political parties Israel wants to exact vengence on but are paying the price nonetheless.

As one man who was queuing for subsidised bread put it: “Israel is pushing us to explode. God willing we will explode in their faces.”

Image: Ahmad Deeb

Operation Iraqi Freedom

I love YouTube. If it wasn't for the video-sharing site then most people still wouldn't understand just how much democracy and freedom Bush and his government have brought to Iraq... just look at this video clip, for example.

Guardian Chief: BNP map scandal highlights blogging evolution

Neil McIntosh, outgoing head of editorial development of the Guardian Unlimited yesterday hailed the controversial map detailing BNP members’ locations as “an interesting sign of a rise in online data”.

Created two days ago by 26-year-old blogger Ben Charlton with the data from the leaked BNP membership list, the Google map plotted the 10,244 members of the far-right party.

Although Charlton has now removed the map from his website amid criticism of inaccuracy and fears that it could spark vigilante attacks, it has raised the discussion of how increasing access to online data is providing bloggers with new ways of presenting stories.

“People immediately took that information and made it more accessible so anyone could instantly log on and check if they live next to fascists" said McIntosh.

McIntosh, who found one BNP member in his hometown, also revealed that he had concerns about how ethical it was to make such data available, "If you're a liberal you believe that everyone has a right to privacy even if you don't agree with their views".

Charlton defended the map stating that it did not show where individual members lived but rather a general overview of where membership was higher.

Despite being admittedly cynical about citizen journalism, McIntosh emphasized that although bloggers are now doing innovative things with data the BNP map is only the start and given the chance web users will continue to find new ways to push the boundaries of online journalism.

Image credit: Sophie's Online Project

Links for Silver Surfers

It's not just young people who use the net you know ... the rise of the Silver Surfer has resulted in a wave of pensioner-friendly websites.

Here are some links to give to your gran and grandad:

Internet use good for the elderly

Dr. Gary Small, expert on ageing and memory

Social networking site for the elderly

Olive, the world's oldest blogger, who sadly passed away

Wossy, Russell and Kerry Katona...

A couple of weeks after Manuel-gate and the dust is finally starting to settle, i.e. The Daily Mail has found something else to occupy itself with.

Wossy emerged from hiding last night looking much slimmer than usual (probably due to that 3-month suspension and the loss of £1million...). And although Russell is still busying himself States-side at least we have his Ponderland show to keep us amused (or rather perplexed and not-that-surprised when he revealed that as an ESOL teacher he tried to bed all of his adult female students).

However... this begs the question of why oh why is Kerry Katona self-confessed coke addict, alcoholic and general mess still fronting the Iceland adverts? As a family company who exactly do the advertising execs at the supermarket chain think they're appealing to? Although it is hardly surprising considering Katona's co-star is no other than Colleen Nolan who once promised to get her son a hooker if he passed his GCSEs (as you do).

So how come Wossy, Russell and others before them (Kate Moss, anyone?) lost contracts and millions of pounds through their various scandals and Katona is still recieving fat checks which are likely to be spent on the you-know-what?