Bohemian Revolutionist

   In Jenkins, Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide, he acknowledges how old media (like print mediums) are being replaced by newer media-- digitally.  Though, he goes on to further explain that new media isn't just pushing old media to the wayside, rather presenting old media in a newer, more modern light.

Here's what another blogger posted, regarding this idea Jenkins brings forth:

http://joachimvlieghe.tumblr.com/post/6719193309/hjconfrontingchallengesrevisited

This sort of goes off of what I mentioned about in my post Year 3000.  It is more than obvious that in the (near) future, new technology will emerge and replace what is considered to be today's most updated innovations.  That said, this can essentially take a toll on blogging.  This is not necessarily a bad thing, though.  I look at this as a reevaluation process for the blogging world, especially in terms of travel journalism.

Eventually as mentioned in my previous post, blogging will become outdated, but that doesn't mean what was once blogged will be completely erased.  No, it will be archieved just like old newspaper from the 1920s are today.  Blogged entries, posts, pictures, and anything related to a travel journalist's content will still be easily available to audiences - even if its original medium is replaced.   This serves as almost a relief for travel journalists because they will always be able to blog and reflect, blog and reflect, and blog and reflect - even if its twenty years in the future.  For their audiences, blog content can still be inspirational, even if it's as old as 2010.  Aspiring travel journalists will be able to look up old blogs when they are beginning to record their travels in a newer, more futuristic medium.  In other words, travel journalists will always be able to have a positive affect on an audience interested in a world of travel, no matter what audience/generation/time gap they may be from and no matter what new technology replaces today's. 

http://emilyfizzyforever.tumblr.com/post/77813499822

    In Baron’s discussion of ”From Pencils to Pixels” he elaborates on the rise of technology and how it is going to continue to change the world - literally.  More or less, he elaborates on how we will see less of print media and much more digitally.  In today’s world, with iPhones, iPads, Kindles, Nooks, and what have you everything is becoming more and more accessible.  So what does the future hold for blogging and its promotion of travel journalism?

In the future, I feel like digitally is going to be so advanced that blogging will no longer be a form of digital media, because at one point or another it will become outdated.  Though this does not mean an end to the world of travel journalism nor will it hinder it. This can be seen as more of a renovation to the world of travel journalism through the blogging scope.  As mentioned, technology is always working to make everything more accessible.  For travel journalism, this means that travel journalists’ blogs can be accessed anywhere, at anytime and the audience will only continue to increase.  Even though it is quite accessible now, imagine what it will be like in five years.  This is completely ideal for aspiring young travel journalists and people interested in traveling!  This can allow for more advanced opportunities to arise and enable these journalists to have full confidence in establishing themselves in the future. 

For my travel blog in the future, specifically, I want to make sure that my blog is still going to have an increasing audience.  I hope to continue to reach a vast amount of people and keep inspiring others to travel.  I will utilize the new technology as it approaches in hopes of keeping my content fresh, even if I have to move from one medium to the next.  The future of technology is revolutionizing and can serve as an even greater source for travel journalism.  

http://totalfilm.tumblr.com

    In the same sense of writer's block, travel journalists can hit spots where they feel they can't write anything well at all.  Even if they are completely captivated by the place they traveled to, sometimes they just cannot find the right words to employ their experiences.

As a travel writer, I feel I will run into instances where I will need some  inspiration.  It's not like I will run out of places to see or pictures that help my audiences to induldge.  What I feel I will need is inspiration on keeping my audience involved in my writing (which seems to be a recurring issue).  Always making them want to read more and keep coming back and checking my blog.    

http://purplemustachey.tumblr.com

After reading Burgess and Green's Youtube I actually felt a little inspired.  Even though to some people Youtube is a just a media archive, I feel that Youtube is another place to connect with people over similar interests.  On Youtube there are many travel vloggers who are travel journalists in a newer light.  They record, constantly, and run their footage together and share their memories.  It is much more interactive and would be a great way to maintain my audience.  Not to mention, I could take my inspiration from watching other's vlogs and pass it on to my readers/audience/viewers to get them to want to travel - my ultimate goal as a travel journalist.   

www.locationscotland.com

Video: http://www.wimp.com/travelsworld/

    I feel "key events" that are in travel journalism would be the moments that simple take the breath away.  I remember going to New York and the moment I got in the cab I started crying, because I was just so happy to be in such a new place.  Those are the moments a writer wants to express, those are the moments a writer wants to share, and those are the moments a writer uses in hopes of inspiring.  

In terms of blogging, "key events" could be the moments a writer gets the most feedback from their audience (all positive feedback that is).  A key moment could be when that writer is traveling somewhere and has to stop what they're doing just to record that moment in any way, just so they can later reflect back on that moment and blog about it. 

Rebecca Blood spoke of transforming the authors and audience into something more in "Weblogs: a history and perspective."  "We are being pummeled by a deluge of data and unless we create time and spaces in which to reflect, we will be left with only our reactions. I strongly believe in the power of weblogs to transform both writers and readers from "audience" to "public" and from "consumer" to "creator." Weblogs are no panacea for the crippling effects of a media-saturated culture, but I believe they are one antidote."  As a traveling writer, if I can achieve that, then I have done my job. 

virginiebichet.org

http://foundinbooks.com/what-makes-a-travel-writer-infographic/

    Aside from getting to try new foods; immersing myself in new cultures; and getting to take really cool pictures, I will be introduced to many advantages in the travel journalism world.  I all ready have an advantage in my choice of career because I will be blogging.  Blogging in itself can really propel my name forward and get the word out there that I am a traveling writer.  While that is the best advantage, there are several more advantages that can only continue to aid me as I make an established name for myself. 

I mentioned that I am fearful of not being able to keep up with updating my blog and keeping my audiences interested.  Then it dawned on me that I am in the world of "New Technology."  I won't have to worry about not being able to keep my readers intrigued, because I have that technology at my fingertips.  If I don't have time to get near a laptop or desktop and post some pictures and descriptions about where I had just traveled, I can easily post from my cell phone.  Ahh, technology.  

I will also have the ability to continue to increase my following.  If I visit France, I might meet a Frenchman who is interested in traveling the world.  I can give him my information about my blog and gain a new follower, or even inspire him to get out there and travel.  

Another advantage that I will come across is not having to worry about remembering every place I visited and its correct spelling.  Occasionally, I will come across a little town in a little country and love it, but not remember how to spell it or even pronounce it.  I won't have to worry about that memory because, with the use of technology, I am able to take a picture, record my location on different apps, and even spell check my errors should I make some.

In Johnson's "An Introduction to Bitmapping,"  he brings  the idea that people no longer need to worry about remembering everything because we have technology that does it for us.  If we "reach our capacity" (as in have used all of our memory and can't remember the name of a little town), we simple turn to our phones/Internet/books to recall the information.  Seems crazy, but it is definitely an advantage if I am going to be visiting a lot of places. 

http://artistic-dreams.com

    Just because I wanted to be an established journalist does not mean I will have all the answers.  I have yet to even explore all that comes with being a travel journalist, so many questions do arise. 

Though in terms of blogging, I question my ability to properly explain my travels and give my audiences real world experiences as I have witnessed.  A main goal of mine in being a travel journalist is sparking a light in people to get out and travel themselves.  Though, how can I do that if I am not reaching my audience in the way that I want to?

What am I exactly trying to do with this blog I have?

Do these people even care?

Am I even a good writer?

Meg Hourihan, also known on the Internet as Megnut, targets some of the questions I have in her article, "What We're Doing When We Blog."  "What we write about does not define us as bloggers; it's how we write about it (frequently, ad nauseam, peppered with links)."  Here, she is stating that in order to have a quality blog that reaches the right audience and keeps them interested, a blogger has to initiate their own logos and let the audience know they are a reliable source.  

If I link myself to other travel journalists/bloggers, I am not taking all the credit for myself because I am passing it on to someone else.  This shows my audiences that I am giving them more options to look at and am encouraging them to expand their blog follow count.  That "passing of credit" really shows that I only have good intentions with both my audience and the community I put myself in when I post.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ogil/1507585665/

    Challenges and issues can be similarly the same concept, however for the sake of my blogging I am looking at challenges as the personal problems I face in being a travel journalist/blogger and issues as the problems I face from feedback on my content. 

Creating a blog is no simple task.  I have to decide on a layout, what my content will focus on, what main audiences I will target, how I will defend myself when audiences target me, and what ways I need to speak in order for my audience to understand me.  And that isn't even all of it.  

Though, some more in-depth challenges I might face in blogging as a travel journalist can include not keeping up with my posts (updating my audience), gaining a good following, and keeping my content more interesting apart from all the other travel journalist/bloggers.

In, "Psychology of Blogs (Weblogs): 2002," Dr. Grohol discusses that if blogs aren't kept up, they lose a following and are forgotten, "Blogs simply don't work when the author isn't committed to maintaining them regularly in a qualitative way."  I fear that as a travel writer, I will often be traveling and not have time to keep my content fresh and up to date.  My followers might be expecting those pictures from Morocco and not be getting them.  Therefore, they could not revisit my blog and dis credit me as a travel journalist. 

    So, I've found that in order to become a successful travel journalist I need to establish myself amongst an audience.  I then found that to do that, I have to turn to technology because of its instant feedback and ability to reach mass audiences in no time.  

Unfortunately, there is a downfall to everything.  Travel journalism can provide more issues in terms of blogging.  While blogging is a great way to access large groups of people, it can sometimes reach far more than it needs to.  

In Mark Poster's blog about Evil Bert Laden, he discusses how something so measly can turn into an uproar amongst audiences in the discourse communities that a blog may reach.  A seemingly funny picture that was posted on the web turned into an association with Bin Ladin.  Poster wrote how the author of the picture felt ashamed of his actions, "He concluded that somehow his Web page abetted terrorism. On his “apology” Web site he stated his remorse, admitting that “reality” had intruded into his fantasy."

It might be questionable on how a blog about travel journalism can turn into terrorism.  While that might not be the case, I must be careful in what I do decide to post about the places I travel to.  I will ensure that I don't post anything offensive about any country or its inhabitant, because who knows what people will say via the Internet.  

http://dc-mrg.english.ucsb.edu/conference/2002/documents/mark_poster.html#_edn1

    Being interested in the field of travel journalism, I wanted to look at the opportunities that it offers; because if there are no opportunities, why even bother?

Aside from obvious opportunities like being able to travel and write, I found that blogging presented itself as a way to get myself noticed as a travel journalist.

Blogs offer affordances that can really differentiate content presented in other media like magazines, newspapers, and brochures.  Blogs can be accessible by any mass audience; provide instant feedback; and have an option to edit directly.  

Reaching a mass audience (of any kind, really) serves as a major advantage in getting myself some credit as a travel journalist.  As mentioned in, "Blogging as a social action: A Genre Analysis of the Weblog" Miller and Shepard discuss how "blogs invite a peculiar intersection of the public and private."  This means that I may begin my blog and address a particular group of people like writers and travelers and those interested in travel journalism.  But, after as little as a few days, my blog can spread through the Internet quickly (if some people find they enjoy what I post and share my URL) and audiences from all over the world can begin to view my content. "They are addressed to everyone..."  

Blogging can begin as something so small, but if it is done correctly and I truly utilize its affordances (mentioned above) I could get some serious recognition and begin to establish myself as a traveling journalist.

http://dakilangboyyfriend.tumblr.com

     Imagine a career where you didn't have to wake up at the crack of dawn everyday; where you could greet yourself with a fresh pot of coffee and actually sit down to enjoy it; and where you could spend your day (in your pajamas) uploading pictures from your trip to Morocco last week.  Who wouldn't enjoy this?  While there might be some who wouldn't, many would.  Though, what are the chances of being lucky enough to have such a career?

Let's be real for a minute.  While travel journalism seems ideal, it is seemingly difficult to earn a reasonable pay (and still be able to afford all the expenses of traveling) while making an established name as a journalist.  Though, it is possible. Travel journalism is nothing new.  So, in order to keep in interesting I have to move into a more modernized way of thinking.  As Dr. Grohol stated, "everything unique is something old repositioned."

That said, I plan to explore how living in today's tech savvy world can serve as an aid in becoming a successful and established travel journalist.  Follow along as I delve into the world of travel journalism through the lens of a blog. 

http://avirginsbeauty.com