In studio: The Rapidian
Submitted 03-12-2010 under NONPROFITS
This week's Catalyst Radio was a live, in-studio special with Denise Cheng, The Rapidian's citizen journalism coordinator, about changes coming up to the program.
Multimedia production: Freeware, royalty-free and Creative Commons media tools
Submitted 03-09-2010 under OPINION
From Rapidian staff: You've just written a story about some virus originating from Grand Rapids affecting giraffes in Africa. You need a picture to go with your piece but don't exactly have an image of a giraffe on hand. A quick search on Google...
Keep your headlines concise, avoid funny business
Submitted 03-04-2010 under OPINION
From Rapidian staff*: The headline of your story is the first thing readers see on The Rapidian, Facebook, Twitter and many other places online. It’s a marquis sign, aimed at attracting the eye and piquing interest in the story it adorns. Some...
On the Record: Marty Primeau
Submitted 02-24-2010 under LOCAL LIFE
A Q&A with the managing editor of Grand Rapids Magazine and Grand Rapids Family This periodic feature for The Rapidian will spotlight the media personality behind the byline, camera or mic. You may have seen Marty Primeau’s...
New Feature: Better User Bar!
Submitted 02-22-2010 under OPINION
From Rapidian staff*: If you are a logged-in user of The Rapidian, you may have noticed the slightly retooled user bar in the top right-hand corner of the site. This little bar should help address some of The Rapidian's biggest usability problems—...
Show, don't tell
Submitted 02-09-2010 under OPINION
From Rapidian staff*: "Show don't tell" plays like a broken record for every creative writer. Says Wikipedia, "Show, don't tell is an admonition to fiction writers to write in a manner that allows the reader to experience the story through a...
On the Record: Chris Knape
Submitted 02-08-2010 under LOCAL LIFE
A Q&A with a Grand Rapids Press business reporter WHAT DOES GRAND RAPIDS NEED?Grand Rapids has been really lucky and I’ve been lucky just to be here in the last seven years because I’ve seen so much of what I thought it needed come to pass.Right...
Defining your article by newsworthiness and content
Submitted 02-02-2010 under OPINION
From Rapidian staff*: When submitting stories for the Rapidian, they must be categorized into one of three groups--News, Local Life and Opinion. The differences between these three groups may seem minimal but there are actually defining traits to...An Intro to Citizen Journalism - the rapidian press pit #3
Submitted 02-01-2010 under OPINION
This past week the Rapidian's 3rd press pit, which brought a chance for local citizen journalists to come together and exchange ideas and gain advice from each other, was held at the Rapidian's Wealthy St office. I was anxious to meet...
FTC regulations mirror The Rapidian's emphasis on disclosure
Submitted 01-19-2010 under OPINION
From Rapidian staff: In a blog entry by Whitney Hoffman, she frames blogging in a media-saturated world as a Mom & Pop operation. In October 2009, the Federal Trade Commission put a law in place that just went into effect last month: Full...