Team Telecommunications

The University of Florida boasts one of the best broadcast news programs and I am proud to be apart of it. I am so grateful to go to a college that has such a wonderful program and supports it with state-of-the-art facilities.

On the ground floor of Weimer Hall, you can find the CMIR Lab. It has a giant projection screen and has an impressive stable of Macs and other Apple products. Many UF journalism clubs meet at CMIR and there is always something going on inside the lab.

I spend a lot of my time these days at Weimer Hall's Integrated News Facility. We like to call it the INF. This is where TV, radio, and web all come together and make all of the renown programs even more competitive thanks to it being a state-of-the art news facility.

I have truly had a blast being apart of something this great. I am so grateful to have had so many amazing opportunities such as live shots and sports casts for WUFT-TV. I look forward to another year with some amazing people and experiences.

Running Some Blogs On Blogs

I am happy to report that I have returned to my running ways. I finished a short two mile run about a half hour ago. It is nowhere near close to my best of ten miles back in February, but I know that this was the first step towards setting my new best.

Speaking of the best, I wanted to introduce the rest of my the blogs that my fellow Gators made. And now we are off to the races:

• Rick Albritton covers all sorts of topics from the race track to graduation on her blog: Race to Graduate.
• Jillian Baach brings you up to date in the entertainment world on her blog: Entertainment 220.
• Kristen Botica has a cool blog on those of who are into fitness: GymTan Stadiums.
• Carolyn Brewster will take you on a personal tour for the city of Gainesville on her blog: Live Like a Local.
• Alex de Armas shares her story as a reporter on her page: News From Behind the Camera.
• Katie Gillen writes about life as a sports journalist on her blog: Adventures of a Hungry Sports Reporter.
• Jana Jones writes about being a sports girl and you can read it on her blog: The Extra Yards.
• Samantha Kerrigan gives you some tips on how to eat healthy and stay fit via her blog: Commit to be Fit.
• Madison Kriby has some jokes with some sports on the sidelines of her blog: Life of a Crazy Sports Lady.
• Lauren Lettelier has an awesome block to check out if you have an interest in cross-fit: Crossfit by LML.
• Casey Liening has some tasty recipes to try out on her blog: Cookin' for the Heart.
• Robert Lopes is all about the New York sports team, especially the New York Yankees, and you can catch 'em all on his blog: Lost New York Sports Fan.
• Kaitlyn McGrath talks about her life as a UF Dazzler on her blog: Ready, Set, Dazzle! 
• Jennifer Mesika speaks about life and all sorts of other topics on her blog: Soul Searchers.
• Alexandra Morales blogs about fashion on her blog: Dare to be Different.
• Elizabeth Odom shares her experiences preparing for her upcoming wedding on her blog: Robert and Elizabeth.
• Kimberly Ortiz has an awesome blog to check out if you want to look sharp for the camera:k.ortiz.
• Angelina Perez blogs about her trips and all that happens between point A and point B in her blog: Life in Between Trips.
• Maria Ponce is a reporter who shares her life and journalism tips for others on her blog: A Journey to Journalism.
• Kareem Sandy has a blog you animal lovers should check out: Creatures: Exotic & Domestic.
• Isatou Sarr has a blog for those who are into the fashion scene: FashionSwaggClass.
• Chip Skambis puts a comedic spin on his blog and you can learn more about him and his love for NPR on his blog: Pink Down to the Underwear.
• Juliana Valencia likes food just like the rest of us, and writes about some of the restaurants she dines at in Gainesville on her blog: Biancvnt.
• Keaton Webb likes working out. Check out his blog: Let's Get Physical.
• Michelle Williams shares her story and those of others on her blog: Michelle's Layers.
• Lindsey Zionts has a cool blog about Reality TV: A Dose of Reality

        
  

The Tipping Point by Malcom Gladwell

One of the other assignments for this course was to read TheTipping Point by Malcom Gladwell, a reporter for The New Yorker. I found the book to be very interesting, because it was discussing something that occurs in every popular situation: the tipping point where an item or thought that only occurs in a small group of people suddenly explodes and is acknowledged by a lot of people.

 

The Tipping Point is an excellent novel about something that truly exists but no one ever thinks about. Gladwell sums it up for the reader in three rules: the Law of the Few, the Stickiness Factor, and the Power of Context. He then goes on to explain each rule in depth to really help the reader grasp the concept of the Tipping Point.

He starts with the Law of the Few, which boils down to the fact that there are only a few people that can really cause something to tip: Mavens, Connectors, and Salesmen. Mavens are people that pay attention to ever detail in life, and can tell you exactly where you should go for the best experience in any given place that they have traveled to. They know how to get the best deals, who to talk to, and how to get great service. They also share their information with others because they want to help that person have a better experience. Connectors are people who know a wide variety of people. They have many acquaintances. They are not like regular people, because regular people just want a core group of friends. Connectors talk to and are friendly with everyone. And finally, there are Salesmen that instantly make you like them.These three types of people convince other people to go and try/buy/do new things, causing the new thing to tip and explode with popularity. This is a very astute observation, because, if you think about it, it is very true. Almost everything I buy is based off a recommendation from someone else. I also know who to ask for the best places to purchase things.

Gladwell uses the children’s show Blues Clues and Sesame Street as examples of the Stickiness Factor.  He explains that in order for something to be effective and explode into an epidemic, it must have a stickiness factor. It must stick with the client, and force them to pay attention. Sesame Street ran many, many tests with children to see what was effective and what wasn’t. Their experiments allowed them to perfect a show that taught children while they watched. Blues Clues copied this concept, but simplified the show to make children even more interested (I would know, I was one of them back in the day).

 

The last thing Gladwell says bring a situation to its Tipping Point is the Power of Context. Gladwell uses Bernie Goetz and the New York City subway shooting incident as an example here. Crime was extremely high in New York City, especially on the subway. Goetz was seen as sort of a hero by the public for standing up to four youths who were harassing him on the subway. Many of the patrons of the transit system felt like Goetz had taken the subway back for all the non-threatening people out there. The Broken Windows theory was instilled first in the New York City subway system and then in the NYPD, and it made a huge difference, proving that the context of a situation can cause something to tip. If you take away the small things in a criminal’s environment, the big things are likely to change rapidly. Gladwell spends the rest of the novel explaining case studies that prove his points. He explores the world of epidemics, and explains exactly what causes them. It is something that affects everyone, but no one ever thinks about its origins.

Gladwell uses excellent prose with many examples that apply to most people to enforce his ideas, and it definitely stays with you. I wish more of my teachers over the years took a page out of Gladwell's book.

My Sports Friends

One of my favorite things about attending the University of Florida has been the people I have had a chance to interact with on a daily basis and calling many of them my friends. There is just something about connecting with people who share your passion and have similar dreams they hope to one day make a reality.

Jillian Baach has been one of my good friends for about a year now. We are both juniors at the University of Florida and have taken the same classes as Telecommunication-News students. Jillian is one of the most knowledge people I know about sports. She is very passionate about her work and always has very high expectations of herself. I'd recommend trying to catch one of her Friday sportscasts for WUFT's First at Five program. I enjoyed reading her blog on entertainment it has really helped catch me up on what is popular and all of the latest news in sports and entertainment.

Katie Gillen has been labeled as one of the "Sports Princesses" among the WUFT Sports Team. Her along with her friend Stephanie Jones are two of the straws that stir the drink and are always available when one of the new kids on the block (like me) has any questions. Katie is very driven (I suggest reading her blog if you don't believe me) and I enjoy watching her anchor on Wednesdays this semester for WUFT's First at Five program.

Robert Lopez is one of my closest friends in the sports wing of the University of Florida's Integrated News Facility. We share a lot of the same interests, especially our love for New York sports. He is the one person who has just as much love for the New York Yankees that I possess and that is telling you something. "RoLo's" blog on being a lost New York sports fan especially resonate with me and it isn't always about the Yankees (well, now that I think about it, it kinda is). I have a lot of family and friends who still live in New York and its always nice swapping stories with Robert while we are on our reporting shifts together for WUFT. He helped me anchor my first show today for WUFT's First at Five program and was there for me on my big day. I'd definitely encourage you to catch one of his Monday shows.

Jillian, Katie, and Robert have all been there for me and I have been for them. I am proud to not only call them my colleagues but also good friends.

Spotting Partners

One of the best parts of working out is sharing your accomplished goals with your family and friends.
Today I'm going to showcase my fellow classmates at the University of Florida who led healthy lifestyles.

Ricki Albritton is a graduating senior at UF and is a Telecommunications-News major. Ms. Albitton loves to live life in the fast lane, whether its following professional drivers or running half-marathons. I definitely an appreciate her commitment to running because I understand how hard it is to stay committed to a running program.

Samantha Kerrigan is another fellow Telecommunications major. She'll also be graduating this spring and is very passionate about things she cares about. I enjoyed reading her lists on how to live a healthier lifestyle. I also agree with Ms. Kerrigan that she likes to live each day to the fullest, with no regrets and believing that everything happens for a reason.

Kaitlyn McGrath completes the trio of fellow UF students studying broadcast and that share in the passion for being fit. She is the captain of the Dazzlers and if you have ever been to a Florida Gators Basketball game, those girls are always dancing and moving around the court.

This concludes my shout out to all UF telecom friends who like to not only strive to be better reporters but also healthier people.