Baltimore's Fashionable Gems

The beat I plan to cover is fashion in the Baltimore area. On the surface, it may seem a bit diffcult to find credible sources, but Baltimore has a host of shops and boutiques.

Yes, the mecca of fashion is generally seen as New York, but with boutiques like Ruth Shaw and Cupcake Clothing, there's a piece of SoHo right here in Baltimore.

Outside of covering different shops and boutiques, I want to report on up-and-coming trends along with hot buys for the recessionistas and recessionistos!

Allow Me To Reintroduce Myself

Well, I don't want to be redundant and restate the facts that I shared with the class last semester! So, I'm thinking I'll talk about life in the present.

My name is Melany, and I'm a Twitter fiend (Facebook is so 2008), thanks to 257! I'm a senior Mass Communication major on the Journalism and New Media Track.

Being a magazine editor-in-chief of a fashion or music magazine has been my dream for as long as I can remember, but this new gadget called Multimedia Journalism has sparked my interest! So needless to say, I'm most definitely looking forward to 258 and all it has in store.

I recently finished an internship with Baltimore Magazine, and to say it was a learning experience is an understatement. Starting next week, I'll be interning for Girls Life Magazine for the summer.

That's about it for me. Well, anything worth sharing that is! See everyone Friday!

You Need Both Real World and Classroom Experience

As a student you have to understand that the experience gained from an internship can be just as vital as sitting in a classroom. Sure your professors know their stuff, but that hands-on experience will better prepare you.

For the last three months, I've been an editorial intern at Baltimore Magazine (hints the picture), and I've learned and gained so much. Plus I love seeing my name in the credits!

My plan is to interview an expert in the journalism field, a student currently working in an internship, and a professor on campus.

The field of journalism is all about networking, and who you know. A great tool for journalism students interested in the world of magazines is Ed2010. The website is dedicated to finding internships, jobs, and meeting people in the industry...

http://www.ed2010.com

Ed's Baltimore Chapter:

http://www.ed2010.com/2009/02/baltimore

Follow Ed on Twitter:

http://twitter.com/Ed2010News

Pose, Flash, Pose, Flash...

So, I know your asking yourself, "Who's this strikingly handsome young man, and what in the world is he doing on Melany's blog?"

Well this is my Grandfather and this past summer he gave a very valuable lesson on photography. That advice, "Granddaughter make sure you always fill the frame!"

Now who would have thunk it that I would receive this exact advice in class Friday? Well anywho, thanks Granddad!






Along with filling the frame, I used the rule of the thirds for my photos on campus...











I like to call this one, Soul's Deadly Stare. I know, that's really deep.

I used the rule of the thirds for this shot.

This is Lisa (front) and Kelly (back) in Save By the Bell Towson Hi-Jinx. Once again I used the thirds as well as filling the frame.

Thanks Asia and Erin (:

Lastly in, I Hope His Growl is Bigger Than His Bite, my main goal was to fill the frame and try to capture the tiger for a different angle.













Well clearly I'm excited about my photos. I'm going to email them to my Grandfather for his constructive criticism!

Don't Worry I Have a Few Great Tips for Covering Speeches and Events!

Hey Bill, everything okay? You look confused. Yeah? Oh, you must be worried about covering that big mayoral address tomorrow? Not to worry friend, I'll give a few helpful tips!





You should know a and adhere by a few tips when covering speeches and events:

1.) Get there early!

2.) When choosing a seat or place to stand, be sure it's where you can note audience reaction. This will also help when noting the size of the audience in your article

3.) Have both a tape/digital recorder and notepad.

4.) If there is a question and answer period, you want to prepare your questions before hand. Be sure to listen to others questions as well.

5.) Unless you're on deadline, don't leave immediately afterward. This way you can get the reaction of both the audience and participants.

See I told you not to stress Bill! If you follow these tips you'll be a-okay!

Hey the Egyptian Pyramids Are Inverted To???

Not exactly Cleopatra, but journalist use the inverted pyramid style to write stories:

This style of writing gives all vital information in the beginning of a story and leaves small details of information out until the end. I tend to think of the inverted pyramid style as reading the last page of a book first. You know what's going to happen up front and all the events or details are the previsious pages.

Newspapers are most likely to use this style. The most common story the incorporates the inverted pyramid style are political stories. They make sure the reader has all the facts first.

Here are two examples:

The New York Times:

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/05/gupta-is-out-of-the-running-for-surgeon-general/

The Baltimore Sun:

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/education/bal-md.townhall05mar05,0,2195141.story

Follow the Leader

As the warmth of the morning sun woke Stacey, she noticed the bedroom she fell asleep in the night before was no more. The only things left were her comforters, sheets, and mattress that was now afloat on the Hudson River. "But I went to sleep in Florida," said Stacey.


This was my poor attempt at a suspenceful lead! Two major components of a good lead are keeping the reader intrigued and keeping the tone of the lead consistant with the information in the story. Generally, I enjoy the style of leads found in magazines vs. newspapers because they have more room to draw the reader in. But I was able to find two great examples from The Washington Post and The New York Times:


You Gotta Love the First Lady. No, Really, You Have No Choice.







By Robin Givhan Washington Post Staff Writer Sunday, February 15, 2009;













The rise of first lady Michelle Obama as an icon -- of fashion, black womanhood, working motherhood and middle-class success -- has propelled her onto a pedestal that would surely give the average person vertigo. She is Jackie Kennedy, Sojourner Truth, Hillary Clinton and a Horatio Alger character all rolled into one J. Crew-clad package.

Hey finish reading the article>>> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/12/AR2009021204221.html?sub=AR

Economy Adjusts Store Relations on Madison Avenue

By ERIC WILSON
Published: February 17, 2009

WHO among us, man or woman, rich or less than rich, fashion reporter or prostitute, cannot relate to the “Pretty Woman” experience of walking into a designer boutique and being made to feel unwelcome by a snooty salesclerk?

If you like the lead, finish the article>>> http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/18/fashion/18SHOPPING.html?ref=fashion