Movie Critics - A Tiny voice in a Vast Wilderness

The trouble with movie critics today is that they are writing long essays to an audience with short attention spans. 

They're not as irrelevant as we might think they are. They are a throwback to the old days when giving one's opinion on a subject was a true "art form." 

In the old days, writers and artists lived and died by the opinions of critics because critics were the true middleman -- even gatekeeper -- between the artists and their audiences. When movies came alone, audiences still relied on critics because, otherwise, it was a huge investment in time for them to actually drive out to the theater to watch a movie that they might never get another chance to see.  This was especially true before the advent of television.  But even when every home had a TV, it could still be years before the movie made it to the free channels.

Today, studios saturate the airways and the Internet with trailers, advertisements, music and merchandising tie-ins, and countless other movie-related marketing gimmicks. By the time the movie hits theaters, audiences already THINK they know what the film is about -- or at least feel more secure in stating an opinion about it. It doesn't matter if they're wrong.  They'll always have a chance to see it on any one of the many post-theater venues accessible to them, from sites such as Netflix and Hulu, to cable channels and even network TV.

That tiny, almost inaudible chatter from critics have little impact on moviegoers today.

The Journalist as a Social Butterfly

It's a dirty job, but if you want to succeed in journalism today, you're gonna have to get your hands dirty; that is, learn how to shamelessly promote yourself via social media.

With traditional media struggling, journalists can no longer afford to "take the high road" and consider themselves above the lowly blogger and self-promoters. They have to especially know how to fully engage audiences and grow their fan base on Facebook and Twitter. They have to understand the importance of keywords for creating headlines that work best online, to get the maximum exposure possible for an article.

Journalists also have to acquire a thorough knowledge of the outlets available to them to quickly gather credible expert sources, such as HARO and ProfNet, and be able to review their vetting processes to ensure all their sources are legit.

If you're a student and aspiring journalist, the first thing to realize is that, on the Internet, nothing is ever "off the record."  Even before you get to that first interview, you should have already created an adequate presence online, with your own blog, as well as your own Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn accounts. Treat everything you put on there as if your were working for The New York Times. If you don't think it's fit to print, don't print it.

In short, be absolutely professional in all your online writing, whether you're leaving a comment in a comment box, tweeting back directions to the restaurant to a friend, or posting family pictures. No rambling and stream-of-consciousness material, no silly, off-color or politically incorrect jokes, nothing that can come back to haunt you. If you write anything, regardless of the website you write it for, make sure it features solid reporting, solid writing.

The first thing HR managers will do is check out the candidates online, and if you can already impress them with the quality of your writing and your social media savvy, you're ahead of the game.

For a Good Education, You'd Better Shop Around

A revolution is coming in higher education and schools that do not lead or follow will have to get out of the way.


A generation ago, it would have been heresy for anyone to question the value of college. We still don't question the value of college but, increasingly, we question the cost. Is a degree that costs you $1,000 per credit superior to one that costs you $100 per credit or less? Because of the internet, the answer is no. The difference between getting an education today versus twenty years ago is that it no longer matters where you get your degree - even if it's online - because quality information is no longer the exclusive property of a few prestigious schools. It's all available online, often free of charge, for anyone to use.

Before the Internet, acquiring knowledge was an expensive proposition. The more prestigious schools could hire the best teachers and therefore charge more per credit. Today, schools don't need much of a budget to get access to even the most complex knowledge base - of the highest quality and in every field. And it's the same knowledge regardless of where you get it.

In the future, students and parents will therefore feel comfortable shopping around for the least expensive school from which to get their degrees. At this point, it may even be detrimental to consider the more "prestigious" schools like Yale and Harvard, for the simple fact that they are still mired in tradition and the past. Teaching students "the old fashioned way" may actually do more harm than good. Few people today "crack open a book" to do their research. They Google it.

Top 10 Things Never To Do On Facebook

In the old days, before Facebook started tinkering with their privacy policies and making people's postings visible to search engines, people were able to get away with a lot of things. Facebook's new policies make it surprisingly easy for strangers to see your images, or images of your friends, who might have embarrassing images of you. It is now also almost impossible to delete an image, once you post it online.

Here are the top 10 things NEVER to do on Facebook.

1. Don't pose naked or with anyone else naked in the picture.

2. Don't pose with alcohol in the picture, anywhere. Same with drugs.

3. Don't criticize your current employer or coworkers.

4. Don't friend people you wouldn't want others to know you are friends with.

5. Don't "Like" any page that sells drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, guns or any kind of controversial product.

6. Don't friend anyone that's not related to you and isn't age appropriate. For example, if you're an old man, a priest or both, don't friend a child.

7. Don't post when you're drunk.

8. Don't use profanity.

9. If you're cheating on your spouse/girlfriend/boyfriend, don't friend the person you're cheating with.

10. Don't ever discuss or admit to any type of illegal activity.