Jon Ortiz is still at it with The State Worker. Averaging about three posts per day, Ortiz and The State Worker always make me ask myself why I don't visit this site more. Many of the topics interest and even benefit me, and with my recent stop I did exactly what I did the last time - thoroughly investigate the posts that are written.
Content and display still remain the same on the site - as it should. Recent posts are still easy to find on the right-hand side of the page, and the headline for the most-recent new story is still visible initial page load screen. Comparing the site now with the critiques I made in assignment one, I see the same format being used. This format works and is easy to get familiar with. I think it is important and useful that Jon Ortiz's picture and contact info is available on every page so that if something catches your eye and you want to respond to the author directly, you can send Ortiz an e-mail.
I think this blog works because it puts out brief, yet informative news pieces, followed by a hearty follow-up or in-depth piece every three or four posts. Ortiz does a nice job of separating bulky stories and sprinkling in quicker reads that still contain relevancy with the audience. Investigation stories that are put in the Sacramento Bee are also detailed on The State Worker - check out Ortiz's latest update on $5.5 Million dollar vehicle purchase made by the state. Not only does it give readers the news, it also gives the readers a chance to read the actual document, e-mail, or press release that they are referring to so that readers can get a full taste of what's being discussed, if they should feel inclined to do so.
Content-wise, Jon Ortiz and The State Worker still succeed in delivering relevant stories in timely, readable fashion. On the one hand, I would like to see more photos and video pieces on a blog, but on the other hand, I think the lack of these two aspects lets the depth and quality of good old fashioned reporting shine through. The State Worker, I choose you.
Showing posts with label Vince Vicari. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vince Vicari. Show all posts
Monday, October 26, 2009
Monday, October 12, 2009
The State Worker - The tech specs
The State Worker is a news blog that delivers to a specific niche of people – state workers in California. These stories often come in bursts, producing three or four posts daily, each always covering any possible piece of information that a state worker can find useful. As a student assistant for the State, I also find this blog’s posts interesting because most all issues going on at the state level affect me either directly or indirectly.
Length of Text: Each post consists of a fairly concise cluster of paragraphs. Just about every single post is under 20 sentences. I like that and I think it’s important that it’s kept that way because it makes it easier for state workers to read it on the fly (at work?) without spending too much time.
Scanability: To me, this is where Jon Ortiz and The State Worker come in handy. Ortiz bolds key points, figures, and names in each post as to direct attention to the most important pieces of information in the story. For example, the latest post I’m reading is about the closing of short-staffed DMV offices today (Columbus Day), even though they should have remained open. Without even reading the first sentence, I can scan the story and find these bolded words: Watsonville, Compton, Oxnard and Hoawthorne are closed, work at nearby worksites, and DPA is working to confirm which offices closed. That peaks my interest because it draws attention to key references that make you want to read the entire article. What article am I talking about? Read it here.
Chunking: There really isn’t any chunking in The State Worker’s posts. What is "chunked" are quotes from official legal documents to which Ortiz is referring to. Luckily, Ortiz always puts these in a gray box to distinguish legal mumbo-jumbo from his own writing. Along with the gray boxes is always a link to read the entire document the quote came from, should the reader decide he/she wants to read the whole release. With the “gray box” style and linking away from the site, I feel Ortiz does a nice job keeping chunk-free.
Headlines: The State Worker has very relevant, one-line-sums-it-up headlines that gives you an instant idea of what lies in each post. Additionally, Ortiz occasionally addresses the readers directly in the headlines, asking for feedback (Like his article “It’s Columbus Day: What are you seeing, state workers?”) The headlines do a good job at specifying what is in each post.
Copy Editing: The State Worker is very in sync with AP Style. I am not surprised, as Ortiz is a seasoned journalist who has a long list of stories he’s written. I don’t expect anything less from him.
Use of inverted pyramid: This isn’t always used because the stories are so short. But when it is used, it usually concludes with extra quotes or “follow-up” sentences to wrap the story up like: we called EDD and then e-mailed several questions about he federal notice. We’ll post the department’s response when we get it. However, each post has a topic sentence that delivers the most information, a follow-up sentence, a other relevant details. Though not strongly used, the use of the inverted pyramid is present.
Page titles: The page titles are just OK. On the main page of The State Worker, the page title reads: The Sacramento Bee – The State Worker. If you click on a post to open it in a separate page, the title always reads “The State Worker:” first. This isn’t the best-case scenario because if someone is reading more than one page, it’s easy to get confused with the page titles in the title bar. I say The State Worker makes page titles the title of the current article that is pulled up on the page.
Legibility: Because the posts are short, and the use of bolding key points is constantly used, legibility is very good. I have yet to be caught up in the postings by Ortiz. It is also a plus that the ads stay in one place – off to the right-side of the page.
This Week on The State Worker: The controversies following the now defunct Columbus Day “Holiday.” Is Columbus Day a thing of the past? Did any state workers even report to work today, as they were instructed to do? What’s next in terms of furlough days and unpaid holidays? Check out the last few articles up on the page and find out – plus, read what actual state workers are saying about the current issues.
Length of Text: Each post consists of a fairly concise cluster of paragraphs. Just about every single post is under 20 sentences. I like that and I think it’s important that it’s kept that way because it makes it easier for state workers to read it on the fly (at work?) without spending too much time.
Scanability: To me, this is where Jon Ortiz and The State Worker come in handy. Ortiz bolds key points, figures, and names in each post as to direct attention to the most important pieces of information in the story. For example, the latest post I’m reading is about the closing of short-staffed DMV offices today (Columbus Day), even though they should have remained open. Without even reading the first sentence, I can scan the story and find these bolded words: Watsonville, Compton, Oxnard and Hoawthorne are closed, work at nearby worksites, and DPA is working to confirm which offices closed. That peaks my interest because it draws attention to key references that make you want to read the entire article. What article am I talking about? Read it here.
Chunking: There really isn’t any chunking in The State Worker’s posts. What is "chunked" are quotes from official legal documents to which Ortiz is referring to. Luckily, Ortiz always puts these in a gray box to distinguish legal mumbo-jumbo from his own writing. Along with the gray boxes is always a link to read the entire document the quote came from, should the reader decide he/she wants to read the whole release. With the “gray box” style and linking away from the site, I feel Ortiz does a nice job keeping chunk-free.
Headlines: The State Worker has very relevant, one-line-sums-it-up headlines that gives you an instant idea of what lies in each post. Additionally, Ortiz occasionally addresses the readers directly in the headlines, asking for feedback (Like his article “It’s Columbus Day: What are you seeing, state workers?”) The headlines do a good job at specifying what is in each post.
Copy Editing: The State Worker is very in sync with AP Style. I am not surprised, as Ortiz is a seasoned journalist who has a long list of stories he’s written. I don’t expect anything less from him.
Use of inverted pyramid: This isn’t always used because the stories are so short. But when it is used, it usually concludes with extra quotes or “follow-up” sentences to wrap the story up like: we called EDD and then e-mailed several questions about he federal notice. We’ll post the department’s response when we get it. However, each post has a topic sentence that delivers the most information, a follow-up sentence, a other relevant details. Though not strongly used, the use of the inverted pyramid is present.
Page titles: The page titles are just OK. On the main page of The State Worker, the page title reads: The Sacramento Bee – The State Worker. If you click on a post to open it in a separate page, the title always reads “The State Worker:” first. This isn’t the best-case scenario because if someone is reading more than one page, it’s easy to get confused with the page titles in the title bar. I say The State Worker makes page titles the title of the current article that is pulled up on the page.
Legibility: Because the posts are short, and the use of bolding key points is constantly used, legibility is very good. I have yet to be caught up in the postings by Ortiz. It is also a plus that the ads stay in one place – off to the right-side of the page.
This Week on The State Worker: The controversies following the now defunct Columbus Day “Holiday.” Is Columbus Day a thing of the past? Did any state workers even report to work today, as they were instructed to do? What’s next in terms of furlough days and unpaid holidays? Check out the last few articles up on the page and find out – plus, read what actual state workers are saying about the current issues.
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