By Lauren Gentile<\/p>\n
When I arrived at the 2009 ONA conference in San Francisco, I was bombarded with an information explosion. After attending conference sessions, collaborating with mentors, and sifting through numerous new tools for journalists and communicators, here are five important and interesting things I learned during my time here.<\/p>\n
How did Twitter get its name?<\/strong><\/p>\n The name Twitter<\/a>, made famous by the site where you can express a thought, share a link or break news in 140 characters or less, has found its way into the vocabulary of people worldwide. Millions of people send out \u201ctweets\u201d ever day\u2014but just how did these new words make their way into everyday conversation?\u00a0 Evan Williams, CEO Twitter, said in his opening keynote address that we \u201ctwitch\u201d when our phone vibrates in our pocket, and birds make a chirping noise when they communicate. Twitter sounded better than Twitch and the brand evolved from there. Williams also joked, \u201cIt sounds better than \u2018status updates.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n The Future of Television<\/strong><\/p>\n We all love to interact on our computers\u2014click links, scroll through photos and buy merchandise. Soon we will have similar capabilities on our television screens. Amy Webb, founder of Knowledgewebb.net<\/a>, said that some companies have already made strides to enable television audiences to click on a certain area of the screen\u2014maybe a vase on a table in the latest episode of Desperate Housewives or Tony Romo\u2019s football jersey\u2014you will then be directed to their Web site or your Amazon account to purchase the product. Twitter and Facebook feeds can also be displayed on the side of your television screen.<\/p>\n How to find your way out of a paper bag–or Town Hall.<\/strong><\/p>\n We have all relied on Google Map<\/a>s or MapQuest<\/a> to get us where we need to be. The next problem is getting to your final destination, for example, the office where your interview is inside a ten-story building.\u00a0 Fear no more. Thanks to an evolving app called Micello<\/a>, you will soon be able to navigate your way around office buildings, airports, college campuses and shopping malls using your mobile phone.<\/p>\n Digital Wallet<\/strong><\/p>\n Starbucks<\/a> has launched a new iPhone App that allows you to pay for your latte with your phone.\u00a0 The new mobile Starbucks card displays a barcode on your iPhone that the Barista scans when you get to the counter. The app also allows for you to check your balance, add money using another credit card and view purchase history. Amy Webb says apps like this may be the new face of credit cards worldwide.<\/p>\n The power of photojournalists<\/strong><\/p>\n When professional photojournalist Najlah Feanny<\/a> set out to complete her master\u2019s degree thesis project at Parsons School of Design<\/a> in New York City, she never thought she would touch the lives of hundreds of foster kids nationwide. Originally Feanny wanted to create a portrait gallery of six teenagers waiting to be adopted. She wanted to use the Internet to put real faces to the national problem of teenage adoption. Feanny started her \u201cHeart Gallery of New Jersey<\/a>\u201d photo project in 2005 by reaching out to the Division of Youth and Family Services in search of six names.\u00a0 She received more than 300.\u00a0 Unable to cut the list to six names, Feanny then recruited other photojournalists to help photograph each child. Her efforts yielded heart-warming results: 135 foster kids from the original 350 were adopted. Since then, Feanny has expanded the project to Do1Thing.org<\/a>, a site dedicated to helping foster kids and homeless teenagers find homes. This project includes a nationwide day of service in which photojournalists and editors donate their time to produce stories about children aging out of the foster care system who face homelessness.<\/p>\n Lessons learned<\/strong><\/p>\n As a student \u00a0immersed in new media and technology on a daily basis, I never thought that I would learn so much about Web technology and innovations in the news business at ONA09. I think it\u2019s fair to say that I was a little overconfident upon my arrival. As I\u2019m scheduled to return to the East Coast tomorrow morning, I find myself reflecting back on everything I learned during my time here. Not only did I discover new apps, Web sites and tools for journalists on the Web, I discovered what it really means to be a successful journalist. After hearing about Feanny\u2019s story, I realized that journalism isn\u2019t just about telling a captivating story or delivering news to the public. The Internet, together with journalism, gives us the opportunity to change lives and make a difference.<\/p>\n