Category: News

“Comic Book News” Is A Relative Term

Virgil Storyteller asked:

Over the annals of time there have been people to report on the events that occur in life. The same can be said in the world of comics where the term “comic book news” is readily applied, though is rarely accurate. Much like tabloid news, comic book news is mostly comprised of hype and interviews promoting products.

Take a publication like Wizard Magazine that used to be a fun and credible source of comic book news prior to the widespread use of the internet with comic book news sites cropping up by the dozens. Once reporting hard to find tidbits of information for the curious fan out of touch with the behind the scenes world of comics, Wizard was a bastion of comic book news to the uninformed. Now, however, always a step behind and hardly ever providing any real reporting, according to many, Wizard is highly considered nothing more than an 80-page commercial for products from the biggest comic companies in the industry.

Many comic book news websites are the same, rarely reporting any hard-hitting stories or asking the tough questions in interviews, they cater to the professionals and big companies that in kind provide them with exclusive previews and the like that other sites aren’t able to acquire. The two current biggest comic book news websites, Newsarama.com and ComicBookResources.com have such deals and often publish a lot of fluff. That’s not to say those sites, which are beloved by many a comic fan, do not publish newsworthy content as well, it’s just a little harder to find.

The fact is many comic and non-comic fans scoff at the term “comic book news” passing it off and not considering it real journalism. And that’s an accurate thought pattern when considering some so-called comic book news out there. But it’s certainly not the case in totality. There are, in fact, many real journalists in comic book news that write and publish informative, and sometimes controversial reports and articles on events in comics, about creators, and about publishers.

Therefore, the term “comic book news” is a relative term depending on who you ask and what you read. But rest assured, you can find real stories that would be worthy of any credible publication and would certainly be deemed newsworthy. But like the ‘real world’, you have to sift through all the garbage (ie, tabloids, or fluff) to find the real gems in comic book news.

Getting Your Articles in Google News – Myths and Facts

Vinay Kumar asked:

The Google News team made an interesting post titled “Psst… secrets of Google News exposed!” at official Google blog. The post explained about various Myths and facts related with Google news. Posted by Andy Golding, Software Engineer at Google, Andy also shared about how Google include and publish (rank) articles in Google news.

Coming directly to Myths and facts explained.

1. Updating article once it’s included in Google news helps in higher rankings.

False, According to Google the current Google news crawler doesn’t revisit the articles. Every article/news in crawled only once so changing or updating the article will not help at all in fact any changes you make will not be shown at Google news website. I hope Google news crawler will soon have the functionality of revisiting the WebPages.

2. Placing image next to article improves the rankings.

False, Google do include images in news results and displays them next to your news item, but it cannot read the images and rankings purely depends upon text accompanied in your news item and not on having images in the news.

3. Articles with images and video are not included.

True, Google crawler cannot read flash, videos, images and other such type of multimedia content. Thus it’s a fact that if you new release or article doesn’t contain any text accompanying images or multimedia content then it will not be included at all in news results.

4. Time is a major factor for inclusion.

False, Google crawlers are frequently looking for content related to current event and top stories. There are lots of factors that Google algorithms take into consideration and choose the best articles from the cluster for ranking. Publishing articles prior, after or in midst of any event don’t improve any chances of rankings at all.

5. Articles with Google adsense ads rank high in Google news.

False, well this is the most disputed topic among webmasters not only for Google news ranking but also for Google organic results also. Google had always denied this fact and according to goolge spokesman, “Using AdSense doesn’t have any impact upon our ability to crawl or rank your articles. We try to stay as objective as possible, and giving sites with our ads product a boost, well, that wouldn’t be very objective!”

6. Creating sitemap helps.

True, sitemaps may not help in achieving top rankings but they do definitely help in other way like meta data for our article, specifying category the news would be appear, specifying which articles should appear in google news etc.

7. Redesign or change in site structure may affect my coverage in news rankings.

True, any drastic change in website design or structure, layout etc may cause problems with crawling of your article and hence overall coverage over google new may be affected.

Cricket News Keeps the Fans Going

Ella Wilson asked:

With various tournaments taking place around the world, all cricket fans are going crazy due to different time zones in which the matches are taking place. Cricket news is something that keeps them well informed about which team is batting or bowling or has won the toss. Cricket news is also related to the lives of their favorite player or team. In fact, the fans keep on waiting for news on cricketing world throughout the year as it gives them immense happiness.

Cricket news is a way of being updated on the happenings of ongoing matches, whether on the field or off the field. Fans are always looking to get connected to the game on some pretext or other. Cricket news is also for those who are unable to watch cricket match live due to the tied up schedules. cricket news provides them with latest updates on the cricketing world. It also offers immense pleasure to them about the team they are supporting and if the team playing in a tournament is a home team then what say, it is an icing on the cake! In fact, cricket news also offers an insight on the personal as well as professional lives of the cricketers.

What happens, when the newspaper comes, well all the cricket fans jump on to the page where cricket news is printed? We all are well aware of the fact that cricket has its own share of fans and they try to keep in touch with the cricket world through various ways from all over the world. With the development of information technology and availability of Internet has made the process of getting cricket news much easier. In fact, internet has become the most sought after medium to catch the action of cricket. Cricket news is a blessing for all the working professionals as it keeps them hooked and updated on cricketing world. Well, cricket news is just not related or restricted to the happenings on the field, but also provides news on activities outside the field. For instance, which player is doing what, if not playing any tournament and which series is going to take place in the near future?

It also happens that fans also go after the information on cricket coaches and trainers, especially when the person in question belongs to a foreign country. Various kinds of articles are published in leading newspapers, journals and sports magazines. In fact, the entire front page is dedicated on the topic of selecting a new coach for a national team. Besides this, cricket news also provides information on umpires and the decisions taken by them. In addition, if the decision is incorrect, then the news channels as well as the newspapers highlight it and it sells like hot cakes. Cricket news offers its fans to talk on cricket non-stop they are never tired of cricket news. In fact, the cricket news sometimes becomes a topic to debate on. Hence, cricket news is one such news that keeps cricket followers interested in the game.

Hindi portals: Delivering News on Indian Politics, Entertainment and Sports

Anirban Bhattacharya asked:

One can observe a rise of websites in native languages. They integrate local and international news and facilitate news to readers on the internet. Hindi being the mother tongue of more than 40% Indias (and is one of the most spoken languages of the world) features as a language of a horde of upcoming news portals.

Hindi is the national language of India and is one of the strong uniting threads of this culturally diverse country. And going by the count of NRIs (Non-resident Indians) populating the diverse parts of the globe, evidently, there exist several websites that cater to the needs of local and international news in Hindi.

Be it Indian sports news, political news, entertainment news; these websites compete in delivering information piped hot. Thanks to the IPL fever, many websites with provision of sports news in Hindi also offer the service of live video streaming.

Hindi newspapers in India have a wider circulation range (in comparison to other languages, including English) and have the highest number of readers in the country. It is a common language of a good percentage of the population in India irrespective of the class or other societal divisions. India, with a vastly improving internet *********** arte and a growing number of over 80 million internet users show a growing prospect for a wide Hindi portal reader/subscriber base.

NRIs who cannot easily avail news about their locality, find a novel way of being connected with the local happenings of their country through websites offering news in Hindi. While international entertainment, politics and sports news can be reached at easily, Indian (moreover local) entertainment, political news can also be availed easily despite of being stationed at a place far way from India.

Region-specific news offered by websites in Hindi comes in handy for ones to stay attuned to the information about their locality. By delivering region-specific entertainment, politics and sports news in Hindi, these websites provide sumptuous information to the people living away from their region.

Cricket News Updates you With the Latest Info

Ella Wilson asked:

The world championship of any event is widely anticipated and looked forward by all fans and players who are involved with the game. News about the event is very important during the world championship and the game of cricket is no different from the rest of the games. cricket news is the best and the most authentic source through which fans can come to know all about the latest happenings in the world of cricket. The sources for fans to come to know about cricket news are plenty and the onus is on your decide what means you want to use for knowing cricket news.

The way news are broadcast or published by the media has undergone a sea change since the old days. Now there are lots of television news channels and newspapers and getting all information about what is happening in the cricket world both on and off the field has become very easy through cricket news. In fact, with so many chews channels and newspapers available, fans are spilt with opportunities. Cricket news will tell you in details about all the happenings in the cricket world.

In fact, you can come to know about the personal lives of cricketers also through cricket news. Due to the world cup that is taking place at the West Indies, cricket news is all the more watched by fans these days. Sometimes it feels that we are being served with an overdose of cricket news. It is not that we must listen to all the cricket news that is being broadcast. You can choose particular programs in certain news channels and filter out what cricket news or cricket programs that you want to watch.

The online sites are another source which you can use to know about cricket news. There are several cricket dedicated sites and fans can find all that they wish on such sites. We all know that it is not always possible for a busy professional to catch up with the live broadcast of cricket match on television. So for this reason, checking out the cricket websites to know about the latest cricket news and the latest scores of a live game is a good option for them. These days almost all working professionals have access to internet enabled computer, so they can know about the latest cricket score even at their work stations.

Knowing about the latest cricket news or the latest score of a live match is not the only thing that can be accomplished through online sites. Most sites have different sections where fans can take part in different online games. Many of the sites provide this game free of cost to visitors, so they can play them without any hassles. There are not one, but several sites that can be the source for fans to update all their cricket related information. Cricket news can keep you informed about all that is happening in the world of cricket. What is more depending on the type of coverage that is provided; you can actually see your favorite cricketer in a different light.

Forex News – Why Most Traders Use it in the Wrong Way and Lose!

Kelly Price asked:

It’s a fact that today is forex news sources are better than ever and its delivered quicker yet the ratio of losers to winners in forex trading remains the same as it did 50 years ago 95% lose and only 5% lose. The news can be useful but you need to know how to use it.

First let’s look at a simple equation:

Forex Fundamentals (supply and demand news) + Investor Psychology = Price

The facts are there for all of us to see but assessing the impact of the news is hard because humans (millions of them) all motivated differently see the facts but they all draw their own personal conclusions from them and that’s the price.

If it were easy to trade by following the news then there would be a lot more winners than there actually are. Will Rogers once said:

“I only believe what I see in the papers”

Of course he was making a joke but I am amazed by how many traders think that because a story appears on Reuters or another newswire, they can trade it – you can’t.

The fact is that humans always push prices top far up or down, as their emotions come into play and most major tops are formed when the news is most bullish and vice versa in a bear market.

It’s a fact that prices generally move in line with the long term fundamentals but prices spike to far from fair value up or down along the way and history shows us these spikes don’t last.

You can spot them easily on a forex chart and trade them for profit.

There is a well know saying:

“If you can hold onto your head when everyone around you is losing theirs, you probably haven’t heard the news”

In forex trading this means you sit back in a detached fashion and look at your forex charts and when you see a price spike you start to question the news.

For example – the euro spiked to 1.50 recently and everyone said that the dollar was finished – yet its rallied and will probably rally further.

Why?

Because all the news stories have been discounted: Interest rate cuts, the sub prime mortgage crisis, the US will slip into recession etc and things can only get better and people also didn’t pay attention to GDP which is robust.

The dollar was simply oversold and rallied, when the news was at its most bearish.

This doesn’t just happen in forex, it happens in any market.

I read a great story about oil going to $160.00 dollars a barrel and that $100.00 a barrel was sustainable.

Well – there is no shortage of oil.

Global demand is actually falling and the true value of oil is in the $70 – 80 region. When people said $100 a barrel was a forgone conclusion – it was time to sell.

The fact is we are not creatures of logic, we are creatures of emotion.

Humans are also pack animals, we like to be with the crowd and the news reflects this.

The facts are the crowd never wins.

If you look at a forex chart and you see a piece of bullish news that fails to rally a market or a bearish piece of news that doesn’t cause a market to fall – that is telling you to look at your charts and look for a contrary trade.

Forex news can be useful – but not in the way that many traders think.

The above are just a couple of examples, of how you can use forex news ( or any market news) to generate contrary trades, enjoy currency trading success and join the elite winning minority.

Cricket News Gives you In-depth Coverage

Ella Wilson asked:

So when was the last time you went to the stadium to see a live cricket match? Chances are there that it was a long time ago, but if quizzed about cricket news you will surely say it was just a few moments ago. Cricket news has become very important for fans these days because of the increasing number of matches being played and also due to the fact that many things are happening both on and off the cricket field. Cricket fans are always on the look out for cricket news to know about all that is happening in the cricket world.

The biggest event in the world of cricket, the ICC Cricket World Cup is just round the corner. All participating teams are extremely busy playing matches with opponents before the actual event and making strategies to win the world cup. All major news channels, newspapers and tabloids are making an effort to give all the latest cricket news to fans who want to know about all that is happening. Not just because of cricket world cup, cricket news has always been sought after by all fans that follow the game seriously.

There are different sources through which fans can know cricket news. Television is a preferred medium and fans prefer to watch sports channels that cater specially to cricket news about different happenings in the field of cricket. One can find channels specially dedicated to cricket and giving all the cricket news to fans. Also, some news channels have special segments dedicated to cricket news. Television channels however are not a good option for fans who lead a very busy professional life.

There are means for such fans that allows them to be in touch with the latest events. They can read tabloids and newspapers to know about the most recent happenings through cricket news. Fans can carry the newspaper with them to almost all the places they go. Whenever they have spare time, they can look up and read about the most recent happenings in cricket news. Team selections have always intrigued the cricket fan, and cricket news from any medium is welcome to them as long as they get authentic news about team compositions.

Online sites are another good option for people who are very busy with their occupation and still want to be acquainted with cricket news. All they need to have is a computer that is internet enabled and they can know about anything related to cricket that they wish to know. News, latest scores, team selections and discussion about any controversy that takes place in the cricket world are some of the things fans can know through these cricket dedicated sites.

So no matter in what corner of the world a match is taking place and your favorite team and players are taking part, you can know all about the match through cricket news. For dedicated cricket fans, going to the stadium to watch a live match or catching up with a live match on television may not always be possible. However with the different modes of communication available to them, they can always know about cricket news.

News Photography – 7 Tips To Make It Happen!

Abhishek Agarwal asked:

One of the most interesting fields of photography is news photography. News photography is all about bringing to life complete and honest news events. It is necessary to capture news photographs perfectly in order to catch the reader’s eye.

It takes a news photographer years to develop the skill and talent required to produce quality photographs. It is not without many failures and errors that news photography can be mastered. Many successful news photographers admit that they have achieved what they have only after many failures.

For those who wish to start a career in the field of news photography, there are a few tips you must keep in mind.

1. Be attentive to natural sounds. Natural sounds are as essential as any picture or image. Interesting images can be made more interesting if it is accompanied by a good sound as these complement each other.

2. You need to master the art of white balancing. You should know which angles go on which surface. Getting the lighting right is one of the most essential factors in taking a good shot.

3. You need to know how to hold the perfect shot. Try your best to hold the shot for longer. You will learn the art of creating intervals between each shot.

4. Be extremely attentive in your interviews and ensure that you know the story. Interact with your reporter so that you get an idea on where he wants to go with the story so that you can capture accordingly.

5. While capturing shots, make sure you use your tripod. It is a common misconception that a video camera can be held steadily. There are some photographers who prefer to move around while taking their shots.

6. As far as possible, use your feet to zoom and not your lens. The best way to get a clear idea of the event is getting as close to the subject as possible. If you zoom in with your camera, the quality of the image might be blurred.

7. Use camera light only where it is needed. You can always choose to angle the light on the subject instead of directly lighting it. If you light up the subject too much, your pictures might turn out too bright and hence flat against the background.

It takes a great deal of mastery and skill to make a good news photographer who takes featured news shots. Try being as creative as possible and shoot different angles so that you have a unique view on every situation you encounter. Lastly, practice makes perfect so you should practice as much as you can before you dive head on into the field.

Speak Good News Today.

clint asked:

Tired of being tired especially when you just finished your vacation? Has life lost its meaning? Waiting for the anti-depressant drugs to start working? Hoping for some good news? Want a change in attitude… try speaking good news today!

When you think about a new baby, a marriage, a new kitten, a good medical report, a promotion, a vacation, an anniversary, a birthday, a new car, a graduation, and or a family reunion? Do the super emotional feelings of giving sharing and love ring a good tone? When you hear these words, how does it make you feel? For most, hearing good news, brings a gift of joy to the heart?

What is it that you normally hear daily? Gasoline prices going up, a divorce, a bad health report, a shooting, a robbery, a bad economy, a job loss, cost of living increasing, a foreclosure, crime, loss of a relative and so many other depressing thoughts that cover the daily newspaper, magazines, and TV. It’s the main topic of conversation and gossip that most everyone is endlessly talking about.

We hear it when we get up, all through the day, while we eat and when we are going to sleep. It’s constant and just never seems to end. In fact, just when you thought how bad could it get, a breaking news story captures your attention. It’s always bad and negative news, and actually more craziness than you care to know. When does it all stop?

When is the last time that you heard any…good news? When is the last time that you heard of a good deed being done for someone else? A heartfelt story that left you welling up a bit, on hearing a great human-interest story that had a live happily they’re after ending? It’s enjoyable to share good news with others.

A parent and child reunited after years of estrangement, a survivor of a serious medical disease, or your best friend’s marriage that was heading to divorce court was miraculously reconciled, and they are living happily as newly weds.

Ever wonder why so many people are so negative in their attitudes, and on a perpetual prescription of anti-depressant drugs? The effects of what they see, read and hear are having a devastating affect on our society today.

Soooo, what’s my point now that I have you stirred up and thinking?

When all this negative news is captured and internalized by the reader, what is their first reaction to it all? Not surprising…better repeat it and tell someone else.

Just suppose…that you didn’t repeat it? I know what you are thinking…

But hear me out, what is the worst that would happen if someone might not know immediately, then what? With all the media coverage, how could one not know?

Besides, there are no such re-reporting awards! Does it make any sense to serve up another heaping portion of bad news to a person that is already on a depression overload? Remind you of some that you may know?

Changes in attitude with good intentions is healthy and a healing medicine.

Try this…Speak Good News. Try it for a day and see the improved results in not only your life, but also in the lives of others around you!

Speak good news? What the heck is that? Where in this crazy world can I ever find some good news to speak? ….Want to learn more about speaking good news?  Please visit my website to satisfy your curiosity. Speak the good news to others, and feel the gift of joy re-enter into your life. Need some joy today?

Take Advantage of the Slowest News Time of the Year

Shannon Cherry asked:

Too much hustle and bustle this holiday season? Bah, humbug. The slowest news time is upon us.

You may have heard that “timing is everything” and that is even more true in media relations. But how do you know when is the best time to send a news release?

Most news organization won’t tell you this, but the slowest time of the year are holidays – with the week between Christmas and New Year’s the mother of all slow times. That’s because almost every office is closed or short staffed, so that no news is generated during that week.

You know those slow news days: it’s when the news covers about five parades, four soup kitchens and the atest celebrity weddings or divorces as major stories.

During these slow news times, journalists are hungry for news stories. A savvy publicist will take advantage of this and keep some ideas just for this time.

If you hit a great angle on a slow news day, you may find yourself looking at your own picture and a 30-inch story in your morning paper. You can even get coverage in major markets such as New York and Los Angeles; in some ways it’s easier, because the daily papers in those cities are huge, and have a larger “news hole” to fill.

But also, community and neighborhood papers in those large markets are extremely receptive, even if you don’t get into the biggest paper in town. And small town or ethnic papers are often desperate for your news. The more complete, concise, and well-written your release, the better its chances of being used.

Here are some great ways to get some coverage:

1) Surveys and polls – Reporters love these if you have a good sampling of people. Surveys and polls are quick and easy to report on. Why not conduct one during the holiday sales season and announce the results during the slow week? If you are a business coach, how about a survey on what business owners fear most for the upcoming year.

2) Trends – Did you see a trend this season? Was there something that flew off your shelves that you didn’t expect to? Then let the media know.

3) Tips – These are great fillers — especially for newspapers when the paid advertising space has dwindled down after the holiday frenzy. Think of four to seven tips that relate to your customers or clients needs and write them in a news release format.

The key here is not only to give them newsworthy tidbits, but actually be available for interviews and questions when other people normally are not. You’ll be the hero and remembered in the future.

Another great thing to do during this time is to give the reporters who cover your topic a call and talk to them. Perhaps set up a time to meet or take them to lunch. This wouldn’t be used for pitching, but to build a relationship and find out more about what the journalist is looking for.

The holidays are the slowest news times of the year. When government offices are closed, so are most of a reporter’s sources. Take advantage of it.

In fact, take out your calendar and begin circling government holidays. If the government isn’t making news, reporters are scrambling to find something to cover. Pitch even an average story on a day when the media is starving for news, and you’re much more likely to get coverage.