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► Media Collective
The Media Collective seeks to involve Salford students in directing their newspaper, Student Direct. We hold regular meetings where you can have your say on the content of the paper - what you like, what you dislike and what you'd like to see more of.
It's also the group to join if you want to work on Student Direct or any other aspect of the Students' Union media. Currently we're looking for:
* Writers
* Photographers
* Proofreaders
* Website designers
And more...
To find out more about the Media Collective contact VP Jim Dale on 0161 351 5400 or email: vpblbe-ussu@salford.ac.uk
Click here to view the Student Direct area of the website.
Outcomes from the Media Collective on 23 March 2010
The Media Collective met on Tuesday 23 March to discuss the progress of Student Direct and www.salfordstudents.com. In terms of the paper, the features section was complimented for its variety and relevance to student life.
It was also agreed that although international news was interesting, the paper looks much better when it concentrates solely on University and student-focussed news.
There was also some dicussion over the colour scheme of the paper; it was suggested that the Arts page could have a larger and more distinctive logo, but that would mean having to lose one review per week due to lack of space. It was also proposed that the colour scheme differences between Manchester and Salford were a good thing, as they separated the two sections and made it clear which pages were Salford-specific.
The WTF competition was also revealed to have been a succes, with a winner having claimed their prize every week since the contests began.
The interactive elements of the paper were also discussed; it was agreed that the Twitter and Facebook links would be promoted via the website and the newspaper, and that the paper would carry the website address on the front of the paper.
The website, it was suggested, sould also carry podcasts from Shock Radio when possible, and the fact that the photo gallery was being added to could also be promotoed via the 'Week in Pictures' section of the paper.
Outcomes from the Media Collective on 15 February 2010
The Media Collective met on Monday 15 February to discuss the progress of Student Direct, and consider new ideas for content. It was decided that the answer to the ‘What On Earth…’ question would be available at http://www.salfordstudents.com/content/19384/salford_student_direct/ every Monday.
The collective members also reviewed other universities’ student papers, and it was generally thought that Salford had a good ration of news, features, arts and sport, and was not too text-heavy like some of the papers.
The group also agreed that the Student Direct Facebook fan page would be linked to the website, to attract more fans. To become a fan of Student Direct: Salford Edition on Facebook, search for Salford Student Direct and click ‘become a fan’.
The next Media Collective meeting will take place in March- for more information, email the editor Steph on studentdirect-ussu@salford.ac.uk and keep checking the website for regular updates!
Outcomes from Media Collective Meeting, 10 December 2009
The Media Collective Meeting took place in the Boardroom of University House.
Jim Dale (one of the USSU sabbatical officers) welcomed everyone to the meeting. This is a new group so none of the students there had attended before and each introduced themselves.
Jim explained that the Media Collective was not a formal meeting, it was a chance for students to get together to review Student Direct and suggest ideas for content. Students could find out about the opportunities available to work in student media at the meetings, such as the newspaper, Student Direct and the Students’ Union website.
Student Direct Newspaper
Some back issues of the paper were distributed and everyone was invited to give their comments.
• There was positive feedback about the broad range of topics in the paper and students agreed that the space allocated to Salford was used well. There were diverse writing styles which Steph, the editor, said she tried to encourage.
• The group agreed that the paper worked well for Salford when it took the first and last six pages, although this was not always possible. As the editor did not see the content of the Manchester paper in advance, occasionally there was some limited duplication, for example a review of the same thing. As the duplication was insignificant, it was not thought that action needed to be taken.
• Hayley wanted to see more fashion in the paper and it was thought that this could be included in the advice (e.g. what to wear to the Christmas Ball) or reviews sections. She volunteered to produce some content.
• Mishal offered to submit some poetry for inclusion in the paper which Steph felt could potentially make a good weekly feature. She would also cover horoscopes.
• The group discussed the sports page and Steph said that the sports editor was not able to cover all Salford club matches, so the paper was not always able to report on their successes. Better coverage could be achieved if clubs sent their details of their matches through to Steph and she would request this again, via the Student Activities Development Unit.
• A weekly What’s On guide was being produced for the website. There was agreement that this would also work well in the paper and Mishal volunteered to get involved.
• It was thought that more interactive content would be appreciated by students, such as caption competitions. The ‘You’ve Been Spotted’ competition run last year saw students collect their prize every week.
• Drew agreed to take four photographs a week for the paper which would also be added to the website. The photos would be of student events and activities that had taken place that week. It was thought that some of the pictures used for the sports pages were of low quality (e.g. just taken with camera phone) and he agreed to get involved in this area too.
The group would aim to review other Union papers at the next meeting.
Locations for Distribution
Students were asked if they felt that the newspaper could be distributed anywhere in addition to its current locations and the common room of IQ was suggested. Steph would follow this up.
Posting through students’ doors would be ideal, but was too labour intensive for one person.
It was thought that there were too many papers in The Pav so the quantity delivered would be reduced.
USSU Website
Helen (marketing manager) said that she was looking for student volunteers to assist with content creation, design and functionality of the website. Mishal had experience in this area and agreed to review the website as a longer term project, possibly with others.
She also needed students interested in creating short films for the website, e.g. obtaining student opinion on a particular topic (vox pops), ‘five things I couldn’t do without’.
Maz said that the BUCS website carried details of all club match fixtures and results and this basic information could be used to create content for the website, if the information requested from the student activity groups was not forthcoming. It was agreed that this would be very basic information but would be a start and may encourage the groups to send in more details to promote their group and its successes.
It was felt that promotion of the website through the paper was necessary. Readers could be reminded that they can read the newspaper online. When articles did direct people online, the link could be more prominent, for example in a box.
Next meeting
The next meeting will take place on 15 February at 2pm and all students are welcome. Whether you have feedback on the paper or want to find out more about volunteering in student media, please join us. Details of the meeting will be added to the website. To find out more about the Media Collective, contact Steph Bartup at: s.bartup@salford.ac.uk
