Attention all COFFEE lovers!

 As most of you know, I'm in my last semester of college and just recently landed an internship with an amazing company to wrap up my college career. For those of you who love coffee as much as I do, this company is one you will want to learn more about. The company is called THRIVE Farmers coffee and their story is one you don't want to surpass. It all started with Alejandro Garcia, a farmer in Costa Rica who came to the United States in order to earn  money when his family farm was on the verge of failure.When he returned home and began investing his money in coffee processing, he met a man named Ken Lander, an American who was living in Costa Rica and had bought a coffee farm. When the two began sharing their story, their amazingly delicious coffee began selling more quickly than they expected and they decided to partner with local farmers.The San Rafael Coffee initiative was born and within less than two years, the pair had gained around 3000 coffee lovers who were buying the output of more than 20 farmers. This San Rafael coffee became the inspiration for THRIVE Farmers. This company is well on it's way to representing every major coffee growing region in the world while continuing to support the farmers and their community. They separate themselves from many other coffee companies by working DIRECTLY with the farmers with no middle man involved. I have had the pleasure of working with Ken and Alejandro myself and they are both skilled farmers, hard working business men, and wonderful people. The rest of the THRIVE team are no different; they all dedicate countless days and hours to growing this company. So, all you coffee lovers need to ditch your coffee norms and try this amazing brand. They now have a variety of coffee for your various preferences of coffee. Check out their website and online store to help support the growth of an amazing ambitious company and enjoy some unforgettable coffee!

http://www.thrivefarmers.com/thrive-farmers/the-thrive-story/

Americans LACK OF confidence in TV News

Gallup recently did their annual survey on American's confidence in Television News. The pattern the survey seems to be revealing is anything but settling for us as Americans. The 2012 survey revealed that only 21% of Americans say they are confident in TV news. This percentage is down 6% from last years survey where the number was 27%. When the Survey first began in 1993, the number was at an all time high of 46%.Liberals lost so much confidence in TV news last year that their views are now very similar to the conservatives. So what is it that is giving Americans so much doubt in this news source? Many express it is due to the errors a lot of the major networks are making. For example, CNN and Fox News both made major mistakes in their coverage of the Supreme Court healthcare law ruling. These errors and many others are prime examples of why Americans feel they cannot trust TV news. With this issue growing, TV news sources need to do a better job of reviewing information before broadcasting it to the public. Because the journalism world, especially TV news, is such a fast pace environment, it is in everyones best interest for these networks, and any others, to slow down and make sure they are giving Americans ACCURATE information. If they can accomplish that, hopefully these numbers can rise in years to come.

Thanks for the Privacy

With all of the media outlets available in the world today, it is very hard to leave anything private anymore. Anyone who is anyone has pretty much all of their "dirty laundry" aired out for the world to see. People find it absolutely fascinating to be involved in the lives of CELEBS all over the world. Many say that the reason it is so easy to obtain all of their personal information about celebrities is because of all the advancement in social media. After all, with the click of a mouse, or the scroll of a smartphone, you have access to the latest gossip within seconds. I often wonder, if this information was not so readily available, would people go out of their way to find it out? It's hard to really know the answer to that question, but it is not hard to see that with the advancements in digital journalism, the obsession with Hollywood gossip has sky rocketed. Anyone who is on twitter can easily follow E!News and any other celebrity gossip sites, who update their news by the minute. The number one gossip site, "Oh No They Didn't" gets thousands of views daily. Celebrities may not be happy about how easily their personal information is available, but hey, it's all part of the job right?

Are Newspapers out?

With so much advancement in technology almost everyone today knows how to use a computer or some sort of electronic device. This has had a huge impact on the world of jounalism. News sources are now using the internet and internet outlets such as twitter and facebook as ways of getting news out. This has caused newspaper needs to decrease tremendously. People are now looking to the internet for a "quick fix" on their news info. They no longer have to wait for newspapers, or sit and read long paper articles. News access has become so much easier and more common. People get all the info they need with the click of a button, or by reading a 120 character tweet. This has caused numerous newspapers to stop production. Traditionalists of the journalism world may not be happy about this new form of news, but they are going to have to get used to it because it doesn't look like the internet is going to get any less popular anytime soon.

Is Tweeting for Twits?

So we all know how much twitter has recently impacted the world. I mean almost everyone these days, no matter their age, has a twitter or at least knows what twitter is. This new form of social media has made its way into the workplace as well. Especially into the workplace of journalists. Thousands of companies such as radio stations, PR firms, and many others have introduced a new job title. This title of "social media director" is quite controversial for many people. Usually, this job entales having someone update twitter and facebook regularly. Whether it is to promote a new product, or update listeners or TV and radio stations what is up next, the sole purpose of this job title is to work with social media. Outsiders, and even other people in the workplace have a lot to say about this. Many would argue that this job can be done by almost anyone, and it should not be an official paid position. After all, how long does it take to show the average joe how to send a quick tweet, or update a facebook status? The person with the job title often argues that it is a "real job" because a lot of times you have to know a lot about the company or product in order to efficiently tweet about it. But, is that necessarily true? Tweets can only be 140 characters, so how much information is someone really getting from reading a tweet? Isn't it the person who creates the informational link often attached to the tweet that is the professional? This new form or "work" as the "tweeters" would call it is a very controversial one, and is always a highly debated topic. What do you think, is tweeting worthy of a job title, or is it just for twits?

PJNet-what it's all about.

PJNet stands for The Public Journalism Network. This is a blog set up especially for journalists and other people who are trying to understand and  make a difference in the area of journalism and democracy. The author of the blog is a man by the name of Leonard Witt. He is the head of communication at Kennesaw State University. His main focus in journalism is to help citizens voices and opinions be heard in whatever way he can. The blog is a place where anyone who is interested can come and read about upcoming events such as fundraisers and important breakthroughs in journalism. It also focuses on certain influential people and journalists and what they are doing to make a difference. It is a great place for people in this field to get valuable information as well as express their opinions about certain topics. This blog's main focus is the importance of journalism and how to make it better. When you go to the website, on the right is a list of recent articles posted. It even has a section for classrooms where there are certain stories that are particularly beneficial for students. And hey, what college kid would pass up the opportunity for free, easily accessible information? PJNet is a clever and informative blog for anyone who is interested in journalism.The link is below, dive in!

http://pjnet.org/