E-Journals: New Issues This Week

New issues of the following journals are available online this week:

• Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies
  
• Discourse Processes
• Journal of Popular Culture
• Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly
  
• Visual Communication
  

Click on a title to access the issue. (Login with your BC username and password is required for off-campus access.)

New Guide: Interpersonal Communication

Help with research into interpersonal communication is now available in a new online guide. The guide, available at http://libguides.bc.edu/interpersonal, provides strategies and sources for finding articles, books, background information, and tests & measures. Click on the Getting Help tab for additional support, and feel free to use the Comment links in the guide to suggest improvements or enhancements to the guide.

"If It Catches My Eye": Teens and Online News

Teenagers aren’t much into following serious news online, but news organizations can – and should – cultivate their interest, according to a new report from the Media Management Center at Northwestern University.

The report, "If It Catches My Eye: An Exploration of Online News Experiences of Teenagers," is based on a study of 65 Chicago-area teens conducted last year. Among its findings:

• *Teens are not interested enough to go out of their way for "serious" news. So whatever news pops up in front of them when they turn on their computers – usually the large Internet portals and news aggregators – is what they see.
• *At the same time, teens are "interestable." They will look at many different kinds of news online if it captures their attention – with subjects that interest them, video, pictures, the right topics, humorous and weird news and new things.
• *News organizations should listen to teens and actively develop new products, campaigns and initiatives aimed at attracting teens to the news, “catching the eye" and then deepening their interest by focusing on subjects teens are most interested in, providing the features and functionalities they like, and building on their interest in humor.
• *News content should be placed on sites where teens spend their time.
• *Programs should be developed to decrease teens' angst about the news.

See the full report online for more.

E-Journals: New Issues This Week

New issues of the following journals are available online this week:

• American Journalism Review
• Argumentation
  
• Communication Research
• Cultural Studies<=>Critical Methodologies
  
• Discourse & Society
• Discourse Studies
  
• Human Relations
• International Communication Gazette
• Journal of Social and Personal Relationships
• Journalism
  
• Management Communication Quarterly
• Rhetoric & Public Affairs
• Simulation & Gaming
  
• Written Communication
  

Click on a title to access the issue. (Login with your BC username and password is required for off-campus access.)

New BC Libraries Website

The BC Libraries website was relaunched over the break with a new cleaner and easier-to-use format in line with the look of other BC websites.

Key pages for communication studies include a Research Help by Subject page. There you'll find quick links to the major communication databases, in-depth research guides, and course-specific pages. Similar portals for other disciplines, including many of value to communication research, are also available.

Use the Website feedback form on the home page to send comments to our Web administration, or contact me with any questions or comments about using the site for your research.

Getting Help with Your Research

Welcome back! As you get into your Communication coursework this semester, remember that I'm here to help. Here are some of the things I can do for you:

• * Classroom Sessions: I'll be visiting many of your classes for research instruction sessions specific to the needs of the course.
• * Individual Consultations: I'm available for customized help on research questions large and small. E-mail, call, drop by my office, or contact me via the live help boxes on many of my pages.
• * Books & Bytes: Watch Major Mail each week for news, tips, suggestions, and ideas about communication information resources available to you.
• * My Home Page: Visit my home page (http://www2.bc.edu/~lissk/) for links to key databases, course support pages, research guides, an RSS feed of new items from CommTopics, and more.
  

I look forward to working with you. Let me know how I can help.

"Video Snacking": Prime Time on the Web

"In cubicles across the country, lunchtime has become the new prime time," reports the New York Times, and content producers and advertisers are taking notice.

Office workers frequently spend at least part of their lunch hour watching short videos -- "video snacking" -- and while this midday spike is not new, according to the Times, the response of media companies is new.

The article describes how media organizations, including CNN, NBC, local television stations and newspapers, and others, are creating programming specifically targeted at the lunchtime Web crowd. Advertisers and marketers are paying attention too, with some reporting that "consumers are up to 30 percent more likely to make a purchase after viewing an advertisement at lunchtime than at other times of the day."