FINAL: Boston Introduces Two New Holiday Traditions

There are plenty of holiday events and decorations to experience around Boston, but this year the city debuted two new seasonal spectacles that are sure to become beloved traditions.

The first is Blink!, which premiered on Nov. 17. You can take a look at my experience at Blink! below:



The six-week light show, funded by the Faneuil Hall Merchant's Association, features over 350,000 LED lights that blink to the music of the Boston Holiday Pops Orchestra. Most of the trees throughout Faneuil Hall's property are decorated with white lights and the Christmas tree looks as impressive as ever as the star of the show.There are 12 shows per night lasting about five minutes each and every one is different.

Blink! is taking advantage of the popularity of social media and viewers are encouraged to share their experiences at Blink! online, especially on Twitter (#BostonBlinks) and Instagram.

If you’re in Downtown Boston to see Blink!, here are some other stops you should make while you’re in the area:

View Downtown Boston Holiday Attractions in a larger map

While most of the other decorations around Boston are large Christmas trees and twinkling lights, the Shops at the Prudential Center introduced Boston’s second new holiday display in a more understated way. 

The event is called 31 Nights of Light and it has been established as a way to bring awareness to Boston area organizations. Each night starting on Dec. 1, the Prudential Center Tower will be lit a different color representing that night’s organization. Throughout the month of December, 28 organizations will have the chance to get some valuable recognition during the holiday season.

Each night, there will be a “Flip the Switch” ceremony featuring a four-foot light switch that will light up the Tower. The events will also have performances and speakers corresponding to that night’s partner. Supporters of each night’s organization and members of the Boston community will be invited to the ceremonies. Some of the community organizations receiving attention this year include AIDS Action, the Boston Harbor Association, and the Boys & Girls Club of Newton.

If you’re looking to make a difference this holiday season, the Prudential Center is also host to other charitable events including a holiday toy drive to benefit the Home for Little Wanderers and a “Giving Tree” where participants can pick an ornament and fulfill a wish for someone.

While you’re in Back Bay to take advantage of the Prudential’s many holiday donation options, take a walk to Boston Common to see all of the festive decorations: 

View Back Bay Holiday Attractions in a larger map

While Blink! and 31 Nights of Light are holiday celebrations with different purposes, they do have one important similarity: LED lights. This year Boston is making the transition to LED lighting wherever it can. The Prudential installed these new energy efficient lights in the Tower and Blink! used them on all of the trees. In fact, throughout Blink!’s six-week run at Faneuil Hall, it will only use as much electricity as the average American household.

According to the City of Boston, Mayor Menino has been encouraging people to use LED lighting for their holiday decorations whenever possible. It’s a good move considering that they last longer, have better color, and save energy. So far, these lights have been used for the two new holiday traditions as well as the lights on Boston Common’s Christmas tree and the other decorations throughout the Common and the Public Garden.

The city also has plenty of other sights to take in that have been longstanding traditions: 

Whether you’re looking to enjoy Christmas lights, one of the world’s largest menorahs, or make a difference in someone’s life, Boston has plenty of options for you this holiday season.

NY Mag Tells New Yorkers Why They Should Love Their City

For my final blog post for JO 304, I'm going to take a look at New York Magazine's Reasons to Love New York 2012. 

The list gives 74 reasons why New York is great. The top part of the list features icons that link to  corresponding text. 

For example, New York Magazine thinks Times Square might be better than ever, which is one of the longest articles on the list. Many of the items are quick and funny excerpts like the fact that Eli Manning has won two Super Bowls and still looks like he's 12-years-old. 

New York Magazine also added a photo slideshow if readers needed even more reasons to love New York this year. 

Overall, the list is entertaining and there is a good mix of poignant articles about New York and what it's been through as well as the sarcastic humor that NY Mag is known for. 

I wish that every entry on the list had an icon to go with it, but overall the list is each to scroll through and none of the articles are too long so they keep readers' attention. It's a list that I would go through in it's entirety and it reminded me that even though I live in Boston now, I'll always have a special place in my heart for New York.

Interactive Mapping on NYMag.com

Last week, I was disappointed with New York Magazine's lack of multimedia usage in their holiday gift and event guides, but this week they have redeemed themselves.

Grub Street is NY Mag's food blog and they took full advantage of Google Maps to create the New and Notable Grub Map.

The map plots recently opened (green) and recently reviewed (orange) restaurants as well as restaurants that are coming soon (yellow). The map is regularly updated to include new openings and reviews. Each of the points features the name and address of the restaurant and a link to an article. I would have liked to see a photo of the restaurant for each point, but at least the link is helpful. 

The Magazine also takes advantage of its readers' social media use and provides links to share the map via Facebook, Twitter, email, etc. 

NYMag also tags its posts, giving it some SEO brownie points. This map is tagged under "grub map" and "openings." 

If readers click "openings," they can see  all of New York Magazine's posts that are tagged as "openings" even if they are not on the Grub Street Blog. 

I have been reading New York Magazine for years thanks to my parents (they're subscribers), but I was pleased to discover today that NY Mag expanded the Grub Street Blog to include other cities. Now I can get my food fix for Boston from my favorite New York publication!

Obviously, New York Magazine would not be able to do this with every blog or specific website, but the Grub Street Blog was the perfect section to expand across the country. So far, the blog has expanded to Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, and Philadelphia. 

Even though NY Mag is based out of New York City, there are no shortage of posts in every cities' blog. Most of the blogs are updated multiple times daily. 

The Grub Street Blogs are great (and interactive!) ways to keep up on food news and reviews in New York, and other major cities. 

Flash Assignment #1

 Alayna, Zack, Lauren

Getting into the Christmas Spirit

New York Magazine is beginning to come out with their gift and event guides for the holiday season.

The lists all feature great ideas for holiday excursions for a variety of prices. The gift guides are unconventional and one lists experiences you can give someone as a gift, including butchering a pig, bagpiping lessons, and knife-making. If you're looking for interesting things to do, see, or buy, NY Mag's holiday guides have you covered.

While the ideas are great, it is disappointing to see such a lack of photos and videos to accompany each list's suggestions.

At most, the Experiential Gift Guide included one photo beside each gift idea.

It would have better to pick a few of the most unique experiences and maybe have a slide show or video testimonials from people who have actually done them.

The Very Classic Christmas guide has great suggestions like a puppet production of A Christmas Carol and a performance of A Charlie Brown Christmas complete with a live jazz ensemble.

Unfortunately, there are no photos or videos accompanying this list at all.

I think that New York Magazine would benefit from adding photos or videos to their gift and event lists because it makes the suggestions more appealing. If you can see photos or hear clips of the performance or people's reviews, it makes you want to click the links and maybe consider doing one of the activities or buying one of the eccentric gifts for someone instead of just reading (and eventually forgetting) about them.

MIDTERM: East Boston's HarborArts Outdoor Gallery

It all started with a fish. A large, orange, metal fish to be exact. You know you’ve arrived at the HarborArts outdoor gallery when you see it.

The codfish sculpture sits atop a building at the Boston Harbor Shipyard and Marina in East Boston and it’s impossible to miss. The cod, which is now endangered, represents HarborArts’ mission to use large scale art to bring attention to the need to preserve and protect our waterways, and especially our oceans.

Steve Israel is the man responsible for HarborArts. As the founder and chairman, he uses art to raise public awareness for an issue he is incredibly passionate about. Israel hopes to inspire both communities and companies to take action and lead environmentally responsible lives. His desire to protect our water resources coupled with a background in architectural salvaging led Israel to create the gallery as well as the online marketplace, which is currently under development, to connect artists and consumers with art that promotes environmental respect.

The HarborArts gallery began with Israel’s creation of the forty-foot codfish. He sculpted the fish and let it set sail in September of 2009. The fish was lit and powered by solar panels and made stops at the Boston Children’s Museum and the New England Aquarium.

Israel wanted to inspire and educate people about preservation of the waterways. What better way to do that than sail an orange cod the size of a whale and made of metal through Boston Harbor. He wanted people to take notice of the sculpture and start asking questions.

The codfish now sits atop a warehouse near the entrance of the shipyard as a reminder of how easily the species could become extinct.

With more and more focus currently being put on ecological preservation, HarborArts is a shining example of awareness being promoted in a creative and compelling way. The international outdoor gallery features the famous cod as well as contemporary exhibits from over thirty artists from three different continents and still has spaces open for display.

While most of HarborArts’ installations are contemporary, the materials used to make the pieces vary from recycled materials to acrylic paint to vines and trash.

Artist Trace O’Connor created “Iscariot”, a sculpture made of recycled steel and pipes, which is positioned atop one of the shipyard’s warehouses. The stunning cross between a mermaid and a squid is among the larger exhibits at the gallery

Entirely different yet equally as compelling, James Fuhrman designed the exhibit “Sea Change – See Change”, a floating text display reminding viewers that their actions have the potential to make a visible difference. Even though each piece of art is crafted from different materials, they all work together to enforce the message of environmental respect and reverence.

The exhibits are spread out among the buildings and docks of the marina. They hang on the sides of buildings, sit atop warehouses, and are even anchored in the water itself. The installations are changed seasonally and they are on loan from the artists for at least a year.

View HarborArts Exhibits in a larger map

HarborArts doesn’t only have a presence at the marina, they have extended their operation online as well. The HarborArts blog keeps fans of the gallery up to date on happenings around the Harbor as well as information on new exhibits.

The blog also provides information about the HarborArts Festival, which was held this year on Saturday, September 22^nd. Since its inception in 2010, HarborArts has held a festival to celebrate the gallery’s opening and to bring attention to its mission as well as the gallery itself. The Festival (date to be determined for 2013) features live music, local food, drinks, and of course, plenty of art.

Although HarborArts is worth the trip to the shipyard in East Boston, it’s best explored when the weather is warm and you have plenty of time to devote to each installation.

HarborArts is a non-profit organization and relies on the donations and support of patrons. The gallery, located at 256 Marginal Street in East Boston, is open from 3 p.m. to sunset on weekdays and from sunrise until sunset on weekends. 

While you're in the area, here are some places to visit on your way to HarborArts from the Blue Line Maverick T stop. 

View HarborArts in a larger map

Election Day!

It's Election Day and naturally, New York Magazine's home page is all about politics.

What I like about NY Mag's election coverage is that it's not just news updates. While these are obviously important, not everyone wants that kind of coverage.

For example, the featured article is The Ultimate Guide to Watching the Election and it gives a timeline for what to expect throughout the night as the polls close. It gives the time that each state's polls close as well as other information about important polls to watch, important senate races, and ballot issues.

The website also features articles about Obama's confidence and five ways Romney could win the election. Of course, NY Mag isn't always entirely serious and the article about Romney ends with the fifth way he could beat Obama...

And since it's Election Day and New York Magazine allows comments on its articles, there will be an endless source of entertainment.

This was a comment on how Romney could win the election:

While NY Mag's Daily Intel is tweeting and blogging updates about the election, the home page features the more comical articles as opposed to the hard news updates.

Happy Election Day!

VIDEO DIARY: Aerosmith Free Concert on Comm Ave

Aerosmith held a free concert today on Comm Ave in Allston. They performed in front of the apartment building they lived in when they formed the band. That section of the street and part of the Green Line were closed during the day to accomodate the large amount of attendees. 

VIDEO: BU Physical Therapy Trick or Trot 5K

Hurricane Sandy Hits New York

Obviously the big topic for everyone currently is Hurricane Sandy and New York Magazine is certainly no exception. New York is preparing for a huge (and potentially disastrous) impact.

NY Mag states that there is the potential for the subway system to experience flooding. The MTA suspended subways, commuter trains, and buses as of 7 p.m. last night, but there is little that New York can do to prepare for such an occurrence.

New York Magazine's Daily Intel is also liveblogging Hurricane Sandy, which has been dubbed "Frankenstorm," complete with video and photo updates.

The Magazine also features a Hurricane Sandy slideshow.

In true New York Magazine fashion, not everything is serious. They also feature an article on the home page about where to eat and drink in New York during the storm.

While NY Mag may not be New York's most popular news source, they are doing a commendable job of providing updates and coverage for New York area.

Monitoring Popularity

Since we talked about tracking the popularity of news articles and videos last week, I wanted to point out a section of New York Magazine's website which does just that.

We talked about monitoring page views and statistics, which were much more detailed, but that's because they were for content creators to manage. However, NY Mag's Most Commented, Most Viewed, and Most Emailed tabs let readers know which articles have been most popular in the last 24 hours.

The Most Commented tab's top three articles are political, predictably. NY Mag also features the top three stories for Vulture.com, the magazine's entertainment news and pop culture site. The number of comments on each article is identified in yellow.

Similarly, the Most Viewed tab's top three articles are about the presidential election.

The Most Emailed tab shows which articles were shared the most and whole the first article is a newer one, the last two are from at least a week ago. I would be most likely to click the links to the articles on the Most Emailed tab because not only have people taken the time to view them, but they've also shared them with others.

I know that most news sites do this sort of popularity tracking, and I think it's a good tool for readers to see what everyone else thinks is most important. Sometimes they can be misleading because the article would technically be considered "viewed" if a reader clicked on it because the headline was interesting, but then didn't actually read the article.

I think New York Magazine remedies this to some extent by having the Most Commented tab because I would hope if people are commenting on an article they've actually read it and have a strong opinion about it. The Most Emailed tab is also great because it shows that someone read the article and wanted to share it with someone else. Overall, it really helps readers who can be overwhelmed by the amount of content on the site find popular articles. 

PHOTO: Brian Stankus

If you like what you see, check him out on brianstankus.com

PHOTO: Haymarket

Some caption facts from boston-discovery-guide.com/haymarket-boston.html

Politics Through Photos

This week's issue of New York Magazine is the Election Issue. With the election coming up on November 6th, I'm surprised that NY Mag hasn't been pushing the political articles more lately.

However, the home page today features three interesting pieces with similar cover images.

The first is about the Clintons and what will happen if Obama gets reelected. The article states that Clinton may have saved Obama's presidency, so what will they receive in return? The article's photo is striking and clearly heavily edited, but it makes an impact.

(Photo: Christopher Anderson)

What is interesting though, it that another article featured on the home page uses the same type of photo for an article about Romney and Obama and what will happen if either takes the oath of office.

(Photo: Christopher Anderson)

Both images are powerful and it's almost ironic that both Clinton and Romney are making the same face. But NY Mag doesn't stop there.

In yet another featured article in the Election Special, the magazine shows an image of  Jeb Bush in the same style as the other two photos. 

(Photo: Christopher Anderson)

As shown from the credits, each of the photos was taken by the same photographer, but I think the magazine should have varied the images a little bit. Each photograph does make an impact, but the same type of photo should not have been used to head each article. 

All of the articles featured different types of images on each page and I think it might have been more interesting to use those different photos for cover images. 

The Daily Intel

The Daily Intel is New York Magazine's online news blog.

On the home page, the Daily Intel is located on the top left corner. It is clearly labeled and features headlines for four news stories, then prompts readers to click the link for more.

Once readers click the Daily Intel link, they are directed to this page:

The Daily Intel features news stories on various subjects and is updated fairly frequently. In the above photo, the first two articles were posted just three minutes apart. The Daily Intel is a great way to keep up with both hard news stories that NY Mag features, but also its sarcastic clips that usually poke fun at politicians and pop culture figures.

Readers can also follow the Daily Intel on Twitter. (@DailyIntel)

Although, I think that on the Intel homepage on New York Magazine's website, the Twitter link should be more prominent and towards the top of the page.

Overall NY Mag makes things easy to find, but sometimes its pages can be a bit cluttered. The Daily Intel's homepage is organized and chronological, but since its Twitter page is popular, it should be better advertised.

Massachusetts Drug Lab Scandal

Teen Girl's Tweet for Help

One of the stories that New York Magazine featured today has a high news value for me because of it's proximity since I'm also from New Jersey and worked near Clark Township this summer. 

It started this morning when I checked Facebook and saw that a few people had posted a link to an article about a girl named Kara Alongi from Clark Township in New Jersey who had apparently gone missing.

I checked NY Mag's website and sure enough there was an article about it there as well. They reported that Kara sent a tweet last night that said "there is somone in my hour ecall 911."

What happened after that, as NY Mag points out, was a flurry of activity on Twitter and other social media platforms. The hashtag #helpfindkara was trending on Twitter and it allowed many people to become involved in the search for this missing girl. 

Unfortunately, the police have reported that Kara was not in fact kidnapped, as there was no sign of struggle in her home, a door was left unlocked, and there was confirmation that a taxi had been called to her address around the same time she sent that tweet. 

Police now say that Kara has just run away. But what happens now?

It seems that kids (and many adults) don't understand the power of social media. With each retweet, Kara's call for help circulated to more and more people. 

Authorities still have not located her, but she sure will have a lot of explaining to do. 

Social media has become so important and it's such a valuable tool for spreading information, but certainly not when it's abused this way. 

Approving of the Approval Matrix

This week, I wanted to showcase my favorite part of New York Magazine...

The Approval Matrix!

Each week NY Mag plots stories that have made the news (local and global) on their graph, categorizing them as lowbrow despicable, high brow despicable, lowbrow brilliant, and highbrow brilliant. Each blurb is accompanied by a photo.

The Approval Matrix is my favorite part of New York Magazine because it's so entertaining and usually pretty funny. They don't hold back their opinions and it's a great way to discover cool new things.

The Approval Matrix can feature anything from an interesting (and amusing) new fact, like the new wasp named after Lady Gaga in Thailand, to a short quip about something in the news, like Newsweek's Muslim Rage  cover. It also acts as a jumping off point for researching into what's happening. If you're not sure about something they refer to, you could always google it and learn something new or something more about an important issue or debate.

The Matrix takes very little time to read and with every point illustrated with a photo, readers are more likely to actually read the whole thing. There is a new Matrix every Monday as the new issue of the magazine is published.

Cheating and Politics

Last month, a cheating scandal at Harvard came to light. This week, New York Magazine's cover exposes another cheating scandal, but this time it's at New York City's prestigious Stuyvesant High School.

In terms of news value, the Harvard story had closer proximity for us, but NY Mag's article is rather timely and it chronicles another cheating scandal at another prominent school.

While the cheating article was an interesting read, the magazine also posted an article titled My Embed in Red about the Republican Party, which is also a timely and prominent story. 

I think New York Magazine did a fairly good job of mixing local stories with political coverage this week, especially since the election is fast approaching. 

I also enjoy how they don't always have such serious articles. Sometimes there are humorous articles,  including one about President Obama's amusing interactions with voters. The article is complete with images and videos of the incidents such as this one...

Overall, NY Mag's coverage of local and political news this week was informative yet entertaining and I think they struck a good balance between the two. 

Tracking New York Magazine

New York Magazine features global and US news, blogs, restaurant reviews, pop culture news, and much more with a focus on New York City. This week, the magazine is taking on Fashion Week.

Fashion Week runs from September 6th until September 13th this year and NY Mag is keeping its readers updated on runway and backstage happenings.

There are an abundance of videos from the shows, including runway clips, like this one from Diane Von Furstenberg's Spring 2013 Collection and videos featuring backstage interviews with designers like Derek Lam.

Videos and photos are the most effective ways to report from Fashion Week and I like that most of the runway and backstage clips are under three minutes. It's enough to give me a taste of what's happening, but it's not so long that it can't keep my attention.

However, if I don't feel like watching a video, there are plenty of articles chronicling Fashion Week news including some favorite moments from Fashion Week so far. It's nice to have such varied content with links to other articles and videos and more interactive features such as celebrity look books, like this one of Blake Lively which allow you to click through photos and text.

Overall, I think NY magazine is successfully varying its content to appeal to all readers, even if, like me, they don't have the biggest interest in fashion.