Robert Liu Liu is a fourth-year graduating
senior with a double major in communication studies and sociology
with a business specialization. He thinks the Daily Bruin Online is
by far the best college online publication in the world. You can
probably e-mail him to express your EM Love at [email protected].
When I first entered UCLA my freshman year, I never thought that
I would make it to this point. This point, of course, is being the
head of my department as the Electronic Media director of
2000-2001.
When I came to the Daily Bruin in my second year, I had no clue
that my internship with Electronic Media would lead me to the path
that I have taken now. At that time, I had a vague sense of what
the Internet was, and by no means knew how to write HTML or design
a graphic on the Web. In fact, I barely knew how to send
e-mail!
In high school I was deeply entrenched in journalism. I was a
cartoonist, an illustrator, a page designer, a feature editor and
executive editor in chief of my school’s monthly newspaper,
The Oracle. But upon entering UCLA, I needed time away from
journalism, to rethink my life and to discover what I really
enjoy.
When I realized that I still enjoyed journalism, I decided to
intern and start anew. I felt that there had to be more out there
than your traditional layout designing and story editing.
Electronic Media sounded so high-tech and fascinating that I had
to find out what it was about.
So here I am, at a new point, graduating from UCLA and taking a
different path to what life’s journey has to offer me. I
don’t know if I will continue to do online journalism in the
future, but I do know that I have learned some of the most valuable
information and lessons here.
I’m proud to be a part of the Daily Bruin, a part of
UCLA’s history. I believe I’ve left my mark here and
its time for me to forge ahead. I’ve pushed the envelope of
what college online publications can do.
This year we made use of audio and video clips for the first
time, making UCLA one of the first online college publications to
incorporate such technology. We brought back a semi-automated
online weather system. We tried to fully implement the ASP database
system and are in the process of restoring the archives to it,
making the search function three times bigger by reaching more
articles.
I brought you the crossword puzzles online, determined the way
that we make special issues online using flash movies and helped
create a newsletter subscription via e-mail, so that everyone can
receive and enjoy the Daily Bruin Online. I even thought an online
poll would be a great way to make the Web site more
interactive.
But there is so much more to be done. We have started the
workings of an online discussion forum. The way that we do daily
production may be changing in the next year. It’s time for
Electronic Media to reach its full potential, not only pushing the
technological aspects of the ever-changing Internet, but also
pushing its editorial side ““ particularly, the online
journalism aspect.
Ideally, I’d like to see Electronic Media move in this
direction. I spent a great deal of time and effort to establish it
among the ranks of the rest of the Daily Bruin departments. I
believe the future of journalism must embrace all of its mediums in
order to present information and news.
I will truly miss the Daily Bruin and the Electronic Media
department that I’ve helped build. I only hope that I have
done the best that I could do in reaching UCLA students, alumni and
the community.
But I know that wherever life’s journey will take me, I
will be able to use the values and experiences that I’ve
learned here and always be able to take them with me to help me
succeed in whatever I do.