Personal Blog Intro

     Hello.  As a first time Blogger I would like to mention a little about myself.  My name is Joseph Landgraf, I am an incoming Honor's Freshman at University of Maryland, and I am currently majoring in Government and Politics with aspirations to double major in a field that deals with money (i.e. Economics, Finance, etc.). 
     In the field of government and politics, the use of technology and media is endless.  Whether you are the source of information or the receiver, technology is used for multiple facets of communicating information in the field of government and politics.  Starting with those at the top of the political profession, lawmakers and executives are utilizing mass media technology to reach broader audiences.  This coming Thursday night at 7 PM, President Obama will be making a speech that will air on multiple news outlets and affiliates across the nation, reaching millions of people who will be anxiously anticipating the kickoff to the new NFL season.  Emily Yahr of the Washington Post gives a more detailed list of who will be covering the speech at the Washington Post.  In this way, the President, a person who would consider at the pinnacle of government and politics, will be using television as a medium to convey his news jobs plan to the American people and to the Joint Session of Congress. 

     Even representatives who will skip the meeting will be using technology to access constituencies.  For example, Representative Joe Walsh from Illinois will instead hold a twitter town hall meeting during the speech.  The first time I read that in the article on Foxnews.com  I thought I had hallucinated.  A twitter town hall meeting?!?!  But this seems to be the new age of communication between lawmakers and voters. 
     The previous information doesn't even include the technological feedback that will swarm twitter, blog, and facebook accounts, television programs, newspapers, and TV websites.  In this way, government and politics is definitely a discipline where mass media is essential to success.
    My goal by the end of this class is to become proficient, even excel in the new mass media technology of today and to learn how I can incorporate these tools into future jobs I hope to acquire through the University of Maryland and its Government and Politics program.