Rich Meiers, online news producer at Hawaii News Now, spoke to journalism students about how  to use search engines effectively and the urgency of breaking news stories.

Meiers also talked to students about optimizing the web site so that it can easily be found by search engines.

Webmaster Kristen Kate Tumacder said, “I realized the importance of enhancing our web site by using applications that improve the appearance of the site and facilitates navigation.”

Meiers also emphasized that reporters must always have story ideas and be brave enough to ask questions. He gave students tips on publicizing the online newspaper.

Reporter Celine Arnobit said,  “I learned how to write good headlines and if something is urgent, it must sound urgent in the headline and in the story. One thing that Mr. Meiers said that struck me was, ‘You decide what people know about the world.’ I don’t think that this could be any more true.”

In a hands-on exercise, Meiers gave two student teams five minutes to write a news article, produce a tweet, a Facebook post and a headline. They then reported what they had written. The exercise allowed students to work efficiently as a team.

Reporter Janelle Medrano said, “We were given an assignment to create a breaking news push alert. This activity made me realize that it is important to write efficiently and in a timely manner.”

“I learned that journalism is not just about writing but writing with urgency and purpose,” said editor Aina Katsikas.