While there is a huge variety of technology available to any budding mojo, the cost of ensuring that you have every piece of equipment out there is unbelievably high. We have therefore compiled a list of ‘must-haves’ for any mobile journalist looking to report up-to-date news from a variety of locations.
Hardware
- A smartphone with a camera/the capability to record video/a contract that allows you to send unlimited texts, make many phonecalls and with an unlimited data package
- A small digital camcorder e.g. a Flip or Kodak Zx5
- A digital dictaphone
- Digital camera – while this may not always be entirely necessary, particularly if you have a high quality camera on your phone, they often take much better photos
- Spoffle – a foam cover that can be placed over any microphone to reduce the amount of ‘crackling’ on the recording. These are available for smartphones that have voice recorders e.g. the iPhone
- Spare batteries
- A small portable tripod for your camera e.g. a GorillaPod
- The ever trusty notebook and pen – always remember a spare pen
- Small laptop or netbook with a dongle
Software
- Apps for your smartphone/laptop that allow you to keep in constant contact through email, a blog, Twitter or other social media
- TweetDeck
- HootSuite
- iBlogger
- WordPress for iPhone
- Google Maps
- Skype
- A back-up email account – occasionally Google Mail or Hotmail will stop working and you should have a back-up ready
- YouTube account
Each mojo will have their own preferences about what to take out with them while reporting. It is always wise to ensure that you have a list of contact phone numbers should you need to get in touch with your editor/colleague and I would personally always recommend taking out some form of food and drink – you never know where you may end up and for how long.
For more ideas on equipment for the mojo see;
The Moving Media 