Wow. How time flies. Just added up how many hours I've worked this week - 35 and it's only Wednesday. But a version of a new web page launched for the newspaper after a mere five months.
Now, others can tweak the concept. I know the next newspapers who will need to adapt to it will improve it. I still hope to bring some features that were planned back. (What was that joke about the results of committees? mmmmm)
(As I told my husband, today the only thing you can say right now is it is the best thing since sliced bread. Tomorrow - after I sleep at least eight hours - we can be truthful again. I'll share some of my thoughts and I'd like to hear yours.)
And I can start blogging again. I noticed I have 15 times as many drafts as posts. Ouch.
January 30, 2008
January 15, 2008
Forget caller ID, tell me nature of call
My Twitter struck a 'me, too' nerve today. Seems I am not the only one interested in the nature of the call more then who is calling.
Now since Twitter limits your space, I merely explained that a color siginal about the news to be conveyed would help. Blue flashing would be a warning, red for danger and green for a 'good' call.
I was reacting to my brother's call. First, he asked me to play soccer, knowing I never had and certainly can't right now. But then the real reason for the call slips out: My dad is back in the hospital. Of course, it was the family tradition: Don't tell anyone until the procedure is done.
We all knew something was up. Although my father is a man of few words, we had heard even fewer lately. Yes, a tumor was back, a surgeon sliced it out, and now we wait. Was that enough? Will chemo help? Is anything else wanted? Or needed? Or capable of sending hope?
We wait, trying hard to be supportive, sending prayers, hugs and wishes. And while the battle continues, somehow I must find a way to walk through my own pain and continue as if nothing so earth-shattering is affecting me.
I try to finish the final details of a launch, figure out ways to make sure the team of six know enough to build their own way and still carry the day-to-day tasks of the job, of getting Medicare, MedI-Cal and Social Security on the same numbers for my mom and stepdad, and doing what I commited to do before my life unraveled.
I have either found the world's best diet or words for a great country song with the latest chapters of my life.
I know I would like to stop answering the phone now - as if that would stop the avalanche of unwelcomed opportunities.
.
Now since Twitter limits your space, I merely explained that a color siginal about the news to be conveyed would help. Blue flashing would be a warning, red for danger and green for a 'good' call.
I was reacting to my brother's call. First, he asked me to play soccer, knowing I never had and certainly can't right now. But then the real reason for the call slips out: My dad is back in the hospital. Of course, it was the family tradition: Don't tell anyone until the procedure is done.
We all knew something was up. Although my father is a man of few words, we had heard even fewer lately. Yes, a tumor was back, a surgeon sliced it out, and now we wait. Was that enough? Will chemo help? Is anything else wanted? Or needed? Or capable of sending hope?
We wait, trying hard to be supportive, sending prayers, hugs and wishes. And while the battle continues, somehow I must find a way to walk through my own pain and continue as if nothing so earth-shattering is affecting me.
I try to finish the final details of a launch, figure out ways to make sure the team of six know enough to build their own way and still carry the day-to-day tasks of the job, of getting Medicare, MedI-Cal and Social Security on the same numbers for my mom and stepdad, and doing what I commited to do before my life unraveled.
I have either found the world's best diet or words for a great country song with the latest chapters of my life.
I know I would like to stop answering the phone now - as if that would stop the avalanche of unwelcomed opportunities.
.
Cancer, senior discount spur new 'Bucket List'
As I race through the last days of a web site redesign that will end 29 years at the same publication, I am creating "Bucket Lists." There is the rush to explain the thinking behind what's there, the determination to get everything in place and, finally, a focus on my next steps.
Seeing "The Bucket List," with an unasked-for senior discount, and my dad's latest operation helped clarify which list to work on.
Scattered in journals, old Daytimers, and loose papers are lists of goals over the years.
Lately, I have been rushing through a checkoff of things that MUST be in the showpiece I will oversee. Quick, get that poll in, those comment features in. Find ALL the folks already blogging. Get pages about the things that make Flint, Michigan, Flint done. Figure out how to highlight video, squeeze in the latest social media tool.
I had a plan for what happens next - breathing space. My material and threads, my paint and brushes, my wire and beads beckon. UFOs wait - that's unfinished objects for the non-quilters or crafters who stumbled here. My husband cannot believe he has thrown out two months of JoAnn and Michael sales pieces. Folks joke that I have caused the local branches of these and other raw material outlets to consider bankruptcy.
My side of the family hasn't had its Christmas gathering yet.
Yet, the plan to focus on family and friends, on me began to slip as I heard of others' dreams. Suddenly, I am swept up in searching for potential funders, possible grantmakers for projects as diverse as digital media and black-and-white photographs of a town saying goodbye.
Suddenly, I am fascinated by the possibility of writing about things I love.
I jump to get details on possible consulting jobs helping other newspapers change attitudes, at offering corporations diversity awareness sessions, and developing alternative sources for news.
But then, a cashier gives me a senior discount 18 months early. Ouch. I also realize it has been at years since I was inside a movie theater when I used to go at least once a week.
Plans of family time, of friend time, of me time come back into focus.
Perhaps, though, it was my brother's call that made me realize the list that needs the most work
My father had another tumor removed from his throat, which explains his reluctance to talk. Perhaps, chemo will work again.
Me? When I am done with this gig, I won't. It is time for family, for friends, for me
Seeing "The Bucket List," with an unasked-for senior discount, and my dad's latest operation helped clarify which list to work on.
Scattered in journals, old Daytimers, and loose papers are lists of goals over the years.
Lately, I have been rushing through a checkoff of things that MUST be in the showpiece I will oversee. Quick, get that poll in, those comment features in. Find ALL the folks already blogging. Get pages about the things that make Flint, Michigan, Flint done. Figure out how to highlight video, squeeze in the latest social media tool.
I had a plan for what happens next - breathing space. My material and threads, my paint and brushes, my wire and beads beckon. UFOs wait - that's unfinished objects for the non-quilters or crafters who stumbled here. My husband cannot believe he has thrown out two months of JoAnn and Michael sales pieces. Folks joke that I have caused the local branches of these and other raw material outlets to consider bankruptcy.
My side of the family hasn't had its Christmas gathering yet.
Yet, the plan to focus on family and friends, on me began to slip as I heard of others' dreams. Suddenly, I am swept up in searching for potential funders, possible grantmakers for projects as diverse as digital media and black-and-white photographs of a town saying goodbye.
Suddenly, I am fascinated by the possibility of writing about things I love.
I jump to get details on possible consulting jobs helping other newspapers change attitudes, at offering corporations diversity awareness sessions, and developing alternative sources for news.
But then, a cashier gives me a senior discount 18 months early. Ouch. I also realize it has been at years since I was inside a movie theater when I used to go at least once a week.
Plans of family time, of friend time, of me time come back into focus.
Perhaps, though, it was my brother's call that made me realize the list that needs the most work
My father had another tumor removed from his throat, which explains his reluctance to talk. Perhaps, chemo will work again.
Me? When I am done with this gig, I won't. It is time for family, for friends, for me
January 13, 2008
Goal: Journalist, citizen, human
The Journalist and the Buddha blogger asks why journalism can't talk about its own morality in a recent post. Although the writer shares guides that lead him through a discussion on objectivity, depression in the newsrooms and more, I found my a-ha moment here:
Although the blogger dismisses that by saying
For many years, it seems that journalists have sought to build walls around parts of their lives, or even eliminate segments from their lives. Reporters and editors have been forbidden to actively participate in politics, with one newspaper in 2002 extending the restrictions to spouses. (See On the Media: Professional Journalists, Personal Activists.)
Involvement of journalists in their local churches, community groups or clubs was frowned upon just in case those groups might become a news source.
Today, the debate looks at should a journalist blog?
John Robinson, among others, have suggested they want to know that a potential reporter is blogging - it shows interest in the field, raw ability and more. Yet not all agree that journalists should blog as evident at the discussion in October at the Online News Association.
I like that we are moving to acknowledging that journalists are humans too. I think we will discover that just as being a parent can make you a better editor or writer - watching someone learn what the world is can awaken your senses - so we will find that a person who struggles to be a better journalist, a better citizen and "live as a human" will be the person we want helping us make sense of the world we live in today.
"My New Year’s resolution is to work as a journalist, to act as a citizen, and to live as a human without a blindfold."
Although the blogger dismisses that by saying
"I'll try to simply use my God-given head and heart and eyes,"I found those simples words to be powerful.
For many years, it seems that journalists have sought to build walls around parts of their lives, or even eliminate segments from their lives. Reporters and editors have been forbidden to actively participate in politics, with one newspaper in 2002 extending the restrictions to spouses. (See On the Media: Professional Journalists, Personal Activists.)
Involvement of journalists in their local churches, community groups or clubs was frowned upon just in case those groups might become a news source.
Today, the debate looks at should a journalist blog?
John Robinson, among others, have suggested they want to know that a potential reporter is blogging - it shows interest in the field, raw ability and more. Yet not all agree that journalists should blog as evident at the discussion in October at the Online News Association.
I like that we are moving to acknowledging that journalists are humans too. I think we will discover that just as being a parent can make you a better editor or writer - watching someone learn what the world is can awaken your senses - so we will find that a person who struggles to be a better journalist, a better citizen and "live as a human" will be the person we want helping us make sense of the world we live in today.
January 5, 2008
2008: Deliver from the heart
Reading the million Twitters and zillion blog posts of what to do in 2008 helped me realize that just like Todd, there are signs showing me what I need to do next.
Unlike Todd, I didn't ride a motorcycle past a telling sign in front of a church just after asking myself what to do.
Instead, I realize that 2008 is an extension of a journey I started those 10 hours in July spent on a floor and moved further along during the 23 days my foot spent above my head.
That painful day of helplessness led to a phone always within reach as I never wanted to be that stranded again.
As I started using my cellphone more and more I realized how inadequate it was. I'm so grateful that I broke down and bought an Iphone.
I'm grateful Apple realized how flawed the first one was and replaced it before I spent all those days in bed, unable to hold much comfortably as I kept my foot elevated.
The Iphone opened so many doors - an easier way to read the blogs, Facebook, Twitter, and so many other programs. It brought new people into my life, brought back some people and helped me relate to others in new ways.
A Twitter confession that Facebook, Twitter and the Internet could take a big chunk of every day brought advice to watch what I say from Knoxville.
Reviewing Facebook statuses helped me realize how out-of-kilter my priorities had gotten as I became envious of those attending concerts and finding time for family.
I am still amazed as I look back at the last months at how timely some Facebook/Twitter/Internet messages were.
The simple belief that I would be OK, the questions lobbied that uncovered patterns, emotions and skills that I missed, the willingness to share knowledge and play Scrabble late in the night and the openness of those who have gone through buyouts before sharing how they survived.
Chris Brogran says he's talking about blogging tips here:
But I'm taking it as advice for what to do next as I finish up 29 years at the same newspaper and its online operation.
Those new patterns, paths and pieces, a complicated support system, has helped me realize what I have left to give, what I can do, and even what I should do with these todays.
Unlike Todd, I didn't ride a motorcycle past a telling sign in front of a church just after asking myself what to do.
Instead, I realize that 2008 is an extension of a journey I started those 10 hours in July spent on a floor and moved further along during the 23 days my foot spent above my head.
That painful day of helplessness led to a phone always within reach as I never wanted to be that stranded again.
As I started using my cellphone more and more I realized how inadequate it was. I'm so grateful that I broke down and bought an Iphone.
I'm grateful Apple realized how flawed the first one was and replaced it before I spent all those days in bed, unable to hold much comfortably as I kept my foot elevated.
The Iphone opened so many doors - an easier way to read the blogs, Facebook, Twitter, and so many other programs. It brought new people into my life, brought back some people and helped me relate to others in new ways.
A Twitter confession that Facebook, Twitter and the Internet could take a big chunk of every day brought advice to watch what I say from Knoxville.
Reviewing Facebook statuses helped me realize how out-of-kilter my priorities had gotten as I became envious of those attending concerts and finding time for family.
I am still amazed as I look back at the last months at how timely some Facebook/Twitter/Internet messages were.
The simple belief that I would be OK, the questions lobbied that uncovered patterns, emotions and skills that I missed, the willingness to share knowledge and play Scrabble late in the night and the openness of those who have gone through buyouts before sharing how they survived.
Chris Brogran says he's talking about blogging tips here:
If you can, contribute new thoughts, different takes, and mash-up ideas to the mix.
Take something you’ve read or heard or seen from two different perspectives and mash them into a new thought.
Share something from your life. Share what matters most to you, mixed with how it might be helpful and of interest to others. Put out crazy ideas. Put out heart-felt ideas.
Deliver from your heart and soul, and it will show through.
But I'm taking it as advice for what to do next as I finish up 29 years at the same newspaper and its online operation.
Those new patterns, paths and pieces, a complicated support system, has helped me realize what I have left to give, what I can do, and even what I should do with these todays.
People in glass houses, be nice, and...
I am perplexed. I just read a post filled with suggestions on how to improve the online dialogue.
It is right on target. Now, if only the author followed her own advice.
Do I say that in a comment?
Or is that message better for back channel talk - say an email or IM?
Or should I assume the author knows how she or her site falls short?
Perhaps I am turning into a grumpy old man. I know perfection is impossible. I realize one individual can't control all of a corporate site
Perhaps I am wrong to hold back on critiquing practices just because I know the site I am associated most often sucks at very same thing
What do you think?
December 28, 2007
Sneaky ways to start social media at work
Social media certainly is the hot topic and Bloghound: The Foghound Blog takes time to give us 10 ways to persuade the boss to do it.
But that's not going to be my problem, since the days of having a boss are numbered. (I am thinking about how online media sites might use.)
But let's start with a look at those 10 tips.
Here's a summary:
1. Start small, quiet and don’t call what you’re doing social media, Web 2.0 or any of the phrases associated with losing control. Be sneaky: The Foghound suggests doing a podcast, for example, but calling it a series of interviews to start.
2. Host a thought leadership community, with editorially independent bloggers who are influential in your industry.
3. Show the value to search, emphasizing how having valued content helps people find you.
4. Link to the strategic innovation and customer agendas for your company.
5. Watch your competitors, and share what they are doing with executives.
6. Make sure you know how things - visitors, downloads, etc. - are measured.
7. Do a weekly email digest of the most relevant blog posts in your industry for your boss and other execs
8. Create a private online community of customers and prospects.
9. Do a small, 6-month test that is reasonably budgeted and appealing. (Belive the hint of avoiding a company blog as the first effort).
10. Stay grounded and don’t get infatuated.
OK, I really boiled this post down. Go see the original for more explanation.
But that's not going to be my problem, since the days of having a boss are numbered. (I am thinking about how online media sites might use.)
But let's start with a look at those 10 tips.
Here's a summary:
1. Start small, quiet and don’t call what you’re doing social media, Web 2.0 or any of the phrases associated with losing control. Be sneaky: The Foghound suggests doing a podcast, for example, but calling it a series of interviews to start.
2. Host a thought leadership community, with editorially independent bloggers who are influential in your industry.
3. Show the value to search, emphasizing how having valued content helps people find you.
4. Link to the strategic innovation and customer agendas for your company.
5. Watch your competitors, and share what they are doing with executives.
6. Make sure you know how things - visitors, downloads, etc. - are measured.
7. Do a weekly email digest of the most relevant blog posts in your industry for your boss and other execs
8. Create a private online community of customers and prospects.
9. Do a small, 6-month test that is reasonably budgeted and appealing. (Belive the hint of avoiding a company blog as the first effort).
10. Stay grounded and don’t get infatuated.
OK, I really boiled this post down. Go see the original for more explanation.
A tip of the hat for saying thanks
The Social Media Explorer had an up-and-down-and-up experience recently after trying out a social media site centering on travel.
It all started when Jason Falls dropped by to check out a travel site. He wrote a couple of reviews and this week he got an email inviting to him "come" and get a small token of appreciation.
But he got to the designated site and learned he didn't qualify. Oops.
Wait, next up he gets another email apologizing for a glitch that erroneously kept him from the prize. So he tries again. Now, we'll have to wait and see if he gets the hat. Meanwhile, he's happy.
See, Mom was right. It never hurts to say thank you. Only let's make sure you can deliver when you offer.
It all started when Jason Falls dropped by to check out a travel site. He wrote a couple of reviews and this week he got an email inviting to him "come" and get a small token of appreciation.
But he got to the designated site and learned he didn't qualify. Oops.
Wait, next up he gets another email apologizing for a glitch that erroneously kept him from the prize. So he tries again. Now, we'll have to wait and see if he gets the hat. Meanwhile, he's happy.
See, Mom was right. It never hurts to say thank you. Only let's make sure you can deliver when you offer.
A word for everything
Direct from a website, a word some of us need to remember ... twurt: A verb (used without object)
Origin: mashup of the words "tweet" and "blurt"
Definition: The act of posting a written statement on Twitter that you wouldn't say outloud or in "present company".
FAQ's: Why twurt and not bleet?
Because a bleet is what a goat does and goats don't use Twitter, silly.
Origin: mashup of the words "tweet" and "blurt"
Definition: The act of posting a written statement on Twitter that you wouldn't say outloud or in "present company".
FAQ's: Why twurt and not bleet?
Because a bleet is what a goat does and goats don't use Twitter, silly.
visit the site to see some twurts :)
And I will try to remember there is no reason to share some things, even at 2 a.m.
Actually, today was a good learning day. I learned how to find the permanent address of a Tweet (hint: click on post time. Example Dumped H20 on verified bills. Oops 1 minute ago from web Try it over on Twitter.com).
Plus I know why the RSS feed from a news blog to Twitter stopped. Hint: It had nothing to do with a gag order, just another firewall issue with twitterfeed.
(Better hint: Don't create passwords while taking pain pills, 'cause even if you write them down you may not be able to remember/read them later. Ouch.)
My brain freeze lifted on the 140 Club. Silly, that is the exact limit of a Tweet. Some folks want to use all 7 tiles in Scrabble, others want a Tweet exactly 140 characters. (not one of my goals).
Last, but not least, I figured out how to get Tweets as an RSS feed. I have found I like getting Facebook statutes for friends that way. Soon I hope to see if that is a good way to get Tweets.
Now if I could figure out why some folks follow my Twittering and why the iPhone wants it to be twided when I want it to be twitter I could sleep at 2 a.m. (sure).
Wise words stick around
It's always fun to find an old posting that stays relevant for a long time .... say 1997 to today? Doc Searls is one of the folks who has done this repeatedly. He shared some insights over on Jeremiah Owyang's Web Strategy post on Facebook and pointed us to something he wrote in 1997 on Steve
Jobs and Apple.
Take a moment and think about these two phrases:
and then head over to read both posts.
Meanwhile, I'm going to think about the Five People I Want to Meet in Heaven (to borrow a title.) Or would I know I am in heaven if Doc Searls, Dave Winer, Jeremiah Owyang and Howard Rheingold were together? (Don't worry the lineup will change another day - I'm cleaning an office out and running across lots of memory triggering items.)
Jobs and Apple.
Take a moment and think about these two phrases:
Necessity is the mother of invention
Inventions mother necessity
and then head over to read both posts.
Meanwhile, I'm going to think about the Five People I Want to Meet in Heaven (to borrow a title.) Or would I know I am in heaven if Doc Searls, Dave Winer, Jeremiah Owyang and Howard Rheingold were together? (Don't worry the lineup will change another day - I'm cleaning an office out and running across lots of memory triggering items.)
December 27, 2007
What every good journalist needs to do, but won't
The folks who need to read Howard Owens' survival tips most probably don't know how to find his blog. But I really like his suggestions. Of course, Howard put the suggestions in business language, calling them objectives for today's non-wired journalists. (Even offers a prize, so tell your non-wired friends.)
I like this approach as it is faster then my 'educate gently' philosophy. Or is it called teachable moment? Either way, it takes a lot longer to encourage folks to use Yahoo alerts and Google search announcements if you just show them when they have an immediate need, or how to use Twitter when they want to follow Black Friday sales ,or use Bloglines or Google Reader to track experts for a developing story or expertise.
I know I have encouraged at least three top editors to get Myspace pages, have at least one editor with a FaceBook account, and another spending his vacation creating his very first web page.
Of course, a CEO's challenge to have newspaper folks befriend him seemed to inspire a rash of friending but I have backed off on that. (Who would believe that two more people on FaceBook would have the same name, and some didn't like the requests from strangers.) It has been fun to watch the pokings, pages, and other networking spread through FaceBook.
But if you toss in $$ like Owens or even follow his suggestion to make them steps your Manage By Objectives in 2008, I can see where progress would come along faster.
Mindy Adam's likes most of Howard Owens's recommendations:
She suggests we "Print it out for them if you have to!" and tells us why:
She's not crazy about "messing around with Facebook andMySpace." (My suggestion is she needs to use them more and she'll understand why journalists need to know their way around.)
But Adams does say she hopes that everyone gets into blogs and RSS feeds, "essential components of my daily work."
Read the rest of her reasons over on her blog.
Unfortunatley, I think Owens and Adams are preaching to the converted. It will be hard to get some folks ever interested.
Need more convincing. Amy Grahan wraps everything nicely online. Her biggest gripe is that the challenge should be available to those not working for news organizations because:
I also like the link to Digital Native 'cause that's a whole another post someday.
(PS: Over on JournalismJobs.com at least one Michigan newspaper is quite honest in a description for a multimedia specialist, reminding you that the person will work with techies to non-believers.)
I like this approach as it is faster then my 'educate gently' philosophy. Or is it called teachable moment? Either way, it takes a lot longer to encourage folks to use Yahoo alerts and Google search announcements if you just show them when they have an immediate need, or how to use Twitter when they want to follow Black Friday sales ,or use Bloglines or Google Reader to track experts for a developing story or expertise.
I know I have encouraged at least three top editors to get Myspace pages, have at least one editor with a FaceBook account, and another spending his vacation creating his very first web page.
Of course, a CEO's challenge to have newspaper folks befriend him seemed to inspire a rash of friending but I have backed off on that. (Who would believe that two more people on FaceBook would have the same name, and some didn't like the requests from strangers.) It has been fun to watch the pokings, pages, and other networking spread through FaceBook.
But if you toss in $$ like Owens or even follow his suggestion to make them steps your Manage By Objectives in 2008, I can see where progress would come along faster.
Mindy Adam's likes most of Howard Owens's recommendations:
Journalists everywhere need to quit whining and go into action. Howard Owens has issued a challenge for all your non-networked friends — you know, the ones who never read any blogs except Romenesko or Shop Talk. The ones who don't know how to work their digital cameras — or worse, don't even own one. Yeah, you know who these people are. They're all over your newsroom.
She suggests we "Print it out for them if you have to!" and tells us why:
- They could save your friend's career.
- They could open new doors.
- They could make your friends love
journalism again, the way they used to.
She's not crazy about "messing around with Facebook andMySpace." (My suggestion is she needs to use them more and she'll understand why journalists need to know their way around.)
But Adams does say she hopes that everyone gets into blogs and RSS feeds, "essential components of my daily work."
"I am continually shocked when I meet journalists who say they don't readblogs. It's inconceivable."
Read the rest of her reasons over on her blog.
Unfortunatley, I think Owens and Adams are preaching to the converted. It will be hard to get some folks ever interested.
Need more convincing. Amy Grahan wraps everything nicely online. Her biggest gripe is that the challenge should be available to those not working for news organizations because:
"Personally, I don't see the point of that, since so many of us are independent -- and more will become independent (by choice or not) as the traditional news business continues to erode. We may end up working alone, or in co-ops, or for whatever replaces Google, who knows? I think an important part of this process is envisioning the role of journalism and journalists not only separately from news organizations but in developing a contingency plan for continuing journalism in an increasingly likely future where news orgs have largely ceased to exist."
I also like the link to Digital Native 'cause that's a whole another post someday.
(PS: Over on JournalismJobs.com at least one Michigan newspaper is quite honest in a description for a multimedia specialist, reminding you that the person will work with techies to non-believers.)
December 26, 2007
Three outcomes for investigative reporting?
You still can comment on a draft chapter on blogs and investigative reporting over on the Online Journalism blog. The blog - and post - is written by Paul Bradshaw. He suggests three paths for the future of investigative journalism.
Bradshaw suggests these ways:
1) Mainstream media can use investigative journalism to provide a distinctive product and prevent the readership migrating elsewhere online.
2) News organizations with declining budgets but a commitment to public service may outsource part of their investigative work to take advantage of their brands and experiences. One possible outsourcing would be to use "crowds," ie. the public and/or experts in the community to help look at something.
3) Foundations and reader donations will increasingly support investigative journalism as an important contribution to society.
Bradshaw says, for now, he expects the third solution to be the most popular and most likely.
Foundations and private support for investigations (as well as local journalism) is exactly what Dan Gillmor proposed in September in this piece.
What do you think? Will we see more groups like the nonprofit group Pro Publica forming? (That link takes you to a New York Times article about the group.) Can Pro Publica, now found at http://propublica.org/, succeed?
Bradshaw suggests these ways:
1) Mainstream media can use investigative journalism to provide a distinctive product and prevent the readership migrating elsewhere online.
2) News organizations with declining budgets but a commitment to public service may outsource part of their investigative work to take advantage of their brands and experiences. One possible outsourcing would be to use "crowds," ie. the public and/or experts in the community to help look at something.
3) Foundations and reader donations will increasingly support investigative journalism as an important contribution to society.
Bradshaw says, for now, he expects the third solution to be the most popular and most likely.
Foundations and private support for investigations (as well as local journalism) is exactly what Dan Gillmor proposed in September in this piece.
What do you think? Will we see more groups like the nonprofit group Pro Publica forming? (That link takes you to a New York Times article about the group.) Can Pro Publica, now found at http://propublica.org/, succeed?
December 25, 2007
Andy Carver back, more on blog anniversary
Sometimes, it is fun to look back at the old days. I enjoyed reading Andy Carvin's nostalgic look; partially because I remember those edweb days. He calls the entry "Learning to Embrace My Inner Blogger," partially because of all the attention being paid to blogs in honor of the 10th anniversary of the word "blog.
I never thought of him as a young kid just out of college. I always pictured him as a wizened man, a professor type who got the job of his dreams through public radio. I was sad that I lost track of him for a few years, but the circle isn't broken and all of a sudden I was running into him everywhere. Now, a senior strategist for online communities at NPR I still think he has a dream job.
By the way, NPR celebrates the 10th anniversary of the naming of blogs with a timeline and a week-long series, on the evolution of the blogosphere, the language and culture of blogs, and out how blogs are changing our lives.
I never thought of him as a young kid just out of college. I always pictured him as a wizened man, a professor type who got the job of his dreams through public radio. I was sad that I lost track of him for a few years, but the circle isn't broken and all of a sudden I was running into him everywhere. Now, a senior strategist for online communities at NPR I still think he has a dream job.
By the way, NPR celebrates the 10th anniversary of the naming of blogs with a timeline and a week-long series, on the evolution of the blogosphere, the language and culture of blogs, and out how blogs are changing our lives.
December 23, 2007
Blogger: "I'm feeling a little dirty"
Blogger Tara Hunt effectively expresses one of the problems I've had with crowdsourcing when she asks "Please Stop Crowdsourcing Me" in a recent post.
Hunt says:
I'm not sure exactly what started the rant on http://www.horsepigcow.com/ (I love the URL), but it is worth a visit to her blog. She leads us to a few more sites and shares her insights on why good crowdsourcing requires reciprocity.
Her feelings are similar to something that perplexes me about volunteers. Are people giving service and time for free what a company should pay for?
(I am thinking about this more and more as non-profits hear I'll soon have "lots of extra time" on my hands as I leave the newspaper/online venture I've worked with for 29 years. Oh, the dreams dancing in their heads as they seek to make sure I have lots to do, a web site here, a contest there, a class over there.)
Do volunteers give a nonprofit an advantage for success that "regular" companies can never achieve?
Will crowdsourcing or sites using only content generated by users help to eliminate more paying jobs for those with journalism or media degrees?
I see big advantages in involving communities in generating content about so many subjects. I just worry about the long-term effects and wonder if we have thought this all the way through.
Hunt says:
"I started to feel a little dirty…a little used…a little like cheap labor, replacing people you probably laid off or decided to save money on not hiring because you were getting so much great value out of my time."
I'm not sure exactly what started the rant on http://www.horsepigcow.com/ (I love the URL), but it is worth a visit to her blog. She leads us to a few more sites and shares her insights on why good crowdsourcing requires reciprocity.
Her feelings are similar to something that perplexes me about volunteers. Are people giving service and time for free what a company should pay for?
(I am thinking about this more and more as non-profits hear I'll soon have "lots of extra time" on my hands as I leave the newspaper/online venture I've worked with for 29 years. Oh, the dreams dancing in their heads as they seek to make sure I have lots to do, a web site here, a contest there, a class over there.)
Do volunteers give a nonprofit an advantage for success that "regular" companies can never achieve?
Will crowdsourcing or sites using only content generated by users help to eliminate more paying jobs for those with journalism or media degrees?
I see big advantages in involving communities in generating content about so many subjects. I just worry about the long-term effects and wonder if we have thought this all the way through.
December 19, 2007
More on Tina Brown
Just to keep you up-to-date (courtesy of the SPJ PressNotes*):
*SPJ PressNotes is an e-mail newsletter produced every business day by the Society of Professional Journalists. It is made possible through a grant from the Sigma Delta Chi Foundation. Send subscription requests to pressnotes@spj.org.
Here's the hot skinny on the queen of buzz. The amazing Tina Brown is in a newly struck, first-look deal to bring projects and story ideas to HBO, the TV network that also seems to understand "buzz" and great storytelling versus the hackneyed stuff that is on the networks. That's according to Liz Smith of the New York Post
*SPJ PressNotes is an e-mail newsletter produced every business day by the Society of Professional Journalists. It is made possible through a grant from the Sigma Delta Chi Foundation. Send subscription requests to pressnotes@spj.org.
December 17, 2007
Jan Schaffer: Use Big J-ournalists wisely
I first posted this back on Nov. 23, but I am moving it into this blog.
Jan Schaffer: "Use your Big-J journalists where they can really add value. Professional journalists should focus their expertise and skills on doing investigations, identifying trends, building databases, holding public officials accountable and articulating the master narratives in their communities."
But news orgs need to think beyond employing journalists, too. Here are some of the roles Schaffer sees expanding:
Jan Schaffer: "Use your Big-J journalists where they can really add value. Professional journalists should focus their expertise and skills on doing investigations, identifying trends, building databases, holding public officials accountable and articulating the master narratives in their communities."
But news orgs need to think beyond employing journalists, too. Here are some of the roles Schaffer sees expanding:
- Can do-ers "instead of those who whine about what they can't do."
- Computer programmers to build searchable databases or news games. (Which goes great with the new program at Northwestern University to get computer folks interested in Journalism as well as the Gotham Gazette, which got a Knight News Challenge to develop games.)
- Collaborators with "the sensibility to see the possibilities of working together instead of moving into kneejerk competitor mode."
- News analysts to "trawl incoming information looking for Big-J opportunities."
- Tribe expanders: "Journalism in the future will come from many places. We should contribute to the momentum of the best and most responsible efforts and recruit them for the info-structure."
December 15, 2007
Tina Brown: Media challenge, no blog for her
Shoma Chadhury caught up with Harold Evans and Tina Brown in Delhi where they spoke to about the challenge of journalism in the world today
I pulled out a few things that I was most interested in, starting with this question:
I pulled out a few things that I was most interested in, starting with this question:
What is the biggest challenge facing media in America today? And India?Here's the rest of her reply.
Corporatisation. The sophistry of the big conglomerate guys is to say there’s never been more plurality of outlet.
Sure. We have a thousand and one outlets now, but their circulation is zip.She also shared why you shouldn't expect a blog from her anytime soon.
There isn’t a place to have any meaningful public discourse. You’re just talking to yourself. Most publications and networks don’t have the critical mass.
And the major networks and newspapers don’t want to do the work.
... Journalists have to become entrepreneurs. The search for the billionaire with a conscience is a dead end.
... But though media is almost more important than politics at this point, the trouble is American newspapers where my heart lies are really a dying thing and you can’t persuade people to invest in them.
It has to be online. I’ve been working on a website.
I’m determined to make global journalism sexy.
But the web is a capricious thing. No one has figured the economic model. It will get resolved. We are in the in-between stage.
It’s like being in the middle of the Industrial Revolution.
Until we figure the online model, we’re stuck with old models with the corporations killing everything. There isn’t a serious journalist who doesn’t feel this. This is not just about professional dissatisfaction. It’s— as Al Gore says in his book — really affecting the marketplace of ideas.
What do you think the trick on the web will be? I find blogs totally overrated. No rigour.Interested? Then read the rest online
That’s what the DNA of my website will be. Rigour. I don’t want any more spouting of sloppy opinions. I don’t have the time. ABC just fired 75 TV journalists and hired 75 bloggers instead, responsible only to themselves. It’s insane to do that to your brand. This is just the exuberance of a new medium. No one wants to look uncool, but who’s reading it? People keep asking me to blog, but I’m not going to lower my standards, and why would I write for nothing? Haven’t done that since childhood.
Hurry! It's time for Fantasy Congress
Now, my husband will tell you that this former political science student doesn't get excited about politics much anymore.
And there are a ton of friends and colleagues who will tell you I am not a fan of rotball and other fantasy sports games. But this looks interesting: Fantasy Congress.
Gee, if only I could influence the way Medicare Part D is administered. To start, I would make sure that each company that puts approved drugs on the their list HAVE to keep the drugs on the list all year.
Wonder if they have a California game. Imagine the time I could save each year with some changes in the Medicaid program there. I would no longer have to prove:
And there are a ton of friends and colleagues who will tell you I am not a fan of rotball and other fantasy sports games. But this looks interesting: Fantasy Congress.
Gee, if only I could influence the way Medicare Part D is administered. To start, I would make sure that each company that puts approved drugs on the their list HAVE to keep the drugs on the list all year.
Wonder if they have a California game. Imagine the time I could save each year with some changes in the Medicaid program there. I would no longer have to prove:
- He still has Alzehimers
- His military discharge hasn't changed,
- He still is an American citizen and
- Yes, he is still broke.
December 12, 2007
So, don't I know you?
As I spend more and more time on Linked-In, Facebook and other social networking sites, I am learning about how many people I have forgotten and how many have forgotten me.
In fact, this whole networking thing is becoming one of my regrets of life. How come I was so busy with work and family that I "forgot" to keep up with the people I met at conferences, through blogs and listservs, via places like downtown Flint, Lansing, East Lansing and Michigan State University, or through events like Wheatland Music Festival, Walnut Valley Festival, and the Flint Bluegrass Festival.
(OK, my family might argue about me keeping up with the family. After all, they laughed when they read on Facebook that I was a recovering workaholic and perfectionist.)
I recently had a Facebook outrage when an innocent question from a colleague about something in my status uncovered a range of emotions and feelings I didn't realize I had.
The statement that started the whole discussion revolved around being tired of institutions claiming they were only doing what their constituents wanted, ignoring the flaw in the way the "wants" were collected.
Before the discussion ended, I dumped on the colleague for forgetting our past. Yeah, I couldn't believe this person could forget that I interviewed him about 11 years earlier and written countless comments on his blogs over the years. Or that he didn't know me from other times our paths had crossed.
It didn't take long for me to understand what I was criticizing him for was the exact same thing I was doing to others. (Not a new "revelation", even making Anil Dash's blog way back in 1999, which yes, I forgot I used to read religiously.)
Why in just one week, I heard from three "strangers."
The first was a man whose book I helped edit. A book!
Then I started having e-talks with a man who got me into IRC years ago so we could chat about community computer networks in real time instead of through the use-net group. (Long before AIM)
Then I heard from this guy who wanted to know if I still collected recordings of "Jerusalem's Ridge" because he'd found a version he knew he hadn't given me in the years I did a radio show called Just Country.
I didn't remember any of them until they reminded me.
Yikes!
Wish I had been smart like Robb Montgomery, who uses several social networks to keep in touch with the colleagues he has met over the last 20 years.
"I have a photographic memory - I have to take photos to remember things. I can connect photos and contacts and remember people and events better."
Heck, right now I wish I had been smart enough to not wipe out all of my contacts on the Iphone this week. Or knew how to easily get them back (and, no my backup was useless.)
In fact, this whole networking thing is becoming one of my regrets of life. How come I was so busy with work and family that I "forgot" to keep up with the people I met at conferences, through blogs and listservs, via places like downtown Flint, Lansing, East Lansing and Michigan State University, or through events like Wheatland Music Festival, Walnut Valley Festival, and the Flint Bluegrass Festival.
(OK, my family might argue about me keeping up with the family. After all, they laughed when they read on Facebook that I was a recovering workaholic and perfectionist.)
I recently had a Facebook outrage when an innocent question from a colleague about something in my status uncovered a range of emotions and feelings I didn't realize I had.
The statement that started the whole discussion revolved around being tired of institutions claiming they were only doing what their constituents wanted, ignoring the flaw in the way the "wants" were collected.
Before the discussion ended, I dumped on the colleague for forgetting our past. Yeah, I couldn't believe this person could forget that I interviewed him about 11 years earlier and written countless comments on his blogs over the years. Or that he didn't know me from other times our paths had crossed.
It didn't take long for me to understand what I was criticizing him for was the exact same thing I was doing to others. (Not a new "revelation", even making Anil Dash's blog way back in 1999, which yes, I forgot I used to read religiously.)
Why in just one week, I heard from three "strangers."
The first was a man whose book I helped edit. A book!
Then I started having e-talks with a man who got me into IRC years ago so we could chat about community computer networks in real time instead of through the use-net group. (Long before AIM)
Then I heard from this guy who wanted to know if I still collected recordings of "Jerusalem's Ridge" because he'd found a version he knew he hadn't given me in the years I did a radio show called Just Country.
I didn't remember any of them until they reminded me.
Yikes!
Wish I had been smart like Robb Montgomery, who uses several social networks to keep in touch with the colleagues he has met over the last 20 years.
"I have a photographic memory - I have to take photos to remember things. I can connect photos and contacts and remember people and events better."
Heck, right now I wish I had been smart enough to not wipe out all of my contacts on the Iphone this week. Or knew how to easily get them back (and, no my backup was useless.)
More on data as journalism
Looking over some of my past Tweets reminded me about this whole issues of data as journalism, and journalism as data.
At The Flint Journal, I recently helped reporter Ron Fonger use Google maps to discover patterns in where the City of Flint was demolishing houses. The maps let you zoom in and out so that readers could get as close to the data as they wanted.
Whenever I think of this subject, I think of the presentations that Adrian Holovaty gives where he shows how easily we could take some "common everyday journalism" stories and present them in a more usable way with databases. Say crime stories or even weddings.
I also have to remember the outrage the Lansing (MI) State Journal faced when it published all of the salaries of state government employees in the state. (And, of course, I have to laugh at how much traffic dropped at the end of the work day.)
The Readership Institute in November explored the whole "data as journalism, journalism as data" thread in this post.
Rich Gordon sums up why Gannet has pushed the Information Center idea online:
He follows with suggestions of what every online news center should do, again with lots of ideas and examples. You really need to read the original post.
(As an aside, I loved how he pointed out how many of the people involved with "computer-assisted journalism" - a phrase I hated and shared in a Nov. 2 1991, piece for Editor & Publisher - are often the ones leading the databases online approach.)
At The Flint Journal, I recently helped reporter Ron Fonger use Google maps to discover patterns in where the City of Flint was demolishing houses. The maps let you zoom in and out so that readers could get as close to the data as they wanted.
Whenever I think of this subject, I think of the presentations that Adrian Holovaty gives where he shows how easily we could take some "common everyday journalism" stories and present them in a more usable way with databases. Say crime stories or even weddings.
I also have to remember the outrage the Lansing (MI) State Journal faced when it published all of the salaries of state government employees in the state. (And, of course, I have to laugh at how much traffic dropped at the end of the work day.)
The Readership Institute in November explored the whole "data as journalism, journalism as data" thread in this post.
Rich Gordon sums up why Gannet has pushed the Information Center idea online:
- Data is "evergreen" content.
- Data can be personal.
- Data can best be delivered in a medium without space constraints.
- Data takes advantage of the way people actually use the Web
- Data, once gathered, can be excerpted in print.
He follows with suggestions of what every online news center should do, again with lots of ideas and examples. You really need to read the original post.
(As an aside, I loved how he pointed out how many of the people involved with "computer-assisted journalism" - a phrase I hated and shared in a Nov. 2 1991, piece for Editor & Publisher - are often the ones leading the databases online approach.)
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