tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-274812732009-07-02T14:31:43.427-05:00Readership InstituteMedia Management Centerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15447403134761702680noreply@blogger.comBlogger144125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27481273.post-84388925748369891942009-04-16T11:06:00.007-05:002009-06-16T13:13:22.761-05:00Online offers new opportunities, challenges for investigative reporting(David Stoeffler)OK, so stories about the First Family's new dog, Bo, probably drew more Web traffic on Easter weekend than an Associated Press investigation into the detention of U.S. citizens who have been mistaken for being illegal immigrants, or a Los Angeles Times look at how investors are benefiting from a federal program aimed at helping poor families buy homes.Does that mean the future isMedia Management Centerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15447403134761702680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27481273.post-4334953545982094162009-03-23T17:03:00.011-05:002009-06-16T12:46:26.454-05:00What it takes to tell a great story online(Rich Gordon)Though journalists have been creating content for the World Wide Web for almost 15 years now, there's still much we don't know about what makes for effective storytelling on the Web. To be sure, there's no shortage of Web stories. But it's still rare to see Web storytelling that takes full advantage of the unique capabilities of this medium.Here's one storytelling example that hits Media Management Centerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15447403134761702680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27481273.post-38025501463568188482009-03-03T08:40:00.001-06:002009-03-03T08:46:36.077-06:00No secret to readership: Give them something to talk about(David Stoeffler)What do octuplets' mother Nadya Suleman, the "25 Random Things" lists on Facebook and the weather have in common?They are all something to talk about.In my consulting work and speaking engagements, I'm frequently asked to reveal the secrets to building readership in print and online. If only it was a secret, my consulting business would be much more lucrative.As detailed in Media Management Centerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15447403134761702680noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27481273.post-2659798415672590602009-02-18T17:47:00.001-06:002009-02-18T17:58:00.889-06:00Is design a luxury we can no longer afford?(Mary Nesbitt)If you read this you might have to kill yourself, as it's related to the World's Best-Designed Newspapers competition at which I judged this week. It was impressed on us that proceedings are confidential. So I'll try not to break the rules.Not being a designer by profession or study, I'm not clear how I got to judge in the Society for News Design contest, but I hope it's Media Management Centerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15447403134761702680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27481273.post-11273309572068384822009-02-10T15:59:00.001-06:002009-02-10T16:54:31.336-06:00Three Web redesigns that seem to deliver "easy to use"(Stacy Lynch) I've spent a good bit of time over the last year listening to people talk about the Web sites they love and hate.  Two truths have been etched in my brain: "too much" is the kiss of death and "easy to use" is the Holy Grail. There are three redesigns unveiled over the past few months that seem to me to hit the mark on mitigating this "too much" problem.  ESPN, The Financial Media Management Centerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15447403134761702680noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27481273.post-88013625299314396842009-02-04T14:35:00.003-06:002009-02-04T15:11:03.591-06:00The digital editorial page: In search of fresh thinking(Rich Gordon)Scott Elliott, a Dayton Daily News education writer and award-winning blogger, recently moved to the paper's editorial board. Because of his blogging experience, Elliott knows deep-down that there have to be ways to rethink the online version of the newspaper editorial page. But he has been frustrated to discover how little innovative thinking there has been in this area."I have Media Management Centerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15447403134761702680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27481273.post-85219210442059318022009-01-28T16:06:00.004-06:002009-01-28T16:59:46.510-06:00Inauguration let old media show a world audience some news tricks(Vickey Williams)Last week's U.S. presidential inauguration provided the perfect venue for digital technology to power a level of news coverage heretofore unimaginable. A world audience awaited the efforts of those traditional media outlets smart enough to plan ahead and try something new. Legacy news organizations apparently are working through their long-held suspicion of user-generated Media Management Centerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15447403134761702680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27481273.post-48662427739901656652009-01-16T16:26:00.002-06:002009-01-16T16:31:58.085-06:00Journalism's future delivered by bright, young minds(Steve Duke)I'm always excited about the start of a new school quarter to see what ideas and innovations each new group of students brings to class. This term's graduate reporting students are swiftly demonstrating what the future of journalism may be - and that it has one.These men and women embrace core journalism values and the innovative approaches to story telling that will keep Media Management Centerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15447403134761702680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27481273.post-67284996505144150642009-01-05T15:06:00.007-06:002009-01-05T15:31:00.424-06:00News Mixer: A "game-changing" approach to engagement with the news(Rich Gordon)The open-ended comment box, the standard approach for online conversation around news, is no longer the only option. In my last post, "New approaches to news conversations: the time is right," I argued that local media have an exciting opportunity to build deeper audience engagement - especially with young adults - by taking advantage of new Web technologies.To get a sense of Media Management Centerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15447403134761702680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27481273.post-40878426089101248252008-12-16T16:52:00.000-06:002008-12-17T09:36:16.287-06:00Constructive acts for these dark days(Vickey Williams)As 2008 draws to a close, many of us likely are thinking about colleagues who we know will spend the holidays job-hunting. Rather than give way to a serious case of the blues, it's better to look for inspiration for getting through these dark days for the news business and focusing energy on finding success in the year ahead. Here are a few ideas for getting started.Track Media Management Centerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15447403134761702680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27481273.post-90966628254968182922008-12-05T11:43:00.002-06:002008-12-05T11:59:26.672-06:00New approaches to news conversations: the time is right(Rich Gordon)Over the course of U.S. history, local news media have served two functions: They have provided facts (for instance, what the City Council did last night), and they have provided a forum for opinions (editorials, columns and letters commenting on what the council did). In the early years of American newspapers, the forum function was dominant. Newspapers served as a place for Media Management Centerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15447403134761702680noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27481273.post-70395031325987010642008-11-19T09:46:00.009-06:002008-11-19T13:53:39.382-06:00Let's hope 50 CEOs seek more than one fix(Vickey Williams)Last week's gathering of newspaper company CEOs at API has attracted a lot of virtual ink, largely from industry bloggers who weren't invited to be part of a conversation on the crisis that has some ownership groups on the brink of bankruptcy. Reports of what the 50 or so execs discussed are thin. Gazette Communications CEO Chuck Peters ran a liveblog of the event at the Media Management Centerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15447403134761702680noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27481273.post-45834700405274741242008-11-13T10:02:00.006-06:002008-11-13T11:53:52.752-06:00Why visual "wow" works(Mary Nesbitt)I'm hoping that the remarkable run on day-after election newspapers also marks a resurgence in newsrooms toward high-impact front pages on less historic days. Now that would be change I could believe in.Newsrooms always turn up the creativity and the volume on special occasions and that happened in abundance on Nov. 5 – check out the archive at the Newseum or see Robb Media Management Centerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15447403134761702680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27481273.post-24021766409081147832008-11-06T09:38:00.004-06:002008-11-06T11:46:05.484-06:00Online social networks soon will transcend Web sites(Rich Gordon)Seeing the rapid growth of online social networks such as Facebook and MySpace, many publishers have begun to develop or incorporate social-networking capabilities. A few examples: FastCompany.com (magazine Web site as social network), TimesPeople (social network for nytimes.com users), BusinessExchange (social network for Business Week readers) and USA Today's social-networking Media Management Centerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15447403134761702680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27481273.post-79286590257645363822008-10-29T09:51:00.002-05:002008-10-29T10:03:44.209-05:00Is 'Twitter' a household name? Depends on the household(Steve Duke)Flash poll: Number out of 180 freshman journalism students with Twitter accounts - 0. Number out of 180 who have never even heard of Twitter - 180.That summary is sufficiently short to send as a "tweet," the 140-character-or-fewer messages on the microblogging network.  Here's the longer version. I asked for a show of hands at a gathering of all of Medill's incoming freshmen Media Management Centerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15447403134761702680noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27481273.post-50790247277479909262008-10-22T09:39:00.004-05:002008-10-22T11:14:57.617-05:00Innovating against a tide of cuts and closures(Vickey Williams)With continuing reports of newspapers losing sections, publication days and a few even closing their doors, we have to hope there is also an all-out push for finding new audiences and new revenue sources. As traditional media accelerates toward a future where success increasingly relies on our digital game, what should we pack along from the past? First, count me among Media Management Centerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15447403134761702680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27481273.post-34601002578434760782008-10-15T09:13:00.003-05:002008-10-15T09:35:30.042-05:00Building the local media company of the future(Rich Gordon)TV stations and newspapers in local markets have been extremely successful businesses for many decades, but their futures look cloudy now as readers, viewers (and even worse, advertisers) move away from these mass media products in favor of more targeted media. For digital services that focus on national content and audiences, I am pretty optimistic that advertising revenue (andMedia Management Centerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15447403134761702680noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27481273.post-1040368427355417852008-10-07T15:50:00.005-05:002008-10-07T16:09:13.843-05:00Why the Trib now catches my eye(Mary Nesbitt) Add my voice to those who think the Chicago Tribune's print redesign is a great improvement rather than the beginning of the end.  It's a more visually interesting paper, it has energy and vigor, the Sunday paper is a more manageable size and there is a refreshing lack of those lengthy, worthy-but-dull eye-glazers that I'll wager very few people ever started to read, let Media Management Centerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15447403134761702680noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27481273.post-20991232162418685642008-09-30T15:51:00.001-05:002008-09-30T15:57:31.273-05:00Content is great. What about the service?(Steve Duke) Monday was the big day for the Chicago Tribune, the day the paper rolled out its much-anticipated new design. Others are critiquing that effort (here and here, for example). I want to share an anecdote about a different aspect of the roll-out.Unveiling and selling a new design takes a big push, and the Trib bent itself to the effort. There were advance stories wedged into the "Media Management Centerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15447403134761702680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27481273.post-90920229396976679942008-09-23T14:39:00.007-05:002008-10-02T11:29:07.465-05:00Digital lessons from a Google exec, a casino mogul, Darwin and a tortoise(Vickey Williams)Strange things happen in Vegas every day so it wasn't weird at all to hear a casino mogul and a Google executive advise newspaper editors on the evolution of their industry. For everyone who missed the recent Associated Press Managing Editors conference because their employers didn't work hard enough on evolution far enough back to preserve the 2008 travel budget, there's Media Management Centerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15447403134761702680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27481273.post-87395655723228838042008-09-16T12:34:00.003-05:002008-09-16T14:44:28.263-05:00How traditional and online news audiences differ(Rich Gordon)A new research report from the Pew Research Center for The People & The Press offers some valuable insights into the nature of today's audience for news. The report nicely segments the audience into four groups based on their interest in news and their primary news sources:Traditionalists (46 percent of American adults) rely almost exclusively on traditional media sourcesMedia Management Centerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15447403134761702680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27481273.post-70115764909142820022008-09-10T11:16:00.012-05:002008-09-10T12:14:12.258-05:00Breathe deeply - the Millennials are here(Mary Nesbitt)Talking with aspiring young journalists as the school year begins is a wonderful antidote to breathing the smog of despondency that envelopes many news veterans. The students are hopeful and eager, with limitless energy. They don't have much - if any - newsroom cultural baggage. (And let's keep it that way.)While they're definitely a unique segment, they provide insights Media Management Centerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15447403134761702680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27481273.post-30867225514487962602008-09-04T15:07:00.003-05:002008-09-04T16:21:43.854-05:00Improving your visual storytelling on the Web(Steve Duke)A real advantage of the Web versus print or TV are the digital tools for visual storytelling, especially complex stories and those involving numbers. If the stories can be made interactive, all the better.Here are a handful of examples to stimulate your own ideas. Some, such as the example from MSNBC, are pretty straightforward storytelling improved by the visuals. Others use Media Management Centerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15447403134761702680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27481273.post-24381263442929031442008-08-28T11:33:00.002-05:002008-08-28T12:13:50.203-05:00Reaping success in Brazil(Michael P. Smith)There are many reasons that can explain the current success the attractive and sophisticated Brazilian newspapers are currently enjoying. Let's count them:The growing economy (while not China) sure is creating a lot of advertisers. With the economic boom, comes higher education, better jobs and a bigger middle class eager to be part of the mainstream Media Management Centerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15447403134761702680noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27481273.post-14797145658199103192008-08-20T11:55:00.010-05:002008-08-20T13:50:25.855-05:00Blogging for fame, fortune or salvation(Vickey Williams)Consider the humble Web blog. As common as a cup of coffee - Technorati alone tracks 112 million of them - and better still, free to consume and free to produce. It is a modest vehicle to bear the hopes of so many.Blogs are the platform of choice for young journalists searching for a voice and a grudging topic for study for old-media veterans looking for a venue to carry themMedia Management Centerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15447403134761702680noreply@blogger.com0