innovation: being a journalist in the 2010s
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INNOVATION.Being a journalist in the 2010s
Whitney Mathews & Kris McDonald
You need a pen + paper.
Take great notes.
Always.
The World Company
Where do you go for
information?
"ellyn angelotti new news cycle"
This train has left the station.
It. Only. Moves. Forward.
The "new" news cycle will soon be old news.
You have to get on board. Like, right now. Seriously.
Sounds fun!
How do I do that?
Learn
Learnto
climbthe
socialladder
Learnto
climbthe
socialladder
"groundswell conversationalists"
Learn to write for online/mobile.
Use tactics like... • Bullet points/lists• Short paragraphs• Bold text• Block quotes
To make reading easier for online eyes.
"f-shaped pattern"
Find your audience.
Bring informationto them.
What is social media?A set of online and mobile tools that foster communication.
• Text• Photos• Videos• Links
"digital storyteller"
Is there a difference?
YES
and
NO
Digital Storytelling
...the practice of using computer-based tools to tell your story. (Multimedia stories)
As with traditional storytelling, digital stories
focus on a specific topic and contain a
particular point of view.
Content is the key.
To be a great journalist, you have to be a great storyteller.
Storyteller, yes, but also:
• Conversation facilitator & stimulator
• Multimedia guru• Evangelist• Curator• Data gatherer• Entrepreneur • Strategist• Metrics nerd• Geek!
New skills for journalists...
Seems like a lot right?
Well, add another skill to the list...
Community builder
"There's an amazing difference between building an audience and building a community. An audience will watch you fall on a sword. A community will fall on a sword for you."
• Chris Brogan, author, "Trust Agents"
Innovators
Wall Street Journal• Times Square bomb• Foursquare• Added a tip to check-in• Alerted users to danger
Used existing networks, tools to their advantage.• Popular in NYC• Easy way to send info• "Owned" the story
"wall street journal times square foursquare"
Innovators
Gowalla + World Cup
www.gowalla.com/blog
Innovators
Remember this?
We made it this.
WellCommons.com
News with a biased goal: Make Douglas County a healthier place to live.
Encourage involvement:• Create groups• Set goals• Have conversations• Safe + trusted plae
Let the community tell stories, too.
KUSports.com
Conference Realignment• Live tweeting• Facebook updates• Sharing links from others• Answering questions
But every hour there is a new rumor.
So we created...
KUSports.com
The Big 12 live blog!• Publish all "legit" rumors • Link all social networks• Give multiple people
access• Be conversational
Get moving.
Don't be afraid to fail. You have to experiment to find the right formula.
Don't be complacent. Ignoring progress means the death of news orgs.
Don't forget who you are. Mastering the basic skills gives you the foundation to be an
innovator. Don't get attached. The tools/networks will come and go. You must look for new
trends, new behaviors and new ways to communicate.
Questions?
Contact us.
Whitney Mathews@[email protected](785) 832-6356
Kris McDonald@[email protected](918) 521-7526