ONA11 Recap
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ONA11 debrief
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Notes from the Seattle Times
Transcript of ONA11 Recap
ONA11debrief
And this is what we learned.
A few of us went to the ONA conference in Boston.
Google news standout tag
1The problem with Google News is that it rewards recency, not originality:
●We post a scoop and it ranks well, but then...
●Somebody else parrots our scoop and bumps us.
2Credit where credit is due:
●We post a scoop and tell Google it's ours.
●When others copy our scoop, they get less credit than our original does.
3How does it work?
●Put this code in your story files●Google detects and bumps
your article to the top as "featured"
4Limitations
●You can only use it 7 times per week before you get punished by the algorithm
●But linking to third-party content gives you trust and power in the algorithm
(Rules exist to prevent abuse)
5Putting it into practice
●Coming soon from our Seattle Times hackathon!
Data j +news apps +
devs in newsroom
1Data and programming should be omnipresent in our newsrooms, not split into silos.
"Don't be a tool. Use them."
3Doing data journalism keeps getting easier and more documented.
This means more opportunities for us to learn how to code and present info in new ways!
Creating a visualization on deadline (tutorial): http://michelleminkoff.com/crime-stats/crime-graphing-walkthrough.html
21. Pick the right projects. “The problem is that everyone
thinks too big. You need to think more iteratively.” 2. Invest in sweat equity. “You’ve gotta build it, you’ve gotta
break it, and you’ve gotta do it over and over again.”3. Punch above your weight. “Every time you need to build
something slightly harder than the last time."4. Make unlikely allies. “The problem is, your newsroom is
full of people who don’t like you and you just don’t know it yet.”
5. Spread the knowledge. “Your job is to show everyone else the crazy things you’ve gone through.”
-Jeremy Bowers, The Washington Post
4Creating a visualization on deadline (tutorial): http://michelleminkoff.com/crime-stats/
5
Takeaways:We should be building unlikely partnerships within the newsroom to learn and build things, then document them for the public.
http://open.blogs.nytimes.com/
http://blog.apps.chicagotribune.com/
Gameification+
SMS engagement
1Gaming + Gamification
What’s the difference?(These are not new concepts)
Good examples of gaming the news are:
USA Today’s Boomer Turning 65
Slate’s GOP horse race
2Good example of a site using game theory to increase reader-engagement: redding.com
3Biggest takeaway: Don’t leave a dead end after a reader leaves a comment. Engage them!
4Creative crowdsourcing
First up: A NYC radio station made a map based on comments from readers who were asked to go out and count the number of SUV’s on their block: http://www.wnyc.org/shows/bl/2007/jul/26/how-many-suvs-are-on-your-block/All of the above was done by hand.
4Creative crowdsourcing
Later they evolved to using text messaging as the tool for soliciting feedback, which, via a partner service, they were able to use to create a map of snow removal:http://www.wnyc.org/articles/wnyc-news-2/2010/dec/30/mapping-storm-clean/
5Advantages:
● Hits at wider audience who may not have smart phones.● Respondents can be prompted to leave audio response
too, which can be collected and featured on the news site.
● Can be helpful if people have lost power.
Several vendors, including Mobile Commons and signalhq.com, but it’s not cheap.
The Second Screen+
Brand Empires
185 million Americans consume both TV and the web simultaneously. Opportunity: News websites can capitalize on this by providing additional , unique coverage to complement live events.
3Brands within one screenOne company can have more than one brand Brands should always be content-driven
In the paper, our brands are visible in our different sections: Travel, PNW magazine, Sports.
Online, our brands exist as blogs more than they do as sections. So can our blogs look different?
4
Examples of poor branding
Each section is its own buzzword:ArtSplash, SportsBuzz, YourVoices, etc.
5
Examples of good branding
HuffPo: the "fugliest" website● Puts content first● Doesn't worry about linking out● Doesn't overbrand its own content
Twitterfor newsrooms
1Fix your Twitter security
High profile hacking of PBS, NBC, Fox news means it needs to be taken seriously. Simple steps to keep the account safe. Also – Twitter
promises to answer every ticket filed, and their developers will happily mentor devs in newsrooms who reach out [email protected]
2Twitter is now more
mobile ready
Opportunity: Prepare for that disaster scenario we know is coming. Now MMS, Fast Follow in internationalmarkets with text messaging to your phone (think Arab Spring, Japan earthquake).
3Rate limits
Twitter is working to fix rate limits for journalists who are live tweeting (JeffJarvis example). Note: use Tweetdeck and you won’t get rate limited. Newsrooms could
consider multiple IP addresses to help get around rate limits.
4Archive search
and better organization
Erica Anderson (of Twitter) agreed that journalists need it – she asks journalists to reach out directly to her with use cases so
she can advocate for it within Twitter’s priorities. topsy.com is
best option for now.
5Real time
visualizations
If you missed these from June, a visualization of tweets to and
from Japanhttp://blog.twitter.
com/2011/06/global-pulse.htmlMore from presentation here.
Show & Tell
Responsive web design
Responsive web design
MJ Bear Fellows: 3 journalists under 30
Laura Amico: founder, editor of Homicide Watch D.C.Reporting on every murder in D.C.http://homicidewatch.org/
Lucas Timmons: producer for The Edmonton JournalInnovative, interactive 2011 election coveragehttp://seati.ms/mjbear_timmons
Lam Thuy Vo: multimedia reporter for WSJMultimedia presentation on China's housing markethttp://seati.ms/mjbear_vo
