Journalism, leadership and the realities of change
I'm indebted to Andy Dickinson for sharing this video on Twitter, of an interactive Lancashire Evening Post, created by UCLan and partners. Paul Egglestone explains the why and the what of the project in the video, and also shows how the data of reader interaction is captured. The last bit is so important thing; I understand (and... Continue Reading →
These are some the points commenters found objectionable about about The Sun's Naked Intern photoshootShe was femaleShe was an internShe was asked to make an impossible choiceThe Sun did not ask a Page 3 girl to do it (Seriously. I guess Page 3 girls must just wander around the editorial floor at all times, filing... Continue Reading →
I always find the Pew Research Centre data fascinating - the information is all based on US findings, of course, but it's a wonderful insight into the way people think (and, given the right technology, operate). The latest one - Learning in the Digital Age - is no exception. It's packed with stats and graphs, although... Continue Reading →
Reading Maria Purdy Young's take on UGC (Citizen Journalism: Something for Nothing Won't Last Long) recently I remembered Bild's 2008 intiative to pebbledash basic digital cameras around it's potential audience, to try and boost the photographic network. According to Bild's picture editor the newspaper now receives something like 4,000 photographs a day, and has led to nearly 1,000... Continue Reading →
There have been several social media conferences recently where, from hashtag evidence, person after person stood up and urged listeners to "go where the conversation is", "be part of the conversation" and "if your brand isn't engaging on Facebook, ask yourself if YOU aren't engaging on Facebook".Which is all very right (although possibly repetitive) but... Continue Reading →
Image: WikipediaIt's not exactly a raging controversy, but there are decided opinions held on whether news organisations should schedule their tweets. It makes a huge difference when someone writes a tweet as opposed to a bot spitting out a link - the colour, interaction, nuances are quite different, but you can't hover over a keyboard promoting... Continue Reading →
Image via WikipediaJon Mitchell has had a rant here on ReadWriteWeb about Google+ and its many (in his view) shortcomings. I still don't find Google+ compelling enough to be able to engage in that debate, but I was interested to see one poster's view in the comments included this salvo: As for jumping through hoops, having... Continue Reading →
How do you turn a newspaper inside out? That's been the question bugging me for about a week and I've found myself thinking about it more and more in the context of the Register Citizen Open Newsroom project.I broached the subject with Glyn Mottershead and Neil MacDonald over a pint recently; this is how it unfolded.Me:... Continue Reading →
How do you moderate a community on Facebook? Should the same policy exist as for a title's website moderation or do the disparate fans and friends it has there require different handling?I use Facebook for content, for sharing information, for instant polls, news gathering and just taking the temperature of the public mood on an... Continue Reading →
As a journalist, you should never underestimate the smartness, recall and grammatical abilities of your reader.When the subject matter is a niche interest that warning goes double, as the Guardian discovered (*links to the two articles are at the foot of this post):and, just to compound the fun, someone else spotted this: Whatever your profession, you... Continue Reading →
Alison Gow | Building the New 