Facebook hosting doesn't change things, the world already changed — Remains of the Day This... "...media ad experiences are awful. I wonder sometimes if folks at media companies ever try clicking their own links from within social media like Twitter or Facebook, just to experience what a damn travesty of a user experience it is.... Continue Reading →
#mojocon15 part I: Talking mobile innovation and storytelling
March 27 and 28 were spent immersed in the world of mobile, journalism, storytelling and content creation, courtesy of the first Mobile Journalism Conference held in Dublin and organised by broadcaster RTÉ. It was the most rewarding, packed and inspiring event - filled with incredible journalists and storytellers doing wonderful things, often armed with just... Continue Reading →
Interesting reads (weekly)
NPR Appoints The AP's Michael Oreskes As News Chief : The Two-Way : NPR I'd agree with this, and also add apathy into the mix - not only how do you hold people's attention, but how to do you get them to care enough to engage in the first place? For a mercifully brief moment... Continue Reading →
Pix or it didn’t happen?
http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/200471527-001 So, Meerkat, eh? It was, by all accounts, the darling of SXSW and digital acres have been given over to assessing its worth (and here I am, adding to them). Search Twitter at any given time and it's everywhere, being [LIVE NOW]... Tweets about [live now] meerkat // I downloaded it a few weeks ago when... Continue Reading →
Interesting reads (weekly)
Snapchat stories: Here’s how 6 news orgs are thinking about the chat app » Nieman Journalism Lab Does what it says on the tin. I like the opportunities presented by Snapchat - I particularly like the idea of going back to that more intimate connection with an audience - it feels to me like the... Continue Reading →
Off with their heads! Crimes against cropping in tweets
Update: Some more cropping tools. This one, which is - I think - called Favicon Generator, was suggested by @ourman and Twitshot by @xxnapoleonsolo. Thanks chaps. When it comes to critiquing others' work, I am very much of the 'there but for the grace of God...' school of thought. I'm fairly sure, for example, there are enough spelling... Continue Reading →
The beige world of clickbait journalism
http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/170003092 Things I worry about: Why the airport tax charged by cabs from Belfast City Airport fluctuates by £1 for no apparent reason Is Rick from The Walking Dead aware of how awful his beard is? In the rise of Junk Food News, how do I avoid being a part of the problem? I like a good... Continue Reading →
Up the Boro! Tapping into the fans’ mood on Twitter
This is my new favourite thing, courtesy of the @GazetteBoro team in Middlesbrough (disclosure: yep, they're part of Trinity Mirror Regionals, like me). The gif (you might need to click to activate) is a simple, neat idea, and really summed up the how fans feel about being up in the rarified atmosphere of the top of the table. Lots... Continue Reading →
Interesting reads (weekly)
A Teenager’s View on Social Media — Backchannel — Medium "While it hasn't reached the popularity of the other networks, Yik Yak is a powerful contender that people actually use. Often I see people post about the fight for anonymity with other applications such as Secret. I can tell you that I do not know... Continue Reading →
Talking innovation, skills and the future with journalism students
After decades of not going to Sheffield, 2014 was the year I found myself there on several occasions - incidentally, what a fine city it is, once you manage to negotiate the frankly rubbish rail links that run from west to east. My most recent trip was at the invitation of Sheffield University journalism professor Peter Cole,... Continue Reading →
Alison Gow | Building the New 