Day 2: Highlights from the 2008 World Digital Publishing Conference

Posted by Lauren Drablier on October 17, 2008 at 8:35 AM

The 'Secret Weapon' of Newspapers in the Digital Age? Paper!
William Powers, Media Columnist, The Nation, USA

Paper is an island of peace in the digital 'chaos' and an 'emerging strength' for media which demands much more examination, William Powers said in his keynote address to the annual Readership Conference.

"The world needs - desperately needs - what newspapers do," said Mr Powers, the media columnist for The Nation magazine in the United States and author of "Hamlet's Blackberry," an essay on the enduring power of paper.

Though the limitless internet is "wonderful in many ways," its vastness is also its "greatest flaw," said Mr Powers.

The fact the paper is "disconnected from the digital grid" isn't a negative attribute - it's paper's "secret weapon" and bears scrutiny, he said.

Read the full presentation at http://www.wan-press.org/article17905.html

Low-cost, effective innovations in print
Thomas Drensek, Head of Offset Printing, Axel-Springer, Germany

When people think of media innovation, they're likely to think of digital innovation. But the print world is on the move as well.

Mr Drensek presented the surprisingly diverse things Axel-Springer is doing with paper and print, thanks to its state-of-the-art printing plant in Ahrensburg. "We have re-invented printing," he said. "Newspapers are on the move."

Turning the Tide: Growth Strategies in Difficult Times
Randy Bennett, Senior Vice President, Business Development, Newspaper Association of America

"Despite what you're hearing, the US newspaper industry isn't in a death spiral," he says. "We're not feeling so well, but it's still a vibrant industry. As newspapers develop into multimedia companies, we expect progress going forward."

Partnering with the social networks
Lara Ankersmit, Publisher, Telegraaf.nl, The Netherlands

The Telegraaf in The Netherlands did so through sport, and the value of such partnerships is immediately apparent.

The Telegraaf created two on-line competitions and provided editorial content around the Euro 2008 football championship and the Beijing Olympics to Hyves.nl, the most popular social network in The Netherlands. In return, it got new users, brand awareness, and additional values for its
advertisers.

For the Olympics, the Telegraaf provided editorial content to a Hyves web section dedicated to the events which included blogs from Telegraaf reporters in Beijing and other stories from the Telegraaf sports team in Amsterdam.

Lessons from the Young Reader Prize winners
Aralynn Mcmane, Director of Young Reader Programs, World Association of Newspapers

During the World Young Reader Prize presentation ceremony, Dr McMane shared some ideas that winning newspapers are successfully using to attract young readers.

Among her key points:

- Be sure to cover things that relate to their "life stage firsts" - first
pay check, first blog post, first car, first trip abroad, etc.

- Engage in the causes that mean something to young people.

- Produce your content on all the platforms young people use.

- Make sure your stories accurately reflect young people. "You cant talk
down to them," says Mr Mcmane, you have to include them in your 'regular'
stories."

For more on the Young Reader Prize winners and their successful strategies,
go to http://www.wan-press.org/nie/articles.php?id=1503