Results matching “blogs by content no”

FollowTheMedia.com's Philip Stone suggests that it media outlets may benefit from holding back web content either by waiting until after it is published or broadcast in traditional media or making people pay for "the really 'good' stuff". In response, The Guardian's Roy Greenslade thinks that Stone has "fallen into the that trap of seeing journalism only in business terms", assuming that unless news get advertising revenue and make a profit, there is no "commercial sense" to diffuse them.

 

The Daily Post, a Trinity Mirror newspaper, has launched its first Welsh language news website in North Wales.

The Welsh language site, dailypostcymraeg.co.uk, will sit alongside the English language version - dailypost.co.uk - with both providing regular news updates for the region.

The new site has been developed as an additional service by the publisher to showcase Welsh language content, rather than just duplicating the existing English site.

dailypostcymraeg.co.uk will include videos with Welsh language commentaries and interviews, Welsh language forums, and Welsh comments and blogs.

Source: The Guardian

Citizen journalism sites like the Huffington Post's Off The Bus may be in competition as the global user-generated content site Allvoices.com announces the "Excellence in Citizen Media Initiative", a citizen journalism project running until February that will pay US$1,000 for articles that gather 100,000 page views over six months and US$100,000 for those that gather a million page views.

People had stories to tell, but there was no place for them to tell them," says the site's founder Amra Tareen.  "I really wanted to create a discussion around current news and events, a social networking community where anyone could report from anywhere in the world."

Allvoices.com will refrain from promoting political ideas itself and any of the opinions that show up on the site will "emerge organically", according to Portfolio.com.

Tareen mentions that once the website is "better" established the project may be re-launched.

Source: Portfolio.com

Trinity Mirror reports that it is forming two integrated multimedia newsrooms in Birmingham and Coventry that will make use of a new digital content management system, offering editorial content for five of its titles as well as page production for 30 weekly publications.

The mobile news market in the US will soon be ripe for mass consumption, according to Robert Samuels, Director of Mobile Products, Mobile Web, Messaging, Games and Alternative Platforms at The New York Times.

"It's been a runaway success," said Samuels, speaking of the growth of the Times' mobile site. "Numbers will continue to grow, there is a lot of industry dynamic supporting this."

The Times' mobile site, which drew 500,000 page views in January 2007, received over 10 million hits by December of the same year, and soared up to 19 million views in May 2008.

Although "most of the consumption on our site is through high end mobile devices so far" such as BlackBerry phones, Treo mobile devices and iPhones, the market is rapidly growing for the mass market, especially amongst commuters.

Generally speaking, the consumption patterns are similar for the online and mobile editions: business and politics are very popular, as well as blogs or most-emailed stories. "But amongst the mobile applications we've been rolling out, some of them are particularly tailored to the mobile user such as the mobile user real estate listings," said Samuels, which enable users on the go to receive listings based on specific criteria such as number of bedrooms, price...

"In America, I think the general web browsing for the mobile site has been at an advantage in terms of user behavior and pricing over SMS products," said Samuels.  All the Times' text message alerts link off to the mobile site to encourage users to browse it and read the whole story.

According to Samuels, text messaging will continue to grow for specific uses, such as stock listings or weather forecasts (see this study about text messaging and mobile usage), but "the predominant, long-term mass consumption, will be more than likely be browsing just because that's such a dominant behavior here in the US," he said. Still, "Text messaging for content adoption will grow in the US, we are simply well behind other markets like Europe and Asia."

As of now, the Times' hasn't created any position dedicated to editing or rewriting content for mobile consumption. "I don't think we'll hire specific people to tailor content for mobile per se," said Samuels.

However, most mobile articles are slightly edited upstream in the production process, to make headlines appropriate for mobile devices - for example, an E-hed for mobile can be made to stand alone without a picture, or pictures can be cropped to fit the device.

Is mobile news more adapted to local news outlets that can send out locally relevant alerts to users? "I think it is most definitely appropriate for them but by no means exclusive for them," said Samuels. National brands can also establish themselves on the local mobile news market. In the second half of the year, Samuels plans to roll out restaurant listings, in addition to its show time and weather services.

The Times is also developing news alerts for scheduled news events, such as the Olympics or the presidential elections in the US. For the Olympics, users can sign up to receive various updates including postings from the Rings blog, Top-10 medal count charts or the schedule of events.

While most of the Times' mobile news alert services are free, its mobile games and products will remain paid-for for the foreseeable future. "Through experience and industry research, still the model of paying for a mobile game is something that users are willing to engage in," said Samuels.

Source: Robert Samuels, Director of Mobile Products, Mobile Web, Messaging, Games and Alternative Platforms at The New York Times

Mike Leary, Philadephia Inquirer's managing editor, announced last week that the paper would be publishing certain stories online only after they have been published in print, apart from breaking news stories.

Even though the new policy provoked some criticism from Steve Outing and Jeff Jarvis, it is meant to be a strategic leap towards formulating "complementary differentiation between the roles of the print and online operations", according to Poynter.org's Amy Gahran.

Differentiating between print and online operations may be the key to helping papers that are in financial trouble. One of the strengths of print may be feature stories, whereas the Web's immediacy allows for a possibly better environment for breaking news coverage.

The move may be seen as restricting bloggers by limiting the stories they may work on, so as not to publish content that is in progress for the print edition.

However, Chris Krewson, the paper's executive editor for online/news mentioned that it is blogging that is the "easiest" method for breaking news coverage. In fact, he pointed out that there was a 700% increase in traffic on Philly.com blogs.

"There's no quicker way to break news than on a blog, and no better way for us to leverage our staffing advantage over other local media. In addition, beat reporters with blogs say the process has helped them cultivate and nurture sources," said Krewson.

Gahran wrote that eventhough it would be "nice" to have news organizations reporting on breaking news, enterprise and feature stories as well as interacting with the community, financial difficulties may not permit that.

Source: Poynter Romenesko

See also:
US: Philadelphia Inquirer managing editor takes "backward step"?

Mobile technology may be crucial for media outlets in the future, according to CyberJournalist. 85% of iPhone users use mobile Internet to access news and information sites, while 31% watch TV and video, according to American Jounalism Review (AJR).

According to AJR, "Rather than replacing the traditional news outlet, cell phones may complement other media, becoming 'smart,' readable, visual, acoustic and connected, serving readers who access breaking news, sports scores, weather, blogs and stock quotes on the mobile Internet."

Although mobile content might not immediately repair the damage caused by declining print circulation and advertising revenue in the US, washingtonpost.com's James Brady believes that in the near future The Washington Post might get "close to filling the gap."

With the mobile audience expected to grow, news outlets are targeting this arena. The Washington Post, for instance, provides breaking news, headlines, stories, text alerts through sms, interactive blogs and polls, sports results and the city guide.

However, Matt Jones, Gannett's director of mobile strategy and operations, said, "The numbers are growing and it will be a multibillion dollar market, but not anytime in the near future."

Source: Cyberjournalist.net, ajr.org

The News of the World, one of the UK's most popular newspapers, is relaunching its website next week. The newspaper are currently running a beta version test.



The new site will add a series of football blogs written by fans of Premier League clubs, give greater prominence to video content, adopt new templates, and offer an improved search facility.

The newspaper has pre-selected fanzine editors and supporters from unofficial club websites to write the blogs about their teams. Considering the grey legal area of bloggers, especially unpaid volunteers, Gary Thompson, associate editor of NoW.co.uk said, "The same rules will apply to them [bloggers] as to our chief sports writers. The rules of libel apply to them as much as anyone else."

The site has a redesigned homepage, adopting The Sun Online's page template, to make more content accessible above the fold. It has also added a tab feature to make navigation easier.

The new site will run on a technology system called Scenic, which also runs the websites of other News International titles, Times Online and Sun Online. The new-look site is replacing the pop-up feature by embedding a new video player supplied by Kit Digital - formerly Roo Media - into the top right of the homepage and across story pages.

Source: Guardian.co.uk

The Straits Times is launching a revamped website and print edition this Friday.

For the newspaper's online version, readers will find more content, more breaking news free of charge, and more blogs from journalists.

The print edition is also undergoing change, with a new design, a new masthead, changes in headline and text fonts, and new content in all sections.

The Straits Times is read by 1.3 million readers daily.

A survey conducted by the Research, Analysis and Planning Department at Singapore Press Holdings on Online Media Consumption and Habits in May showed that significantly more readers in the 25 to 34 age group are reading news online regularly. Four in 10 of them read the news online daily.

Source: AsiaMedia

Art Howe, chief executive of Verve (who provide publishers with the technology to create mobile Web sites) says, "Newspapers' strength is providing local news and information and the mobile Web is the logical outlet for local content". He also acknowledges that "mobile is a better way to reach people than print or even Web" because "it's versatile, immediate, travels and is just as compelling as a Web site or a printed page."

More and more people are using their mobiles to surf on the Web: "of the 95 million mobile Internet subscribers, 40 million actively use their phones to go online, double the number two years ago", according to Nielsen Mobile. Added too this, thirteen million people read the news on their mobile and a cellphone version of a Web site extends a site's reach by 13 percent.

Technology providers are coming up with new and innovative ways to tap into this market. Verve Wireless provides publishers with software to create mobile websites, it also helps them design their site for free in exchange for a cut of the ad revenue. Publishers can customize their sites, for example, using text messages for breaking news stories. 140 publishers, including The Associated Press, McClatchy, and the New York Times Regional Media Group uses Verve's technology. Verve's biggest competitor is Crisp Wireless, which has the Tribune Interactive, Gannett Digital and Hearst as costumers.

Source: New York Times and Cyberjournalist.net

Wired.com editor-in-chief Evan Hansen has reported in an interview with Foliomag.com that Wired.com is looking at launching a series of widgets that they believe could change the way the site approaches content and is a direct challenge to Google.

Wired.com are looking at a Web reputation ranking tool - similar to one that Google recently launched - which takes the user data from big social networks using open API, analyses it, and produces a list-style ranking broadcast across Wired's widget network.

"We're trying to one-up Google," Hansen says. "We want to talk to a bigger pool, and have a broader reach."

Wired.com are also allowing their developers to spend 10 percent of their time on "anything they want." Hansen wants to introduce a culture of experimentation and inspiration.

Hansen also reports that the company is looking at launching a number of new blogs on subjects such as extreme sports. "No one really covers that area well." Hansen says, "It would also open up new advertising for us, sports drinks, things like that."

Source. Foliomag.com

The Oregon Commentator states in an article today that blogging is a useful tool for advocacy journalism and "original" reporting. It believes the blogosphere is ideal for advocacy journalism since there are "no time, length or editorial constraints" and information is immediately available to everyone. 

However, the Oregon Commentator quotes Quark Soup's blogger David Appell, who thinks that there seems to be a credibility gap, since amateur bloggers "spread useless gossip" and professional bloggers are "useless" due to the fact that they are focused on posting many items per day.

"It takes blood, sweat, and tears, it takes going out and looking at rivers, pouring over government reports and spreadsheets, hiking to the tops of mountains for the big picture, calling 25 people a day -- precisely the thing the blogosphere does least of," said Appel.

To this, blogger Andrew Sullivan argued that blogs are "a form of conversation, not a medium of absolute authority." Sullivan adds links to other articles or includes informative content within the blog entry. He considers himself a Web DJ, "re-mixing and finding and editing the thoughts and images and facts of others."

Source: Oregon Commentator

The Seattle Post-Intelliger recently interviewed Pete Cashmore, founder of Mashable.com, for top tips on how to start a blog. Below is an edited transcript of what appears on seattlepi.com.

What's the most important thing to remember when starting a blog?

Pete Cashmore: Persistence. It takes a lot of time to start a blog. It's kind of a Catch-22. You can't get people reading a blog until you've got content on there, but you need feedback to get going. Once you see a glimmer of traction, you just steer into that momentum, learn from readers.

How do you decide what to write about?

PC: You find a niche. If you can focus on one core thing, then you're able to attract a core audience around that, be the number one leader in that space...If you're a real expert on Thai food, do Thai restaurants, then you can get traction and expand later.

There are a lot of blogs out there already. How do you know yours will have a shot?

PC: You have to add a twist, a voice, a unique angle. You say, 'Can I build more value than what is already out there?'

What about feedback? What do you do with it?

PC: When you get feedback, make sure you respond. It's a really great thing when someone is interested in what you're doing - they build your brand. That's going to make the difference between traditional journalism and blogging: It's about discussion and conversation.

For more tips on successful blogging, check out Paul Chaney's editing checklist.

Source: The Seattle Post-Intelliger

The Los Angeles Times' website drew 115 million page views in June, just short of its all-time traffic record of 120 million PV set in May.

A quick glance at the list of most-read stories and most-viewed multimedia features in June gives a good idea of readers' favorite topics of interest - namely a push towards celebrity news and away from global issues and traditionally important topics such as the general elections. The lists also show that, despite newspapers' widespread emphasis on blogs and videos, these platforms still account for a minimal share of total traffic.

Furthermore, these lists provide some indications about how reader interests may vary from one platform to the other (news, blogs, videos, picture galleries).

If one supposes that latimes.com readership isn't too significantly different from average online newspaper readership, then these numbers hint toward which formats work best for different topics (Skip to 'Insights' for a brief summary).

Text - Top articles:

1. Alex Kozinski suspends L.A. obscenity trial after conceding his website had sexual images (Scott Glover)
2. Mega-mansions are L.A.'s really big show (Jessica Garrison)
3. Oliver Stone and 'W.,' a story of President Bush (John Horn)
4. Fourth day of triple digits sends crowds to L.A. pools, beaches  (Tami Abdollah)
5. Packing in public: Gun owners tired of hiding their weapons embrace 'open carry' (Nicholas Riccardi)
6. Envisioning a world of $200-a-barrel oil (Martin Zimmerman)
7. Judge orders TMZ to remove sex tape of actor Verne Troyer (Harriet Ryan)
8. Lakers have a collapse for the ages (Mike Bresnahan)
9. Offshore oil drilling opponents are rethinking (Richard Simon and Bob Drogin)
10. Obama leads in battle for Latino vote (Peter Wallsten)


The first thing that strikes us when looking at the list is how few stories relate to 'global' issues or to the general elections in the US: ranked 6 is a column about rising oil prices and the only story directly related to the elections is ranked 10. The majority of stories have mostly local relevance about Los Angeles.

(Only) one of the top 10 stories concerns sports - a usually strong section for most newspaper websites although June isn't the biggest season for sports in the US - and the Lakers' basketball team's demise in the championship finals.

The top three stories (and 7) revolve, more or less closely, around issues of sex and the cult of celebrities and entertainment. Number 3 is a story about the making-of Oliver Stone's latest movie about President George W. Bush. Granted, considering Los Angeles' prime location in the movie and celebrity industry, it isn't particularly surprising that many latimes.com readers are going for those stories.

But this doesn't necessarily mean that readers of latimes.com news articles prefer 'softer' content compared to readers of other online newspapers. In fact, this distribution is probably representative of a move towards celebrity news by mainstream media and the audience in general.

Limitations: This is a very cursive overview of readers' favorite topics for news stories only looking at the top 10. A more in-depth study would possibly show that while a few select individual stories about sex and celebrities receive many hits, the sections for 'hard' news (World, Business, National) on the whole generate substantially more traffic than Entertainment.

Top blogs:

1. Top of the Ticket  -- 1,743,178 PV
2. The Dish Rag  -- 1,437,462 PV
3. L.A. Land --  652,605 PV
4. Lakers Blog      
5. Show Tracker                
6. L.A. Now         
7. Technology Blog (first month out, and in the top ten)       
8. Gold Derby      
9. Web Scout      
10. Countdown to Crawford (launched June 17)


Now a look at the top-10 list of blogs gives a more intricate perspective: compared to news stories, the blog format seems to draw more readers to 'serious' topics such as politics and the general elections.

The political blog Top of the Ticket is in the lead, and Countdown to Crawford (a blog that covers the final steps of the elections) has made it to the list although it was only launched in mid-June. Ranked 6, L.A. Now covers general news about California.

It may seem counter-intuitive that readers prefer the blog format, usually associated with a more conversational tone and less formality, to read stories about politics. On the other hand, this preference could also be explained by the fact that those readers precisely prefer a format open to opinion and debate to read about those topics. Since blogs typically allow for more author disclosure, they can also be seen as a more transparent medium.

The last two blogs revolve around technology and developments in the digital landscape, a thematic that was absent from the Top 10 news stories.

Limitations: Again, this is hardly a scientific procedure, and the top 10 blogs on latimes.com account for less than 5% of total page views on the site. To put this in further perspective, five of the ten blogs relate to 'softer' content - three revolve around celebrities and the movie industry - one is about the Lakers and number 3 is a blog about real estate (note the parallel with the news story about mansions ranking 2).

Furthermore, The Dish Rag, ranked 2, is edging close to Top of the Ticket, so that in reality the number of users consulting LA Times blogs for soft and hard news is probably equivalent.

Pictures - Top photo galleries:

1.  Celebrity and sports collide in L.A.
2.  Universal Studios fire
3.  Celebrities' real names revealed (Denise Martin and Stephanie Lysaght)
4.  Hollywood hunks bef