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Oct. 6, 2009, 10:26 a.m.

ONA09: Highlights from Saturday’s sessions, as seen through Twitter

We’re recapping this weekend’s Online News Association conference through the lens of Twitter — assembling the most interesting or useful tweets from each session. I posted recaps of Friday’s sessions yesterday; here are Saturday’s.

Among the topics covered: the social context of retweeting; why Twitter won’t boost your SEO; a Spanish Twitter-like tool for journalists; and the role of Scotch in journalism startups. You’ll also find two of the biggest (and, to my mind, successful) sessions of the weekend: “From Journalist to Entrepreneur” at 10 a.m. and “Design Solutions from News Experts” at 2:30 p.m.

As I mentioned yesterday, if you’re interested in additional information about any panel, you can search Twitter for its hashtag (in parentheses after the panel’s title). And check out the ONA schedule page, which is adding copies of many of the presentations made by the panelists.

9 a.m. keynote: Lisa Stone, founder/CEO, BlogHer (#onakey)

Hermida: @lisastone takes the stage to talk about her “accidental” career path to Blogher.
ljthornton: Stories, data, ideas come from sourcing audience, finding out what your readers want: Stone
ljthornton: “No peanut butter in our chocolate.” = no pay-per-post in blogher network.
KelseyProud: Ads on @blogher must follow editorial standards interestingfact
ljthornton: Still running the company like “3 chicks with credit cards” — personal interest, enthusiasm
ljthornton: More than 87% of women who blog use social networks — often. Extremely influential.
AmyZQuinn: Stone: In building news service for its bloggers, BlogHer was “not building a pink silo” for women online.
GCIJennifer: Theme from founders of Twitter & BlogHer: Learned, drew insights from early experiments, failures, hard listening to communities.
PittsburghMom: Users really do want long form as well as short form info and storytelling
notblue: Learn to write better hedlines to compete with Twitter – you should always strive to write better hedlines, no matter what.
ljthornton: “User isn’t abandoning news, she’s abandoning print.” — Stone
notblue: Um… from @blogher : “Our network of women – Female: 95 percent.” Say what?
ljthornton: Blogher is competing dollar for dollar w/ largest women’s publishing ventures in world.
jmestepa: @LisaStone: Don’t believe in a universal standard for the Internet, but treat others with courtesy.
GCIJennifer: BlogHer: If you make it unsafe for people to say what they think, you shut the truthful conversation down. ,
notblue: YES, YES, YES. Can someone tell my newsroom? “If you build it, they will not necessarily come.” – @lisastone
ljthornton: RT @canoedossier: Stone re policing abuse on Blogher: You’ve exercised yr 1st Ammendment rights, & we’ve shown you the door.
Hermida: @lisastone We didn’t want start-up funding – traditional media folk don’t see value of community
DeborahAcosta: Interesting that a majority of Blogher members blog for fun, only a minority blog to promote their business. @lisastone
AAdamGlenn: RT @ljthornton: RT @notblue: “Coalition building is everything.” – @lisastone
ljthornton: “Goals for future: to be profitable, and we’re well on our way.” Stone

10 a.m. sessions

From Journalist to Entrepreneur (#onabiz)
Gone are the days when journalists spent their lives at a media company. Nowadays, more and more journalists are launching new news sites — and have responsibility for both content and business sides. Learn from those who have tested the entrepreneurial waters — how they got and developed their idea, what has worked — or not, the various roles they play and skills sets they need, how their sites have changed and grown, and more.
Mark Briggs, CEO, Serra Media
Om Malik, Founder/CEO, GigaOm
Ann Grimes, Lorry Lokey Professor of Professional Journalism, Acting Director, Graduate Program in Journalism, Stanford University
Scott Lewis, CEO, Voice of San Diego

ryansholin: Psyched to be at the panel to hear @om, @markbriggs, @vosdscott and more talk about journalists as entrepreneurs
KatPowers: Ann Grimes: Worked within Dow Jones as an entrepreneur. Still worthy goal
burtherman: Entrepreneurship is no longer a dirty word at a conference for journalists, says @markbriggs
KelseyProud: Program at stanford u. Capstone has j-students pair with biz and IT students to create projects
jmsummers: Panelists who do not respect hard working 20-somethings is unacceptable. There is no age requirement for innovation.
emilyingram: .@copress gets a shoutout during session. Agreed: Those guys and gals are great. Kudos!
ljthornton: Lewis: Laying someone off would feel like a failure on my part.
KatPowers: @vosdscott was waiting for some “magic businessman to show up” You have to learn to do it yourself
ljthornton: Om Malik, founder/ceo GigaOm: started biz out of frustration with traditional media
blawtonnaa: From journalist to entrepreneur session is full… @markbriggs says it probably wouldn’t have been 10 yes ago. Inspiring.
pachecod: @om Malik from Gigaom.com: Has 21 people running network of 7 blogs. 6 conferences planned for 2010.
KelseyProud: I didn’t want some faceless person in NY deciding whether I would have food on the table or not – @OmMalik – GigaOm
tchance121: It says a lot when someone founds a biz and doesn’t stay on as CEO, like Om. It just shows his passion is to just write.
TammiM: Om Malik at is great, sense of humor and honest about ups/downs of starting a biz.
pachecod: @om Malik: “It looks easier from the outside than it really is. Being an immigrant, you know that failure is not an option.”
edoflyndhurst: Mark Briggs: startup is like a baby, sometimes cute, sometimes won’t stop crying.
edoflyndhurst: 99% of the time you’re going to have bad days, once you’re going to have a great day, makes it worth it.
RJIcollab: GigaOm founder Om Malik says “scotch” is not an option when starting a biz, at
AAdamGlenn: MSM shoud undertake more collaboration with jurno entrepreneurial news services cropping up, says Ann Grimes
ljthornton: Traffic and sales force: only 2 advantages of large companies: Malik
edoflyndhurst: ann grimes: Would it be more cost effective for a wash post to scale back health coverage, take more from Kaiser health news.
WPLauraCochran: Lots of opportunity for MSM to connect with start ups. Content & sales force collaboration is endless.
ljthornton: Lewis: we’re getting 2-3 calls a day from ppl looking for guidance for startups in other states.
RJIcollab: #voiceofsandiego founder says multiple revenue sources is key, not just banner ads
jonvibe: Scott Lewis: There’s major confusion as to who competition is now for Web sites.
KatPowers: “Just because they’re doing online news doesn’t mean they’re my competition” @vosdscott
kirklapointe: hears from Om Malik that entrepreneurialism looks much easier from the outside. Modest guy for such big accomplishments.
woobie: Scott Lewis: I’m not pursing page views: pursing an engagement with san diego.
nhanus: Great question for big media from Scott Lewis: Is being ubiquitous what you really want now? Don’t we want to prove we are valuable?
burtherman: @om: The trick is not thinking like a classic journalist, but thinking like a business person
TammiM: don’t get in religious debate about journalism and news, this is a technology problem @om
AmyZQuinn: On Malik: the thing about using venture capital is that they want their money back. Has to be a business first.
kirklapointe: Om Malik: Start-ups more business than media. Don’t think like a journo. Bring in financial help. Readers are your customers. .
tchance121: Twitter is just a symptom of the bigger issue. People don’t care where the information is coming from. Serve your readers.
yurivictor: GigaOM gets its money from subscription fees, events and advertising. One third each. @om at
WPLauraCochran: Not listening to your customer – the information consumer – seems to be the gorilla in the room here. Start today editors!!
DeborahAcosta: Average of 5 tweets per minute @ this session. It’s as if each person has a thought bubble over their head, and I can read it
davidwestphal: Om Malik of GigaOm: A journalist must understand that everything you do has to be measured against a P&L statement.
ljthornton: Grimes: Don’t fall in love with your idea. Have passion, but fail early and often. Test. Get Feedback. Iterate. Repeat.
jmestepa: Understand that mistakes are good. Being smart is knowing that you may have screwed up. — Scott Lewis, @voiceofsandiego
nhanus: Scott Lewis: Let the technologists deal with tech issues. If you are a producer of content, stick to what you are good at.
edoflyndhurst: Ann Grime: Temperamentally journalists are risk averse.
nhanus: Grimes: Pairing journos with engineers — engineers say throw the spaghetti on the wall. Journalists: “Wait, not good enough!”
jmestepa: Live dangerously. Why let someone else define your fate? You have to do it, or it’ll be coulda, woulda, shoulda. — @om
KatPowers: @markbriggs Be methodical, convince your wife that jumping into your own biz is a good idea
jmestepa: How do the grown ups become entrepreneurs? — Rachele Kanigel of SF State
AmyZQuinn: If you think 23-year olds, w student debt and no reputations can somehow better “afford” to be startup,you’re doing it wrong.
kimbui: @AmyZQuinn I think the question offended 2/3 of the room. Just bc I don’t have a mortgage doesn’t mean I don’t have a lot to lose.
jmestepa: @om: You don’t need to speak PHP or Ruby on Rails, but you need to be able to translate what’s on your mind.
edoflyndhurst: Om Malik: No diff between a writer and programmer, one creates words, one codes
RJIcollab: Why jurnos work so hard for so little? As much for the fun as the social value, says @vodscott. Same with entrepreneurship
davidwestphal: Om on why he was willing to risk starting up a biz: I began writing for a community newspaper in NJ. How much worse could it get?
kimbui: @om You go to college to be the CEO of Enron. You drop out of college to be Bill Gates.
WithDrake: listening to comments about unjournalism schools… or the need to deprogram journalism students post school.
tchance121: Still listening to people buzz about @Om ‘s comment about going to j-school.
mathildepiard: Ha. Lots of new followers since I batted down comment about how 20-somethings are flush w/ start-up money. Folks agreed. Thx!

Live Streaming (#onalive)
All live, all the time — once an exaggeration and now possible with web-streaming technology. It’s free (mostly) and easy to produce. Every web newsroom should know how to set up a cam and go live in an instant. From produced shows to on location, live streaming is one the coolest new ways to give users what they need.
Joe Ruiz, Producer, KSAT.com

DanaChinn: 1 more time-Just get video online. Don’t worry abt documentary quality. Joe Ruiz
notblue: .@joeruiz Unfortunately, our problem is our reporters don’t think web 1st. Technical problems I can handle or I know who can
journatweets: From – Eventually, every reporter in every newsroom will be able to stream live content…
DanaChinn: Only need $500 in equipment to livestream:Sony Webbie,netbook,tripod. Also mobile BB service+Ustream
notblue: “Livestream is a tv station in a box” from .
DanaChinn: Why stream:News orgs need to own an event from beginning until deep into the archive
journatweets: Once again: “What’s the best camera to have? The camera that you have when the news is breaking”– Joe Ruiz
nicoleshea: “video is the currency of how information is going to be transacted in the future… You have to be there.”

Journalism for — and from — the Mobile Generation (#onago)
The Web isn’t chained to the desk, so why should you be? As lightning-fast Internet makes its way to mobile devices, opportunities abound for gathering and distributing your content. This panel looks at the latest trends, coming developments and how to take advantage of both. Meanwhile, mobile platforms force the absolute integration of content and technology. Without the highest quality of both, the entire project suffers. How does this work? What are potential pitfalls? And, when designing for the small screen, what is the optimal UI for text, photos, videos, interactives? How can this be created? How does this vary on different platforms?
Gunnar Garfors, CEO, Norwegian Mobile TV Corporation
Staci Kramer, Co-Editor and Executive Vice President, ContentNext Media
Benjamin Mosse, Director of Mobile Products, The Associated Press
Roeland Stekelenburg, Head of New Media, NOS

DaveLaFontaine: Staci Kramer-making great point that mobile generation does not just mean young skatepunks-market is diverse
iansherr: It’s worth noting that while people want separate devices in some cases, I heard that the most used app on the iPhone is Safari.
ejcnet: Mosse says ‘content neutral’ is bogus. Kramer says must develop for different platforms because users of them are different
DaveLaFontaine: I think the area we’re going to see unexpected explosive growth: in-car ent. Systems that allow kids in back to Facebook
iansherr: @DaveLaFontaine I agree to a point. I feel in-car ent could get legislated heavily because of the danger of distraction. 90
pvolpe: Interesting point on mobile: people pay for functionality, not for content. Agree?
ejcnet: In Norway the average mobile phone lasts 1.5 years, Gunnar Garfors says
iansherr: Standardization would be nice, but the answer is really to write for the web. HTML is an accepted standard, and it’s evolving.
davecoleman: @enriquezh SKramer : prob with that strategy is that pageviews are much lower of web opt sites than native apps
iansherr: GOOD POINT!: apart from Front Page, local section is getting the heaviest traffic in the AP app (via @enriquezh)
bmount: make sure your email campaigns r mob optimized. sounds basic and not as cool as an iphone app but dont overlook it.
colegoins: Makes sense: Stekelenberg says giving users an ad-free option has been increasingly profitable monetizing mobile content in Europe.
iansherr: Mobile trend journalists should know about? LINK SHARING. Another? Augmented reality. AND LINK SHARING.

11:30 a.m. sessions

Social Media Mania (#onaluv)
The social Web isn’t just for teens. Journalists can use Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and other social networks, too. But how? And what are the ethical considerations? Our panel discusses best practices and how to avoid common pitfalls.
Sybril Bennett, Associate Professor, Belmont University
Barb Iverson, Professor, Columbia College, Chicagotalks.org
Steve Fox, Lecturer/Multimedia Coordinator, University of Massachusetts-Amherst
J.D Lasica, Founder, Socialmedia.biz (Presentation)

amandaash: At the session. Social media is like the Woodstock for Internet hippies. I just made that up
grmadryn: Iverson: “Real people will shape the use of the tools”
michelemclellan: RT @ONA09: JD Lasica’s social media bookmarks are at delicious.com/socialmediacamp/ona09
AAdamGlenn: @jdlasica: MN bridge collapse great example of crowdsourcing, using geotagged Flickr images
canoedossier: “By 2012 video will account for 90% of web traffic.” Really? Can’t grok that. Bandwidth, maybe…
AmyZQuinn: Haha JD Lasica noting the irony of those “Twitter sucks” columns appearing online with a “share this on twitter” button.
AAdamGlenn: @jdlasica: Take a look at Monitter widget on socialbrite.org to turn real-time twitter talk into content on yr site
kirklapointe: for every broadcast Tweet, you need 3 conversational Tweets, says JD Lasica. Got me to thinking about my most recent meal.
AAdamGlenn: @jdlasica on jurnos using twitter — be human, be conversational, not detached. Unlearn conventions of journalism
amandaash: Listen before tweeting. Often you can miss what’s happening if you jump the gun
canoedossier: Steve Fox “RT is endorsement” Really? I often post opposing articles over the course of a story’s evolution.
kirklapointe: Steve Fox’s rules: common sense, listen, no-hype headlines, respect privacy, careful on RTs.
kimbui: I disagree with professional Facebook profiles. You are journalist, that doesn’t mean you aren’t human.
AmyZQuinn: How to get followers on Twitter, by @amyzquinn: follow people. Retweet. Be authentic. Don’t just shovel headlines.
journatweets: Fox: “Don’t be a dumbass! Your actions have ramifications. You have a digital footprint out there. People are watching you.”
AmyZQuinn: Good point by Steve fox: journalists see facebook as semi-public, while the public sees it as semi-private.
Samihah: Wish panel discussed social media beyond Twitter more – like utilizing Facebook – more people on FB than Twitter.
AmyZQuinn: My guideline, what I teach students: public profiles are usable info but still need verifying. Private profiles are just that.
kirklapointe: Interesting that socmed discussion hasn’t veered from egoic personal-brand talk to one of using it as research-conversation tool.
AAdamGlenn: @jdlasica: criticism of news org socmedia policies is that they are mainly “don’t do” lists
kimbui: @sona23 I think being human makes me a better journalist. Reader hate high-and-mighty pubs that won’t admit they make errors

Outwit the Algorithms (#onaseo)
If nobody can find you on the Web, do you really exist? Probably not. Learn the latest and best practices of search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM) and how to use them to expand your audience.
Michael Reszler, Director of Digital Media, Minnesota Public Radio-American Public Media
Gradiva Couzin, Co-Author, “Search Enginge Optimization an Hour a Day”
Krishna Bharat, Principal Scientist, Google
Jennifer Grappone, Co-Author, “Search Enginge Optimization an Hour a Day”

ljthornton: Article title and HTML title should be different. Should be keywords in url. Grappone
ljthornton: OK to forget about the meta keywords tag. No/little influence anymore, but won’t hurt you. Grappone
ljthornton: Duplicate content: common problem with CMS (god, yes). Huge disadvantage. Counts as competing pages.
ljthornton: Canonical tag: new tool for fixing. Tells search engines which is most important url. Read up on it. Grappone
ljthornton: Link exchange services probably a waste of money; those links add no authority & count against you.
ljthornton: About 80% of searches are information. Good! Your sites provide the info. Couzins
TammiM: use google.com/trends to see what search terms are popular. how are people really searching?
enriquezh: my pet peeve: SEO needs vs. Editorial judgment… need a clear line as to how much trending keywords dictate your coverage/writing
dianaswartz: From session “Outwit the Algorithms”: Links to your site from Facebook will boost your rank; links from Twitter will not.
TammiM: @dianaswartz but only public FB pages/links, not ones behind PW/login will help SEO Too bad about #twitter and no SEO boost
ljthornton: Google AdWords keyword tool, free, shows volume, alternate spellings, etc. Couzin
ljthornton: “Slacker keyword research”: look at pulldown menu when you put in search term in browser. In seconds, a snapshot
shanedingman: Now this is interesting: Rules of thumb, numerals instead of numbers: 3 not three… huh…
ljthornton: Cheat sheet: use full 1st & last names, use numeric form of numbers, include meaningful descriptor
ljthornton: Avoid abbreviations, include proper names/locations, include “watch” if video on page
shanedingman: Also interesting: Watch is the best keyword for video in the title or subject. Search term has increased ‘stratospherically’
DeborahAcosta: Creator of Google News, Krishna Bharat, is speaking about SEO right now.
ljthornton: Algorithms make sense when trying to organize all the info in the world… (Google News)
shanedingman: Barat says Google News doesn’t care all that much about HTML title.
ljthornton: Articles grouped in story clusters to allow more effective ranking
yurivictor: Google News CMS can determine editorial interest, originality, freshness, quality of source and localness of source.
WithDrake: “we bias towards freshness”-google chief scientist. WTF is “freshness”?
burtherman: Bharat: Google News is thinking of ways to incorporate blogs and microblogs, but nothing to announce yet
WithDrake: google scientist says there is a preference for extending existing technologies in designing new products. “use sitemaps”.
enriquezh: great question from CP’s about corrections, eliminating indexed versions. Answer from google: contact us.
TammiM: Google is looking for ways to spotlight unique, non-breaking news journalism
burtherman: Bharat: Keep your site fresh, keep updating stories with new developments to stay up in rankings

Dynamic Content Mapping (#onamap)
Hand-building a mash-up map can take hours. Ready to be more dynamic? This class will show you how simple plugins can help plot your content automatically — easier for you and a faster turnaround for the user.
Alex Oliver, Senior Product Manager, Advance Internet

russ_walker: session deck is here: tinyurl.com/ona2009maps
jmsummers: Learning about dynamic mapping, mashups in WordPress with Alex Oliver
marykay7: Oliver: Add wordpress geocoding and map plugin www.wpgeo.com/
CICM: WP Geo is a cool mapping plug-in for wordpress
russ_walker: via @10000Words More ways to make a map mashup. is.gd/3UKOh is.gd/3UKGm is.gd/3UKQK
mathildepiard: Oakland Crimespotting built w/ cloudmade.com, @pickoffwhite thinks w/ javascript overlay. Check it out, looks v.cool
macloo: Here is what I learned how to do in the “Dynamic Content Mapping” session – bit.ly/ODzKO

1 p.m. sessions

You Invent It, They Fund It (#onakf)
Interested in finding out how to apply for the $5 million Knight News Challenge? Join the Knight Foundation’s Gary Kebbel, Jose Zamora and past winners as they demonstrate the innovations designed to bring news and information to communities in new ways.
Margaret Rosas, Radio Engage
Aleksandra Chojnacka, CityCircles
Dan Pacheco, Printcasting
Scott Rosenberg, Media Bugs

DaveLaFontaine: The boxed lunch is a big hit; trying to avoid crumbs in my keyboard
lmolen: I can’t emphasize enough what a great opportunity Knight News Challenge is for funding innovation. Be bold. Proposals due in 2 wks.
tgdavidson: Gary Kebbel, Knight Fdn. : Learning from some projects: Even great plans take longer to execute than you think
smussenden: RT @tgdavidson: Kebbel: people may *say* they’re eager to partner … until they understand means real work/cmmty engagement.
burtherman: Knight News Challenge applications: fine if your idea is broad but it needs to be tested in a local community
tgdavidson: Kebbel: We love wheels, love suitcases – but REALLY love wheels ON suitcases. Innovation can be combination.
smussenden: zamora on knight challenge grants: best projects exist in one community but scale to other communities.
DaveLaFontaine: I think we need “open-source budgeting” for startups, so we can get a ballpark idea what our crazy innovative ideas will cost
tgdavidson: Key element of : Grants are SEED funding. Yes, must be open-source. But for-profits can and have been funded.
tgdavidson: Kebbel: KF HOPES projex will be validated by market, by orgs using it, or even orgs BUYING project (e.g., Everyblock)
RheaB: Whoosh! Riding sugar high from double choc-chip cookies from box lunch.
sbhatt: It’s a safe bet to assume grant requirements will change, Kebbel says, for projects commercialized (Everyblock is context)
TammiM: Interesting story on potential knight news challenge winner, how news org squashed the entry by not allowing open source

The State of Global Innovation (#onaworld)
What are the latest trends and advancements in online news and information abroad? Representatives from Web sites and media companies in Europe, Latin America and Asia discuss new and innovative ways to reach audiences, how specific projects were developed and executed, what’s on the horizon.
Daryl Lindsey, Spiegel Online International
James Breiner, Director, Center for Digital Journalism, University of Guadalajara
Borja Echevarria, Director, SOITU.ES
Cilene Guedes, Mobile News Coordinator, O Globo

DannyDougherty: kicks off with scene setter by reminding us that innovations in news grow out of a need to serve your local audience
DannyDougherty: Out of Brazil still young mobile market, this ad was aimed to position old as mobile news bit.ly/J6Hy2
enriquezh: O Globo’s Cilene Guedes: how this large newspaper has become mobile in a country with massive mobile penetration
enriquezh: O Globo’s mobile project relies heavily on user participation, users sharing iphone reports with the newsroom and others
mlouttit: O Globo’s iPhone app is a great tool to encourage and empower citizen journalists. Big U.S. media should take notice.
KTKING: 40 percent of Brazil’s OGlobo mobile audience is iPhone. Focus on photos, with advertising.
enriquezh: soitu.es demoing their home-grown social network for journalism
DannyDougherty: User-generated content solutions from OGlobo’s iPhone app is like a slick iReport & utoi.soitu.es/ is super twitter 4 news
vanesbez: Utoi is an international example of how journalists can integrate Twitter on their site bit.ly/3lR7TW
DannyDougherty: When www.spiegel.de/ launched, fears of cannibalization mean most the content was unique, not repurposed from dead tree
ejcnet: Interesting that Spiegel brought head of successful German online site to be one of folks in charge of keeping mag viable
enriquezh: Spiegel’s Darryl Lindsey: during the dotcom bust org didn’t cut back in online so they were better prepared for the comeback.
DannyDougherty: Only 10% of Spiegel Web traffic is coming from search. Described as unique phenom of bookmarking the HP in German market.
DannyDougherty: Daryl Lindsey’s formula: 3 serious pieces, 1 fun.
kirklapointe: Quite different, more positive outlooks on print/online coexistence from Euro, Latin/South America than from America @ ONA conf.
daryllindsey: A few have asked me for slides from Spiegel presentation. Just e-mail me at daryl_lindsey@spiegel.de

2:30 p.m. sessions

Design Solutions from News Experts (#onaux)
Some sites act like it’s 1995 when it comes to design. Others still try to replicate their print pages for the Web. What should we be doing? Who’s doing it right? What can design studies tell us about how readers interact with Web sites? Our panelists will help you avoid common mistakes.
Aron Pilhofer, Editor, Interactive News Technologies, The New York Times
Lee Byron, Interactive Information Designer, Facebook
Jesse James Garrett, President, Adaptive Path
Elliott Malkin, Informational Architect, The New York Times

CICM: Lee Byron, Facebook – web viewers fickle, multitasking – capturing attention more important than in print
DannyDougherty: I love a flow chart about how users navigate online content that includes the box “Rickrolled?”
CICM: Byron: interactive graphics hard to get right – story, integrity, engaging design
DannyDougherty: Lee Byron s talking about burying info to create user discovery… works for big pieces, but is it good daily practice
MacDivaONA: Lee Byron (interactive info designer, Facebook) has some interesting work on his site: leebyron.com/ (some photos NFSW)
webjournalist: At design session: Lee Byron, formerly of NYT and now at Facebook, did a great show. He chose FB over NYT. That means something. #ona
emilyingram: Elliot Malkin showing NYT’s Document Viewer bit.ly/6E5dC (It wraps raw document in journalistic layer)
notblue: Use a document viewer because you can control the journalistic layer on top of it (instead of viewers just downloading it)
CICM: Version 2.0 of document viewer shown in preso is here: is.gd/3UZDo
CICM: – users will eventually be able to add their own annotations through document viewer
CICM: Jesse James Garrett, adaptive path jjg.net/elements – book about elements of Interface design
emilyingram: Jesse James Garrett: Focus your resources on what your users want from you. Focus on strengths.
CICM: 2. be in the web, not on the web – don’t see web as channel for product, see product as part of the web – adds to the web
AAdamGlenn: Good design advice: Don’t try to be all things to all people, says panelist
DannyDougherty: Garrett says know who you are = what do readers want from you. do that first instead of eating others’ lunches
CICM: 4. What people do with news – design and strategy must be around this – absorb, apply, share, enjoy – reasons people consume news
mpattersonPBP: Amused by the sudden flurry of keystrokes when Jesse James Garrett voiced this mantra at : “Be in the Web, not on the Web.”
CICM: Every page is the home page – home page is not master entry point
CICM: 7. Navigation is dead, long live navigation – navigation needs to be rethought – ppl rarely use global navigation elements
notblue: Uh oh, navigation needs to be re-thought. Great. But it makes sense – tailor links to drive traffic to other parts of the site
AAdamGlenn: Navigation must be contextually relevant; so leverage what you can tell readers, says Garrett
danielbachhuber: News sites need to rethink their approach to navigation. “What gets used more is navigation that is contextually relevant.”
CICM: 10. Headlines should tempt, not tease. tempt – make someone want to know. teasing – making them wonder.
edoflyndhurst: right on. headlines should be straightforward, make a promise, not baffle. because readers are scanning for specific facts
jmsummers: “You are creating a tool that lets people consume and work with the news rather than just delivery vehicle for the news” -JJG
DannyDougherty: Garrett’s speech makes me think of an integrated content page. Maybe more news as a dashboard and less news as a publication
CICM: Malkin: we tend to obsess over things our users don’t care about
AAdamGlenn: Jurnosstress over stuff like content categories readers don’t care about/notice, says NYT’s Elliott Malkin
mattmansfield: JJG: Interactivity is not a coat of paint. Elements need to add depth, understanding, deliver genuine value.
Hermida: “Most valuable multimedia is something that allows me to learn more about the story.”
notblue: I think this is the first session I’ve been to where the vast majority of the attendees are REALLY paying attention.
CICM: serendipity a good design principle that could be useful for news sites – Byron
AAdamGlenn: Similarly, NYT uses “moth” – photo thumbnails on bottom of page to drive users to unrelated stories, says Malkin
megamu: Posting my slides from my talk at the panel. bit.ly/4iqmi

Can the Semantic Web Really Save your Site? (#onalinks)
The semantic Web offers the promise of connecting data on your site, and creating links across sites. How does it really work and why does it matter? Our panelists will explain and show you how to bring the semantic Web to your site.
Tiffany Shackelford, Online Content and Marketing Specialist, Phase 2 Technology
Kurt Cagle, Senior Editor, MetaphoricalWeb.org
Peter Offringa, Vice President of Engineering, CBS Interactive
Thomas Tague, Product Development Strategist, Thomson Reuters

KatPowers: Paul Berry says tag everything the way folks will find it. The tag “Keith Ledger” did well the day Heath Ledger died
TammiM: present you material in a way that you’re grabbing most of the market
Hermida: The session on the semantic web is descending into tech alphabet soup of RDF, XQuery and Json.
sharon000: “Not having a (visible) tagging system”is “brutal” says HuffPost CTO; the lack hurts with both humans & search engines.
KatPowers: Paul Berry says even the little guys can be on the semantic web. There’s a lot of small things you can do cheaply
TammiM: tells us now: Check out OpenCalais, have tool on site: document viewer, shows people this stuff is a lot better than explaining.
MacDivaONA: Wanna see a good example of the semantic web? moodbase.com/ (via @DeborahAcosta)
kev097: Here are the basics, folks: “WTF is the Semantic Web? (in 5 Minutes)” bit.ly/2wCnd Best primer I’ve seen.
DeborahAcosta: Video describes semantic web (start @ 14 min) bit.ly/ZatvF #semanticweb #TED (via @PeoplePond) For those lost during
bmount: @TammiM @yelvington – semantic tagging (microformats) & news orgs bit.ly/baq4V bit.ly/5hIK0

How to Handle Text and Spreadsheets (#onaxml)
Sometimes simple is hard. This class looks at how to leverage the power of spreadsheets and text in ways you never imagined. From cleaning up that dirty data to learning which types of data projects and visualizations are best for your needs, this class will remove the mystery.
Sara Clarke, Deputy Editor, Education, U.S. News & World Report/usnews.com
Houston Ruck, Designer, U.S. News & World Report/usnews.com

amzam: settling in at data/spreadsheet learning lab by Sara Clarke and Houston Ruck at US News. Links are here: tiny.cc/ona09
10000words: Great data visualization links and how to create them bit.ly/81Oy2
amzam: nice data collection from the Guardian: www.guardian.co.uk/data-store
kimbui: If you’re good with Flash AmCharts is supposed to work well. Private, bu of course requires more work than copy-paste
sona23: data used in ManyEyes will be public. Be careful with proprietary info.

4 p.m. sessions

Video Free-for-All (#onavid)
Video has been the Wild Wild West of the Web. Are things starting to settle down when it comes to standards, knowing what works and what doesn’t, and how online sites can focus their video strategies?
Chip Mahaney, Director of Digital Content, E.W. Scripps Company
Andrew Fitzgerald, Online Producer, Current TV
Olivia Ma, News Manager, YouTube
Kevin Roach, Director of U.S. Broadcast News, The Associated Press

ChipMahaney: We just cooked up a huuuge surprise for Saturday’s 4pm Video Free for All panel. It amazed me when I saw it today.
jmsummers: 83% of online video watched is short-form video.
BayNewser: Online viewers love short form content
BayNewser: Current producer talking about cameras — Flip is good. Vanguard unit uses Sonay A1U
amzam: current holy grail of cameras: canon 5D mark II. that’ll only be $4,000. hd video and great stills.
BayNewser: Now showing video of Gov Mark Sanford, shot on cellphone. Looks good enough to everyone in the room
reginajmc: I’ve said it before, but livepack is pretty cool.
leswalker: AP’s Kevin Roach: AP train reporters on Canon HV30 video cams.. looking to upgrade. Also training 100 AP still photogs on video .
reginajmc: Depressed at holding up examples of such low end work.
jmsummers: Users on YouTube gravitate to raw, unedited video.
amzam: @magicandrew: think about video not as you do on television. doesn’t need to be pkg. use it to show what you can’t w/words.
amzam: AP’s Kevin Roach: Think about first-person storytelling. Tough to execute, but when done well, very powerful.
reginajmc: And good advice from AP guy — file fast, then decide if story deserves more complete treatment.
leswalker: AP’s Kevin Roach on video essays: Eyes of still photogs trained differently than videographers-for telling the story in one frame.
dbronx: Olivia Ma: Everyone can be a reporter, but not everyone can be a journalist. #voaona
amzam: Guidelines on ethical issues with video: RTNDA.org bit.ly/bbvfo and photo: NPPA.org bit.ly/18YRAo
reginajmc: On YouTube, shorter does better, 3-5 minute range, but growing appetite for long form.
amzam: Didn’t realize YouTube had launched dedicated space for long-form video content www.youtube.com/shows
reginajmc: I like Current TV’s length standard: as long as it’s absolutely compelling. Not enough compelling stuff out there.

How to Stop Worrying and Love your CMS (#onacms)
Everyone hates their content management system. Is there such a thing as a perfect CMS? How can/should you evaluate the options? When is it worth starting from scratch and what lessons can be learned from what others have gone through? Our panelists will walk you through the byzantine world of CMS with those who know it all too well.
Tiffany Shackelford, Online Content and Marketing Specialist, Phase2 Technology
Jeff Walpole, CEO, Phase2 Technology
Chris Clonts, Senior Editor, Online, St. Paul Pioneer Press, TwinCities.com
Michael Weiss, Chief Executive Officer, Imagistic

underoak: CMS class is small, but moderator Tiffany Shackleford is waking up the few, the proud, those who haven’t run off to the bar.
joe_allen_black: … switch to Drupal. It rocks. Modules for pretty much anything you can think of ..
TammiM: Chris Clonts: CMS shopping, Can’t shop on xmas eve people will be disappointed in the gift – you have to plan!
dorsey: @clontsey: there’s no perfect CMS — everybody’s got to compromise on something. Pick your CMS deal-breakers carefully
dorsey: @clontsey: Look out for “Bret Michael Syndrome” — every CMS can’t be “super hot.” Use a score sheet to keep track.
TammiM: Content migration can be difficult, do a solid inventory, decide what to keep.
dorsey: Jeff Walpole: Avoid CMS feature bloat. Use modules and add on only the things you really need.
TammiM: go to meet-ups in your area learn who is involved in open source comms, find out who is a leader. if you see sites, ask who built it
MacDivaONA: opensourcecms.com lets you try out CMSes, though ASPX demos are down. (h/t @CICM)
TammiM: either focus on techno or content, when starting focus on content then do something WordPress, choose theme, type content and go
TammiM: when ready to go w/more tech requirements, hire a developer. you can’t open joomla or drupal and just go
TammiM: devs are seeing that they need to be bringing their barrier to entry even lower so that everyone can have a website

Four Cool New Web Tools for Journalists (#onatools)
What are the latest tools? If we told you now it would be different in six months. We’ll show you four of the latest apps out at conference time to help you cover your world and engage your audience. And we promise they’ll be cool and useful.
Josh Hatch, Multimedia Producer, USATODAY.com
Cory Tolbert Haik, Assitant Managing Editor, seattletimes.com

kimbui: You know it’s a room of nerds when we get excited about Easter eggs.
grmadryn: . . “Four cool new web tools for journalists”
webbmedia: Now take a look at business.swivel.com……. play with data, but keep in mind yours will be public.
amara_media: With Swivel you can upload a spreadsheet, get rich interactive graphic & embed it. business.swivel.com/
KelseyProud: Really interesting tool in Swivel. Could really be an easy way to punch up our stories @Mizzou.
DanaChinn: Luv www.swivel.com mission: make data useful; insights; grt decisions; improve lives. All from data!
KelseyProud: The left side and right side of my brain can come together happily with tools like Swivel
notblue: Only limitation for eds using Swivel: convincing the reporters to give you the data. Prediction: like pulling teeth.
amara_media: Corey Tolbert Haik’s presentation on cool Web tools: tinyurl.com/2coolona
amara_media: Audio blogging with your iPhone (live podcasting): audioboo.fm/
journatweets: Go to tinyurl.com/2coolona and learn how to do live photo mapping and how to send live in-line photos from the field
kaylawebley: And finally, cool tool four: audio boo–audio stream your reports from the field live via iPhone app phone boo
ellenlynch: seeing how you can do live photo stream and podcasting on iPhone makes me wish I had one, might have to get one
DaveLaFontaine: Shake iPhone 3Gs three times-get AR “easter egg” in Yelp called “Monocle”
CICM: Going geeky with GREP in Textwrangler FTW!
sharon000: Cool tools session attendees: Some more info about grep (regular expressions) tinyurl.com/nzu4gg
sharon000: Blog post on the rest of the 4 Cool Tools for Journalists conference session tinyurl.com/y8tn3wg

Joshua Benton is the senior writer and former director of Nieman Lab. You can reach him via email (joshua_benton@harvard.edu) or Twitter DM (@jbenton).
POSTED     Oct. 6, 2009, 10:26 a.m.
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