INNOVATION: Being a journalist in the 2010s

INNOVATION. Being a journalist in the 2010s Whitney Mathews & Kris McDonald

You need a pen + paper. Take great notes. Always.

The World Company

Where do you go for information?

"ellyn angelotti new news cycle"

This train has left the station.
It. Only. Moves. Forward.
The "new" news cycle will soon be old news.

You have to get on board. Like, right now. Seriously.

Sounds fun! How do I do that?

Learn
Learn
to
climb
the
social
ladder

Learn to climb the social ladder

"groundswell conversationalists"

Learn to write for online/mobile.
Use tactics like...

Bullet points/lists
Short paragraphs
Bold text
Block quotes
To make reading easier for online eyes.

"f-shaped pattern"

Find your audience. Bring information to them.

What is social media?
A set of online and mobile tools that foster communication .
Text
Photos
Videos
Links

"digital storyteller"

Is there a difference?
YES

and
NO

Digital Storytelling
...the practice of using computer-based tools to tell your story. (Multimedia stories)
As with traditional storytelling, digital stories focus on a specific topic and contain a particular point of view .

Content is the key.

To be a great journalist ,
you have to be a great storyteller.

Storyteller, yes, but also:
Conversation facilitator & stimulator
Multimedia guru
Evangelist
Curator
Data gatherer
Entrepreneur
Strategist
Metrics nerd
Geek!
New skills for journalists...

Seems like a lot right? Well, add another skill to the list...

Community builder
"There's an amazing difference between building an audience and building a community. An audience will watch you fall on a sword. A community will fall on a sword for you."
Chris Brogan, author, "Trust Agents"

Innovators
Wall Street Journal
Times Square bomb
Foursquare
Added a tip to check-in
Alerted users to danger
Used existing networks, tools to their advantage.
Popular in NYC
Easy way to send info
"Owned" the story

"wall street journal times square foursquare"

Innovators
Gowalla + World Cup
www.gowalla.com/blog

Innovators
Remember this?

We made it this.

WellCommons.com
News with a biased goal:
Make Douglas County a healthier place to live.
Encourage involvement:
Create groups
Set goals
Have conversations
Safe + trusted plae
Let the community tell stories, too.

KUSports.com
Conference Realignment
Live tweeting
Facebook updates
Sharing links from others
Answering questions
But every hour there is a new rumor.
So we created...

KUSports.com
The Big 12 live blog!
Publish all "legit" rumors
Link all social networks
Give multiple people access
Be conversational

Get moving.
Don't be afraid to fail.
You have to experiment to find the right formula.

Don't be complacent.
Ignoring progress means the death of news orgs.
Don't forget who you are.
Mastering the basic skills gives you the foundation to be an innovator.

Don't get attached.
The tools/networks will come and go. You must look for new trends, new behaviors and new ways to communicate.

Questions?

Contact us.
Whitney Mathews
@whitneymathews
[email_address]
(785) 832-6356
Kris McDonald
@krismcdonald21
[email_address]
(918) 521-7526

INNOVATION: Being a journalist in the 2010s

by KrisMcDonald21

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