Presentation at WordCamp 2014 Norrköping, Sweden, talking about WordPress and the future of local news.

1. WordPress
and
the
future
of
print
media
Magnus
Nystedt
Flowcom

2. • magnus@flowcom.se
• flowcom.se/magnus
• +46737085506
• @flowcom
• facebook.com/flowcomab
Brief
background

3. Tough
times
for
print
• 398
editorial
positions
disappeared
2013
(newspapers
in
Sweden)
• At
least
38
local
offices
closed
2013
• Big
cities
doing
ok
• Rest
is
not
• Add
to
that
the
difficulties
faced
by
other
types
of
local
media

4. Is
local
the
answer?
• Local
• Hyperlocal
• Microlocal
!
• The
more
local
the
better?

5. Lots
of
examples
• thebatavian.com
• westseattleblog.com
• www.lionpublishers.com
• www.berwickshirenews.co.uk
• www.paloaltoonline.com
• www.saddleworthnews.com
• bangordailynews.com
• www.bjuvsnytt.se

6. Our
context
• VLT
(Vestmanlands
Läns
Tidning)
• Old
media,
print
• Trying
out
web
• Västerås
Tidning
• Old
media,
print
• Free
(Thursday
and
Saturday)
• Trying
out
web
• Local
offices
for
national
tv,
radio

7. Readers
changing
habits
• News
is
not
dead!
• We
believe
we
want
more
news
than
ever
• Consumption
habits
change
• Easy
(and
cheap)
access
to
news
and
entertainment
online
• Showered
with
international
and
national
news
• But
where
is
the
local
news?

8. Revenue
• Advertising
• Subscriptions
• Other
!
!
• One-­‐two
punch:
• First
the
Internet
and
webb,
then
mobile

9. Paywalls
• Some
success
but
dubious
effect
• We
don’t
believe
this
is
a
viable
long
term
solution

10. Technology
• High
licensing
cost
• Easy
to
be
locked
into
one
solution
• Slow
upgrades
• Building
your
own
• In-­‐house
expertise
• Silos

11. Technology
that
enables
• Multiple
channels
• Events
• Reports
• White
papers
• Data
• Podcasts
etc.
• Sponsored
content
• Custom
solutions
• Difficult
balance
to
strike

12. Conflict
• Editorial
• IT
• Sales

13. • Shift
in
thinking
• Getting
over
the
paper
legacy
• Brands
have
lost
their
soul
Mindshift

14. Paper
!=
money
• Paper
will
still
be
there
but
its
role
will
change
• Paper
supports
web,
not
web
supports
paper

15. Use
the
brand
-­‐
Create
a
meeting
place
• Use
the
brand
• Strong
brands
that
are
not
being
used
to
their
full
potential
• Strengthen
brand
position
• Relationships
• Relevance
• Social
media
(integrated)
• Multiple
webs

16. WordPress
=
flexibility
• 2
levels
• The
power
of
the
customer
• WP
is
an
open
solution
so
the
customer
can
take
the
WP-­‐web
somewhere
else
and
continue
development
• Modular
• WP
is
used
as
the
core
of
a
publishing
system
where
existing
plugins
are
used
side
by
side
with
custom
ones

17. Transparency
• As
a
consultant
you
are
open
about
what
you
do
• A
different
type
of
selling
(value,
not
hours)
• Recognizable
• Many
users
are
already
using
WordPress
for
their
own
sites
so
it’s
familiar
to
them

18. Cost
• Since
there
is
no
license
cost,
money
can
be
put
on
other
things

19. User
generated
content
• What
makes
users
contribute?
• Familiar
interface

20. Microlocal,
specific
• We
are
naturally
connected
to
and
curios
about
what
happens
immediately
around
us
• Focus
on
microlocal,
then
aggregate

21. Empower
journalists
(and
publishers)
• Journalists
need
tools
and
skills
to
do
their
job,
do
it
quickly,
get
content
out
to
the
audience

22. Web
Production
Automation
• Easy
deployments
• Check
out
your
complete
web
and
go
• Something
we’re
working
on
• wpstarter.io

23. Monitoring
the
news
• What
is
being
said
about
your
local
community
on
the
web,
social
media,
etc
• Something
we’re
working
on

24. Conclusion
• WordPress
is
not
the
magic
bullet
• But
it
can
be
a
key
enabler
• We
carry
a
responsibility
to
influence
and
help
out
• Still
requires
mind
shift
• Limitless
opportunities

25. Go
WP
:)
25