Meh to Epic: Learn from Online Pacemakers

FROM ‘MEH’ TO ‘EPIC’
Learning from Online
Pacemaker finalists

Logan Aimone, MJE
National Scholastic Press Association • @NSPA

David Studinski
College Publisher / Access Network • @dpstud

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Introduction

The Pacemaker is the highest honor
in scholastic journalism. For eight
decades, it has recognized trend-setters
and go-getters, effort and enterprise,
achievement and talent.
Today, the Pacemaker continues to
recognize the best student journalism in
the nation.


Keep in mind …
• The images seen in this presentation are
2011 Online Pacemaker Finalists.
Winners will be announced at Saturday’s
awards ceremony.
• Inclusion in this presentation does not
indicate a website’s status as a winner.
• Do not read anything into
whether an example was included
here.
• Find these examples online:
http://studentpress.org/nspa/winners/opm11.html


Who’s judging?
• Pacemaker judges are professionals
working in media as well as a range of
experts familiar with student media.
• A team of digital media journalists from
the Star Tribune in Minneapolis judged
the 2011 Online Pacemakers.


Who’s judging?
• We ask the media organization to
compile a group representing different
aspects of digital media.
• Entries are judged holistically. There is
not a rubric with points attached to
certain criteria.
• Judging is by nature somewhat
subjective based on NSPA’s Multimedia
Guidebook.


How do they judge?
• The number of Pacemaker finalists and
winners is proportional to the number of
entries.
• The number is not fixed, but about half
of the finalists will be named winners.
• This is a contest, not a critique.
• Judges provide general feedback on the
finalists. Some teams are more
thorough.


What do they judge?
• Coverage and Content
• Interactivity and Community Tools
• Breaking News
• Design and Navigation
• Rich Media


Judges said top sites
stood apart for:
• Excellent photography. Using images
inside their templates to best effect — no
stretching or low-res artifacts.
• Compelling writing. Interesting stories
well told with good Web-native features.


Judges said top sites
stood apart for:
• Design outside of the template.
Every CMS comes with a standard
template, but some publications were
able to transcend that and make it truly
their own.
• Effective use of multimedia.
Winning publications demonstrated a
balance between using all available tools
while remaining focused on telling a
good story.


Coverage & Content

• Coverage is comprehensive, focusing on
many aspects of the high school
community it serves, including
academics, school activities, faculty and
administration and student affairs.
• Includes Web-exclusive content, such as
blogs, interactive elements, video, audio
and breaking news.
• Same standards for excellence as print.


From the judges on
Content & Coverage:
• The front page should not include
content older than a month or two.
• It is more desirable to have a shorter page
with less content than to have a long
page with items that are out of date.
• Communicate to your specific audience.
Know who you are writing/designing/
developing for.


From the judges on
Content & Coverage:
• Include noticeable, clear access to
multimedia features, interactive,
videos, blogs, podcasts and similar
content. Get beyond the headline.


Foothill Dragon Press
Coverage & Content Foothill Technology HS • Ventura, Calif.

Headlines are to
the point —
nothing “cute”
that makes
content
indiscernible.
Summaries give
a preview of the
story content.


Wayland Student Press Network
Coverage & Content Wayland HS • Wayland, Mass.

Clear headlines,
and some
provide clues to
what’s inside,
(sound
slideshow).
“Most Recent”
column gives
readers a place
to look for what
they came for —
new stuff.


FHNtoday.com
Coverage & Content Francis Howell North HS • St. Charles, Mo.

Great example
of a visually
distinguished
site. Note how
background
coordinates
with other site
elements such
as link color,
category color,
calendar, etc.
Note the tabs for
topic coverage
(Construction,
College Guide).


Interactivity and
Community Tools

• Readers can interact through comments,
discussions and polls.
• Social networking tools (links, sharing,
guides) empower and engage the reader.
• Readers can submit content, story ideas
and letters. There’s a method to do so.
• Website uses reader-generated content.


From the judges on
Interactivity/Tools:
• Make sure readers can post comments,
which encourage return visits and foster
a sense of community.
• Encourage interaction with
“recommendation” or “like” widgets on
each article page.


The Harbinger Online
Interactivity / Tools Shawnee Mission East HS • Prairie Village, Kan.

Large buttons
jump at you,
encouraging a
way to connect.
Calendar gives
readers another
reason to make
this page a
browsing stop.


Silver Chips Online
Interactivity / Tools Montgomery Blair HS • Silver Spring, Md.

Poll element
creates
involvement
Twitter is more
than a button —
a call to action.
The letter icon
in a prominent
location invites
viewers to
submit their
views.


Little Hawk
Interactivity / Tools City HS • Iowa City, Iowa

A number next
to the dateline
on the main
story indicates
the number of
comments, a
key indicator to
Web-only
content and
interactvity.
The Spring
Break
destination map
is a great
interactive
element.


Breaking News
• Frequency of update is a consideration.
• Multiple media — which may include
photos, graphics, text, audio, video and
interactive elements — are used to report
breaking news events.
• Coverage is useful and related to school
community.
• News is accurate, even if the information
is incomplete.


From the judges on
Breaking News:
• The Web ages quickly and old stories
indicate that the editorial team isn’t
updating very often and visitors aren’t
coming frequently.


The Talon
Breaking News Los Altos HS • Los Altos, Calif.

Indicate updates
or breaking
news with
icons. The time
stamp indicates
stories are
updated
periodically and
not all at the
same time (like
on the day the
paper comes
out).


The Paly Voice
Breaking News Palo Alto HS • Palo Alto, Calif.

A Twitter feed
can also
enhance
breaking news,
even if the news
is just a soccer
game score.
Facebook feed
with “likes” and
a list of recent
stories
demonstrate a
constant flow of
content.


FHCtoday.com
Breaking News Francis Howell Central HS • St. Charles, Mo.

Excellent
example of a
splash page
when big news
warrants this
type of
comprehensive
coverage,
especially if
your viewers
come expecting
you to deliver.


Design & Navigation
• The site is visually appealing, drawing
readers into stories.
• Navigation is easy; readers can
effortlessly find what they seek.
• News is presented in a clear hierarchy,
with the most important and/or newest
stories prominently displayed.
• Multiple elements of a story are
packaged together into an integrated
unit.


From the judges on
Design & Navigation:
• Content carousels are cool but should be
used deliberately and not because a CMS
template offers them. (More on these
later.)
• Present a cohesive look and feel.
Templates offer clean designs to follow,
but bad color choices or a cluttered
masthead/flag image set apart experts
from amateurs.


From the judges on
Design & Navigation:
• Organize links logically for viewers. They
likely seek the latest sports stories before
contact and background information.
• Limit category and link displays to
popular areas. Use Google Analytics to
track your popular views. Reduce clutter
to subsections if they aren’t relevant.
• Your staff cares about the divide between
yearbook and newspaper staffs, but users
don’t. Create a navigation that allows
them to find the right content — not
platform silos.

El Estoque
Design & Navigation Monta Vista HS • Cupertino, Calif.

The navigation
bar is clean and
unobtrusive. A
top story is
featured in each
section, and
multimedia
packages are
prominent.


Rockville Rampage
Design & Navigation Rockville HS • Rockville, Md.

Weather is a
nice touch,
although the
icons may be a
bit too large.
Section headers
are clear.
Contact / About
Us are clearly
labeled in main
navigation —
great!


Eye Online
Design & Navigation Singapore American School • Singapore

Although the
site uses a
popular
WordPress
template, a nice
masthead
specifically
created for
online helps set
it apart. Be
careful captions
don’t hide the
photo content
in carousel.


Rich Media
• The site uses a variety of media: audio,
video, photos, text and graphics.
• Media enhance content and help tell
stories rather than simply add flashy
elements to the site.
• Audio, video and graphic elements are
technically excellent.
• Copyright laws are understood and
followed; only original content or
copyright-free material is used.


From the judges on
Rich Media:
• Don’t “shovelware” your print edition.
Link to third-party resources in every
article. Embed Google Maps content.
Add value to your web articles with
features your print edition can’t handle.
• Much of what is produced for print may
be used on the Web, but it should be
modified for the new form (add
hyperlinks, photos, etc.) to become “Web
native.”


The Communicator
Rich Media Community HS • Ann Arbor, Mich.

Text content
receives equal
coverage as
audio, video and
image content.
Featured
content is easy
to find, and so
is the archive of
the same
sections.


TRNWired
Rich Media Prince George HS • Prince George, Va.

Slideshows /
Photos/Video
are clearly listed
in navigation.
Video shown
above the fold.
Each headline is
prefaced with a
media type, e.g.
“Slideshow,”
“Soundslide” or
“Photo Gallery.”


And now, some tips.
Less “meh.” More “epic.”


1. Customize the
template
• The template is a starting point.
Utilize widgets and modifications to
ensure the design, organization and
display fit the needs of your content and
your viewers.
• Move things around. Swap objects out
or around to see if polls get better
response, Facebook more “likes” or
stories more views. Use Google Analytics
to track success.


2. Make the CMS
work for you
• CMS are not evil. They help you
organize and maintain consistency
through time and staff changes.
• Evolve slowly. Even the smallest style
change can set a site apart.


3. Three letters: SEO.
• That’s for Search Engine Optimization.
• Give clues. That’s how search engines
will find your site and content.
• Use key words. Write headlines and
leads with words that will pop up in
search.
• Use plugins to increase search
relevancy. Try Google Site Map
optimizer.


3.5 More on SEO.
• Who are you? Put the name and location
of the school on the site. Most visitors
will know this, but it’s an important
detail for each publication (on or offline).
• Put it in text. Search engines can’t read
images, so include the full name of your
publication, school, physical address,
and phone or email in footer of your site.


4. Improve those
content carousels
• They are overdone. Just because it’s
there doesn’t mean it’s the solution.
• Test it. Consider how long each slide is
shown, how the animation works, how
to place the captions.
• Compelling photography is essential.
If a story doesn’t have good image, you
should not splash it across the top of the
page. Avoid duplication in multiple
places on the front page.


5. Details count
• Have a social media presence. Facebook
and Twitter links should be easily
accessible through recognizable icons.
• Reinforce your brand. Use a favicon to
brand your site in a row of tabs or a
bookmark list. Imagery has power. Use a
site to condense your logo and add code
to your head tag.
• Experiment with new trends. Try
things like Tumblr, Posterous and more.


6. Navigate logically
• Go home. Home buttons are useful
unless it’s obvious clicking on your flag/
masthead will take you there.
• Always include “About” or “Contact
us.” Nest staff pages, advertising and
other “business” pages under these
categories.
• Organize and archive. Homecoming is
only current and relevant so long. Try
turning a section into a button in your
right rail, or nest all special sections
under a certain navigation name.

7. Analyze your
traffic.
• No one likes math. Make Google
Analytics a part of your staff’s routine.
• What’s trending? Talk with staffs about
why certain articles are trending.
• Consider bounce rate. That’s the
number of people going to your site an
immediately leaving. The lower the
bounce, the better you are at keeping
people around.
• Try Google Analyticator for WordPress
and Chartbeats if you have high traffic.

8. Help your
audience
• What would you expect as a viewer?
You’re immersed in your high school life
and experience it daily. How can you
build a site for the audience most likely
to visit your page?
• Help the less familiar. For visitors
unfamiliar with your school, add context
like a wiki or links to past coverage.


9. Prioritize the
content
• Make the front page a menu. The
landing page doesn’t need the clutter of
dozens of photos.
• Service visual skimmers. Just as you do
in print, draw the eye with visual
elements and text cues as to what is
important. Sites like CNN.com and
NYTimes.com utilize many summaries
and links and few photos “above the
fold” on the main page.


10. Increase the
interactivity
• Ask the audience. Reader-generated
content not only encourages interaction,
it drives traffic like crazy. Contests for
cutest pets or best spirit day costume are
guaranteed winners.
• Allow submissions. Readers can submit
ideas, give advice (“How would you cut
the budget?”), or add to a wiki (“What’s
your advice for incoming freshmen?”).
• Share, share, share. Facilitate sharing
of your content among social media.


What’s next?
We announce the winners
this afternoon!

Contact Logan Aimone:
logan@studentpress.org

Contact David Studinski
dave@dpstud.in


Questions?
Thanks!
Twitter: @NSPA
Facebook: National Scholastic
Press Association


Meh to Epic: Learn from Online Pacemakers

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