Practice What You Preach (in Miami)

Have you heard? Though most Americans still turn to TV to get national and international news, for the first time, the Web has overtaken newspapers as a news source.

In fact, according to a late December blog post by Nielsen Online, about two-thirds of all adults who were on the Web looked for news online in the 30 days prior to the post.

The news business is changing, but people still want information. Let’s not let them down.

To that end, I’m going back to school.

Recording Gear by kino-eye

For the next week, a small group of journalists will attend Beyond Bootcamp at the University of Miami School of Communication to polish their newsgathering skills.

Organizer Rich Beckman says he’s taken the multimedia workshops he held at the University of North Carolina and kicked ‘em up a notch. In email, he’s promised we’ll be learning a lot of practical skills during intensive three-day sessions.

I’m especially excited to be learning about infographics from Alberto Cairo of UNC and Xaquin G.V. of The New York Times.

With luck, I’ll be able to apply some of what I’ve learned here. For sure, I’ll be able to share notes when I return.

How about you? If you’re a mid-career journalist or blogger, where are you planning to go and who are you planning to learn from to gather new ideas and keep your skills fresh?

Photo: kino-eye/Flickr

Journalist? Searching? Here’s Where to Find Work

2008 has been a tough year for news. In addition to massive layoffs as documented by Erica Smith at her Paper Cuts map, advertising revenues tanked last quarter.

Nevertheless, news companies still need content. And they’re still looking for people. Do you have the right skills and are you willing to be where the work is?

Webb Media is offering free training sessions for journalists who want to understand how their skills fit together with tech trends. Space is limited and you must sign up by Dec. 15.

Several people have asked where to find job listings. Tapping your network is best, as a personal recommendation or an “in” will often put you ahead of other candidates.

In addition to JournalismJobs.com, Mediabistro and UC-Berkeley’s J-Jobs, here are some other places to look:

Can Following ‘The Cluetrain Manifesto’ Power Reader Engagement?

Almost 10 years ago, four guys watching the way business was being done on the Web posted a 95-point proclamation of what worked and didn’t online. They called it “The Cluetrain Manifesto.” Its key tenets: Conversation is essential for business to thrive. Silence kills.

Conversation by eye2eye on Flickr

In the least year or so, I’ve heard more marketers like Ian Schafer of Deep Focus and Jeremiah Owyang of Forrester Research refer to it.

As news organizations scramble to engage its readers, it may be time to study the manifesto once more. And this time, it may pay off to read how market researchers are changing their engagement strategies. A good place to start is Cluetrain at 10.

For those who like slideshows, here are the 95 theses of the original Cluetrain Manifesto:

Cluetrain Review
View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: web 2.0 cluetrain)

Photo by eye2eye/Flickr

Learning to Tell Better Video Stories, With Garrett Hubbard

Garrett Hubbard takes questions during a live Q&A online.
(Photograph by H. Darr Beiser/USA Today © 2008, used with permission)

Click below to read some of Garrett’s answers.

  

Creating Community, Connecting Industry at the ONA Conference

ONA08 Logo - Online News Association 2008 conference Washington DC

ONA08, the Online News Association’s national conference, has launched several sites online, where you can connect with others who will be in Washington, in person or in avatar, next week.

There’s:

  • A Twitter feed that’s the “control tower” for all things ONA08 online

My team, the ONA08 Social Media Subcommittee, wants to make ONA08 as much about community as it is about industry. I hope you’ll join the conference online and in person. And if you want to get a hold of me, send me a message or reach me on Twitter.

The Subcommittee members are Mary Ann Chick Whiteside, who will be among those liveblogging the conference; Paul Hyland, who’s been a creative sounding board and instrumental in gathering volunteers for on-site help; and Steven Lubetkin, who’s putting in a tremendous effort producing the podcasts. This conference is made possible in no small part because of them.

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