FROM PRINT TO THE WEB- Will electronic newspapers replace dead-tree newspapers someday? Probably.
- Online media offer readers more variety—and better yet, more control.
- Navigation is a crucial factor on news Web sites: Sites must be informative, inviting and intuitively logical, so users can roam at random, following their curiosities and customizing their news.
- Electronic news reporters need to develop new storytelling techniques.
What's the Difference between Print Stories and Web Stories?
- Timeliness: Web stories can be posted seconds after they're written and updated constantly as events unfold.
- Images usually run smaller on Web pages (readers can click to enlarge).
- Online text uses bigger type, and stories run in just one column.
- A print story consists of just text, photos and graphics.
- Online stories can become part of a complex multimedia package, combining text, photos, audio, video, animated graphics, interactive chat and more. Stories, images and digital extras can be linked together in layers, with related options just a click away.
- Though the options are more diverse online, journalistic standards and reporting techniques should remain the SAME.
UPDATING STORIES ONLINE - It's essential to revise breaking news reports quickly and often.
- You can keep rewriting one story or you can file a series of dispatches.
- Dispatches allow readers to monitor fresh updates at a glance
- Dispatches can be posed instantly from multiple sources or phoned in from anywhere in the field and than typed.
BLOGGING- Posting news online is a complicated process but blogging makes it easy.
- Blogs are reshaping journalism by increasing immediacy, simplifying storytelling, and empowering citizen journalists.
At a Glance: The Journalist’s Guide to Blogging- What are blogs?
- Who creates blogs?
- Blogs also help journalists establish a dialogue with readers, don't they?
- How is blog-writing different from traditional newswriting?
Most journalists seem to distrust ordinary bloggers. Why is that? WRITING FOR THE WEB - The Web is changing reader habits and challenging journalistic conventions.
- The new motto in modern newsrooms is: think online first.
INCORPORATING LINKS
- Linking provides extra layers of information to online stories.
- Use links to organize coverage and to guide users to your archives.
INCORPORATING MULTIMEDIA
- Texts, photos, audio, video, graphis, searchable databases – they are all online essentials.
ENCOURAGING USER PARTICIPATION
- Online audiences want to interact with their news.
- User participation has both advantages and disadvantages.
- There are four main ways in which you can let web users participate in the stories you write.
- Citizen journalism is media power to the people.
MEDIA CONVERGENCE Convergence Takes Three Basic Forms: - Newsroom convergence: Journalists from different media (TV, radio, newspaper, online) all share the same workspace, instead of occupying separate offices in separate buildings.
- Newsgathering convergence: Reporters, editors and photographers collaborate on story production—Journalists multitask in multimedia.
- Content convergence: The final story is presented in multimedia form, combining text, images, audio, video, blogs, podcasts, slide-shows, etc.
From Home Page to Story: Navigating Online News Sites - The Home page:
- The gateway to the online news.
- Links users to every related page. It must be comprehensive, yet easy to navigate; busy, yet clean.
- Story links require compelling headlines and concise, engaging summaries.
- Key elements on the home page defined (time/date, index, lead story, page depth, footer, navigation button, search engine, ads/promos, interactive extras, links).
Multiplatform Reporting: Convergence at The Journal-World ONLINE STORYTELLING OPTONS- The printed word remains the fundamental building block of online journalism, but there are smart, new tools to enhance it.
- Multimedia Options
- video
- audio
- webcams and webcasts
- podcasts
- animated graphics
- Interactive Options
- live chats
- reader feedback and comments
- online polls and quizzes
- downloads
- Links
Blogs: A Popular Way to Add Voices and Viewpoints
- What are blogs?
- Who creates blogs?
- Why are blogs important?
- But are blogs journalism?
WRITING FOR ONLINE MEDIA
- The Web is changing reader habits and challenging journalistic conventions.
Five Tips for Creating Readable, User-Friendly News Stories for Web Sites
- "Chunk" your information.
- Tweak your type to make it easier to scan.
- Rethink what a "story" is.
- Enhance your story with extra elements.
- Collaborate.
Online Package Planning Guide
- A form that helps reporters and editors plan stories for the Web.
THE FUTURE OF NEWS Convergence Takes Three Basic Forms:
-
Newsroom convergence: Journalists from different media (TV, radio, newspaper, online) all share the same workspace, instead of occupying separate offices in separate buildings.
- Newsgathering convergence: Reporters, editors and photographers collaborate on story production—Journalists multitask in multimedia.
- Content convergence: The final story is presented in multimedia form, combining text, images, audio, video, blogs, podcasts, slide-shows, etc.
Multiplatform Reporting: Convergence at The Journal-World
PLANNING ONLINE PACKAGES - Creating online content is a complex process that requires collaboration for success.
Online Package Planning Guide - A form that helps reporters and editors plan stories for the Web.
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