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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.

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
  • Experts answer the question: How will Americans get their news in the year 2025?







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