Blogs

At local online Cary Citizen, multiple revenue streams create profits

Community News Leadership 3.0

Thu, January 12, 2012 | 12:00 a.m. PST

One secret behind the profitable local news site Cary Citizen is that none of the four founders has a journalism background. But what they lack in news sense they make up for in business acumen.

Will Patch’s fate foretell the future of local online news? Hardly

Community News Leadership 3.0

Tue, January 10, 2012 | 12:00 a.m. PST

by Michele McLellan

2012 may be the year that the other shoe drops at Patch - reports suggest AOL’s chain of some 800 local online news sites is under pressure. But if Patch does disappear, don’t take that as evidence that local online news isn’t a viable business. Here are four reasons why:

Readability tools break digital advertising. How to adapt?

Community News Leadership 3.0

Fri, January 6, 2012 | 12:00 a.m. PST

by Amy Gahran

People generally dislike ads, and will avoid them if possible. This is a hard truth for the news business, especially for digital news publishers. “Readability” tools are getting increasingly popular, especially with mobile users. But by stripping out visual “clutter” (including ads) these tools can break digital advertising models

How can digital news publishers adapt their ad and revenue models to make money without annoying their audiences?...

A New Year’s Wish – Journalism curmudgeons, please get over it!

Community News Leadership 3.0

Tue, January 3, 2012 | 12:00 a.m. PST

by Michele McLellan

In the news business, there’s plenty of reason to be cranky as 2012 opens. But I see little that is as self-defeating as journalism curmudgeonry - the general attitude that traditional news organizations are irreplaceable and that the Internet is debasing journalism. Happily, most journalists seem to have moved on. But for the stragglers, here’s my four-step plan for recovering curmudgeons.

Lawsuit to watch: Who owns journalists’ social media accounts?

Community News Leadership 3.0

Tue, December 27, 2011 | 12:00 a.m. PST

by Amy Gahran

In the past couple of years, many news organizations have introduced social media policies covering both branded accounts and the personal social media activities of news staff.

A lawsuit currently unfolding in California might add fuel to this particular fire in 2012…

Where do people get local business info? Pew report, plus 10 ideas for publishers

Community News Leadership 3.0

Sat, December 24, 2011 | 12:00 a.m. PST

by Amy Gahran

The holiday shopping season is generally a revenue-booster for ad-supported news venues—but new Pew research indicates that more people are turning to the internet than newspapers when seeking info about local businesses.

How might this insight help local news publishers update their revenue strategies for the coming year?...

6 ways to think like a “mobile first” journalist/publisher

Community News Leadership 3.0

Fri, December 23, 2011 | 12:00 a.m. PST

by Amy Gahran

Technology keeps changing our experience of media. This week my friend and colleague Steve Buttry (director of community engagement & social media at Journal Register Co. and Digital First Media) posted an excellent list of 10 ways to think like a Digital First journalist.

Which got me to thinking, especially in light of my recent interview with mobile design expert Luke Wroblewski—what might be unique about the mindset of “mobile first” journalists and news publishers?...

Luke Wroblewski on how news organizations can go “mobile first”

Community News Leadership 3.0

Tue, December 20, 2011 | 12:00 a.m. PST

by Amy Gahran

By now, most daily news publishers are making at least some attempt to make their content accessible on cell phones and tablets. But usually their strategies focus on “shovelware”—automatically repackaging content produced for the computer-based web, with scant consideration for how and why people use mobile devices.

In a recent interview, Luke Wroblewski (a top expert on mobile design and usability) explained why news publishers should start thinking “mobile first”—and how they can achieve that goal to get ahead of the next disruptive wave of media technology…