The Knight Digital Media Center at USC Annenberg, The McCormick Foundation and The Chicago Community Trust joined together to bring nationally-recognized mobile experts Amy Gahran and Will Sullivan to town for a one-day, hands-on workshop.
The workshop taught participants how to use mobile devices to connect with and cover their communities, help build their businesses and achieve their civic or engagement goals. Key takeaways included:
- The current mobile landscape: What devices people are using, and how they're using them.
- How a strong mobile presence can give niche/local news a competitive advantage.
- How to conduct some basic local mobile market research.
- How to develop a robust mobile strategy with a mobile-friendly website (not a standalone, downloadable app) as its foundation.
- How to use smartphones and tablets as mobile reporting tools.
- How to integrate social media into your mobile strategy.
- Third-party mobile apps and services that can help community members contribute content to your site.
- Mobile revenue options.