“Events” Items

Understanding Online Credibility. An ONA Project

One of the more interesting and challenging project I undertook as a consultant was as a co-author on a study of online credibility for the Online News Association, which was funded by the Knight Foundation. The purpose of the study was outlined in the press release from ONA:

The study will work to develop and promote principles and guidelines for online journalism focusing on proper relationships between editorial content, advertising and e-commerce; the development of ethical standards and avoidance of conflicts of interest; and appropriate use of hyperlinking in a journalistic environment.

It was a big project and a great learning opportunity about putting together a research project with a level of academic rigor.   My co-author was Martha Stone, another consultant.

“The results generated from ONA panel discussions and research will provide a foundation for the ongoing discussions regarding credibility in this very new medium. It is a chance to help shape solid journalistic practices early,” said Howard Finberg, co-director.

The project was announced by ONA via Business Wire release.

Named Director of Information Technology

In September of 1996, I was promoted to a new job and new responsibilities; from senior editor/information technology to director of information technology.  As the press release noted:

He will be responsible for planning of new technology across the company and will work closely with other directors in the development of new products and services. He will report to (John) Oppedahl and will continue to have responsibility for management of PNI’s electronic distribution of information.

It was an important opportunity as it put me on the company’s operating committee. Here’s a link to the story in the Arizona Republic.

Training Needs of Journalists: Poynter NewsU Survey

As we geared up development of Poynter’s e-learning project, the lack of information about journalists and online training was very evident.  While there were many studies about what journalists said they wanted in terms of training, there was scant evidence about how an online training program would be received.  I pushed hard to do a training needs assessment and by early 2004 we published the “Training: It Matters More Than Ever” report.

Many of the conclusions aren’t surprising, even 10 years later.

What stands between journalist and more training?

* Time
* Money
* Accessibility

What was surprising was the acceptance of e-learning as a potential for journalism training.  While only 18 percent of survey respondents had any experience with online training, more than 70 percent were interested in participating in e-learning.

“It validates our belief in e-learning,” Finberg says [in the report]. “It’s the research evidence that the concept we came up with is valid.  The real challenge will be in the execution…”

Bob Andelman wrote the report. He also wrote a story for Poynter Online.

Finding the Focus for Online Services

As part of the development process for AzCentral, the Phoenix Newspapers Inc. “skunk works” team undertook a couple of difficult, but important tasks.  One task was to better understand our potential audience.  With focus groups and other marketing research, we found some themes from our affinity groups:

  • The Travelers
  • Small business owners
  • Parents of young children
  • High school teachers

I really liked the idea that we wouldn’t talk only to “computer owners.” Rather we wanted to better understand how to serve the needs of our potential audience. Here’s what we wrote [I think by Dave Gianelli] about the process:

The four groups — people who like to travel, parents of young children, small­ business owners and high-school teachers – were selected after consulting with Ellen Jacobs, who guided the team throughout the process. We decided against creating focus groups out of demographics such as “computer owners” or “users of online services,” which are based more on the medium than content.

This strategy allowed the team to learn about the specific information needs of each group, and it pointed up some themes common across the groups. Also, the focus group members were varied in computer expertise: some used online services regularly, and others were thinking of joining one. Some said that they didn’t own a computer and that they didn’t plan to buy one.

We talked with the groups about how they get information (for planning a trip or a family outing, for example) and the frustrations they have in getting this information. What we found out can be used to help PNI shape its online services.

What is most interesting about this document is the VERY detailed inventory of the content that could be offered from existing material created by two newspapers, a business journal and an audiotext service.

From A (stock listings) to Zing!, our readers have access to news, sports, enter­tainment, computers, calendars, business and anything that fits under those umbrellas. And from The Arizona Republic, The Phoenix Gazette, Community and the Arizona Business Gazette comes access to other valuable reader services: PressLine, faxes and special sections.

As we wrote: It is a lot.  About 100 pages of inventory.  It is a great snapshot of the content that one newspaper in 1995 produced for its readers.

 

The Newspaper Industry’s Inflection Point

At Editor & Publisher’s 13th annual Interactive Conference and Trade Show in San Jose I gave a presentation titled “Digital Deliverance: Impact on the Newspaper Industry.”

One of the sections that rang true in 2002 and still relevant was about disruption:

With disruptive technologies, a company needs to throw off its existing culture and methods of doing business. While current customers are important, a disruptive technology demands that a company make sure these customers do not drive the company’s future direction. In other words, it means making sure old relationships — and their current economic value — do not drive business decisions needed for the future.

I argued that the newspaper industry was at “an inflection point.”  I think we have long past that point and the industry needs to quickly find ways to reinvent its business model.

What I liked about this presentation was the review of disruptive devices:

  • The Internet / Broadband
  • Information devices  / Wired and Wireless
  • Reading devices
  • Other digital devices  / Audio, Video, Gateways
(Remember, this is 2002.)

How NewsU Makes E-Learning Courses

Among the challenges facing Poynter’s e-learning project, NewsU, was the problem of explaining why e-learning could be an effective way to train journalists and the approach we use to make training that works.  Here’s what I wrote in a blog post about the project:

Our concept is simple. If you make the training tightly focused, you’ll help journalists learn. If you make the training engaging, you’ll help them learn. If you deliver training that is relevant, you’ll help them learn and do a better job.

This ran about five months after our launch.

While I wrote many journalists had “good instincts when it comes to teaching,” I also made this point:

To be effective at e-learning, you need to clearly understand WHAT you want to teach and HOW you want to teach.

 

Technology Leadership at The Arizona Republic

One of my roles at The Arizona Republic was to run the information technology department.  One of my important responsibilities was to make the case internally and externally for investment in equipment and services.

In April 1997, I did a “Technology Leadership” presentation.  I’m not sure who was in the audience.  I laid out our plans for the future on two information pillars:

Two types of information technology support our organization
1. Business and financial applications
* Advertising, finance, circulation support systems
2. News and information applications
* Editorial and other content, regardless of delivery method

I concluded with the idea that all of this spending is needed to build “strong technology foundations for the future.”

NewsU’s First Annual Report: Infrastructure

With great sums of money comes great responsibilities to explain how the funding is used.  That’s the way it works when it comes to foundations.  So, Poynter NewsU sent along its first “annual report” to the Knight Foundation in June 2004, a little more than 15 months after receiving our first funding.

  • Conducted a survey of journalists [2,500 responded out of 12,000 sent] to better understand the potential interest in e-learning, the types of courses that would valuable and the technical capacity of those interested in online training.
  • Developed and presented the “meet NewsU” presentation to various journalism groups, including the National Council of Journalism Organizations, the Knight Foundation Chairs in journalism, and a meeting of the foundations that support journalism activities.
  • Built staff of two Interactive Learning Producers and hired a recent college graduate to fill a one year internship position.
  • Explored more than 10 learning management systems (LMS) intended to handle course development, asset management, course listings and registration, course delivery, class communications, and student testing and tracking.
  • Installed a LMS offered by eCollege on a trial basis in order to better understand NewsU’s technical needs. This trial period also provided NewsU an opportunity to beta test two faculty-led online courses offered to members of AAJA.

An interesting note in the report stated “more than 275 users have registered with NewsU, prior to the offering of any e-learning courses or any advertising or marketing effort. These are journalists who discovered NewsU on their own and have told us to keep them aware of course offerings.”

Developing the First NewsU Platform, LMS

Poynter’s e-learning site was originally built upon two different platforms.  The first was a Web-based content system that used Microsoft technology.  That linked to a learning management system created by eCollege.

In July 2003 Robin Sloan and I spec’d out what we wanted in this ‘unholy marriage” of systems and sent it to DataGlyphics, a local development and hosting shop in St. Petersburg, FL.  DataG was also the home of Poynter Online at that time.

From this we learned what not to do [no marriage of cats and dogs 🙂 ?]. It wouldn’t be our last development efforts.  Here are the overall guidance we gave to get started:

NewsU Site Structure. lst Phase

What does this first version of NewsU do?

It begins the process of building a database of users. It acts as a gateway to the eCollege
learning management system that we’ll be using to build courses initially. It provides a
comprehensive database (“the NewsU database”) of training opportunities for journalists
on- and offline.

From this little acorn…