Guiding media innovators toward solutions, around the world
Versión en español aquí.Not long ago the Wall Street Journal, which thrives inside its paywall fortress, recognized the importance of opening the gates a crack with its new Facebook application, WSJ Social. “You can’t rely on users coming to you anymore,” said Maya Baratz, head of new products for the Journal, in an interview with Nieman […]
Read More »With all types of people publishing news and information on the web, how do you distinguish who is a professional journalist? After all, bloggers have broken some big stories before mainstream news organizations, for example. Many of them bring value to their work. In other words, how do journalists justify calling themselves professionals, and how do […]
Read More »(Versión en español aquí.) Fayerwayer is one of the most popular blogs in the Spanish speaking world because of its frank and conversational commentaries about the latest gadgets and software. Its founder, Leo Prieto, of Santiago, Chile, tells an instructive story about how the blog’s first advertiser created controversy among his collaborators and the blog’s […]
Read More »Recently I met the people of Sourcefabric, who produce two free publishing platforms for print and radio organizations that want to have a web presence.This non-profit group, based in Prague, has been helping independent media outlets extend their reach on the Web for more than a decade. (Disclosure, I was a guest speaker at their recent […]
Read More »Spanish journalist Ana Ormaechea spent a few weeks at a seminar at Stanford University and was dazzled by the entrepreneurial culture of Silicon Valley.For her, the magic in the air came from the unique blend of talented people, bold investors, big ideas and a tremendous sense of urgency.She described her experiences recently to participants in […]
Read More »Versión en español aquí.Just two years after its launch, the local news website zonacero.info (“ground zero”) in Barranquilla, Colombia, has managed to attract 200,000 visits a month. This in a city of just over 1 million population.This small staff of journalists demonstrates how knowing the community and understanding the audience can make the difference between […]
Read More »Far too often I had this conversation with a department manager: “I am so frustrated with Robert (or Roberta). He never listens and never improves. I’ve had it.” “Have you had this conversation with Robert?” I would ask. The answer far too often was no. Usually the manager was afraid that confronting the employee would make […]
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