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NAA Podcast: A look at newspapers and social media
Beth Lawton discusses emerging social media as they relate to the newspaper industry.
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February 21, 2012
To say there’s been interest in Pinterest lately would be like calling the buzz around New York Knicks standout Jeremy Lin somewhat enthusiastic. The social network became hot in a hurry, shooting to the top of the social media pyramid alongside Facebook and Twitter. Among the stiletto photos and book-cover shots, news organizations are also in the mix of early adopters. Magazines, with their heavy emphasis on color photographs and aesthetically pleasing graphics, are a natural fit for the platform. But a smaller number of newspapers are also experimenting with Pinterest.
November 17, 2011
Most of us need every finger and toe to count the times we have brainstormed with others, assembled focus groups, charted other newspapers’ efforts or simply wished for success on that elusive goal: attracting the younger reader. It’s been at least a two-decade quest – probably longer. But in recent years, as readers’ habits changed and the subscription base aged, it’s taken on even greater urgency.
September 28, 2011
Early social media iterations like instant messaging, chat forums and Sixdegrees.com, allowing the creation of online profiles, started the trend. Today, social media has transformed into so much more than a means of staying in touch with friends and work acquaintances. Facebook and Twitter have emerged as major networks with millions of active users around the globe and hefty influencers over everything from purchasing decisions to the news that friends point out to each other.
June 30, 2011
At their core, newspapers are products based in a local market, covering a community and using that geographical area as a basis for readership and advertising. Save for the handful of nationally focused publications, for newspapers, local is the crux of the business model. Over the past year one of the bigger buzzwords has been hyperlocal -- taking community to an even more intimate neighborhood or demographically specific level.
February 22, 2011
At a time when Philly.com executives were looking for something new to add to their digital repertoire, along came Badgeville. A social rewards and analytics platform, Badgeville has been a sensation in the app and social media world for the past year, pledging to help publishers reward user loyalty and increase engagement.
February 11, 2011
What started as a simple idea of assisting area businesses with Facebook and Twitter has turned into a profitable social media venture for the Grand Island Independent. At a time when some newspapers are cautiously putting themselves out there on social media platforms, wondering if there’s money to be made, the Independent is actually turning a profit. The revenue is not large, the newspaper’s social media expert confessed, but it’s a business that is seeing noticeable benefits in terms of attracting new advertisers.
January 06, 2011
In the subculture of gaming, newspapers don’t generally enter the fray.
But in western New York, gaming has become a serious part of the Democrat and Chronicle’s engagement strategy for both its print and online platforms. Through two different games introduced since last fall, the newspaper has brought community members together, injected a new dose of fun into its products and upped the number and level of enjoyment of its readership.
Traci Bauer, the Democrat and Chronicle’s managing editor, even has the metrics to prove it.
July 21, 2008
At a time when newspapers are trying to connect with their readers through article comments, social networks and other Web 2.0 tools, The San Jose Mercury News took a step in the opposite direction. In late June, the newspaper hosted the first CopyCamp, an “unconference” with readers. The unconference is a gathering where the agenda and discussions are determined entirely by those who show up. Frequently, attendees determine the schedule through The Open Grid method – essentially, posting topics and discussion locations on pieces of paper or on a whiteboard at the event.
February 25, 2008
In the past year or so, the newspaper industry has devoted considerable attention to online communities. Newspapers have launched blogs, opened up discussion via article comments, built new online communities themselves (for instance, dozens of “moms” sites) and begun to experiment with the new world of social network sites such as MySpace and Facebook.