From Editor & Publisher:
Survey: Newspaper Web Sites Still Top Source for Local Info But Competition is Closing In
By Jennifer Saba
NEW YORK More people go to newspapers Web sites for complete local information than any other source, according to a new survey from the Newspaper Association of America and comScore. Of the more than 3,000 adults surveyed, 57% chose newspaper Web sites as the top source for local information.
The survey was conducted by comScore in November 2009 and is based on a nationally representative sample of adults who use Web sites within the comScore panel.
"While newspaper Web sites often face dozens of competitors touting their own local offerings in any given market, they have been able to thrive by leveraging trusted brands and strong local content to appeal to consumers and advertisers alike," John Sturm, president and CEO of the NAA, said in a statement.
However, the survey reveals that the competition is moving in. While 57% of identified newspapers as the top source of local information, 54% cited online portals while 53% went with local TV web sites.
The respondents also rely more on portals for local information (31%) followed by local newspaper Web sites (23%)and local TV Web sites (22%).
Newspapers have a tiny lead when it comes to being the most trust worthy local source. Thirty-three percent said newspaper sites while 32% said local TV Web sties. The source used most often by respondents by content type? Newspaper Web sites had only 30% of the vote for local news versus 31% for local TV sites.
Newspaper Web sites bested other sources for local classifieds: 39% of respondents look to newspapers Web sites for that category -- far and away more than the next source, specialty Web sites at 14%.
Even when asked which source is most credible for local news, 35% said newspapers. Thirty-two percent said local TV. Newspapers easily won that contest with classifieds: 43% of those surveyed said newspapers are the most credible source for classifieds.
On the advertising front, more people trust newspaper Web sites -- 36% -- than any other source including local TV (23%).
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Ashlea Reinsch Reports on CNN
Wow! Ashlea made CNN with her iReport. Take a look at this! Congratulations, Ashlea.
http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-412389
http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-412389
Monday, February 22, 2010
When a Journalist is Laid Off . . . .
From the NY Times. This is an excerpt. To read the entire piece, click here.
Have Keyboard, Will Travel
By SHEELAH KOLHATKAR
You can tell when a print journalist has lost his full-time job because of the digital markings that suddenly appear, like the tail of a fading comet. First, he joins Facebook. A Gmail address is promptly obtained. The Twitter account comes next, followed by the inevitable blog. Throw in a LinkedIn profile for good measure. This online coming-out is the first step in a daunting, and economically discouraging, transformation: from a member of a large institution to a would-be Internet “brand.”
Dozens of websites have correspondingly sprouted up, posting articles written for free or for a fraction of what a traditional magazine would have paid. Into this gaping maw have rushed enough authors to fill a hundred Roman Colosseums, all eager to write in exchange for “exposure.” Paul Smalera, a 29-year-old who was laid off from a magazine job in November 2008, is now competing with every one of them. And after months of furious blogging, tweeting and writing for Web sites, Paul has made a career of Internet journalism, sort of.
In the process, he’s had to redefine success. While he is doing work that he finds satisfying, he is earning around half of the $63,000 he made as a full-time employee, and he doesn’t have health insurance — or prospects for getting any. He has very little in savings and a mountain of credit-card and student-loan debt. “I think the economics are bleak right now, but in the long run, the opportunities are going to be online, and that’s why I’m willing to make the investment,” he told me over coffee.
Paul is tall with shaggy brown hair and a round, stubbled face that supports a pair of hipster eyeglasses. The one-bedroom apartment that he shares with his girlfriend — and where he now works — is improbably tidy, with throw cushions, bowls of fruit and potted plants. Like more than a few idealistic young people, he packed up a U-Haul and moved to New York with fuzzy ideas about becoming a writer and little sense of how to go about doing it or what it entailed.
Have Keyboard, Will Travel
By SHEELAH KOLHATKAR
You can tell when a print journalist has lost his full-time job because of the digital markings that suddenly appear, like the tail of a fading comet. First, he joins Facebook. A Gmail address is promptly obtained. The Twitter account comes next, followed by the inevitable blog. Throw in a LinkedIn profile for good measure. This online coming-out is the first step in a daunting, and economically discouraging, transformation: from a member of a large institution to a would-be Internet “brand.”
Dozens of websites have correspondingly sprouted up, posting articles written for free or for a fraction of what a traditional magazine would have paid. Into this gaping maw have rushed enough authors to fill a hundred Roman Colosseums, all eager to write in exchange for “exposure.” Paul Smalera, a 29-year-old who was laid off from a magazine job in November 2008, is now competing with every one of them. And after months of furious blogging, tweeting and writing for Web sites, Paul has made a career of Internet journalism, sort of.
In the process, he’s had to redefine success. While he is doing work that he finds satisfying, he is earning around half of the $63,000 he made as a full-time employee, and he doesn’t have health insurance — or prospects for getting any. He has very little in savings and a mountain of credit-card and student-loan debt. “I think the economics are bleak right now, but in the long run, the opportunities are going to be online, and that’s why I’m willing to make the investment,” he told me over coffee.
Paul is tall with shaggy brown hair and a round, stubbled face that supports a pair of hipster eyeglasses. The one-bedroom apartment that he shares with his girlfriend — and where he now works — is improbably tidy, with throw cushions, bowls of fruit and potted plants. Like more than a few idealistic young people, he packed up a U-Haul and moved to New York with fuzzy ideas about becoming a writer and little sense of how to go about doing it or what it entailed.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Don't Say It! Ten Banned Words
Don't Say It! 10 Banned Words
What do "sexting," "tweet" and "bromance" have in common? They should all be banned! So say the guardians of the English language, whose day jobs are at Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. This group annually takes on the role of word police by collecting a list of words and phrases that we have used so much they have become annoying. The solution? Ban them!
Here are 10 of the banned words and phrases on the 2010 list that were winnowed down from hundreds of entries:
1. Shovel-ready: Stick a shovel in it. It's done.
2. Czar: We have appointed a czar of such-and-such; clearly that's better than a leader, coordinator or director!
3. Tweet (and all of its variations: tweetaholic, retweet, twitterhea, twitterature, twittersphere...): People tweet and retweet, and it's used so many times, it's lost its meaning.
4. App: Is there an app for making this annoying word go away? Why can't we just call them programs again?
5. Sexting: Any dangerous new trend that also happens to have a clever mash-up of words, involves teens and gets television talk show hosts interested, must be banished.
6. Teachable moment: This phrase is used to describe everything from potty-training to politics. It's time to vote it out!
7. Toxic assets: Whatever happened to simply saying bad stocks, debts or loans?
8. Too big to fail: Does such a thing exist? We'll never know if a company is too big to fail, unless somehow it does fail and then it will no longer be too big to fail. Make it stop!
9. Bromance: We're sick of combined words the media create to make them sound catchier, including frenemies, bromances and blogorrhea?
10. Chillaxin': Heard everywhere from MTV to ESPN to CNN, this bothersome term seeks to combine chillin' with relaxin'--and it should get an axin'.
What do "sexting," "tweet" and "bromance" have in common? They should all be banned! So say the guardians of the English language, whose day jobs are at Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. This group annually takes on the role of word police by collecting a list of words and phrases that we have used so much they have become annoying. The solution? Ban them!
Here are 10 of the banned words and phrases on the 2010 list that were winnowed down from hundreds of entries:
1. Shovel-ready: Stick a shovel in it. It's done.
2. Czar: We have appointed a czar of such-and-such; clearly that's better than a leader, coordinator or director!
3. Tweet (and all of its variations: tweetaholic, retweet, twitterhea, twitterature, twittersphere...): People tweet and retweet, and it's used so many times, it's lost its meaning.
4. App: Is there an app for making this annoying word go away? Why can't we just call them programs again?
5. Sexting: Any dangerous new trend that also happens to have a clever mash-up of words, involves teens and gets television talk show hosts interested, must be banished.
6. Teachable moment: This phrase is used to describe everything from potty-training to politics. It's time to vote it out!
7. Toxic assets: Whatever happened to simply saying bad stocks, debts or loans?
8. Too big to fail: Does such a thing exist? We'll never know if a company is too big to fail, unless somehow it does fail and then it will no longer be too big to fail. Make it stop!
9. Bromance: We're sick of combined words the media create to make them sound catchier, including frenemies, bromances and blogorrhea?
10. Chillaxin': Heard everywhere from MTV to ESPN to CNN, this bothersome term seeks to combine chillin' with relaxin'--and it should get an axin'.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Writing for Soul Conference Opens
Writing for the Soul conference opens today in Denver. Check out Jerry Jenkins-related info at his website or blogsite at www.jerryjenkins.com or at http://jerryjenkins.blogspot.com
Is anyone from the Writing for Publication class planning to attend the ACW writer's conference in Fort Wayne? I've committed to teaching at it in April of 2011, but will only be able to attend one day (Friday) of the 2010 conference because of prior commitments.
Is anyone from the Writing for Publication class planning to attend the ACW writer's conference in Fort Wayne? I've committed to teaching at it in April of 2011, but will only be able to attend one day (Friday) of the 2010 conference because of prior commitments.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
How Much Editing, Re-Writing is Enough?
From Jerry Jenkins' blog:
“How do you know when you’re finished editing, re-writing, and polishing?”
That varies for every writer, but the operative question is when do you quit making a piece of writing better and succeed only in making it different?
The answer — that intuitive knowledge — comes with experience.
When I was a child and it was my turn to clear the dinner table and wipe it down, my mother would say, “You’re not cleaning it. You’re just rearranging the dirt.”
I watch for that when I work on my own writing. Job one is to get the first draft down, that hunk of meat that now needs to be carved, that version I wouldn’t show anyone.
I begin each writing day by editing what I wrote the day before. That serves as a springboard to launch me into the day’s writing. Then when I have finished the entire manuscript, I go through it again for a final polish.
I know many people write and re-write chapters and sometimes entire manuscripts six, ten, a dozen or more times. If that’s what they need to make it the best they can make it, more power to them. I have learned that for me, writing one day, editing the next, and polishing when the whole thing is done, works best. Past that, I’m not making it better; I’m making it only different.
If I have any niggling doubts about the product, some conviction that I can still make it better, I work on it until I’m satisfied. I never want to turn in the second-to-last version and count on my editor to salvage something I know isn’t up to snuff.
I still need an editor, of course. Everyone does. But I am committed to make the writing the best I can do before submitting. As a former publisher and editor, I enjoy surprising my publishers with low-maintenance manuscripts. The thing I most long to hear from an editor is, “This manuscript came in really clean and won’t take much work.”
Whatever it takes to send in your best work, that’s what you want to strive for.
“How do you know when you’re finished editing, re-writing, and polishing?”
That varies for every writer, but the operative question is when do you quit making a piece of writing better and succeed only in making it different?
The answer — that intuitive knowledge — comes with experience.
When I was a child and it was my turn to clear the dinner table and wipe it down, my mother would say, “You’re not cleaning it. You’re just rearranging the dirt.”
I watch for that when I work on my own writing. Job one is to get the first draft down, that hunk of meat that now needs to be carved, that version I wouldn’t show anyone.
I begin each writing day by editing what I wrote the day before. That serves as a springboard to launch me into the day’s writing. Then when I have finished the entire manuscript, I go through it again for a final polish.
I know many people write and re-write chapters and sometimes entire manuscripts six, ten, a dozen or more times. If that’s what they need to make it the best they can make it, more power to them. I have learned that for me, writing one day, editing the next, and polishing when the whole thing is done, works best. Past that, I’m not making it better; I’m making it only different.
If I have any niggling doubts about the product, some conviction that I can still make it better, I work on it until I’m satisfied. I never want to turn in the second-to-last version and count on my editor to salvage something I know isn’t up to snuff.
I still need an editor, of course. Everyone does. But I am committed to make the writing the best I can do before submitting. As a former publisher and editor, I enjoy surprising my publishers with low-maintenance manuscripts. The thing I most long to hear from an editor is, “This manuscript came in really clean and won’t take much work.”
Whatever it takes to send in your best work, that’s what you want to strive for.
Interesting Data Backup System
Did you notice this from Keillor's Almanac?
Richard Ford writes out almost everything in longhand, with a Bic pen. Before he started to write The Lay of the Land, he spent six months filling a three-ring binder with notes, placing his notes in sections marked "realty" or "Frank" or "New Jersey." And he keeps all his notes and manuscripts in the freezer, so that if the house burns down, he might not lose all his work.
Richard Ford writes out almost everything in longhand, with a Bic pen. Before he started to write The Lay of the Land, he spent six months filling a three-ring binder with notes, placing his notes in sections marked "realty" or "Frank" or "New Jersey." And he keeps all his notes and manuscripts in the freezer, so that if the house burns down, he might not lose all his work.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Magazines Ditching Audit Bureau of Circulations
The recession has forced many publications to re-evaluate their business practices, and for many niche and regional magazines, one result has been to drop membership in the Audit Bureau of Circulations.
While the ABC is considered by many to be the standard bearer for media audits, with some 750 consumer magazine members, it’s lost about 100 of them in the past couple of years. Some of those are titles that folded, but many are 75,000-circulation and smaller titles that switched to other auditing firms or decided to forgo an audit altogether.
Oft-given reasons were the cost of an ABC audit (which can run $10,000 a year for a small publication, including related services) and limited payoff for titles that get little national advertising.
“The ABC audit is expensive, and we find the only magazines we have that benefit from the audit are those who get a significant amount of attention from major ad agencies,” said Bryan Welch, publisher and editorial director of Ogden Publications, which ended Utne Reader’s longtime ABC membership after buying it in 2006 and deciding the publication wasn’t going to get on a lot of nonendemic advertising plans. “Utne Reader has never been one of those magazines, so we judged that the audit was not a worthwhile investment.”
James Dowden, executive director of the City and Regional Magazine Association, said that as national ad spending in local titles has nosedived during the recession, many members have quit the ABC for less expensive firms. A member survey indicated that ad pages for members dropped 23 percent from 2008 to 2009. “Five years ago I think the publications wouldn’t have considered dropping ABC for someone else,” said Dowden. “Today it just doesn’t seem to be the exclusive badge it once was.”
Michael Lavery, president and managing director for the ABC, said the firm is mindful of its members’ cost pressure. He pointed out that by next January, the firm would have held its rates for fully four years. “Not having raised prices for what would be a four-year period or more is not insignificant,” said Lavery. As for criticism of the audit bureau’s rigorous process, he said, “It is a very thorough audit. Audits by their nature should be.”
Buyers doubted that leaving the ABC would limit small publications with advertisers. “If I were buying a city or regional title, as long as I had demographics, I would be OK,” said Deborah Jaques, media director at BtB Marketing Communications. “The bigger the circ gets, the more you need to know.”
Mike McHale, founder and chief media officer, Cleverworks, who has bought ads in many regional pubs, said the departure of smaller books from the ABC might lead even bigger titles to put pricing pressure on the ABC.
“Why is there just a gold standard?” asked McHale. “I don’t think if someone decided to go from an ABC audit to a BPA [Worldwide] audit it would cause advertisers to pull out of the publication.”
Publishers that have left the ABC confirmed they haven’t seen any advertising fallout. “Most advertising agencies are very happy with BPA,” said Patrick Williams, publisher of Worth, a controlled-circ pub that targets the super-rich and carries advertisers like Fidelity, Martin Katz and World Yacht.
Wick Allison, editor and publisher of Dallas’ D Magazine, which left the ABC for the Circulation Verification Council (CVC) after 30 years, said the days of advertisers requiring an ABC audit are over. “What people are looking at is the quality of the publication itself and who it’s reaching and how effective the advertising is. With a city magazine, it’s very easy to tell if your advertising is working.”
While the ABC is considered by many to be the standard bearer for media audits, with some 750 consumer magazine members, it’s lost about 100 of them in the past couple of years. Some of those are titles that folded, but many are 75,000-circulation and smaller titles that switched to other auditing firms or decided to forgo an audit altogether.
Oft-given reasons were the cost of an ABC audit (which can run $10,000 a year for a small publication, including related services) and limited payoff for titles that get little national advertising.
“The ABC audit is expensive, and we find the only magazines we have that benefit from the audit are those who get a significant amount of attention from major ad agencies,” said Bryan Welch, publisher and editorial director of Ogden Publications, which ended Utne Reader’s longtime ABC membership after buying it in 2006 and deciding the publication wasn’t going to get on a lot of nonendemic advertising plans. “Utne Reader has never been one of those magazines, so we judged that the audit was not a worthwhile investment.”
James Dowden, executive director of the City and Regional Magazine Association, said that as national ad spending in local titles has nosedived during the recession, many members have quit the ABC for less expensive firms. A member survey indicated that ad pages for members dropped 23 percent from 2008 to 2009. “Five years ago I think the publications wouldn’t have considered dropping ABC for someone else,” said Dowden. “Today it just doesn’t seem to be the exclusive badge it once was.”
Michael Lavery, president and managing director for the ABC, said the firm is mindful of its members’ cost pressure. He pointed out that by next January, the firm would have held its rates for fully four years. “Not having raised prices for what would be a four-year period or more is not insignificant,” said Lavery. As for criticism of the audit bureau’s rigorous process, he said, “It is a very thorough audit. Audits by their nature should be.”
Buyers doubted that leaving the ABC would limit small publications with advertisers. “If I were buying a city or regional title, as long as I had demographics, I would be OK,” said Deborah Jaques, media director at BtB Marketing Communications. “The bigger the circ gets, the more you need to know.”
Mike McHale, founder and chief media officer, Cleverworks, who has bought ads in many regional pubs, said the departure of smaller books from the ABC might lead even bigger titles to put pricing pressure on the ABC.
“Why is there just a gold standard?” asked McHale. “I don’t think if someone decided to go from an ABC audit to a BPA [Worldwide] audit it would cause advertisers to pull out of the publication.”
Publishers that have left the ABC confirmed they haven’t seen any advertising fallout. “Most advertising agencies are very happy with BPA,” said Patrick Williams, publisher of Worth, a controlled-circ pub that targets the super-rich and carries advertisers like Fidelity, Martin Katz and World Yacht.
Wick Allison, editor and publisher of Dallas’ D Magazine, which left the ABC for the Circulation Verification Council (CVC) after 30 years, said the days of advertisers requiring an ABC audit are over. “What people are looking at is the quality of the publication itself and who it’s reaching and how effective the advertising is. With a city magazine, it’s very easy to tell if your advertising is working.”
Friday, February 12, 2010
Looking for an Almanac Subject?
From the CEO of Standard Publishing:
“Happy Birthday Dear Bible…”
Next year, 2011, marks the 400th Anniversary of the King James Bible. I’m still doing a little historical research, but apparently, the story behind the publication of the KJV Bible in 1611 was a little juicier than appears on the surface. It seems that the motivation for King James wasn’t quite as noble as we might have thought. But before I bash the poor king’s reputation, a bit more research is required.
So let’s stick with what we know for fact. We have it on good authority that, next year is, in fact, the 400th Anniversary of the publication of this ground breaking version of the Bible. I understand that there were other English language versions of the Bible prior to 1611. But printing one or even reading one was not a good recipe for a long, fruitful life. So the publication of the Holy Bible by the King of England opened up the Bible to many people.
With the publication of other translations, most notably the NIV and the new ESV, the KJV has lost a bit of its luster. But according to an analysis released by the ECPA last week, the KJV translation is still the second best selling version at 16% of all sales, second to the NIV at 34%. The core user of the KJV tends to be older, more rural, and likely to be from the “Bible Belt”. You may have heard the story about the southern legislator who, in a debate on requiring kids to take courses in foreign languages, commented, “Well if English was good enough for the Lord Jesus Christ, then it is good enough for me.” I’m guessing said legislator hasn’t rushed out to purchase the new ESV.
We are an unusual publisher in that the KJV version of our bestselling Standard Lesson Commentary actually outsells the NIV version. So we have a strong stake in creating awareness of the 400th Anniversary of the KJV. At a recent ECPA Board Meeting, we discussed what, if any, role the trade association should have in creating awareness and publicity for this event. It was noted that in England, quite a few publishers have banded together to launch a public relations effort. It is worth noting that, due to some level of concern about the declining share of the KJV, they are labeling this event as the 400th Anniversary of the English Language Bible. That’s not historically accurate. In fact, if memory serves me correctly, the good King James had a role in burning at the stake some of the people pushing earlier versions. Maybe he saw it as eliminating competitors. Who knows? But at least our English friends are getting behind getting the word out.
Which brings me back to our actions in the U. S. Ultimately, the ECPA decided not to launch a PR campaign as an organization. However, I indicated that we at Standard Publishing do want to get the word out and welcomed other individual publishers to join us.
Here’s my logic. I do a lot with the Boy Scouts. As you may know, the Boy Scouts haven’t exactly been the darling of the media due to their stand on homosexuality and belief in God. But 2010 marks the 100th Anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America. They hired a PR firm and, lo and behold, we have seen a rash of positive stories on the BSA. I have seen very positive stories about the Scouts on very liberal news programs. Why? Because it is newsworthy. Regardless of the increased polarization of news programs due to their political bents, at the end of the day, they still have to report the news. I don’t know if the increased positive publicity has led to an increase in Boy Scout membership, but it couldn’t have hurt.
Now let’s apply that to the Bible. Although the underlying story is the 400th Anniversary of the KJV, which is a declining translation, I believe that the story will come off as a very positive story about the Bible itself. The more positive stories that get on the mainstream media, the better it is for the Kingdom and for Bible publishers such as ourselves. Reminding people of what the Bible is all about will create more curiosity among non-believers to check it out. This will lead to greater Bible sales for the publishers. So we are going to get behind this effort.
What will that be? Well, at a minimum, we will do a press release to major news organizations letting them know about this anniversary. We will devote significant attention to it in our magazines. We will probably create some sort of logo or icon that we will put on our catalogs and other publications. We might even roll out some new products that relate to the KJV.
Regardless of what we do, we welcome other publishers to join us in getting the word out.
“Happy Birthday Dear Bible…”
Next year, 2011, marks the 400th Anniversary of the King James Bible. I’m still doing a little historical research, but apparently, the story behind the publication of the KJV Bible in 1611 was a little juicier than appears on the surface. It seems that the motivation for King James wasn’t quite as noble as we might have thought. But before I bash the poor king’s reputation, a bit more research is required.
So let’s stick with what we know for fact. We have it on good authority that, next year is, in fact, the 400th Anniversary of the publication of this ground breaking version of the Bible. I understand that there were other English language versions of the Bible prior to 1611. But printing one or even reading one was not a good recipe for a long, fruitful life. So the publication of the Holy Bible by the King of England opened up the Bible to many people.
With the publication of other translations, most notably the NIV and the new ESV, the KJV has lost a bit of its luster. But according to an analysis released by the ECPA last week, the KJV translation is still the second best selling version at 16% of all sales, second to the NIV at 34%. The core user of the KJV tends to be older, more rural, and likely to be from the “Bible Belt”. You may have heard the story about the southern legislator who, in a debate on requiring kids to take courses in foreign languages, commented, “Well if English was good enough for the Lord Jesus Christ, then it is good enough for me.” I’m guessing said legislator hasn’t rushed out to purchase the new ESV.
We are an unusual publisher in that the KJV version of our bestselling Standard Lesson Commentary actually outsells the NIV version. So we have a strong stake in creating awareness of the 400th Anniversary of the KJV. At a recent ECPA Board Meeting, we discussed what, if any, role the trade association should have in creating awareness and publicity for this event. It was noted that in England, quite a few publishers have banded together to launch a public relations effort. It is worth noting that, due to some level of concern about the declining share of the KJV, they are labeling this event as the 400th Anniversary of the English Language Bible. That’s not historically accurate. In fact, if memory serves me correctly, the good King James had a role in burning at the stake some of the people pushing earlier versions. Maybe he saw it as eliminating competitors. Who knows? But at least our English friends are getting behind getting the word out.
Which brings me back to our actions in the U. S. Ultimately, the ECPA decided not to launch a PR campaign as an organization. However, I indicated that we at Standard Publishing do want to get the word out and welcomed other individual publishers to join us.
Here’s my logic. I do a lot with the Boy Scouts. As you may know, the Boy Scouts haven’t exactly been the darling of the media due to their stand on homosexuality and belief in God. But 2010 marks the 100th Anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America. They hired a PR firm and, lo and behold, we have seen a rash of positive stories on the BSA. I have seen very positive stories about the Scouts on very liberal news programs. Why? Because it is newsworthy. Regardless of the increased polarization of news programs due to their political bents, at the end of the day, they still have to report the news. I don’t know if the increased positive publicity has led to an increase in Boy Scout membership, but it couldn’t have hurt.
Now let’s apply that to the Bible. Although the underlying story is the 400th Anniversary of the KJV, which is a declining translation, I believe that the story will come off as a very positive story about the Bible itself. The more positive stories that get on the mainstream media, the better it is for the Kingdom and for Bible publishers such as ourselves. Reminding people of what the Bible is all about will create more curiosity among non-believers to check it out. This will lead to greater Bible sales for the publishers. So we are going to get behind this effort.
What will that be? Well, at a minimum, we will do a press release to major news organizations letting them know about this anniversary. We will devote significant attention to it in our magazines. We will probably create some sort of logo or icon that we will put on our catalogs and other publications. We might even roll out some new products that relate to the KJV.
Regardless of what we do, we welcome other publishers to join us in getting the word out.
From Enabler to Empowerment
From Journalism 2.0. Here's a working reporter's thoughts on equipment a modern reporter needs:
Making the move from enabler to empowerment
By Matt Neznanski
Newsroom activists have to do a lot of arm-waving and hand-holding to get reporters to try new ways to tell stories.
Sure, newsroom culture and fear have sunk many a well-intentioned multimedia package and most organizations still make online fight for a place at the assignment desk. But sometimes the big hurdle in getting the raw materials for Web journalism is to get the right tools in the right hands at the right time.
Here’s a story: Recently, I was part of a planning session for a big series we’re planning that will include a lot data analysis, some history, plenty of opportunity for interactivity and feedback, mashups, multimedia; the works. We spun out lots of cool ideas and some plans to make sure our technical staff can build and support the things we talked about.
After the meeting, the reporter came to me and said, “There’s a lot of cool stuff here. What do you need from me?” I had to pause a bit, but realized that I needed everything from him: links to data sources, video, audio, locations for geotags and images.
In order to get the best of everything, to make it spontaneous and sustainable, he’d have to collect things as he went. Which meant he’d have to do a lot of his reporting outside the notebook.
Of course, that means a lot of training around the technology and active support to change the reporter’s natural instinct to grab a notebook or two, two pens and a pencil when heading out the door.
Now he needs those note-taking items plus an audio recorder, a point-and-shoot and a video camera. That’s just a barebones list, according to some accounts of what a mobile journalist needs to pack on assignment.
In small newsrooms like the one I work in, there’s a tendency for the most tech-obsessed to take charge of the gear (since there’s only so much to go around), which lets the rest of the staff avoid the inevitable need to get familiar with the new tools of the trade.
So here’s a call to Web editors, content managers and multimedia shooters: put the camera in the hands of the least technical person in the newsroom. You’ve set the example, now stop enabling your colleagues by doing it for them.
Doing so will probably set off another round of little earthquakes in the newsroom, but we’re used to that by now and it’ll pay off in the long run. And start collecting examples of all the great new stories you’ll be telling to prove to the boss that the pain was worth it.
Matt Neznanski is a city hall and business reporter for the Corvallis Gazette-Times.
Making the move from enabler to empowerment
By Matt Neznanski
Newsroom activists have to do a lot of arm-waving and hand-holding to get reporters to try new ways to tell stories.
Sure, newsroom culture and fear have sunk many a well-intentioned multimedia package and most organizations still make online fight for a place at the assignment desk. But sometimes the big hurdle in getting the raw materials for Web journalism is to get the right tools in the right hands at the right time.
Here’s a story: Recently, I was part of a planning session for a big series we’re planning that will include a lot data analysis, some history, plenty of opportunity for interactivity and feedback, mashups, multimedia; the works. We spun out lots of cool ideas and some plans to make sure our technical staff can build and support the things we talked about.
After the meeting, the reporter came to me and said, “There’s a lot of cool stuff here. What do you need from me?” I had to pause a bit, but realized that I needed everything from him: links to data sources, video, audio, locations for geotags and images.
In order to get the best of everything, to make it spontaneous and sustainable, he’d have to collect things as he went. Which meant he’d have to do a lot of his reporting outside the notebook.
Of course, that means a lot of training around the technology and active support to change the reporter’s natural instinct to grab a notebook or two, two pens and a pencil when heading out the door.
Now he needs those note-taking items plus an audio recorder, a point-and-shoot and a video camera. That’s just a barebones list, according to some accounts of what a mobile journalist needs to pack on assignment.
In small newsrooms like the one I work in, there’s a tendency for the most tech-obsessed to take charge of the gear (since there’s only so much to go around), which lets the rest of the staff avoid the inevitable need to get familiar with the new tools of the trade.
So here’s a call to Web editors, content managers and multimedia shooters: put the camera in the hands of the least technical person in the newsroom. You’ve set the example, now stop enabling your colleagues by doing it for them.
Doing so will probably set off another round of little earthquakes in the newsroom, but we’re used to that by now and it’ll pay off in the long run. And start collecting examples of all the great new stories you’ll be telling to prove to the boss that the pain was worth it.
Matt Neznanski is a city hall and business reporter for the Corvallis Gazette-Times.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Mark Twain on Newspaper Editors
From the EPA website:
Daily Quote
“I am not an editor of a newspaper and shall always try to do right and be good so that God will not make me one.”
--Mark Twain
Daily Quote
“I am not an editor of a newspaper and shall always try to do right and be good so that God will not make me one.”
--Mark Twain
Arkansas Newspaper Doing Just Fine
There is an excellent video online right now at the Fortune site which portrays the financial health of an Arkanasas statewide newspaper. Of particular interest is management's discussion of why the paper charges for online content and does not give all its content away.
The video may be seen by clicking on http://money.cnn.com/video/fortune/2010/02/10/f_tt_newspaper_online.fortune/?hpt=Sbin
The video may be seen by clicking on http://money.cnn.com/video/fortune/2010/02/10/f_tt_newspaper_online.fortune/?hpt=Sbin
January Big Month for New Magazine Launches
From MrMagazine.com:
New Magazine Launches: A Big January 2010 Comeback
January may have been the coldest month weather wise so far, but it had been anything but cold for the new magazine launches. Almost double the number of new magazines were started last month than in 2009.
January 2010 witnessed the arrival and birth of 56 new titles for the first time on the nation’s newsstands. The 56 titles of 2020 compare with only 28 titles in 09, and 43 titles in 08, but still a little bit short of the 63 titles of January 2007.
From those 56 new titles only 15 were published with any intended frequency while the remaining 41 were either book-a-zines or one shots celebrating specific events and foods (college football, comfort food, etc.)
Leading the pack of January 2010 are magazines such as the advertising free, circulation driven My Home My Style from August Home Publishing in Des Moines, IA (six times a year with a subscription price of $19.95), and the web and television based getmarried.com publication Get Married published by the Atlanta, GA Get Married Media, Inc (four times a year with a cover price of $4.99).
And talking about jumping from the web to print (what a great new discovery) is Hearst’s Delish.com new magazine Light & Delish that sells for $9.99 and comes full with recipes “developed and tested by the editors of Good Housekeeping, Redbook & Country Living.”
Also appearing for the first time on the nation’s stands is the British import HEPT Media Ltd. Elevator (quarterly with a $5.99 cover price) that is making its debut on the United States shores providing information on private equity, luxury and philanthropy. And celebrating its first anniversary by reaching out to the nation’s stands is Cheese Connoisseur published by Phoenix Media Network, Inc. in Boca Raton, FL (four times a year with a cover price of $5.95).
Just in case you were a connoisseur of “art on the body,” the beautiful Inked magazine launched their first spin off Inked Girls filled with “world’s most beautiful women with tattoos.” Inked Girls comes with a bonus “Sailor Jerry pin up 2010 calendar” and costs $7.99 per issue.
So here you have it, a recap of the first month of the second decade of the 21st century showing no signs of cold, death or any frozen in on paper experience. Also recapping the numbers of launches of the last three years here are the latest numbers after we’ve added some, deleted few duplicates and went through 36 boxes of new magazines each representing a month since the beginning of 2007.
The total number of launched in 2007 stands at 713, the total number of launches in 2008 stands at 685 and the total number of launches in 2009 stands at 747.
New Magazine Launches: A Big January 2010 Comeback
January may have been the coldest month weather wise so far, but it had been anything but cold for the new magazine launches. Almost double the number of new magazines were started last month than in 2009.
January 2010 witnessed the arrival and birth of 56 new titles for the first time on the nation’s newsstands. The 56 titles of 2020 compare with only 28 titles in 09, and 43 titles in 08, but still a little bit short of the 63 titles of January 2007.
From those 56 new titles only 15 were published with any intended frequency while the remaining 41 were either book-a-zines or one shots celebrating specific events and foods (college football, comfort food, etc.)
Leading the pack of January 2010 are magazines such as the advertising free, circulation driven My Home My Style from August Home Publishing in Des Moines, IA (six times a year with a subscription price of $19.95), and the web and television based getmarried.com publication Get Married published by the Atlanta, GA Get Married Media, Inc (four times a year with a cover price of $4.99).
And talking about jumping from the web to print (what a great new discovery) is Hearst’s Delish.com new magazine Light & Delish that sells for $9.99 and comes full with recipes “developed and tested by the editors of Good Housekeeping, Redbook & Country Living.”
Also appearing for the first time on the nation’s stands is the British import HEPT Media Ltd. Elevator (quarterly with a $5.99 cover price) that is making its debut on the United States shores providing information on private equity, luxury and philanthropy. And celebrating its first anniversary by reaching out to the nation’s stands is Cheese Connoisseur published by Phoenix Media Network, Inc. in Boca Raton, FL (four times a year with a cover price of $5.95).
Just in case you were a connoisseur of “art on the body,” the beautiful Inked magazine launched their first spin off Inked Girls filled with “world’s most beautiful women with tattoos.” Inked Girls comes with a bonus “Sailor Jerry pin up 2010 calendar” and costs $7.99 per issue.
So here you have it, a recap of the first month of the second decade of the 21st century showing no signs of cold, death or any frozen in on paper experience. Also recapping the numbers of launches of the last three years here are the latest numbers after we’ve added some, deleted few duplicates and went through 36 boxes of new magazines each representing a month since the beginning of 2007.
The total number of launched in 2007 stands at 713, the total number of launches in 2008 stands at 685 and the total number of launches in 2009 stands at 747.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Tough Decade for Journalists
For world's journalists, 2000s a 'decade of death'
By Joe Sterling, CNN, February 10, 2010
(CNN) -- For the working press across the globe, the past 10 war-ridden years represent a "decade of death" and the world remains "mired in an age of barbarity" when it comes to "the deliberate murder" of hundreds of journalists.
That is a major thrust of the International Press Institute's World Press Freedom Review 2009, a grim catalogue of facts and trends recording the challenges in disseminating news.
The group's latest yearly review focuses in on press freedom in every country across the turbulent Middle East and North Africa. But this year, the institute took the opportunity to reflect on the events of the past 10 years, what the report says is a black stretch of history for journalism.
"This decade is unlike any other, because, in conflict countries such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia and Pakistan, it has seen the deliberate targeting of journalists," said Anthony Mills, managing editor of the World Press Freedom Review based in Vienna, Austria.
"Such a departure has changed the face of conflict reporting, leading to less coverage and therefore a worrying vacuum in the understanding of these complex events."
The report said 735 journalists died in conflict between 2000 and 2009. Mills says the vast majority of those killed were targeted for death and others were those who died in accidents while on the job.
Breaking down the toll by region, 238 journalists were killed in Asia, 202 in the Middle East and North Africa, 162 in the Americas, 68 in Europe, 53 in the rest of Africa, and 12 in the Caribbean.
"If anything, the number of journalists murdered is increasing. Compared to the first half of the decade, the assassination rate for journalists has risen by more than 40 percent," the report said.
Country-by-country, the largest number of deaths this decade occurred in Iraq, where 170 died covering the insurgency and the sectarian violence.
The Philippines came in second as the most dangerous country with 93 deaths, including 32 last year in a massacre of reporters accompanying relatives of a politician.
The fighting in Colombia between government forces, armed groups like the FARC and drug cartels left 58 journalists dead, and the violence in Mexico between security forces and drug cartels racked up 38 journalists killed.
Thirty-five journalists were killed in Russia, 31 in Pakistan, 23 in India, 22 in Somalia, 17 in Brazil and 17 in Sri Lanka.
"When it comes to the deliberate murder of journalists because of their work, we are still mired in an age of barbarity, with the number of journalists killed in 2009, at 110, higher than the 66 killed in 2008 and far higher than the 56 killed in 2000," the report said.
By Joe Sterling, CNN, February 10, 2010
(CNN) -- For the working press across the globe, the past 10 war-ridden years represent a "decade of death" and the world remains "mired in an age of barbarity" when it comes to "the deliberate murder" of hundreds of journalists.
That is a major thrust of the International Press Institute's World Press Freedom Review 2009, a grim catalogue of facts and trends recording the challenges in disseminating news.
The group's latest yearly review focuses in on press freedom in every country across the turbulent Middle East and North Africa. But this year, the institute took the opportunity to reflect on the events of the past 10 years, what the report says is a black stretch of history for journalism.
"This decade is unlike any other, because, in conflict countries such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia and Pakistan, it has seen the deliberate targeting of journalists," said Anthony Mills, managing editor of the World Press Freedom Review based in Vienna, Austria.
"Such a departure has changed the face of conflict reporting, leading to less coverage and therefore a worrying vacuum in the understanding of these complex events."
The report said 735 journalists died in conflict between 2000 and 2009. Mills says the vast majority of those killed were targeted for death and others were those who died in accidents while on the job.
Breaking down the toll by region, 238 journalists were killed in Asia, 202 in the Middle East and North Africa, 162 in the Americas, 68 in Europe, 53 in the rest of Africa, and 12 in the Caribbean.
"If anything, the number of journalists murdered is increasing. Compared to the first half of the decade, the assassination rate for journalists has risen by more than 40 percent," the report said.
Country-by-country, the largest number of deaths this decade occurred in Iraq, where 170 died covering the insurgency and the sectarian violence.
The Philippines came in second as the most dangerous country with 93 deaths, including 32 last year in a massacre of reporters accompanying relatives of a politician.
The fighting in Colombia between government forces, armed groups like the FARC and drug cartels left 58 journalists dead, and the violence in Mexico between security forces and drug cartels racked up 38 journalists killed.
Thirty-five journalists were killed in Russia, 31 in Pakistan, 23 in India, 22 in Somalia, 17 in Brazil and 17 in Sri Lanka.
"When it comes to the deliberate murder of journalists because of their work, we are still mired in an age of barbarity, with the number of journalists killed in 2009, at 110, higher than the 66 killed in 2008 and far higher than the 56 killed in 2000," the report said.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Magazine Newsstand Sales Falling, but Slower
From DailyFinance.com:
Magazines' Newsstand Sales Keep Plummeting
By JEFF BERCOVICI
The good news, for magazine publishers, is that the earthward plummet in newsstand sales has finally started to moderate. The bad news is that sales are still falling at a vertigo-inducing rate -- just not quite so rapidly as they were a few months ago.
The Audit Bureau of Circulations, the industry body that tracks magazine and newsstand circulation, reported data from the second half of 2009 on Monday, and the numbers were a variation on a familiar theme. Aggregate single-copy (i.e., newsstand) sales for the 472 titles that report to ABC were down 9.1% versus the same period a year earlier. That compares to a 12.4% drop in the first half of 2009 and an 11.1% drop in second-half '08.
It's tempting to see this deceleration as the beginning of a turnaround for magazines, but that's almost certainly not the case. More likely, as the most marginal readers fall away -- the ones who are price- or economy-sensitive, or who are young and fickle in their media-consumption patterns -- what's left is a harder core of habitual readers.
Of the 25 titles that sell the most copies on the newsstand, only six -- Wenner Media's Us Weekly, Hearst's O: The Oprah Magazine and Seventeen, Condé Nast's Vanity Fair, and Time Warner's (TWX) People StyleWatch and Real Simple -- managed to sell more copies in 2009 than in 2008. The biggest increase was at Real Simple, which sold 411,705 copies per issue, up 6.2%. Four of the top 25 suffered double-digit decreases, with Hearst's Good Housekeeping sliding the most (-30.8%).
Magazines' Newsstand Sales Keep Plummeting
By JEFF BERCOVICI
The good news, for magazine publishers, is that the earthward plummet in newsstand sales has finally started to moderate. The bad news is that sales are still falling at a vertigo-inducing rate -- just not quite so rapidly as they were a few months ago.
The Audit Bureau of Circulations, the industry body that tracks magazine and newsstand circulation, reported data from the second half of 2009 on Monday, and the numbers were a variation on a familiar theme. Aggregate single-copy (i.e., newsstand) sales for the 472 titles that report to ABC were down 9.1% versus the same period a year earlier. That compares to a 12.4% drop in the first half of 2009 and an 11.1% drop in second-half '08.
It's tempting to see this deceleration as the beginning of a turnaround for magazines, but that's almost certainly not the case. More likely, as the most marginal readers fall away -- the ones who are price- or economy-sensitive, or who are young and fickle in their media-consumption patterns -- what's left is a harder core of habitual readers.
Of the 25 titles that sell the most copies on the newsstand, only six -- Wenner Media's Us Weekly, Hearst's O: The Oprah Magazine and Seventeen, Condé Nast's Vanity Fair, and Time Warner's (TWX) People StyleWatch and Real Simple -- managed to sell more copies in 2009 than in 2008. The biggest increase was at Real Simple, which sold 411,705 copies per issue, up 6.2%. Four of the top 25 suffered double-digit decreases, with Hearst's Good Housekeeping sliding the most (-30.8%).
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Facebook Turns Six
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Facebook turns 6!
Posted by Jessi Hempel, writer
February 4, 2010 7:16 AM
Mark Zuckerberg
The social networking site is all grown up.
Facebook celebrates its sixth birthday today. Just one year ago, Fortune put founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg on the magazine’s cover in a story entitled "How Facebook is taking over our lives." The site had 150 million users. Today, that number has more than doubled to 350 million users.
There’s no question Facebook has emerged as one of the most significant Internet companies of its time. At its current growth rate, it will surpass Yahoo (YHOO) for unique monthly visitors within the year to become the third largest site on the net. Half of the company’s users log on in any given day. Average users spend 55 minutes a day on the site. More than 2.5 billion photos are uploaded each month.
The scope of Zuckerberg’s vision for the site is tremendous, and his success has yet to be fully determined. But on the occasion of its sixth birthday, let’s take a look at six ways it has shaped our culture.
1. New politics of friending: Facebook’s users have made the word “friend” into a verb. If you want to keep in touch with someone friend them, and if they’re bothering you? Here’s a second new verb that’s just as important: to unfriend. Also, friending is not restricted to people. The site’s users are actively friending plenty of pizza parlors and TV shows and magazines. (If you don’t believe me, friend Fortune Magazine. We’re kind and interesting and we’ll be there to listen to you.)
2. Love in a time of transparency: So much for hiding old photographs and sappy cards in a box in the basement. Now your photos—and wall posts and shared connections—live on in the cloud. Fiddling with privacy settings to cut down on heartache has become a rite of passage for any break-up. A recent New York Times piece entitled “Breaking Up in a Digital Fishbowl” sums up the challenges of this new communication medium for anyone leaving—or being left—by a lover.
3. Breaking news breaks faster: Whether the earth rumbles in Palo Alto or ripples in Port-au-Prince, status updates send the news of an earthquake speeding into our consciousness long before the fastest news organizations.
4. The new 911: Last September, two Australian girls, 10 and 12, trapped in a storm water drain used their mobile phones to signal for help—by updating their Facebook statuses. It raised concern among local emergency officials and sparked debate about how social media should be used in an emergency. But the girls were brought home safely. And in emergencies from demonstrations in Iran to the terrorist attacks in India, status updates and tweets have been instrumental in helping people find help fast and let loved ones know they are okay.
5. Privacy matters: Zuckerberg has always believed in giving users as much control over information as possible. Even so, Facebook becomes the stage for a major user uproar over privacy every year or so. After getting flack for confusing privacy settings, Facebook rolled out privacy settings that are flexible and powerful last December. Using a simple drop down menu to the right of each post or photo, Facebook users can define who sees it. These settings have drawn criticism as well as kudos, however, in part because they are complex.
6. Getting together for good: Within hours after an earthquake struck Haiti in January, people turned to Facebook to express their concern. In the 24 hours following the earthquake, 1,500 status updates containing the word "Haiti" were published every minute. Thousands of dollars were donated through the “Causes” application on Facebook, according to Facebook’s Randi Zucerkberg in a blog post, and nonprofits mobilized to beef up their Facebook pages. As the response to the Haitian crisis demonstrated, when a lot of people have an easy way to give a little money, the philanthropic dollars add up fast.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Colts Chaplain Feature Story
U'd love to see YOUR byline on a story like this:
Colts chaplain maintains continuity
Posted on Feb 2, 2010 | by Art Stricklin
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (BP)--Beyond their Super Bowl trophy, the Indianapolis Colts have had multiple coaches, players and playoff appearances the last eight years.
But they've only had one chaplain, Ken Johnson, who first came to the Colts in 2002 at the request of then-head coach Tony Dungy. Johnson has remained the team's spiritual leader since Dungy's good friend and fellow believer Jim Caldwell took over as head coach.
"The goal is the same -- what is the moral compass of each player and how does that help them set a good foundation," Johnson said at the beginning of Super Bowl XLIV festivities in soggy South Florida.
Johnson came to Indianapolis to work with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes in their Urban Outreach unit. He has since launched a speaking ministry in schools and churches and written a book about his experiences, "Journey to Excellence," in which he recounts growing up in a drug-filled and dysfunctional household.
Johnson has been joined by his son KD, who uses his music ministry and rap skills to reach youth for Jesus.
But Johnson said his commitment and relationship with the Colts has remained strong during Caldwell's first year at the helm.
"He is a good and godly man with a solid foundation," Johnson said.
Because he has been with the team as long as or longer than many of the Colts players, they know they can confide in him. "I try to help players in tough times and just let them know that life happens at all times and you always have to be ready in Him," he said.
Johnson, who played football at the University of Tulsa, enjoys seeing the players excel in competition and grow in their spiritual faith "because being a Christian gives you a special perspective that you need in today's world."
Despite having already garnered a Super Bowl title at this same Sun Life Stadium field three years ago and playing a New Orleans Saints team that has never been in the title game before, Johnson said when he stands before the Colts at the Saturday night chapel this week, he will remind them God calls for excellence in all that they do.
"I don't pray for anything in my life that I don't want God's favor," he said. "I want a good life with a good foundation."
There is one other thing that is different about Johnson when he strolls around South Florida this week, encouraging the players and coaches and helping them get ready for another world championship opportunity.
On his finger, he has a large Super Bowl Ring, which the Colts gave to him in gratitude for his spiritual work and encouragement en route to their first Super Bowl title. "When they called and asked for my ring size, I was trying to be really cool, but I was excited to have something which recognized accomplishment and hard work."
--30--
Art Stricklin is a sports correspondent for Baptist Press.
Kristian Hawkins Article
Attached are the first couple paragraphs of the latest posted article by Krisin Hawkins, whom I mentioned last night and who is a recent graduate of our program. You can see the entire article by clicking here.
Memoir of a New Barista
February 01, 2010 by Kristin Hawkins
The way to my current job was not an easy one. One reason it was hard, however, is the fact that the economy continued to be a difficulty for me at every which way. My current job might not be one's typical career, but it is on the road to whatever lies ahead.
I currently work at a coffee shop, and I am training to become an official barista. I have been at this job for almost a month. Although I have not gained many hours, I consider myself very blessed to have this job. If it was not in God's plan, I might not have landed even this one.
Memoir of a New Barista
February 01, 2010 by Kristin Hawkins
The way to my current job was not an easy one. One reason it was hard, however, is the fact that the economy continued to be a difficulty for me at every which way. My current job might not be one's typical career, but it is on the road to whatever lies ahead.
I currently work at a coffee shop, and I am training to become an official barista. I have been at this job for almost a month. Although I have not gained many hours, I consider myself very blessed to have this job. If it was not in God's plan, I might not have landed even this one.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Website You Asked For
Here is the web address for Wesleyan Publishing House/VISTA magazine that we discussed in class Monday night:
http://www.wesleyan.org/wph/inside/writers_guidelines/
I'll also see if I can post the entire PowerPoint presentation as a handout on the portal.
http://www.wesleyan.org/wph/inside/writers_guidelines/
I'll also see if I can post the entire PowerPoint presentation as a handout on the portal.
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