Archive for February, 2009

Mr. and Mrs. Journalist: Tear down that wall!

If you’re a journalist in Seattle these days it’s easier to stumble into a panel discussion on the future of journalism than it is to stumble into a coffee shop. Almost. Last night’s was called “Journalism on the Brink. Can Digital Save it? (video coming soon). Tonight’s is “No News is Bad News: Seattle as […]

Unigo bringing serious disruption to print

Remember those thick, printed college guides that helped you prioritize your college search? They’re about to go the way of the Yellow Pages. Walt Mossberg profiled a web site called Unigo, which I first heard about last year. It uses “people-powered media” to provide an unflinching look at what college life is really like on […]

Pervasive location and people-powered media can produce ‘perfect information’

Since I know you are someone who is trying to figure out where the curve of media and technology is going (so you can be ahead of it), I highly recommend this blog post/essay from the CEO of a Seattle company called Pelago. In it, Jeff Holden outlines his vision for the future of his […]

Google executive behind hyperlocal news startup

What do we call this new form of journalism and media?

With so many digital news, information and community sites popping up all over the place, using blogs, Twitter, CoverItLive, podcasts, video, social media, mapping mash-ups, searchable databases and other shiny new objects, it seems prime time to introduce a new name for all this hubbub. The news industry calls it “new media” or “interactive media,” […]

I remember when A-Rod was just Pay-Rod

All this talk about Alex Rodriguez these days reminded me of one of the more quirky and fun online projects I once helped develop. (OK, it was my wife who reminded me about this.) The Pay-Rod Meter, which we built on The Herald’s web site in Everett in 2003, shortly after Rodriguez signed his historic […]

Crowdsourcing journalism: best practices

Embracing technology and using the power of the people will make newsgathering much more efficient. With it, you can jumpstart the process of finding sources, experts, new angles and instant (and constant) feedback.  This is a concept I’m exapnding on for my new book. And I need your help.  What  are some recent examples of […]

News sites should use this

“Customer service doesn’t have to suck.” That’s the tagline for a web site/service/company called Get Satisfaction and it’s a great way to bring transparency to the customer service game. Any company with customers and any web site with readers should be using something like this.  Yes, it’s basically a message board on steroids. But it […]

There really are new business models for journalism

Seems every where I turn online I find questions about alternative or new business models for news. At the same time, everywhere I turn offline I seem to run into a new independent journalism startup. Maybe there’s something in the water in the greater Seattle area that is driving it, but even if it is only […]

Guy Kawasaki on the Art of Intrapreneurship

Many companies – not just news companies – need more intrapreneurship these days. That’s how Guy Kawasaki describes the quality that drives innovation at established companies in his new book, Reality Check. In it, he lists several ways to foster the spirit of intrapreneurship from inside a company. Here are my favorites: 1. Kill the cash cows: […]