tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24497775864605040012024-03-13T09:24:57.522-07:00Digital Media PunkChris March on making noise and breaking news in the evolving media machine.Chris Marchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15990358225258484134noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2449777586460504001.post-63565659192510670802012-05-22T14:39:00.001-07:002012-05-23T14:21:16.971-07:00Crowdsourcing tips and tools for journalists (Digital Ninja School Session with Mandy Jenkins)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JfcVXI-082E/T7rHtbFtM9I/AAAAAAAAAeg/oPawLGk-Ros/s1600/dninjas.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="312" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JfcVXI-082E/T7rHtbFtM9I/AAAAAAAAAeg/oPawLGk-Ros/s320/dninjas.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
Crowdsourcing has always been a fundamental of journalism. But there are now countless digital tools and resources available on the internet and through social media that make it that much more immediate, and accessible. <br />
<br />
For journalists learning the latest tools and tips on crowdsourcing in the digital age, this is a great opportunity to learn more about it.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.twitter.com/mjenkins" target="_blank"><b>Mandy Jenkins</b></a> of <a href="http://www.digitalfirstmedia.com/" target="_blank">Digital First Media</a> will be leading a workshop in the <a href="http://www.newhavenregister.com/" target="_blank">New Haven Register </a>newsroom for the Journal Register Company's <a href="http://www.digitalninjaschool.com/" target="_blank">Digital Ninja</a> program in Connecticut crowdsourcing tips and tools.<br />
<br />
<div style="color: #cc0000;">
<b><span style="color: black;"><i>Update: </i>This session has concluded. Replay the live chat below. Video replay will be uploaded later this week.</span></b></div>
<br />
Jenkins will lead reporters, editors and photographers from JRC's CT newsrooms in a discussion on crowdsourcing tips, tools and tricks of the trade. The session is part of our <a href="http://digitalninjaschool.wordpress.com/about/" target="_blank">program to equip our journalists and editors with today's digital skills</a>.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://zombiejournalism.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/Mandycropped04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://zombiejournalism.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/Mandycropped04.jpg" width="242" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mandy Jenkins of Digital First Media (Photo/Jay Westcott)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Jenkins' blog <a href="http://zombiejournalism.com/">ZombieJournalism.com</a> is a great (and easy to follow) resource for
journalists trying to figure out how best to tap into the latest social
media and crowdsourcing tools available on the net.<br />
<br />
The video console below will stream Mandy's session from 11 a.m. to noon(ish) so followers can see and hear the session for themselves. It will be replaced by a recorded version afterwards.<br />
<br />
I will moderate a live chat during her presentation on so that other journalist and bloggers can chime in with advice, experience, examples or questions of their own. Staff from other Digital First Media newsrooms, start-up bloggers, or anyone with a general interest in the topic is invited to join us.<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="550px" scrolling="no" src="http://www.coveritlive.com/index2.php/option=com_altcaster/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=11f8d278ff/height=550/width=620" width="620px">&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=11f8d278ff" &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Digital Ninjas Session with Mandy Jenkins: Crowdsourcing Tips &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp; Tools&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;</iframe>
<br />
<b>Some areas our journos said they hope to get out of the session with Jenkins</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JfcVXI-082E/T7rHtbFtM9I/AAAAAAAAAeg/oPawLGk-Ros/s1600/dninjas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<ul></ul>
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">Want to learn about the entire concept of crowdsourcing.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">Examples
of what has worked and how others have gone about it. Does wording matter? How do we ask and not beg? We have been pretty successful with
team of the week and star of the day voting, but it has varied from about
20 votes to almost 3,000 votes.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">Something
more than "Follow more people" or "Message more
people" as legitimate responses for getting more people involved with
stories or topics. It seems out of 300 or so followers, friends or
"likes", only one or two continually respond to posed questions. How do we improve that?</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">How do we get people to pay attention to us when we ask for
assistance. Is it possible most readers don't want to contribute?</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">How to
achieve more consistency in crowdsourcing. I know there are no guarantees
from story to story, but some efforts seem to work and others that seem
like good ideas just fall flat.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">We
hear a lot about crowdsourcing, but I'm interested in hearing about
instances where it has been successful and how it was done.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">Expand our toolbox, please.</li>
</ul>
<ul></ul>
<br />
<b>Extra Credit</b><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://digitalninjaschool.wordpress.com/social-media/crowdsourcing-via-social-media/" target="_blank">Digital Ninja School: Crowdsourcing training links</a></li>
<li><a href="http://zombiejournalism.com/2012/04/new-crowdsourcing-curation-and-liveblogging-training/" target="_blank">Zombie Journalism: Crowdsourcing, curating and liveblogging training</a></li>
</ul>
<br />
<b>Previous Sessions With Mandy Jenkins:</b><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://chrisbmarch.blogspot.com/2012/05/how-to-get-more-people-to-read-your.html" target="_blank">How to grow audience on your blog</a></li>
<li><a href="http://chrisbmarch.blogspot.com/2012/05/how-to-host-successful-live-chats-and.html" target="_blank">How to host successful live chats and live blog</a></li>
<li><a href="http://chrisbmarch.blogspot.com/2012/05/social-media-as-brand-for-journalists.html" target="_blank">Using social media as the news brand</a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
</ul>Chris Marchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15990358225258484134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2449777586460504001.post-73357241361214749752012-05-22T14:11:00.001-07:002012-05-23T10:00:00.349-07:00Social Media As The Brand For Journalists (Digital Ninja School Session with Mandy Jenkins)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JfcVXI-082E/T7rHtbFtM9I/AAAAAAAAAeg/oPawLGk-Ros/s1600/dninjas.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="312" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JfcVXI-082E/T7rHtbFtM9I/AAAAAAAAAeg/oPawLGk-Ros/s320/dninjas.jpg" width="320" /></a>Like newspapers, radio, TV, and the internet before it - social media has become a major way in how people get news, information and stories on topics that interest them. How can
newspapers tap into <a href="http://www.facebook.com/" target="_blank">Facebook </a>and <a href="http://www.twitter.com/" target="_blank">Twitter</a> as a brand to serve their reader and followers? How can newsrooms use social media for more than
just broadcasting links to stories? Should you use differently as a brand than you would as an individual? Can the brand's Facebook be a source of news
tips, a platform for community conversation, a more comprehensive
information resource for our audience? <br />
<br />
For the editors and journalists learning to effectively wield social media as a brand, this is a great opportunity to learn more about using social media successfully as a brand to grow audience and engage readers.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.twitter.com/mjenkins" target="_blank"><b>Mandy Jenkins</b></a> of <a href="http://www.digitalfirstmedia.com/" target="_blank">Digital First Media</a> will be leading a workshop in the <a href="http://www.newhavenregister.com/" target="_blank">New Haven Register </a>newsroom for the Journal Register Company's <a href="http://www.digitalninjaschool.com/" target="_blank">Digital Ninja</a> program in Connecticut on social media as the brand.<br />
<br />
<div style="color: #cc0000;">
<b><span style="color: black;"><i>Update: This session has concluded. Replay the live chat below. Video replay will be uploaded later this week.</i></span></b></div>
<br />
Jenkins will lead reporters, editors and photographers from JRC's CT newsrooms in a discussion on best practices for engaging on social media as the brand. The session is part of our <a href="http://digitalninjaschool.wordpress.com/about/" target="_blank">program to equip our journalists and editors with today's digital skills</a>.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://zombiejournalism.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/Mandycropped04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://zombiejournalism.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/Mandycropped04.jpg" width="242" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mandy Jenkins of Digital First Media (Photo/Jay Westcott)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Jenkins' blog <a href="http://zombiejournalism.com/">ZombieJournalism.com</a> is a great (and easy to follow) resource for
journalists trying to figure out how best to tap into the latest social
media and crowdsourcing tools available on the net.<br />
<br />
The video console below will stream Mandy's session from 11 a.m. to noon(ish) so followers can see and hear the session for themselves. It will be replaced by a recorded version afterwards.<br />
<br />
I will moderate a live chat during her presentation on so that other journalist and bloggers can chime in with advice, experience, examples or questions of their own. Staff from other Digital First Media newsrooms, start-up bloggers, or anyone with a general interest in the topic is invited to join us.<br />
<br />
Another session is scheduled with Mandy in New Haven on Wednesday on crowdsourcing tips and tools. <br />
<br />
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="550px" scrolling="no" src="http://www.coveritlive.com/index2.php/option=com_altcaster/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=a854e31e49/height=550/width=620" width="620px">&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=a854e31e49" &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Digital Ninjas Session: Social Media As The Brand&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;</iframe>
<br />
<b>Please note</b><i>: Video player will only be live during scheduled time of 11 a.m. - noon, Eastern Time</i><b>.</b><br />
<br />
<b>Some areas our journos said they hope to get out of the session with Jenkins</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JfcVXI-082E/T7rHtbFtM9I/AAAAAAAAAeg/oPawLGk-Ros/s1600/dninjas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<ul>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">Always
interested in strengthening our brand across the state.
I'm hoping for insight into branding in general and how it applies to the
new media. Especially interested in perspective regarding monthly
magazines.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">What
are the best things to post besides links to stories, frequency of posting
on various sites, what kinds of posts are best on each platform (Twitter,
Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, especially).</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">I'd
like to learn how to grow followers on Facebook and Twitter.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<b>Some of our brand accounts</b><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.facebook.com/NewHavenRegister" target="_blank">Facebook: New Haven Register</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.facebook.com/middletownpress" target="_blank">Facebook: Middletown Press</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.facebook.com/RegisterCitizen" target="_blank">Facebook: Register Citizen </a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.twitter.com/nhregister" target="_blank">Twitter: New Haven Register</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.twitter.com/middletownpress" target="_blank">Twitter: Middletown Press</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.twitter.com/registercitizen" target="_blank">Twitter: Register Citizen</a></li>
</ul>
<br />
<b>Extra Credit: More on social media as the brand from Jenkins' Zombie Journalism</b><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://zombiejournalism.com/2011/03/social-media-for-news-brands-one/" title="Channeling the news brand: persona and strategy">Channeling the news brand: persona and strategy</a></li>
<li><a href="http://zombiejournalism.com/2011/03/channeling-the-news-brand-on-twitter-and-facebook/" title="Channeling the news brand on Twitter and Facebook">Channeling the news brand on Twitter and Facebook</a></li>
<li><a href="http://zombiejournalism.com/2011/03/interacting-with-the-audience-as-a-news-brand/" title="Interacting with the audience as a brand">Interacting with the audience as a news brand</a></li>
<li><a href="http://zombiejournalism.com/2012/01/holy-engagement-batman-how-huffpost-blew-up-the-state-of-the-union-on-facebook/">How HuffPost blew up the State of the Union on Facebook</a></li>
</ul>Chris Marchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15990358225258484134noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2449777586460504001.post-13176964879509892252012-05-21T17:26:00.001-07:002012-05-23T11:10:14.637-07:00How To Host Successful Live Chats And Live Blogs (Digital Ninja School Session with Mandy Jenkins)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
In this day and age, it's a piece of cake to host your very own live chat or report live from an event that thousands of people from all over the world can watch and participate in. All you need is a free tool like <a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/" target="_blank">CoverItLive</a> or a <a href="http://www.twitter.com/" target="_blank">Twitter</a> account. But how do you actually get people to join in and participate, or care?<br />
<br />
For the journalists out there cutting their digital teeth in live coverage and live chats, this is a great opportunity to learn more about the basics to hosting successful and engaging live chats and live blogs.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.twitter.com/mjenkins" target="_blank"><b>Mandy Jenkins</b></a> of <a href="http://www.digitalfirstmedia.com/" target="_blank">Digital First Media</a> will be leading a workshop in the <a href="http://www.newhavenregister.com/" target="_blank">New Haven Register </a>newsroom for the Journal Register Company's <a href="http://www.digitalninjaschool.com/" target="_blank">Digital Ninja</a> program in Connecticut on live chats and live blogging. And for you meta fans out there, yes, I'll moderate a live chat while it's going on. <br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: black;"><i>Update: This session has concluded. Replay the live chat below. Video replay will be uploaded later this week.</i></span></b><br />
<br />
Jenkins will lead reporters, editors and photographers from JRC's CT newsrooms in a discussion on best practices for hosting highly engaged live blogs and live chats with readers. The session is part of our <a href="http://digitalninjaschool.wordpress.com/about/" target="_blank">program to equip our journalists and editors with today's digital skills</a>.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://zombiejournalism.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/Mandycropped04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://zombiejournalism.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/Mandycropped04.jpg" width="242" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mandy Jenkins of Digital First Media (Photo/Jay Westcott)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Jenkins' blog <a href="http://zombiejournalism.com/">ZombieJournalism.com</a> is a great (and easy to follow) resource for
journalists trying to figure out how best to tap into the latest social
media and crowdsourcing tools available on the net.<br />
<br />
The video console below will stream Mandy's session from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. so followers can see and hear the session for themselves. It will be replaced by a recorded version afterwards.<br />
<br />
For all you meta fans out there, I will moderate a live chat during her presentation on live chats so that other followers and bloggers can chime in with advice, experience, examples or questions of their own. Staff from other Digital First Media newsrooms, start-up bloggers, or anyone with a general interest in the topic is invited to join us.<br />
<br />
Two more sessions are scheduled with Mandy in New Haven on Wednesday, including a session on crowdsourcing tips and tools. I'll post more details on the other sessions right here on DMP.<br />
<div id="__ss_13048161" style="width: 595px;">
<b style="display: block; margin: 12px 0 4px;"><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/mandyjenkins/live-reporting-live-blogging-and-live-tweeting" target="_blank" title="Live Reporting, Live Blogging and Live Chats">Live Reporting, Live Blogging and Live Chats</a></b> <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="497" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/13048161" width="595"></iframe> <br />
<div style="padding: 5px 0 12px;">
View more <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/thecroaker/death-by-powerpoint" target="_blank">PowerPoint</a> from <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/mandyjenkins" target="_blank">Mandy Jenkins</a> </div>
</div>
<br />
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="550px" scrolling="no" src="http://www.coveritlive.com/index2.php/option=com_altcaster/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=9d971e7f3e/height=550/width=620" width="620px">&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=9d971e7f3e" &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Digital Ninjas Session: Mandy Jenkins on Live Blogging/Live Chats&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;</iframe>
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<b>Please note</b><i>: Video player will only be live during scheduled time of 3 - 4 p.m., Eastern Time</i><b>.</b><br />
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<b>Some areas our journos said they hope to get out of the session with Jenkins</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JfcVXI-082E/T7rHtbFtM9I/AAAAAAAAAeg/oPawLGk-Ros/s1600/dninjas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="195" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JfcVXI-082E/T7rHtbFtM9I/AAAAAAAAAeg/oPawLGk-Ros/s200/dninjas.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<ul>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">How to grow audience: Over
past two-plus years have done more than 100 chats and live blogs, and often struggle to get 20 viewers. We've had guests, we've used consistent times,
changed times, used print and social media to promote, starting with
tweets hours before, hour before, 10 minutes before, starting now. </li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">I have
only done minimal live chats/blogging and would like to know more about
what tools/applications there are for this and how to go about it.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">I want
to become more skilled at live chats and live blogging. Not really sure of
the basics of live blogging...what the technology is.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">I
would like to find out how I can get more readers on a live blog when I am
covering a sports game. I would like to expand my horizons as much as possible
in this area.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">Hope
for tips on how best to promote these events!</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">How
best to make them relevant, gain audience, participation.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">How to
get better engagement with people, rather than giving them play-by-plays.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">What
is best - commentary or straight up reporting?</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">I'd
like more ideas about reaching an audience and the benefits of doing live
chats.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">I am
interested in best practices and how best to engage readers.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<b>Examples of recent live chats and live blogs we've hosted in JRC Connecticut</b><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://newhavenregister.com/articles/2012/05/21/news/doc4ea72a19e0ca0918847161.txt" target="_blank">New Haven Register live streams their news meeting, Mon. - Fri.</a></li>
<li><a href="http://newhavenregister.com/articles/2012/02/29/news/doc4f4be923d9be4734781131.txt" target="_blank">Newsroom workshop with Steve Buttry on metrics for journalists</a></li>
<li><a href="http://newhavenregister.com/articles/2012/03/21/sports/doc4f69fca04b77f868275869.txt" target="_blank">UConn Hoops Chat with Dave Borges and Jim Fuller</a></li>
<li><a href="http://newhavenregister.com/articles/2012/03/20/news/doc4f68a393e666b663301586.txt" target="_blank">Live chat with readers on Register's new story commenting platform</a></li>
<li><a href="http://ct5thdistrict.registercitizen.com/2012/05/21/live-blog-chris-donovan-on-wnprs-where-we-live-at-9-a-m/" target="_blank">Live Blog: Chris Donovan on WNPR's "Where We Live"</a></li>
<li><a href="http://ct5thdistrict.registercitizen.com/2012/05/18/live-blog-5th-district-republican-state-convention/" target="_blank">Live Blog: Coverage of Connecticut's 5th District GOP Convention</a></li>
</ul>
<br />
<b>Extra Credit: More on live blogs and live chats from Jenkins' Zombie Journalism</b><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://zombiejournalism.com/2012/04/engaging-your-community-through-live-chats/" target="_blank">Kick it old school: Engaging your community through live chats</a></li>
<li><a href="http://zombiejournalism.com/2012/04/set-up-a-chat-using-coveritlive/" target="_blank">Step by step guide to setting up a CoverItLive chat</a></li>
</ul>Chris Marchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15990358225258484134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2449777586460504001.post-73626214512199535762012-05-21T16:07:00.000-07:002012-05-23T10:15:28.822-07:00How To Get More People To Read Your Blog (Digital Ninja School Session with Mandy Jenkins)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://borngeeks.com/wp-content/uploads/boost-your-blog-readership.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://borngeeks.com/wp-content/uploads/boost-your-blog-readership.png" width="200" /></a>Do you ever feeling like you're talking to a wall when you post on your blog? Why doesn't anyone comment? Why are your page view stats so low? How do you get more traffic?<br />
<br />
For those cutting their digital teeth in blogging, this is a great opportunity to learn more about the basic best practices to building an audience that keeps coming back to you for more.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.twitter.com/mjenkins" target="_blank"><b>Mandy Jenkins</b></a> of <a href="http://www.digitalfirstmedia.com/" target="_blank">Digital First Media</a> will be leading a workshop in the <a href="http://www.newhavenregister.com/" target="_blank">New Haven Register </a>newsroom for the Journal Register Company's <a href="http://www.digitalninjaschool.com/" target="_blank">Digital Ninja</a> program in Connecticut.<br />
<br />
<div style="color: #cc0000;">
<b><span style="color: black;"><i>Update: This session has concluded. Replay the live chat below. Video replay will be uploaded later this week.</i></span><span style="color: black;"></span></b></div>
<br />
She will lead reporters, editors and photographers from JRC's CT newsrooms in a discussion on best practices for blogging and how to develop a highly engaged audience. The session is part of our <a href="http://digitalninjaschool.wordpress.com/about/" target="_blank">program to equip our journalists and editors with today's digital skills</a>.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://zombiejournalism.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/Mandycropped04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://zombiejournalism.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/Mandycropped04.jpg" width="242" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mandy Jenkins of Digital First Media (Photo/Jay Westcott)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Jenkins' blog <a href="http://zombiejournalism.com/">ZombieJournalism.com</a> is a great (and easy to follow) resource for
journalists trying to figure out how best to tap into the latest social
media and crowdsourcing tools available on the net.<br />
<br />
The video console below will stream Mandy's session from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. so followers can see and hear the session for themselves. It will be replaced by a recorded version afterwards.<br />
<br />
I will moderate a live chat during her presentation so that other followers and bloggers can chime in with advice, experience, examples or questions of their own. Staff from other Digital First Media newsrooms, start-up bloggers, or anyone with a general interest in the topic is invited to join us.<br />
<br />
Three more sessions are scheduled with Mandy in New Haven this week, including a session on best practices for live chats and live blogging, which will take place later on Tuesday, beginning at 3 p.m.<br />
<div id="__ss_13032198" style="width: 595px;">
<b style="display: block; margin: 12px 0 4px;"><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/mandyjenkins/expanding-your-blog-audience" target="_blank" title="Expanding Your Blog Audience">Expanding Your Blog Audience</a></b> <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="497" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/13032198" width="595"></iframe> <br />
<div style="padding: 5px 0 12px;">
View more <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/thecroaker/death-by-powerpoint" target="_blank">PowerPoint</a> from <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/mandyjenkins" target="_blank">Mandy Jenkins</a> </div>
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How To Develop Audience&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;</iframe>
<br />
<br />
<b>Some areas our journos said they hope to get out of the session with Jenkins</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<ul>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">Finding
the right blogging voice -- conversational, opinionated, something else? </li>
<li class="MsoNormal">If you have a beat blog, where do you cross the line with editorializing, personalizing - if at all?</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">What’s
best discipline for blogging regularly? </li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">How to
decide what is worth posting on a blog. What is considered too short? </li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">Does
posting at certain times of day matter? Should we be be consistent with times that we post entries? Better to just post as news/thoughts come up? </li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">How can I enhance my blog and make more appealing?</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">I want to learn tips, tools and best practices on how to grow audience (few dozen requests)</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">How to
engage readers in ongoing discussions and encourage them to comment meaningfully</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">What
to blog about during down times (particularly with seasonal sports blogs)</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">How important
is SEO to growing audience?</li>
</ul>
<br />
<b>Staff Blogs By Digital Ninjas in Training: Any Suggestions On What They Can Improve?</b><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://brian-mccready.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Milford Matters by Brian McCready</a></li>
<li><a href="http://naugatuckvalley.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">View From The Valley by Patricia Villers</a></li>
<li><a href="http://bridget-albert.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">B.O.W. Wow by Bridget Albert</a></li>
<li><a href="http://booksnewhaven.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Books New Haven by Sandi Shelton</a></li>
<li><a href="http://youropennewsroom.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Your Open Newsroom by Ed Stannard and Angi Carter</a></li>
</ul>
<br />
<b>Additional Learning From Digital Ninja School</b><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://digitalninjaschool.wordpress.com/blogging/choosing-blogging-subjects/" target="_blank">Digital Ninja School - Choosing Blog Subjects</a></li>
<li><a href="http://digitalninjaschool.wordpress.com/blogging/being-of-the-blogosphere/" target="_blank">Digital Ninja School - Being of the Blogosphere</a></li>
<li><a href="http://digitalninjaschool.wordpress.com/blogging/blogging-seo-tags-promotion/" target="_blank">Digital Ninja School - SEO and tagging (blogs)</a></li>
<li><a href="http://digitalninjaschool.wordpress.com/blogging/engaging-with-blog-comments/" target="_blank">Digital Ninja School - Engaging with blog comments</a></li>
</ul>Chris Marchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15990358225258484134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2449777586460504001.post-61342976546933470022012-05-09T16:58:00.000-07:002012-05-09T17:04:07.567-07:00Journos, Innovators, Disruptors: Digital First Media Wants YouI got something I'd like to say to all the budding journos, problem solvers, innovators and wild-eyed disruptors who can't sleep at night out there. Why aren't you working for <a href="http://www.digitalfirstmedia.com/" target="_blank">Digital First Media</a>?<br />
<br />
<a href="http://somanypapers.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/shift_key.jpg?w=468&h=585" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://somanypapers.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/shift_key.jpg?w=468&h=585" width="317" /></a>(Tip: <a href="http://www.medianewsgroup.com/about/Pages/Careers.aspx">They're hiring.</a>)<br />
<br />
(Disclosure: <a href="http://chrisbmarch.blogspot.com/p/about.html" target="_blank">They hired me</a>. I've been an employee of Journal Register Company for 5 years.)<br />
<br />
I could riff all day over the differences between the Journal Register Company that hired me in 2007 and the <a href="http://www.journalregister.com/" target="_blank">Journal Register Company</a> I work for today. But the key difference between then and now is the difference between starving and hungry. And it's the reason I've stayed with this company.<br />
<br />
This is a company hungry to engage communities and involve readers more than ever before. Hungry to dismantle greed, ignorance and corruption. Hungry to give journalism a viable business model and to re-install it as a desirable career path. Hungry to hang the lanterns that light up journalism's future. I don't know about you, but that's something I want to be part of.<br />
<br />
How hungry is <a href="http://www.digitalfirstmedia.com/" target="_blank">Digital First Media</a>? Let me count the ways.<br />
<br />
<b>For starters, Digital First Media is 'Digital First.'</b><br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0831Z3nN99o/T6r5pUxqdjI/AAAAAAAAAcU/glz81EnMIK4/s1600/digital-first-media.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0831Z3nN99o/T6r5pUxqdjI/AAAAAAAAAcU/glz81EnMIK4/s200/digital-first-media.jpg" width="200" /></a>When a newspaper company goes 'digital first' - it's not about the internet or newspapers. It's not about social media or mobile devices. It's not even about the preservation of journalism. It's about furthering the possibility of what journalism and local communities can accomplish together. That's why Journal Register Company and Media News Group <a href="http://www.journalregister.com/press-releases/digitalfirst/" target="_blank">united underneath the banner of Digital First Media</a> - to lead the charge in upgrading journalism as a team. That's more than 800 million multi-platform products reaching more than 57 million people in the U.S. Think about that. That's a staggeringly large network of skills, experience and opportunity in media and local journalism. The career opportunities are boundless -- if you're hungry. <br />
<br />
<b>Speaking of Career Opportunities - We're Hiring</b><br />
<a href="http://www.digitalfirstmedia.com/careers/" target="_blank">Digital First Media is advertising open positions</a> around the country and is looking for more skill sets and ideas than ever before in the industry's history. In JRC Connecticut, we've been <a href="http://www.journalregister.com/press-releases/NHR_newsroom_reorg/" target="_blank">re-investing in breaking news, investigative reporting, community engagement</a> and <a href="https://connecticutnewsroom.wordpress.com/2011/12/09/chris-march-is-disrupting-our-newsroom/" target="_blank">disruption</a> (that's me). We are <a href="http://www.journalismjobs.com/job_listing.cfm?jobid=1353538" target="_blank">advertising for multiple reporter positions</a> right now, but like the headline above says -- innovators and problem solvers are wanted. So even if you aren't interested in the positions advertised, that doesn't mean we don't have a need for your skills and innovation. Get in touch with us -- if you're hungry. <br />
<br />
<b>Attracting Industry Leaders, Teachers and Visionaries</b><br />
<a href="http://jxpaton.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">John Paton</a>. <a href="http://www.digitalfirstmedia.com/board/" target="_blank">Jeff Jarvis. Jay Rosen. Emily Bell</a>. <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/jimbradysp" target="_blank">Jim Brady</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/editordbutler" target="_blank">Dave Butler</a>. <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/duranaca" target="_blank">Arturo Duran</a>. <a href="http://stevebuttry.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Steve Buttry</a>. <a href="http://zombiejournalism.com/" target="_blank">Mandy Jenkins</a>. <a href="http://newspaperturnaround.com/" target="_blank">Matt DeRienzo</a>. <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/rgkeith" target="_blank">Randy Keith</a>. <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/gregmooredp" target="_blank">Greg Moore</a>. <a href="http://stevebuttry.wordpress.com/2012/02/22/a-great-engagement-team-mandy-jenkins-martin-reynolds-ivan-lajara-dan-petty/" target="_blank">Dan Petty. Ivan Lajara. Martin G. Reynolds</a>. And counting. These are leaders you want to learn from and work with if you're interested in the future of journalism and digital media right now. In this company, you can.
<br />
<br />
<b>Investing In Digital Skills and Career Development</b><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://stevebuttry.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/sb-at-nku.jpg?w=500&h=333" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://stevebuttry.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/sb-at-nku.jpg?w=500&h=333" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Steve Buttry leads a workshop. (pic via: <a href="http://stevebuttry.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">The Buttry Diary</a>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
[Insert some cliche phrase about teaching old dogs new tricks here.] Overwhelmed by all the social media networks and mobile journalism tools out there? Not the best with time and project management? Skill and career development is the other side of Digital First's 'innovation' coin, and it's one they've investing a lot of time, effort and money in. In Connecticut, we've gone so far as to establish a <a href="http://digitalninjaschool.com/" target="_blank">Digital Ninja School</a> where we free up all editorial staff to develop core digital skills of their choosing on company time - and they pocket <a href="http://digitalninjaschool.wordpress.com/2012/02/13/digital-ninja-school-an-digital-first-experiment-in-newsroom-training-launches-today/" target="_blank">monetary bonuses for demonstrating skill mastery</a>. Think of it as a digital journalism grad program that comes free with employment.<br />
<br />
<b>Rewarding Good Ideas and Innovation</b><br />
<a href="http://jxpaton.wordpress.com/2012/03/01/meet-the-newest-members-of-the-idealab/" target="_blank">The Digital First Media Idea Lab</a> is a handpicked team of the company's hungriest innovators and problem solvers from around the company who are given company time, money and tools to experiment with and propose new ideas, platforms and methods. While Idea Lab members are afforded these extra benefits, the mindset of experimentation, collaboration and innovation is evident throughout the whole company, in every newsroom. Follow the <a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/search/%23DFM" target="_blank">#DFM</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/search/%23JRC" target="_blank">#JRC</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/search/%23MNG" target="_blank">#MNG</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/search/%23DigitalFirst" target="_blank">#DigitalFirst</a> hashtags on Twitter to get a little whiff of it. Or jump in on our <a href="http://dailyfreeman.blogspot.com/search/label/jrcchat" target="_blank">weekly #DFMChat</a>, led by <a href="http://dailyfreeman.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Ivan Lajara</a>. Digital First Media's investment in an Idea Lab shows that hunger and brilliant ideas are rewarded.<br />
<br />
<b>Collaborating With Innovative Companies, Start-Ups and Bloggers</b><br />
Digital First Media isn't just looking to <i>hire </i>the digital innovators and disruptors out there. Collaboration and partnerships are just as crucial to journalism 2.0. <a href="http://seeclickfix.blogspot.com/2010/04/seeclickfix-partners-with-journal.html" target="_blank">SeeClickFix</a>, <a href="http://www.journalregister.com/press-releases/critical-media-to-power-journal-register-companys-growing-online-video-journalism/" target="_blank">Syndicaster and Critical Media</a>. <a href="http://www.journalregister.com/press-releases/dfm_guardian_nyu/" target="_blank">The Guardian U.S</a>. <a href="http://investor-relations.thestreet.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=584518" target="_blank">TheStreet</a>. <a href="http://newsroomcafe.wordpress.com/community-media-lab/" target="_blank">Community bloggers</a>. These are just a few of the companies, organizations, individuals and start ups that have partnered with Digital First Media newsrooms to upgrade community journalism to something greater. And that's just the beginning. <br />
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<b>What? That's Not Enough?</b><br />
Did I mention <a href="http://www.journalregister.com/press-releases/digital_first_ventures/" target="_blank">Digital First Ventures</a>? What about the recently announced <a href="http://www.journalregister.com/press-releases/digital-first-media-announces-12-new-community-newsroom-projects/" target="_blank">Open Newsroom projects</a>? And <a href="http://www.niemanlab.org/2011/03/whats-project-thunderdome-you-ask-inside-jim-bradys-new-job-at-journal-register-company/" target="_blank">Project Thunderdome</a>? How about the <a href="http://ct5thdistrict.registercitizen.com/about/" target="_blank">Citizen's Agenda project</a> to re-invent election coverage so that it's focused more on informing voters with citizen-chosen issues, instead of name-bashing and the 'horse race' of political endorsements. <br />
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The bottom line - Digital First Media isn't one big idea, or a few little ones to save newspapers, upgrade journalism, or anything like that. It's what happens when communities, ideas and journalists decide to work together to build something greater. Do you got big ideas? <a href="http://www.digitalfirstmedia.com/careers" target="_blank">This is a good place to start</a>. (and <a href="http://www.journalismjobs.com/job_listing.cfm?jobid=1353538" target="_blank">this is a better place if you're interested in working with us in Connecticut</a>)<br />
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<i>What do you think? Is this just a buncha atomic-flavored Kool-Aid or is Digital First the real deal?</i>Chris Marchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15990358225258484134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2449777586460504001.post-89571061922652625752012-02-24T14:45:00.000-08:002012-02-24T14:45:35.520-08:00Connecticut Live Music Picks: Feb. 24 - Mar. 1There's a whole hot mess of <a href="http://www.nhregister.com/events/">things to do</a> and <a href="http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2012/02/24/entertainment/doc4f46bc21756e3439054192.txt?viewmode=fullstory">live music</a> to catch around Connecticut this week. But here's what I think is awesome.<br />
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<a href="http://weareintercambio.org/2012/02/11/mates-of-state-the-stepkids-22412/"><b>Intercambio Launch Event with Mates of State, The Stepkids, Sean Bones </b></a><br />
<ul><li>Friday, Feb. 24 (tonight), 8 p.m. </li>
<li><a href="http://weareintercambio.org/">Intercambio</a>, Studio 756, 756 Chapel Street, New Haven, CT</li>
<li>SOLD OUT</li>
</ul>Even if you overlook the fact that this is the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/events/241632812586904/">launch event</a> of Intercambio -- New Haven's newest venue, and <a href="http://weareintercambio.org/about/">will-be intersection for New Haven's dynamic arts community</a> -- this show has our beloved <a href="http://www.matesofstate.com/">Mates of State</a> topping the bill. And <a href="http://thestepkidsband.com/">The Stepkids</a>! We love The Stepkids. And yup, <a href="http://seanbones.com/">Sean Bones</a> too. So why this is a show you think you can pass on is beyond me. Although if you don't already have tickets, it kind of, sort of already sold out. I'm really excited to see what Intercambio is all about.<br />
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<a href="http://manicproductions.org/shows/3193"><b>Pianos Become The Teeth, Xerxes, The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die, The Saddest Landscape, Wess Meets West</b></a><br />
<ul><li>Saturday, Feb. 25, 6 p.m.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.thespace.tk/">The Space</a>, 295 Treadwell Street, Hamden, CT</li>
<li>Presented by <a href="http://www.manicproductions.org/">Manic Productions </a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.etix.com/ticket/online/performanceSearch.jsp?performance_id=1591956">Tickets</a></li>
</ul><a href="http://www.toadsplace.com/wp/shows/7283"><b>Matt Pryor of The Get Up Kids with The Front Bottoms, Zac Clark & Young Volcanoes</b></a><br />
<ul><li>Tuesday, Feb. 28, 7 p.m.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.toadsplace.com/">Lilly's Pad at Toad's Place</a>, 300 York Street, New Haven, CT </li>
<li>Presented by Manic Productions </li>
<li><a href="http://www.etix.com/ticket/servlet/onlineSearch?action=venueSearch&venue_id=677&cobrand=toads">Tickets</a></li>
</ul><a href="http://manicproductions.org/shows/3153"><b>Saint Motel, Stout Cortez (free show!)</b></a><br />
<ul><li>Wednesday, Feb. 29, 9 p.m.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.barnightclub.com/">BAR</a>, 254 Crown Street, New Haven, CT</li>
<li>Presented by Manic Productions</li>
<li>FREE SHOW</li>
</ul><a href="http://cafenine.com/index.html"><b>1974 with Ghost of Chance</b></a><br />
<ul><li>Wednesday, Feb. 29, 9 p.m.</li>
<li><a href="http://cafenine.com/">Cafe Nine</a>, 250 State Street, New Haven, CT</li>
<li>$4 admission at door</li>
</ul>Hate my taste? Tell us in the comments what shows you're all jazzed about attending this week.<br />
<span class="time"></span>Chris Marchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15990358225258484134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2449777586460504001.post-72834733423029270422012-02-23T17:54:00.003-08:002012-02-23T18:07:57.741-08:00Digital Ninja School: An experiment on training 'digital first' journalism<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.qkme.me/35djsm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://i.qkme.me/35djsm.jpg" width="315" /></a></div>While the lack of blog updates here may indicate I haven't been up to much -- I assure you that's not the case. We've been very busy developing a training program to radically change the skill sets <i>and </i>mind sets of every single position in our <a href="http://www.journalregister.com/">Journal Register Company</a> <a href="http://connecticutnewsroom.wordpress.com/">Connecticut newsrooms</a>. <br />
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If you work in a newspaper newsroom, you know this transition from a print to digital focused mindset is easier said than done. Much easier. We're talking about learning and applying an entirely different mindset than what many of our journos learned when they were first hired and trained. In lots of respects, it's like sending a traditional print journalist to grad school for further education. This takes a lot of time, willingness, eagerness, money, and experimentation to make this kind of radical change to your business.<br />
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We haven't had trouble in the willingness department. That's been very clear. But the time to learn and experiment? Not to mention, money. That's been a problem. Our journalists have been painfully burning themselves out trying to do the whole 'more with less' thing.<br />
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That's why we launched the <a href="http://www.digitalninjaschool.com/">Digital Ninja School</a> program.<br />
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<a href="http://digitalninjaschool.wordpress.com/about/">The idea behind it</a> is to put our money where our mouth is. Again, easier said than done. But we're giving it a valiant shot.<br />
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Not only are we making a point to free up time for every single person, managers included, in our Journal Register Company Connecticut newsrooms so they can learn the digital first skill sets and start applying them to their daily jobs -- we're rewarding them with cash money. Up to $2,000 for proving themselves and learning what we already want them to learn. It's more than 'job' training -- this is skill and career development.<br />
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Maybe you think the ninja theme is a tad hokey. But a ninja is a trained expert - and that's what we want to produce here. Entire newsrooms of trained experts.<br />
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<a href="http://digitalninjaschool.wordpress.com/core-requirements/">The five areas</a> available to become a ninja -- or expert -- in is:<br />
<ol><li><a href="http://digitalninjaschool.wordpress.com/digital-publishing/">Digital Publishing</a></li>
<li><a href="http://digitalninjaschool.wordpress.com/social-media/">Social Media</a></li>
<li><a href="http://digitalninjaschool.wordpress.com/video/">Video</a></li>
<li><a href="http://digitalninjaschool.wordpress.com/blogging/">Blogging</a></li>
<li><a href="http://digitalninjaschool.wordpress.com/data-journalism/">Data Journalism</a></li>
</ol>How does the 'freeing up time' thing work? By planning ahead, of course. If we're going to continue to tell stories with the best tools available, we have to be editors about it and sacrifice a few stories now so we can do more stories in the future. In some cases, this may mean giving a reporter or photographer half a day to study up on <a href="http://digitalninjaschool.wordpress.com/social-media/reader-engagement-via-social-media/">Reader Engagement</a> or <a href="http://digitalninjaschool.wordpress.com/social-media/facebook-for-the-individual/">Facebook</a> instead of covering a town meeting. We can hyperlink to a "competitor's" coverage of the meeting. In other cases, it may mean I have to help staff our Breaking News desk so two web producers can spend time learning about <a href="http://digitalninjaschool.wordpress.com/digital-publishing/search-engine-optimization/">SEO</a> and <a href="http://digitalninjaschool.wordpress.com/digital-publishing/hyperlinking/">hyperlinking</a>. Ninja School is like putting out the paper every day. It has to happen, and we have to work together as a team to make it happen.<br />
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Another aspect of the program that I like, and think is a crucial component, is its openness. Anyone can go through Ninja School if they want, but you have to be employed by one of our newsrooms if you want the money reward. And we're posting <a href="http://digitalninjaschool.wordpress.com/tag/breaking-news/">examples of the work</a> and progress being done by each student on the Ninja School site. If you pay close attention, you will literally witness our newsrooms transform.<br />
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My role in the program, other than working towards my own black belt, is the curriculum. Along with the awesome help of some 'digital masters' such as <a href="http://stevebuttry.wordpress.com/">Steve Buttry</a> and <a href="http://www.zombiejournalism.com/">Mandy Jenkins</a>, I've curated the training programs, documents, help sheets, and hyperlinks you see on all the course pages. It's still a massive work in progress.<br />
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And if you consider yourself a 'master' in any of the school's areas -- please <a href="mailto:cmarch@journalregister.com">email me</a>. If you are willing to provide us some training (in the newsroom or over the web), recommend some links, or offer support by email to our students - we'll credit you as a digital master.<br />
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If nothing else, I hope you follow along on this experiment of ours and offer some feedback as we go along. We want this to work. <br />
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<i>So what do you think? Will this program work? Are we focusing on the right areas? What areas are we weakest in? Let me know in the comments, or leave us some suggestions on the Ninja School site.</i>Chris Marchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15990358225258484134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2449777586460504001.post-30737514484173344202012-02-07T10:47:00.000-08:002012-02-07T10:51:33.489-08:00Music Notes: Nada Surf - The Stars Are Indifferent To Astronomy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.nadasurf.com/stars/images/nadasurf_tsaita.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.nadasurf.com/stars/images/nadasurf_tsaita.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I have to warn you. <a href="http://www.nadasurf.com/"><b>Nada Surf</b></a> are one of those bands that were so dear to me at a point in life, that I would probably listen to any new Nada Surf record on repeat and tell you it's a sweet listen. No matter how groundbreaking or run-of-the-mill it actually is. <br />
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So for me, the love is not unrequited on their latest record, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Stars-Are-Indifferent-Astronomy/dp/B006DICWUE"><i>The Stars Are Indifferent To Astronomy</i></a>. I've been stoked on it for two weeks. But I also recognize that it doesn't deliver on its larger promise. Musically, it's the most amped up the New York trio has sounded since their <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buzz_Bin">MTV Buzz Bin</a> days of the 90s. But the persisting theme of reconciling your dreams while approaching middle age is stretched thin and, at times, heavy handed. They nail it with "When I Was Young" but continue to swing at it for the rest of the album, with little variation or color. No matter. This is a record about separating stars from constellations. While the record is okay as a body of work, it is the handful of stand out tracks like "Looking Through" and "The Future" that give it its shine.<br />
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Check out the video for "When I Was Young." <br />
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<object height="324" width="575"><param name="movie" value="http://videoplayer.vevo.com/embed/Embedded?videoId=USA371614831&playlist=false&autoplay=0&playerId=62FF0A5C-0D9E-4AC1-AF04-1D9E97EE3961&playerType=embedded&env=0&cultureName=en-US&cultureIsRTL=False"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><param name="bgcolor" value="#000000"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://videoplayer.vevo.com/embed/Embedded?videoId=USA371614831&playlist=false&autoplay=0&playerId=62FF0A5C-0D9E-4AC1-AF04-1D9E97EE3961&playerType=embedded&env=0&cultureName=en-US&cultureIsRTL=False" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="575" height="324" bgcolor="#000000" wmode="transparent"></embed></object>Chris Marchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15990358225258484134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2449777586460504001.post-24934229284886380832012-01-26T10:01:00.000-08:002012-01-26T11:24:51.752-08:00Top 5 digital tools & techniques journalists need to know right nowOne of the best discussion threads among the ranks of the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/groups/138114689546665/">Journal Register Company IdeaLab</a> right now is on the topic of which digital tools and techniques are imperative for newsrooms to know and use, right now. While there are countless tools of awesomeness to tout and explore in the name of journalism, here are the five - in my humbly disruptive opinion - that every person in your newsroom needs to know right now.<br />
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<b>Know Your Newsroom's Digital First Workflow</b><br />
Every newsroom for every medium ever has always functioned on one guiding principal: a workflow. This may sound like a cop out answer, but it's a necessity for every person in every newsroom to know the steps in the workflow for their organization, and know that it's radically different than it was 10 years ago. For newspapers, this used to mean everything in our daily workflow built towards getting papers on driveways every morning by the crack of dawn. Now, it means getting the news of right now in everyone's hands the way they want it, right now. That includes computer screens, laptops, tablets, phones, inboxes, social media streams, headphones, speakers, video, and yes, physical newspapers. The only way you are going to get your story told and delivered to those mediums as appropriate is by working together as a solid team with a well-honed strategy. Your newsroom needs a singular workflow for it to work. And everyone in your newsrooms needs to know how everyone else fits together in that work flow. <br />
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<b><a href="https://docs.google.com/">Google Docs Suite</a></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://edudemic.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/GoogleDocs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://edudemic.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/GoogleDocs.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>One of the strengths of the digital age for journalism is the ease with which we can collaborate and engage. With readers. With co-workers. With other organizations and newsrooms. With anyone. If you're trying to transition your newsroom's workflow from "print-focused" to "digital first," <a href="http://support.google.com/docs/?hl=en">you need to know Google Docs</a>. The amount of tasks you can accomplish and the amount of time Google Docs can save you is reason enough. Of course, because it's a collaborative tool, it's usefullness is dependent upon everyone in your newsroom using it, and using it properly. That's why this tool is a necessity to explore and know, for every single person in your newsroom. At our <a href="http://connecticutnewsroom.wordpress.com/">Journal Register Connecticut </a>newsrooms, we have been using Google Docs to:<br />
<ul><li><b>Manage story budgets throughout the day</b>, so all editors and reporters can access and update from anywhere during the day. It's a constantly evolving document. The <a href="http://www.newhavenregister.com/">New Haven Register </a>takes it a step further and keeps <a href="http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2012/01/26/news/doc4ea72a19e0ca0918847161.txt">this news budget</a> live on our website every hour of every day, so readers can reach out to our reporters if they have any tips or suggestions for a story on the budget. </li>
<li><b>Poll or survey readers</b>. Not only is Google Doc's <a href="http://www.google.com/google-d-s/forms/">Google Forms</a> function a smart and easy-to-use poll creation tool, but it organizes all responses from your readers into useable data on a <a href="http://www.google.com/google-d-s/spreadsheets/#utm_campaign=en&utm_source=en-ha-na-us-bk&utm_medium=ha&utm_term=google%20spreadsheet">Google spreadsheet</a>. Use it to gather and organize data for all sorts of projects. It even creates useable charts for the responses. <i>Examples</i>: There was the time <a href="http://chrisbmarch.blogspot.com/2011/12/comment-violation-test-how-to-handle.html">I polled New Haven Register readers</a> on how they would moderate a set of selected comments on race. Or the time I <a href="http://chrisbmarch.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-digitally-engaged-are-our-elected.html">polled our state legislators</a> on a proposed bill from the New Haven mayor. Or the time Angi Carter polled readers on <a href="http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2011/12/21/news/doc4ef263385065e639431422.txt">what issues they want us to report</a> on for this year's local elections. Or the time we <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?hl=en_US&formkey=dFRVSFEtdXJKdFlwaGh6dktpdlY0M2c6MQ#gid=0">quizzed our entire staff on plagiarism</a> after a recent <a href="http://connecticutnewsroom.wordpress.com/2012/01/10/plagiarism-in-the-fairfield-minuteman/">plagiarism violation</a> was revealed at one of papers. (Take the quiz if you like, we've already tracked all staff responses.)</li>
<li><b>Project planning and management.</b> Especially since we have a number of projects in development at all times these days, it's not easy to get everyone in the same room at the same time to discuss a project in the works. Crafting a project plan and listing out responsibilities and ideas to build off of in a shareable and collaborative Google Doc makes it easier to work and think together when you can't get together.</li>
<li><b>Store help documents, how-tos, and cheat sheets</b>. You can upload Word documents, PDF's, etc to store all your help documents for your newsroom, so they can be accessed by all, no matter where they are - in the newsroom, at home, or in the field on a laptop. </li>
</ul><b>SeeClickFix</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://digitalnewsjournalist.com/files/2010/01/seeclickfix-logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="75" src="http://digitalnewsjournalist.com/files/2010/01/seeclickfix-logo.png" width="200" /></a></div><a href="http://www.seeclickfix.com/">SeeClickFix</a> is another especially useful collaborative tool that bears its fruits the more you use it. There are a number of journalists (especially in Journal Register Company) familiar with what SCF is by now, but I'm finding very few are aware of how useful SeeClickFix can be for crowdsourcing or discovering story ideas and sources. It's an extremely valuable tool that will extend a reporter's eyes and ears into the community they cover the more they embrace it. <a href="http://chrisbmarch.blogspot.com/2012/01/replay-seeclickfix-workshop-for.html">See for yourself and check out the workshop we held earlier this week</a>. And for communities that don't use the service much - who better than the local newspaper to embrace it as a discussion point for problems and issues in the community. If a newspaper calls attention to issues reported on SeeClickFix, and those issues are resolved because of it, more people will use it. Believe that. Use SeeClickFix to:<br />
<ul><li><b>Extend awareness of your beat. </b>Set up a customized Watch Area tailored to your story beat.</li>
<li><b>Find story ideas.</b></li>
<li><b>Find sources for stories you're working on.</b></li>
<li><b>Engage with the community. </b></li>
<li><b>Crowdsource big impact events</b>. You can easily create custom widgets to encourage readers to report specific issues such as unplowed streets after a blizzard, downed limbs and power lines after a hurricane, polling problems on election day, pinpoint areas with little or no cell phone service, etc. </li>
</ul><b>Facebook</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn3.digitaltrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/facebook-journalists.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://cdn3.digitaltrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/facebook-journalists.jpg" width="155" /></a></div><a href="http://www.facebook.com/">Facebook</a> should be the starting point for every journalist discovering social media. The <a href="http://stevebuttry.wordpress.com/">Steve Buttrys</a> of the world exercise a strong emphasis on the value of <a href="http://www.twitter.com/">Twitter</a> for journalists. Especially as it relates to breaking news. And rightfully so. But I fear some newsrooms and journalists overlook the sheer power Facebook presents them with. Whereas Twitter is a great tool for journalists to use in their reporting, Facebook is more like a content medium with it's own set of tools and opportunities for community and reader engagement. Every person in every newsroom should have a basic comfort with Facebook. Not knowing how to engage or participate with others on Facebook is, in a way, on par with not knowing how to ask the right questions in a face-to-face interview<b>. </b>Understanding the basics of Facebook is part of understanding the way American society digests and discusses news today.<br />
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<b>Basic data management skills</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://icons.iconarchive.com/icons/benjigarner/softdimension/256/Excel-icon.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://icons.iconarchive.com/icons/benjigarner/softdimension/256/Excel-icon.png" width="200" /></a></div>Data and numbers tends to frighten journos. But we are news and information gatherers, and the amount of people in journalism without a basic knowledge of spreadsheets and Excel management has to change. This skill set is necessary to help you manage and pour through massive amounts of data for investigative stories. And it can help you manage and organize time and projects too. One thing we're experimenting with at our JRC Connecticut newsrooms right now is a Google Spreadsheet as a statewide newsroom planner that shows what stories and projects everyone is working on throughout the week. With the reporters, it serves as a first draft for the items and story blurbs that make it to our daily news budgets.<br />
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<i>What about you? What do you think are the 5 tools and techniques that every journalist, editor, photographer, copy editor, etc. needs to be equipped with in today's digital journalism age?</i> <i>Take the discussion into the comments.</i><br />
<b> </b>Chris Marchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15990358225258484134noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2449777586460504001.post-24121908221234284202012-01-24T11:48:00.000-08:002012-01-25T09:20:38.464-08:00Replay: SeeClickFix workshop for newsrooms, bloggersVery special thanks to Emma Richards from <a href="http://www.seeclickfix.com/">SeeClickFix</a> for the workshop she conducted for the reporters, editors and community bloggers at the <a href="http://www.newhavenregister.com/">New Haven Register</a> today. After the break is a replay of the workshop video and live blog.<br />
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If you couldn't join us or have any further questions about how to use SeeClickFix as a reporting and community engagement tool - email Emma at <a href="mailto:emma@seeclickfix.com">emma@seeclickfix.com</a>. I'm also happy to help fellow journalists and bloggers create watch areas for your beat, custom widgets, and other areas you have questions about. So feel free to reach out to me any time as well.<br />
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Emma will be passing along help documents and cheat sheets tailored to journalists and bloggers later this week, so stay tuned for those. In the mean time, feel free to browse the general <a href="http://help.seeclickfix.com/kb">SeeClickFix help forums</a>. <br />
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<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="550px" scrolling="no" src="http://www.coveritlive.com/index2.php/option=com_altcaster/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=a84b1d2bbf/height=550/width=630" width="630px">&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=a84b1d2bbf" &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;SeeClickFix workshop&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;</iframe>Chris Marchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15990358225258484134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2449777586460504001.post-8958347021852813382012-01-17T10:16:00.000-08:002012-01-24T10:00:03.326-08:00SeeClickFix workshop for journalists at New Haven Register<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://wemedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://wemedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/logo.png" /></a></div><span id="goog_1980501850"></span><span id="goog_1980501851"></span>I’m pleased to announce that our friends at <a href="http://www.seeclickfix.com/">SeeClickFix</a> have arranged to conduct a workshop at the <a href="http://www.newhavenregister.com/">New Haven Register</a> on the many (many!) ways newsrooms and reporters can use the platform as a journalism tool for community engagement.<br />
<br />
The workshop will be conducted next <b>Tuesday, Jan. 24, at 1 p.m</b>. and will be presented by SeeClickFix Online Community Manager <a href="http://www.twitter.com/emma_says">Emma Richards</a>. For more on her background, read her entry on the <a href="http://seeclickfix.com/company%20">SeeClickFix staff page</a>.<br />
<br />
Reporters, editors, web producers, community bloggers and anyone else with an interest in covering or improving their community can participate in the workshop too. This workshop will be live streamed on the New Haven Register website (and here too), and I will moderate a live chat where I'll accept questions, concerns, and requests for Emma from those out there on the internets who can't join us in person.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="368" scrolling="no" src="http://www.ustream.tv/embed/6198488" style="border: 0px none transparent;" width="608"></iframe><br />
<a href="http://www.ustream.tv/" style="background: #ffffff; color: black; display: block; font-size: 10px; font-weight: normal; padding: 2px 0px 4px; text-align: center; text-decoration: underline; width: 400px;" target="_blank">Video streaming by Ustream</a><br />
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Some of the topics we've asked Emma to focus on include:<br />
<ul><li><b>Suggestions, tips and examples on how SeeClickFix can be used by journalists</b></li>
<li><b>How to browse SeeClickFix reports for story ideas and news tips</b></li>
<li><b>How to upload, close or comment on community issues reported with SeeClickFix</b></li>
<li><b>Tips and suggestions for getting public officials more engaged</b></li>
<li><b>Tips and suggestions for encouraging more reports by our readers </b></li>
</ul><br />
These topics were selected by our <a href="http://www.journalregister.com/">Journal Register Company</a> <a href="http://connecticutnewsroom.wordpress.com/">Connecticut newsrooms</a> in a <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?hl=en_US&formkey=dEMxS1RDa3ZnbGV5ZjlRWjVGMzY0OHc6MQ#gid=0">survey</a> I sent out last week. So this is what our journalists are most interested in getting out of this workshop.<br />
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But why stop there? If you'd like to learn more about creating customized widgets and watch areas, send us your questions in the livestream. Or leave a comment on this blog post, and I'll make note of it to include in the workshop.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<b>Here are some examples on how the New Haven Register has used SeeClickFix in the past year.</b><br />
<ul><li>For New Year's, we asked readers to <a href="http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2011/12/27/news/doc4ef3aa222db26866511602.txt">make resolutions for their towns</a>. <a href="http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2012/01/14/news/doc4f1255374f47b512409136.txt">This was the result</a>.</li>
<li>On Election Day, we asked voters to <a href="http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2011/11/07/news/doc4eb8459d4985f343946136.txt">report polling problems.</a></li>
<li>In the wake of Hurricane Irene, we asked readers to report downed power lines <a href="http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2011/08/30/news/doc4e5d1acd9df08588272784.txt">and other storm related issues.</a></li>
<li>Last spring, a <a href="http://seeclickfix.blogspot.com/2011/04/using-seeclickfix-to-fight-crime.html">prostitution ring was broken up</a> by police thanks to a SeeClickFix report that the Register looked into as part of our "Gripe of the Day" feature.</li>
</ul><br />
What examples do you have?Chris Marchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15990358225258484134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2449777586460504001.post-49661755457317674772012-01-12T16:31:00.000-08:002012-01-12T16:38:26.944-08:006 ways to prevent crime and murder with digital tools<a href="http://newhavenhomicides.blogspot.com/">34 people were victims of homicide</a> in New Haven, Conn. last year.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://static.ddmcdn.com/gif/future-crime-gun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://static.ddmcdn.com/gif/future-crime-gun.jpg" width="320" /></a>That's a near-record number for the city. And that's a lot for a city of this size (129,559 population, according to 2010 <a href="http://www.census.gov/">U.S. Census</a>). So I was curious enough to see how New Haven's homicides compared to similarly-sized cities across the country. I looked at the recently released <a href="http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2011/preliminary-annual-ucr-jan-jun-2011">preliminary crime report for the first half of 2011</a>. Of all 30 U.S. cities in the population range of 20,000 - 40,000, New Haven had the most reported homicides from January to June of last year with 18. Hartford was a close second with 17. No other city in this population range had more than 8. Six of those cities had zero homicides.<br />
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In talking about this with New Haven Register crime reporter <a href="http://www.twitter.com/kaempffer1">Bill Kaempffer</a>, he warned that the problem with viewing homicides like this - as a statistic - is the conversation shifts to how dangerous a place like New Haven is. He's right. You can't truly know a city by comparing a murder stat or crime rate to that of another community or city. <br />
<br />
This is why Kaempffer and I created the New Haven Homicides Report - to go beyond that annual homicide statistic and individually document each victim and crime. Maybe then the New Haven community could draw more informed conclusions about the trends, neighborhoods and circumstances leading to these disheartening pockets of crime, and explore ways to help prevent more from happening.<br />
<br />
So, instead of comparing New Haven's homicide stat to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topeka,_Kansas">Topeka, Kan</a>. or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simi_Valley,_California">Simi Valley, Calif</a>., what I should be doing is outlining ways newsrooms, police departments and community bloggers can work with their communities to help prevent crime and murder. <br />
<br />
Read on for six things you can do now to help prevent crime and murder in your town. <br />
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<a name='more'></a><b>Write a community-focused blog devoted to a crime topic, such as homicides</b><br />
<br />
<a href="http://stopcrime365.com/uploaded_images/recommendation-to-stop-crime-718293.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://stopcrime365.com/uploaded_images/recommendation-to-stop-crime-718293.jpg" width="244" /></a>Media outlets in your community already publish police reports and crime stats. But are there newsrooms, bloggers or even police departments doing something similar to <a href="http://newhavenhomicides.blogspot.com/">New Haven Homicide Report</a> or <a href="http://homicidewatch.org/">D.C. Homicide Watch</a>? Are there bloggers reaching out to the community for details news reports might be overlooking because they are simply re-writing a police report?<br />
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If not, start one. Call attention to the problem. Create a repository for all the info on the crimes, victims, and perpetrators of a particular crime type (homicide, shootings, burglaries, car break-ins, arson, etc). A newsroom can do this on their website, or a devoted community member can create one with <a href="http://www.wordpress.org/">Wordpress</a> or <a href="http://www.blogger.com/">Blogger</a>. <br />
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<b>Use Google Maps to pinpoint crimes over time and illustrate problem areas</b><br />
<br />
Kaempffer created a Google Map to track the locations of <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?vps=2&hl=en&ie=UTF8&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=209605222163046030774.0004a182b6a0cf3081496">New Haven's homicides in 2011</a> before we developed the Homicide Report. It's become a deeply valuable resource for our coverage of homicides since, and an integral part of the Homicide Report. All you need is the address or area of the crime to create a marker on the map. If you're dealing with a lot of addresses to uploaded to the map, you can do that with ease by using web tools like <a href="http://www.zeemaps.com/">ZeeMaps</a> or <a href="http://www.batchgeo.com/">BatchGeo</a>.<br />
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<b>Prevent crime with SeeClickFix</b><br />
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Obviously, you should call 911 or directly contact the local police department in the event of a crime or emergency. But you should encourage locals to use <a href="http://www.seeclickfix.com/">SeeClickFix</a> as a method of calling attention to suspicious or dangerous areas, and having something done about it to improve the quality of life.<br />
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Use SeeClickFix to submit a request for better lighting in poorly lit areas, as well as ask for police patrols or video surveillance in high crime areas (which you could pinpoint with your Google Map from the step above).<br />
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Last spring, a <a href="http://seeclickfix.blogspot.com/2011/04/using-seeclickfix-to-fight-crime.html">prostitution ring in New Haven</a> was broken up thanks to a SeeClickFix report. Think of how many other illegal activities could be broken up and how many crimes prevented, simply by the community working together with rad digital tools like SeeClickFix.<br />
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<b>Use anonymous online 'tip' submission forms to prevent crime</b><br />
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If your local police department doesn't have an online form for submitting tips, <a href="https://tips.fbi.gov/">like the FBI's</a> or <a href="http://whpd.com/tips.htm">West Haven's</a>, ask them why the heck not? In this digital age, some people are simply more comfortable volunteering information from a computer screen. It's important to have as many doors open for the community to speak up as possible.<br />
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If the police don't have the resources to host something like that on their website, news outlets can step in and create their own or use SeeClickFix, and serve as a relay point between concerned citizens and the police.<br />
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The Register recently launched an <a href="http://chrisbmarch.blogspot.com/2012/01/investigate-this-new-haven-register.html">investigations tip form</a> which could be used for such things too. It's ridiculously easy to set up and customize such forms these days, thanks to <a href="http://support.google.com/docs/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=87809">Google Forms</a>. <br />
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<b>Track down crime suspects with an online 'Most Wanted' page</b><br />
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Thanks to <a href="http://dailyfreeman.blogspot.com/">Ivan Lajara</a> at the <a href="http://www.dailyfreeman.com/">Daily Freeman</a> for this one.<br />
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Work with the local police departments to upload copies of the wanted posters they circulate for crime suspects that remain on the loose. Use tools like <a href="http://www.scribd.com/">Scribd</a> to upload them all on a single page and share them with readers, like the <a href="http://www.dailyfreeman.com/news/wanted/">Freeman does</a>.<br />
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If the police can share such documents with you, it's a matter of clicks to digitize and spread it around the community with social media and your website. The more people who see the faces on the wanted posters, the greater the chances of someone recognizing a face and calling in a tip. Perhaps even with the tip form in the previous step.<br />
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You could also tie a Google Map into this idea, and plot areas where the suspects were last seen. We tried <a href="http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2011/03/01/news/aa3nebillboards022811.txt?viewmode=fullstory">something like that</a> last year before the alleged "East Coast Rapist" was <a href="http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2011/03/07/news/doc4d7514f1cd12b693113024.txt">apprehended</a>.<br />
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<b>Use Facebook and other social media</b><br />
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There's no way around it -- it's 2012, and Americans of all ages and races are on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/">Facebook</a> every day now. Think of how many people are willing to "like" and comment on a cause they support. Create your own pages devoted to <a href="http://www.facebook.com/MissingInCT">particular causes</a> or start a group for <a href="http://www.kingston-ny-neighborhood-watch.com/p/home.html">a neighborhood watch</a>.<br />
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Create a discussion area for people to discuss ways to improve the safety of their neighborhood, and who knows what you might prevent or solve? And if the police departments aren't on social media, ask them why they aren't. <a href="http://www.facebook.com/KingstonPD">Kingston, NY is!</a> Doesn't look like <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/New-Haven-Police-Department/109482665745633">New Haven</a> is.<br />
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<i>But certainly, this is just a start. These won't end murder or crime, but every little bit of prevention and community awareness helps. What ideas do you have for preventing murder and crime, digital or otherwise? Post some thoughts and other tools worth exploring in the comments.</i>Chris Marchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15990358225258484134noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2449777586460504001.post-21910985610435879742012-01-04T14:19:00.000-08:002012-01-04T14:21:04.394-08:00Investigate This!: New Haven Register launches tool for investigative story ideasWhen the <a href="http://www.newhavenregister.com/">New Haven Register</a> announced the first changes from it's <a href="http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2011/11/28/news/doc4ed387eb5db57243965976.txt?viewmode=fullstory">newsroom reorganization</a> this past fall, one of the changes that received the warmest applause was the re-establishment of the <a href="http://connecticutnewsroom.wordpress.com/2011/11/28/investigative-and-in-depth-reporting-bolstered-by-digital-first/">Investigations Team</a> for the first time in more than 20 years.<br />
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This week, we launched a new tool aimed at making it easier for the community to work with our investigations team and send us news tips.<br />
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We've created an <a href="http://www.nhregister.com/investigatethis">Investigate This! submission form</a> for readers to send us investigation tips and ideas that warrant a closer, more in-depth look. All submissions go right to the source and are reviewed by the team. The tool can be found at the bottom of every article on newhavenregister.com, below the Fact Check tool. Simply click it and fill out the form. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ASTfChRz5xU/TwTMlXrbFcI/AAAAAAAAASo/USP9ygty_oI/s1600/investigatethisa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="312" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ASTfChRz5xU/TwTMlXrbFcI/AAAAAAAAASo/USP9ygty_oI/s400/investigatethisa.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>In addition to the tool, <a href="http://www.twitter.com/nhrinvestigate">Investigations Editor Michelle Tuccitto Sullo</a> will oversee our newly launched <a href="http://nhrinvestigations.blogspot.com/">Investigations Blog</a> (which also features the Investigate This! tool). Follow it regularly as she and our <a href="http://youropennewsroom.blogspot.com/">community engagement team</a> may appeal to readers for crowdsourced information or other data on a topic currently under investigation, such as our in-depth look at <a href="http://www.facebook.com/MissingInCT?ref=ts">missing person cases in Connecticut</a>.<br />
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So what are you waiting for? <a href="http://www.nhregister.com/investigatethis">Tell us what you want investigated in your community.</a><br />
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<i>What are your thoughts on the new submission tool? What are other ways we can open up our newsroom and investigative work to you and the community?</i>Chris Marchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15990358225258484134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2449777586460504001.post-15363074054597825312011-12-23T12:20:00.000-08:002011-12-23T12:20:35.228-08:00Join us in improving our Connecticut towns next year with SeeClickFix<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AG7ssukrYAY/TvTiTjXnqBI/AAAAAAAAASA/13yV8wqQGow/s1600/resolutionslogo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AG7ssukrYAY/TvTiTjXnqBI/AAAAAAAAASA/13yV8wqQGow/s320/resolutionslogo.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>This week, Journal Register Connecticut newsrooms created <a href="http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2011/12/22/news/doc4ef3aa222db26866511602.txt">custom SeeClickFix widgets</a> that ask citizens from across Connecticut to propose New Year's resolutions for their town next year. The goal is to harness suggestions from citizens, and spark discussion, on how to improve their community in 2012. <br />
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What makes this process different from regular use of <a href="http://www.seeclickfix.com/">SeeClickFix</a> is the pledge the <a href="http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2011/12/22/news/doc4ef3aa222db26866511602.txt">New Haven Register</a>, <a href="http://www.middletownpress.com/articles/2011/12/22/news/doc4ef3abd39c30e524600136.txt%20">Middletown Press</a> and <a href="http://www.registercitizen.com/articles/2011/12/22/news/doc4ef3ab13affac275571059.txt%20">Register Citizen</a> are making with this project. In January, we will review the issues reported through these widgets in the towns we cover and select some of the most popular issues with the most 'fix this' votes and track their progress throughout 2012. In towns that do not have partnerships or much engagement with SeeClickFix, that means we will serve as a watchdog for the SeeClickFix users and report regularly on what needs to yet be done to get these proposed issues resolved.<br />
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But we can't cover all the resolutions for the towns in Connecticut. So here's my invitation to all the other news outlets, newspapers, TV stations, bloggers and active community members who cover and care about any community in Connecticut -- JOIN US! The more who help, the more we can resolve.<br />
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Heck, why stop there? You hear me, America? #OccupyTownResolutions<br />
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You can very easily create your own custom SeeClickFix widget for your town to participate and embed it on your site. To steal a line from the quotable <a href="http://www.twitter.com/ivanlajara">Ivan Lajara</a>, "<a href="http://dailyfreeman.blogspot.com/2011/10/election-day-problems-widget.html">It's so easy, even an editor can do it.</a>"<br />
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Read on for a step-by-step tutorial on how to make your own widget for our Town Resolutions project.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
1. Go to <a href="http://www.seeclickfix.com/widget">www.seeclickfix.com/widget</a> to create your own customized widget.<br />
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2. <b>Widget type</b>: Advanced<br />
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3. <b>Color Scheme</b>: Your choice<br />
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3. <b>Make the primary tab</b>: Report Form<br />
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4. <b>Issues to Display</b>: Check all 3 boxes - Open, Acknowledged, Closed<br />
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5. Click <b>Next </b>to move to step 2.<br />
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6. <b>Boundaries</b>: Select the area you want to limit resolutions to. We chose Connecticut state for our purposes. But you can go as small or large as you want to.<br />
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7. <b>Categories</b>: Since we want the map to display New Year's resolutions for our towns, select "All."<br />
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8. <b>Filter by keyword:</b> type "<b>resolution2012</b>" in this box. That's the tag we're using for these Town Resolutions. But be sure to make your readers aware that they need to type "resolutions2012" in the description box when they submit an issue. Otherwise, it won't show in the map display on your widget.<br />
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9. <b>Width </b>(px): This is the width of the widget display in pixels. We use '635' on our Journal Register Company websites, but your site may be different.<br />
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10. <b>Height </b>(px): This is the height of the widget display in pixels. We use '500', but you can make it more vertical if you like. Wouldn't go much smaller though.<br />
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11. <b>Time Range</b>: Move the slider so that it's 1 year through 'Now'.<br />
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12. Click <b>Next </b>to move to step 3.<br />
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13. <b>Title</b>: Name your widget<br />
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14. <b>Contact Name:</b> What's your name? Type it in that box.<br />
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15. <b>Contact Email</b>: What your email? Type it in that box.<br />
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16. <b>Website domain</b>: What website will you be embedding this on? Type the address in that box.<br />
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17. Click <b>Generate</b>! This gives you an embed code. Copy that code, go to your website or blog and paste the code where you want it embedded. (<br />
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18. <b>Promote </b>it to your readers. And keep an eye on the issues that pop up. Follow them closely and report on their progress throughout 2012. <br />
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If you have any problems or further questions about how SeeClickFix and its widgets work -- please reference their <a href="http://help.seeclickfix.com/kb">Help page</a>, or <a href="http://seeclickfix.com/contact_us">contact them</a>.<br />
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So that all said, what's your New Year's resolution for 2012? In our Journal Register Connecticut newsrooms, it's to help improve the towns we serve and cover next year.Chris Marchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15990358225258484134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2449777586460504001.post-66357622329904974622011-12-22T13:56:00.000-08:002011-12-22T15:02:52.236-08:00How to make a New Year's resolution for your town with SeeClickFixThe <a href="http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2011/12/22/news/doc4ef3aa222db26866511602.txt">New Haven Register</a>, <a href="http://www.middletownpress.com/articles/2011/12/22/news/doc4ef3abd39c30e524600136.txt">Middletown Press</a>, and <a href="http://www.registercitizen.com/articles/2011/12/22/news/doc4ef3ab13affac275571059.txt">Register Citizen</a> are teaming up with <a href="http://www.seeclickfix.com/">SeeClickFix</a> to make some New Year's resolutions for your town come true in 2012. <br />
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We've worked with SeeClickFix to create custom widgets for our websites that display Town Resolution proposals from the entire state of Connecticut. We'll be reviewing these submissions for the next two weeks, and after Jan. 8, we'll select some of the most popular resolutions that garnered the most 'fix it' votes on SeeClickFix, and track their progress throughout the year with regular news reporting by staff from New Haven Register, Middletown Press and Register Citizen.<br />
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Here's the submission form for the New Haven area:<br />
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<iframe allowtransparency="true" border="0" frameborder="0" height="500" hspace="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" name="SeeClickFix" scrolling="no" src="http://seeclickfix.com/map_widgets/2001" title="SeeClickFix - Widget" vspace="0" width="630">&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br /&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Your browser does not support iframes. Try it from &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="/" target="_blank"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;www.SeeClickFix.com&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;</iframe><br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
Here is a 3-step walk through on how to submit your own Town Resolution proposal.<br />
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<b>1. </b>On the widget (above), drag the red marker to where the issue that you want resolved is, or type in the address. It can be anywhere relevant in your town if there isn't a single address related to the issue.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hPaHCix8b90/TvOlRE-EPSI/AAAAAAAAARE/16PANOlmSoo/s1600/scfr1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="321" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hPaHCix8b90/TvOlRE-EPSI/AAAAAAAAARE/16PANOlmSoo/s400/scfr1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<b>2. </b>On the 'next' page in the submission form, this is where you propose your town resolution. Give it a title, type in a description, <b>and end your description with keyword "<span style="color: #990000;">resolution2012</span>" in the description box.</b> This is so it's tagged in the Town Resolutions category and appears correctly on the Issues map.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BSL-vNJpmtM/TvOla0aEVbI/AAAAAAAAARQ/gN37Ix9gtRk/s1600/scfr2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BSL-vNJpmtM/TvOla0aEVbI/AAAAAAAAARQ/gN37Ix9gtRk/s400/scfr2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<b>3. </b>All done! Now tell all your friends, neighbors and coworkers to find your Town Resolution and encourage them to vote for it by clicking "Fix this." Tell them you'll take back their Christmas gift if they don't.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-672xNUkwWi0/TvOlnOwgpZI/AAAAAAAAARc/ZUZ1bAVCE8o/s1600/scfr3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-672xNUkwWi0/TvOlnOwgpZI/AAAAAAAAARc/ZUZ1bAVCE8o/s400/scfr3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
If you are having trouble finding your issue after you've submitted it, email me at <a href="mailto:cmarch@journalregister.com">cmarch@journalregister.com</a>. Or if you've already submitted an unsolved issue to SeeClickFix earlier this year that you think should be a town resolution for 2012, email me, and I while have it added to the Resolution 2012 Issues display in the widget above.<br />
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Cheers, and happy New Year's, Connecticut.Chris Marchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15990358225258484134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2449777586460504001.post-90984415392410232112011-12-20T16:34:00.000-08:002011-12-20T16:45:06.485-08:00How digitally engaged are our elected politicians?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.tech2date.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Politics-Digital-Age.jpg?cda6c1" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" src="http://www.tech2date.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Politics-Digital-Age.jpg?cda6c1" width="320" /></a></div>There are 187 elected members in the <a href="http://www.cga.ct.gov/">Connecticut General Assembly</a>. <a href="http://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/menu/hlist.asp">151 in the House of Representatives</a>, and <a href="http://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/menu/slist.asp">36 in the Senate</a>.<br />
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Each one of them has a government-supplied email address. But how many of them actually respond to the emails they receive? Better yet, how many of them even check their inbox? Assistants don't count.<br />
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If a recent experiment of mine is to be taken seriously, the answer is not many. About 24.<br />
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We know they are busy. But we elect them to represent us, and with all the technology and social media tools we have here at the dawn of 2012, there hasn't been an easier time in the history of politics to connect with and communicate with the people you represent on a large scale.<br />
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<a href="http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics">According to Facebook</a>, the social networking site is home to more than 800 million active users. I'm curious how many of those are elected officials that use it as a tool to reach and engage the communities they are responsible for.<br />
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After New Haven Mayor John DeStefano <a href="http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2011/12/13/news/doc4ee7e6aaf16b3231712012.txt?viewmode=fullstory">announced his proposal</a> last week to allow non-citizens to vote in the city's municipal elections, I composed a short poll for the New Haven Register and emailed it to every single member of the Connecticut General Assembly. Since they will be voting on DeStefano's proposal next year, we wanted to report to our readers the state legislation's stance on this controversial issue. <br />
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<a href="http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2011/12/15/news/new_haven/doc4eea330154998126220386.txt?viewmode=default">I embedded a Google Spreadsheet</a> fed automatically with their individual responses on the Register website so readers could see responses as they were sent back to us.<br />
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So, how many responded? Only 6 the first day. We have 24 at the time of this posting, with a handful of new ones each day that passes. <br />
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<a name='more'></a>No, I didn't expect a comprehensive response. But 24?<br />
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It's certainly possible that many of them aren't willing to declare their stance on a proposal they haven't actually been presented with yet, but they should be familiar at this point with the issue it revolves around - voting rights for non-citizens. The poll's options included 'support, do not support, and need more information first', as well as an option to comment further, so that everyone could participate even if they didn't have a stance on the proposal just yet.<br />
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Perhaps the underwhelming response is because I emailed them a survey, and they've never heard of me before. That's possible. I'm not a political reporter and <a href="http://chrisbmarch.blogspot.com/p/about.html">my title isn't very standard</a>. Perhaps they thought I was some scheming wild-eyed spammer of anarchy, posing as a news representative? In my message to them all, I said I was reaching out on behalf of the New Haven Register and gave them my contact information. Was I screened? Should I have done more to establish my credibility with them? Does it even matter if I'm representing a news organization or not?<br />
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Maybe, they don't check their email? If that's the case, is that acceptable?<br />
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The interesting finding of this little experiment to me was the <a href="http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2011/12/15/news/new_haven/doc4eea330154998126220386.txt?viewmode=comments">comments we received from readers</a> on the response article. Some applauded the initiative and cheered us on. Some suggested we do similar polling for more issues in the future. That's the part I like -- our readers asked us to report how our elected really stand on these issues. It echoes what <a href="http://pressthink.org/2011/12/the-citizens-agenda-a-plan-to-make-election-coverage-more-useful-to-people/">Jay Rosen has been calling for</a> from the media, to make political coverage more useful to voters.<br />
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<div class="simpleblog-response"></div><div class="simpleblog-response">Journalists, citizens, non-citizens and politicians -- What do you think about the response we got from our state legislators on this poll? How should the New Haven Register be polling our state legislators on issues like this in the future? I'd love to hear your suggestions and ideas in the comments. And what are some examples of politicians who are very engaging in the digital age?</div>Chris Marchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15990358225258484134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2449777586460504001.post-42238754148577739842011-12-18T21:02:00.000-08:002011-12-18T22:07:31.571-08:00The Christmas Mix-acle 2011<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-efZCnLWjhQ0/Tu6-rA5P__I/AAAAAAAAAP4/Lf9ysy1kI3E/s1600/mixacle11front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="398" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-efZCnLWjhQ0/Tu6-rA5P__I/AAAAAAAAAP4/Lf9ysy1kI3E/s400/mixacle11front.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Christmas and music are among my favorite human spectacles. So it's only natural that I make Christmas mixes instead of cards or cookies to share with my friends and family every year. Which is handy, since my music collection is far more impressive than my scratchy handwriting or my apartment's unpredictable oven. So without further adieu, here is this year's Christmas Mix-acle. (And for those new to this, you can check out Mixacles from Christmases past too.) Merry Christmas.<br />
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If you have any requests for next year, say so in the comments.<br />
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All files are .zip files with mp3s. Read on for tracklistings. <br />
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<a href="http://www.mediafire.com/file/gefexygkeo3gvf6/mixacle11.zip">The Christmas Mixacle 2011</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?8pmhrgfsh7sc9i3">The Christmas Mixacle 2010</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?njnzezfzcgn">The Christmas Mixacle 2009</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?nddz5dmik3d">The Christmas Mixacle 2008</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?wzojuoyewmx">The Christmas Mixacle 2007</a><br />
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<a name='more'></a><b>Christmas Mixacle 2011 </b><br />
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1. Montt Mardié - Bon Jovis Jullåt (I Wish Everyday Could Be Like Christmas)<br />
2. The Oceanauts - Wonderful Christmastime<br />
3. Butch Walker - We Wish You A Merry Christmas<br />
4. Rooney - Little Saint Nick<br />
5. The Fleshtones - Run, Rudolph Run!<br />
6. Ben Rector - Jingle Bells<br />
7. Peter Munters - Every Christmas<br />
8. The Killers - The Cowboys' Christmas Ball<br />
9. The Features - Father Christmas<br />
10. Lenny Kaye - I Wish it Could be Christmas Every Day (live)<br />
11. Ella Fitzgerald - Santa Clause Is Coming To Town<br />
12. Amus Milburn & Charles Brown - Christmas Comes But Once A Year<br />
13. James Brown - Merry Christmas, Baby<br />
14. Ahmad Jamal - Snowfall<br />
15. Relient K - Handel's Messiah<br />
16. The O.C. Supertones - Joy To The World<br />
17. My Morning Jacket & The Head And The Heart - I'll Be Home For Christmas<br />
18. Haunting Party - Baby, It's Cold Outside<br />
19. Sharon Van Etten - Blue Christmas<br />
20. Seryn And Friends (w/ Mark Apel)- Go, Tell It On The Mountain <br />
21. Sean Needham - A Child Could Save Us All<br />
22. Mayer Hawthorne - Christmastime Is Here<br />
23. The Fray - O Come All Ye Faithful<br />
24. Quiet Company - O Holy Night<br />
25. She & Him - The Christmas Song<br />
26. Liz Story - Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas<br />
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<b>Christmas Mixacle 2010</b><br />
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<blockquote>1. Detroit Junior / Christmas Day<br />
2. The Genuine Fakes / All I Want For Christmas<br />
3. Sugarcult / Santa Clause Is Coming To Town<br />
4. The Brian Setzer Orchestra / Run, Run Rudolph<br />
5. Joey Ramone / Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)<br />
6. Jim James / Christmas, Don’t Be Late (live, no chipmunks)<br />
7. Reverend Horton Heat / Jingle Bells (instrumental)<br />
8. The Blind Boys of Alabama / Last Month of the Year<br />
9. Lou Rawls / Good Time Christmas<br />
10. Chuck Berry / Merry Christmas, Baby<br />
11. Banu Gibson And New Orleans Hot Jazz / I’ll Be Home For Christmas (I will!)<br />
12. Christabel and The Jons / I’d Like You For Christmas<br />
13. Thad Cockrel & Roman Candle / Christmas Time Is Here<br />
14. John Lennon & Yoko Ono / Happy Xmas (War is Over) ..(In memory)<br />
15. INTERMISSION: Built To Spill covers “Linus & Lucy” at a live gig<br />
16. MxPx / Christmas Party (to those going to the Xmas party on Sycamore Road)<br />
17. Bayside / Gloria In Excelsis Deo<br />
18. Best Coast & Wavves / Got Something For You<br />
19. Metro Jets / Jingle Jangle Christmas<br />
20. Herbie Hancock & Corinne Bailey Rae / River<br />
21. Coldplay / Christmas Lights<br />
22. Vince Guaraldi Trio / O Tannenbaum<br />
23. The Fray / Oh Come Oh Emmanuel<br />
24. Dustin Kensrue / O Holy Night<br />
25. Alex Chilton / The Christmas Song</blockquote><b>Christmas Mixacle 2009</b><br />
<blockquote>1. Oasis - Merry Christmas Everybody (since this is sung by Noel Gallagher, I've been referring to this as the FIRST NOEL.)<br />
2. Butch Walker & Taryn Manning - Christmas All Over Again<br />
3. Julian Casablancas - I Wish It Was Christmas Today (rad cover of the 2nd best SNL holiday song ever)<br />
4. Gary Glitter - Another Rock N' Roll Christmas<br />
5. Solomon Burke - Presents on Christmas<br />
6. Middle Distance Runner - Xmas Party<br />
7. Fall Out Boy - What's This?! (Nightmare Before Christmas! yes!)<br />
8. Aretha Franklin - Joy To The World (dude, no one can do this song like momma Aretha. crap)<br />
9. Bobby Lloyd & The Skeletons - Do You Hear What I Hear / You Really Got Me (brilliant mash up of a holiday classic, and The Kinks)<br />
10. Stevie Wonder - What Christmas Means To Me<br />
11. Charles Brown - Christmas Blues (the bluesman, not the Peanut)<br />
12. The Sonics - Santa Clause (I'm gonna dedicate this one to Allie. For no reason other than it's bad ass).<br />
13. The Killers - ¡Happy Birthday Guadalupe! (the line "put your feet up baby, it's Christmas time" wins)<br />
14. Valencia - Pennsylvania Holiday (best song alert! this is, by far, my favorite song this year. put it on here for my family.)<br />
15. Calexico - Gift X-Change (don't know about you, but every time I listen to Calexico I picture him performing by a fireplace. So naturally, he belongs on a Christmas mix.)<br />
16. Dr. John - Silent John (such a warm, giddy version of this song. love it.)<br />
17. Otis Redding - White Christmas (God bless Otis Redding. If you got that special someone, now is the time to slowdance by the fire and/or tree.)<br />
18. MxPx - Auld Lang Syne (gonna send this one out to all my punk rock friends, because it's so fisting good.<br />
19. The Very Most - Away In A Manger (so jubilant.)<br />
20. Glasvegas - A Snowflake Fell (And It Felt Like A Kiss) (for all you emos out there)<br />
21. Austrian Death Machine - Jingle Bells (Dedicated to Rachael, Stefan, and anyone with the last name Reber)<br />
22. The Carpenters - Home For the Holidays (for my brother, who goes to school in Tennessee and comes back to PA for pumpkin pie. A natural fit.)<br />
23. The meaning of Christmas, according to Linus<br />
24. Shawn Colvin - Christmastime Is Here (speaking of Charlie Brown, we'll just lead in that awesome song)<br />
25. Sam Cooke - Christmas Means Love (apparently I forgot this was on the mixacle in 2007. but it's good enough to make an encore, so i'll live).<br />
26. Hem - Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (indeed.)</blockquote><b>Christmas Mixacle 2008</b><br />
<blockquote>1. Daniel Johnson - Christmas Music (one of my favs)<br />
2. My Morning Jacket - Santa Clause Is Back In Town<br />
3. Billy Idol - Yellin At The Christmas Tree<br />
4. Keith Richard - Run Rudolph Run (you won't hear a better version of this song)<br />
5. billy squire - christmas is a time to say I love you<br />
6. dr john - merry christmas baby<br />
7. the hives vs. cyndi lauper - a christmas duel (i am still ridiculously in love with this song)<br />
8. the spiraling - do you hear what i hear (cause I hear The Who's 'baba oriley') (two words- epic)<br />
9. dustin kensrue - fairytale of new york (this Pogues song is not just one of my favorite xmas songs, it's one of my favorite all time songs, period)<br />
10. lightning hopkins - santa<br />
11. dandy warhols - little drummer boy<br />
12. raveonettes - baby please come home<br />
13. mae - carol of the bells<br />
14. staple singers - who took the merry out of christmas<br />
15. low - just like christmas<br />
16. the honorary title - city on christmas<br />
17. morphine - sexy christmas baby mine (dig that brass!)<br />
18. belle & sebastian - christmastime is here (the more i think about it, a belle & sebastian album is like a indie teenage version of Peanuts.)<br />
19. ernie halter - the first noel<br />
20. temptations - silent night<br />
21. my morning jacket - o holy night (the 'gotta take my shoes off' bit is why i love jim james)<br />
22. dexter gordon - the christmas song (now THAT'S christmas)</blockquote> <b>Christmas Mixacle 2007</b><br />
1. Kevin Devine - Splitting Up Christmas (to all my friends, to all my family!)<br />
2. The Kinks - Father Christmas<br />
3. Beach Boys - Little Saint Nick<br />
4. bonnie raitt & charles brown - merry christmas, baby ('feeling mighty fine, got good music on my radio)<br />
5. sex pistols - punk rock christmas (still have trouble understanding why sex pistols have a xmas song, but whatever, it's good.)<br />
6. long winters - sometimes you have to work on christmas (i waited tables on xmas eve when the year i made this mix)<br />
7. jimmy eat world - last xmas (the classic!)<br />
8. coldplay - 2000 miles (pretenders cover. so good)<br />
9. elliott smith - angel in the snow (was pining for this girl who was super into mr. smith that year)<br />
10. ron sexsmith - i still attest that this is one of the warmest, prettiest xmas songs ever written.<br />
11. damien rice - happy christmas (war is over) (this xmas tune is probably one of the most covered, but this is the only one besides the original worth your tinsel)<br />
12. white stripes - candy cane children<br />
13. ben folds - lonely xmas eve<br />
14. the killers - don't shoot me santa (i love their xmas songs, and this one is the best)<br />
15. jimmy eat world - 12.23.95 (heart)<br />
16. over the rhine - all i ever get for christmas is blue<br />
17. as tall as lions - it's only christmas<br />
18. ben folds - bizarre christmas incident<br />
19. sam cooke - christmas means love<br />
20. feist - lo, how a rose e're blooming (mmm, such a beautiful song)<br />
21. vince guaraldi - christmas time is here (with vocals)<br />
22. as tall as lions - o holy night (and they nailed it.)<br />
23. coldplay - have yourself a merry little christmas (you really can't do better than this version of this song on christmas eve)<br />
24. alexi murdoch - silent nightChris Marchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15990358225258484134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2449777586460504001.post-44321236386950184812011-12-13T14:52:00.000-08:002011-12-13T15:00:19.288-08:00Comment Violation Test: How to handle comments about a black murder victimThe topic for yesterday's Comment Violation Test was <a href="http://chrisbmarch.blogspot.com/2011/12/poll.html">Joshua Komisarjevsky</a> - and it <a href="http://chrisbmarch.blogspot.com/2011/12/comment-violation-test-results-we-dont.html">revealed</a> that the <a href="http://www.newhavenregister.com/">New Haven Register</a> needs to consider defining in greater detail how we handle comments that celebrate or promote the death of another person and how we treat convicted criminals, particularly ones with a jury-approved death sentence.<br />
<br />
Today, I want to take a look at one of the Register's most heated comment topics.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://mi-cache.legacy.com/legacy/images/Cobrands/nhregister/Photos/NewHavenRegister_BOOMER_20111210.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://mi-cache.legacy.com/legacy/images/Cobrands/nhregister/Photos/NewHavenRegister_BOOMER_20111210.jpg" /></a></div>Dallas Boomer became the 32nd person <a href="http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2011/12/06/news/doc4eddf779d3431535530518.txt">murdered in New Haven</a> last week. He was black, and a lot of the comments about his murder focused on that. Some were blocked, some were allowed and some were very difficult to call.<br />
<br />
Review these comments and tell us what you would do if you were the moderator. If you find that they violate the <a href="http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2011/12/12/news/doc4ee6533c85035463444634.txt">New Haven Register Comment Policy</a>, block it. If not, allow it.<br />
<br />
Please note, some of these comments were deemed very offensive.<br />
<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="600" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/embeddedform?formkey=dFFQY0MzQkhLYm9IRElaU1BDR20zeVE6MQ" width="635">&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Loading...&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;</iframe>Chris Marchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15990358225258484134noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2449777586460504001.post-42060849568460960722011-12-13T14:19:00.000-08:002011-12-13T14:23:37.843-08:00Comment Violation Test Results: We don't agree on Komisarjevsky comments<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KnLtMPIoORY/TufQWC0xqLI/AAAAAAAAAPY/h9xthkGyhKY/s1600/komis-mug-new2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="193" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KnLtMPIoORY/TufQWC0xqLI/AAAAAAAAAPY/h9xthkGyhKY/s200/komis-mug-new2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>The jury for Joshua Komisarjevsky agreed last week that the <a href="http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2011/12/09/news/doc4ee270ba97781159498387.txt">death penalty</a> was the most appropriate punishment for his crimes against the <a href="http://www.nhregister.com/petitslayings">Petit family</a>. But when it comes to handling online comments on this topic, it seems we are a hung jury.<br />
<br />
As of the time of this writing, my <a href="http://chrisbmarch.blogspot.com/2011/12/poll.html">comment violation test</a> from yesterday has received 22 responses. If you haven't taken the test, but still want to -- SPOILER ALERT -- I'd recommend not reading this post until you've done so.<br />
<br />
Let's take a look at how your votes compared with our moderators. <br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<b>"GOOD! He deserves it, the low life piece of trash. I am so glad that the jury didn't see through all the BS the defense attorneys paraded up onto the witness stand. Boo Hoo, his childhood sucked, he was molested he was this, he was that. Alot of people have suffered things similar to what he has and never did what he did. May he go straight to hell along with Hayes and I hope Dr. Petit and his family find some measure of peace from this and are able to try to move forward with their lives. The doctor and his family are in my thoughts and my prayers as always!"</b><br />
<ul><li>Allow this comment - 17 votes</li>
<li>Block this comment - 5 votes</li>
<li>NHR Moderator Decision - ALLOW</li>
<li>My comment on the comment: This is a difficult one to call. If going by Register Guidelines, I would lean towards blocking this one, because of "low life piece of trash," which is a name-calling personal attack. To make comments like this an easier call, perhaps we need to add more context on how we handle 'name-calling' of public figures and convicted criminals. What are the exceptions? Would we have handled this comment differently before the trial? It also celebrates or promotes the death of an individual, which is not something that is defined in our policy, but fits into the category of 'personal attack.' Which is something else we should define a little more in our policy, because in this case, a jury decided he should be put to death. How does that change the conversation? </li>
</ul><br />
<b>"Rot in hell satan's minion" </b><br />
<ul><li>Allow this comment - 12</li>
<li>Block this comment - 10</li>
<li>NHR Moderator Decision - BLOCKED</li>
<li>My comment on the comment: Under Register guidelines, I'd lean towards blocking this one. Personal attack.</li>
</ul><br />
<b>"This is something that the Chinese are really good at. Take him and his partner out behind the courthouse, put a bullet in their heads and send a bill for the bullet to their families. Maybe then this lawless society will take notice and the violence will stop." </b><br />
<ul><li>Allow this comment - 10</li>
<li>Block this comment - 12</li>
<li>NHR Moderator Decision - ALLOW</li>
<li>My comment on the comment: It's challenging, but I'd allow this one under Register guidelines.</li>
</ul><br />
<b>"Too bad Donovan can't be executed with him."</b><br />
<ul><li>Allow this comment - 7</li>
<li>Block this comment - 15</li>
<li>NHR Moderator Decision - BLOCKED</li>
<li>My comment on the comment: This one is more clear cut for me with Register guidelines. It's a personal attack against Komisarjevsky's lawyer. You can comment on how you don't agree with our law system, or how Donovan handled the case. But kill him? I fail to see how that is constructive dialogue on this story thread.</li>
</ul><br />
<b>"Good, although I get sick at the thought of the load of liberal lawyers and liberal loon judges in CT who will stall this guy's execution for decades. CT is a joke. Makes me wanna move to another state just to get away from them." </b><br />
<ul><li>Allow this comment - 21</li>
<li>Block this comment - 1</li>
<li>NHR Moderator Decision - ALLOW</li>
<li>My comment: Only one person voted to block this one, and it wasn't me. This one is fit for publish under Register guidelines.</li>
</ul><br />
<b>"Don't progressive left gasbags like "Really" just make you barf ? Apparently "conservatives" are brainless minions of Rupert Murdoch who cannot comprehend the left wing "truth" that vile roaches like Komisarjevsky should be spared because they are just mixed up tots. My suggestion to "Really": Become a pen pal of his while he's on death row, and maybe you two can compare notes on your sorry and pathetic lives." </b><br />
<ul><li>Allow this comment - 13</li>
<li>Block this comment - 9</li>
<li>NHR Moderator Decision - BLOCKED</li>
<li>My comment: This one challenges the Register guidelines in a number of places, but I would have allowed it up until the poster calls the person they were responding to "pathetic."</li>
</ul><br />
<b>*Burp* </b><br />
<ul><li>Allow this comment - 7</li>
<li>Block this comment - 15</li>
<li>NHR Moderator Decision - ALLOW</li>
<li>My comment: Ah yes, the inevitable burp discussion. You can argue that it is a comment violation because it isn't 'on topic.' And yes, some people are offended by it. But grounds for blocking? To me, I say it's like a 'bad word' in that it's only as offensive as you use it. Sometimes a burp is just a harmless burp. Sometimes it's a harmless comment. I'd allow this one.</li>
</ul><br />
<b>"This was the only conclusion that could have been reached. The only possible mitigating factor would have been the ineptitude of Komarapist's hapless counsel. The only reason to have given him LWP would have been the greater likelihood of prison justice." </b><br />
<ul><li>Allow this comment - 18</li>
<li>Block this comment - 4</li>
<li>NHR Moderator Decision - BLOCKED</li>
<li>My comment: I'd allow this if the commenter didn't refer to Komisarjevsky as "Komarapist." Personal attack under Register guidelines.</li>
</ul><br />
<b>"hey FREEDOM OF SPEECH LET ME TALK HERE... STOP ERASING MY COMMENTS WHAT ARE U FRIENDS OF THE FAMILIES OF THE MURDERERS?? HANG THEM IN THE MORNING , SUPPORTING THEM TEN YEARS IN WAIT IS NO JUSTICE. PUBLIC HANGING" </b><br />
<ul><li>Allow this comment - 10</li>
<li>Block this comment - 12</li>
<li>NHR Moderator Decision - ALLOW</li>
<li>My comment: Another one of those that celebrates the death of an individual. And if this test is any indication, this is something we need to define with more detail in our comment policy. Under the Register's current policy, I'd block it.</li>
</ul><br />
<b>"Lives infairhaven - No he is not a human being. He tried once to blow his braibns out and he failed, perhaps this time he will get another opportunity and succeed and save the Ct taxpayers a ton of money." </b><br />
<ul><li>Allow this comment - 9</li>
<li>Block this comment - 13</li>
<li>NHR Moderator Decision - ALLOW</li>
<li>My comment: I wouldn't allow this with the Register's current policy, since it's a personal attack and celebrates the death of an individual. This area needs more definition.</li>
</ul><br />
Are you surprised by the results? Regardless of whether you agree or disagree with the decisions made on these comments, what do these results tell you? What areas do we need to add some more context to in our guidelines? Tell me - ahem - in the comments. I don't have a comment policy.<br />
<ul></ul>Chris Marchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15990358225258484134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2449777586460504001.post-50338625368574784352011-12-12T14:16:00.000-08:002011-12-12T16:11:53.679-08:00Comment Violation Test: Would you block or allow these comments?To delete, or not to delete. That is the question. <br />
<br />
The <a href="http://www.newhavenregister.com/">New Haven Register</a> recently <a href="http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2011/12/12/news/doc4ee6533c85035463444634.txt">changed its comment policy</a> in November so that every comment would be held for review by the newsroom before being posted to its website. <br />
<br />
The comments our editors have been blocking from the website are ones they find violate the following rules of our newly established guidelines:<br />
<br />
The Register does <i>not </i>permit:<br />
<ul><li>Hate speech</li>
<li>Personal attacks</li>
<li>Profanities</li>
<li> Irrelevant sexual references</li>
<li>Libel </li>
<li>Spam </li>
</ul>Going into this new process, we knew there would be challenging comments that aren't an easy "okay" or "foul." Especially, when the comment is on a heated topic or sensitive story, like the <a href="http://www.nhregister.com/news/petitslayings">Joshua Komisarjevsky trial</a>.<br />
<br />
And that means we can't ever close the book on our comments policy. Like the United States Constitution, we need to continue exploring, evolving and addressing these guidelines with our readers in a democratic way, amending it as necessary.<br />
<br />
So, lets take what we already started a bit further now.<br />
<br />
What do you think about the following comments from this recent story about Komisarjevsky's jury recommending him for <a href="http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2011/12/10/news/doc4ee270ba97781159498387.txt">the death penalty</a>?<br />
<br />
The comments appear exactly as they were submitted to us, and some were kept from posting - but I won't tell you which ones. I'm not interested in whether you agree or disagree with what each comment says, but am curious on what you would allow as a comment moderator of this story.<br />
<br />
There isn't anything spelled out in our guidelines which forbids the celebration of the death of another person. Should there be? Should it be different for people convicted of murder in court, such as Komisarjevsky? Your responses in this survey can help us determine how our moderators should approach these tough-to-call comments. You can also view how others responded after you complete the survey.<br />
<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="500" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/embeddedform?formkey=dFc4REdVMkdfbWVYUmtpZzd3QnV1ZkE6MQ" width="630">&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Loading...&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;</iframe>Chris Marchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15990358225258484134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2449777586460504001.post-22628357300084591012011-12-12T12:43:00.000-08:002011-12-12T12:43:04.519-08:00My new blogWell, it's official. I've been named <a href="http://connecticutnewsroom.wordpress.com/2011/12/09/chris-march-is-disrupting-our-newsroom/">Assistant Managing Editor for Disruption</a> of <a href="http://www.journalregister.com/">Journal Register Company</a>'s Connecticut newsrooms.<br />
<br />
How can I possibly outlive a title like that? For starters, I figured I needed a more professional blog than the one where I <a href="http://chrismarchvs.blogspot.com/">complain about trivial things</a> (that I stopped updating) and the one where I upload downloadable mp3s of awesome bands to <a href="http://amfriends.wordpress.com/">rave about trivial things</a> (that I stopped updating).<br />
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I have a great fascination and respect for how digital media has <strike>affected</strike> disrupted the business of traditional media -- particularly the news biz and music biz. Here, I will be writing, reporting, testing and theorizing about all that noise, and what instruments we need or can use to make lasting music of it.<br />
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And certainly, I plan to write and open up about the disruptions and innovations we're working on in Journal Register Connecticut. Hope you follow along, and join in the conversations I plan on having here.Chris Marchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15990358225258484134noreply@blogger.com0