Entries from November 2009

Sunday, November 29th, 2009

Should media sites ditch low-value readers? (Or boost the value of their content?)

Steve Yelvington has a very interesting post here on the whole “is Murdoch an idiot for blocking visitors from Google?” question (he thinks not). Perhaps more interesting is the argument it generates in the comments, which manages to be both slightly vitriolic and also well-informed – an almost unheard of trick normally. Whether the planned […]

Friday, November 27th, 2009

Journalism job ads: not for actual jobs any more #1

That is, not for actual jobs that have a salary attached. Not even minimum wage. Try this one for size:  “Freelance writers for online magazine” This is an ad for “The world’s most comprehensive independent online magazine: written and edited by professionals, trusted by over 24 million readers monthly!” This is what it wants from you: […]

Thursday, November 26th, 2009

Surfing or diving? Google and the “deep web”

Here’s an interesting piece from the Guardian about the deep web – the more than 99% (it claims) of the world wide web that is invisible to everyday search via, say, Google. Also interesting is the paper’s editorial stance on this. According to the standfirst: Freenet software allows users complete anonymity as they share viruses, […]

Tuesday, November 24th, 2009

Google Sidewiki – an experiment

Anyone using the very much under-the-radar Sidewiki toolbar gizmo from Google to add browser-located comments to web sites will now be able to see an entry for Freelance Unbound on the left of the screen next to the home page. I’ve only just come across Sidewiki myself – I caught a reference to it in […]

Monday, November 23rd, 2009

Journalism students: how to top the Google rankings with 20 minutes' work

How do you get your student news story at the top of the Google rankings? And without really breaking a sweat? Basically: write it. Last week’s talk by Karl Schneider of Reed to journalism students at UCA Farnham sparked some interest on the web. Freelance Unbound provided a full report – complete with ropey video […]

Sunday, November 22nd, 2009

Online journalism in a nutshell…

It’s not the whole truth, honestly…

Friday, November 20th, 2009

Building trust online: transparency and process journalism

Part 1;    Part 2;    Part 3;    Part 4;    Part 5; Last in this series of videos and write-ups of Reed Business Information editorial development director Karl Schneider’s talk to journalism students at UCA Farnham. The discussion comes as a result of a typically trenchant question from pugnacious student newspaper editor Michael Copus. It’s one that […]

Thursday, November 19th, 2009

How the social web has changed the journalist’s working day

Part 1;    Part 2;    Part 3;    Part 4;    Part 5; How does a cutting edge, web-aware journalist’s average working day compare to how it was five years ago? More from Reed Business Information editorial development director Karl Schneider’s talk to journalism students at UCA Farnham. Then Research for a beat (eg: crime) Calling contacts – police […]

Wednesday, November 18th, 2009

Cutbacks at Haymarket Brand Media

Just spotted at FleetStreetBlues (via Jon Slattery) – Haymarket closes Media Week. Well, it’s going online only – but as FleetStreetBlues is so right to point out, the other two marketing titles that went online only this year have just been swallowed by Haymarket’s Brand Republic web portal. So they don’t really exist anymore. As […]

Wednesday, November 18th, 2009

Reed's Karl Schneider: "10 more years for print"

Part 1;    Part 2;    Part 3;    Part 4;    Part 5; As promised yesterday, more from Karl Schneider’s talk to UCA journalism students. We’re moving into multimedia territory now – with a handy summary underneath the video in case you actually prefer, you know, reading. Karl Schneider – editorial development director, Reed Business Information Money In […]