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MEMBER PROFILE
Robert Niles
Pasadena, California
Homepage: http://www.robertniles.com/
Robert Niles is the editor of Online Journalism Review. A long-time math and computer geek, Robert turned to journalism after graduating from Northwestern University and deciding he couldn't stomach becoming a management consultant. But the lure of marathon coding sessions proved too strong. Robert soon quit his job writing editorials for a red-state newspaper, and he began making websites instead. Robert started with online tutorials showing other journalists how to use math and data, then branched out to niche sites on theme parks and the violin. These sites often involve readers as reporters, inviting them to contribute to the sites' coverage. The Online News Association and the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism honored Robert's ThemeParkInsider.com in 2001 with an Online Journalism Award for Service Journalism. The Webby Awards named the same site a finalist for Best Guides/Ratings/Reviews Site in 2005. In addition to editing OJR and teaching at USC, Robert also has worked as a Web editor, editorial writer and reporter for several newspapers, including the Los Angeles Times, (Denver) Rocky Mountain News, Omaha (Neb.) World-Herald and the (Bloomington, Ind.) Herald-Times.
Contact:
Articles:
What's wrong with us?
Commentary: The NewsTools 2008 conference sets its agenda as participants identify (and sometimes, exemplify) problems confronting online journalists. - May 1, 2008
Where do you want to work?
Question of the week: Share your vision for an ideal job in the journalism business. - April 28, 2008
'How do I get people to come to my website?'
Question from a reader: OJR's editor offers tips on how journalists can promote their great work to readers online. - April 25, 2008
Are political reporters asking the right questions?
Question of the week: Who is doing the better job of covering the White House and U.S. national politics? - April 18, 2008
Are you crowdsourcing? Are you thinking about it?
Then OJR wants to hear from you. We are looking for case studies for an upcoming series examining the state of crowdsourcing in news reporting. - April 17, 2008
There's no such thing as 'off the record' anymore
Commentary: So what can journalists do to help make sense of this information overload? - April 16, 2008
Geneva Overholser to lead USC Annenberg’s School of Journalism
Industry veteran will succeed Michael Parks, who is retiring. - April 14, 2008
When up is down, or Down Is Up...
Question of the week: How do you, or does your news organization, handle headlines? - April 11, 2008
The sun never sets on the journalism awards season
Finalists are out for the Webby Awards and entries are now open for the ONA's Online Journalism Awards. - April 9, 2008
Do you have your own website?
Question of the week: Do you have your own Web presence, or do you only publish online for others? - April 4, 2008
It's time for the newspaper industry to die
Commentary: Newsrooms need to better engage with their communities, but there's a very important word standing in their way. - April 4, 2008
How does the new, free online Photoshop match up with its free competition?
Review: We try Adobe's new tool, as well as Picnik and Splashup to find the best solution for quick and easy online photo editing. - April 2, 2008
Can your news organization's current management succeed?
Question of the week: Can the people running your news organization keep it alive and viable for the next 10 years? Why, or why not? - March 28, 2008
Passion fuels entrepreneurial journalism
Commentary: J-schools need to encourage and develop, not inhibit, students' passion -- not only for the favorite topics, but for the craft of journalism itself. - March 25, 2008
Using Google Trends to fine-tune your news website
Google's tool can help online publishers tweak their content to maximize traffic from search engine users. Plus, it's a fun way to kill a lot of time. - March 21, 2008
Building reader loyalty, one bracket at a time
Commentary: NCAA tournament-inspired online features can engage readers and inspire them to return to a news website, day after day. - March 20, 2008
Convergence gone wrong?
Commentary: Here's what happens when online influences print design. Perhaps a little too much. - March 19, 2008
Which is the best free photo gallery editor? Part two
We test four more free online slide show creators, to find the best option for low- and no-budget news blogs and websites. - March 18, 2008
What are the lessons for online journalists from the 'State of the News Media' report?
Commentary: The audience for news online is massive, and growing. So why is the news industry in so much trouble? - March 17, 2008
What frustrates you about online journalism?
Question of the week: What most drives you nuts about working in this field? - March 14, 2008
Pep talk
Commentary: Despite all the recent layoffs, there is hope for the journalism industry. And help for journalists trying to stay in it. - March 12, 2008
Keeping your job in journalism
Commentary: Competition is back in journalism, and many reporters are losing their jobs in the confusion. Here are some tips to help you avoid that end. - March 5, 2008
Are you the target of a newspaper layoff?
Question of the week: Readers are invited to share their stories about newsroom cutbacks. - February 29, 2008
Which is the best free photo gallery editor?
We test five services to find which one, if any, can produce an interactive photo gallery suitable for a news website. - February 28, 2008
NAA announces Digital Edge Award winners
Lawrence Journal-World, Knoxville News-Sentinel and the St. Pete Times' PolitiFact lead this year's winners. - February 25, 2008
Who's gonna live? Who's gonna die?
Vote of the week: Which U.S. newspaper company has positioned itself to have the best chance to survive, and prosper, in the Internet era? - February 21, 2008
How, and where, to hyperlink within a news story
Commentary: Don't just rely on your content management system to make decisions for you. Decide how and where you will reward readers who want more information. - February 15, 2008
In defense of Facebook
Commentary: Publishers have legitimate, even compelling, reasons to not allow registrants to remove all content and information they have submitted to their websites. - February 13, 2008
Should journalists vote?
Question of the week (plus some commentary): Does restricting journalists' political activity help build readers' trust? - February 8, 2008
Super Tuesday coverage delivers readers, and lessons, to top news websites
OJR checks in with newsroom leaders at the New York Times, Los Angeles Times and CNN for a wrap-up of the day's election coverage. - February 7, 2008
Holovaty's EveryBlock unlocks neighborhood news data
The noted journalist/programmer talks with OJR about his latest project, and what else the news industry could do bring more local information to readers. - February 6, 2008
Should Microsoft buy Yahoo?
Question of the week: What would the propose deal mean for online news? - February 1, 2008
Ethnic media publishers are the original niche media pioneers
Commentary: Ethnic newspapers and broadcast stations have built a model for competing successfully with mainstream media. Now, it's time to apply that model online. - January 31, 2008
Readers owe nothing to publishers
Commentary: The news industry must break its habit of hiding its best editorial content if it is to use online to reverse its decline in readership. - January 28, 2008
Which social networking sites are you using?
Question of the week: Are you, or your publication, using online communities to promote your journalism? If so, tell us about it. - January 25, 2008
Teaching online newswriting
Commentary: Understanding search engine optimization and the need to work quickly can help journalists write more effectively for the Web. - January 23, 2008
Got something to say? Then say it!
Editor's note: We're changing the way we handle reader comments on OJR, so that unregistered readers will have a chance to contribute to the site. - January 22, 2008
Which online news award means the most?
Question of the week: Which of the top awards for excellence in online journalism would you most want to win? - January 18, 2008
Five lessons from 2007
Commentary: Here are OJR's top tips from this year, to help you and your news organization create a more engaging news website. - December 20, 2007
Newspaper websites shine with online campaign graphics
As the U.S. approaches the 2008 Presidential voting, website journalists are using interactive graphics to provide coverage at a glance. - December 12, 2007
Best practices for online polls
Commentary: Here's how your online widget polls can help spark reader interest in your site, instead of weighing it down with irrelevant garbage data. - December 10, 2007
What do applicants need to know about the online news business?
We're asking news website managers to tell us, via an online survey. - December 6, 2007
Specialized journalism, a partisan press, online journalism students and cheap laptops: More stuff to argue about
Commentary: OJR's editor offers his bloggy thoughts for the weekend... and asks for yours. - November 30, 2007
Lessons from Steve Outing's Enthusiast Group
Commentary: The longtime E&P columnist is the latest online journalist to have a website business venture close shop. What does that mean for other journalist/entrepreneurs? - November 28, 2007
The readers will have the final word
Commentary: A tragedy from the U.S. midwest and an auto show in L.A. illustrate the shift in power from professional reporters to the audience. - November 16, 2007
Be a better journalist by unlearning what you know
Commentary: Three misconceptions about the news audience are leading journalists toward producing vapid reports. - November 14, 2007
Want to build your audience? Take a reader to lunch
In a Q&A, the Houston Chronicle's John McClain shares his thoughts about blogging and how print veterans can rebuild their relationships with readers. - November 8, 2007
Buying in, not selling out
Commentary: A journalist's decision to put ads on a solo blog or website ought to be informed by careful consideration, not knee-jerk fear. - November 6, 2007
CQ launches free site to complement sub-only CQ.com
CQPolitics offers a mix of commentary, news and strategic analysis, as award-winning publication seeks to extend its readership beyond Capitol Hill. - November 1, 2007
Newsrooms use Google Maps to improve wildfire coverage
Interactive fire maps show that journalists can build engaging Web applications, on deadline, with minimal technical skill. - October 29, 2007
Passion drives great newspaper Web productions
Commentary: An American Press Institute seminar provides three examples of online projects that connect with readers. - October 25, 2007
Beating the big guns on the Disney beat
Al Lutz has been covering the Walt Disney Company and its theme parks for more than a decade, uncovering stories long before they hit the mainstream press. - October 22, 2007
Oakland Tribune leads winners of 2007 Online Journalism Awards
The paper's look at homicide in the northern California city was the only multiple winner in this year's honors. - October 19, 2007
Basic training in Flash journalism
A new multimedia project at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch prompts questions about how newspapers can make the most of Flash storytelling opportunities. - October 18, 2007
OJR debuts 'how-to' help on user-generated content for news publishers
The wiki-style article is the latest addition to OJR's collection of how-to articles for online news publishers. - October 16, 2007
Thought for the weekend
Commentary: Large-scale data analysis will not be a component of journalism in the 21st century, as it was with the CAR speciality in the late 20th. It will be the *core* of journalism. - October 12, 2007
How to beat the online competition
Commentary: Established newsrooms lose the advantages they have over online start-ups when they emphasize industry traditions over reporting basics. - October 11, 2007
Take a fresh look at your site's posting rules
Commentary: Social media evolves constantly. Don't wait for readers to find new ways to abuse other community members. Change your rules frequently to discourage conflict. - October 9, 2007
Why journalists make ideal online community leaders
Commentary: There's no need for professional reporters to fear user-generated content. Someone needs to lead the Web's content communities, and journalists make the ideal candidates. - September 28, 2007
Who speaks for a website?
Commentary: Reporters ought to be more thorough when sourcing information to websites. The newspaper model doesn't always apply online. - September 26, 2007
Don't forget the value of hyperlinking
Commentary: Better use of links could help readers keep track of crime and court stories. Here's how your newsroom can do it. - September 21, 2007
Bob Cauthorn returns with CityTools
The former newspaper.com maverick unveils his start-up's social media framework for multilingual collaborative news and classified ad publishing. - September 19, 2007
Can a source make your published scoop go away?
Sources who don't like what you've revealed about them might use U.S. federal law to force the removal of your story. Here's what you can do in response. - September 13, 2007
ONA announces 2007 Online Journalism Award finalists
The Washington Post leads all nominees with four finalists in this year's awards. - September 12, 2007
Mortgage crisis no surprise to 'Housing Bubble Blog' community
An Arizona blogger built a robust virtual community, and a full-time job, detailing the breakdown in mortgage lending standards. Here's what he can teach other journalists. - September 11, 2007
It's up to Congress now to protect Net Neutrality
Commentary: The Justice Department's support for allowing telecoms to restrict certain online traffic threatens the ability of citizens to effectively express their voice online. - September 6, 2007
Holiday break: OJR to debut daily schedule on Sept. 10
We are taking a week off for Labor Day, and to prepare for an expanded publishing schedule. - August 31, 2007
Weekend Sherpa offers e-mail model for online start-ups
Launching a new Internet news publication? Don't forget the possibilities of e-mail in a rush to get on the Web. - August 29, 2007
Sacramento journalists tackle multimedia to bring statistics to life
Q&A: Sacramento Bee editor Amy Pyle answers questions about 'Tackling Life,' her paper's examination of challenges facing local African American males. - August 20, 2007
The L.A. Times tells its readers: 'Shut up'
Commentary: A Times editorial attacks the concept of reader comments on news stories, declaring Google a greater threat "than Osama bin Laden." - August 17, 2007
Encourage entrepreneurship in your newsroom; don't kill it
Commentary: OJR's editor offers a five-step plan for competing with blogs and websites. Step one: The answer is, always, 'yes!' - August 14, 2007
A journalist's guide to crowdsourcing
OJR's editor answers basic questions about how news organizations can improve investigative reports by using the Internet to gather information from their readers. - July 31, 2007
Hits, page views and other garbage we pass off as audience metrics
Commentary: Nielsen/NetRatings took a step in the right direction this week. But we've got a long way to go as an industry to tell an accurate story about who's reading our websites. - July 13, 2007
Join the new OJR group on Facebook
We've started a new group for OJR readers on the popular social networking site. - May 28, 2007
The most important blog on your newspaper's website
Commentary: If you don't have a breaking news blog ready to go on your website, you should. Here's how to make that happen. - May 16, 2007
Should publishers outsource journalism?
Commentary: A California Web publisher's plan to outsource his site's newswriting to India illustrates a too-common attitude infecting journalism today. - May 11, 2007
Free Web-based production tools help students invigorate online news projects
Student spotlight: Take a look at some of the websites that undergraduates created this semester using widely available development tools. - May 8, 2007
Social media provides challenges, and opportunities, for online news
A panel at the EconSM conference explores the impact of reader-generated content on the news business. - April 26, 2007
Are search engines stealing newspapers' content?
Commentary: Who cares? They're driving traffic and smart newspaper employees ought to find ways to take advantage. - April 6, 2007
Updates to OJR's 'how-to' wikis
We've made changes, based on URLs and discussions from last week's online journalism conference. - April 5, 2007
OJR 2007: New models create fresh opportunities for publishers
OJR's editor opens the second annual conference with his definition of journalism. - March 30, 2007
Hey, newspapers, quit whining!
Commentary: OJR's editor responds to a speech by the outgoing president of the Americans Society of Newspaper Editors. - March 29, 2007
Lessons from 'Talking Points Memo' and the U.S. attorney scandal
Commentary: The latest scandal engulfing the White House might have escaped public notice if not for the work of one influential blog. Here's what your news organization can learn from it. - March 20, 2007
Are blogs a 'parasitic' medium?
Commentary: Could the blogosphere survive without the reporting provided by newspapers and TV networks? Online pros tackle the question. - March 2, 2007
Can reporters break news, and make money, online?
OJR opens registration for its second annual online journalism conference, to be held March 30, 2007 in Los Angeles. - February 8, 2007
Are you killing your comments?
Commentary: OJR's editor looks at three common mistakes news publishers make which cripple reader interactivity on their websites. - January 31, 2007
Got a question? Need an answer?
OJR debuts a new discussion board for online journalists seeking advice, discussion of industry news, personnel notes and job listings. - January 26, 2007
From astroturf to sock puppets: an online news glossary
OJR debuts a new wiki, offering definitions for sometimes confusing online journalism and Web publishing vocabulary. - January 16, 2007
Fake grassroots don't grow...
Commentary: But that's not stopping would-be news entrepreneurs from fantasizing about networks of "reporterless" news sites. - January 11, 2007
The silliest, and most destructive, debate in journalism
Commentary: Let's quit arguing the merits of "mainstream" versus "citizen" journalism and instead work together on "better" journalism. - January 3, 2007
Top mistakes made by new online publishers
Commentary: Don't fall into the traps that have left too many other journalists muttering that 'no one can make money online.' - December 14, 2006
Put up or shut up: Newspapers aren't the only forum for great journalism
Commentary: Some critics want to buy the Los Angeles Times from Tribune to protect the quality of local journalism. But there's another way to do that. - October 9, 2006
Knight News Challenge offers millions for online news innovation
A new initiative offers up to $5 million in funding this year for new ideas and websites that help improve the quality of life in physical communities. - September 28, 2006
Newspaper dot-coms dominate Online Journalism Award finalists
USA Today leads this year's nominees with four honors in the Online News Association's annual journalism awards. - August 29, 2006
Making the jump from one-man blog to community website
Veteran journalist Kevin Roderick is growing LAObserved.com into a community portal for Southern California voices. - July 31, 2006
Authors connect with their readers on Roadfood.com
A niche site devoted to mon-n'-pop restaurants draws hundreds of thousands of readers for discussions and reviews. - July 24, 2006
Back, with a new look and new archives
OJR now offers quick links to old stories, organized by topic. Plus, we'd like to know what training help you or your newsroom need. - July 12, 2006
Calling all journalist entrepreneurs
Have you started your own online news site? Is it making money (even just a little)? If so, OJR wants to hear from you. - June 22, 2006
Protecting your business by fighting plagiarism online
OJR talks with Plagiarism Today editor Jonathan Bailey about what's happening with scraper sites, the DMCA and the battle to protect content online. - June 20, 2006
Using blogs to make newspaper reporters more relevant
OJR interviews newspaper sports reporter and award-winning blogger Mike Sando. - June 15, 2006
The programmer as journalist: a Q&A with Adrian Holovaty
Washingtonpost.com's Web tech guru answers questions about programming's role in news reporting and presentation. - June 5, 2006
Helping readers become watchdogs
The Sunlight Foundation hopes to use reader-driven grassroots reporting to help uncover news from the U.S. federal government. - May 25, 2006
The up-and-comers: 'Student Spotlight'
OJR's new feature looks at online work from journalism students, starting with Annenberg's very own. - April 27, 2006
Can newspapers do blogs right?
Top online journalists weigh in after two major newspapers embarass themselves with staff bloggers' misbehavior - April 23, 2006
'A very delicate balancing act': The columnist/blogger hybrid
OJR talks to Michael Hiltzik, a business columnist and blogger for the Los Angeles Times, about fulfilling his two roles. - April 17, 2006
The Gray Lady weaves a new website
OJR's Q & A with Len Apcar, editor of the New York Times website, which recently received a design facelift. - April 9, 2006
What Ben Domenech can teach newspaper.coms
Commentary: The conservative blogger's sudden flameout at washingtonpost.com shouldn't scare publishers away from the blogosphere. - April 2, 2006
Building an online army with DailyKos
OJR's Q & A with Markos Moulitsas Zúniga, founder of the successful political blog, which is home to a large, active corps of readers and posters. - March 23, 2006
OJR 2006: One down, one in the works
Commentary: Our first annual conference was a success, participants tell us. OJR's editor is already thinking about next year. - March 9, 2006
Search and you will find ... an old news story?
Commentary: If j-sites hope to take advantage of search engine traffic and live up to their potential, a radical restructuring of online news may be in order. - February 26, 2006
'Why do I love online publishing?'
What makes this medium so special? What keeps us coming back to it each day? Website publishers and editors respond. - December 20, 2005
Battling the 'bots? Try bringing out the big guns
One webmaster's drastic action eliminates the drag on servers caused by automated agents. Effective, but it means losing search engine traffic. - December 13, 2005
What's in the works for the next 12 months at OJR?
In an open letter to readers, our editor-in-chief reflects on the past year and suggests new ways OJR can be a vehicle for cutting-edge stories and publishing innovations. - August 11, 2005
And why not a wiki?: Blogosphere lights up over 'wikitorials'
Commentary: Rather than trashing editorial pages altogether, why not reinvigorate them with just the kind of online innovation recently suggested by the L.A. Times? - June 16, 2005
Virtual roundtable: Grassroots journalism leaders discuss the nitty-gritty
OJR gathers grassroots journalism innovators to discuss what works, what doesn't, and even what to call what they do. - April 21, 2005
Technology threats to advertising breach newsroom walls
Years after the Internet decimated newspaper classifieds, journalists must take note of new online challenges to their employers' business. - January 27, 2005
From the Teaching Trenches: Hardcoding is Harder, but Results are Worth It
OJR's editor in chief shares his discovery that the extra effort it takes to teach HTML has its rewards -- for journo students and teachers alike. - January 13, 2005
Two Days at ONA Hollywood Yield New Web Site Gems
OJR editor Robert Niles returned from the recent Fifth Annual Online News Association Conference in Hollywood ready to download fresh additions for those stale bookmark files. - November 16, 2004
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