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OJR front page archive for October 2007

To rally an online community, start with controversy

October 30, 2007
Philippa Stevenson, New Zealand's doyenne of agricultural reporting, stirs up Kiwi farmers with her blog on snake oil fertilizers, gaseous sheep and global warming.

Newsrooms use Google Maps to improve wildfire coverage

October 29, 2007
Interactive fire maps show that journalists can build engaging Web applications, on deadline, with minimal technical skill.

Journalism can be welcome in 'smart homes'

October 26, 2007
Commentary: What success journalism has had online seems more by accident than design. As the wonders of the "smart home" unfold, this might be a good time to re-examine assumptions about how electronic news is used.

Passion drives great newspaper Web productions

October 25, 2007
Commentary: An American Press Institute seminar provides three examples of online projects that connect with readers.

New RSS aggregator maps the European news landscape

October 24, 2007
Imooty.eu is the first news aggregator to focus exclusively on Europe. Readers can navigate English and local language papers and blogs by country and by topic.

Cooperation, not conflict, the goal at the Networked Journalism Summit

October 23, 2007
Experimental conference allows corporate and independent journalists to share ideas and forge partnerships.

Beating the big guns on the Disney beat

October 22, 2007
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.

Oakland Tribune leads winners of 2007 Online Journalism Awards

October 19, 2007
The paper's look at homicide in the northern California city was the only multiple winner in this year's honors.

Basic training in Flash journalism

October 18, 2007
A new multimedia project at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch prompts questions about how newspapers can make the most of Flash storytelling opportunities.

Cash at the end of Radiohead's rainbow?

October 17, 2007
A label-free release of Radiohead's newest album gives users the ability to choose what they pay (or not pay) for online content.

OJR debuts 'how-to' help on user-generated content for news publishers

October 16, 2007
The wiki-style article is the latest addition to OJR's collection of how-to articles for online news publishers.

Thought for the weekend

October 12, 2007
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.

How to beat the online competition

October 11, 2007
Commentary: Established newsrooms lose the advantages they have over online start-ups when they emphasize industry traditions over reporting basics.

Can science blogs save science journalism?

October 10, 2007
A panel of journalists and scientists examines the challenges that media faces in reporting on science. What solutions can burgeoning online science communities offer?

Take a fresh look at your site's posting rules

October 9, 2007
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.

Is Facebook the next frontier for online news?

October 8, 2007
Major newspapers and indie start-ups are building applications to reach the social network's audience. A new $10 million fund for developers should encourage more.

Viral politics 2008: how social media is changing the presidential debate

October 7, 2007
Voter-created content, social networking and viral media are "re-democratizing democracy" according to Webby panelists. But at the end of the day, is it really getting out the vote?

Bloggers organize international day of support for Burmese freedom

October 4, 2007
A German website has declared Oct. 4 "Free Burma Day" as the Myanmar government continues its crackdown on citizens' online reports.

Everyone is an expert

October 2, 2007
Discussion coverage: "It's a Conversation, Stupid." A panel of dot-com news insiders explores thorny issues of quality control of user-created content.

Personality, charity help drive participation on niche media websites

October 1, 2007
Online journalism pioneer and long-time Editor & Publisher columnist Steve Outing deploys a new strategy at his start-up: selling the platform behind their successful social networking sites