Gmail’s Best April Fools Joke Yet

You know I’ve reallllllly got to be busy to have forgotten that today is April Fools Day. It is my favorite holiday. I used to do all kinds of things to my friends and family back in the day. Now, I couldn’t even remember that the best holiday of all is today.
Well, thanks Gmail for reminding me. I saw something about Gmail Motion and thought, “What..the hell?” I immediately realized this had to be a joke…right? It would be ridiculous if this were true. So, I clicked the video tutorial. It made me smile a little. This is their best April Fools yet. Good job, Gmail.

Here’s the link if you need it: http://mail.google.com/mail/help/motion.html

Broadcastr: Listen Closely, Every Place Has a Story

I know I said I would post when I have time. I do not have time right now, but I wanted to post this before I forgot. Check out this article from TechCrunch on Broadcastr, a very cool tool that I think could be useful to journalists in our storytelling.

I know, I know…it’s been a while.

I decided I’m going to continue using this (when I have time) to post all the cool social media and hyperlocal tools and information that I find because I come across some pretty incredible stuff. Plus, I like knowing about the hottest, newest things and then sharing these things.

So here’s one. It’s called NowMov. I’m in love with it. I learned about it when social media god, Ashton Kutcher, tweeted a video from it. Please check it out just to have this awesomeness in your life. Here you go:

http://nowmov.com/#?vid=2766133

And here you go: http://nowmov.com/#?vid=3185258

Ah, and my fave so far: http://nowmov.com/#?vid=4057043

Journalism is just um, shifting

There is an entire lingo, and there are new euphemisms being used to “politely” discuss the state of journalism right now. Having been on four planes and to eight different cities in the last three weeks, I have heard them all after telling strangers I meet on planes, in cabs, at conferences, at delis (I guess it’s a very good thing that people strike up conversations with me, being a journalist and all.) what I do or plan to do for a living. They all said the same thing. Oh yeah, well the newspaper industry is shifting, you know. Journalism is evolving. Not a single person said what exactly it was shifting to or evolving into, but I guess it’s because no one is exactly sure.

Here’s an interesting post about “the dire state of newspapers” from Mashable: “As for young minds fresh out of journalism school — journalism is not dead, it is just evolving.”

Well, let’s look at the stats to see from what newspapers are shifting. According to estimates released Wednesday from the Newspaper Association of America, newspapers made a whole $10 billion less in 2009 than they did in 2008. Ow.

“Then the floor completely caved in. In 2006, newspapers made $49.275 billion in total revenue. In 2007, it was $45.375 billion. In 2008, it dropped to $37.848 billion. In 2009, it plummeted all the way to $27.564 billion. In four years, newspaper ad revenue dropped by 44.24%. That’s nearly half of the industry’s revenue.” – Ben Parr, Mashable

Now, that makes your heart hurt. So, almost from the time I graduated with a bachelor’s in journalism to now, newspapers have lost nearly half their revenue. I can’t help but be optimistic, though. (I mean, think of the alternative.) This just means that I can develop more opportunities with the skills I am learning through the Knight Fellowship to help news organizations figure out what it is they’re evolving into, and I gotta say, it feels incredible to know I get to be part of that movement, that, um, shift.

It’s 3:30 in the morning. I’ll think of a clever blog post title later.

So, Journalista has been incredibly busy. I have been to three conferences in the last three weeks, and will be hosting one in approximately 5 hours. Obviously, I can’t sleep from the excitement or because my body is not used to sleeping for a full eight hours.  I am used to working on something either for the conference or for school or anything else I’m into, and I actually got home last night before 9:30 p.m. and got to go to sleep earlier than usual. On my futon. With the TV watching me.

I have so much to share that I’ve learned from all the conferences I’ve attended! However, this blog post is dedicated to MOBILE.

Though there are of course plenty of tools that every journalist should have, it seems that an iPhone is now among the essentials. I have a phone that was $20 at Target and now sells for $14.99. It doesn’t receive or send pictures. It doesn’t connect to the Internet. It mainly can make and receive calls and texts. Oh, and it has a built-in flashlight that’s pretty nifty, too.

Good news! Apple is planning to unveil iPhones in June that are even more affordable!

So, for those like me, who are looking to update their cell phones to something more helpful to their journalistic careers and want the most-cutting edge “phones,”  Mashable has a great post about new phones that should be rolled out very soon: http://mashable.com/2010/03/26/ctia-2010-mobile-trends/

More to come later (when my eyelids aren’t so heavy).

Attention All Alabama Newspaper Readers!

Please take this five-minute survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/836F76Z

Bulletproof Stories

I learned quite a bit from the IRE’s Better Watchdog Workshop this past weekend in Birmingham. One session was called “Bulletproofing A Story” and it was presented by IRE’s president, Alison Young of USA Today.

These are just some of the points that Young shared with us:

• Check your rounding, calculations and formulas. (I know that we journalists are not known for our outstanding math skills. In order to work on these skills, you can sign up for the Poynter Institute’s “Math for Journalists” online course. I did last semester. It’s completely free and you can work at your own pace.)
• Check facts after editing.
• Verification is a biggie. This may seem controversial for some journalists, but Young recommends that you read sources parts of the story that are relevant to them in order to check the facts. It is not a request for permission, however.
• This is also an aspect of verification: send sources the raw data so that they have access and can review it or challenge it.
• “Miranda” Letter: If a source has not contacted you after numerous attempts, Young gives them one last opportunity by writing a detailed letter and sending it in a way that allows for her to know they received it (i.e. certified mail) and could address the issues she is reporting if they wanted. (One of the best ways, she said, is to use Western Union because often people are excited to receive something from Western Union believing it is money.)
• The biggest tip she had was simply: Avoid surprises, for you, your editor and possibly some of your sources.

Additional tips:

• Be transparent with readers/viewers, explaining the methodology of how the reporting was conducted. This is always fascinating to find as a reader and as a journalist. I thought it was extremely helpful in the Canadian paper I wrote about in an earlier blog post.
• Make time to check everything. As a journalist and as a young person, I think we may work up against the deadline and not leave as much time for self-editing as we would like. It’s important to realize that the deadline should not be the finishing point of the story, but the finishing point for verification of the reporting and editing of the story.

A good staff writer should be a good Storytlr

Storytlr is a project that allows you to tell a story using all your network updates (Tweets, photos, etc.) from various places. Apparently, the project will be shutting down on Dec. 31, but users can still play around with some of its features. Here is more information about it: http://mashable.com/2009/12/13/storytlr

Here is the link to Storytlr itself, but registration is closed. However, you can install Storytlr Open Source here.

First the book, then the movie…

For those who love Fake AP Stylebook and were either as hip as I and began following from the jump or you read my post and then became hip enough to follow Fake AP Stylebook on Twitter, you will be excited that the phenomenon will now become a book! Nice. Reread the hilarity again and again. Great gift for editors and all the grammar nazis in our lives. I’ll post a link when I find out more.

The Hyperlocal Revolution

Apparently, there is a revolution going on (it is not being televised), and Journalista is ready to join in. The hyperlocal revolution is the emergence of community journalism that is hyperlocalized. You have heard of hyperlocal Web sites and have probably even visited them, commented on them and used them to understand your own community in some way. Examples are Yelp or Patch. These are probably the most prominent ones, but others are: MyLATimes, Front Porch Forum and Meet Neighbors.

I found a site that offers tools, advice and resources for people who are ready to join the revolution! It’s hyperlocal 101, and it’s an incredibly useful site for community journalists because it’s current! The last blog post I read was on cell journalism, what it is, how to use it, its benefits and even a link to an article on its ethical uses! I find it particularly interesting because it not only offers advice and tips for journalists, but for entrepreneurial journalists who are creating their own blogs or publications and also would like to make a profit while doing so. For instance, Shields Bialasik, who seems to be a regular contributor to the site, discussed how important he/she has found trade/bartering when it comes to advertising for her/his hyperlocal blog, LocalsGuide. I was surprised that she referred to it as hyperlocal marketing. I am not sure if she created this term or if I am again enlightened to how much catching up I must do in terms of this revolution.

It’s late and Journalista has to drive home in the morning. So, Happy Thanksgiving! Eat well and take time to reflect on what you’re grateful for before returning to the metaphorical fist-pumping of the hyperlocal revolution.