I'm using my blog to test a new and faster way to publish election results. Here are some of the things we're planning to do at the Freeman:
We've created (still working on completion, so bear with us if there's stuff missing still) a spreadsheet that will constantly update election results as they come in. Here's a preview, with empty results, obviously.
All you have to do is hit refresh every now and then. But how do you know when results are in, right? For that, we'll have a CoverItLive container, with all the people at the Freeman who are working on Election Day stories, pretty much all of us. The best part is that CoverItLive allows YOU to chime in. I'll be moderating that as well, to include relevant comments and questions.
In addition, we're including a SeeClickFix Election Problems report widget on our site so that you can tell everyone if there is a problem at the polls. We'll be monitoring those as well.
Let me know what you think, what we can do better, or any other ideas you might have. And don't forget to vote on Tuesday.
We've got a pretty nice idea of what to do, and those at the CML meeting (physically and in the cloud) seem to be game for it.
The short term plan is this:
* Help with traffic.
When a featured blogger has a new post, we're notified. If it's worthy it ("I ate burritos today" doesn't warrant a highlight), we'll put if atop the site under "Featured" for a limited amount of time, say, two hours.
* Develop a network with them and better communication. The partnership we've envisioned involves bloggers hooking up with one another, to add value to their own sites. Guest hosting, cross promotion, the works.
* Guidance. Using a blog or lessons and livestreams from postings within our parent company, Journal Register, we want to help bloggers improve their skills through cloud training. We could theoretically host a meeting while the session is going on and brainstorm new ideas after that.
* Rewards. Print the best highlights in the newspaper.
That's pretty much it — for now. We'll grow as time and resources allow.
The Daily Freeman's Community Media Lab is a community-focused program which aims to partner Mid-Hudson Valley residents with the Daily Freeman. We are having an introductory meeting in the Freeman's offices, 79 Hurley Ave., Kingston, on Tuesday at 6 p.m. to talk about this new venture.
What you have to do ... 1. Have an interest in improving your community; 2. Be willing to dedicate time to write about the issues you feel are important to area residents; 3. Be willing to exchange ideas with Media Lab participants.
What we will do ... 1. Give you a larger audience and a stronger voice. 2. Provide you with guidance and tips.
If you are interested in being part of the DailyFreeman's Community Media Lab, contact me at (845)-331-5000, ext. 502 or via email at ilajara@freemanonline.com.
As you know, it's been a hard but transformative week for the Freeman, having moved print production to Troy. Yes, our mailroom and press employees were let go as a result. I've know many of them for many years and it has been difficult to see them go.
But along with that difficult move comes a ray of inspiration. Our future is looking bright and I'm glad I get to be a part of it.
And here's New York University professor Jay Rosen and JRC adviser explaining the production routine.
One of the byproducts of this transformation for us has been an increase and timeliness on breaking news stories. Since the paper gets out earlier, editors and reporters working past production deadline can finally focus on news, rather than production. This means you get to know right away what has happened — say, a a city or county government meeting — right after it happens. Every reporter has been equipped with an Internet card for their laptops, enabling them to file directly from the field.
Furthermore, we are trying to refine and improve your experience with us on our site, on Facebook and on Twitter . And we are about to increase our offerings, both in print and online.
You might have noticed that we are now posting the police blotter (unsurprisingly the most popular story today).
Moreover, for one of my December Idealab experiments, I want to open up the site, big time.
I'm planning to have a daily Sound-Off, where I would pick three or four comments from our stories and then let you chime in if you want. I'm starting on this very blog—I want to see what kind of feedback we get with unmoderated comments — and then I'm planning to move it to our main site.
AFTER WE TAKE DOWN REGISTRATION FOR COMMENTS.
Almost half our traffic comes from the outside: Google, Facebook, Yahoo, Twitter, etc. Currently, one-time visitors who might want to comment don't, probably because they don't want to go through the hassle of registering. The idea is to allow people just to post comments after simply choosing a name. Moderation would still be operational, but it would be handled in a more timely manner. Ultimately, the best posts would be featured in print.
I've already talked to my higher-ups and are currently working on a system for moderation.
Recap: As I've mentioned before, this is an experiment, part of the Journal Register Company's Idealab, in which I am tasked, every month, with finding a problem in our newsroom and try to come up with a solution.
We told you we'll be completely transparent about our progress, so here's the second month's report.
Through October, I had to tackle a huge impediment: I found myself with no time to adequately spend experimenting because I had to take on many other responsibilities, so I had to get creative.
So this is what I did: I gave the Idealab's iPad to veteran Freeman reporter Patricia Doxsey, and showed her how to use it to file immediately to editors, and - if she chooses to - to the website itself.
Here's how. Having already installed Dropbox in the iPad, the Droid and the Netbook, I installed the app Plaintext. It's basically the simplest of text editors - just a blank page, with a single but remarkable difference. You type a story in Plaintext from wherever you are, and everyone in the newsroom has immediate access to it, thanks to Dropbox. The iPad also has Skype, so reporters can call the newsroom to inform editors of new filings.
Because I didn't have time to train everyone, I tasked Patti with training everyone in the newsroom, and as a reward, I gave her access to my Netflix account (first month is free :D ) and told her that I'll take her to dinner once everyone posts from the field using it. (My evil plan is to bill the dinner to the Idealab expense account. MUAHAHAHA!)
Every reporter is now trained and capable of posting from the field using the iPad. Better yet, twice now we have found ourselves with a delightful dilemma: We've had instances when more than one reporter needed the device at the same time (That's when the Netbook comes in handy).
Although the netbook has a large advantage over the iPad in terms of being able to do more, like live video streams, the iPad is more convenient to do simple things. Push a button, touch an icon, type a couple of lines - and you're done! You don't have to wait for long load times, log-ins, sign-ins, firing up programs and the like. It's also much easier to carry.
So far, reporters have had three live-tweet sessions (I'm not counting my own) - of two debates, a court case and the high schools' cross country championships. The court session didn't work as we had planned, not because the judge didn't allow it - as we had feared - but because Internet connection in Staatsburgh got cut when the court door was closed. AT&T service FAIL!
Regardless, successful live-tweet session were posted online in a comprehensive way using Storify, a great third-party tool that lets you drag and drop tweets, Facebook post and the like.
Two of those stories didn't involve our tweets and Facebook posts, by the way, but yours, which will bring me to our next problem and challenge for November, something I will explain in my next post.
As for our first experiment, "How to get a newsroom to cover stories live", I'm happy to tell you that reporters are now posting to the website on a daily basis. The sports department and uber reporter Paul Kirby have to take most of the credit for this, Paul with his constant and tireless posts and Sports with its daily local game results, which get updated at least a dozen times daily by reporters and editors. They actually post so much stuff I've lost track of it. And I'm kind of glad I have that kind of problem. Editors have also joined in the fun, and the constant change in our site on a daily basis is proof it.
So I'm going to have a beer and pat myself on the back now.
When a featured blogger has a new post, we're notified. If it's worthy it ("I ate burritos today" doesn't warrant a highlight), we'll put if atop the site under "Featured" for a limited amount of time, say, two hours.
The Daily Freeman's Community Media Lab is a community-focused program which aims to partner Mid-Hudson Valley residents with the Daily Freeman. We are having an introductory meeting in the Freeman's offices, 79 Hurley Ave., Kingston, on Tuesday at 6 p.m. to talk about this new venture.
As you know, it's been a hard but transformative week for the Freeman, having moved print production to Troy. Yes, our mailroom and press employees were let go as a result. I've know many of them for many years and it has been difficult to see them go. 
A month ago, I posed the challenge to the Daily Freeman's newsroom, "How to get reporters to cover stories live (and from the field)." 