How to blog, tweet and OMG! CATS!

I had the pleasure of hosting Rosemary Armao's journalism class at SUNY Albany this morning.
You might recognized Armao's voice as one of the hosts of WAMC's "The Media Project", which also hosts Freeman Publisher Ira Fusfeld.
I spoke about some of the Freeman's digital initiatives, some tools, and how they help improve journalism. Some of those initiatives are showcased below:

Digital initiatives

View more PowerPoint from Ivan Lajara

I was asked to give tips on blogging and Twitter, and I was probably incomprehensible as I tried to cram too much information into a lecture. I think I said something about cats. Repeatedly.

Still, I want to offer the prospective journalists a quick cheat-sheet on how to blog and how to use Twitter. There are others that are way better than me at this. But you're stuck with me, so here it goes.

Quick tips for blogging:
* What to blog. Do you have a passion? Then you have a blog.Write about what you talk about and about what interests you, your beat, etc.  Have fun.
* Don't make the post too long. Yes, sometimes you want to write long pieces, but generally speaking, a short post will do better (this is where your training as a concise writer comes in handy).
* Have a voice. If you are just starting, this is the best way to develop your voice. Be personal (though you don't have to if you don't want to). Be yourself. So, yes, add an image and at least a bio.

* Watch out for typos. This might be the copy editor in me, but typos, even in blogs, are not coolsies, unless you're doing it on purposies.
* Add an image. Humans are visual people (Pinterest, anyone?) and people respond better to posts with images than those without. It's not my fault, so don't blame me. It's just more attractive to read. If you don't have an image that fits your particular post, include a stock art image (I actually said "post pictures of cats!" during the lecture, but the point holds, as the image above wonderfully illustrates with cuteness).

 Quick tips for Twitter use.
* GET ON TWITTER. Now. I'll wait. (here's an explainer I wrote a while back)
* Are you in. Great! Update an image of yourself (or a cat). Add a bio (link to your blog!), contact info, etc. Don't make your account private. That beats the purpose of the whole thing.
* So what now? I'd give you a Top-10 list if uber media man Craig Kanalley hadn't written a most excellent one already,, for making the most of Twitter. And yes, as Sree Sreenivasan wrote, "make your tweets blue."

There's obviously, a lot more to this. But this should be enough to get you started.

You're welcomsies.

Photo credit: Cheezburger network.

The production god is dead. Long live the Internet

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.

If you need a refresher, here's Publisher's Ira Fusfeld addressing our future and an illuminating interview by the Watershed Post with Managing Editor Tony Adamis, which addresses "how to make the transition from being a newspaper – which is a good thing to be -- to being a multimedia journalism company."

I'll let Journal Register Company CEO John Patton explain why we are doing what we are doing.


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.

But before we do this, I want —need—your opinion.

What do you think?