Sona Patel

I keep hearing about how it’s important to brand your newspaper, it’s Web site and your personal image.  I’ve also heard that content is key, but that organization is equally as important.  Those were some of the topics covered by Amy Eisman, director of writing programs at American University in Washington D.C.

Eisman oversees all Writing for Mass Communication classes, according to AU’s Web site.  She teaches reporting, editing and writing for convergent media and created an online course called Media @ the Millenium, which explores the business, technology and audience on journalism.   She was an editor with Gannett for 17 years starting as a cover story editor for USA TODAY, according to her AU biography.

We spent a couple days discussing the Web landscape and how newspaper staffs are being forced to rethink their competition, especially in a converged media landscape.  For example, my newspaper’s competition isn’t just television, but radio, alternative weeklies, blogs, and other publications that offer news.

Eisman pointed out some key points about readers of online news:

1. Readers are “task-oriented” online
2. Content counts
3. Readers don’t mind scrolling if there is desired information down the page
4. “Hello” and “Please” are non-useful words (Avoid things like “please click here.”  You want to guide your user, but keep in mind a simple interface.) As an aside, “please click here” is poor SEO practice.
5. The little things are the big things. Pay attention to detail (cutlines, images, design, usability, etc.)

For those who want to learn more about these topics, Eisman suggested the following reading list:

1. What Would Google Do? (By Jeff Jarvis)
2. The Long Tail (By Chris Anderson)
3. Here Comes Everybody (By Clay Shirky)
4. The Wikipedia Revolution (By Andrew Lih)
5. We the Media (By Dan Gillmor)

Eisman pointed out a series of expecations newspaper Web site producers should strive to accomplish and that it’s our responsibility to prioritize these expectations:

1. More visual, more video, better presentation
2. Search Engine Optimization is key (SEO)
3. Aggregation is expected (we as online producers and organizers are the “guides”)
4. Social networking is NOT a fad. Own your brand.
5. User-generated content is key.  Be a part of the conversation. Build on comments, forums, user blogs.
6. Frequent updates (breaking news updates)

She also touched on the importance of transparency between online producers and reporters.  Reporters should know about site metrics, comments and conversations swirling around their stories.  That information could help them determine whether to do a follow up and give them overall guidance on what stories to pursue.

So, is your news organization transparent with its readers or do you have some work to do?