Actually it’s starting to feel more like a blog caravan than a blog carnival of journalism as bloggers hop on board. So what is the journosphere up to? First up, generously passing on tips:
- Dave Cohn aka DigiDave wants an unconference to unite journalists and community types. And it isn’t just breathless blog talk — he even has a model for the process.
- Adam Tinworth at One Man and his blog argues that explain, connect and entertain should be added to the traditional journalistic injunction to inform.
- Ryan Sholin at Invisible Inkling has 5 tips to modernise your newsroom. Having written two books using Google docs I can certainly relate to number one.
- Yoni Greenbaum at Editor on the verge tells reporters to start developing email newsletters to help build contacts.
- Wendy Bolm at My Musings 2.0 has some tips on engaging readers from minority communities. Her advice? Start by dropping the word “minority.”
- Will Sullivan at Journerdism has some advice on which professional memberships are worth renewing for online journalists.
- And Zac Echola at Blog-o-Blog takes it back to basics on blogging.
Elsewhere thoughts are on journalism revenue models, three words that flow together as easily as “Help, I’m drowning.”
Paul Bradshaw at the Online Journalism blog is aiming to keep professional heads above water talking enterprise journalism. Or actually Journalism Enterprise. He’s launching a new blog.
He could do worse than talking to one of Nick Denton’s college contemporaries — UK sports writer and website founder Rick Waghorn, featured over at journalism.co.uk.
And in case you think these discussions are new, Jack Lail hits gold unearthing a discussion on the future of newspapers from 1997. Does this sound familiar?
Bill Bass: “It’s interesting you talk about newspapers presenting a complete package but, if I go through about any of your newspapers and start looking for what was created locally and how much is packaged from other people, the amount of local stuff is vanishingly small.“You take out the wire stories, you take out the stock tables, you take out the classified ads, real estate and things like that, and what is left that you people in this room deliver is really a small part of the entire package.”
John Ndege at Scribblesheet writes in praise of magazines, some of which are bucking industry trends. And Erica Smith at graphicdesignr.net gets excited about the possibilities of SMS.
This would not be blogging, of course, if people weren’t getting excited about a good meme. Paul Conley’s splendid linkbait You can’t teach culture is the one reeling them in.
Pat Thornton at Journalism Iconoclast takes the hook. Although he agrees with Conley , he doesn’t quite suggest humanely culling dissident journos. Pat has a more optimistic take on the perfection of human nature online: “I still believe in training.”
Bryan Murley at Innovation in College Media takes issue with both Conley and Pat:
“…ultimately, I think you can teach culture. It’s just a much more involved, subtle process than occurs in your usual classroom environment.”
Alf Hermida at Reportr.Net also tips his hat to Conley:
“There is much talk about newsroom culture and whether you can teach someone to think digitally. Journalists need to go beyond being on the web, and instead be of the web.”
But it’s Andy Dickinson who takes Conley’s post to an altogether higher plane with gnostic journalism — before rejoining the rest of us in the digital gutter.
Of course, this wouldn’t be journalism blogging without missed deadlines. Still in the virtual pub this time around:
- Charlie Beckett is sitting this one out — proof-reading his new book.
- Andrew Cline
- And young Dave Lee gets in a late post after recovering from a weekend in Dublin…
- Doug Fisher at Common Sense gets back in the saddle after a seasonal blogging break greeting a new grandson.
Perhaps there are more enjoyable things than blogging!
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Oh, bugger!
In after the desk had closed.