My friends at the Online News Association put together a terrific program at the University of Alabama-Birmingham for entrepreneurial journalists and others interested in starting news and information sites. (Thanks to the Gannett Foundation for the necessary financial support.)Â
I spoke a bit about emerging business models to support these kinds of sites (and – plug warning – the work of my partners at GrowthSpur).
You should search on Twitter for the #ONAUAB hash for some of the fascinating discussions that grew out of the sessions. Less fascinating, perhaps, was my presentation – but for those who asked for it, it’s here.
(Why, yes – I used Prezi. My friend Tim Windsor snarks that Prezi screams 2009 the same way a Yamaha DX7 synthesizer screams 1983. But, hey, I liked a-ha.)
Also: Here’s Robert Hernandez‘s excellent presentation on how journalists can use social media tools (both to build audience, and to be better reporters).
And @DannySanchez’s informative riff on free tools doesn’t have a perfect online analog – but he writes about nearly all of those tools (and even more) on his blog, Journalistopia.com.
4 comments ↓
Hey, I liked a-ha, too. OK, mostly just that video. And I like prezi, too. Nice presentation. I’m sure I’d have benefitted more from your narration, however.
Not that there’s anything wrong with 2009!
BTW, the ultimate viewing experience of the aha video is here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HE9OQ4FnkQ
Finally watched it (couldn’t see it on iPad — Flash! That’s what’s so 2009!)
Good stuff, though, like Kurt above, I wanted to hear the running commentary. Did the conference get videoed?
Sadly, the conference was not videoed, IIRC. (The ONA folks did a fabulous job, by the by, on a shoestring. Renew your memberships, folks – ONA is the best org out there right now, followed closely by KDMC.)
My narration? Mostly rants and arm-waving, of course.
What was interesting to me was the level of interest in Groupon-like functionality (readily available through a ton of white-label providers). While no single element is “the” future of local advertising, it’s becoming clear to me that group deals, mediated and curated by a trusted partner, will be an important component.
Traditional organizations: Ignore this at your own peril. (And, really, haven’t you had enough peril over the last dozen years?)
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