2009 webby awards

NEWS

Webby Award Winner Agency – Credited Organization

BBC’s News website BBC’s News website
http://www.bbc.com/news – BBC Worldwide

People’s Voice Winner

BBC’s News website BBC’s News website
http://www.bbc.com/news – BBC Worldwide

Nominees

BBC’s News website BBC’s News website
http://www.bbc.com/news -  BBC Worldwide

Salon.com Salon.com
http://www.salon.com - Salon Media Group, Inc.

Spectra Visual Newsreader | msnbc.com Spectra Visual Newsreader | msnbc.com
http://www.spectramsnbc.com - SS+K / Fluid

The Daily Beast The Daily Beast
http://thedailybeast.com - Code and Theory

The Huffington Post The Huffington Post
http://huffingtonpost.com - The Huffington Post

NEWSPAPER

Webby Award Winner Agency – Credited Organization

guardian.co.uk guardian.co.uk
http://www.guardian.co.uk/ – guardian.co.uk

People’s Voice Winner

NYTimes.com NYTimes.com
http://NYTimes.com – The New York Times

Nominees

guardian.co.uk guardian.co.uk
http://www.guardian.co.uk/ - guardian.co.uk

NYTimes.com NYTimes.com
http://NYTimes.com - The New York Times

Observer.com Observer.com
http://www.observer.com -  Observer Media Group

The Independent The Independent
http://www.independent.co.uk - The Independent

Times On Line Times On Line
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/ – SAPIENT INTERACTIVE

This is a must read for all news media professionals.  The document is insightful and creates great potential for reflection on business practices. I’m not saying his blueprint is THE best, but even if you hate his ideas, there are lots of salient points to build on. One obvious forehead-smacking point he raises is that the details of his blueprint, “will be determined not by my decree but by the needs of the marketplace and by the creativity and abilities of the staff”.  Did you catch that?  THE NEEDS OF THE MARKETPLACE.  In the internet paradigm, what needs are you now filling?  I love it.

Something I wish Steve would have addressed more clearly is the distinction between geographic communities and communities of interest.  Does he agree there is a distinction?  Why or why not?  Can print and online serve both communities equally well? How does his blueprint address these distinct communities?

I emailed Steve and asked about the above points.  Here is his response:

Robert, absolutely there is a difference between geographic communities and communities of interest. However, the local media organization has its strongest opportunities to appeal to communities with at least a geographic tie. For instance, we attract attention of Iowa Hawkeye fans around the world. They are a community of interest, but they have a geographic tie. The blueprint details plans to help countless communities of interest within and overlapping a geographic community – the family/friends of each high school graduate or engaged couple, congregations, etc. Print can serve some communities of interest (we have a business magazine and a magazine geared for young adults), but because of the cost of transportation, print is quite geographically based. Thanks for asking.

There you have it metaprinter readers, ask and you shall recieve.

RELATED:

How are you going to make money? By changing your relationship with your community -from OJR.org

The Definitive Guide to the Planet’s Most Useful  & Effective Communications Channel

Sebastopol, CA—Given the intense media spotlight shining on Twitter right now, chances are if you haven’t twittered yet, you’re probably considering it. Even Oprah twittered for the first time recently and Twitter traffic surged 43 percent as a result.

So what is Twitter? Why is it so popular? How can you turn it into a time-saver rather than a time-waster? And how can its 140-character messages be a serious–and effective–way to boost your business? The Twitter Book (O’Reilly, $19.99) answers all of those questions and many more.

The Twitter Book is co-written by two widely recognized Twitter authorities. Co-author Tim O’Reilly (@timoreilly), founder and CEO of O’Reilly Media, is now one of Twitter’s most influential thought leaders with more than 300,000 followers as of April 2009. Considered by many to be the best computer book publisher in the world, O’Reilly Media coined the term Web 2.0.

“I give talks all the time where I throw up a picture or a screenshot of an interesting website. And I thought we can do a book like that and it would be a way of capturing the world of Twitter–screenshots of tweets, screenshots of new applications, and a little bit of text telling you how to use it,” explains Tim about why he decided to take time out of his busy schedule to develop The Twitter Book. “So in a lot of ways the book is a reflection of how I would give a talk about Twitter.”

And co-author Sarah Milstein (@sarahm) frequently writes and speaks on Twitter and is the 21st user of this service. “Our book will help you understand the ways Twitter is useful and addictive and unlike any other communications service–and how you can tap that power.” Sarah says, “Twitter gives companies unique opportunities to listen to and engage with customers, partners, and other important stakeholders. In the book, we show you how companies of all kinds are successfully turning Twitter into a critical, two-way communications channel.”

Clearly and entertainingly written, The Twitter Book is brimming with up-to-the-nanosecond tips for finding your stride in the fast-expanding eddy of global tweets. This colorful guide will teach you everything you need to know to quickly become a Twitter power user. It includes information on the latest third party applications, strategies, and tactics for how to turn Twitter into your personal newspaper, tracking breaking news and learning what matters to you and your friends.

The innovative format illustrates Twitter best practices by showing Twitter and supporting tools in action as demonstrated by more than 60 top twitterers, whose work is included in the book. The Twitter Book also sports a full color illustration on every page spread. This essential guide will help you:

• Use Twitter to connect with colleagues, customers, family, and friends
• Stand out on Twitter, whether you’re new to the service or already have experience
• Avoid common Twitter gaffes and pitfalls
• Utilize Twitter–and the best third-party tools that help you manage it–to build a critical professional communications channel

So if you want to know how to use Twitter like a pro, The Twitter Book will get you up to speed fast. Indeed Cory Doctorow, co-editor of Boing Boing and author of Little Brother, agrees and says The Twitter Book is “as easy to grasp as a tweet; this book cuts through the tiresome twitterhype and delivers a bunch of sensible, down-to-earth material on using and enjoying Twitter.”

For a review copy or more information please email peyton@oreilly.com. Please include your delivery address and contact information. Ebook review copies are available now. Print review copies will be available May 20, 2009.

Tim O’Reilly is the founder and CEO of O’Reilly Media, Inc., thought by many to be the best computer book publisher in the world. O’Reilly Media also hosts conferences on technology topics, including the Web 2.0 Summit, the Web 2.0 Expo, the O’Reilly Open Source Convention, and the O’Reilly Emerging Technology Conference. Tim’s blog, the O’Reilly Radar, “watches the alpha geeks” to determine emerging technology trends, and serves as a platform for advocacy about issues of importance to the technical community. Tim is an activist for open source and open standards, and an opponent of software patents and other incursions of new intellectual property laws into the public domain. Tim’s long-term vision for his company is to change the world by spreading the knowledge of innovators. For everything Tim, see tim.oreilly.com.

Sarah Milstein writes, speaks, and teaches frequently on Twitter. She is also co-founder of 20slides.com, a site for lively, work-related workshops. Previously, she was on the senior editorial staff at O’Reilly, where she founded the Tools of Change for Publishing conference (TOC) and led the development of the Missing Manuals, a best-selling series of computer books for non-geeks. She’s written for the series, too, co-authoring “Google: The Missing Manual.” Before joining O’Reilly, Sarah was a freelance writer and editor, and a regular contributor to The New York Times. She was also a program founder for Just Food, a local-food-and-farms non-profit, and co-founder of Two Tomatoes Records, a label that distributes and promotes the work of children’s musician Laurie Berkner.

Additional Resources:
For more information about the book, including table of contents, index, author bios, and cover graphic, see: http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/9780596802813

For a video interview with Tim, information about the upcoming Twitter Boot Camp, details about the upcoming free webcast with Tim & Sarah, and more, see:
http://oreilly.com/go/twitter3

The Twitter Book
Tim O’Reilly, Sarah Milstein
ISBN: 9780596802813, 240 pages
Print Book Price: $19.99 USD, Ebook Price: $15.99 USD
order@oreilly.com
1-800-998-9938
1-707-827-7000

About O’Reilly
O’Reilly Media spreads the knowledge of innovators through its books, online services, magazines, and conferences. Since 1978, O’Reilly Media has been a chronicler and catalyst of cutting-edge development, homing in on the technology trends that really matter and spurring their adoption by amplifying “faint signals” from the alpha geeks who are creating the future. An active participant in the technology community, the company has a long history of advocacy, meme-making, and evangelism.

# # #

O’Reilly is a registered trademark of O’Reilly Media, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Jacek Utko is an extraordinary Polish newspaper designer whose redesigns for papers in Eastern Europe not only win awards, but increase circulation by up to 100%. Can good design save the newspaper? Should newspapers be Free? Tabloid? Local? Niche? Opinion? Breakfast fodder? “In the long run there is no practical reason for newspapers to survive” states Jacek. Regardless, he is working with newspapers to create entirely new workflows and embedding great marketing, via design, right into the products.

Why you should listen to him:

Newspaper designer Jacek Utko suggests that it’s time for a fresh, top-to-bottom rethink of the newspaper. (At this point, why not try it?) In his work, he’s proved that good design can help readers reconnect with newspapers. A former architect, Utko took on the job of redesigning several newspapers in former Soviet Bloc nations, starting from basic principles. He worked closely with newspaper executives to figure out the business goals of their papers, and then radically reformatted the product to fit those goals. (And he wasn’t afraid to break a few grids in the process.)

As the art director at Warsaw’s Puls Biznesu in 2004, he redesigned this small business-focused newspaper and immediately won the SND award for world’s best-designed newspaper. Readers responded, and circulation went up. He’s now art director for the Bonnier Business Press, overseeing papers in Eastern Europe and the Baltic states, and the work he oversees consistently wins major prizes (including another SND world’s-best in 2007 for Estonia’s Äripäev), despite their small teams and limited resources.

“Who knew that the world’s best designed newspapers are in Poland and Estonia?”

-June Cohen, TED

RELATED:
TED2009 Evan Williams: How Twitter’s spectacular growth is being driven by unexpected uses
TED2005 Sasa Vucinic: Why a free press is the best investment

“Because, this is what your new Elvis looks like, gang. And,
eventually somebody will figure out (and publicly admit) that Kutiman,
and any number of his peers on the “To-Sue” list, should be passed
from Legal down to A&R.”

He’s probably right, but it’s also a little sad.

Interview with Second Street Media Solutions Co-owners Matt Coen and Doug Villhard to learn more about their fastest growing product, Upickem, which is an online contesting platform.

RI - Simply publishing content on a website is not enough.  How does Upickem bring news sites into the internet paradigm?
MC - By virtue of the way contests work, ie. participation, we make newspaper news sites much more interactive with their target community.

RI - How do you drive user engagement? How do you build communities?
MC - The contests engage a passionate community. “cutest dog contest” for example generated 4.5 million pageviews, 6800 dog photo submissions, over 1million votes, and 15,000 registered users for The Minneapolis Star Tribune.  The users who register to participate in the contest provide the paper with their email info that can be used to drive participation in future contests.

RI - How have advertisers reacted to the contests?
MC - Now advertisers have a premium platform for lead generation. News sites absent this context have had little incentive to advertise on a news website.  The newspapers using Upickem have been selling out of ad space almost as soon as it becomes available.

RI - How have newspapers reacted to the contests?
MC - Robin Gray from the OC Register and Julie Foley from the Statesboro Herald are both here and both using Upickem.  Everyone is raving how well Upickem works, how high the ROI is, I encourage you to seek them out and ask them yourself.
RI - I’ll do that. (and I did, see below)
DV - We have a new feature coming out called E-Blast Engine.   The engine slices and dices the data newspapers have collected to establish email and text blasts for the purpose of promoting new features and really anything. Think of this as “spiral marketing”.

RI – Is it just a website application?
DV – No we have an iPhone application that will allow people to vote and participate when on the move.   We see mobile as a growing platform for engaging users, personally speaking I’m constantly on my iPhone and it just made sense.  Newspapers love it too because it solves a difficult problem they are having with how to monetize their mobile presence.

RI - If you were me, what should I be asking you right now?
DV - How can newspapers overcome their current challenges?  Newspapers have challenges and they are reacting by cutting costs and saving money. This is important, but we have an opportunity for them to make money. Upickem has real tangible value and introduces new revenue to publishers of any size.
MC - Borrell sees online promotion growing 3x in the next few years. This is the opportunity to get newspapers to fill the needs of local readers and advertisers.

RI - Thank you both, where can people learn more?
MC - Visit the Upickem page on our site where you can learn all about features, revenue generation, and pricing.  Thank you.

Borrell Associates Webinar on “promotional advertising”:

Related:

UPICKEM was featured for about half of the Tuesday 2:45 panel called Link, Search and Play.  Robin Gray from the OC Register and Julie Foley from the Statesboro Herald presented their successes with online contests over the past year. Follow the preceding links to see real contests those newspapers have run.  I liveblogged the event on twitter at twitter.com/metaprinter and used the hashtag #naamxc09 if want to dig through that feed.  May I suggest hashtags.org.

After the session, I spoke with Julie and she reiterated that the revenue her contests are generating is new money and not cannibalizing ROP advertising.  She cannot speak highly enough about the ROI from Upickem and also mentioned that the Statesboro Herald can never have too many contests.

First, a little about the company:  Serra Media is a web technology company that’s taken a unique approach to web-based software for local publishers. We think it should be truly innovative, yet easy to use. It should be made for you and leverage the power of your brand in the local marketplace. And it should even be fun. It’s all about technology with style, plus world-class customer service. And it will help you grow audience and revenue, too.

Hyperlocal imagination. Hyperlocal innovation.

Newsgarden is our first product and it can revolutionize local news. It is a map-based web application that filters the location of recent news items, blog posts and other information available on the web down to the neighborhood level.

But it’s not just news on a map; it’s about building new communities online, with new content, in a way that integrates the journalism already being done. It allows a news publisher or local blogger to cover more news with less resources, creates a new market for advertising revenue and helps you move toward a future dominated by location-aware mobile devices

###

With the above in mind, I wanted to learn more about Newsgarden so I met up with Serra Media CEO Mark Briggs.  Here’s what I found out.

RI - What is Newsgarden? It looks like a Google Maps Mashup.
MB - Newsgarden is our premier product offering and yes it can be described as a Google Maps mashup, however it is much more powerful than that.  Think of Newsgarden as a social mapping platform where geographically targeted content from news staff or readers is displayed in a familiar Google map.  The content can be in the form of stories, photos, links, video and really anything else where geographic context adds to the experience.

RI – Community engagement for news sites has historically been awful.  I can see how Newsgarden works toward building community participation, but how does a newspaper make money from it?
MB – There is an advertising network called MicromarketAds built into Newsgarden and the entire thing is a hosted application that just drops right into a news site’s existing website so they don’t have to worry about development.  Geotargeting allows advertisers to place ads beside appropriate locations and even content.  The MicromarketAds platform even

RI – Who is using it now?
MB –
Newsgarden implementations:
http://bellingham.serramedia.com
http://gateline.serramedia.com
http://theolympian.serramedia.com

Micromarketads.com example:
http://gateline.serramedia.com/neighborhood/134

College site:
http://pvcm.serramedia.com

RI – What’s next?
MB – We’ve just launched WhereToGo, a way to discover and share restaurants, cafes, bars, attractions, and much more.   We’re also launching TownLuxe  to let shoppers browse trends, find sales and share tips.  These will function like NewsGarden.

RI – Thank you Mark, tell everyone where they can learn more.
MB – Visit the Serra Media website or contact me directly via email at mark@serramedia.com

About Newsgarden:

About Serra Media:

Mark Briggs | Chief Executive | mark@serramedia.com
Mark will help connect our technology to the needs of the local news publisher.

Mark, who was named as one of Presstime magazine’s “20 under 40” in 2007, began managing online news operations in 2000 and projects he has led have won regional and national awards for innovation and interactivity. He served as assistant managing editor for interactive news at the The News Tribune in Tacoma, Wash. from 2004-2008 and new media director at The Herald in Everett, Wash. from 2000-2004.

He is also author of “Journalism 2.0: Survive and Thrive in the Digital Age” and a frequent speaker, trainer and consultant on the topic of new media and innovation for news operations.  Update: Mark is working on a new book to follow up Journalism 2.0 called Newspaper2.0  The book will be out this Fall and is being published by CQ Press.