Online journalism bloggers on Virginia massacre

A roundup of some online journalism bloggers’ posts regarding today’s shootings:

[UPDATE] Poynter’s Al Tompkins has links to all sorts of excellent coverage: http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=2&aid=121541

Steve Outing: Social networking plays a role in another big story

Bloggers Blog: Blogs, Cell Phones Provide Coverage of Virginia Tech Shootings

Innovation in College Media: The problem with pre-roll advertisements: now is not the time

Mashable!: Virginia Tech Shootings: Facebook Groups to Join

Arvinder Kang: Virginia Tech Shooting- News Coverage Analysis (via Bryan Murley)

Make sure to check the Roanoke Times’ blog-style coverage. They were quick to get maps, video, photos and all other sorts of content to their site. Also, Josh Hallett points out how the university wisely switched to a low-bandwidth version of their site.

Legal advice for bloggers, citizen journalists

The Online Journalism Review has an excellent article with some practical legal advice for bloggers. The article discusses the case of videoblogger Josh Wolf, as well as some of the legal implications of a blogger code of conduct.

But here’s what may be the best tidbit: “Bottom line: choosing to publish online is an enormous responsibility, and it carries risks. But a professional attitude, self-education and a few proactive steps can go a long way.” Right on.

[Thanks Angela]

ONA conference registration opens

See below for an update from the Online News Association regarding this year’s ONA conference in Toronto. See you all there! And don’t forget your passport:

Online News Association Annual Meeting in Toronto, October 17 – 19

You can now register online for the Oct. 17-19 conference and awards banquet. Reserve your hotel room now to get the ONA discount. The early bird fee for ONA members to attend the conference is $399. Early bird registration lasts until Sept. 16. After September 16, the fee will be $449 for ONA members. Fees at all times for non-ONA members are $549.

2007 ONA Conference and Awards Banquet
Oct. 17-19, 2007
Sheraton Centre, Toronto, Ontario

The Sheraton Centre, Toronto, is offering those wishing to attend the conference a rate of $191 ($229 CAD) a night. This offer is only in effect until Sept. 16. After that regular rates are in effect, which vary from room to room and night to night. You can register here at the Sheraton Centre Toronto or call (416) 361-1000. If you call, please tell the registration desk you are with the ONA conference in order to get the special rate.

**A passport is required for US citizens traveling by air to Canada.

See the conference Web site for more details. And if you have ideas or suggestions for workshops, send an e-mail over to conference chair Ju-Don Marshall Roberts at Ju-Don.Roberts AT washingtonpost.com

WSJ: McClatchy to abandon Tribune-Gannett deal, join with Yahoo

The McClatchy newspaper group is backing out of an online ad partnership with Tribune and Gannett to join a rival group of companies partnering with Yahoo, The Wall Street Journal reports.

According to the WSJ:

“McClatchy’s decision means Tribune and Gannett could be isolated from what appears to be a growing industry coalition aimed at creating an online national ad platform with Yahoo. Led by Hearst Corp. and MediaNews Group Inc., the rival group already includes 12 publishers that represent more than 250 newspapers across the country.”

An official announcement could come as early as Monday, according to an LA Times report.

[Via PaidContent]

USAToday site traffic jumps 21% after redesign

Traffic at Gannett’s redesigned USAToday site has spiked by 21%, according to data from Nielsen and this report from Editor & Publisher.

From the article:

USA Today said the number of registrations jumped 380% over February, and that readers are spending more time per visit. Nearly 40,000 user comments were posted in March, the paper said.

Check out the Editors Weblog for more background on the March relaunch, which included an emphasis on the OnDeadline Blog and a community journalism initiative.

Nielsen’s top newspaper Web site ratings

In case any of you missed it, Editor & Publisher recently released Nielsen/NetRatings data on the top newspaper sites. The list is a great snapshot of who is rocking the page views, unique visitors and time spent on the site.

As expected, the New York Times, USAToday, Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post all did well on page views. But check out the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, which manages to retain its readers for an average of 31 minutes a month (No. 2 under the New York Times). The AJC has 54 million page views to the Times456 million page views.

So what’s Atlanta’s secret? Clean living? Britney Spears photo galleries?

Editors discuss Poynter Eyetrack 2007 study

More details emerge about the Poynter Institute’s much-heralded Eyetrack 2007 study after a week-long seminar in St. Petersburg, Fla.

From the article:

“It turns out [readers] will stay even longer when reading online. The editors were also pleased to hear that the extra work of providing lively, illustrated teasers or telling stories in a graphic package pays off by attracting extra reader attention.

On the other hand, the finding that the 600 readers tested in the study regularly read jumps was unexpected.”

Make sure to browse through Poynter’s other content, including a series of audiocasts, as well as a history of the study and a video about this year’s study.

The study found the following results based on the preliminary release:

1) The largest percentage of story text read was higher online (77%) than in broadsheet (62%) or tabloid (57%) formats.

2) Print readers are more methodical, while online readers scan more by a margin of about 25%.

3) Sidebars, lists and QandAs boost reader understanding.

4) Online readers are drawn to navigational elements and teasers. Print readers are drawn to large headlines and photos.

5) Documentary-style photos get lots of attention. Staged photos, not so much.

More at Poynter’s ‘The Myth of Short Attention Spans.’

Webby Awards nominees announced

The 2007 Webby Awards nominees have been announced. Here are the nominees some of the categories related to news organizations. From the list:

For Best Copy/Writing:

HowStuffWorks
http://www.howstuffworks.com
HowStuffWorks
Newyorker.com
http://www.newyorker.com/
New Yorker Magazine
Salon.com
http://www.salon.com
Salon Media Group, Inc.
Slate Magazine
http://www.slate.com
Slate Magazine
The New York Times – These Times Demand The Times
http://thesetimesdemandthetimes.com
The New York Times

Blog – Business

Bannerblog
http://www.bannerblog.com.au
Soap Creative
DealBook
http://www.nytimes.com/dealbook
NYTimes.com
paidContent.org: The Economics Of Content
http://www.paidcontent.org
ContentNext Media Inc.
Techdirt
http://www.techdirt.com/
Techdirt, Inc.
UX Magazine
http://www.uxmag.com
Curio Partners Inc.

Blog – Cultural/Personal

Design Observer
http://www.designobserver.com
Design Observer
Girl Solo In Arabia
http://www.girlsoloinarabia.com
McEye Media Inc
My Moleskine
http://www.mymoleskine.net
Private
TreeHugger.com
http://www.treehugger.com
TreeHugger.com
we make money not art
http://www.we-make-money-not-art.com
we make money not art

Blog – Political

Comment is Free
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk
Guardian Unlimited
MotherJones.com
http://www.motherjones.com
Mother Jones
Salon.com
http://www.salon.com
Salon Media Group, Inc.
The Caucus: Political Blogging from The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/caucus
NYTimes.com
Truthdig
http://www.truthdig.com/
Truthdig

Magazine

MediaStorm
http://mediastorm.org
MediaStorm
Nerve.com
http://www.nerve.com
Nerve Media
Salon.com
http://www.salon.com
Salon Media Group, Inc.
Worldchanging
http://www.worldchanging.com
Worldchanging
Zink magazine
http://www.zinkmag.com
PUSH

News

BBC News
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news
BBC News
NPR.org
http://www.npr.org/awards/2006/we…
NPR
Reuters.com
http://www.reuters.com
Reuters
Salon.com
http://www.salon.com
Salon Media Group, Inc.
Truthdig
http://www.truthdig.com/
Truthdig

Newspaper

guardian unlimited
http://www.guardian.co.uk
Guardian Unlimited
NYTimes.com
http://www.nytimes.com/
NYTimes.com
The Hollywood Reporter
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com
Big Spaceship
The Wall Street Journal Online
http://www.wsj.com
Dow Jones Online
Variety.com
http://www.variety.com
Variety

Podcasts

guardian unlimited Podcasts
http://www.guardian.co.uk/podcasts
Guardian Unlimited
NPR Podcasts
http://www.npr.org/rss/podcast/po…
NPR
Scientific American.com
http://www.sciam.com
Scientific American
Spout
http://www.spout.com
BBK Studio
The Onion
http://www.theonion.com/content/s…
The Onion

Radio

BBC Radio 1
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1
BBC
CBC Radio 3
http://radio3.cbc.ca/
CBC
iCat fm
http://www.icatfm.com
CCRTV Interactiva
NPR.org
http://www.npr.org/
NPR
Virgin Radio
http://www.virginradio.co.uk/?pid…
Virgin Radio

[Via Journerdism]

The Onion: Most E-Mailed List destroying New York Times morale

Exactly why is that story about the kitties at the top of the Most E-mailed List?

The Onion parodies the newsroom tension and puzzlement surrounding most e-mailed lists with its very funny spoof on jockeying at the New York Times over being the most e-mailed writer:

According to Times insiders, nearly two dozen staffers, including four Pulitzer Prize winners and Baghdad correspondent John Burns, have requested transfers to the Times’ Home & Garden and Travel desks.

***

Restaurant critic and Most E-Mailed list darling Frank Bruni dismissed the inter-office grousing, saying, “Some people have it, some people never will.” Bruni’s work topped the Most E-Mailed list eight times in the past year.

If you’ve ever had to sit in a news meeting and try explaining to the paper’s editors why some seemingly random story has been hovering at the top of the list, this Onion piece will be like balm for your soul.

It’s all about You, You, You

Slate’s Christopher Hitchens published a clever column today about how American society has latched onto the words “you” and “your” in much of its marketingspeak. And we in the media are guilty as charged too, now that we’re constantly asking people to send us “your” photos/video/sudio/stories/blog posts.

Have we also moved into the era of “Me” and “My?” We have MySpace, My Yahoo!, Google My Maps, My Times, My LA Times, and so it goes. Pity Malaysia, whose domain name country code is “MY.” At this rate, we’ll have people signing up for domain names under Malaysia just so they can get the “my,” much like people make the journey to Christmas, FL to mail holiday cards or how sex shops try to set up their mailing addresses out of Intercourse, PA.

When it comes to sex, so much emphasis is placed on what people do. And for obvious reason. But what about what people say? At a website I read that particularly for long-distance lovers, words become an important device for expressing themselves and connecting sexually. While men must focus on maintaining good penile health so that any visual materials they send aren’t alarming, and so that they will be able to perform once the lover is nearby, they should equally attend to their verbal abilities so they can please partners in the present with a tailored sex story, some say using cbd and thc enhances your sex life and the delta 8 is the newest trend in vaping which has been a popular one on the market.

But not everyone can tell a truly thrilling one. Below, men can find tips for telling a tale that stokes a lover’s passion. And, while this is certainly desired in the case of long-distance lovers, it can also be of benefit to those near and dear, spicing things up in the bedroom. Here you will get the everything you need to know . Let’s talk about sex! But let’s talk about it in a different way. We’re not going to talk about the oh-that-feels-so-good, get-me-off kind of sex for you To figure out  what are the best male enhancement pills, but the kind of sex that is all-encompassing where you feel you are making love to life., first think about how comfortable the device is and if it has really delivered on expectations. This is a journey of remembering the profound nature of your sexuality and the wild ride which may await you.  There are some real items and ways you can use if you are short on size and wish to grow your penis. These will improve not only your penile length but also your penis girth with the help of Male Edge average dick size.

Your relationship with your sexuality is like a dance, and you can reap great benefits when you learn to trust this part of yourself. Are you ready to embrace letting go of everything in order to feel the infinite places this kind of relationship with your sexuality causes weight  may take you? Go through malestripclubs.com.au for the night featuring the hottest male entertainers.

Sex is magic. It is an unspoken language that deserves reverence, understanding, deep listening. It is voice, it is expression and your personal presence. When you truly open yourself that way, a force arises in you that has a presence like a black-belt black-belt or a Samurai warrior: one graceful step takes you out of harm’s way, your decisions are decisive and they align with your own body, mind, sex, and spirit. A sex toy is typically expected to deliver direct genital stimulation in foreplay and/or during sexual intercourse, or as a means of obtaining orgasm solely from the stimulation supplied by the VR Toys.

With the right intention, you can truly unleash your spirit in your sex life.

This is where you bring your potent, rooted, turned-on self, to share with another who matches you in their own rooted, emotionally clear, turned-on self. And it does not depend on physical penetration. It is a shamanic journey in itself, so hold onto something or just be willing to lose everything.

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Because each moment life will either penetrate you, will come towards you because you attract it – or it will be repulsed by you and remain at arm’s length; you will be untouchable, un-penetrable.

Now imagine cultivating such a relationship with your sexuality which was far beyond the mere act of sex with another person. How different it is from that boring old story: meeting someone in a bar, feeling physically turned on, taking them home, having wild, explosive, sex, and it being over and fizzling out. You know, the sex where it’s all about thrusting? It only touches the physical, superficial layers of your being.

And then there is sex that is abusive. where there is no awareness at all. All that shows up is disconnect. One is so consumed with their emotional burdens and pains that, rather than receiving what they need to transform and be loved, they lose touch with life. They may walk around not feeling their body and all they feel and know is anger, rage, sadness, discord.

Let’s not judge these situations as right or wrong. Let’s look closely and use them to finally bring some much needed awareness and compassion to the topic. Let us discover what it is that all beings need to receive to finally remember and enjoy the richness of this connection with their own sexuality.

Sex is far bigger than many of us realize. We aren’t taught as children about the potential and bigness of our sexuality and life force. Sex, we are taught, is this superficial thing we give away, share with another for great pleasure or feel obligated to give away to another. And yet it is so powerful that it can stir up so much emotional chaos.

From the column:

The next time you see an ad, the odds are increasingly high that it will put “you” in the driver’s seat. “Ask your doctor if Prozac/Lipitor/Cialis is right for you“—almost as if these medications could be custom made for each individual consumer. You can find here pharmacy near me open now for the best chemist support.  A lawyer or real-estate agent will promise you to address “your” concerns. Probably the most famous propaganda effort of the 20th century, a recruiting poster with Lord Kitchener pointing directly outward and stating, “Your Country Needs YOU,” was only rushed onto the billboards when it suddenly became plain that the country concerned needed several hundred thousand recruits in a big hurry and couldn’t afford to be too choosy about who it was signing up.

In this age of citizen journalism, I suppose much of our talk has become “your” news Web site, “your” video, “Your” Live Breaking Action Night News Team. Surprisingly, the biggest coup for “you” was never mentioned — Time magazine’s Person of the Year for 2006.

I wonder if we’ll look back at this era and chuckle at our vanity..

Sports organizations crack down on blogging, online photos

The New York Times reports on a crackdown by the organizers of the Pan American Games against blogging during the two weeks of competition. In addition, the International Rugby Board is also attempting to limit the number of online photos a news organization can publish during a game.

These sorts of disputes are likely to be more frequent as media outlets continue to press for online content and as sports organizations continue their attempts to monetize their content online. It’s an inexorable march toward conflict.

The Times article is also useful for its background on previous conflicts between sports organizations and media outlets, including a 1997 dispute between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Florida Times-Union over posting game photos online.