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]

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..

Poynter Eyetrack 2007 study says online readers read deep

poynter.jpgThe non-profit Poynter Institute has just released the preliminary results of its Eyetrack 2007 study, and some of the findings may be surprising to those who think online readers merely speed through news sites.

From the Poynter article, titled ‘The Myth of Short Attention Spans’:

Readers select stories of particular interest and then read them thoroughly.

And there’s a twist: The reading-deep phenomenon is even stronger online than in print.

At a time when readers are assumed to have short attention spans, especially those who read online, this qualifies as news.

That was the predominant behavior of roughly 600 test subjects — 70 percent of whom said they read the news in print or online four times a week. Their eye movements were tracked in 15-minute reading sessions of broadsheet, tabloid and online publications.

The study’s overview found that:

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.

Poynter will be releasing a book in June with more details about the study, including the materials used. They’re also organizing a workshop for August regarding the 2007 Eyetrack study.

Extolling the art of blurbs and teasers online

Why do we so often overlook the art of writing witty, compelling headlines and blurbs online?

Is it the breakneck pace of producing Web news? Is it the endless distractions of emerging technology? Does it really just come down to us not caring enough any more?

I’m reminded of Lucas Grindley’s post way back in November in which he highlighted the merits of so-called “Web monkey” work — the endless cutlines, blurbs and copy/pasting into a content management system. Howard Owens painted a bleak future for those limited to these tasks. Mindy McAdams called much of it robot work. And I sternly warned against the danger of students “becoming the Cutline Master.”

While I still advocate journalism students becoming as technically skilled as possible, we should all take greater care not to belittle the everyday editing that goes on. It is crucial yet thankless work. News sites don’t win Digital Edge or Online News Association awards writing engaging little bits like these. Butterfly Releases will provide you all the updates.

But why shouldn’t this type of editing –when it is exemplary and consistent– be rewarded as well?

Nearly every time I drop by, I’m impressed and amused at the witty teaser text that compels me to click on Slate’s Web site. Here’s a sampling of today’s teasers:

Gonzales Deathwatch: Bet He’s Gone by Friday

Reading the World’s First Self-Help Book

Delay’s Hillary Smear

Full-Mental Nudity: The arrival of mind-reading machines

Slate is one of the exceptions. Granted, they have more exotic material than the average newspaper’s municipal stories and shootings. But are we really putting forth the effort? When Fark and Digg users are obviously spending time scrutinizing their headlines, why are we so often not?

While we relentlessly pursue the latest gadgets, the highest Google ranking, the newest software and the most efficient ways to produce — we cannot forgot to value the craft of placing sharp writing in those tiny boxes and headlines. We so often call them “users,” that we tend to forget that they are “readers” too.

To all the Cutline Masters, Web Monkeys and Content Management System Robots, I grant you a long-overdue salute.

How the bad call on John Edwards’ campaign decision spread

Columbia Journalism Review’s Gal Beckerman has a thorough write-up on how the media’s prediction of John Edwards  closing down his campaign turned out to be astronomically wrong yesterday.

The culprit, as it so often is, was a reporter relying on a single source. The secondary culprits were nearly every other major news outlet who cited that report. Elizabeth Edwards even took a small jab at the media with her comment, “You haven’t turned out to be so reliable in the last 24 hours.”

Of course, it was all made possible thanks to the speed of Internet reporting. From CJR’s assessment of the debacle:

The problem, as we see it, is twofold. In spite of claiming to realize the power of the Internet – that’s why, presumably, Politico was able to lure big time political reporters like Smith away from newspapers – the reporters and editors who run the site still don’t realize how far their voice carries. We imagine Smith probably thought that a blog post couldn’t possibly make it farther than his own beltway readership. He should know better, and be just as careful about announcing such news as he would be in any other medium.But the bigger problem has to do with the Internet itself. By giving the impression that everything is immediately correctible, it lowers accountability, making it seem okay to take risks – like basing a story on one source. If a Web site like Politico wants to be taken seriously, it has to live be the same rigorous standards that most news organizations live and die by.

Lesson hopefully learned by all of us. Here’s the original post from the Politico blog, and here’s his apology.

Internet Explorer 7 add-ons for the busy Web producer

Make sure to mosey on over to Wired News for their list of seven essential Internet Explorer 7 add-ons.

At the top of the heap for us newsroom denizens is ieSpell, a little tool that spell checks all the text you input into a Web form. I have been anxiously awaiting a tool like this for IE, which is usually the preferred Web browser of content management systems everywhere. Firefox 2.0 has a similar function, which has certaii…er… certainly saved me a few times.

Of course, many of the add-ons are meant to replicate behaviors found in Firefox, such as the Inline Search (which, by the way, also works in IE6). But I suppose we’re all used to the imitating-Firefox bit by now anyway…

[via Lifehacker]

Al’s Morning Multimedia in your inbox

I’ve been a longtime subscriber now to Al’s Morning Meeting, a daily e-mail newsletter (or RSS feed) providing excellent story ideas by Poynter’s Al Tompkins. But aside from his thoroughly researched ideas, Al has recently begun providing a daily dose of multimedia, which makes the list even more worth subscribing to for all us Web heads.

Today, Al highlights a slideshow from the Boston Globe about a Marine who took his own life after being refused a hospital bed for post-traumatic stress disorder. It’s a great example of an audio slideshow and of how the audio truly drives these pieces.

Sign up, and see if you enjoy. I know I do!

And for more audio slideshows, Flash graphics and other regular multimedia goodness, check out Mindy McAdams’ Teaching Online Journalism, Angela Grant’s In The Circle, MultimediaShooter and Interactive Narratives (which hasn’t been updated in a while but has a great archive of this sort of stuff).

Examining the relationship between writer and message board troll

Salon’s Gary Kayima has written a thoughtful, well-written (if somewhat long) piece examining how the outpouring of public commentary is affecting writers’ relationships with their readers. Also, make sure to browse through the comments.

Some highlights from his article:

“All of us — writers and editors and readers alike — are still struggling to get used to this cacophonous cornucopia of communication. It is a brave new world, filled with beautiful minds and nasty Calibans and everything in between. Its benefits are undeniable. But it has some downsides, too — not all of them obvious.”

“The information revolution has set off a million car bombs of random knowledge at once, spraying info fragments through the marketplace of ideas.”

“Formality? The context of online communication is more like being in your car in a traffic jam than sitting across a table from someone and having a talk — and it’s easy to flip somebody off through a rolled-up window.”

“Nasty and ignorant letters affect the reader, too. A few ugly or stupid comments in a discussion thread have a disproportionate impact. Like drops of iodine in a glass of water, they discolor the whole discussion and scare more thoughtful commentators away.”

“Forget the word “elite”: In our laudable all-American haste to trash bogus royalty, let’s not forget there’s a completely different category. It’s called professionalism.”

Thankfully, Kayima does not simply tear into message board users and does concede that certain controls can better the situation. For instance, Slashdot has a tiered system for weighing users’ contributions. Lifehacker requires you to ask nicely. Wikipedia has its own complex system and hierarchy of users.

Many in the online news industry agree that story comments, while excellent to have, often result in simple-minded, often boorish spleen-venting and do not constitute a true online community. Personally, I am not even slightly loathe to nuke a message board if the conversation takes an offensive or disgusting turn, particularly when it involves someone’s death.

However, through user blogs and other innovative tools, I believe it’s possible to elevate the conversation to something that is even more useful for both writer and reader.

New York Times covers citizen journalism trend

Just caught an article that ran in yesterday’s New York Times about various local citizen journalism initiatives being carried out by individuals. (Also, make sure to check out David Carr’s interesting take on journalists blogging, and pay particularly attention to the section about news judgment being affected by page view metrics).

While Bob Tedeschi citizen journalism story is a nice look at the trend, I felt the story glossed over the profitability of the sites. About one site, Tedeschi writes:

“Readership [at WestportNow.com] is growing, he said, with between 5,000 and 7,000 visitors clicking on the site daily. Advertising revenues are also increasing, he said. Although the site still loses money, Mr. Joseloff said he hoped to develop similar sites elsewhere in Fairfield County.”

Aside from that line, the article gives no sense as to whether these other small hyperlocal sites will implode like Backfence seems to be doing. Of course, for those doing it strictly out of passion, then I suppose it doesn’t really matter, now does it?

And on a side note, let me give kudos to the Times for their new social networking features, particularly the permalink feature. Even though Michael Arrington angrily dissed it, I think it’s a great thing.

[UPDATE – Jan. 16] Liz George from Baristanet and Gordon Joseloff from WestportNow have responded in the comments. Tish Grier says on her blog that “the New York Times doesn’t quite get what citizen journalism is about.”

British newspapers paying Google for headline placement

Do I hear $10 for “Saddam Hussein hanging?” $15?

PaidContent highlights a Wall Street Journal report on the growing trend in the U.K. toward newspapers bidding on sponsored links on Google for news events. Some American newspapers have gotten in on the act too, including the New York Times, Washington Post and USAToday, according to the article.

I have no qualms about training journalists to write search-engine friendly headlines. Those headlines tend to work better on the Web anyway, and Google is the biggest driver of traffic just about anywhere.

Nevertheless, the question is: If this trend explodes here in the United States, will even mid-size and small news sites have any other choice but to join the auction?

Journalism students, professors need to read this

Mindy McAdams shouts it from the mountaintop: Students need a different skill set to prosper, and even survive, in today’s hectic journalism marketplace.
She writes:

“Now, let me hasten to say that some of those students are the very ones who are deliberately plugging their own ears and closing their eyes to reality. They are attached to a dream of becoming someone from the past — maybe photojournalist Eddie Adams, maybe gonzo writer Hunter S. Thompson — a journalist who only took pictures or who only wrote.”

Use the tools you have today, and craft your own legend instead.

[UPDATE 8:21 p.m.] Innovation in College Media’s Bryan Murley promises an interview on Monday with Howard Owens regarding this very topic. So tune in, young Jedi!