DFM chat: Mobile hardware and software for journalist

Exciting parking lot video

Digital First Media friends and other journalists, members of the community and fans of journalism are invited to take part in a Twitter chat Wednesday at noon, Eastern Time, to talk about all things journalism.

Today we are learning about mobile hardware and software for journalists, beyond the basics. Sure, you have a smartphone and Facebook and Twitter. What else do you bring to the field while on assignment? What apps do you have? What do you use for video?  What's on your home screen?

If you want to be in the post chat archive, post a comment in the container or a tweet with the hashtag "#dfmchat" so it can automatically appear below.

DFM chat: How do you learn new journalism skills?

I like to break things. With cats.

Digital First Media friends and other journalists, members of the community and fans of journalism are invited to take part in a Twitter chat Wednesday at noon, Eastern Time, to talk about all things journalism.


Today we are learning about learning! What are the best ways to acquire skills in today's constantly evolving news environment? What's the best way to share them? Where do you go to learn new things outside of your newsroom or workplace? Grab your tools and bring your links!



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Virtual reality and emerging technologies for small news organizations

The following are more (long) excerpts from a Slack chat with members of The Little Rebellion. part of Nancy Heiz's SUNY New Paltz's advance editing journalism class. Here's part I.

In this follow-up post, I'll explore immersive storytelling and emerging technologies, specifically virtual reality and 360-degree content as they relate to journalism and small newsrooms.

Let's get right to it!



Will virtual reality have a transformative role in journalism?

Virtual reality is not going to fundamentally affect journalism in a revolutionary way, for a number of reasons, which include its limitations (too expensive, blocks your view or reality); and penetration (not many people have it and nobody has it at all times).

It is, currently, another tool that helps tell stories in a new way.

However! Some of virtual reality's parts and other technologies are starting to form a new paradigm, which I do believe will change the way we consume information in a fundamental way, which could shake and disrupt journalism's forms and distribution, just as the Internet and social media have done before.

Because with these new technologies, everything's a platform.

The modern journalist

Let's talk about journalism.

The following are excerpts from a Slack chat with members of The Little Rebellion. part of Nancy Heiz's SUNY New Paltz's advance editing journalism class.

The purpose of the chat was to explore:

• Reporting skills and the role of the journalist in the newsroom of the future;
• Real-time live reporting and the platforms that enable it; and
• Immersive storytelling, specifically virtual reality and 360-degree content.

The chat took place over a number of days at sometimes at some funky hours, which allow me to not-so-much wax poetically but hopefully comprehensively elaborate on these topics. I thought it could be of use to the larger audience, including consumers, aspiring journalists and journalists at large. I've added some extra notes here and there and a totally irrelevant image or two to break the gray. I'm also breaking the chat in two. It was long!

In this post, I deal with the modern newsroom, digital tools and multitasking.

What skills do you need as a modern journalist?

This photo was taken with Google Glass lol

Digital First Media friends and other journalists, members of the community and fans of journalism are invited to take part in a Twitter chat Wednesday at noon, Eastern Time, to talk about all things journalism.

Today we're talking about a recurring favorite that changes with the times, as technology changes and newsrooms continue their permanent evolution (disruption, alas, is forever): What are, currently, the necessary skills for a journalist looking for a job or reporters or editors aiming to upgrade their skills? Is it better to be a jack-of-all-trades or a specialist in a niche? But even within a niche, what basic digital tools must a journalist possess or be familiar with? What resources can a journalist use (for free, preferably)? Bring your links and #realtalk.



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Journalism lessons from Steve Buttry

DFM chat: What skills will journalists need as their jobs evolve over time?

Digital First Media friends and other journalists, members of the community and fans of journalism are invited to take part in a Twitter chat Wednesday at noon, Eastern Time, to talk about all things journalism.

Today we're talking about the skills needed to keep up with tomorrow's journalism jobs. What skills will you need? What will newsrooms need? How do you keep up?
This is an exercise that's thinking ahead but also one that's looking at today's environment to determine where it's going, and what can we do about it now. Let's be nimble. Also, let's Daydream.




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DFM chat: What to prioritize during breaking news when you have to 'do it all'

Digital First Media friends and other journalists, members of the community and fans of journalism are invited to take part in a Twitter chat Wednesday at noon, Eastern Time, to talk about all things journalism.

Today we are going to talk about what to prioritize when covering breaking news, when you have to 'do it all' (and it's ridiculously obvious that such a thing is not really realistic). What are the right tools to bring to such a story, when there's only one person to cover it, with a smartphone and a notepad? What's a proper workflow? What things become optional ('nice to have' but not really necessary). Bring your tools, ideas and #realtalk.

If you want to be in the post chat archive, post a comment in the container or a tweet with the hashtag "#dfmchat" so it can automatically appear below.

DFM chat on improving online conversations

Digital First Media friends and other journalists, members of the community and fans of journalism are invited to take part in a Twitter chat Wednesday at noon, Eastern Time, to talk about all things journalism.

Today we are going to try (again!) to find novel but sustainable ways to improve online conversations. How much time and resources should be devoted to this effort? How can news orgs efficiently harness the conversations happening around them, in social media, forums (reddit?), etc? Can the tone be improved? How can the audience be involved in this effort? What about the best commenting platform as things are more and more mobile-centric?

If you want to be in the post chat archive, post a comment in the container or a tweet with the hashtag "#dfmchat" so it can automatically appear below.

Paved ideas at the intersection of raccoon cats and journalism

The first Smorgasburg Upstate weekend came and went and people mingled and ate and browsed crafts and funky furniture and old toys and tried to park. It was a well-attended affair and I'm curious to see how it fares on subsequent Saturdays. There were lots of familiar Kingston faces and venues at the event, and the food part of the fair had most of the attention from attendees. If you are interested, Brian has the deets. 
It was a bit too hot for my little one, so we ended up going to Kingston Point shortly afterward, where you could see the Hutton Brickyard while bathing. It is a great little beach on the Hudson and its water quality is fine, and I suspect, from my anecdotal conversations, that some locals avoid it out of fear of either water quality or mingling with the proles. More beach for us.

About that 'Spanish looking' suspect

What do news consumers really want?

A metaphor, or, sometimes a cat in a sea of hotdogs in space
is just a cat in a sea of hotdogs in space.

Journalists, Digital First Media peeps, anyone who wants to are going to participate in a Twitter chat Wednesday at noon, Eastern Time, to talk about all things journalism.


Today we are talking about news consumers! What do users (really) want from the news organizations in their communities?
Let's take this beyond the known platitudes and get down to the real answers, using what we know users actually consume, balanced with what journalists want to produce and what market forces want. Is there a middle ground? And how can news organizations achieve these  goals and fulfill this mission with limited resources? Can it really be done?

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Journalism's mad world

*Obligatory starting song*

It was a pretty hectic day yesterday manning the Freeman fort, thanks to the one Donald named Trump, not to mention The Chelsea Of The Clintons, plus your random police blotter acts of mayhem insanity, and only today I've been able to get some of the 360-degree stuff up.

I'm playing with those formats and presentation, still, trying to figure out the best way to deliver virtual reality and 360-degree content, considering that most of us don't yet have virtual reality devices, or good ones, anyway, secretly wondering if I'm trying to solve a problem nobody asked for.

But the wheels of disruption care not for professional existential anxieties, and just today, YouTube announced that it will support 360-degree video live-streaming, and that opens the possibilities tenfold, including hyperbolic "Matrix" references, even though nobody has figured out how to make this work in a sustainable business model, which is fine for us journalists, I guess, until we're all unemployed and wondering why everything crumbled around our overlong run-on sentences.

And we do all this while ducking charges of "This isn't journalism" and "how come you aren't covering x or y or this news or that?" while at the same time, another study of the obvious points out that "People hate hard news, but love pretending otherwise."

And so we must resurface another truth, that the light content partially subsidizes the harder things, by relieving it from market pressures to perform or fill random goals, and just let the journalism stand on its own.

And so it was Pulitzer Day today and the journalism was fierce, as was Congrats Media Twitter. So congrats to you if you don't know what Congrats Media Twitter is.

There's, of course, a proper essay hidden in all these thoughts, with accompanying gifs and assorted multimedia, neatly packaged in a monetized Facebook Instant article.
But not today.
Today we fight the Content Management System —I do have a day job — until the beast dies of stubborn obsolescence or it brings us down into the pits of darkness like a fire demon with nothing to lose.

It's a mad journalism world out there.
And I'm glad I get to try to shape it, if only a tiny bit.

P.S. I'm breaking form from the regular newsletter convention you all love (that's what I tell myself, anyway), but there's definitely a cat in one of those links. I guess you're going to have to click.

Yesterday's Internet, Today! also plays with forms of distribution and hopes you don't mind.

What are you thankful for?

Journalists, members of Digital First Media, and anyone who wants to are going to be taking part on our Twitter chat Wednesday at noon, Eastern Time, to talk about all things journalism.

It's a holiday week and we are thankful for that. Or are we? What should we be thankful for in journalism, considering all the things that have been going on in the industry? BONUS! Today's chat will be turned into a listicle, maybe with some animations? In 3-D?

via GIPHY

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Thanks for coming!

DFM chat on journalistic applications for virtual reality

Journalists, members of Digital First Media, sometimes students who for some reason are told to do this and the public are large are going to be taking part on the weekly Twitter chat Wednesday at noon, Eastern Time to talk about all things journalism.

Today is #BacktotheFutureDay and we are talking about virtual reality applications in journalism! Did you know you can already create some content for it? But should you? And what kind of content can journalists create that can further journalistic goals? Or is it just a gimmick? What are the ethical implications of virtual reality? Bring your Google Cardboard viewer, your ideas, links and your #realtalk.

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DFM chat on fair use and copyrights

Journalists, members of Digital First Media, sometimes students who for some reason are told to do this and the public are large are going to be taking part on the weekly Twitter chat Wednesday at noon, Eastern Time to talk about all things journalism.

Today we are talking about fair use and copyrights in the wake of Twitter suspending Deadspin and Sbnationgifs for posting gifs of NFL plays. Was that right? Was it ethical? What about reposting and embedding? It's going to get murky. Bring your #realtalk hoses, links and gifs!

If you want to chime in, post a comment in the container or a tweet with the hashtag "#dfmchat" so it can automatically appear below.

DFM chat on how to ethically gather news through social media

Journalists, members of Digital First Media  (maybe? Hello?) and members of the public are going to be taking part on the weekly Twitter chat Wednesday at noon, Eastern Time.

Today we are talking about how to ethically gather news through social media, especially during breaking news. But wait! How do you even know it's true? How do you approach using user-generated content?

If you want to chime in, post a comment in the container or a tweet with the hashtag "#dfmchat" so it can automatically appear below.

DFM chat on emerging trends in journalism

Journalists, members of Digital First Media and pretty much everyone else who wants to - are going to be taking part on the weekly Twitter chat Wednesday at noon, Eastern Time.

Today we are talking about emerging trends in journalism. From Facebook Signal to Virtual Reality to ad blockers and anything that's happening, including the rise of ad blocking. Let's get ahead of the curve. What are things to look forward? What should journalists keep an eye on? And what can journalists do in the meantime?

If you want to chime in, post a comment in the container or a tweet with the hashtag "#dfmchat" so it can automatically appear below.

DFM Chat on the use of vertical video in mobile

Journalists, members of Digital First Media and pretty much everyone else who wants to - are going to be taking part on the weekly Twitter chat Wednesday at noon, Eastern Time.

Today we are talking about vertical video! Why? Because phones! So what do you do with it? How can newsrooms handle them in articles? What do you do with videos after live streams via mobile apps? What about Snapchat?

If you want to chime in, post a comment in the container or a tweet with the hashtag "#dfmchat" so it can automatically appear below.

DFM chat on the ethical implications of showing graphic content

Journalists, members of Digital First Media and pretty much everyone else who wants to - are going to be taking part on the weekly Twitter chat Wednesday at noon, Eastern Time.

Today we are talking about the ethical implications of showing graphic content online and in social media. What are the ethical justifications for showing such content? And if so, what are the proper ways of doing so?

If you want to chime in, post a comment in the container or a tweet with the hashtag "#dfmchat" so it can automatically appear below.