Get with the program, people

By Matthew Boyle | mboyle@flagler.edu

It’s that time of year again. We, The Gargoyle staff, just submitted our web newspaper for the Online Pacemaker award to the Associated Collegiate Press.

It got me thinking, though, that there are still hundreds if not thousands of student newspapers out there still with a print-first mentality. It irks me that fellow journalism students, who read and consume the majority of their news content online, have this glorified perception of print news.

When friends and co-workers of mine at The Gargoyle ask me: “What’s going to be in print?.” I answer, “Who cares?”

A print newspaper’s distribution only has limited reach and can only contain so much information. The print reporter is also limited by publication frequency.

Online news providers, however, have virtually unlimited reach and barely any size limits. Also, online reporters can file at any time on any day.

Let me tell you again, student journalists, in case it hasn’t seeped in yet: Print newspapers are going to die.

They might not go away completely, but print newspapers will certainly not be the focus of publication.

Fellow student journalists: act now. Get on board the new media train before it leaves you behind.

I also recommend that the ACP remove completely or lower the emphasis of a “Newspaper Pacemaker.” Call it a “News Service Pacemaker.”

Get a workflow together to help shift to web-first newsroom

By Matthew Boyle | mboyle@flagler.edu

The hardest part of a shift from a print-first mindset to a web-first mindset at a newspaper is getting a consistent workflow set up. When we switched to web-first at The Gargoyle, we had to develop a plan on how we were going to get a regular flow of copy and multimedia content through the staff to the Web site.

In print-first newsroom, it’s simple. Your reporter or writer sends in his or her story, the photographer sends in his or her images, the editor fixes it and design staff lays out the print edition. At each spot along the way, somebody has to give something to somebody else.

In the web-first newsroom, it’s a bit more difficult. The reporters, writers, editors, photographers and design staff members often double or triple in other roles. When making the switch, which you should already be doing, outline each person’s specific roles and hold your staff to their responsibilities.

As for the specific content, have designated places for each step of the “newsroom process” for the digital files to go.

At The Gargoyle, I set up a “Copyflow” folder with three steps:

1. To Sections. When a reporter’s stories come in, section editors put the word documents in there.


2. To Editors. When section editors are done with the copy, they put it here so the managing editor and co-editors in chief can look at it.


3. To Publish. After the managing editor or one co-editor in chief proofs the copy, it goes here for any last revisions before publishing online.

Also, two more folders are in the “Copyflow,” system: a “Published” folder for copy after it’s published and a “Spiked” folder for stuff that doesn’t make it through the editing process.

I also set up a “Photoflow” and “Multimediaflow” based on the same process.

Following these guidelines, or something similar, will dramatically help the switch to web-first.

Online journalism revenue success depends on content flow

By Matthew Boyle | mboyle@flagler.edu

The first step in developing a successful online or new media advertising revenue model is to build an audience. Why should it be any different than how traditional media stream revenue?

A print newspaper’s ad sales staff will present readership and subscription numbers and statistics to potential advertisers and a broadcast venue’s ad sales staff will present viewer and ratings numbers and statistics to potential advertisers. Both systems seemed to have worked pretty well in the past, right?

Web media should do the same. Editorial operators should be building web audiences to present to potential advertisers. It isn’t much different than old media. Actually, it’s exactly the same. When online news content quality starts improving, so will readership and ad sales revenue.

To make money, web publishers need to look to reporters and editors with the highest journalistic standards and strongest reporting and writing skills to keep regular readers coming back. Then, those web publishers can take that audience and market it to community advertisers, just like a tradition media outlet, like a newspaper, radio station or television station.

On the other hand, however, if online news content quality starts suffering, expect readership numbers to decline as well as advertising revenues.

Stop blowing up my Twitter!

By Matthew Boyle | mboyle@flagler.edu

I don’t need six tweets on Jan. 28 about Tom Manuel’s sentencing, all in one day.

I have certain Twitter Feeds texted to my cell phone. Normally, this allows me to keep up on the big breaking stories but, lately, I’ve found it to be quite annoying.

As the Co-Editor in Chief of The Gargoyle, the student newspaper of Flagler College in St. Augustine, Fla., I follow the local daily newspaper, The St. Augustine Record on Twitter and have its tweets texted to my cell phone.

Whoever is running the Twitter account over there really needs to lay off the tweets. I’m glad your news organization is starting to incorporate social media, but I don’t need six tweets – which translate into texts for me – in one day about Tom Manuel.

Also, if you take anything from this post St. Augustine Record-Tweeter, make it: if you’re going to blow up your Twitter followers’ accounts and cell phones, it better be worth it, not old news that isn’t interesting anymore.

I’m seriously considering stopping following the St. Augustine Record’s Twitter.

Either tweet all your headlines, like we do at The Gargoyle, or tweet stories of interest. But, seriously, don’t turn off your social media followers as soon as you get them.