A decade ago, reading the newspaper online was the “next big thing.” It seems, though, that the Internet is quickly becoming old hat. Reading the news on your cell phone is the “next big thing,” according to several online newspapers.
Eli Wendkos, Product Manager of Social Media at the Atlanta Journal Constitution, manages the paper’s use of new media channels, such as social networking sites and cell phones.
Wendkos said that mobile platform journalism is fast becoming a big industry. Although most newspapers haven’t yet seen drastic increases in revenue, he said, there is a big population of readers that prefer reading their news on their phone, in addition to the other benefits of the medium.
According to Wendkos, the AJC.com has employed mobile platform journalism since 2006. Those who wish to subscribe to the AJC.com’s text message system can do so online, and they are alerted instantly when there is update on a variety of story types, including local and national breaking news, entertainment, sports, weather, and lottery.
Subscribers have the option on AJC.com to check boxes for each of these categories, denoting whether they would like to receive texts or not. Many cell service providers support the service as well, which makes things easier for subscribers, who need only click their provider and the kinds of stories for which they’d like to receive texts.
Though the company has yet to see drastic increases in revenue from the switch, due to lag of advertisers behind the cell phone industry, Wendkos said that the program has been very successful at building a following of readers that prefers reading the news on their phones.
“I think you’re going to see mobile platform journalism continue to be a distribution mechanism for content, especially as technology continues to push forward,” he said. “You’re probably going to see a move to smart phones, as well as an increase in focus on video submissions.”
The AJC.com is not the only online newspaper to offer a text message-based news service. CNN.com also offers similar features to the AJC, in addition to multimedia options such as photos, and electronic polling.
CNN.com could not be reached for comment, despite effort to make contact.
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Robert described himself as a confident but deliberate writer. He warned me that because he likes to self-edit and correct as he writes that he might be on the slow side when it comes to actually writing the story. However, he doesn't use an outline, and when he sits down to write the story, its usually fairly close to deadline and done in one sitting. Robert is very particular about his leads, and that's usually where he'll spend the most time. The rest of the story flows pretty naturally, as he is a focused notetaker and most all the notes he takes end up in the story. The lead is the most difficult part of a story for him, while selecting quotes is the easiest.
ReplyDeleteFantastic source and good research! As far as the story in general, I love that you focused on specific newspapers and what changes they are making, rather than collecting overreaching trend data. I think it makes the story more accessible and interesting to those of us who may want to subscribe to these services. You tell the readers exactly what the new technology is, and how to use it. This story was interesting to me because I did not know that text services such as these existed. Too bad about CNN, but I think Wendkos gave you plenty to work with.
ReplyDeleteObviously, 3 more sources in your final
On the style: solidly written. Very clear and concise. Straight news angle, exactly how I would have written it. I don't think you should add too much creativity to a story like this, because it could confuse people. This story is meant to inform, and it does that very well. Maybe consider rewording the lead to avoid using "next big thing" was that a quote from Wendkos? Or is it just being used as a common phrase? It might be a tad cliche if so. Other than that, the story's about 200 words short, but that's an easy fix once you add your sources! And I think Wendkos age should be included as well in the attribution.