Nothing is going to really change, and will probably get far worse before they get better.

So I have now dived into the world of online feature writing!

It’s relatively straight forward: write anything about anything, it gets put up on the topic-broad website, and voila…. published!
Depending on how many people visit the site depends on how much money you earn.

I have two articles up and have generated… 12 cents.

Ok – so it’s not going to make me a millionaire, but that is still 12 cents I did not have before (8p for fellow Brits). And who knows, with more articles I could double it.

I’ve heard fantastical success stories about ordinary housewives who have made thousands but I am certainly not holding out much hope it will happen to me.
But if it is doing anything, it is providing me with more and more feature writing experience; allowing me to hone my skills ahead of any future jobs in features.

So I will warmly accept my 12 cents with a smile on my face and a skip in my step. It could lead to much more down the line.

DW

This weekend, a popular food festival is being hosted in the local town complete with stalls selling a plethora of tasty treats; activities for the kids like face-painting and art workshops; buskers and musicians playing throughout the day; and all this set amidst a breath-taking backdrop of rolling mountains and a historic castle.

Aside from taking 3/4 snaps for the paper (as requested), what else can be done?

Harping on about the power of the Internet may make me sound like a broken record, but this is exactly the sort of event which lends itself perfectly to a more rounded and complete story. And one which is sure to link traffic from the newspaper to the website.

First of all I’ll be taking a minimum of 12 good shots. In fact, my camera will be clicking away non-stop until the memory card is practically full.
Even in this dull light, the colourful stalls and smiling people are sure to make for some excellent snaps and will be right at home in an online gallery.

Second – movies.

You don’t need a HD hand held to get website competent film. Even with my back-up FujiFilm ‘carry-around’ camera, the movie quality is surprisingly good. By snapping just a few short crowd scenes to stitch together later in iMovie with an up-beat backing track, we have yet another page for keen food festival lovers to visit online.

Third is social networking.

Granted – the majority of people who will probably be attending the food festival are not 12-23 year olds who will be more likely at home X-Boxing it up, but the increased number of over 25s befriending the newspaper’s mostly neglected Facebook site shows promise.

A quick discussion board inviting visitors to share their favourite stalls at the festival, to write what they bought, or to find out any unhappy purchases (which could be turned into a newsworthy follow up), and the results could be promising.

All three of these ‘extras’ are not only simple to do, but require minimal extra work. Taking the pictures and the movies will take no more time out of my day because I am there anyway.
Processing will take 20 minutes top – even on an ageing iMac G5 – and adding a Facebook forum to a Group takes as along as a few mouse clicks.

I know there may be many reporters and photographers who would quickly speed-dial their union rep at the prospect of going above and beyond their job description to do such things.
But if we expect to keep our industry alive, we must embrace these new tools and use them to keep ahead of the curve.

You can’t keep on doing the same old thing, then complain when dropping sales and revenue leaves you jobless.

Will these three extras do anything to help boost website visits? We shall see. But at least we’re trying.

Just like there will always be people who believe you should throw salt over your shoulder if you spill it, or you should never swim after you eat, I’m sure there will always be editors who don’t believe the Internet is important.

But while avoiding going for a dip after a snack may be sound advice – you wouldn’t want to cramp up and drown – dismissing the Internet as a flight of fancy could mark the death of journalism.

Too severe? Maybe. In one way, shape or form written news will always be available – whether that is supplied by trusted reporters who are paid to find the truth or via the legions of ever growing citizen journalists armed with rumour and hearsay, who take refuge in their anonymity so they can report without consequence or concern.

But I digress.

An Internet presence cannot and should not be seen as a mere side-project to the paper.
It is not the cycling monkeys performing before The Beatles: something spangly and shiny to make you go ‘ooh’ while you wait for the main event.
It is the newspaper and vice versa; a digital representation of the qualities, the trust and the reputation earned in the physical form.

To ignore technology’s role in journalism is like ignoring a steam-train pummeling down the tracks towards your head. Whether you like it or not, it’s going to hit.

Am I heralding the dissolution of the written word in paper format? Not at all. But now more than ever this industry has to be wide-eyed and receptive to what’s happening online.

How many teenagers do you know regularly purchase a daily newspaper? Now take that figure and compare it to the amount of teenagers who log on to Facebook daily?
It’s pretty obvious who wins there, so why not try to tap into the lost demographic. Get them engaged not only with local news, but with the newspaper.
Dangle the title under their noses by embracing them on their chosen format. Brand it.

Burying heads in the sand and cost-cutting can only get you so far, why not try something new today?

DW

Case in point: Wales.

As many Welsh and non-Welsh alike are quite aware, Wales is a sizeable place.
According to the Bastions of Modern Information (otherwise known as Wikipedia) it is home to more than 3,000,000 people and takes up 8,022 square miles of planet Earth.

But this doesn’t seem to get in the way of a North Wales newspaper (which even has North Wales in the publication’s title) being phoned about a story/event/business based in Cardiff.

Despite the North Wales coast being 245 miles away, with a plethora of mountains, rivers and non-traversable rural country lying inbetween, it would appear Cardiff = Wales.

If you live in Wales, you are around the corner from Cardiff. You live there, work there, and holiday there. It is the essence of Wales. It is Wales.

So all you PR companies out there, please acknowledge this appeal. Before you press that Send button, or pick up the phone to inform a regional title about your brand new product/store opening/latest campaign… please stop.
Go to Google Maps and take a look at where your client is based.
Then take 30 seconds to see if the under-staffed and over-worked newspaper you are about to harass is even remotely near that location.

If it is, then phone away!

If not, then aren’t you glad you checked before appearing foolish?

DW

Cost-cutting, down-sizing and job losses are happening to many news corporations across this fair isle, so to even have a hallowed position within the industry is seen as a blessing, not a right.

But while the resources dwindle, the expectations on reporters is certainly increasing.

Rallying to meet all kinds of demands from picture-desk duties and web-managers to advertising liaison officers and inter-departmental coordinators, the trusty reporter may occasionally have enough spare minutes in a hectic day to actually write some news.

One thing for sure is that the classic stereotype of a reporter turning out nothing but solid copy must change as the industry shapes itself around that fickle beast known as the Internet.

After checking out a poorly constructed but highly informative lecture on iTunes’ underused iTunes U (a University based learning section of the ever growing conglomerate music store), a brief talk by Chris Rattey from The Tuscaloosa News hit the nail on the head when it comes to what he looks for in a reporter: someone who is conscious of the resources available on the web.

Whether it is taking extra pictures to use in an online gallery, incorporating social networking to attract feedback, or recording some brief film snippets to accompany an article – the Internet is an important tool to consider before entering into any story.

But does this progressive thinking fit into the bureaucratic traditionalism inherent in British newspapers?
And are the facilities and resources available in the average newsroom?

More importantly: can the newspaper and its online presence share a symbiotic relationship?

A glance across the pond at how American newspapers like The Rocky Mountain News have fallen should be a warning to editors in this country how ‘too little too late’ can be avoided with a proactive attitude.

But the real question is, can the Great British reader make the move from turning a page to clicking a mouse?

DW

My own May Ball was a bit tame – no band of any note came and it was all a bit… pathetic.
But this was certainly different.

Fairground rides, a host of musical acts,  chill-out rooms, cocktail bars, burger vans, popcorn… All very entertaining.
But not more so than the fashion disasters which paraded around the campus.

From velour to leather, every kind of outfit from bondage to 80′s inspired prom dresses were on display with no hint of irony at all!
One particularly eye-catching offering resembled a wedding dress.

So it goes to show, getting older  is not such a bad thing after all.

DW