Was tied up by actual work there for a bit. Sorry. I'll try not to let it happen again. But I can't promise anything.
Today I have for you another installment of advice to editors that is also Pet Peeve 5,021:
Stop this "sign up" madness now!
Any newspaper that requires you to make up some information, otherwise known as "registering" and tracks your reading habits must be boycotted immediately. All Web sites not requiring registration should immediately sever all links to registration sites.
Listen to me, people, no one is inputting their actual data. The Little Rock paper thinks I'm a 43-year-old rich Asian monkey named Peko. Who is this helping? Please, please, just stop.
Friday, April 29, 2005
Thursday, April 21, 2005
Study of the Obvious
Timely to the reinvention of my blog is this article on the Editor & Publisher Web site, regarding a study by the Carnegie Corp. on why youngsters like me aren't reading newspapers.
My favorite parts are:
In his report, Brown argues that traditional news outlets must figure out ways to "engage" young people the way the Internet does. "In short, the future of the U.S. news industry is seriously threatened by the seemingly irrevocable move by young people away from traditional sources of news," he writes.
As an industry, newspapers in particular are doing a poor job of responding to these new market pressures, said Brown, a former Washington Post reporter: "Here's this huge revenue opportunity that has moved to Yahoo. Yahoo is having these amazing [financial] quarters. And the newspaper industry response to that is to trim the staff of their online news sites because they want to keep their bottom line. This is classic business school fodder here. When somebody else is eating your lunch, your response is to run away? The industry needs to invest."
"There's not enough risk-taking in the newspaper industry."
It took a study to figure this stuff out? I have taken a poll of one (myself) and come up with the same conclusions they did.
Newspapers should listen to the young people on their staff or better yet promote some younger people to various editor levels; some people who perhaps haven't spent years and years listening to: "This is the way it's always been done and I don't see a reason to change that now."
Also, this guy is stealing my ideas.
My favorite parts are:
In his report, Brown argues that traditional news outlets must figure out ways to "engage" young people the way the Internet does. "In short, the future of the U.S. news industry is seriously threatened by the seemingly irrevocable move by young people away from traditional sources of news," he writes.
As an industry, newspapers in particular are doing a poor job of responding to these new market pressures, said Brown, a former Washington Post reporter: "Here's this huge revenue opportunity that has moved to Yahoo. Yahoo is having these amazing [financial] quarters. And the newspaper industry response to that is to trim the staff of their online news sites because they want to keep their bottom line. This is classic business school fodder here. When somebody else is eating your lunch, your response is to run away? The industry needs to invest."
"There's not enough risk-taking in the newspaper industry."
It took a study to figure this stuff out? I have taken a poll of one (myself) and come up with the same conclusions they did.
Newspapers should listen to the young people on their staff or better yet promote some younger people to various editor levels; some people who perhaps haven't spent years and years listening to: "This is the way it's always been done and I don't see a reason to change that now."
Also, this guy is stealing my ideas.
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
Interlude: Pet Peeve 386
Bible verses airbrushed on cars/trucks.
I wish I had a camera phone, folks, because I cannot do justice to what I witnessed yesterday. I am headed east on a seven lane road. I am in the middle lane. Directly in front of me is a car whose license plate reads CRKWHR. It takes me a minute but I realize this person has a personalized tag that says Crack Whore. I crack up laughing. Then I look a the white pickup truck in the left lane and see:
"In all things I gave you an example, that so laboring ye ought to help the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that he himself said, It is more blessed to give than to receive." - Acts 20:35
It was airbrushed in this sort of light blue and pink lettering on the door to the truck bed and I thought, "This is truly one of the signs of the apocalypse."
I'm now having that verse from Revelations airbrushed on my truck.
I wish I had a camera phone, folks, because I cannot do justice to what I witnessed yesterday. I am headed east on a seven lane road. I am in the middle lane. Directly in front of me is a car whose license plate reads CRKWHR. It takes me a minute but I realize this person has a personalized tag that says Crack Whore. I crack up laughing. Then I look a the white pickup truck in the left lane and see:
"In all things I gave you an example, that so laboring ye ought to help the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that he himself said, It is more blessed to give than to receive." - Acts 20:35
It was airbrushed in this sort of light blue and pink lettering on the door to the truck bed and I thought, "This is truly one of the signs of the apocalypse."
I'm now having that verse from Revelations airbrushed on my truck.
Tuesday, April 19, 2005
Music, Fonts and Jon Stewart
I suppose this really falls under the previous category of free stuff, but I would suggest that newspapers follow the Oxford American and other magazines (and clothing stores; remember when clothing stores like Express put out CDs of the music they played?) and try putting together an annual CD of local music that would go out to subscribers only. It would coincide with a special section on local music, featuring everything from the super famous (Elvis, Britney Spears anyone?) to garage rock. That would be something for the marketing department to do. (We have one here but they don't seem to actually do much marketing.)
Under 30s - and as we all know by now, Bucky speaks for all Under 30s - love music and most cities of any respectable size spend a lot of time hyping their local talent. I bet CDs would bring in more readership than signs on bus shelters do. Then at the biggest papers, they could even host a concert, perhaps on newspaper grounds or nearby. It could be a big weekend affair, open to the public. Maybe it would take on a life of its own like that Down from the Mountain tour. This could be the next huge thing. I smell a Cohen Brothers movie...
Some other thoughts I had this week:
-Text messaging headlines to Under 30s mobile phones.
-Newspaper reality show on local or cable access TV, featuring the "real life" of newspapers (people will be shocked, shocked to find out that we don't run around like Meg Ryan in "Sleepless in Seattle" or Naomi Watts in "The Ring" and we don't have adventures like anyone in "The Paper," though we do drink as much Coke).
-Web chats with reporters, editors, critics, etc., like the New York Times does. Newspapers are horrible at creating virtual communities. They need to get some sci-fi, gaming geeks in to operate that aspect of the business and stop moving people management doesn't like any more over to run the online presence. They need to fully staff the online department because posting the print version on a Web site and updating with AP breaking news, ain't cutting it.
-Get some columnists that write about something other than politics and kids, unless you find the next Jon Stewart. Better yet, somebody please convince Jon Steward to write a syndicated column. We Under 30s need a little laughter with our carnage and coffee, please.
-For God's sake CHANGE THE FRIGGIN FONTS! Uniformity is not the sign of a good newspaper, it's the sign of chicken shit paper. You have all these fonts and never use them. You wanna know why there are companies that exist only to make the opening credits to movies? So people will watch them. So people will want to get to movies before they start. So people will fork over $8 to $12 bucks a pop plus popcorn and soda, even for "Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous." Hell, they give an Academy Award for opening credits. That's how important it is. Jazz things up.
Seriously, Jazz them up.
Literally.
There is a font called Jazz.
Use it.
Under 30s - and as we all know by now, Bucky speaks for all Under 30s - love music and most cities of any respectable size spend a lot of time hyping their local talent. I bet CDs would bring in more readership than signs on bus shelters do. Then at the biggest papers, they could even host a concert, perhaps on newspaper grounds or nearby. It could be a big weekend affair, open to the public. Maybe it would take on a life of its own like that Down from the Mountain tour. This could be the next huge thing. I smell a Cohen Brothers movie...
Some other thoughts I had this week:
-Text messaging headlines to Under 30s mobile phones.
-Newspaper reality show on local or cable access TV, featuring the "real life" of newspapers (people will be shocked, shocked to find out that we don't run around like Meg Ryan in "Sleepless in Seattle" or Naomi Watts in "The Ring" and we don't have adventures like anyone in "The Paper," though we do drink as much Coke).
-Web chats with reporters, editors, critics, etc., like the New York Times does. Newspapers are horrible at creating virtual communities. They need to get some sci-fi, gaming geeks in to operate that aspect of the business and stop moving people management doesn't like any more over to run the online presence. They need to fully staff the online department because posting the print version on a Web site and updating with AP breaking news, ain't cutting it.
-Get some columnists that write about something other than politics and kids, unless you find the next Jon Stewart. Better yet, somebody please convince Jon Steward to write a syndicated column. We Under 30s need a little laughter with our carnage and coffee, please.
-For God's sake CHANGE THE FRIGGIN FONTS! Uniformity is not the sign of a good newspaper, it's the sign of chicken shit paper. You have all these fonts and never use them. You wanna know why there are companies that exist only to make the opening credits to movies? So people will watch them. So people will want to get to movies before they start. So people will fork over $8 to $12 bucks a pop plus popcorn and soda, even for "Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous." Hell, they give an Academy Award for opening credits. That's how important it is. Jazz things up.
Seriously, Jazz them up.
Literally.
There is a font called Jazz.
Use it.
Monday, April 18, 2005
Old news is not good news
My topic today for the newspaper editors of America is old news (which by definition is not news at all).
You see, Mr. and Mrs. Joe(leen) Editor, we under 30s have this crazy thing called Internet. And on the Internet we have access to all sorts of things, among which are these two web sites Yahoo! News and Google News. On these Web sites they do this wacky thing wherein they post stories from today's AP, AFP, Reuters, Bloomberg, et al. That's right, the very SAME wire services YOU are getting stories from for TOMORROW's paper. So you see, these stories you are putting on the front page on Iraq, world events, national politics, we have already read. Yesterday.
Not to mention there is cable TV, which has nothing better to fill the airwaves with than hours of uninterrupted Michael Jackson trial coverage, disasters, hostage-taking, the new Harry Potter book. So I have no need for your wire stories by the time they make it in the paper.
Now I know there are older readers that you want to keep, many of whom do not have Internet since they are retired and can't spend their day not working and instead reading news Web sites at their desk while waiting for their porn to load. But you see, THOSE people also have nothing better to do than read the ENTIRE paper. So you can safely put the war stories, etc. INSIDE the paper where we under 30s never look and where the way over 30s are sure to read.
And don't go trying to use the Washington Post or New York Times services because I already read those papers on the Internet as well. The only exception to this rule, the only one, is if you ARE the Washington Post and New York Times and you have your own Iraq and Michael Jackson reporters who are producing something original and new. However if they are just writing their own version of the same stuff that's on the wire, then forget about it. Put that crap inside somewhere and give us this:
"Indians 'Marry' Sacred Trees to Ward Off Evil Eye"
Reuters - Residents in the Indian city of Calcutta have "married" two colorfully decorated trees in an elaborate ceremony to ward off an evil spell.
Marrying trees.
Now that is news.
It's not all the news. I'm not suggesting we just fill a paper with news of the weird. But a little weirdness on the front page never hurt anyone and indeed will probably help make shiny new raises for your staff as circulation climbs to new heights. But we also need in-depth stories that showcase good reporting, draw in the reader and maybe bring light to a problem.
Sadly, since it's Monday I have no examples for you. However, maybe later in the week I'll come across something compelling and we can discuss that. In the meantime, if you all know of any good stories we should read (not just the under 30s amongst us, but all ages) please post it here.
You see, Mr. and Mrs. Joe(leen) Editor, we under 30s have this crazy thing called Internet. And on the Internet we have access to all sorts of things, among which are these two web sites Yahoo! News and Google News. On these Web sites they do this wacky thing wherein they post stories from today's AP, AFP, Reuters, Bloomberg, et al. That's right, the very SAME wire services YOU are getting stories from for TOMORROW's paper. So you see, these stories you are putting on the front page on Iraq, world events, national politics, we have already read. Yesterday.
Not to mention there is cable TV, which has nothing better to fill the airwaves with than hours of uninterrupted Michael Jackson trial coverage, disasters, hostage-taking, the new Harry Potter book. So I have no need for your wire stories by the time they make it in the paper.
Now I know there are older readers that you want to keep, many of whom do not have Internet since they are retired and can't spend their day not working and instead reading news Web sites at their desk while waiting for their porn to load. But you see, THOSE people also have nothing better to do than read the ENTIRE paper. So you can safely put the war stories, etc. INSIDE the paper where we under 30s never look and where the way over 30s are sure to read.
And don't go trying to use the Washington Post or New York Times services because I already read those papers on the Internet as well. The only exception to this rule, the only one, is if you ARE the Washington Post and New York Times and you have your own Iraq and Michael Jackson reporters who are producing something original and new. However if they are just writing their own version of the same stuff that's on the wire, then forget about it. Put that crap inside somewhere and give us this:
"Indians 'Marry' Sacred Trees to Ward Off Evil Eye"
Reuters - Residents in the Indian city of Calcutta have "married" two colorfully decorated trees in an elaborate ceremony to ward off an evil spell.
Marrying trees.
Now that is news.
It's not all the news. I'm not suggesting we just fill a paper with news of the weird. But a little weirdness on the front page never hurt anyone and indeed will probably help make shiny new raises for your staff as circulation climbs to new heights. But we also need in-depth stories that showcase good reporting, draw in the reader and maybe bring light to a problem.
Sadly, since it's Monday I have no examples for you. However, maybe later in the week I'll come across something compelling and we can discuss that. In the meantime, if you all know of any good stories we should read (not just the under 30s amongst us, but all ages) please post it here.
Friday, April 15, 2005
"Under 30s with money to burn" does not = "children"
Newspaper editors of America,
Stop putting stories about schools and day care programs on the front page. On a recent random day, the front page of my local paper had three, count them 1-2-3 stories on schools. The number of young women NOT having children is INCREASING not decreasing. There is a reason the New York Times most e-mailed list, Yahoo! and Google News do not have school stories listed. Children belong somewhere in Metro, anything located under Yahoo's category Oddly Enough belongs on the front page. This is because news of the weird attracts people's attention, even those with kids.
Seriously, which of these would you guys rather read:
1. A South African zoo is trying to persuade its star chimpanzee to kick a bad smoking habit.
2. Germantown mom exposes grade trap.
Come on now, be truthful. You all want to know about the smoking monkey. Smoking monkeys kick ass. Grade traps, do not.
Stop putting stories about schools and day care programs on the front page. On a recent random day, the front page of my local paper had three, count them 1-2-3 stories on schools. The number of young women NOT having children is INCREASING not decreasing. There is a reason the New York Times most e-mailed list, Yahoo! and Google News do not have school stories listed. Children belong somewhere in Metro, anything located under Yahoo's category Oddly Enough belongs on the front page. This is because news of the weird attracts people's attention, even those with kids.
Seriously, which of these would you guys rather read:
1. A South African zoo is trying to persuade its star chimpanzee to kick a bad smoking habit.
2. Germantown mom exposes grade trap.
Come on now, be truthful. You all want to know about the smoking monkey. Smoking monkeys kick ass. Grade traps, do not.
Thursday, April 14, 2005
Free Stuff (Newspapers of the world, pay attention, yo!)
In honor of my approaching 30th birthday and thus my leave-taking of the "all important under 30 readership group," I will now rededicate my blog to the pursuit of the betterment of newspapers worldwide by offering them free advice from this under 30 on how to attract us.
Today's topic: Free Stuff.
Under 30s love free stuff. Even those of us who now have money to buy the stuff we want, still act like we're in college. Our homes are filled with crap we don't need -- vinyl bags, orange and green makeup samples, too large t-shirts, clocks that worked for all of 20 seconds and then promptly broke after we finally figured out how to set the correct time, socks made of recycled newspaper. We love it all! We can't get enough of it. Gimme Gimme Gimme!
Give us free stuff and we will follow you into the bowls of hell. Give us free stuff and we will rise up against our common sense and check the box that says, "Yes. Sign me up for 260 months of daily news coverage!" Learn from magazines. Learn from infomercials. Learn from Subway and the Frequent Sub Club.
Free stuff.
Today's topic: Free Stuff.
Under 30s love free stuff. Even those of us who now have money to buy the stuff we want, still act like we're in college. Our homes are filled with crap we don't need -- vinyl bags, orange and green makeup samples, too large t-shirts, clocks that worked for all of 20 seconds and then promptly broke after we finally figured out how to set the correct time, socks made of recycled newspaper. We love it all! We can't get enough of it. Gimme Gimme Gimme!
Give us free stuff and we will follow you into the bowls of hell. Give us free stuff and we will rise up against our common sense and check the box that says, "Yes. Sign me up for 260 months of daily news coverage!" Learn from magazines. Learn from infomercials. Learn from Subway and the Frequent Sub Club.
Free stuff.
Thursday, April 07, 2005
Take Me Out...
So today, here where I work, it is Cap Day. I guess we're all supposed to wear a baseball cap of our favorite baseball team to celebrate opening day for our local minor league team. Only, I don't actually see anyone wearing baseball caps (I'm glad for this). I imagine at some point we'll be harassed by the organizers of Cap Day and forced to wear one of the "extra" hats they're sure to have brought, insuring we all look ridiculous sitting at our computers with baseball hats on.
This is apparently one of their bizarre attempts to rescue employee moral from the dumpsters. It's going to take a lot more than Cap Day to do that. As a matter of fact, every day could be Cap Day for the rest of the year and it wouldn't help.
This is apparently one of their bizarre attempts to rescue employee moral from the dumpsters. It's going to take a lot more than Cap Day to do that. As a matter of fact, every day could be Cap Day for the rest of the year and it wouldn't help.
What time IS it?
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A House committee voted on Wednesday to expand U.S. daylight-saving time by two months to help reduce energy consumption.
The panel agreed in a voice vote to move the start of daylight-saving time in the United States -- which occurs when clocks are turned forward by one hour -- one month earlier to the first Sunday in March. The end of daylight time would be moved back one month to the last Sunday in November.
Supporters of the amendment, sponsored by Michigan Republican Fred Upton, said it would save about 10,000 barrels of oil a day because offices and stores would be open while it was still light outside and therefore use less energy.
The move would also help businesses in downtown areas, supporters said. "There's more economic activity, because people feel they can walk around safely," said Democrat Edward Markey of Massachusetts.
Does anyone else find it weird that you can just move daylight-saving time around willy nilly?
The panel agreed in a voice vote to move the start of daylight-saving time in the United States -- which occurs when clocks are turned forward by one hour -- one month earlier to the first Sunday in March. The end of daylight time would be moved back one month to the last Sunday in November.
Supporters of the amendment, sponsored by Michigan Republican Fred Upton, said it would save about 10,000 barrels of oil a day because offices and stores would be open while it was still light outside and therefore use less energy.
The move would also help businesses in downtown areas, supporters said. "There's more economic activity, because people feel they can walk around safely," said Democrat Edward Markey of Massachusetts.
Does anyone else find it weird that you can just move daylight-saving time around willy nilly?
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