Category Archives: Web development

News site needs new, innovative user interfaces

Posted on January 12, 2009 by pat

We can all agree that the Web is a vastly different medium than print. Which is why I can’t understand why almost every news site tries to emulate the user interface of a newspaper. The mediums are nothing alike, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Site relaunches, social networks, State of journalism, Web development | Comments Off

A hyperlocal/beat blogging experiment

Posted on August 18, 2008 by pat

Sometimes the best way to learn about a subject is just to go out and experiment. With that thought in mind, I’ve launched a hyperlocal/beat blogging experiment, Chagrin Valley Sports. My goal is simple: provide better and more in-depth coverage … Continue reading →

Posted in hyperlocal, SEO, Web development | Comments Off

The long tail and SEO work

Posted on July 30, 2008 by pat

On May 8th, I made a post about how a previous post from a year earlier had a resurgence in traffic. I thought that traffic would eventually subside, but I was wrong. In less than 3 months, that post has … Continue reading →

Posted in online media, SEO, Web development | Comments Off

A little HTML never hurt anybody

Posted on February 22, 2008 by pat

A whole debate has sprung up on whether or not journalism schools should be teaching Dreamweaver and the basics of Web design. I’m not going to touch that debate today, but I am going to argue that every journalist should … Continue reading →

Posted in State of journalism, Web development | Comments Off

Mobile is the future of the Web and news

Posted on February 15, 2008 by pat

The Internet and the Web are here to stay, but how we connect with both will be changing. The personal computer isn’t going anywhere, but people are increasingly accessing the Internet and the Web via mobile devices like smartphones. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Mainstream Media, mobile Web, multimedia journalism, new media journalism, newspapers, State of journalism, Web development | Comments Off

Some sites that use Drupal

Posted on February 14, 2008 by pat

Not convinced that a free, open source project could work for your company? Here is a list of some companies that use Drupal as a content management system: The Onion – The Onion was founded on a college campus. So, … Continue reading →

Posted in CMS, Web development | Comments Off

Drupal 6 is an even better CMS option

Posted on February 14, 2008 by pat

Drupal 6 officially launched yesterday, bringing new features, better security and faster performance, while being easier to use. This is great news for news organizations looking for a cheap and flexible CMS option, especially college newspapers. If a college newspaper … Continue reading →

Posted in CMS, Web development | Comments Off

My advice for j-students who want to make a difference (and get a job)

Posted on January 31, 2008 by pat

I just told you how journalism is not a good career choice for most of you, but I know many of you are going to attempt to change journalism and I salute you. Therefor, I would be remiss if I … Continue reading →

Posted in education, multimedia journalism, new media journalism, State of journalism, Web development | Comments Off

You know, you don’t have to do video

Posted on January 25, 2008 by pat

Apparently every newspaper that has a bad Web site got some sort of memo that said, “if you just put video on your Web site, you’ll get tons of traffic and be a modern newspaper. It’ll be totally bitchin’.” But … Continue reading →

Posted in new media journalism, State of journalism, Web development | Comments Off

Every newspaper should pay attention to EveryBlock

Posted on January 23, 2008 by pat

EveryBlock is ChicagoCrime.org on steroids, and it is officially here to change the face of journalism forever. EveryBlock strives to put data into the hands of citizens down to the block level. It strives to give users a much better … Continue reading →

Posted in new media journalism, Web development | Comments Off