Posts filed under “Web development”
Give users a reason to stay on your site
One of the biggest problems facing newspaper Web sites is the inability to keep readers on their site for more than a story or two. It’s simply a matter of Web design, and most sites are very poorly put together and print focused. Most papers give you a story with maybe a photo or two [...]
Covering politics enters the 21st century
The St. Petersberg Times and Congressional Quarterly just launched PolitiFact, and it covers politics in a way that no other format can. It’s really a good example of online journalism because it does something that you can’t do well in other formats. Merely taking concepts you have learned from print or broadcast journalism and sticking [...]
Stop asking for user information
I was just visiting Cleveland.com to check out some information about the Browns, and my blood pressure has just risen. The site, as always, asked for my information — location, age and sex. I’ve typed it in countless times over the past 10 years or whatever. Every time I login on a new computer or empty my [...]
Build a digital résumé and make yourself stand out
Journalism is an incredibly competitive market place, and you need to do all you can to stand out. The standard résumé is not the best way for a young journalist to stand out. The New York Times just published an article about how low grades in college can hurt a person’s job search. If all [...]
Always back up your Web site
Some of you may have noticed yesterday that The Journalism Iconoclast looked different — a lot different — for a little while. I upgraded to 2.2.2, and it broke the JI theme. Instead, users were greeted with the default WordPress theme, which can be kind of jarring if you aren’t expecting it. I did not [...]
You need swagger to succeed on the Web
To be the best, you have to want to be the best. A site that has always typified that swagger is my high school’s Web site. It has the audacity to want to be the best in the world, and it has succeeded for years. When I was a junior in high school, it was [...]
Making your site stand out
Many of you are freelance writers, photographers, designers, etc. Is there a better way to possibly display your work than through a Web site that anyone in the world can see? No. A well designed, easy-to-navigate site is a great place to display works, especially for journalists. I tell my writer friends all the time [...]
Show photos some love
People love photos. No, they really, really love photos. Don’t believe me? Check out flickr, webshots or even facebook. The digital revolution has allowed everyone to cheaply take and share photos. People absolutely love photos. 68% Respondents to a survey I commissioned for my 2006 award-winning honors thesis on the impact of the Web on [...]
Hyperlocal might need a little more journalism
Just how will hyperlocal make money and have good content at the same time? Backfence tried to make money without rich, compelling content. The key is giving users quality content, which costs money to produce. You spend money to make money. Can we honestly expect a journalism site to succeed long term without quality journalism? [...]
Hyperlocal’s new hope
LoudounExtra.com has become hyperlocal journalism’s new hope. The dazzling new site by The Washington Post is loaded with stuff to read and discover. It might be the site that finally puts the journalism in hyperlocal journalism. But will LoudounExtra.com succeed where others have failed? Only time will tell. Let’s take a loot at the good [...]