Wednesday, July 26, 2017

DFM chat on journalism metrics in a fragmented environment

Spike in reach or boa constrictor
digesting an elephant?


Digital First Media friends and other journalists, members of the community and fans of journalism are invited to take part in a Twitter chat Wednesday at noon, Eastern Time, to talk about all things journalism.

Today we are talking about metrics. What to use and how to use it in a way to further your journalistic goals. But further, how do you measure success in such a fragmented environment? How do you quantify other endeavors like alerts, newsletters, social videos or podcasts? And when do you pull the plug when something isn't quite working out?

If you want to be in the post chat archive, post a comment in the container or a tweet with the hashtag "#dfmchat" so it can automatically appear below.



Friday, July 7, 2017

When national news organizations cover the Mid-Hudson Valley

A post shared by Ivan Lajara (@ivanlajara) on



Every now and then on Facebook, an "article" pops up rating this town or that other one as the best something-something or worse whatchamacallit of the U.S. It is usually done by a marketing or real-estate agency as a rather transparent ploy to create some virality. Often, the older articles keep popping up on feeds. And we sometimes get "tips" with those articles.
Other times, a national publication writes about something related to the Hudson Valley, and the tone can range from knowledgeable to curious to condescending. Sometimes it feels like reading the same old story. Sometimes is a fresh perspective on something familiar. But it's always interesting.
How do other people in the country see us in the Hudson Valley and the Catskill regions?
Also interesting are our reactions to such pieces, which can be more revealing about ourselves than the articles themselves.

Small world.

***
Four articles from outside the area about the area:


* "Tivoli, N.Y: Authenticity on the Hudson," New York Times, June 16, 2017.
Key passage: "But it is not Brooklyn on the Hudson, she said."
Why a key phrase: This is a meme that has been used by, you guessed it, The New York Times, repeatedly. And the gray lady is not the only one.

* "My dentist's murder trial," The New Yorker, July 3, 2017.
A very New Yorker ~longread~ on the murder trial of Kingston dentist Gilberto Nunez, which we covered extensively. There was also NBC's "Dateline," and CBS's "48 Hours." 

A story about Dennis Crowley and Stockade FC, which, as you probably know, is going to the playoffs. There are some nice photos in that piece and you might know some in there. We've got some too. That story mentions how the goal is to have 1,000 people per game. The last game drew a record crowd.

* "How towns are hurt when malls run into trouble," Marketplace, June 21, 2017. 
The case of a national news organization using an example to illustrate a national issue. In this case, the example is the Hudson Valley Mall. This is also a case where the attention ended up in a story by us.  We have covered the issues surrounded the mall extensively as well. Here's a large sample from the last year. And mall photos from yesteryear.

BONUS: * "This chimp lived in a two-bedroom UWS apartment," New York Post, June 29, 2017. 
The source of this story now lives in Kingston. If you consider today's standards, this story is bananas.

***
One video:

A post shared by Daily Freeman (@dailyfreeman) on


Short and sweet.
***

The Four:
*  Ride-sharing,
* Animals.
* Development. 
* Meat.
Cat:


http://newscatgif.tumblr.com/post/161359148822/when-your-story-gets-bigger-and-you-get-another


Yesterday's Internet, Today! comes in when you least expect it. This is what it's all about.