Final Project:: Adapt and Innovate

After jumping through a few technical hoops (when are there not technical hoops), I think I've successfully posted the pdfs to lesliejwilkinson.googlepages.com, the web pages I built last semester for JOMC 710. Which works out well, in terms of linking and connecting all of my class projects for this program. This paper completes my requirements for completion of the certificate program. It's been a great three semesters of learning. Congratulations to all my fellow graduates and best wishes for continued success to the returning students!

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"Adapt and Innovate: Newspapers succeeding in the online world."
PDF versions available at the above link.

Abstract: My final project in the certificate program, I've come back to explore and write about what Adapt or Die has meant to the newspaper industry in the past several years.

Adapt or die. That phrase would jolt the newspaper industry into action, pushing it to put more energy and content online. What have newspapers done to change the mindset and get things moving? Who’s getting it right? Who’s winning the battle to beat circulation and make money on the web?

Newspapers heard the call to innovate over the past couple of years: the Newspaper Next survey woke many people up and brought to light the notion that to win the battle of declining print circulation and profits meant innovators had to come out of the corners of the newsroom. It’s very much seemed as if a button was pushed and newsrooms sprang into action. Suddenly, newsrooms around the country were exploring blogs, video and interactive graphics.

This paper draws heavily on research that has been conducted over the course of the entire Graduate Certificate in Communication and Technology program, including research conducted specifically for previous classes. This paper is the culmination of my work in the program. I seek not to write threatening “Evolve or Die” paper that has permeated the internet the past couple of years. Instead, I will examine how newspaper websites are exploring new ways to entertain and keep readers.

WashPost on Lebanese, Israeli bloggers

"Blogging Under the Radar: As War Raged, Lebanese and Israelis Found Common Ground." A Washington Post article from August 2006 that looked at several bloggers who published during last year's fighint. Several of the bloggers listed here are still blogging about life in the Middle East. Their posts range from politics and the fighting to daily life, family and travelling. Very good snapshots of life in a time of crisis.

From Time.com: Why journalists love blogging

Mark Gimein, a guest blogger for Time.com this week wrote: "A friend of mine who asked not to be named calls blogging 'Journalist's Crack."

Sounds about right to me. The new form gives journalists freedom from the restrictions of print, offers a quick way to get instant answers and feedback from readers and editors alike. Write as much as you want without worrying people will read you. Build an audience because they drool over every word you publish. I can see why it's compared to a drug.

"Journalists love doing this in part because over the years they have been pushed to squeeze more and more of the viewpoint and analysis out of their writing in the name of objectivity. So the blog lets them cut loose. It gives them a satisfaction that's hard to get from doing original reporting, and it's much easier than doing original reporting as well. And it lets them feel like they're part of a community, 'the blogosphere.' "

Plus, it's a little bit fun to see who's really paying attention to what you have to say.