Mapping the Community. The Way to Truly Interactive Stories.
April 29th, 2008 | by Brad King |
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All the blog research says that you’re headlines should be of a positive nature to attract readers. I don’t always do that. I’m doing it right now.
::Props::
I’ve been scanning The Wired Journalist site, a place where journalists can congregate to discuss what’s going on at the papers — and what problems they are having.
I came across a neat little map (it’s not original, admittedly by the post-er) that templates crime across neighborhoods. Andy Johns at the Anniston Star said it needs work, but nevertheless, was a good step for his group. You can see the map here.
I bring this up because I was just having this conversation with Joe, a Cincinnati guy launching CinDaily, a web-based alternative to the local paper.
Too many times, I hear upstart media companies discuss what they are going to do in terms of what traditional media has done.
In other words, the take failure and try to build on it. It’s not like the local media — or the national media — wakes up and decides to suck when it comes to digital technology. They simply don’t understand how it works.
If you agree with that premise, then it makes no logical sense to try to do it better — because presumably they are trying to do it better and they can’t.
The alternative is to approach the modern media with a fresh look. Examine how database work, how you can include community involvement to build that database, how mashups work, how new software applications can be developed by your readers, how stories can flow out of that multi-mashup arena.
Journalism will literally be transformed into a new type of storytelling that includes so much more than stories. In fact, written stories become the premium on what is otherwise scads of data given context through interactive technologies.
Technologies, mind you, that lend themselves to the very types of advertising (e.g. search) that are driving the Internet.
