Social media networking – Jakarta Globe experience
Lin Neumann, Chief Editorial Officer of the Jakarta Globe spoke on social networking and the media on September 7, 2011 at the WAN-IFRA conference in Chennai.
The Globe newspaper was launched on November 12, 2008. Neumann, an American, at the outset, said that a foreigner needs to be welcomed in the newspaper industry. He cited the example of Raju Narisetti, an Indian, who has become a managing editor of The Wahsinton Post.
As he found that the web edition lacked interactive features, he started tapping the social media potential, especially Facebook, which he termed “a great leveller.” By May 2009, it had 5000 fans on FB which grew to 10,000 by September. In the next two months, FB fans went up to a staggering 50,000 with 5,000 followers on Twitter;
By January 2010, there were 100,000 fans and 10,000 followers on Twitter; by September 2010, it shot up to 125,000 fans on FB and 24,000 on Twitter. In September 2011, the figures stood at 154,646 fans and 58,721 followers.
FB referrals and Twitter posts brought 10 to 15 per cent of the web traffic for the paper.
This successful presence on the social media, though not revenue generating, was brought about by youth ambassadors --- similar to the strategy adopted with success by Jakarta Pos and Ringier AG. The target was the young audience. There were FB contests with prizes such as copter rides.
Between 10 and 15 stories were posted to FB and almost all stories were given links to the Twitter. This was done by a dedicated team of five persons on the web edition.
The building of the brand, which has been done through these ventures, is likely to have a potential for garnering ads later.
The Globe plans to launch Sunday Globe in October 2011.
He said there was no big change as such in the journalism practised, but “we no longer publish into a black hole.”
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Insight into Media 6 -- Leadership in newsroom
In an interesting talk on leadership in newsroom (at the WAN-IFRA meet on September 6, 2011 in Chennai), Dr. Dietmar Schantin, Executive Director, WAN-IFRA, Germany, detailed how to prepare the newsroom for the impending change.
In such a scenario, there were many who messed up opportunities, each displaying a different trait; ultimately, none of them won. There is the case of those who ignore changes and those who press the panic button. Both of them found nothing had changed by their behaviour.
The challenges came on many fronts:
Ideological, first. Here there were misconceptions about what to do with the old employees and the role of specialist newcomers. It turned out that the older staff were relevant and needed to be protected and that no one was special.
The cognitive challenge was seen in the arrogance displayed in the printing and broadcasting segments. It was realised that it was easier to get older people change – they wanted to beat the boredom over the years -- instead of the younger ones who were scared about it. There were political challenges too as exemplified by an influential person with political links.
The strategic challenge signified that short-term solutions worked only in some cases. The brand and the audience need to be integrated.
Strong leadership is needed to trigger changes. Old and news skills and technology need to be fused. New ways of working in the editorial routine have to be found.
The signs of vital leadership include the following:
Cultural leadership -- (to win) hearts, minds and souls; leading by example is vital here.
Strategic leadership – (in the areas of ) Audience, content and production.
Operational leadership – Roles, workflows, structures.
Performance leadership – Education and motivation of the target audience.
The stages in bringing about change are: Unfreeze, Move and Freeze. It has to begin with a positive perception of change.
When I asked him about the challenges on the Indian front such as cultural and social biases, vested interests blocking leadership chances, he said there was no prescribed solution for these.
In such a scenario, there were many who messed up opportunities, each displaying a different trait; ultimately, none of them won. There is the case of those who ignore changes and those who press the panic button. Both of them found nothing had changed by their behaviour.
The challenges came on many fronts:
Ideological, first. Here there were misconceptions about what to do with the old employees and the role of specialist newcomers. It turned out that the older staff were relevant and needed to be protected and that no one was special.
The cognitive challenge was seen in the arrogance displayed in the printing and broadcasting segments. It was realised that it was easier to get older people change – they wanted to beat the boredom over the years -- instead of the younger ones who were scared about it. There were political challenges too as exemplified by an influential person with political links.
The strategic challenge signified that short-term solutions worked only in some cases. The brand and the audience need to be integrated.
Strong leadership is needed to trigger changes. Old and news skills and technology need to be fused. New ways of working in the editorial routine have to be found.
The signs of vital leadership include the following:
Cultural leadership -- (to win) hearts, minds and souls; leading by example is vital here.
Strategic leadership – (in the areas of ) Audience, content and production.
Operational leadership – Roles, workflows, structures.
Performance leadership – Education and motivation of the target audience.
The stages in bringing about change are: Unfreeze, Move and Freeze. It has to begin with a positive perception of change.
When I asked him about the challenges on the Indian front such as cultural and social biases, vested interests blocking leadership chances, he said there was no prescribed solution for these.
Insight into Media 5 -- Integrated Newsroom
Peter Wolf of Ringier AG, Switzerland, showed (at WAN-IFRA meet on September 6, 2011 in Chennai) how an integrated newsroom was evolved in his news media group. It all boiled down to adjusting workflows for creating digital content and keeping up with the changed user behaviour.
The Blick sent its technical and editorial staff on study tours to learn from successes and failures and adapting them to the home environment. It also involved logistics such as bringing all the newsrooms into one huge building and constructing bridges to get more open space for discussions among the CEO and four Editors-in- Chief.
The project schedule was conducted in five stages and it involved all departmental staff overcoming their biases and strained relationships.
A web traffic study changed the content for different timings with three deadlines and its success showed. Information was scoured on even what to publish on different days.
The Blick sent its technical and editorial staff on study tours to learn from successes and failures and adapting them to the home environment. It also involved logistics such as bringing all the newsrooms into one huge building and constructing bridges to get more open space for discussions among the CEO and four Editors-in- Chief.
The project schedule was conducted in five stages and it involved all departmental staff overcoming their biases and strained relationships.
A web traffic study changed the content for different timings with three deadlines and its success showed. Information was scoured on even what to publish on different days.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
The Coorg visit
It was with a sense of longing and big expectations we undertook the trip to Coorg: longing because it was our first break after three years – we are a busy family with three working persons and a serious student of engineering – and big expectations as it was a destination beyond our State, and that too a hill station.
The run-up to the tour was quite hectic and tense. While the preparations were progressing satisfactorily, there was tension till a few hours before the start as Shilpa, the second daughter, had to write the last examination of the fifth semester. Thanks to the providence, everything went on well and we hopped on to the train half hour before its departure from Chennai Central at 9.30 p.m. on December night.
Shilpa’s grouse that we had to travel in night trains both ways was understandable. She couldn’t sleep well as the chill was a bit too much for her despite the warm clothing provided by the railway. Her upper berth position contributed to it. But the overall comfort of journey by AC coach compensated for it. As the weather was cloudy, we could not see the early morning look-outs from the train.
Around 7.30 a.m. the Chennai-Cauvery Express reached Mysore station. The station was small and not to our expectations. Even before we could leave the platform, an autodriver approached us and talked in Tamil. When told of our destination Madikeri, he took us to the bus station. He also guided us to a hotel where we had our breakfast.
Real picture
We were lucky to get a bus around 8 a.m. to Madikeri. The road to Madikeri was good. It took about three and half hours to reach Madikeri after about six stops. Websites would make us believe the journey will take two and half hours. If you go by car or cab that may be a possibility. Contrary to our notion of climbing up a hill by bus, this route had only minimal curves and no hairpin bend. It was a mix of plains and hill route, that too after Kushal Nagar. Once we reached the top, it was slightly colder but not biting. We managed to reach the Hill Town hotel just after 12 noon. Steep ups and towns, decked-up houses on hill slopes, narrow alleys, and small shops dotting the roads --- it all looked like any other hill town. But it is a city and the capital of Coorg or Kodagu district.
Coffee and Cariappa
A historical place, no doubt. Two things come to one’s mind when one thinks about Coorg --- coffee plantations and war-famed General Cariappa. He is deified there with a statue on the main road leading to the heart of the place. There was no problem spotting the Hill Town Hotel which is closer to the main bus terminus. It took just about five minutes to reach there by auto. As only three persons are allowed in an auto we took two autos. It was a decent hotel for family stay. Hot water 24x7 is a main feature. After refreshing, we started out to see the main places of tourist interest in the city.
We had lunch at Krishna Bhavan , a small but busy hotel that attracts vegetarians. We were lucky to find a cab driver who spoke in Tamil. Our first stop was at AbbeyFalls, a scenic beauty just 8 km from the city. It was thronged by students who had escaped their half-yearly examinations and were lucky to have embarked on an enjoyable tour, thanks to their sacrificing parents and thoughtful teachers who designed the programme.Their giggles and excitement matched the roar of the falls on the slopy path to the falls.
Nestling among coffee plantations, the falls are a great treat to the eyes. My wife Amudha was so excited about the plantation that she spoke to the plants asking questions like “How did you come into being and how you are catering to the masses?” I picked a few seeds which were green in colour. After a couple of days, the seeds became blackish brown and dried up. Me and Amudha drank the pure coffee available there. And it tasted a bit sour. The taste lingered for some time.
Raja's Tomb
The next stop was at the tombs of the Raja of Mercara and his wife as well as those of his devoted minister and his wife. The raja’s tomb is also a place of worship and had a lingam atop true to his name Lingaraja. That showed Lord Shiva has been worshipped for centuries in this part of India apart from elsewhere. While the outer part of the monument looks ancient and dilapidated, the interiors were well maintained and retained the historic ambience.
The lack of a guide who would know English and some lanuguages of India was felt—the only guide of some sort being the few lines of history written on a board outside, and definitely one felt this was not the way history could be bottled up. The cab took us to the next halt also on the fringes of the city – the Fort of the rajas. \
The historic building houses the offices of the collector who is called the Deputy Commissioner in this State of Karnataka – coincidentally a seat of power the rajas would have liked that of bureaucracy that looked after the commonweal. This seat of power also has a historic hall that was later converted into a church by the British. It now houses a museum which has artefacts, chiefly arms of the warrior times such as pistols and guns, apart from idols and statuettes of gods and Buddha found in the region. The highlight of the museum is a small place devoted to General Cariappa, the modern warrior who brought fame to the country and the place Coorg. It has mementos and gifts presented to him which he had donated to the museum. Usually, museums are boring to many tourists who just skip it and are too tired and disinterested to know history, but this one, though small, attracts many inquisitive tourists and quickly gives a peep into history.
The memories that arise from the visit are as fresh as the flowers that line up the small garden outside the museum. I was happy my family just enjoyed both. I recollected our visit to Srirangapatna and other historic places in Karnataka about two decades ago when we brought Sindhu as a toddler. Whenever we visit such historical places we do seem to imbibe what our immediate ancestors taught and lived for. However, we do tend to forget historical facts, so it is better to recollect them later whenever one finds time and opportunities. For example, parents should encourage the children to write about their visits and remind them about history and its charm when opportunity arises.
History becoming history?
Unfortunately, we lack TV serials about royals and their lives – if only this topic is broached and worthy serials taken our interest in history will be revived as any amount of teaching may not be that effective. It is pathetic that the subject of history has conveniently been buried by our folk. Not only are there few teachers who could teach the subject with passion, but there appears to be no tours designed for students of history even at the collegiate level, leave alone the dry manner in which it is taught in schools.
Raja's Seat
The next halt was Raja’s Seat, a highpoint atop the mountain from where the rajas, and the British of course, viewed sun going down distant mountains in all its splendour. The beautiful surroundings with a small garden is an ideal place for relaxing in the evening. The Raja’s Seat offers a wonderful kaleidoscopic view of the region with undulating mountains with greenery and curves of roads. We weren’t lucky to get a view of the sundown as it was cloudy though we could see streaks of the Sun’s rays glistening up the holes in the clouds. Abutting the park is a small rail station that hosts a toy train for children. It’s certain to entertain the young and the old too. Groups of schoolchildren thronged it when we went round the park in the train. The chorus of the students rent the air as the train took two rounds.
We preferred to walk down the road – a 2-km stretch – lazily to the hotel even as it got dark. On day two, we got up early and, before we took the cab, went to Krishna Bhavan, a small vegetarian hotel -- one of the few vegetarian hotels in the place where a majority of people eat non-vegetarian food including beef. Though Krishna Bhavan has a basement hall for lunch, in the mornings food is supplied in the small place on the main road. It was an entirely novel sight to watch people just streaming in to get a berth in the popular restaurant. The main person in charge of the preparation and supply was a nice gentleman whose dynamism is unmatched. Even as he would be enquiring what the customer wanted, his hands would be busy preparing tiffin. And he would serve tiffin and sambar pipehot, with such quickness and accuracy that newcomers would be awe-struck. Despite his fast service, he would cater to each individual needs with aplomb. And, his mind calculated the bill even faster. It was an unforgettable experience.
Tala Cauvery
Our itinerary was packed for the day. First we decided to go to Tala Cauvery, from where the river Cauvery originates. The road from Madikeri to Tala Cauvery was good except for bad stretches. The hilly route was lined by coffee and pepper plantations. The ride was most enjoyable as we could see beautiful scenes of curved and slopy roads, huge trees, ornamental shrubs with various hues, and lovely estates. On the way we stopped at the confluence of three rivers – the Cauvery, -- and enjoyed standing in crystal clear waters which are considered sacred.
The Bagandeshwarar temple nearby is an excellent place of worship built in Kerala style. Cleanliness is next only to godliness, we are told and we can experience that here. Lord Ganesha stands opposite the sanctum sanctorum, something we have not seen elsewhere. The next day, at Tala Cauvery, we are made to realise how water is a gift of God that belongs to everyone. Though territorial narrow considerations borne out of politics and greed of people are responsible for water disputes, nature will have its way when God seeks to provide for all.
The unpolluted waters are given a sacred status in Karnataka, something akin to the status given to the Ganga in the North. Poojas are conducted to the river god at its point of origin both to the god and people’s welfare. The hilltop at the place gives a panoramic view of the verdant surroundings with cool breeze blowing from all sides rejuvenating one’s systems. The sceneries are straight out of an artist’s impression of hills and surroundings and sketches by schoolchildren. Bus services from Madikeri to Tala Cauvery are limited.
After returning to Madikeri , we had a small break and continued journey to the other side – that is to K. Nagar, about 20 km. We had lunch there and proceeded to the Tibetan settlement at Bylakuppe where the Buddhist Golden Temple is situated. It’s a wonderful place for prayer and meditation and learning the Buddhist way of worshipping and praying.
Namdroling monastery
The Namdroling monastery looks like a university busy with religious students of an order – it is the monastic institution called Sera. The huge statues of Buddha, the second Buddha Padmasambhava and Sakyamuni ---- are grand and exquisite with gold embellishment and colourful paintings. The massive hall has portraits of followers of the Buddha. The Tibetans could be seen in all areas around the temple and they have mingled with the locals. A shopping complex near the temple sells products associated with Buddhist life as wells as dresses and fancy items.
We had to rush to the last point of our trip – Dubare forest -- a nice picnic spot with boats taking one to the forest-end area on the banks of the Cauvery where elephants are fed during the day before they are sent back to the wild. Unfortunately for us, the time was just up and the boatmen refused to run a trip. We saw rafting by a group of people, who had paid heavily for the venture. From there, we took the route of hills to reach Madikeri. It had just got dark and there was poor lighting on the way – which we were told is sometimes visited by wild animals chiefly the elephants -- leading to anxiety and a bit of tension on our part. On some of the forlorn stretches we even had prayers on our lips. The crackling noise of insects that reverberated through most of the stretches added to the suspense. It was a thriller kind of thing, but the driver was sure of where he was heading and taking us.
We heaved a sigh of relief on reaching the main road that led us to Madikeri. The long and zigzag route was verdant with tea plantations of the Tatas and we were simply astonished at the vast expanse of the estates. The following day we bid adieu to Madikeri and the Coorg region, taking with us tea packets, honey, and not the least memories of good relaxing times. We reached Mysore in time for a short visit to the industrial exhibition before boarding the train to Chennai.
The run-up to the tour was quite hectic and tense. While the preparations were progressing satisfactorily, there was tension till a few hours before the start as Shilpa, the second daughter, had to write the last examination of the fifth semester. Thanks to the providence, everything went on well and we hopped on to the train half hour before its departure from Chennai Central at 9.30 p.m. on December night.
Shilpa’s grouse that we had to travel in night trains both ways was understandable. She couldn’t sleep well as the chill was a bit too much for her despite the warm clothing provided by the railway. Her upper berth position contributed to it. But the overall comfort of journey by AC coach compensated for it. As the weather was cloudy, we could not see the early morning look-outs from the train.
Around 7.30 a.m. the Chennai-Cauvery Express reached Mysore station. The station was small and not to our expectations. Even before we could leave the platform, an autodriver approached us and talked in Tamil. When told of our destination Madikeri, he took us to the bus station. He also guided us to a hotel where we had our breakfast.
Real picture
We were lucky to get a bus around 8 a.m. to Madikeri. The road to Madikeri was good. It took about three and half hours to reach Madikeri after about six stops. Websites would make us believe the journey will take two and half hours. If you go by car or cab that may be a possibility. Contrary to our notion of climbing up a hill by bus, this route had only minimal curves and no hairpin bend. It was a mix of plains and hill route, that too after Kushal Nagar. Once we reached the top, it was slightly colder but not biting. We managed to reach the Hill Town hotel just after 12 noon. Steep ups and towns, decked-up houses on hill slopes, narrow alleys, and small shops dotting the roads --- it all looked like any other hill town. But it is a city and the capital of Coorg or Kodagu district.
Coffee and Cariappa
A historical place, no doubt. Two things come to one’s mind when one thinks about Coorg --- coffee plantations and war-famed General Cariappa. He is deified there with a statue on the main road leading to the heart of the place. There was no problem spotting the Hill Town Hotel which is closer to the main bus terminus. It took just about five minutes to reach there by auto. As only three persons are allowed in an auto we took two autos. It was a decent hotel for family stay. Hot water 24x7 is a main feature. After refreshing, we started out to see the main places of tourist interest in the city.
We had lunch at Krishna Bhavan , a small but busy hotel that attracts vegetarians. We were lucky to find a cab driver who spoke in Tamil. Our first stop was at AbbeyFalls, a scenic beauty just 8 km from the city. It was thronged by students who had escaped their half-yearly examinations and were lucky to have embarked on an enjoyable tour, thanks to their sacrificing parents and thoughtful teachers who designed the programme.Their giggles and excitement matched the roar of the falls on the slopy path to the falls.
Nestling among coffee plantations, the falls are a great treat to the eyes. My wife Amudha was so excited about the plantation that she spoke to the plants asking questions like “How did you come into being and how you are catering to the masses?” I picked a few seeds which were green in colour. After a couple of days, the seeds became blackish brown and dried up. Me and Amudha drank the pure coffee available there. And it tasted a bit sour. The taste lingered for some time.
Raja's Tomb
The next stop was at the tombs of the Raja of Mercara and his wife as well as those of his devoted minister and his wife. The raja’s tomb is also a place of worship and had a lingam atop true to his name Lingaraja. That showed Lord Shiva has been worshipped for centuries in this part of India apart from elsewhere. While the outer part of the monument looks ancient and dilapidated, the interiors were well maintained and retained the historic ambience.
The lack of a guide who would know English and some lanuguages of India was felt—the only guide of some sort being the few lines of history written on a board outside, and definitely one felt this was not the way history could be bottled up. The cab took us to the next halt also on the fringes of the city – the Fort of the rajas. \
The historic building houses the offices of the collector who is called the Deputy Commissioner in this State of Karnataka – coincidentally a seat of power the rajas would have liked that of bureaucracy that looked after the commonweal. This seat of power also has a historic hall that was later converted into a church by the British. It now houses a museum which has artefacts, chiefly arms of the warrior times such as pistols and guns, apart from idols and statuettes of gods and Buddha found in the region. The highlight of the museum is a small place devoted to General Cariappa, the modern warrior who brought fame to the country and the place Coorg. It has mementos and gifts presented to him which he had donated to the museum. Usually, museums are boring to many tourists who just skip it and are too tired and disinterested to know history, but this one, though small, attracts many inquisitive tourists and quickly gives a peep into history.
The memories that arise from the visit are as fresh as the flowers that line up the small garden outside the museum. I was happy my family just enjoyed both. I recollected our visit to Srirangapatna and other historic places in Karnataka about two decades ago when we brought Sindhu as a toddler. Whenever we visit such historical places we do seem to imbibe what our immediate ancestors taught and lived for. However, we do tend to forget historical facts, so it is better to recollect them later whenever one finds time and opportunities. For example, parents should encourage the children to write about their visits and remind them about history and its charm when opportunity arises.
History becoming history?
Unfortunately, we lack TV serials about royals and their lives – if only this topic is broached and worthy serials taken our interest in history will be revived as any amount of teaching may not be that effective. It is pathetic that the subject of history has conveniently been buried by our folk. Not only are there few teachers who could teach the subject with passion, but there appears to be no tours designed for students of history even at the collegiate level, leave alone the dry manner in which it is taught in schools.
Raja's Seat
The next halt was Raja’s Seat, a highpoint atop the mountain from where the rajas, and the British of course, viewed sun going down distant mountains in all its splendour. The beautiful surroundings with a small garden is an ideal place for relaxing in the evening. The Raja’s Seat offers a wonderful kaleidoscopic view of the region with undulating mountains with greenery and curves of roads. We weren’t lucky to get a view of the sundown as it was cloudy though we could see streaks of the Sun’s rays glistening up the holes in the clouds. Abutting the park is a small rail station that hosts a toy train for children. It’s certain to entertain the young and the old too. Groups of schoolchildren thronged it when we went round the park in the train. The chorus of the students rent the air as the train took two rounds.
We preferred to walk down the road – a 2-km stretch – lazily to the hotel even as it got dark. On day two, we got up early and, before we took the cab, went to Krishna Bhavan, a small vegetarian hotel -- one of the few vegetarian hotels in the place where a majority of people eat non-vegetarian food including beef. Though Krishna Bhavan has a basement hall for lunch, in the mornings food is supplied in the small place on the main road. It was an entirely novel sight to watch people just streaming in to get a berth in the popular restaurant. The main person in charge of the preparation and supply was a nice gentleman whose dynamism is unmatched. Even as he would be enquiring what the customer wanted, his hands would be busy preparing tiffin. And he would serve tiffin and sambar pipehot, with such quickness and accuracy that newcomers would be awe-struck. Despite his fast service, he would cater to each individual needs with aplomb. And, his mind calculated the bill even faster. It was an unforgettable experience.
Tala Cauvery
Our itinerary was packed for the day. First we decided to go to Tala Cauvery, from where the river Cauvery originates. The road from Madikeri to Tala Cauvery was good except for bad stretches. The hilly route was lined by coffee and pepper plantations. The ride was most enjoyable as we could see beautiful scenes of curved and slopy roads, huge trees, ornamental shrubs with various hues, and lovely estates. On the way we stopped at the confluence of three rivers – the Cauvery, -- and enjoyed standing in crystal clear waters which are considered sacred.
The Bagandeshwarar temple nearby is an excellent place of worship built in Kerala style. Cleanliness is next only to godliness, we are told and we can experience that here. Lord Ganesha stands opposite the sanctum sanctorum, something we have not seen elsewhere. The next day, at Tala Cauvery, we are made to realise how water is a gift of God that belongs to everyone. Though territorial narrow considerations borne out of politics and greed of people are responsible for water disputes, nature will have its way when God seeks to provide for all.
The unpolluted waters are given a sacred status in Karnataka, something akin to the status given to the Ganga in the North. Poojas are conducted to the river god at its point of origin both to the god and people’s welfare. The hilltop at the place gives a panoramic view of the verdant surroundings with cool breeze blowing from all sides rejuvenating one’s systems. The sceneries are straight out of an artist’s impression of hills and surroundings and sketches by schoolchildren. Bus services from Madikeri to Tala Cauvery are limited.
After returning to Madikeri , we had a small break and continued journey to the other side – that is to K. Nagar, about 20 km. We had lunch there and proceeded to the Tibetan settlement at Bylakuppe where the Buddhist Golden Temple is situated. It’s a wonderful place for prayer and meditation and learning the Buddhist way of worshipping and praying.
Namdroling monastery
The Namdroling monastery looks like a university busy with religious students of an order – it is the monastic institution called Sera. The huge statues of Buddha, the second Buddha Padmasambhava and Sakyamuni ---- are grand and exquisite with gold embellishment and colourful paintings. The massive hall has portraits of followers of the Buddha. The Tibetans could be seen in all areas around the temple and they have mingled with the locals. A shopping complex near the temple sells products associated with Buddhist life as wells as dresses and fancy items.
We had to rush to the last point of our trip – Dubare forest -- a nice picnic spot with boats taking one to the forest-end area on the banks of the Cauvery where elephants are fed during the day before they are sent back to the wild. Unfortunately for us, the time was just up and the boatmen refused to run a trip. We saw rafting by a group of people, who had paid heavily for the venture. From there, we took the route of hills to reach Madikeri. It had just got dark and there was poor lighting on the way – which we were told is sometimes visited by wild animals chiefly the elephants -- leading to anxiety and a bit of tension on our part. On some of the forlorn stretches we even had prayers on our lips. The crackling noise of insects that reverberated through most of the stretches added to the suspense. It was a thriller kind of thing, but the driver was sure of where he was heading and taking us.
We heaved a sigh of relief on reaching the main road that led us to Madikeri. The long and zigzag route was verdant with tea plantations of the Tatas and we were simply astonished at the vast expanse of the estates. The following day we bid adieu to Madikeri and the Coorg region, taking with us tea packets, honey, and not the least memories of good relaxing times. We reached Mysore in time for a short visit to the industrial exhibition before boarding the train to Chennai.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Insight into Media 4 - The changing face of newsrooms
In the session on “The changing face of newsrooms” at the WAN-IFRA meet on September 6, Larry Kramer, founder of CBS Marketwatch.com, U.S., emphasised the four Cs of the media world.
As detailed in his book C-Scape, which he distributed freely (a copy of which is with me for reference by my close colleagues), the pivots of the changing face of newspaper and media business are: Consumers, Content, Curation and Convergence. Consumers, the kings, cannot be ignored. So, listen to the consumers; how they use the products, what they think of you, and engage them in making you more relevant.
In content creation, the ultimate person is the one who produces content which can be got from anywhere and in whatever medium. “If you are not creating commodity content, i.e. what people want, you are dead,” he said.
As content is king, distribution systems are being usurped by digital platforms. As content will win out, it has to be refined based on changing consumer habits.
Curation is a process of filtering from the mass of information on various subjects according to the wants of the consumers and offering the same quickly. Online news aggregators like Huffington Post, Answers.com, Wikianswers.com, and other alternative news sites such as blogging sites are the curators.
“News is combination of words, audio and video.” In the area of convergence, tablets are currently the preferred way to get information. More people learn about earthquakes from Twitter rather than the regular sources. Consumers converge with producers; companies invite customers to create content for commercials and news, and even products.
Every company will become a media company.
New competition has emerged from businesses like Bestbuyon.com, Starbucks and Fandango.
The newsroom of the future will be built around target audience, NOT a medium; businesses not newspapers; sports, not TV. The key tasks will be controlling delivery of content to all possible outlets; having revenue models; and curating outside sources of valued content.
The Politico is a great example of a curator whose website, newspaper, email and new media sources earned a big influence in the U.S. – its 4.30 a.m. political bulletin was eagerly read in New York. It has an editorial staff of 150. The printed paper was delivered free of cost to select influential people who numbered about 30,000. But it had a digital publishing revenue of $3 million to $4 million with its site recording 5 million hits.
As detailed in his book C-Scape, which he distributed freely (a copy of which is with me for reference by my close colleagues), the pivots of the changing face of newspaper and media business are: Consumers, Content, Curation and Convergence. Consumers, the kings, cannot be ignored. So, listen to the consumers; how they use the products, what they think of you, and engage them in making you more relevant.
In content creation, the ultimate person is the one who produces content which can be got from anywhere and in whatever medium. “If you are not creating commodity content, i.e. what people want, you are dead,” he said.
As content is king, distribution systems are being usurped by digital platforms. As content will win out, it has to be refined based on changing consumer habits.
Curation is a process of filtering from the mass of information on various subjects according to the wants of the consumers and offering the same quickly. Online news aggregators like Huffington Post, Answers.com, Wikianswers.com, and other alternative news sites such as blogging sites are the curators.
“News is combination of words, audio and video.” In the area of convergence, tablets are currently the preferred way to get information. More people learn about earthquakes from Twitter rather than the regular sources. Consumers converge with producers; companies invite customers to create content for commercials and news, and even products.
Every company will become a media company.
New competition has emerged from businesses like Bestbuyon.com, Starbucks and Fandango.
The newsroom of the future will be built around target audience, NOT a medium; businesses not newspapers; sports, not TV. The key tasks will be controlling delivery of content to all possible outlets; having revenue models; and curating outside sources of valued content.
The Politico is a great example of a curator whose website, newspaper, email and new media sources earned a big influence in the U.S. – its 4.30 a.m. political bulletin was eagerly read in New York. It has an editorial staff of 150. The printed paper was delivered free of cost to select influential people who numbered about 30,000. But it had a digital publishing revenue of $3 million to $4 million with its site recording 5 million hits.
Insight into Media 3 - Trends in publishing
Talking on “Trends in publishing”, Christoph Riess, CEO, WAN-IFRA, Germany, said at the WAN-IFRA meet on September 6 that evolution of newspapers was different in different regions.
Asia had emerged as the powerful media region even outwitting the United States. Every two of three copies of newspapers sold in the world came from Asia. Though the penetration of newspapers was comparatively low in India, there was a great potential for increasing the circulation. Actually, media consumption increased by 40per cent in the last two years.
An analysis of the Indian media showed television, newspapers and radio were growing faster than other media.
Asia only garnered one-third of revenue from advertising in the world. The average circulation of newspapers in India was 11,000 only while Japan had an average of half-a-million.
While advertising on the Internet was progressing fast, it was not affecting the circulation of newspapers. Indonesia had a high Internet growth as well as high circulation of papers.
Newspaper circulation was down in countries like New Zealand and Pakistan.
New intermediaries are also garnering ads. These are: search engines, free online news sites and social media sites. As much as 65 per cent of the ad revenue on the net are garnered by the search engines like Google and Bing.
The growth of mobiles is phenomenal and the focus needs to be on developing content for mobile systems.
Asia had emerged as the powerful media region even outwitting the United States. Every two of three copies of newspapers sold in the world came from Asia. Though the penetration of newspapers was comparatively low in India, there was a great potential for increasing the circulation. Actually, media consumption increased by 40per cent in the last two years.
An analysis of the Indian media showed television, newspapers and radio were growing faster than other media.
Asia only garnered one-third of revenue from advertising in the world. The average circulation of newspapers in India was 11,000 only while Japan had an average of half-a-million.
While advertising on the Internet was progressing fast, it was not affecting the circulation of newspapers. Indonesia had a high Internet growth as well as high circulation of papers.
Newspaper circulation was down in countries like New Zealand and Pakistan.
New intermediaries are also garnering ads. These are: search engines, free online news sites and social media sites. As much as 65 per cent of the ad revenue on the net are garnered by the search engines like Google and Bing.
The growth of mobiles is phenomenal and the focus needs to be on developing content for mobile systems.
Insight into Media 2 - Strength of print media
The WAN-IFRA 2011, began on September 6, 2011 at the Chennai Trade Centre with a welcome address by Mr. K. Balaji, Managing Director, Kasturi & Sons Ltd., & Chairman, WAN-IFRA South Asia Committee.
President of WAN-IFRA, India, Jacob Mathew, in his address, said the print advertising revenue was likely to touch $136 billion by 2013. Seventy-five per cent of India’s population is literate and the print media has a 20 per cent of the adult population as audience. The print media is trusted more in India and access to online news is costlier.
The newspaper industry felt that there is scope for increasing the price of products as there is increasing demand for them. Distribution, however, posed a major problem.
“It will be ages before other new media could challenge the print media,” he said. Credibility for media is very important, he said citing the crisis spawned by a scandal in the an ageold newspaper in the United Kingdom.
President of WAN-IFRA, India, Jacob Mathew, in his address, said the print advertising revenue was likely to touch $136 billion by 2013. Seventy-five per cent of India’s population is literate and the print media has a 20 per cent of the adult population as audience. The print media is trusted more in India and access to online news is costlier.
The newspaper industry felt that there is scope for increasing the price of products as there is increasing demand for them. Distribution, however, posed a major problem.
“It will be ages before other new media could challenge the print media,” he said. Credibility for media is very important, he said citing the crisis spawned by a scandal in the an ageold newspaper in the United Kingdom.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Insight Into Media - 1 Washington Post
Hi everyone
I am starting a series of writeups -- kicking off with this one -- on how newspapers and media houses in different parts of the world are facing the challenges posed by new technologies and using them to their advantage
These points and projections emerged at the WAN-IFRA 2011 conference held in Chennai from September 6 to 8.
Of special interest is the way in which the new media are tapped to give the new generation of readers added values that supplement newspaper efforts – and fetch the media revenues.
Your valuable comments and suggestions are welcome so that these could be taken up by the media owners and journalists at meetings or conferences in future.
Kirubanidhi
Senior Asst. Editor
The Hindu
Chennai
Email: journo1958@gmail.com
Cellphone: 0(if calling from outside Chennai) 9281342829
***********************
Insight into media 1
How The Washington Post meets challenges
Washington Post Managing Editor Raju Narisetti, in his September 7 speech at the WAN-IFRA 2011 conference, gave a brief overview of how the newspaper’s 24-hour integrated newsroom is meeting the challenges daily.
The key challenge for him, when he took over the top post, was tackling mismatched skillsets. He revamped editorial systems and streamlined workflows. Some job cuts were inevitable. There was a need to popularise the editorial team with search, social media and web traffic experts.
Information relating to news stories were made available to all journalists on hourly, mid-day and real time alert basis. These included page views of visitors to the news sites and time spent on stories by them. This helped more engagement of audience.
Training and re-training of the journalists happen on a continual basis.
Blogs are used to build off stories. The blog about an Obama impersonator at a party meeting was a huge hit and about 10 million people read them.
The Post realised that it is not enough to publish news but you have to make it more engaging by good packaging. They were happy to note that there was more feedback with one story garnering 3,000 comments.
Personalisation of news is important to engage the audience. The Post embraced Facebook and Twitter and now had 800 million fans on FB. Newsletter emails are sent to 1.5 million readers.
The revamping helped the Post to get back their readers and occupy the number two slot in terms of readership. The time spent on the news site improved and it occupied the number slot now.
The good news for India, Narisetti said, is that time is in its favour to catch up and they need to do this by “measuring things up, setting goals, and rewarding the right people.”
Kirubanidhi
Senior Asst. Editor
The Hindu
Chennai
Email: journo1958@gmail.com
Cellphone: 0(if calling from outside Chennai) 9281342829
I am starting a series of writeups -- kicking off with this one -- on how newspapers and media houses in different parts of the world are facing the challenges posed by new technologies and using them to their advantage
These points and projections emerged at the WAN-IFRA 2011 conference held in Chennai from September 6 to 8.
Of special interest is the way in which the new media are tapped to give the new generation of readers added values that supplement newspaper efforts – and fetch the media revenues.
Your valuable comments and suggestions are welcome so that these could be taken up by the media owners and journalists at meetings or conferences in future.
Kirubanidhi
Senior Asst. Editor
The Hindu
Chennai
Email: journo1958@gmail.com
Cellphone: 0(if calling from outside Chennai) 9281342829
***********************
Insight into media 1
How The Washington Post meets challenges
Washington Post Managing Editor Raju Narisetti, in his September 7 speech at the WAN-IFRA 2011 conference, gave a brief overview of how the newspaper’s 24-hour integrated newsroom is meeting the challenges daily.
The key challenge for him, when he took over the top post, was tackling mismatched skillsets. He revamped editorial systems and streamlined workflows. Some job cuts were inevitable. There was a need to popularise the editorial team with search, social media and web traffic experts.
Information relating to news stories were made available to all journalists on hourly, mid-day and real time alert basis. These included page views of visitors to the news sites and time spent on stories by them. This helped more engagement of audience.
Training and re-training of the journalists happen on a continual basis.
Blogs are used to build off stories. The blog about an Obama impersonator at a party meeting was a huge hit and about 10 million people read them.
The Post realised that it is not enough to publish news but you have to make it more engaging by good packaging. They were happy to note that there was more feedback with one story garnering 3,000 comments.
Personalisation of news is important to engage the audience. The Post embraced Facebook and Twitter and now had 800 million fans on FB. Newsletter emails are sent to 1.5 million readers.
The revamping helped the Post to get back their readers and occupy the number two slot in terms of readership. The time spent on the news site improved and it occupied the number slot now.
The good news for India, Narisetti said, is that time is in its favour to catch up and they need to do this by “measuring things up, setting goals, and rewarding the right people.”
Kirubanidhi
Senior Asst. Editor
The Hindu
Chennai
Email: journo1958@gmail.com
Cellphone: 0(if calling from outside Chennai) 9281342829
Friday, October 7, 2011
Anna Hazare's relevance
He’s not a Gandhi (by his own admission); he’s not a politician in the usual sense of the term (he has given enough indications of it); he’s not a VVIP with wide connections; he’s not a rich man either. Yet he counts. He has not only reinforced that it’s people’s power is the ultimate in Indian democracy, but the democracy which may be ripe for a revolution.
Mr. Hazare has emerged as a leader in his own right, trying to achieve the dreams of the ordinary Indian --- the foremost being the removal of corruption from top to bottom and across institutions.
His relevance to modern India --- despite his adoption of the traditional satyagraha --- and its people cannot be doubted. His peaceful agitation has ignited the minds young Indians whose conscience had already been tweaked by the former President Abdul Kalam. Dr. Kalam too had tried to band together the youth of the country for developmental purposes. His action plans and vision continue to guide the youth but on a different plane.
What the country needed was a spark for national-level action programmes and that came in the form of Mr. Hazare’s steadfast agitation against corruption – an issue that struck the right chord with all.
The people now realise that they need not feel helpless in challenging the monster of corruption. With able support from similar socially conscious people, Mr. Hazare took the centrestage and was the cynosure of all during the campaign that has reached greater heights.
He has sown the seeds of fearlessness, cooperation, and social dynamism among the people – the participation of lakhs of people in the movement vouches for that.
With the present government caught in a vortex of scandals and seen to be a face of corruption , the political course of the country is set to change drastically. Mr. Hazare and his team have revived the nationalistic fervour of the pre-Independence days.
If political intrigues succeed in stifling the people’s movement, it will be the saddest chapter in modern Indian history. If, on the other hand, people continue to support Anna and help achieve success in the fight against corruption and other ills of society, it will be the golden era for India.
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