Thursday, February 14, 2008
A week of sadness; expanding news online
In each of the first three weeks of this year/month, there has been a steady rise in average visitors per day to the stardem.com Web site. Each week shows gains over the previous week. This comes after a period of relatively flat activity.
It is obvious there is a cause and effect in force here. We have just experienced a tragic week on the Mid-Shore. Two youngsters were killed at school bus stops and a teen-ager was struck while trying to cross Route 404. These incidents tear at the heart of anyone who hears of them.
As I mentioned last week, the star dem.com Web site once again served as one of the conduits for people to express their grief and share their condolences. I read every one of them and many bring a tear to the eye.
Everyone should step back and reflect on these tragic incidents. Parents should talk with children and drivers need to make sure they are as watchful as possible when children are about. I know it is not always possible. The totally unexpected can happen. Perhaps it can be minimized by constant vigilance.
Let's move on to something different.
Print papers face several restrictions that are not shared by their online counterparts. Print newspaper do not have endless editorial space. A publisher must make basic economic decision each day as to how many pages they will print. There must be a balance of editorial and advertising material to keep the company in the black. The print paper is also restricted on how often they can update the news.
Some newspapers update once again. Some papers do it on a daily basis. If it is a large urban paper, the publication will often have several updates (called editions) during the day. The last edition is called the final and should represent the latest news with the fewest errors.
A paper with only one edition a day must strive to make the product final. Anyone who has taken a tour of a newspaper (I give them here at the Star Democrat), quickly becomes aware of how complicated the process is. Many hands and eyes take part in the process.
The online component has virtually limitless space and can be updated and corrected within minutes, if not seconds.
As I said, space is a big issue with print papers. This factor causes editors to make decision on what makes the paper and what is left out. As we progress through the year, I want to encourage more of your participation on the Website. We will expand the free areas to accommodate user generated content.
One area I would like to see developed is the area of local sports. I intend to make it easy for coaches and team reps to send info into the Website. For those of you who feel the print paper is not covering your sport or your development level (example jayvee teams), send me your reports on games.
Please share your thoughts on this. As always, you can reach me at rpolk@chespub.com.
It is obvious there is a cause and effect in force here. We have just experienced a tragic week on the Mid-Shore. Two youngsters were killed at school bus stops and a teen-ager was struck while trying to cross Route 404. These incidents tear at the heart of anyone who hears of them.
As I mentioned last week, the star dem.com Web site once again served as one of the conduits for people to express their grief and share their condolences. I read every one of them and many bring a tear to the eye.
Everyone should step back and reflect on these tragic incidents. Parents should talk with children and drivers need to make sure they are as watchful as possible when children are about. I know it is not always possible. The totally unexpected can happen. Perhaps it can be minimized by constant vigilance.
Let's move on to something different.
Print papers face several restrictions that are not shared by their online counterparts. Print newspaper do not have endless editorial space. A publisher must make basic economic decision each day as to how many pages they will print. There must be a balance of editorial and advertising material to keep the company in the black. The print paper is also restricted on how often they can update the news.
Some newspapers update once again. Some papers do it on a daily basis. If it is a large urban paper, the publication will often have several updates (called editions) during the day. The last edition is called the final and should represent the latest news with the fewest errors.
A paper with only one edition a day must strive to make the product final. Anyone who has taken a tour of a newspaper (I give them here at the Star Democrat), quickly becomes aware of how complicated the process is. Many hands and eyes take part in the process.
The online component has virtually limitless space and can be updated and corrected within minutes, if not seconds.
As I said, space is a big issue with print papers. This factor causes editors to make decision on what makes the paper and what is left out. As we progress through the year, I want to encourage more of your participation on the Website. We will expand the free areas to accommodate user generated content.
One area I would like to see developed is the area of local sports. I intend to make it easy for coaches and team reps to send info into the Website. For those of you who feel the print paper is not covering your sport or your development level (example jayvee teams), send me your reports on games.
Please share your thoughts on this. As always, you can reach me at rpolk@chespub.com.
# posted by Richard Polk @ 10:29 AM 
