Uticaod.com evaluation No. 4: More blogging

This week's posts will focus exclusively on my hometown newspaper's website, uticaod.com. More specifically, I will be evaluating and critiquing the site based on several of the topics that we have discussed thus far in my online journalism class.

Today's topic: Sports staff blogging

One of the areas in which the The Observer-Dispatch has sought to improve and enhance its online content - and has been somewhat successful in doing so - is in its sports blogs.

The OD sports staff is made up of seven people (four reporters and three editors/copy editors). Currently, four of those staffers have their own blogs. Two of them - the main high school sports writers - focus their blogs on - you guessed it - high school sports. Another - the Syracuse University sports beat writer - focuses his blog on college sports (while also occasionally venturing into the professional sports world occasionally). The last - a copy editor - blogs on any and all sports topics (though mainly professional).

Up until late August, these blogs were rarely posted to, and they had next to no audience. However - prepare for some shameless self-promotion - after I ran a summer-long American Legion baseball blog off of the site that gained a loyal following, the paper's editors decided to beef up the entire staff's dedication to blogging.

Now, the sports staffers with blogs usually post at least three times a week (compared to MAYBE once a month before). While their blogging skills are still a bit archaic (there is no linking, no photos, no videos, no audio, etc.), the blogs have definitely been a welcome addition to the paper's sports coverage.

The paper's newfound dedication to these blogs can be seen below. The site highlights the blogs both in the middle of the homepage, and with a banner atop the sports page as well:

Uticaod.com evaluation No. 3: Non-news related videos

This week's posts will focus exclusively on my hometown newspaper's website, uticaod.com. More specifically, I will be evaluating and critiquing the site based on several of the topics that we have discussed thus far in my online journalism class.

Today's topic: Non-news related videos

Videos (along with other multimedia) are no doubt one of the fastest growing elements of newspaper websites. Videos can do things that written stories sometimes can't. They can show a user the faces of the subjects of a story and provide actual visual evidence of a story rather than simply describing a situation with their words.

Put simply, videos are a great way to tell a story and to supplement print stories.
However, not all videos on a publication's website need to be story-related pieces. Sometimes, sites can - and should - have fun in delivering videos to users.

The Observer-Dispatch did just that when sports reporter Anne Delaney - alongside videographer Peter Franchell - created a video tutorial of a soccer penalty kick. The video, while not relating to any specific conflict or game, was a fun way to teach users about penalty kicks and to introduce more sports fans to the site's multimedia content.

A video such as this is also a good reminder that, while news sites must continue to deliver important hard news coverage, there is also some time for interactive, user-friendly content.

Uticaod.com evaluation No. 2: Using links

This week's posts will focus exclusively on my hometown newspaper's website, uticaod.com. More specifically, I will be evaluating and critiquing the site based on several of the topics that we have discussed thus far in my online journalism class.

Today's topic: Using links in online stories

"Links allow the user not only to move among different parts of your story but also to access related information available on other Web sites. In this way, links not only can provide a seamless and logical means of letting the user experience your story but also can encourage the user to explore further on his own." - James C. Foust, author of Online Journalism: Principles and Practices of News for the Web

As Foust says, links are very important to online stories. They allow users to navigate throughout stories, and also to venture outside of stories into other related areas (of a story).

Some sites, such as The Miami Herald's and USA Today's, do a superb job of linking. Through their use of links, they provide users with extra material from which to get information. Whether it be another related story within the paper's own site, or a connected multimedia component, these sites (and their are obviously others as well) do a great job of giving their users several options (through linking).

Uticaod.com, while not to the same degree as the Herald or USA Today, also does a decent job of linking. Specifically recently - with a push toward more multimedia - the OD's site has included more and more "Related Content" links with its top stories. These links allow users to view photo galleries, listen to audio interviews, or even watch videos that are related to the written version of the story.

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Here are a few examples of OD stories with links to more information:

*Kids set out on candy missions across Utica (link to more stories is below ad on the left)

*Family of 9 escapes Utica blaze (link to photo gallery is below ad on the left)

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There is no doubt that there is still room for improvement for the OD when it comes to linking - perhaps better placement of the "Related Content" and more linking to past associated stories would be a good addition. But, considering its size and demographic, uticaod.com does a pretty good job of offering its users more material to further investigate a story through its use of linking.

Uticaod.com evaluation No. 1: Where are the videos?

This week's posts will focus exclusively on my hometown newspaper's website, uticaod.com. More specifically, I will be evaluating and critiquing the site based on several of the topics that we have discussed thus far in my online journalism class.

Today's topic: Video player presentation

Any loyal follower of uticaod.com will tell you that the site has made great strides in its delivery of multimedia over the past year. 

OD photo (and multimedia) editor William Cannon is constantly encouraging his staff, and newsroom reporters, to incorporate more multimedia - photos, slideshows, audio and video - into their work. 

While the OD is likely still not entirely up to par in this area, the improvements are undeniable. The site's recent presentation of a video debate between the candidates for the local congressional race - which I blogged about last week - is a perfect example of the strides that have been made.

However, a problem persists.

While there are many more videos now available, they are not as easy to find as they should be. What it comes down to is that the OD's video player is not well enough highlighted (and positioned) on the homepage. 

As can be see in the screenshot the left, the video player is buried at the bottom right of the homepage, hiding it from many of the site's visitors.

The OD would be better off placing the player higher up on the page and perhaps more toward the center in order to better catch the viewer's eye. This would likely increase the viewership and popularity of the site's multimedia content.

The Miami Herald's new video player (and its presentation) is one that I think the OD would benefit from following:

'Christian Science Monitor' changing approach

Some big news out of the newspaper industry today...

From Media Post Publications:

Signaling a fundamental shift in the publishing industry, The Christian Science Monitor today announced plans to shift from daily to a weekly print publishing format. In turn, the national newspaper plans to invest heavily in its Web presence.

"We're the first national paper to switch to a web first strategy," said John Yemma, editor of the newspaper, which is more than 100 years old and has won seven Pulitzer Prizes. "We need to make it first rather than secondary, so we can make it more of a go-to destination."

The Monitor has long been one of the most well-respected newspapers in the country, making this news quite significant. It simply plays into the belief of many that print newspapers are a dying creature and that the future of the industry is online.

I for one believe, despite their well-documented struggles, print newspapers are a long way from becoming extinct. There's just something about reading the daily news from a newspaper that you can't get on a computer screen. But, that's just my opinion (and perhaps wishful thinking)...

What do you think? Is the Monitor's move just one of many to come for the industry?

Follow the Dolphins with the Herald

I stumbled upon this while going to the Herald's website and found it pretty cool.

The top story on the homepage is a link (with a picture) to live coverage of the Dolphins game versus the Buffalo Bills. The picture - Ricky Williams being tackled by a Bills' defender - is even from the game! That's pretty impressive.

Here is a screen capture of the page:

The link sends you to Armando Salguero's "Dolphin's in Depth" blog where Armando (the Herald's Miami Dolphins beat writer) is providing live updates on the game from the press box at Dolphin Stadium.

This is yet another way - outside of actually going to the game, watching on TV, or listening on the radio - to follow along with your favorite team. 

The advantage this site has (as opposed to something like ESPN's Gamecast) is that Armando also offers live commentary and description, which is something that cannot be relayed through a simple updating box score.