Updated presentation for Columbia Scholastic Press Association "Digital Bootcamp for Advisers" (June 2012).

1. “We are all publishers now”
10 Challenges and 10 Rewards
of moving your high school paper online
Melissa Wantz/June 2012

2. “We Don’t Use Paper for This”
Launching The Foothill Dragon Press (October 2009)
(video)

3. What are the
Challenges to
Publishing Online?

4. 1. Jack of all trades

5. 2. The ground constantly shifts
• Online resources are developing daily
Keeping up is difficult
Is it possible to feel like you know
what you are doing?
>

6. 3. Audience expectations are high
• As mainstream media and social networking
sites add more digital goodies at ever cheaper
cost and higher speed…
the pressure is on
to do the same.
>

7. 4. Online = Always on
• There is no reason not to publish news as or
shortly after it happens.
• This is difficult when you have a staff less than
5 hours a week.
• When your students
– Have responsibilities
interests electives finals
LIVES >

8. 5. Online requires more
monitoring
• Inappropriate comments
• Inappropriate articles
• The publication is like a baby, rarely sleeping
always crying out for attention.
>

9. 6. Online is more fragile
• The freedom, fluidity and flexibility of online also creates a
vulnerability that must be protected
from student error
and
from outsiders
• Your entire site can disappear in an instant.
– I know this for a fact
– It’s happened several times
>

10. 7. Online scares some people
• Some administrators worry about…
“things getting out of control”
and
“teenagers running amok”
>

11. 8. Online is forever
• Digital footprints do not easily go away.
• Responsibility is really on staff to use
good judgment
in deciding what to publish.
>

12. 9. The competition is vast
• At school, teachers won’t give up time for kids to
read our online publication the way they might
for a print newspaper.
• At home, there are a million other
online places for readers to go.
• Everyone is a “journalist” now which means
our competition is “everyone.”
>

13. 10. The technology can be
inconsistent...
• Just like a student, sometimes it works,
sometimes it doesn’t.
• This is frustrating.

14. Top 10
Benefits of Publishing online

15. 1. Student voices go farther.
In the past 10 months:
• Dragon Press visited 51,600 times (175% increase)
• 115 countries (170% increase)
• 229,00 page views (115% increase)

16. Student voices go farther.

17. 1. Student voices go farther.

18. Student voices travel farther.

19. 2. Student work travels faster.

20. 2. Student work travels faster.

21. 2. Student work travels faster.

22. 3. Student opportunities are greater.

23. 3. Student opportunities are greater.

24. 4. Feedback is more authentic.

25. 4. Feedback is more authentic.

26. 5. Costs are less.
• After accounting for one-time expenses
– equipment
– software
• Online is cheaper than print.
• Hosting fee: $25 a month
• Domain fee: $12 per year
…versus ?? annually for printing

27. 6. Online is interactive.

28. 6. Online is interactive.

29. 6. Online is interactive.

30. 6. Online is interactive.

31. 6. Online is interactive.

32. 6. Online is interactive.

33. 7. Online has more room.
• Space is unlimited
• More students can publish more (frequently &
in depth)
• This year:
– 50 videos
– 500 + articles
– 600 tweets
– 2000 photos & illustrations

34. 8. Makes history more accessible.

35. 8. Makes history more accessible.
Last year: This year:

36. 9. Creates a searchable database.

37. 10. Builds positive digital identities

38. 10. Builds positive digital identities

39. 10. Builds positive digital identities

40. 10. Builds positive digital identities
All new staff
created an online
resume as their
final project for
second semester.
Used free website:
www.visualcv.com

41. Review of Benefits
1. Reaches farther
2. Travels faster
3. Provides unexpected opportunities
4. Allows authentic, immediate feedback
5. Costs less
6. Is interactive
7. Has unlimited space
8. Is searchable
9. Offers accessible archives
10. Builds positive digital identities

42. Parting thoughts
• “I don’t think these are dark days. I think this
is just what disruptive change feels like. The
barrier has never been lower. You are all
journalism entrepreneurs, innovators.”
—Bill Gannon, Director of Online Operations, Lucasfilm LTD

43. Last word
• How can you squander even one more
day not taking advantage of the greatest
shifts of our generation?
• How dare you settle for less when the
world has made it so easy for you to be
remarkable?
• Seth Godin, sethgodin.typepad.com

44. The end