These are slides for a workshop on digital journalism tools and techniques for the Shorthorn editors at the University of Texas-Arlington

1. Digital Journalism
Tools & Techniques
Steve Buttry
University of Texas-Arlington Shorthorn
August 14, 2012
#utashorthorn

2. Read more about it
• stevebuttry.wordpress.com
• slideshare.net/stevebuttry
• @stevebuttry
• stephenbuttry@gmail.com

3. Text
• Stories • Quizzes
• Lists • Chats
• Headlines • Tweets
• Captions • FB updates
• Liveblog • Text on video
• Comments • Text in graphics
• Polls • Links

4. Audio
• Podcast
• Audio clips
• Audio w/ slides
• Soundtrack on video
• Google voice

5. Visuals
• Photos • Maps
• Slideshows • Instagram
• Videos • Flickr
• Animations • YouTube
• Graphics • Facebook
• Data visualizations • Pinterest
• Screenshots • Twitter

6. Data
• Think of answerbases, not databases
• Data personalizes story for readers
• Data gives lasting value to reporting
• Caspio is plug & play database tool
• DataViz & Visual.ly
• Google Fusion maps
• Google Docs & Forms

7. What’s your blog about?

8. Factors in blogging success
• Idea • Links
• Format • Voice
• Headline • Writing
• Visuals • Conversation

9. Possible formats
• Brief • Promotion
• Video (w/ intro) • Chart/graph/map
• Photo gallery • Q&A
• List • Narrative
• Review • Poll
• News story • Curation

10. The blogging conversation
• Crowdsource (specific questions: “Do you
know anyone who …?” “Did you see …?”
“Has this ever happened to you?”)
• Consider ending post w/ question
• Stimulate/continue conversation in social
media
• Engage with comments

11. Why to liveblog
• Immediacy
• News value
• Storytelling
• Traffic
• Community engagement, loyalty
• Interactivity
• Saving time

12. Liveblog formats
• Update (time-stamp, reverse-chron) in
blog or story template
• Use CoverItLive
• Use ScribbleLive
• Live-tweet (on Twitter or feeding blog)
• Video stream (w/liveblog)
• Raw, edited or moderated

13. Tips, techniques
• Short, frequent takes
• Space isn’t an issue; engagement is
• Liveblog becomes notebook for story
• Consider links, polls, photos, audio, video
• Promote live & replays
• Tweet links to liveblog & replay
• OK to step away for question, video, etc.

14. Liveblog & print story
• Liveblog is notebook: cut, paste & edit
• Note when you know you’ve written
good lead or passage for story
• Does summary (w/ web plug) work for
print?
• Plug “complete coverage” in liveblog

15. Liveblogging issues
• Accuracy (stress verification, ask
questions, seek links & documentation,
correct quickly and candidly)
• Rough copy
• Sports credentials
• Multi-tasking
• Learning curve

16. Keys to SEO
• Relevance
• Keywords in headline (what would you
search for?)
• Keywords in story (best in 1st paragraph)
• Understand how people are searching
• Relevant links

17. Read more about it
• stevebuttry.wordpress.com
• slideshare.net/stevebuttry
• @stevebuttry
• jxpaton.wordpress.com
• stephenbuttry@gmail.com