Online Pacemaker Finalists: From 'Meh' to 'Epic

FROM ‘MEH’ TO ‘EPIC’
Learning from Online
Pacemaker finalists

JEA/NSPA Seattle Convention • April 14, 2012

Logan Aimone, MJE
National Scholastic Press Association

Wednesday, April 18, 12

Introduction

The Pacemaker is the highest honor
in scholastic journalism. For eight
decades, it has recognized trend-setters
and go-getters, effort and enterprise,
achievement and talent.
Today, the Pacemaker continues to
recognize the best student journalism in
the nation.


Keep in mind …

• The images seen in thisFinalists. are
2012 Online Pacemaker
presentation

• Winners will be announced at Saturday’s
awards ceremony.
• Inclusion in this presentationadoes not
indicate a website’s status as winner.
• Do not read example was included
whether an
anything into

here.


Who’s judging?
• Pacemaker judges as well as a range of
working in media
are professionals

experts familiar with student media.
• A team of working digital media
journalists from metro daily newspapers
and journalism nonprofits judged the
2012 Online Pacemakers.


Who’s judging?
• Entries are judged holistically. There is
not a rubric with points attached to
certain criteria.
• Judging is by natureNSPA’s Multimedia
subjective based on
somewhat

Guidebook.


How do they judge?
• The number of Pacemaker the number of
winners is proportional to
finalists and

entries.
• The number is not fixed, but about half
of the finalists will be named winners.
• This is a contest, not a critique.
• Judges provide generalare more on the
finalists. Some teams
feedback

thorough.


What do they judge?
• Coverage and Content
• Interactivity and Community Tools
• Breaking News
• Design and Navigation
• Rich Media


Judges said top sites
stood apart for:
• Quality writing and video. It’s done
exceptionally well, it’s fresh and it’s
posted regularly.
• Engagement and interaction beyond
comments. Using Facebook and Twitter
to ask questions, inviting users to
submit content and even having fun like
caption contests.


Judges said top sites
stood apart for:
• Good navigation. Don’t bury confusing
important content beneath a
the

layout that requires many clicks to find.
• Innovation. Latest news Mobile version.
Ticker. Curated content.
summary.

Sub-sites. Social media integration. App
with push notifications. Live chats.


Coverage & Content
• Coverage is comprehensive, focusing on
many aspects of the high school
community it serves, including
academics, school activities, faculty and
administration and student affairs.
• Includes Web-exclusive content, such as
blogs, interactive elements, video, audio
and breaking news.
• Same standards for excellence as print.


From the judges on
Content & Coverage:
• The frontcycle is not tied to the print
The Web
page content must be fresh.

cycle.
• Go get stories — use research and
enterprise. Eliminate fluff. Avoid
repeating content that can be found
elsewhere. Produce for your audience.


From the judges on
Content & Coverage:
• When a reviews and one good news
with 10
high school’s website is lopsided

story, rethink priorities. Your readers
can find CD reviews anywhere. Make it
relevant and specific to the school. Staff
picks and playlists add a more personal
touch than just “This CD sucks.”
• Avoid multimedia forslide sake of video
multimedia. Label a
the
show or
as just that. Write headlines that inform
and work online, not just in print.


Paly Voice
Coverage & Content Palo Alto HS • Palo Alto, Calif.

Coverage is
prioritized and
organized for
visitors. Ticker
and “latest”
sidebar
highlight newer
stories.


Rider Online
Coverage & Content Legacy HS • Mansfield, Texas

Strong
storytelling in
writing and
video. Good use
of in-depth
features on “We
Are Legacy” tab.


El Estoque
Coverage & Content Monta Vista HS • Cupertino, Calif.

Well-written
stories revealed
significant
issues, like the
reporter’s
online
conversation
with a
substitute
teacher
charging
students for
editing.


Interactivity and
Community Tools

• Readers canand polls.
discussions
interact through comments,

• Social networkingand engage the reader.
guides) empower
tools (links, sharing,

• Readers can There’s a methodstory ideas
and letters.
submit content,
to do so.
• Website uses reader-generated content.


From the judges on
Interactivity/Tools:
• Make sure readersreturn visits and foster
which encourage
can post comments,

a sense of community.
• Treat the Web theits own unique the Web
platform. Use
as
capabilities of
for interaction and context.
• Extend engagement with mediatweets
and discussions on social
reply

platforms.


From the judges on
Interactivity/Tools:
• Make your site more engaging. Few
websites offered places to submit
content, news or photos, but use was
rare. It's a huge missed opportunity.
• Make the “Submit Letter to Editor” more
prominent, and use Facebook and
Twitter to solicit answers for your
“Question of the Week”-type features.


Grizzly Gazette
Interactivity / Tools Granite Hills HS • Porterville, Calif.

Complete Spanish section. Strong social media
presence. Reader-submitted photos add content.


Niles West News
Interactivity / Tools Niles West HS • Skokie, Ill.

Makes use of a
variety of social
platforms,
including
Tumblr and
Flickr.


Foothill Dragon Press
Interactivity / Tools Foothill Technology HS • Ventura, Calif.

Site
demonstrates a
strong social
media presence
with lots of
engagement.
Poll is placed
prominently on
front page. They
have a Tumblr,
too.


Breaking News
• Frequency of update is a consideration.
• Multiplegraphics, text, audio, include
photos,
media — which may
video and
interactive elements — are used to report
breaking news events.
• Coverage is useful and related to school
community.
• News is accurate, even if the information
is incomplete.


From the judges on
Breaking News:
• The Webthat the editorial team isn’t
indicate
ages quickly and old stories

updating very often and visitors aren’t
coming frequently.
• Don’t bury the new content. Make sure it
is highlighted.
• Surface all content about a hot topic on
campus. This makes it available for
readers to review and assists first-time
visitors.


Black & White
Breaking News Walt Whitman HS,

Prominent
stories are
handled
through “Most
Popular” tab
and for recently
added or recent
comments.


Knight Errant
Breaking News Benilde-St. Margaret’s School • St. Louis Park, Minn.

“Quick Look” is
a great overview
of latest news
and updates.
Surfacing
content of
major news
story (right
sidebar)
highlights
continuing
story.


Design & Navigation
• The siteinto stories.
readers
is visually appealing, drawing

• Navigation is easy; readers seek.
effortlessly find what they
can

• Newsthepresented in a clear hierarchy,
with
is
most important and/or newest
stories prominently displayed.
• Multiple elements intostory are
packaged together
of a
an integrated
unit.


From the judges on
Design & Navigation:
• Content carouselsand not because a CMS
used deliberately
are cool but should be

template offers them.
• Avoid moving widgets, headline tickers
and marquees. Your front-page carousel
should be about the only thing animated
on your home page.


From the judges on
Design & Navigation:
• Present a cohesive look and feel. follow,
Templates offer clean designs to
but bad color choices or a cluttered
masthead/flag image set apart experts
from amateurs.
• Organize links logically for the viewer.
They likely seek the latest sports stories
before contact information and about us.
• Avoid cutesy headlines/tabs or headlines
without teaser text.


Silver Chips Online
Design & Navigation Montgomery Blair HS • Silver Spring, Md.

Clean design is
easy to
navigate.
Headlines and
summaries
invite readers to
continue.
Emphasis is on
communicating
information —
attention paid
to the user’s
experience.


Harbinger Online
Design & Navigation Shawnee Mission East HS • Prairie Village, Kan.

Clean and easy
to navigate.
Those should be
goals of any
website, and
this one stands
out. Tabs
organize
content for
visitors beyond
obvious
categories.


Fourcast
Design & Navigation Hockaday School • Dallas, Texas

Simple, elegant
design stands
out from the
pack. Attention
is focused on
the carousel
with other
featured
content down
the page or via
tabs.


Rich Media
• The site uses a text and graphics.audio,
video, photos,
variety of media:

• Media enhance content and help tell
stories rather than simply add flashy
elements to the site.
• Audio, video and graphic elements are
technically excellent.
• Copyrightonly original contentand
followed;
laws are understood
or
copyright-free material is used.


From the judges on
Rich Media:
• Don’tto third-party resources in every
Link
“shovelware” your print edition.

article. Embed Google Maps content.
Add value to your Web articles with
features your print edition can’t handle.
• When you’re creating videovideos need to
YouTube or Vimeo that the
pieces in

stand alone. People will share the videos
on Facebook or find it on YouTube and
may not have the accompanying articles.


From the judges on
Rich Media:
• Dumping 200multimediaslideshow and
calling that a
photos in a
piece is
wrong. Edit! Make the slide show have a
beginning, middle and end.
• Follow copyright rules.


The Lancer Link
Rich Media Carlsbad HS • Carlsbad, Calif.

Site contains a
lot of fresh,
well-produced
multimedia.
Audio in
podcasts is clear
and crisp.


FHNToday.com
Rich Media Francis Howell North HS • St. Charles, Mo.

A variety of
multimedia
includes
timelines,
videos,
podcasts, and
events calendar.
New items are
updated almost
daily.


And now, some tips.
Less “meh.” More “epic.”


1. Customize the
template
• The template is a starting point.to
Utilize widgets and modifications
ensure the design, organization and
display fit the needs of your content and
your viewers.
• Move thingssee if pollsSwap objects out
or around to
around.
get better
response, Facebook more “likes” or
stories more views. Use Google Analytics
to track success.


2. Make the CMS
work for you
• CMS are and maintain consistency
organize
not evil. They help you

through time and staff changes.
• Evolve slowly. a site the smallest style
change can set
Even
apart.


3. Three letters: SEO.
• That’s for Search Engine Optimization.
• Givefind your site and content.
will
clues. That’s how search engines

• Use key words. Write will pop upand
leads with words that
headlines
in
search.
• Use plugins toGoogle Site Map
relevancy. Try
increase search

optimizer.


3.5 More on SEO.
• Who are you? Put the name and location
of the school on the site. Most visitors
will know this, but it’s an important
detail for each publication (on or offline).
• Put it inso include theengines can’t your
images,
text. Search
full name of
read

publication, school, physical address,
and phone or email in footer of your site.


4. Improve those
content carousels
• They are overdone.it’s the solution.
there doesn’t mean
Just because it’s

• Test it. how the animationeach slide is
shown,
Consider how long
works, how
to place the captions.
• Compelling photography is essential.
If a story doesn’t have good image, you
should not splash it across the top of the
page. Avoid duplication in multiple
places on the front page.


5. Details count
• Have a social media presence. Facebook
and Twitter links should be easily
accessible through recognizable icons.
• Reinforce yourin a row Use a favicon to
brand your site
brand.
of tabs or a
bookmark list. Use a site to condense
your logo and add code to your head tag.
• Experiment with new trends. Try
things like Tumblr, Pinterest and more.


6. Navigate logically
• Go home. obvious clicking on your flag/
unless it’s
Home buttons are useful

masthead will take you there.
• Always include “About” or “Contact
us.” Nest staff pages, advertising and
other “business” pages under these
categories.
• Organize and archive. Homecoming is
only current and relevant so long. Try
turning a section into a button in your
right rail, or nest all special sections
under a certain navigation name.

7. Analyze your
traffic.
• No one likes math. Make Google
Analytics a part of your staff’s routine.
• What’s trending? Talk with staffs about
why certain articles are trending.
• Consider bounce goingThat’s the an
number of people
rate.
to your site
immediately leaving. The lower the
bounce, the better you are at keeping
people around.
• Try Google Analyticator for WordPress
and Chartbeat if you have high traffic.


8. Help your
audience
• What would you in your highviewer?life
You’re immersed
expect as a
school
and experience it daily. How can you
build a site for the audience most likely
to visit your page?
• Help the less familiar. For visitors
unfamiliar with your school, add context
like a wiki or links to past coverage.
• Don’t be up a story link.provide context.
can back
afraid to
and
External sites


9. Prioritize the
content
• Make the front pageneed the clutter of
landing page doesn’t
a menu. The

dozens of photos.
• Service visualthe eye withJust as you do
in print, draw
skimmers.
visual
elements and text cues as to what is
important. Sites like CNN.com and
NYTimes.com utilize many summaries
and links and few photos “above the
fold” on the main page.


10. Increase the
interactivity
• Ask the not only encourages interaction,
content
audience. Reader-generated

it drives traffic like crazy. Contests for
cutest pets or best spirit day costume are
guaranteed winners.
• Allow give advice (“How would you cut
ideas,
submissions. Readers can submit

the budget?”), or add to a wiki (“What’s
your advice for incoming freshmen?”).
• Share, contentshare. Facilitate sharing
of your
share,
among social media.


What’s next?
We announce the winners
this afternoon!

Contact Logan Aimone:
logan@studentpress.org


Questions?
Thanks!
Twitter: @NSPA
Facebook: National Scholastic
Press Association

Contact Logan Aimone:
logan@studentpress.org

Contact David Studinski
email


Online Pacemaker Finalists: From 'Meh' to 'Epic

Recomendados

Recomendados

Más contenido relacionado

Destacado

Destacado (20)

Similar a Online Pacemaker Finalists: From 'Meh' to 'Epic

Similar a Online Pacemaker Finalists: From 'Meh' to 'Epic (20)

Más de Logan Aimone

Más de Logan Aimone (20)

Último

Último (20)

Online Pacemaker Finalists: From 'Meh' to 'Epic