Comments on: Five ways to produce online news without asking the web guy for help

By: M Whiteside

M Whiteside — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 21:20:25 +0000

Unfortunately, the ones who need to read this and do this are not online reading.

At least, us web ‘guys’ are never lonely.

Mary Ann
(How many printouts of Journalism 2.0 and copies of 10 Minute Guide to HTML to can we leave around the newsroom?)

By: Ron Sylvester

Ron Sylvester — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 18:09:49 +0000

Imagine if we all came back from an assignment and handed someone our notebook and say “here, do something with this.” This is what people seem to want to do with web content.

Ryan, I know you’ve received some heat for this post – some of which is misplaced, because I don’t think for an instant that you’re saying we don’t need web people (sounds like something from a sci-fi movie, but you learned your lesson with “guy”). As one reporter who is trying to show the initiative, I know it can be a lonely world out there right now. But we need to get over it. This is good advice.

I would add one more bit: Ask the web team one question – what do I need to know to post directly on my web site? Katie (our web guru) took 10 minutes to show me how to post my own video directly to Kansas.com. Then you don’t have to go the “You Tube” route and you look even more skillful and capable of keeping your job for another six months.

By: Days of separate print-web responsibilities are over | News Videographer

Days of separate print-web responsibilities are over | News Videographer — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 13:20:11 +0000

[...] There’s some fallout from Ryan Sholin’s recent post about ways that journalists can create web content without hand-holding from the online staff. [...]

By: Ben Spaulding

Ben Spaulding — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 18:47:26 +0000

I’m going try to make this a required read for the newsroom that I work in, including Mindy’s comment — _show some initiative_.

Really, a journalist’s job is to take the initiative, be outgoing, and do whatever it takes to get the job done. But for some reason that drive rarely applies to technology / the Web. They just need to apply what they already know, and do so well, to producing online news.

By: Anyone know 5 ways to produce print copy without asking the newspaper for help? : the x degree: exploring and redefining multimedia storytelling

Mon, 08 Oct 2007 18:23:44 +0000

[...] post, Five ways to produce online news without asking the web guy for help by Ryan Sholin, makes me [...]

By: Notes from a Teacher: Mark on Media » Sunday squibs

Notes from a Teacher: Mark on Media » Sunday squibs — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 22:03:36 +0000

[...] Five ways to produce online news without asking the web guy for help. Ryan Sholin, who’s approach to the new age of journalism is to get out there and do it, has a quick list of ways or even the technophiles to get started. [...]

By: Mindy McAdams

Mindy McAdams — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 15:59:40 +0000

This is great, Ryan.

Of course, Step 1 must be:

Get your IT guy/gal to install Windows Movie Maker on that PC on your desk at work … oops, not enough RAM? Okay then. INSTALL IT YOURSELF AT HOME. Come on, show some initiative!

By: Jack Lail

Jack Lail — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 14:19:02 +0000

You should write “Producing Newspaper Online Content For Dummies.”

As the owner of a growing collection of “dummies” books, it’d be read.

Quoting one of my favorite quotes from an East Tennessee politician: “It doesn’t take a rocket surgeon” to do this.

By: Patrick Lee

Patrick Lee — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 14:08:07 +0000

“You don’t know what it’s like for the web guy at a newspaper.” All I can say to that is: Amen, brother! Our priority list always seems to be a mile long, most readers who take the time to contact us are complaining about something, and we’re basically invisible until somebody in the newsroom wants something… and they usually want it NOW!

It can be a stressful and thankless job sometimes, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Despite all the challenges, it’s still a fascinating time to be working in the newspaper business. And if we ever get through that priority list, the real innovation will start happening.