Comments on: Regionals given a lifeline. It’s up to them to use it http://daveleejblog.com/2008/11/regionals-given-a-lifeline-its-up-to-them-to-use-it/ Fresh ideas for online journalism Fri, 19 Mar 2010 04:06:10 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: florida plumber http://daveleejblog.com/2008/11/regionals-given-a-lifeline-its-up-to-them-to-use-it/comment-page-1/#comment-3514 florida plumber Thu, 25 Feb 2010 19:00:53 +0000 http://daveleejblog.com/?p=491#comment-3514 Well, he was elected by the voters of Kircaldy and Cowdenbeath. In a parliamentary system, I suppose it's always wrong to say that the prime minister was elected by anyone other than his own constituency, but the personalities of the parties' leaders do seem to play more of a role than they did even 15 or 20 years ago. Well, he was elected by the voters of Kircaldy and Cowdenbeath. In a parliamentary system, I suppose it’s always wrong to say that the prime minister was elected by anyone other than his own constituency, but the personalities of the parties’ leaders do seem to play more of a role than they did even 15 or 20 years ago.

]]> By: End of BBC Local TV…is it problem solved for local newspapers? « Adam Westbrook http://daveleejblog.com/2008/11/regionals-given-a-lifeline-its-up-to-them-to-use-it/comment-page-1/#comment-1173 End of BBC Local TV…is it problem solved for local newspapers? « Adam Westbrook Sat, 22 Nov 2008 10:29:48 +0000 http://daveleejblog.com/?p=491#comment-1173 [...] Lee issues a challenge for the papers to up their game and match the quality of the BBC threat. Quite rightly he says the [...] [...] Lee issues a challenge for the papers to up their game and match the quality of the BBC threat. Quite rightly he says the [...]

]]> By: Sam Shepherd http://daveleejblog.com/2008/11/regionals-given-a-lifeline-its-up-to-them-to-use-it/comment-page-1/#comment-1172 Sam Shepherd Sat, 22 Nov 2008 10:14:15 +0000 http://daveleejblog.com/?p=491#comment-1172 Great idea Dave... but to make those sites LOOK different will take much more than individual papers grasping the nettle. At least two of those groups (probably all but I've only worked for two of them) have designed awful, counter-intuituive templates that leave no room for creativity at a regional level. Newsquest 'bans' embedding of iframes or widgets, so the only way you can use sites like Flickr or apps like Cover it Live is to cheat and hope the big bosses don't notice. We have a maximum display window of 310 pixels so even when we do sneakily embed google maps or dipity timelines you can't read them. In your Basildon Echo example, they don't have access to that second column of white space except to use preset Newsquest panels - on our site, I'd love to have a Twitter widget and a Flickr panel but we can't. You don't expect all regional newspapers to look identical - so why can't the groups loosen up a bit, let each site work on developing its own version of the basic template that does allow for a bit of design flexibility, proper display of pictures - and most importantly lets us use some of the great tools that are out there? When you read the comments to our site, lots of them complain about how all the newspapers look the same online. It just contributes to the 'it's not a local paper, they don;t really care about us' feeling that many of our readers have, <abbr><em>Sam Shepherd’s last blog post..<a href="http://subbedout.wordpress.com/2008/11/18/online-storytelling/" rel="nofollow">Online storytelling</a></abbr></em> Great idea Dave… but to make those sites LOOK different will take much more than individual papers grasping the nettle. At least two of those groups (probably all but I’ve only worked for two of them) have designed awful, counter-intuituive templates that leave no room for creativity at a regional level.
Newsquest ‘bans’ embedding of iframes or widgets, so the only way you can use sites like Flickr or apps like Cover it Live is to cheat and hope the big bosses don’t notice. We have a maximum display window of 310 pixels so even when we do sneakily embed google maps or dipity timelines you can’t read them.
In your Basildon Echo example, they don’t have access to that second column of white space except to use preset Newsquest panels – on our site, I’d love to have a Twitter widget and a Flickr panel but we can’t.
You don’t expect all regional newspapers to look identical – so why can’t the groups loosen up a bit, let each site work on developing its own version of the basic template that does allow for a bit of design flexibility, proper display of pictures – and most importantly lets us use some of the great tools that are out there? When you read the comments to our site, lots of them complain about how all the newspapers look the same online. It just contributes to the ‘it’s not a local paper, they don;t really care about us’ feeling that many of our readers have,

Sam Shepherd’s last blog post..Online storytelling

]]> By: D’log :: blogging since 2000 » “Is there a future for West Midlands media?” http://daveleejblog.com/2008/11/regionals-given-a-lifeline-its-up-to-them-to-use-it/comment-page-1/#comment-1171 D’log :: blogging since 2000 » “Is there a future for West Midlands media?” Sat, 22 Nov 2008 08:31:50 +0000 http://daveleejblog.com/?p=491#comment-1171 [...] Dave Lee comments on the BBC’s last-minute decision to scrap plans to offer local video news, and he starts monitoring the Birmingham Mail website to see if and when they take advantage of the [...] [...] Dave Lee comments on the BBC’s last-minute decision to scrap plans to offer local video news, and he starts monitoring the Birmingham Mail website to see if and when they take advantage of the [...]

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