Susan Mernit's Blog tag:www.susanmernit.com,2008-04-03:/blog//2 2012-02-03T17:17:33Z Social media, local news & community, social media for social change, product development, starting an Oakland news & community hub, feminism, product development, permaculture. Contact me at smernit dot gmail dot com if you want to connect. Movable Type Personal 4.1 Bay Citizen may merge with California Watch, CIR tag:www.susanmernit.com,2012:/blog//2.9568 2012-02-03T16:31:44Z 2012-02-03T17:17:33Z I started hearing these rumors three weeks ago, and then, today, the Bay Citizen scooped itself, posting that Phil Bronstein would likely come in as CEO for the troubled Bay Citizen--and help it merge with California Watch and The Center for Investigative Reporting (disclosure: I consulted for CIR for a year).This is one of those moves that is not only fiscally sound (merging two organizations each having annual budgets of over $3.4MM would surely result in economies of scale), it's editorially wise, since The Bay Citizen's problems all along have had to do with finding a unique voice and making good use of all their resources and people, and California Watch's issues have been not around a voice or content (they have some terrific editors), but around distribution.Further, the story goes that folks like Bronstein and CIR's director, Robert Rosenthal, were instrumental in helping Warren Hellman shape his thinking before The Bay Citizen was launched, and that in fact, there was some surprise that Hellman formed the organization without CIR.There's also the important cash flow fact, which is that while CIR has done a brilliant job raising money from both national and local foundations to support California Watch, some of its largest funders are now pulling back, both because o f a change in direction and because it is rare for a foundation to supply large funding for more than 3 years.One interesting question is--what would the merge look like? With two organizations that both have reporting teams of more than 13 people each, a "reduction in force" would seem inevitable, even as efficiencies of scale would be valued.I'd love to see this happen--there are some terrific people at both organizations--and the Bay area could use a broadly focused digital news voice that had the funds to do deep-dive investigative reporting--and partner with organizations like Oakland Local for more local coverage. Susan Mernit http://susanmernit.com Bay Citizen scooped itself, posting that Phil Bronstein would likely come in as CEO for the troubled Bay Citizen--and help it merge with California Watch and The Center for Investigative Reporting (disclosure: I consulted for CIR for a year).
This is one of those moves that is not only fiscally sound (merging two organizations each having annual budgets of over $3.4MM would surely result in economies of scale), it's editorially wise, since The Bay Citizen's problems all along have had to do with finding a unique voice and making good use of all their resources and people, and California Watch's issues have been not around a voice or content (they have some terrific editors), but around distribution.
Further, the story goes that folks like Bronstein and CIR's director, Robert Rosenthal, were instrumental in helping Warren Hellman shape his thinking before The Bay Citizen was launched, and that in fact, there was some surprise that Hellman formed the organization without CIR.
There's also the important cash flow fact, which is that while CIR has done a brilliant job raising money from both national and local foundations to support California Watch, some of its largest funders are now pulling back, both because o f a change in direction and because it is rare for a foundation to supply large funding for more than 3 years.
One interesting question is--what would the merge look like? With two organizations that both have reporting teams of more than 13 people each, a "reduction in force" would seem inevitable, even as efficiencies of scale would be valued.
I'd love to see this happen--there are some terrific people at both organizations--and the Bay area could use a broadly focused digital news voice that had the funds to do deep-dive investigative reporting--and partner with organizations like Oakland Local for more local coverage.
]]> Tearing through work tag:www.susanmernit.com,2012:/blog//2.9567 2012-02-01T07:31:25Z 2012-02-02T18:10:57Z Susan Mernit http://susanmernit.com
After 5 hours, I've rewritten the big, clunky paper into something still long (25 pages) but very readable, planned out the webinar, and feel able to write the preso and spend no more than 2-3 hours on it. (This is a huge relief).  I also realized what the follow up project should be--and have plans to do a one-sheet on value and impact for my idea.

What else did I do today?
Work on Oakland Local
Write proposals for a panel and a workshop for Netroots Nation
File 2 FOIA requests
Play with the dog
Get photographed with my fabulous friends
Go out to dinner at Ninna with same friends
Hit the local hot tubbery with said friends
Play with the dog
Come home and talk about how to change the world with my super great housemate
Hit the interwebs

It was a really  productive day, and getting my big rock done makes me feel very calm.
]]> The Bay Citizen: $6.2MM budget and no leaders? tag:www.susanmernit.com,2012:/blog//2.9566 2012-01-30T16:17:36Z 2012-01-30T16:27:09Z In about ten days,editor Steve Fainru is leaving the Bay Citizen, just around the same time their CEO, Lisa Frazier, is departing. Has there ever been an organization whose benefactor--the recently deceased Warren Hellman--made sure there was millions in the bank--but whose entire leadership team has departed? (Original EIC Jon Weber left several months ago).Rumor has it that the Bay Citizen's traffic numbers are not strong, and that the company is so focused on their deal with the New York Times that it's taken attention off building traffic to their web site. But as an organization--with a union, no less--that has more writers than just about any California non-profit (except for maybe California Watch and the Center for Investigative Reporting)--the whole situation is just plain strange.(And of course, despite all the money raised, Hellman's death may have left large sources of future funding in limbo).So, whither Bay Citizen? Are more consultants in the wings to take over or plan next steps?This is such an unusual situation--it would be interesting to know. Susan Mernit http://susanmernit.com Steve Fainru is leaving the Bay Citizen, just around the same time their CEO, Lisa Frazier, is departing. Has there ever been an organization whose benefactor--the recently deceased Warren Hellman--made sure there was millions in the bank--but whose entire leadership team has departed? (Original EIC Jon Weber left several months ago).

Rumor has it that the Bay Citizen's traffic numbers are not strong, and that the company is so focused on their deal with the New York Times that it's taken attention off building traffic to their web site. But as an organization--with a union, no less--that has more writers than just about any California non-profit (except for maybe California Watch and the Center for Investigative Reporting)--the whole situation is just plain strange.

(And of course, despite all the money raised, Hellman's death may have left large sources of future funding in limbo).

So, whither Bay Citizen? Are more consultants in the wings to take over or plan next steps?
This is such an unusual situation--it would be interesting to know.
]]> Shit Silicon Valley Says (Video): Priceless tag:www.susanmernit.com,2012:/blog//2.9565 2012-01-25T18:50:48Z 2012-01-25T18:51:42Z OMFG, this is so funny—and so true. Well done, folks! Tom Conrad/Kaie Imbach, more, more! Susan Mernit http://susanmernit.com OMFG, this is so funny—and so true. Well done, folks! Tom Conrad/Kaie Imbach, more, more!

]]> Business Insider on Jim Bankoff, AOL & Vox Media, great piece tag:www.susanmernit.com,2012:/blog//2.9563 2012-01-10T07:25:49Z 2012-01-10T07:31:23Z I had a blast reading The Raid on AOL: How Vox Pillaged Engadget And Founded An Empire by Kevin Lincoln. As a former AOLer who worked closely with Jim Bankoff back in the day, this account rings true on so many levels.But I was also thrilled to learn that SB Nation, Bankoff's company, has Oakland, CA roots--turns out SB Nation was a side project started by Markos of Daily Kos and his friend Tyler Bleszinski. Lincoln writes, looking back to the 2003-2005 era:"Unhappy with how his favorite team, the Oakland A's, was being covered - and inspired by the cerebral sabermetrics of A's manager Billy Beane, as chronicled in Michael Lewis' book "Moneyball" - Bleszinski decided to start Athletics Nation. He corrected what he saw as the mistakes of other baseball writers by doing away with the veil of objectivity, which he believes is a myth in sports media coverage. He proudly displayed his pro-A's bias and covered the team obsessively, 24/7, and particularly in the offseason."And from that..magic--and a growing company that's launching all sorts of big media-and a terrific, well-researched piece on AOL, Vox and how things came to be, Susan Mernit http://susanmernit.com The Raid on AOL: How Vox Pillaged Engadget And Founded An Empire
by Kevin Lincoln. As a former AOLer who worked closely with Jim Bankoff back in the day, this account rings true on so many levels.

But I was also thrilled to learn that SB Nation, Bankoff's company, has Oakland, CA roots--turns out SB Nation was a side project started by Markos of Daily Kos and his friend Tyler Bleszinski. Lincoln writes, looking back to the 2003-2005 era:

"Unhappy with how his favorite team, the Oakland A's, was being covered - and inspired by the cerebral sabermetrics of A's manager Billy Beane, as chronicled in Michael Lewis' book "Moneyball" - Bleszinski decided to start Athletics Nation. He corrected what he saw as the mistakes of other baseball writers by doing away with the veil of objectivity, which he believes is a myth in sports media coverage. He proudly displayed his pro-A's bias and covered the team obsessively, 24/7, and particularly in the offseason."

And from that..magic--and a growing company that's launching all sorts of big media-and a terrific, well-researched piece on AOL, Vox and how things came to be,
]]> Community media--or big company? The Oakland Tribune cease and desist letter tag:www.susanmernit.com,2012:/blog//2.9562 2012-01-08T20:58:23Z 2012-01-08T22:19:32Z Susan Mernit http://susanmernit.com covered this story for my independent Oakland news non-profit, Oakland Local--and though it just said so much about where big media is today. (Alert: opinions follow).

Corporations need to protect their trademarks.  Without a creative commons license, legal counsel at BANG surely felt they had to protect their trademark or risk diluting it. Ergo, C&d to the offenders, even if it's a grassroots, volunteer organization.

One group doesn't know what the other group is doing.  Who hasn't worked for a big company at some point where the interests of one department slap right up against the interests of another? Surely no one bothered to tell Digital First/ANG honchos John Paton, Jim Brady or Steve Buttry about this letter, and maybe not BANG's Randy Keith, either.

Is community media talk--or walk?  Can big newspapers stop seeing the community--and local media like Oakland Local or even OOT--as their competition and their enemies--and actually learn how to support independent voices? Let's say the *new* Trib is trying-or likes to say its trying--and then ask how far that perspective goes and how many legal,financial and policy decisions it informs--and what's just spin.

Unfortunately, if I worked at BANG in legal, I'd send that letter as well.  But if if worked at BANG in management, or at Digital First, I'd damn well want to make sure I heard--before it happened---about company plans that reached out in and affected grassroots community--so I wouldn't be in the embarassing position--as one BANG staffer called it--of hosting talks with Occupy folks with one group--and sending them cease and desist letters from another in the same company.

And I'd also tell my reporters to attribute their stories--like this one from the Trib, that doesn't even mention Oakland Local breaking this story DAYS before they ran theirs. DOH!!
]]> Steve Spiker is so right re local government and innovate--or stagnate tag:www.susanmernit.com,2012:/blog//2.9561 2012-01-06T22:44:52Z 2012-01-06T22:51:31Z Susan Mernit http://susanmernit.com
Some of Steve's points that resonated with me:
"Many of our tech problems have been solved in other cities and all we need to to is pick from existing open sourced applications and implement them in our town."
And:

From my work here are a few quick areas that I've seen solutions for either out of CfA or in the Civic Commons:

  • Contracting processes: currently a small business contract with the city for perhaps a few thousand dollars requires the business to complete approximately 12 different documents, from word docs to locked PDFs, so they must print them all and fill them out by hand, and then submit copies. I can only imagine the city process for recording and managing these various forms when they are received. Take a look at the SmartPDF work in SF for a powerful solution, or just make the effort to combine all these forms into a single, fill-able PDF at the very least, and one day perhaps implement web based forms?
  • Adopt an Open311 system for calls for service. This platform, developed in SF and DC is an open source 311 system that has open connectors and a new public dashboard feature developed by CFA. Very powerful and no proprietary software required.
  • Work with the county to build a unified property addressing system.
  • Implement Classtalk.org across the OUSD and help our teachers keep in touch with their students via SMS - perfect for a community with low internet access at home!
  • Implement ChangeByUs, a great new tool for community engagement and collaboration.
  • Implement an OpenData policy and work with our tech community to build an OpenData portal for our city. Free up valuable city data to encourage innovation, engagement and new startups! We're doing this anyway, but it should be supported by our city!

Steve, you are so right.

]]> QOTD: May on "social justice technologist" tag:www.susanmernit.com,2012:/blog//2.9560 2012-01-02T15:27:56Z 2012-01-02T15:33:28Z Susan Mernit http://susanmernit.com May May, maybemaimed.com, http://bit.ly/vPBkDP

Great post by May on his journey, asking some questions I want to think about as well:

Doing more with less: "It's all just stuff I don't need, distractions I can't afford, things I hardly used. The only reason I have them is because I was afraid of not having them, because I was made to believe I was supposed to have an apartment, with stuff, purchased using money from a job I don't like to make me feel better about having that job I never really even fucking wanted. And now, I'm not so afraid of that anymore."

Doing work that matters: "What is my career when I have achieved, for me, an unprecedented level of recognition after 8 long years of being in the workforce? What is my contribution to my own future, and to people like me who are still young children today?"

We make our own home inside us--or we don't: "Maybe I never had a home. Or maybe I ought not have defined "home" so narrowly."



]]> Blogging is back--so what does that mean? tag:www.susanmernit.com,2012:/blog//2.9559 2012-01-01T16:00:45Z 2012-01-01T18:05:15Z Susan Mernit http://susanmernit.com Or, I'm resolving to blog again, but actually meaning to do it.
Or, I'm just blogging again, dammnit.

Back in 2002/2003, when I started to blog, it was the coolest thing possible.
Two years ago, I was in the throes of a start-up (Oakland Local), and blogging seemed redundant with all the Twitter, Facebook, social media energy.

Here we are at 2012, and even with Tumblr (susanmernit.tumblr.com), Pinterest (just checking it out) and  Google Plus (profile here), there are still things I want to say that the blog seems the right format for. So here, we go.

Why blog?

  • Social media is a bit like circling the drain unless you have some real content assets to share--or you like to chatter (and the short form is an art.)
  • Tumblr is a magnificent reclipping and image/photo/video sharing service, among other things, but it doesn't feel like blog post land to me (tho if I didn't have a blog, I'd definitely have a tumblr first)
  • Pinterest is ladies over 40 who like to do something tumblr-esque inside a walled garden.  It's the new Vox. m'thinks. (Cool, but not my focus.)

Who else is experiencing a revival  of interest in blogging? Anyone getting their words back?

]]> NYE resolutions, part 1 (the personal ones) tag:www.susanmernit.com,2011:/blog//2.9558 2011-12-31T23:36:02Z 2012-01-01T00:16:23Z Susan Mernit http://susanmernit.com So, this year, I want to make more resolutions, and keep them all, so I am going to list them here so friends and family can check in and see if I am doing what I said I was going to do.  Here's a working list of personal resolves:
  • Get a full baseline medical check up. (I HATE going to the doctor.)
  • See my son once a month if possible, but not less often than every 6 weeks (because he is the most interesting person ever and I love him).
  • More time for friends on a weekly basis (hear that, everyone--PLEASE invite me to do stuff and see you!)
  • LOSE 30 pounds.  (Ouch! I have I would do this so many times that if I'd done it before, I would have disappeared by now, but I am going to put some strong focus and intention on doing this in a consistent and healthy way in 2012.)
  • Be active every day. What can I add to that 3X a week gym routine that keeps me sweating and moving? and having fun?

I will post some work and career-related resolutions as well; going to sit with these for now.

]]> Holiday breakfast 2011 tag:www.susanmernit.com,2011:/blog//2.9557 2011-12-25T02:10:36Z 2011-12-25T02:32:09Z So tomorrow morning is the big Christmas breakfast. We like to cook, so we're cooking.Menu:Home made three-fruit marmalade (bright and fresh)Home made lemon oxford cut marmalade (dark and more tart)Cranberry-Hazelnut quick breadBanana bread with pecans and dried cranberriesLeek and bacon quicheLeek quiche with mushrooms (for those vegetarians)Citrus fruit salad (love those fruits in the winter)Berry-melon fruit salad (what my partner likes)CoffeeTeaSparkling bubbly drinks for those who want themHome made ginger ale (made ginger simple syrup last week)Christmas cookies (friends will provideAnd then there will be: TalkWalkPlaying with dogOpening presentsFriends, family, funPhotos to come Susan Mernit http://susanmernit.com Menu:
  • Home made three-fruit marmalade (bright and fresh)
  • Home made lemon oxford cut marmalade (dark and more tart)
  • Cranberry-Hazelnut quick bread
  • Banana bread with pecans and dried cranberries
  • Leek and bacon quiche
  • Leek quiche with mushrooms (for those vegetarians)
  • Citrus fruit salad (love those fruits in the winter)
  • Berry-melon fruit salad (what my partner likes)
  • Coffee
  • Tea
  • Sparkling bubbly drinks for those who want them
  • Home made ginger ale (made ginger simple syrup last week)
  • Christmas cookies (friends will provide

And then there will be:

  • Talk
  • Walk
  • Playing with dog
  • Opening presents
  • Friends, family, fun

Photos to come

]]> Knowing when to let go tag:www.susanmernit.com,2011:/blog//2.9556 2011-12-24T23:37:12Z 2011-12-24T23:43:51Z Susan Mernit http://susanmernit.com
But I question whether persistence is always a good trait. I think my persistence has led me to hang on too long in other areas where a more sane person would have packed it in. I've stayed in personal relationships, friendships, and professional organizations after it really made sense to hang on, not always for the better.

I'm thinking ahead to 2012, and knowing I need to ask myself questions about how much I am willing to change and move on in 2012.  I think I am at one of those points again where I need to get out of my comfort zone and change some established behaviors around food, exercises and relationships--those things that truly, end up reflecting what the priorities really are, versus what I say they are.

I know this is all deliberately a bit obscure, but I can feel myself starting to question some things.
]]> What went viral in my life in 2011 tag:www.susanmernit.com,2011:/blog//2.9555 2011-12-24T07:42:47Z 2011-12-24T08:24:13Z Susan Mernit http://susanmernit.com
1. Storify
I love Storify. The new design is confusing, accessing current data from the Twitter and Facebook APIs is pretty chancy, but the basic capability to put a narrative together using social media content , hashtags and text is just superb.  I covered everything from a teen group competing on a national TV show to Occupy Oakland using Storify.

2. Gmail filters and folders and labels
After my 300+ emails a day threatened to drive me insane, I did some serious research abut managing the inbox and took advice from Lifehacker. Strategies?
  • Create filters for everything and everything not essential straight to the folder to refer to later.
  • Use the labels "Action Needed,"  "File me" and, in my case, "Story possibility" and "Ad prospect" to sort mail.
  • Delete!

3. Music: Renting, not buying

I started paying for two music apps in 2011.  I'd started with Pandora, which I love, in 2009; I'm now also paying for Spotify.  The Pandora investment led me to British composer and pianist Helen Long, whom I adore and play all the time when I work; the Spotify investment allowed me to check out and play selections from several of the collections that the NY Times' Jim Fusilli named as top albums (for want of a better word). I'd never heard Paul Simons' "So Beautiful or So What" before. Wow.

4. Going to the gym 3 times a week and doing my circuit

I've been going to the gym for more than 2 years, but this is the year I've somehow internalized that I need to go regularly--and do aerobics and lift weights (and stretch). The consistency is hard-won, but hopefully not too fragile.

5. Kindle/e books

Amy Gahran got me to try her old Kindle and I got hooked. I've now bought two Kindles as gifts for family members (and linked them to my account) and downloaded more than 83 sample chapters and 38 books to my device (Some of the books are classics from Gutenberg). My rule is the Kindle is for travelling and actual books are for home, but I'm still sampling chapters like crazy on the Kindle, even at home. And it's great.

6. Kale & Mustard Greens

We didn't become vegan, and we didn't quite go paleo, but we did embrace the dark green veggie thing, big time. I have passed through the making kale crisps with curry in the oven phase (I think), and am more in the sauteed greens at many meals a day stage.

7. Excel

My partner is a math wiz who dreams in Excel; I have been fighting a math block that kicked in as a teen all my life. It's all A's doing that I can do do things like forecast prospective value, all on my own, through the wonders of Excel.

8. Netflix for TV/Cable series

Gave up TV in 2008, got Netflix in 2010. 2011 was when I discovered TV series had changed. In the past year, I have very much enjoyed making my way through:

  • Dexter
  • Saving Grace
  • Drop Dead Diva (gave up on it, kinda)
  • The L Word
  • Breaking Bad

I tried True Blood and Glee, but they didn't stick.

9.Family ties

I'm waaay too busy, with a job and a startup (okay, two jobs), but that makes maintaining close ties critical. My partner, my son, my siblings, my close friends...I made more effort this year to hold onto these connections, not that I always succeed as well as I might have. (And I won't mention the great friends I need to see MORE.)

10. Planning events

I've been planning events most of my life, but really got in the groove this summer with Code for Oakland and the InOak lunch series. Now planning lots more for 2012. Fun--and a play to your strengths kind of thing for me.

]]> What I learned at newsfoo #2011 tag:www.susanmernit.com,2011:/blog//2.9552 2011-12-05T06:12:43Z 2011-12-05T06:19:03Z Susan Mernit http://susanmernit.com What happens when you put 150 talented, passionate people in a set of rooms for 2.5 days and help them connect? 

If you're the Google, O'Reilly, Knight Foundation team that planned the second newsfoo, you're just part of the crowd, staying up late playing Werewolf and talking talking talking in-between product demos.  Part pajama party, part geek fest, part insider mingle sprint, my first newsfoo--and the second newsfoo organized by O'Reilly with the help of geekster media maven Jennifer 8 Lee, was amazing.

Parts of the event were definitely friendDA, but I'd like to share some of the flavor of the weekend, so if you're lucky enough to be invited (only 40% make will make it back for a second confab) you know you have to clear your scheduler and go.

When you're an obsessive, you never run out of things o discuss, particularly if everyone else is as obsessed as you are
Newsfoo made me remember that some people work at the intersection of tech/civic engagment/media and community because it's their job, but I don't think many of those people were at the meeting. Instead, I think the group was a whole lot of people like me, people who are so obsessed with solving particular sets of problems or answering specific questions that they would work on these things whether they made money from it or not. In other words, people who were so into their work they found ways to get paid for it because it was something they loved to do.

Newsfoo is a frieNDA kind of place, so I'm not going deep dive into who said what and where, but here's some info:

Topics/fields of newsfoo folks, in no particular order:

  • news apps
  • long form investigative journalism
  • community web-based radio
  • hyperlocal media, local mobile, local apps, local wikis
  • data visualization tools & models
  • scraping tools
  • e-pubs
  • organization change & the future of news
  • crowd-sourcing
  • research: organizational development, behavior of crowds, weighting algorithms
  • personalization
  • journalism (every flavor)
  • Journalism education and professional development
  • Internet freedom, journalists' rights
  • CMS (and beyond the CMS)
  • data research, metrics
  • new ad models and tools/platforms
  • video, video documenter, future of video
  • Occupy, Occupy Wall Street, Occupy Wall Street Journal
  • civic engagement

and then some.... so many interesting people and projects it was obvious I was never going to meet or talk to everyone I might.

Unconference formats work, but hallway con is always tasty
So our newsfoo was a series of sessions on topics we self-organized and a lightening fast Ignite series of talks with 17 brave souls on Saturday night (before those games of Werewolf kicked in).

Some of the session highlights for me:

  • Danny O'Brien talking journalism and rights
  • Our group panel on local with See Click Fix and Localwiki
  • Baratunde Thurston on satire and snark and who to pay attention to right now in satire



Hallway con highlights

  • Connecting with Sasha Constanza-Cohen VozMob around share mission, shared Drupal back end and share obsession with feature phones and mobile publishing and interactivity tools (especially for undeserved communities.)
  • Talking Google + with the Google content team lead
  • Getting a deep dive into my friend Dan Pacheo's excellent Book Brewer, a platform to do pub that I am going to jump into right now.
  • Occupy Wall Street: Michael Levitin is one of the editors of this NYC-based, moving to national Occupy site that is printing newspapers (remember them?) as a means to get the word out.
  • Catching up with Jody Brannon, Kim Bui, David Cohn, Maureen Jennings, Robert Rosenthal, Scot Rosenberg, Jay Rosen, Gabe Rivera, Dan Gillmore, Andrew Pergam, Jose Zamora, Brad Flora, and other smart folks I don't talk to enough.
  • Talking with folks newer to me like the wonderful and smart Javaun Moradi, Lorrie LeJeune, Cyndi Stivers (someone I have always admired, since the days of her editorship of Time Out NYC), Karen Templer, Dan Victor, Ellen Weiss, John Barth, Andrew Fitzgerald and Karen Wickre.
  • Finding out Jose Antonio Vargas knows and liked Oakland Local made me so happy, I admire him.


Ignite #newsfoo
http://digiphile.tumblr.com/

The level of polish, creativity, wisdom and--thank god--humor in these 17 presos would take more than Ignite's 5 minutes to express, but if they see the light of day, check them out.

So what did I learn from all these people that is going to affect my next 6-12 months? What were the high-level takeaways:

  • E-pubs: Get started now
  • Ad models: Some new tools have amazing promise, but everyone's still in search of a viable business model.
  • Data visualization: As the tools grow, still some frustration on how to make data viz even more accessible is out there--how can we make this growing discipline more accessible?
  • Mobile and geo-location are becoming seamless in apps
  • Cultural change: Was there a journalist or developer from a big media company in attendance who didn't reference the re sets that big media is going through (and needs to go through faster).
  • O'Reilly: Great company, you get a feeling why people who work here have stayed 10+ years
  • Fun: Games, drinks, talk--when the tribe gathers it is hella fun, so enjoy.




.

]]> Thinking Newsfoo: Occupied by Oakland tag:www.susanmernit.com,2011:/blog//2.9551 2011-11-28T06:37:51Z 2011-11-28T06:38:15Z Susan Mernit http://susanmernit.com Going to Newsfoo in Phoenix in a matter of days and thinking about doing a talk. Some of the options I'm considering (comments welcomed):

Occupied by Occupy: The Occupy Oakland movement surrounded Oakland Local like a rush of hot lava. How did we manage our coverage to provide unique value in a media storm--and make it happen on a super-limited budget? In some ways the essence of OL shone through for Occupy Oakland and for a month, it ruled.

$56,000 edit budget, 308,000 unique visitors: how? Oakland Local has a unique blend of reported news, community voices and non-profit partner content. And our audience is 46% under 35--not the traditional newsies. What do we do--and how do we  d it (howling at the moon).

Very excited to be part of a set of discussions about the future of news & community media, transparency, the semantic web, app frameworks, mobile, CMSs and what they are evolving into, digital divide and all the other related topics that make my brain--and my heart-go zing zing zing. ]]> Yeah, Danny Sullivan! tag:www.susanmernit.com,2011:/blog//2.9550 2011-11-26T06:32:25Z 2011-11-26T06:35:10Z Loving the rant that is all truth by Danny Sullivan: http://daggle.com/closed-unfriendly-world-wikipedia-2853What Sullivan doesn't say, but Wikipedia folks themselves have admitted, is that the system is squewed to push out entries about women--the example Sullivan Rants about, about internet click fraud pioneer Jessie Stricchiola and her deleted Wikipeda entry, is straight on. Susan Mernit http://susanmernit.com ttp://daggle.com/closed-unfriendly-world-wikipedia-2853
What Sullivan doesn't say, but Wikipedia folks themselves have admitted, is that the system is squewed to push out entries about women--the example Sullivan Rants about, about internet click fraud pioneer Jessie Stricchiola and her deleted Wikipeda entry, is straight on.]]> Remembering Chris Ma tag:www.susanmernit.com,2011:/blog//2.9549 2011-11-26T06:18:14Z 2011-11-26T06:20:29Z Susan Mernit http://susanmernit.com http://wapo.st/skF99Q

Just learned that Chris Ma died suddenly of a heart attack at 61. How sad!  I met Chris back in the day when doing web media wasn't a commonplace career; he had an intelligence and sensitivity--and smarts--that made me want to keep track of him. Very sad to hear he's passed.
]]> Well worth the read on Oakland Local tag:www.susanmernit.com,2011:/blog//2.9548 2011-11-17T15:54:40Z 2011-11-17T15:55:10Z Great interview with Kwan Booth about Oakland Local: By lowering the barriers between the newsroom and the community, we always have them at the front and center of our work. We try to ask ourselves with all of the coverage: "How does this effect the community we're covering? " http://bit.ly/sCW9la Susan Mernit http://susanmernit.com http://bit.ly/sCW9la ]]> Oakland Local updates--and next steps tag:www.susanmernit.com,2011:/blog//2.9547 2011-10-14T16:35:00Z 2011-10-14T16:36:58Z Susan Mernit http://susanmernit.com
Our traffic remains strong, with over 140,000 page views a month, 66,000 unique visitors, according to Google Analytics, with 98% of them from Oakland and within 5 miles of the city.

So, the big push now is sustainability.  We have a great audience, great community--and we need to solidify our revenue streams--which will be based on ads and sponsorships, training, grants for journalism, grants for training and funded programs, and donations. Lots to do!
]]> Seeking tools you can't live without tag:www.susanmernit.com,2011:/blog//2.9546 2011-10-07T00:06:23Z 2011-10-07T00:06:50Z Collecting tools and tips for a project and want to know: what are the online tools you recommend and/or use for running a project, everything from Basecamp and Open Atrium to Toggl, Remember the Milk, Tweetdeck, Chartbeat--please list here so I can add them to my research. Susan Mernit http://susanmernit.com Collecting tools and tips for a project and want to know: what are the online tools you recommend and/or use for running a project, everything from Basecamp and Open Atrium to Toggl, Remember the Milk, Tweetdeck, Chartbeat--please list here so I can add them to my research. The wild joy of Block by Block 2011 tag:www.susanmernit.com,2011:/blog//2.9545 2011-09-30T18:58:46Z 2011-09-30T19:06:45Z Susan Mernit http://susanmernit.com 100+ local online publishers in a room in Chicago today, sharing stories and strategies about how to make hyperlocal community media work.  Some of them are former journalists living on severance to start small local sites, others are media entrepreneurs running already profitable enterprises, and yet others are news non-profits and regional investigative news networks. Despite the lack of recognition of these types of sites (except for those with budgets of over $1MM at the recent ONA), THIS is a large slice of the future of civic engagement, news literacy and community coverage.

 In an era where legacy media is imploding and the corporate solutions are questionable, Block by Block attendees are the local news providers that will increasingly provide news coverage of what matters.

Part of what is so exciting here is the culture of openness. Because few people compete head to head in a given market, the relationship building going on is focused on sharing knowledge, best practices and sharing tips to save time (and effort).  It's kinda like a big hyperlocal rave, really, with every part of the country--and a couple sits from Canada--represented.

You can follow the twitter stream for this event at #bxb11 and watch the live stream as well:

Watch live coverage of Block by Block Community News Summit 2011.

Follow us on Twitter: @mybxb

Summit hashtag: #bxb11


]]> ONA Awards 2011: Hyperlocal media need not apply? tag:www.susanmernit.com,2011:/blog//2.9544 2011-09-25T12:36:48Z 2011-09-28T05:28:13Z Susan Mernit http://susanmernit.com 2011 winners this weekend, and while it's an illustrious list, it's also a very predicatble--and corporate--one. Why do I say that? No hyperlocal sites that don't write in NYTimes style won anything-and only two hyperlocal sites won at all.
What this suggest to me is that the ONA board and judges don't *see* community media--the finalists for these awards included no small hyperlocal sites of any type, though an online producer and several of the better funded regional projects were all finalists (think voice of san diego, california watch, pro publica).

What's wrong with this picture?

In a time when business models for  journalism as we've known it are collapsing, ignoring hyperlocal and community media sites that don't aspire to be mini New York Times (I prefer the old NY Newsday, myself), is just plain short-sighted.

Yes, it's true there's great work represented in the award winners, but these awards are starting to feel like a map that's so incomplete because several countries are missing.

ONA, wake up and grow up! Cut through your onerous bureaucracy and red tape and add a category for community media and bring in journalists who work for organizations with budgets of less than $1 MM to help judge--or fact the face there's a growing category of media you just don't see (maybe you think we're "blogs," eh?)

I'm happy to help you make this happen--and I bet many of my fellow local site operators, like the sites in the "Authentically Local" network--would be happy to help as well. After all, many of us have been ONA judges, committee members, chairs, etc--even if you don't "see" what we do now.

As media changes, ONA needs to evolve as well. If this is an organization that only recognizes mainsteam news, you're missing out on an emerging and vibrant category--and diminishing your own relevance in the field.

Come on, ONA, you can do better. Unless you just don't care
]]> ONA Awards 2011: Hyperlocal media need not apply? tag:www.susanmernit.com,2011:/blog//2.9543 2011-09-25T12:36:48Z 2011-09-25T15:24:00Z Susan Mernit http://susanmernit.com 2011 winners this weekend, and while it's an illustrious list, it's also a very predicatble--and corporate--one. Why do I say that? No hyperlocal sites that don't write in NYTimes style won anything-and only two hyperlocal sites won at all.

What's wrong with this picture?

In a time when business models for  journalism as we've known it are
collapsing, ignoring hyperlocal and community media sites that don't
aspire to be mini-New York Times (I prefer the old NY Newsday, myself),
is just plain short-sighted.

Yes, it's true there's great work represented in the award winners, but
these awards are starting to feel like a map that's so incomplete
because several countries are missing.

ONA, wake up and grow up! Cut through your onerous bureaucracy and red
tape and add a category for community media and bring in journalists who
work for organizations with budgets of less than $1 MM to help judge--or
fact the face there's a growing category of media you just don't see.


I'm happy to help you make this happen--and I bet many of my fellow
local site operators, like the sites in the "Authentically Local"
network--would be happy to help as well. After all, many of us have been
ONA judges, committee members, chairs, etc--even if you don't "see" what
we do now.

As media changes, ONA needs to evolve as well. If this is an
organization that only recognizes mainstream news, you're missing out on
an emerging and vibrant category--and diminishing your own relevance in
the field.

Come on, ONA, you can do better. Unless you just don't care.


]]> At JAWS, Asheville, NC tag:www.susanmernit.com,2011:/blog//2.9542 2011-09-24T15:27:25Z 2011-09-24T15:34:10Z Susan Mernit http://susanmernit.com Having an interesting time in Asheville, NC with 120+ other female media-identified people talking media and the future of. I know it's a beautiful area, but I haven't made it out of the hotel yet (maybe this afternoon).  So far, I've been a very disparate variety of people, have some interesting chats, and presented a workshop and been on a panel.
(My slides are here for the 4 hour workshop I led on Media entrepreneurship and multimedia: http://www.slideshare.net/susanmernit/jaws-multimedia-class )
Here's some of the twittersphere, etc so far:

]]> My first JAWS, Ashville, NC, thoughts & notes tag:www.susanmernit.com,2011:/blog//2.9541 2011-09-23T12:46:59Z 2011-09-23T12:57:21Z Susan Mernit http://susanmernit.com Journalism and Women Symposium) in Asheville NC this weekend, partly to give a workshop on media entrepreneurship and multimedia (now, that's some combo), and be on a panel, and partly to just check out what many people have told me is the powerful energy of people in this group.  As a huge fan of conference co-chair Sarah Pollock, journalism department lead at Mills College, and a great advisors to Oakland Local, I kind of had to come; Sarah has never given me bad advice--and she said: "Come talk and hang out this year."

There doesn't seem to be the same sort of organization hub for women in media/tech that Women 2.0, Women Who Tech, Systers, She's Geeky, etc fill for women in med and that BlogHer Bet, The Creative Connection and others fill for broader entrepreneurs, so I am curious to see if JAWS might be a good fit for that mission.

Keynoter is St Louis Beacon's Margie Frievogel, so I am excited to hear her speak on one of my fav topics: My Failures.

More to come.
]]>