news:rewired, the one-day digital journalism conference hosted by Journalism.co.uk, takes place just four weeks tomorrow (Thursday 23 January)!
Over the past weeks and months the Journalism.co.uk team has been working hard to build an agenda focused on the latest innovations from newsrooms in the UK, Europe and the US, with inspirational industry case studies and helpful practical tips to be shared along the way.
The event at MSN UK’s offices in London, Victoria, on Thursday 20 February will cover a range of vital digital journalism skills as well as highlight the latest tools in innovation.
In tribute to our keynote speaker Jack Shepherd, editorial director of BuzzFeed, we have compiled a list of eight key skills delegates will get to hear about on the day (some sessions run in parallel, but all delegates will gain access to video of the sessions after the event).
1. Make content shareable
This is the subject of both Jack Shepherd’s keynote speech and the first panel session, which will hear from those leading social news delivery within the newsroom and feature lessons in how make content as shareable as possible, whether it is a funny list or serious breaking news update.
2. Use good social media judgement
The first panel will also look at the different judgements journalists may find themselves faced with when sharing content on social media. For example, how to share ongoing breaking news updates, or cover both light-hearted and more serious content within a single social media account.
3. Engage effectively with online communities
Online publishers are engaging with communities in many different ways and reaping the rewards where this is being done most effectively, both in sourcing new leads and developing editorial for the better, as well as building stronger bonds with readers. At news:rewired we have a session dedicated to showcasing the different ways news outlets can have conversations with their communities both on and off-site, plus practical tips on best practice.
4. Source content from Instagram
Instagram’s community manager for EMEA Hannah Waldram will run a 45 minute workshop at news:rewired focussing on how to find and use content shared by users of Instagram – whether that is images or 15-second videos. Journalism.co.uk has previously reported on different approaches to Instagram by media outlets, and at news:rewired Hannah will share some best practice advice on how journalists can get the most out of the platform.
5. Stay secure online
Something of importance to any journalist working online is how to keep their accounts and contacts secure. We are also running a workshop, led by Daniel Cuthbert, chief operating officer of SensePost, which will offer plenty of practical advice on that very subject. For some background reading on the subject see this Journalism.co.uk podcast and feature, both containing expert advice on online security.
6. Produce snappy short-form video
More news outlets are looking at ways to engage their audience with video, and for social and mobile audiences in particular, short-form video is proving a popular way to share quick updates or additional context. At news:rewired we will look at a variety of examples, ranging from video just a few seconds long to several minutes, to offer inspiration for others looking to experiment in this area.
7. Create immersive story experiences
From Snow Fall to Firestorm, there have been an array of long-form, immersive multimedia packages which have caused something of a buzz in the digital publishing industry. At news:rewired we will hold a workshop to look at different approaches by news outlets, both in terms of how they build their own templates to produce engaging storytelling experiences, as well as look at tools which aim to make the process as straight-forward as possible.
8. Using web tools to enhance your productivity
One of the final sessions of the day will aim to help journalists build a toolbox of apps they can use on their mobile, tablet and/or computer to support their day-to-day work and increase their productivity, both for finding and reporting on stories, as well as simple good digital admin.
Tickets for news:rewired are on sale now priced £130 +VAT (tickets are now sold out). We are also running three courses in web-native video, data visualisation and searching social media and verification which can booked separately for £90 +VAT, or as part of a news:rewired+ ticket.