The brief: Top audio tips for multimedia storytelling, Obama searches for digital platform + bit.ly analyse social media news
Here's a round-up of some top online journalism, social media and web links to do with journalism I've discovered in the last few days including the use of audio in multimedia, Google Currents and the bit.ly news map.
Audio is the key to good multimedia
Really useful article on Poynter which gives 10 tips for improving your audio in multimedia packages - whether you're linking it with video or not. To me, audio is the key to having a successful video package on the web - even if the picture if crap then a good audio track can make the difference between a poor package and a good one.
Dashboard, the key to Obama's potential re-election?
Will something built by developers hold the key to Obama winning a second term in office? As we head towards the US elections in the Autumn there's an insightful piece on The Guardian about the organising tool Obama's team is using to help organise people on the ground. But, will the election really be won by an algorithm or will it be won by people on the doorsteps?
Google Currents arrives for publishers
Martin Belam takes you through how to create a Google Currents edition of your site/blog. It's something we're working on for Blog Preston at the moment and I have to say it looks absolutely stunning when viewed on a large screen - for those looking to read 'better' on the web then Currents is the way foward, especially if you've got a tablet device. But as Belam concludes, it's better for publishers than for individual journalists or authors.
Bit.ly map the news on social media in the UK
An ace map this, showing where news websites have social media strongholds in the UK. It breaks down when tweets from news websites are re-tweeted heavily in different areas and colours them accordingly. Well worth a read to see how Bit.ly worked this out and what it revealed.
Hyperlocal news is a lot of work and little money
Fair points on the Wannabe Hacks sites from Gaz Corfield about trying to set up a hyperlocal news site. But, I think it boils down to setting his ambitions too high - creating a site that covered the whole of West London (millions of people, and a complex system of councils, GLA and much more vital infrastructure) was always going to be a challenge. Hyperlocal tends to be niche, particularly when it works very well.
Monmouth becomes a Wikipedia town
Virtual tourist idea from Monmouth and Wikipedia, as it allows tourists to interact with the town. As the report on WalesOnline reveals: "Smart phone technology will then allow users to scan barcodes at points of interest and have information about the landmark sent to their mobiles in their own language". A very cool idea and it will be interesting to see how this plays out with Monmouthpedia.