|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Notes on Becoming a Better Citizen Reporter |
| The toughest part is getting started |
|
Todd Thacker (todd)  |
 Email Article
 Print Article
|
|
|
|
Published 2007-05-21 14:08 (KST) |
|
|
|
Lifehack.org is a wonderful site for making day to day chores easier. It's one of my must-read RSS feeds.
I'd like to look at a recent article by Kim Roach titled: 101 Steps to Becoming a Better Blogger. In it, Roach touches upon a number of points that I think would apply well to citizen reporters.
I've selected a number of "steps" and noted how I think they pertain to citizen journalism. Please leave your comments at the bottom of this piece.
3. Post at least once a day.
While regular article submission is important (perhaps once a week), I'd have to say that from experience a citizen reporter would have a tough time producing quality pieces on a daily basis. Citizen journalism is not blogging, in my opinion, but rather presenting news and views that are of interest to readers and which can pass the "editor's test" -- that is, keeping us engaged enough to say, "This is new," or "Let's run this."
5. Make sure you have an "About Me" page.
In the case of OhmyNews International, every citizen reporter has his/her own "page" -- a list of articles that have been published. Here's an example of my "other articles by reporter Todd Thacker". You are free to link your own article list page to another blog or site you run.
8. Let your readers see the REAL you. Blogging is more personal than conventional websites. Don't be afraid to tell a few stories from your own life. By being real and personal, you will build a relationship with your readers based on loyalty and trust.
Investing part of yourself in your story, if it's not "hard news" makes a lot of sense. OhmyNews was founded on the idea that conventional journalism (objective) and citizen journalism (for the most part, subjective) can work together to give a fuller picture of what happened. It also makes reporting more natural -- you were there, after all -- and engages readers in a way the "pros" are discouraged from doing.
12. Get involved in the blogosphere. Being a blogger is about being part of a community. Leave comments on other blogs and get to know your favorite bloggers.
The same goes for meeting (virtually) your fellow citizen reporters. OhmyNews has a moderated, exclusive email list you can join to discuss stories, writing techniques and the like. Our citizen journalism section has two bulletin boards called "On the Beat" and "Shared Sites, Top Tech" that you are free to post on.
13. Give your blog it's own unique voice... You!
OhmyNews tries to keep your own voice intact when we edit your work. It's one of the coolest areas of citizen journalism -- reportage without the standard "news wire" approach.
14. Spend 99% of your time focused on creating unique, quality content. Content is King; or as John Reese says, "content is King Kong".
OhmyNews citizen reporters come from 100 different countries. That makes for a bonanza of variety in cultural and news reporting. Look for stories close to home.
Though we're not lacking in diversity of stories, OhmyNews editors sometimes find a group of citizen reporters from a single country or city tend to overlap in their coverage. There are two ways to avoid this: 1) Read the site. Check out what stories have been recently posted, and 2) Aim for more local stories. How many interesting things are happening in YOUR community? We want to know!
33. Add photos to each of your posts.
Digital cameras get cheaper (and more powerful) every week. It's a very good investment. There are plenty of free photo sharing sites and editing packages that can help you organize and improve your final product.
The big photo sharing sites include Flickr and PicasaWeb.
If Photoshop is beyond your price range, consider GIMP or Serif PhotoPlus. A more expansive list of software can be found here.
35. Share the link love.
If you see a similar story on another site, don't be shy in providing a link to your article in the comment section.
38. Persistence is the key. Give your blog at least 6 months before you start expecting great returns on all of your hard work. Believe me, it will pay off in the long run.
When you start out getting your work vetted by professional editors, you may find your stories are rejected quite often. Don't worry, though; it's part of the learning process. You'll get feedback from us on where you went wrong and how to improve.
41. Turn your articles into podcasts.
Though we have a very easy upload procedure for syndicating your MP3 file, we recommend that you wait for your piece to be edited before sending in your podcast (we generally make changes to every piece we publish) via email to us.
One of the easiest ways I've found to record your stories for our podcast stream is with the web-based service Odeo. You can record, save and download MP3s to your hard drive to send to us. One thing: You can't edit out mistakes, so it's best to practise a little.
Another option is the software package called Audacity. It is much more involved, but fortunately there's a seven-page guide written by journalist Mindy McAdams which is available for download here.
44. Participate in and submit to social web 2.0 sites, including Reddit, Digg, Delicious, Netscape, and Stumble Upon.
There's nothing like the rush you get when your story gets picked up by a social web operation like Digg or Slashdot. Though you might not want to submit every published article to these sites, it can't hurt to showcase your best work. At the bottom of every OhmyNews story there are links to Del.icio.us, Digg, reddit and Y! MyWeb. And while you're at it, why not recommend your favorite fellow citizen reporter's articles?
49. Participate in group writing projects and memes.
If you have a friend or colleague with whom you feel comfortable collaborating with, you can always share a byline on OhmyNews. Just one of you will need to register with us.
51. Interview industry experts. This is one of the best ways to create original, engaging content.
It's one of the toughest parts of the job: Getting on the phone and trying to schedule an interview with someone in public office or industry. Fortunately companies and individuals are becoming more in touch with the concept of citizen journalism. If you have an idea that involves an interview, by all means contact us (internews@ohmynews.com) for advice. When you do take the plunge, be sure to identify yourself as a citizen reporter and be prepared.
53. Ask your visitors for suggestions on how to improve your website's content because in the end, it's really all about your readers.
Getting feedback from readers and editors is the quickest way to becoming a very good writer.
57. If someone mentions your website on their blog, thank that blogger in the comments of the post and send them a thank you note. You can monitor any mentions of your blog using Google Alerts, Technorati, and Blogpulse.
All these services are extremely useful in monitoring not only the "buzz" you generate from a particular story, but also for keeping track of a news item or "beat" that you're interested it.
68. Write about something that you love. You will not succeed if you are working at something you don't enjoy. As Dale Carnegie once said, "People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing."
82. Learn to write great headlines.
83. Make your articles scannable. People don't read on the Internet. They scan.
86. Edit your writing ruthlessly.
87. Write like you talk.
88. Write with passion. It will come through in your writing.
89. Say something worth reading.
90. Always write with your reader in mind. Imagine that you are chatting with them over lunch at a local cafe.
Without a doubt, all of the above is solid advice. Please also have a look at my article titled An Editor's Tips on Getting Published.
|
|
 |
|
| Todd Thacker is senior editor at OhmyNews International. |
|
|
©2007 OhmyNews
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
How worried are you about the H1N1 influenza virus? |
|
 |
| * Vote to see the result. |
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
RSS
Del.icio.us
Digg 
reddit
Y! MyWeb
Comments Note: Kindly refrain from personal attacks and profanity.
.jpg)
