You know the self-proclaimed social media guru/ninja/expert who tells you that traditional media is dead? The person who insults your intelligence for running local television spots or spots on local sports talk radio? Yeah, well, I’m not that guy. While I think traditional media has demonstrated certain limitations during the “It’s all about me generation” we currently find ourselves in, I don’t ever think traditional media (print, broadcast, outdoor, direct) will go away for good. Believe me, I have plenty of opposition to this line of thinking, most of whom sell social media services, interactive and other types of digital media.
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I’m guessing that most of you don’t know that the Des Moines Register has a new Social Media Editor. It was news to me when Assistant Business Editor, Karen Mracek was tweeting about needing to hire for the job about two months ago. Even more surprising news was the fact that the Register was replacing their previous Social Media Editor. They already had one that needed replacing? Curiosity led to me inviting the Register’s Chris Snider and Julia Thompson to lunch.
I didn’t know what to expect from Snider and Thompson, the Des Moines Registers’s Digital Editor and Social Media Editors respectively. As I walked into the Star Bar the two of them were already seated, cell phones in hand, checking in on FourSquare. One of them commented, “Guessing you’re not checking in on FourSquare today,” a reference to one of our more popular blog post on AdMavericks and something Snider tweeted about.
Julia Thompson is fresh off the plane from Tallahassee, where she worked at the Tallahassee Democrat as both a reporter and the digital communities editor. She’s on her way to being a factor in the Des Moines social media community. She’s been on the job about two – three weeks and I have already run into her two times at networking events. And she’s bringing other Register folks with her, like Kayla Craig (Business Mobile Journalist for The Des Moines Register) and Michael Corey (Digital Projects Editor at DesMoinesRegister.com). Craig is at every networking event I’ve been to in the past month and Corey is designing smart phone applications for the Register. Seriously, iPhone apps from the Register? I didn’t see that coming, guessing you didn’t either.
So back to Snider and Thompson. Exactly what are these two up to and what’s next for the Register? Well, their roles are different from what you might expect. This might be the coolest page on the Register’s Web site. See all the folks on this page? Well, Thompson and Snider make sure these reporters are using social media the right way. They make sure they are effective and maximize the value the reporters bring to the people who follow them. Social media coaching from Des Moines Register staff members. Very cool.
According to Snider, the Register has been using social media tools for a long time. Comments, social media bookmarks, etc. Guess it was easier for many of us to declare the death of traditional media and especially newspapers than to pay attention to the ways in which they might find ways to survive, evolve and someday be prosperous again. Yes, I get most of my news headlines from Twitter – but Twitter directs me to places like the Des Moines Register. Thompson was quick and smart to point out that the Register provides context to a story. This is a valid point, there isn’t a whole lot of context to social media what with statuses, 140 characters and flame wars on YouTube. Guess that’s why I am a fan of the blog platform – its social media plus context.
I still think the Register ought to be doing something bigger with social media. For the most part they are using social media on a reporter-by-reporter basis and I think that’s ok for now. But what’s the big idea? How do they make themselves more relevant in the changing media landscape? These are questions they are going to need to answer soon. Do I think the Register will survive? Yes. Do I agree with everything they are doing? No. But, I feel like the effort is being made, and for that, I applaud them.
I have to thank Thompson and Snider for meeting with me. They were honest, candid and open to a great conversation about traditional and social media. Plus, they really opened up when I told them I wasn’t making them worst of the week!
Author: Josh Fleming
www.lessingflynn.com
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{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
A major problem I have with most news sites (Des Moines Register included) is the need to register to add comments. Using a form like the one on this site as opposed to the only-registered-users comments the Des Moines Reg has would make people more likely to comment. People look for news and a conversation online and registering is just another roadblock to people using the site to the fullest extent.
Make communication easy.
Nice post, Josh. It's good to know there are still people out there who believe in us and in "traditional media," especially after reading the TechCrunch post earlier this week about "Newsosaurs" and our impending extinction (http://tcrn.ch/cPBnuk). Thanks, TechCrunch, but I'm not ready to throw in the towel yet.
As to your question about "the big idea," I want us (not just the Register but our entire community) to get to the point where we aren't looking at things as "traditional media" and "new media" — two separate and dueling things. Our challenge is to move beyond using social media as merely a tool to get to the point where it is an integral and innovative part of delivering our journalism and engaging with our community. Do I have all of the details worked out on how to get there? Not yet, but give me a few weeks.
Sundary morning coffee isn't as good when hunched over my cell phone. I just like the feeling of having a paper in hand. However, at work I will have the register up on my computer or, if I'm on a conference call I'll have it on my phone…
PS Julia can you put a plug in to Corey to make an Android app along with the iPhone app? appreciate it.
Hi Ben:
I should clarify a bit on the potholes mobile site. It's actually a mobile-optimized website, rather than an iPhone app (in the Apple Store sense).
The site (http://dmreg.com/potholes) should run fine on Android (the G1 phone doesn't have GPS in the browser, but anything newer than that should), and I'd love to hear your feedback up or down.
We still generally call things like that "apps" because the experience is similar, but I can see where there would be confusion. Being able to support (hopefully) all smartphones with one set of code is a big reason we opted for a site rather than an iPhone/Android app in this case.
Slow down, cowboy.
I think what you meant to say here is that Chris and Julia have the yeoman's job trying to stop a gigantic and ignorant dinosaur from falling off a cliff. The dinosaur is running at full speed and cannot see it's own demise.
I'm sure Chris and Julia are doing everything in their power to help the Register within their limited scope. But the Register has systemic problems that no employee, no matter how committed, can touch.
First, there's the fact that it's owned by Gannett, a profit hungry monster of a corporation. Don't bother looking for a soul. The greed of this company is bottomless.
Second, there is a petulant, nasty and stupid person at the helm here in Des Moines.
Third, The Register made the fateful decision to invest in a huge new printing facility on the outskirts of town just a few years before the demise of print publications began in earnest. Granted, they probably didn't have any inkling of the digital revolution about to broadside them like a freight train, but nevertheless, they have their very own albatross that was obsolete as soon as it was put into service. The myriad of print pubs that used to use the Register's press are now out of business.
Fourth, an unsustainable ad and classified pricing system and a lack of accountability for results. Anyone who's ever placed a $500 classified and gotten NO results knows exactly what I'm talking about.
Fifth, not valuing its reporters. Ex-Register employees are not shy about sharing their viewpoints. Many excellent reporters have been minimized, shut down and forced out for reasons OTHER than budget. The management is intolerant, myopic and paranoid.
Morale at the Register is at an all-time low, down from last year's all-time low.
Chris and Julie, good luck. Fight the good fight. I hope you don't fall into the insidious machine.
Meanwhile, here are my suggestions for the Register:
~Eliminate home delivery
~Publish a weekend edition of the paper (Sat and Sun combo)
~Get an Ipad/Kindle program going with local hotels/coffee shops
~Combine all sections into one big newspaper
~DO NOT EVER have a paid, walled-off Web site, instead make it easier for sharing to occur.
~Move into a smaller building
Good luck, Chris and Julia. You're going to need it.
Thanks, Betty, next time we'd appreciate it if you were a little more open with your opinions. (Sarcasm)
You bring up some good points and I think a lot of them are valid. My post wasn't meant to imply that its a bed of roses at the Register, rather, folks like Julia Thompson and Chris Snider are a step in the right direction.
The Register still has a ton of obstacles to overcome and a lot of work in front of them – but, as a former newspaper guy myself, I'm glad to know those two are as you say, "fighting the good fight"
Thanks for reading and for your comments. : )
Great post Josh. It will be interesting to see the impact two people can have on an organization that, as Betty put it, has "systemic problems." I know Chris personally and am very impressed with his level of understand of the medium and I know he is doing all he can to ensure he has a paycheck and the Register has good brand recognition. I look to meet Julia one of these days.