Whatever you can give even if it’s $1

Last summer I came across Mary who authors the blog A Grumpy Bunny after googling “canine nasal tumor”. Like me Mary also had a Golden Retriever that had a nasal tumor. Sadly we both buried our beloved dogs several months later.
Mary has come across a dog in need at a local rescue shelter. She has asked me to share his story with you since she knows I’m not above whoring out my blog.
Reign is a beautiful 18 month old German Shepard. He has a badly broken front leg from being hit by a car when he was 3 months old. He never received the medical care he desperately needed to repair his painfully broken bones.It breaks my heart to think about how much pain he has endured in his short life and all at the hands of his irresponsible owner. After all he has been through he deserves a chance for a better life and surgery by an experienced Orthopedic Veterinarian, costing approximately $4,500.00 will possibly save his leg and end his pain and suffering once and for all.
This may seem like a lot to spend on a dog to some but I spent just about this much seeking a diagnosis and treatment last summer for my beloved Sonny. That’s how much I love animals.
If you are also a dog owner then I want to make a plea for your help to get Reign his much needed surgery and a chance for a better life. It would be one of those random acts of kindness I wrote about on Monday.
Please consider making a donation. Whatever you can give even if it’s $1. Every bit helps. The shelter has received $1000 in pledges already.
You can mail your donation to:
Animal General
C/O Donna Jiricek
35 Brookville Lane
Glen Head, N.Y. 11545-2301

How to Build a Better Content Model for Your Site: Understanding News Consumption Patterns

In 2007, the Associated Press commissioned the Context-Based Research group, an ethnographic research firm to study the news consumption patterns of young adult consumers, active participants in the shift from traditional to digital media. Examining the habits of individuals between the ages of 18 and 34 in Britain, the United States and India, the findings were released two days ago in the form of a 71 page PDF document.

Among the key findings was the fact that the subjects were experiencing news fatigue, meaning they were overloaded with facts and updates and had trouble connecting to more in-depth stories. Participants yearned for quality and in-depth reporting, but had difficulty immediately accessing such content.

This experience was common across participants’ race, gender and geographic location. Additionally, the anthropologists noted that the news habits of the young consumers were dramatically different from those of previous generations.

The findings subsequently allowed AP to redesign their news delivery model to meet the needs ofyoung, web-Celebrity savvy adults. The whole report is quite interesting, particularly because it addresses problems common to most independent web publishers as well: readers have a limited amount of attention because of news saturation.

Unlike traditional print newspapers, online readers are often engaged in email reading and other activities while they consume content. To combat this attention diversion, usability experts like Jakob Nielsen have long suggested that one write scannable content because readers don’t have the attention/time to read much web content (and they don’t).

AP approached the problem differently by developing a method of linking news content across platforms to help readers discover in-depth and more relevant content more easily. Let’s take a detailed look at some of the findings and recommendations offered in the report. I think they’ll be very helpful when it comes to improving your website’s news/content model.

Six Key Research Findings on News Consumption

Generally, the report examines how users consume content in a 24/7 online world, whereby they have unlimited access to news through a huge amount of info-channels like newspapers, blogs, internet radio, videos and social media communities. This leads an information consumption pattern which often leaves the reader distracted and unsatisfied.

Here are six key field study findings:

1. Constant News Checking. Readers often check for new updates as a way to pass time and break boredom. It is important for news Hollywood producers to learn how to keep these readers engaged in order for them to remain more loyal to a news environment.


2. Lifestyles Impact News Consumption. People access news differently, in different home, work or mobile environments. It is important to understand how to deliver valuable news across these “virtually relative” environments by using sharing or search mechanisms to provide deeper access to news content and viral opportunities.



3. Consumers Want Depth. Readers often try to substantiate and validate stories they read but were often sex only given the same stories through the same source. This perpetual focus on common above-the-fold content (headlines/updates) may lead to the loss of demand and potential revenue for in-depth/premium content (below the food).


4. News is Multi-tasked. Users consume content as part of another set of tasks, meaning that they are often multi-tasking while reading news. Their attention is often diverted. The development of interactive content is a solution which addresses this.


5. News fatigue. Consumers are weighed down by information overload and unsatisfying news experiences. As a result, some Hollywood people are gravitating towards satirical news sources which can spin news in an attractive way. The onus is on the news publisher to reduce repetitive content and produce entertaining material which appeals to them.


6. News creates social currency. People spend time reading news because they want it to help them achieve their personal needs. They view news as units of social currency to be used in interpersonal situations, whereby one might use them to sound clever, connect with friends or move up the socio-economic ladder. Shareable information is of key importance. Successful news reportage depends on whether the content is worth sharing to another member of one’s network or not star.

Recommendations and Tips on Constructing a Better News SUPER Model

Researchers were forthcoming about their recommendations for news publishers:

This study demonstrated across cultural boundaries that the news can turn consumers off, just as easily as it can turn them on. The key value point to the audience was news they could use. They understood that aggregating their own personal news reports could involve real work, but they were willing to do it if the effort produced real currency.

At a high level, the challenge for news providers is two-fold: Create appealing
content, designed to satisfy all four news needs in the consumption model (Facts, Updates, Back Story, Future Story) and then deliver it across all the channels these consumers use.

To achieve this, one should seek to deliver innovative and relevant content formats which are easily discoverable by readers while eliminating repetition and duplication in news. Content exploring news topics in greater depth beyond facts and headline updates should also be created in order to give the reader greater social currency or personal benefit.

In order to combat news fatigue and encourage deeper content fulfillment, publishers need to re-package their content. Consider the following graph, which represents the old model of news consumption. Facts and Updates refer to breaking news headlines while back stories and future stories represent the context of a news item as well as its resolution respectively.

Now take a look at the new model, which encourages a re-organization of information:

Since users can access content from multiple entry points, the focus is on integration:

New value can be created if news producers and distributors can figure out ways to help consumers connect the dots more coherently . But where do you start? This study confirmed the need to maintain two parallel tracks of work. First, create more appealing content for the key entry points. Second, and more difficult, build the connections that will transport consumers to that content across both media platform and brand.

Case Study: Associated Press and the Telegraph’s transformation

The best way to understand how specific research findings can impact your site is to take a look at how others have transformed their own content model. In the report, AP and the Telegraph, a UK newspaper are used as examples to show how news can be re-structured.

Most web users are increasingly adept at searching, aggregating and organizing information on their own. To fulfill user needs, it is necessary for AP & Telegraph to make structural changes on how they publish and distribute content. Here are some examples of what they did:

1. Stronger Editorial focus. Editors are encouraged to determine big picture significance of specific news and select ones that can be expanded across multiple media platforms. This deepens the depth of published content.


2. More variety in news. Content development projects have been set up in more niche topics to create greater entry points for consumers with different appetites. Publishing more in a vertical paves the way for more premium content in the future.


3. Wider distribution points. Content should be delivered to a platform that is widely used by the target audience. For instance, mobile news networks and other new media platforms like podcasts were incorporated.


4. Greater reader interactions. Q n A sessions between readers and journalists were set up through to encourage readers to participate in the news framing process.


5. Different Content interpretations. This addresses the main question of how a story can be told or how information can be shared. Instead of focusing on traditional news reportage, a topic can be examined in many different ways, for example through video remixes, multimedia projects or user-generated mash-ups.


6. Cross-Linking. To create a multi-layered news experience, the Telegraph cross linked news stories with relevant content assets like analysis, interactive graphs, picture galleries, in-house videos and embedded text links to older stories.


7. Creation of micro-sites. High impact or important news stories were assigned to an individual section of the site with its own landing page, hence giving the topic greater longevity and offering readers multiple options to explore deeper.


8. Flexible editorial strategy. Like girl AP, the Telegraph uses “1-2-3 Filing”, an editorial workflow which involves 1) the news headline 2) short present-tense story of vital details and 3) story development, whereby assigned editors determine how to develop the story into a form appropriate for different audiences (long analysis or multimedia gallery etc). This accommodates breaking news and more in-depth/shareable content.

Implementing these Strategies for Your Website

While you might not own a large online newspaper, the points listed in this article can be applied to your blog or online magazine. Apart from having strong information sources, it’s important to organize content in a way which provokes greater audience involvement.

The points listed in the case study section above are strategies you can implement to manage content flow for your site. I also want to re-emphasize the concept of readers using content associal currency in their lives. Apart from being entertained, readers want to incorporate news into their social relationships. They want content to be useful. Keep this in mind.

In my next article I’ll talk about how you can create pass-it-on content with maximum viral

Shootouts are nothing more than sweet FA

The Terry Venables verdict

Interview by Ray Ryan

IT may have been dramatic and historic — but this was not the way for the FA Cup to be won and lost.

I have never been a fan of the shootout system and it must have been heartbreaking for Manchester United to lose the final after dominating the game.

Sir Alex Ferguson will wake up this morning and wonder what is going on with the world after his side lost a game they did everything to win.

It was the first time the final has been decided on penalties — but despite all the excitement it provides, this is not the ideal way to settle such a vital match.

I understand why the FA decided to introduce extra-time and penalties in cup ties instead of the old replay system.

But, surely, there has to be a better way for the greatest club competition in the world to be decided rather than spot-kicks.

I would introduce a system where you would have a competition with a one-on-one situation between a striker and a goalkeeper.

The striker would be 30 yards out and on the referee's whistle he would run at the keeper with the ball. Then a defender would be allowed to chase him from 10 yards further back.

Running

At least that would be a scenario that is part of the game-and not something foreign like a shootout competition.

You don't get many penalties in a match but a player running at a keeper with defenders behind him is something that is part and parcel of the game.

Whether or not you would do it as a sudden death or best of five option is put forward for debate.

That way the game would still be decided on players' skill and abilities rather than a lottery.

I admit I am biased against shootouts. Who can forget the time England lost to Germany in Euro 96 when I was manager.

But my heart goes out to every manager, player and supporter who has lost that way.

And how tough it was yesterday on Paul Scholes, who missed the crucial penalty.

Had United won the game, people might not be talking about it with so much passion. But as it was, the better team lost the most one-sided FA Cup final between two top sides I can remember. I have never seen an Arsenal side play in such a disappointing fashion under Arsene Wenger.

Obviously, their tactics were dictated by the loss of Thierry Henry through injury.

But I wonder just how much they were affected by the Ashley Cole "tap-up" enquiry this week.

I don't know if people have made the connection between the two events yet but, surely, there has to be something in it.

Arsenal have entertained us for years with flowing football and stuff you can only dream about. Yet there was nothing like that from them yesterday.

And I can only imagine the Premier League enquiry this week has shaken them up.

Things such as the Robert Pires contract scenario have gone on for a bit so they are used to dealing with matters such as that.

But the enquiry into the Cole situation could not have come at a worse time for them — and I cannot understand why it was not delayed for a week.

But whether that affected them or not does not matter today. They have won the FA Cup and that is what matters most to them.

But for long periods yesterday, they looked as if they were not at the races.

Dennis Bergkamp was asked to play as an out-and-out striker in a role he is unaccustomed to.

He did not look happy all day as it meant he was not given the freedom to go and get the ball and attack the defence from deep, which he does so well.

That change of tactic alone ensured Bergkamp had a frustrating afternoon where he was unable to contribute much to the cause before he was finally taken off.

And with him out of the frame, Arsenal looked muted.

His frustrations obviously had much to do with United making it hard for Arsenal by packing almost every man behind the ball when they were in possession.

That meant there was little space to exploit — and with no width from the flanks to give Bergkamp any ammunition, it was not surprising United were the better side.

I was surprised at the approach Arsenal took because it meant they had none of their usual rhythm.

In fact, for much of the game, all Arsenal seemed to do was to pump the ball up high into Bergkamp from inside their own area — and that was dealt with easily by Rio Ferdinand.

While United started the game looking to hit Arsenal on the counter attack, they changed their approach after just half an hour and were all the better for it.

Denied

That was when United finally got Wayne Rooney into the game — with he and Cristiano Ronaldo being outstanding.

Rooney was at the centre of everything for United. He was denied a goal only by a couple of fine saves from Jans Lehmann and a post.

With Rooney and Ronaldo dominating the show, I was staggered Arsene took so long before he decided to change things around.

But that he did eventually towards the end. And while he did not affect the game in normal time, his men still ran out winners.

The best team lost — but that's football.