Tuesday, 4 August 2009
Work experience - more ideas here
Following my latest post, I came across this succinct little checklist for anyone wanting successful work experience on a newsdesk. I'm sure the ideas apply across publishing.
Monday, 3 August 2009
Work experience is what you make of it
Just read yet another article on the supposed 'slavery' of work experience.
Since the late Nineties - when I started pursuing work experience opportunities - I have taken any opportunity to extoll the virtues of giving up your time and making the effort to work for free.
The difference is, I understand that the value of work experience is in how you, as the 'workie' make the most of it.
There are still people out there deriding their work experience because it was demeaning or they simply hung around for too long, when it was probably clear that no wage or salary offer was forthcoming.
Students seeking work experience are stuck between a rock and a hard place. They need the contacts and experience, but publishing (and journalism in particular) is a fiercely competitive market, which means they have to work twice as hard.
The fact is that you have to put the effort in and make the experience work for you. Here are my tips for students:
1. Get out there - write to, email or telephone every contact you can find
2. Don't be choosy for the time being - there is plenty of time to specialise. All experience is valuable.
3. Be prepared to do anything within reason, including making lots of tea.
4. Be prepared to work hard. Dress up, turn up early, work smart and smile.
5. Keep in contact with everyone you meet. Do not lose touch - the people you meet now may be employers - or employees - in the future.
Since the late Nineties - when I started pursuing work experience opportunities - I have taken any opportunity to extoll the virtues of giving up your time and making the effort to work for free.
The difference is, I understand that the value of work experience is in how you, as the 'workie' make the most of it.
There are still people out there deriding their work experience because it was demeaning or they simply hung around for too long, when it was probably clear that no wage or salary offer was forthcoming.
Students seeking work experience are stuck between a rock and a hard place. They need the contacts and experience, but publishing (and journalism in particular) is a fiercely competitive market, which means they have to work twice as hard.
The fact is that you have to put the effort in and make the experience work for you. Here are my tips for students:
1. Get out there - write to, email or telephone every contact you can find
2. Don't be choosy for the time being - there is plenty of time to specialise. All experience is valuable.
3. Be prepared to do anything within reason, including making lots of tea.
4. Be prepared to work hard. Dress up, turn up early, work smart and smile.
5. Keep in contact with everyone you meet. Do not lose touch - the people you meet now may be employers - or employees - in the future.
Thursday, 23 July 2009
Going back to basics
Web 2.0 provides options aplenty for engaging with your audience in new ways, such as web chats, Twitter, Facebook and forums. But publishers should never underestimate the amount of preparation required to make any new venture a success, however low-key or short-term the project.
I have just completed a web chat project, reaching out to a parenting group with robust views and a huge amount of enthusiasm for making their voice heard.
Having sorted the logistics and established a relationship with the relevant forum, I thought the rest of the solution - i.e. the actual content - would, literally, write itself on the day, as the chat took place.
The event went well, but in hindsight there were several areas for improvement. These don't just apply to web chats, but any form of media that is new to your operation. The list below may seem obvious, but when you are dealing with a different platform, its worth spending some time going back to basics first.
1. Research your audience - how do they communicate on different platforms? How does their tone and language change?
2. How will your content change to meet the audience's expectations? Remember, the power of content is the targeted way in which it is delivered.
3. Have a plan and stick to it. Engaging content needs to be delivered on time and in the way people expect.
4. Cross the t's and dot the i's. Make sure you have the resource and infrastructure to cover every eventuality: back-up suppliers, extra content, contingency plans.
5. Engage - using any new communications platform is a two-way street between you and your audience, like a letters page or comments on a blog. Success is measured by how personal the audience feel the communication is.
I have just completed a web chat project, reaching out to a parenting group with robust views and a huge amount of enthusiasm for making their voice heard.
Having sorted the logistics and established a relationship with the relevant forum, I thought the rest of the solution - i.e. the actual content - would, literally, write itself on the day, as the chat took place.
The event went well, but in hindsight there were several areas for improvement. These don't just apply to web chats, but any form of media that is new to your operation. The list below may seem obvious, but when you are dealing with a different platform, its worth spending some time going back to basics first.
1. Research your audience - how do they communicate on different platforms? How does their tone and language change?
2. How will your content change to meet the audience's expectations? Remember, the power of content is the targeted way in which it is delivered.
3. Have a plan and stick to it. Engaging content needs to be delivered on time and in the way people expect.
4. Cross the t's and dot the i's. Make sure you have the resource and infrastructure to cover every eventuality: back-up suppliers, extra content, contingency plans.
5. Engage - using any new communications platform is a two-way street between you and your audience, like a letters page or comments on a blog. Success is measured by how personal the audience feel the communication is.
Sunday, 19 July 2009
Understand content through segmentation
Repurposing content for different platforms is the new challenge.
Publishers are in the fortunate position to be able to communicate at a number of different levels through various channels, but what should be crystal clear is that all of them require different types of content.
This was brought home to me recently when I studied the information put out from a major public-facing organisation. Their website was very worthy with valuable, in-depth content, but all of it was difficult to find. Users were complaining of it being too 'corporate'. By contrast, their Tweets did not carry enough value, i.e. clear facts or useful links. Both platforms were important contact points with their audience, but neither was being used in quite the right way.
These challenges are easily overcome when the publisher introduces new ways of producing content. Changing a website from corporate to friendly can be started through simple changes to copy tone, choice of images, and the way in which readers can interact through comments.
Likewise, Tweets can be improved through use of a basic checklist:
Is the Tweet informative?
Is it of genuine interest to followers?
What information can a follower take away or RT?
More importantly however, the publisher needs to ensure that all concerned understand why the content needs to be treated differently. And this is where segmentation comes in.
By happy coincidence I attended a fantastic presentation on this by Gina Banns of Oxford Strategic Marketing, at Civil Service Live. I had always thought of segmentation as a scientific process that was useful in selling a product or service to a customer, by justifying a communications tool.
This back-to-basics presentation showed me that it is also a great way to help your colleagues understand their audience.
I will be putting this into practice shortly and will keep you posted on the results...
Publishers are in the fortunate position to be able to communicate at a number of different levels through various channels, but what should be crystal clear is that all of them require different types of content.
This was brought home to me recently when I studied the information put out from a major public-facing organisation. Their website was very worthy with valuable, in-depth content, but all of it was difficult to find. Users were complaining of it being too 'corporate'. By contrast, their Tweets did not carry enough value, i.e. clear facts or useful links. Both platforms were important contact points with their audience, but neither was being used in quite the right way.
These challenges are easily overcome when the publisher introduces new ways of producing content. Changing a website from corporate to friendly can be started through simple changes to copy tone, choice of images, and the way in which readers can interact through comments.
Likewise, Tweets can be improved through use of a basic checklist:
Is the Tweet informative?
Is it of genuine interest to followers?
What information can a follower take away or RT?
More importantly however, the publisher needs to ensure that all concerned understand why the content needs to be treated differently. And this is where segmentation comes in.
By happy coincidence I attended a fantastic presentation on this by Gina Banns of Oxford Strategic Marketing, at Civil Service Live. I had always thought of segmentation as a scientific process that was useful in selling a product or service to a customer, by justifying a communications tool.
This back-to-basics presentation showed me that it is also a great way to help your colleagues understand their audience.
I will be putting this into practice shortly and will keep you posted on the results...
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