Submitted by Steve Hanson on Fri, 11/13/2009 – 12:46pm

Few sectors of American business have been as influential and staid as the news industry. But new technologies and increased competition for advertising dollars have caused the industry to feel a bit like Humpty Dumpty. Now, it’s up to a new generation of visionaries to put the pieces back together.

Using case studies and real-world examples, our program will examine how existing news organizations working alongside new entrants to the market are making the transition from print to online profitably, and the role technology is playing as they do so.

Join Patricia Lee Smith, Vice President of New Media at The Seattle Times, as she opens the evening with a market assessment of the news industry and a discussion of her organization’s adoption strategy for the digital age. Joining her on stage to compare and contrast strategies will be:

· Anthony Bontrager – President, 1Cast, Inc.

· Tracy Record – Founder, West Seattle Blog

· Charles Tillinghast – President, MSNBC.com

Moderating the discussion will be Todd Bishop, Co-founder and Managing Editor of TechFlash.

Our panel will apply the critical thinking of journalists, technologists and entrepreneurs to assess what is happening within the news industry, and how to benefit from the shifting landscape. Particular attention will be paid to audience take-aways involving current and future business models (both good and bad), various opportunities for entrepreneurs, and the challenges to overcome if we are to retain what is one of the key aspects of a successful democracy.

Don’t wait to read about it in tomorrow’s paper! REGISTER NOW. This is an event you won’t want to miss!

http://www.mitwa.org/catalog/index.cfm?fuseaction=product&theParentID=118&id=836

Location

Hyatt Regency900 Bellevue Way NEBellevue, WASee map: Google Maps

Submitted by Steve Hanson on Sun, 11/02/2008 – 7:20am

LINK: [link]
Denise Lockwood is like thousands of U.S. daily newspaper reporters — she fell
victim to staff reductions. But she’s not giving up reporting — she’s pursuing
her passion onlline.
Lockwood, an award-winning education and general-assignment reporter, is
looking for advice on how to start a non-profit online news and community site

Submitted by Steve Hanson on Thu, 10/09/2008 – 7:33am

On MyTopiaCafe.com, I’m negotiating with a local coffee producer to
enhance the loyalty program we already share. Right now, users who
post 5 or more times get a coupon for $10 to buy coffee. I’d like to
develop a program for first-time posters and for more than 5 posts (in
some kind of increment).

Submitted by PeggyHolman on Sat, 06/28/2008 – 7:05am

What’s in it for you?

AmericanTowns.com has solicited placebloggers to provide hyperlocal
content to their national platform. Have you gotten a solicitation?
Have you considered it? Now, they’ve launched a new widget for their
calendar, which makes it easy for a placeblogger to add a calendar
sourced from AmericanTowns contributors. Would you use it? So What’s In
It For You?

So, I’m tracking down the chief of this outfit to find out, but want
to know — do you see competition, cooperation, or confusion with these
national platform/hyperlocal sites?

See press release info: AmericanTowns.com, the Web’s fastest growing site in the hyperlocal space, (www.americantowns.com)
is expanding the reach of its community event database content via a
new widget they are releasing today.  As you know, useful hyperlocal
community information
(vs. just local news) is growing in appeal to local users and many
sites are looking to move that direction and to monetize that
experience via advertising.

Michelle Ferrier
Daytona Beach