The Evolving Newsroom

Having overheard a couple of conversations in newsrooms recently that ran along the lines of 'you can't trust what you read online' I realise that we have a ways to go in New Zealand on understanding quite how profound the changes are that face our industry.

So, here's a must-read for all reporters, editors, sub-editors and media executives. It neatly encapsulates what's required to make the leap from traditional media to digital. This is not a quick fix, by the way, more like a journey that will take time and a lot of effort.

Twelve things journalists can do to save journalism

May as well read this too:
Five guiding principles for the transformation of media companies

While you're at it. If you haven't already (most have been around for a while), read:

The Cluetrain Manifesto
The end of business as usual
By Rick Levine, Christopher Locke, Doc Searls and David Weinberger.
The blog, the book.
In a nutshell: the internet is changing the way we do business and the way we relate to one another. Out goes meaningless marketing piffle, in comes honest appraisal of what you've got to offer. Out goes secrecy and walls, in comes transparency and engaging in dialogue with your customers. Out goes pretending you don't make mistakes, in comes owning up and accepting help in fixing them. It's a light read and I think worth looking at.

The Long Tail
Why the future of business is to sell less of more
By Chris Anderson, editor-in-chief of Wired.
The blog, the book.
In a nutshell: digital products create new business models - without the need to warehouse and stock products on shelves, you can carry exponentially more stock and make even extremely low sellers available year-round. It's an easy read and much more than just a business lesson.

The Search
How Google and its rivals rewrote the rules of business and transformed our culture
By John Battelle
The blog, the book.
In a nutshell: search is the internet, pretty much. Without search we wouldn't be able to find each other and carry on conversations. This is highly readable and a fascinating look at the history of Search, Google's rise and rise included, and where we are now.

The World is Flat
The globalised world in the 21st century
By Thomas Friedman.
The blog, the book.
In a nutshell: while we're arguing about whether or not text language is acceptable in exams and ignoring science and maths, a gazillion parents in China and India are working their socks off to put at least one of their children through university. Those children are working their socks off to get the best job they can. They speak several languages, excel at physics and eat algebra for breakfast. And because of the internet they can do our jobs. Good to know. You may not agree with Friedman's take on who wins with globalisation and this isn't an easy read, but it's certainly thought-provoking.

And if you haven't already seen these, take a look now: