Wednesday, March 30, 2011

VS THE NHRNEWSMOUSE: A challenge for the newsmouse, and the newsroom

Alright, NHRnewsmouse. You've done it. I'm pitting you against the New Haven Register newsroom.

I'm doing this because we're moving our newsroom towards one of transparency and engagement. Meanwhile, you continue to cling to secrets and uh.. droppings of food morsels? I want to see which prevails.

So here's my challenge, News Mouse. How bout this: How bout after every single reporter in the New Haven Register newsroom reaches 300 followers each -- you tell us who you really are. That sound fair?

The identity of this new Twitter identity has caused great debate and speculation in the New Haven Register newsroom as of late. Many of us - including myself - have been accused as being the wizard behind the curtain. But everyone - including myself - continues to deny any involvement. Vote in the poll below on whom you think is the secret identity behind the NHRnewsmouse. And give the newsroom a head start by following all the writers and topics that interest you most.

Here are most of the possible suspects:
Read more »

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Tuesday, March 29, 2011

All New Haven Register reporters are now on Twitter - and so is a mouse

Check out The New Haven Register's updated staff and topics lists at the links below. We now have 41 staffers (reporters, editors, designers, copy editors, and uh, a mouse?) and 16 topics, so you can follow and engage with the writers and content that interests you most. Or just follow the whole list.  

NEWSROOM STAFF: Follow them here

NEW HAVEN REGISTER TOPICS: Follow them here

And if any body knows who the mysterious @nhrnewsmouse is, please send me a news tip. The secret identity of this anonymous mouse has thus far eluded an ENTIRE room of journalists and copy editors who microscope every detail that crosses their desk.

And no, it isn't me. If you think I'm that sneaky, then we have trust issues.

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Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Make a story archive with Dipity

When a newsroom starts cranking out multiple stories under the banner of a single topic or news event over a period of time, it's good practice to organize that into an 'archive' for your readers. That way, readers have the option to go as 'deep' into the story as they want. Readers get easier access to more of your related information, and thus it generates more online traffic for your website. #WINNING.

We've toyed with this link-thinking at the Register the past few years on some of our larger stories, such as the tragic triple-slaying of the Petit family in Cheshire and the slaying of Annie Le.

Today, I used Dipity to archive our developing coverage of the East Coast Rapist capture, and eventual trial. And I like the way it came out. It's clean, it's elegant, it's attractive. It's an interactive story archive. Check it out.

What are some other really solid uses of Dipity you've seen from local news organizations? Post your links in the comments.

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Thursday, March 10, 2011

PARKOPEDIA: A quick, interactive map tool to show where to park

The New Haven Register has written about many events that required people to find parking if they wanted to go. What news or media organization hasn't?

But with this story on New Haven's St. Patrick's Day Parade, we're showing readers where they can park on a Google map that can generate them directions as well as parking cost, if they want to get that detailed. And folks are going to need it, because the Parade is considered the biggest annual spectator draw in the state of Connecticut.

Entertainment Editor Jordan Fenster made this map simply by :
  1. going to http://en.parkopedia.com
  2. Typing "New Haven, CT" in the search bar.
  3. Clicking the paperclip icon for an embed code.
  4. Changing the width in the embed generator from '700' to '635'
  5. Copying and pasting that code into his online version of the story.
  6. yeah, it was that easy.
Of course, Parkopedia's database is not as up to par in some locations as it can be, but it's one of those informational tools that has great potential and can be a great resource for your online readers.

All credit on use of Parkopedia goes to Jordan Fenster, so if you have any questions about how we used it here, email him at jfenster@newhavenregister.com

SIDE NOTE: Not to be confused with Parkipedia, a South Park info wiki.

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