How to think mobile

(This is a work in progress, please add comments on this with suggestions, criticisms and ideas.)

OK, I get it. More and more people are viewing our content on a smartphone. But what do I do about it? How do I think mobile?

The first thing to do is to put yourself in the shoes of your audience. You're on a phone. You could be at home watching TV, you could be on a train ride home, you could be on the pot, you could be in a boring meeting at work, you could be reading while in bed trying to fall asleep, or in front of your computer, or in a lounge chair with a newspaper in your lap.

You are mobile. You are swiping through photos smaller than the palm of your hand. Reading a story by flicking your thumb across the screen every few graphs.

Now think about your story. How can you help someone find the location of the event? How often should a power outage story be updated for the person sitting at home waiting for the lights to turn back on? How can someone waiting on a backed-up freeway find out about the wreck ahead and what do to about it? How can you make it possible for mobile users to interact - to send in photos themselves of the current rainstorm, to vote in a poll that you'll later use to update a story giving readers a voice?

What types of stories are "good mobile stories?"
And what can I do to make those better for mobile users?

Mobile users view all types of things - breaking news, columns, slideshows, videos, graphics. But some stories are just made for mobile. Here's some ideas:
  • Breaking news
    • Publish a headline and sentence as soon as you have the first bit of news confirmed. 
    • Continue updating - don't wait to do 1 or 2 big updates, update as often as you learn new details.
    • Never write "More details to come." Explain in the last paragraph - or throughout the story - what specific details you still don't know.
    • Make updates clear. For all significant updates weave the new information into the story AND add an update time of when you learned the fact and add the fact at the top of the story.
    • Put yourself in the readers' shoes. What details might you add that could help someone better understand the story?
    • Always make sure your email and phone number are in the contact field of the story. Tell people in the story to send you details (and ask specific questions, if possible) if they are at the scene or have more information.
    • Follow the comments (not just after you're done with the story, but as you are reporting). Sometimes people ask insightful questions that we should work to answer or add information that you can review and add to the story.
  • Events
    • Especially if you plan to cover an event, tell people about it before. And this stretches beyond just the normal fairs and concerts. Tell people ahead of time about important city meetings, TV shows, sports games and any other thing people might want to act on.
    • Make sure to include details on how to go or watch. If writing about a physical event, include the address a website and a phone number contact. If writing about an online event be sure to include the web address and any other details such as related twitter or facebook contacts. If writing about a TV show include the channel and time of the show.
    • Tell people other details they'll need to know about going - the cost of the tickets (and if they are still available), any clues to watch for (if you know something that will happen that you could give them an insider tip on), and any other information that might help them.
    • Tell people if you plan to cover the event during and/or after. Tell them where to check to get the updated story information and when to expect it.
    • Tell people who might attend how they can participate in your coverage by sending you information, thoughts, photos and other information.
    • For the post-event coverage:
      • Link together your pre and post event stories.
      • Make sure to include any information you found from people who attended the event.
      • Talk about any future related events that people might attend.
      • Make sure to answer any questions that were left hanging in the pre-event story (not for carnival stories, but this is important if writing about a court proceeding or government meeting).
  • Talkers
    • People out and about, or in an office meeting or at home with family will talk about things happening. These are the same talkers we've been following since the just-newspaper days.
    • Try to get the key words or phrases or names in the headline so people can find your story. If people are talking about, for example, a famous person or a trend or a news event - try looking on Twitter or on Google Trends or on Google AdWords to see what key words or phrases people are using. Also, talk to people in the newsroom to see how they've heard it referred to in the community.
    • Make sure to link to all your coverage on the topic. If something is a talker you've probably covered it a few times so make sure to link them up so people can find all your coverage on the topic.
    • Add in polls as much as possible. It gets people involved in the story. Then, write a followup post about the (unscientific) poll results and summing up any comments or reaction you received on the story.
    • Follow the comments. Participate to stimulate conversation, answer questions, find gaps in your coverage and find story ideas.
  • "See-ers"
    • What's a "see-er?" Well, it's a new term coined by me and it is similar to a talker - but is visual or auditory. Talkers are story that people in O.C. are talking about. See-ers are things that people see or hear in Orange County.
    • When someone hears gunshots they'll want context about what happened and exactly where it happened. When someone hears a helicopter overhead they'll want to know what they were doing - even if it was just a simple rescue, people will still be curious.
    • Try to add in the headline a key thing about people seeing or hearing the event (shots fired, helicopter, large rally, crowds, etc.).
    • These are not just breaking things, but things that people see around town. Just like in the old days when you'd go out and walk your beat - the same practice can help you think of stories mobile readers might be looking for. This can include everything from posters around town for an upcoming event, construction equipment or a large visual change in a construction project, 
  • TV guide
    • Sometimes people look for our stuff (or just read our stuff) as they are watching TV - to find information.
    • If you write about Dancing with the Stars ahead of time, you should probably update the story before the show starts so that it makes sense if someone reads it while watching the show.
    • It's nice to give people a guide or behind-the-scenes view to what they are watching. For a baseball game tell them details on why the lineup was changed, for a reality TV show tell them a back-story to watch for (if you know ahead of time).
    • Invite people to comment and talk during the game - either in the story comments or on Facebook or Twitter or some other place. Perhaps even take it a step further and offer a meetup location where people can hang with you during the event (great for big events).
    • Think of other stuff the person might be interested in that is entertaining and add links. If someone is browsing a phone during a TV show, they are likely looking to be entertained beyond the show and links help them find that content quickly.
  • Guides
    • Think about your beat beyond news. All reporters already write guides, but we often don't think about it. Have you put together a list on a topic or developed an infographic on something? These are guide-like things that help people. These are also sometimes called evergreens - stories that are not focused on a certain news event or that need to be published on a certain day. Building up guides and giving them easy-to-find titles can help people who are on the go looking for information on a person, place, thing or trend.
    • Think especially about guides that people might be looking for while out - best places for free wifi, best apps for planning a vacation, etc.
  • Stuff for the young
    • Smartphone audiences trend younger than web audiences and much younger than print audiences. Sure, older audiences still use smartphones - but younger people trend much higher and they view more content on phones. The key age ranges for the Register are 18-24 and 25-34. Keep this in mind when selecting story ideas and writing stories. College stories shouldn't just be written for parents of kids in college, but also for those attending. Stories about teens should not be written down to young folks, but should include information directly from teens as well to be well-rounded. Also be sure to watch what things are being talked about by younger demographics - rather than just listening to the talkers for typical newspaper audiences.

The mobile third

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Now that we see page views for our smartphone apps... Smartphones now account for 1/3 of all OCRegister digital traffic. Some interesting notes: The OCRegister smartphone app in march had more than double the number of page views seen on our mobile website. The mobile website in march had a significantly larger number of monthly unique users. This is due to social, search and web referral traffic. The mobile app had the highest number of page views per visit of any OCRegister product in March at 26 page views per visit. The lowest is that seen on our mobile website, where we have a much larger audience that spends less time per visit. The key advantage in our mobile app is that users can swipe through stories and slideshows (one key feature that you'll see in our soon-to-be-beta-debuted new mobile website). CHART In the chart you can see OCRegister March page views by platform share. In this chart, the tablet percentage is 3.5% (for March, the current iPad app data is broken). The total OCRegister digital page views in March reached 52 million. That is 2 million more than we saw during our biggest previous month (for just content - not including ad vertical websites)

How do you define "mobile?"

How does your news organization define "mobile?"

Does that mean everything beyond desktop computers? Does that just mean iPhones and iPads?

Here's our current definition of "mobile." We exclude tablets because we view them as a different channel with unique usage. Let me know what you think in the comments.

What is mobile? 

A new media channel. Powered by users who are:

  • Connecting at various times from various locations
  • Using smartphones and feature phones
  • Seeking information via messaging, the mobile web and mobile apps
  • Mobile does not include tablets.

The chart below explains the differences between the three digital channels (mobile, tablets, desktop).

 

MOBILE 

TABLET 

DESKTOP 

Used for? 

        Being alerted to breaking news 

        Quickly answering questions

 

        Being entertained

        Learning

        Browsing through information

        Answering deeper questions

Portable?

Extremely

Somewhat

No

Connected to the web?

Always

Almost always

Sometimes

Startup speed?

Extremely fast

Fast

Slow

Carried?

Always. In a purse or pocket.

Sometimes. In a bag.

No

Used?

All the time

Mostly in the early morning, late at night and on weekends

During normal work hours. Occasionally at home.

Used by?

One person

Usually one person, sometimes shared

Usually shared by a few people

This figure shows the times various channels are used by audiences:

Channeltimeofday

The non-digital divide in journalism: audience

Journalists live in on shaky newsroom ground as dips in revenue cause tremors and fault lines deepen between journalists all fighting for what they believe is the best future of news.

Those fault lines are often said to be drawn along the print/digital divide - those who care the most about our digital audience and those who care most about the print audience. Sometimes people also try to draw those lines along the age divide - younger people must be more digital because they grew up with computers and older people must be more set in their ways and focused on the old newspaper model.

But those adages are both wrong. Too many times I've met just-out-of-college journalists who pine for the days when newspapers were the dominant news and advertising medium. I know far too many print journalists who understand the future of news better than web journalists.

The divide, it seems to me, is in a journalist's relationship with the audience.


Big "J" Journalists

 Journalists on one side view themselves as thought leaders in the community who always know more than the audience. When a new story idea is brought up based on something seen from the audience (something is trending on Twitter, bringing Google visitors to the website, a question was asked on the organization's Facebook page) these people will respond with statements such as "We did that story" and "I don't care if people are talking about it online, I know a lot about this topic and that's not important." These are the people who dismiss page views, unique visitors and time spent on page because all they really care about is writing and publishing - even if no one in digital reads or interacts with the content.

"We the People" Journalists

These are the journalists, young and old, print or digital, who care most about serving the audience. They consider themselves one of the people, not a journalist lecturing the people outside. When a new story idea presents itself from the audience directly they consider it, and will even offer to have a conversation with other people about what questions to ask, what the problem is and how it will impact people. To these people, publishing content that impacts people's lives (people read, talk about and act on the content) is the highest priority.


The best thing about this divide is that is a self-construct. If someone wants to change and join the "of the people journalist" movement the first step is simple: listen to your audience.

Resources for mobile designers

Resources for mobile designers - please add in comments what other things I've missed so we can grow this collection for the benefit of everyone.

Examples of great mobile design:

Free (or almost free) design resources:

Guides and tools for mobile design:

Tools for designing:


Idea: share mobile growth rate information among news organizations

Here's an idea that could potentially help all of us: post the year-over-year growth rate of your mobile traffic for October-October (if you can - each of these on its own - mobile web, mobile apps, ipad web, ipad apps).

Then, I'll draw up a chart showing the various growth rates at different places.

We wouldn't be revealing specific page view numbers, but it could help my organization and yours to see how much of the mobile/tablet growth is our action and how much is caused simply by the environment.

How can journalists, newspapers and other media use NFC?

The iPhone 5 that is rumored to be announced Oct. 7 that is rumored to be for sale Oct. 15 is rumored to include NFC.

I know I'm getting ahead of myself, but I think it is worth discussing ideas of what media can do with this new technology.

But first…What is NFC?

  • A way for two things to communicate with each other - generally prompted to communicate by tapping.
  • On one end: you have an initiator. A sticker-like mini transformer that posses content (much like how QR codes posses content).
  • On the other end: you have a target. This would be the iPhone 5 possessing an NFC-enabled chip.


In English?

  • You go to Starbucks and pay for your latte by bumping your iPhone to the cash register.
  • You go to board the Metro and bump your iPhone against a box to pay to board.
  • You go out to dinner with friends and split the bill. Your friend pays the bill directly and you bump phones with them to transfer your share of the payment over.
  • You go on a tour of the Grand Canyon and to learn more about the canyon you tap your iPhone to a sign.
  • You see a postor for a new movie at the theater and you tap it with your iPhone to watch the trailer.
  • You go to the grocery store and you see a deal on a product, you tap the product's sign to download the coupon and, when paying, you tap the cash register to transfer the coupons.


So, how could this be applied to media?

How could this apply to newspapers, websites, radio and TV stations? Here's a few of my random ideas, and I'd love to see your ideas!

  • Include NFC tags in every Sunday newspaper (probably once, because this could cost a lot of money) and the tags send people to a special advertising experience.
  • A company puts kiosks or posters or bus shelter ads throughout the community (on the streets, in shops) and they all include an NFC tag sending people to more information based on the ad.
  • If the company is a large sponsor/partner with a local pro sports team: for 1 game add postors or have fliers available throughout that include an NFC tag that sends people to your organization's mobile site/app for your coverage on the team.

More resources on NFC:

How to better serve mobile news audiences

The needs and wants of mobile audiences (feature phones and smart phones) are different from those audiences who accesss our desktop site.

Here are the "8 unique mobile qualities" shared by Jason Grigsby.

  1. Personal. 63% do not share phone
  2. Permanently carried. 50% of people in the U.S. admit to sleeping with phone
  3. Always on
  4. Built-in payment channel
  5. Creative impulse
  6. Accurate measurement
  7. Social context
  8. Augmented reality

Based on that, and research on the Register's mobile audiences, here's a list of what YOU can do NOW to provide different and better content for mobile audiences.

  • When writing breaking news, first publish a headline and a sentence and THEN continue updating as we get more details. Do not only do updates from your regular sources. Include updates based on things your audience is saying that you can quickly fact-check. Put yourself in your reader's shoes and think about where they might be and what they might be.
  • Think beyond 9-5 M-F. Early mornings, nights and weekends used to be the low-traffic times for our audiences but those are the top times for mobile audiences.
  • Include more than just the regular text and links. If you link to a site with important information, check to see if the link works on mobile devices - and if not, if there is a different link you should add for just your mobile users. Don't just mention areas, mention the exit on the freeway or the block number or the closest big intersection. Include phone numbers so readers can touch to call a business or resource that you mention.
  • Do not hold new news at night or on weekends. Publish content when most relevant. Ask your desktop web editor to rerun last night's or last weekend's news on the homepage.
  • Build niche text alert streams. Remember to send them. Remember to tell your audience to subscribe.
  • Gather more content by using your smartphone: photos, videos, audio.
  • File quick updates from the field in breaking news situations (photos, story updates, quick-videos, quick-audio). For editors: Help your direct reports or colleagues on the desk-end by weaving together these updates and publishing.
  • Pay attention to your total digital traffic - not just your desktop web traffic. This will be the best, simple view of your overall traffic across all channels.
  • Turn on news and social alerts on your phone so you can be more in touch with your audience and your beat.
  • Add five super-related links on every story you write. These will go to all of our products.
  • Use your company's mobile products. Provide feedback. Tell your audience about our products.
  • Use other mobile products. Think of ideas for your company's mobile products.
  • When creating a new xxxx or changing xxxx make sure you talk with your mobile manager so the new content, design, workflow, change can work on mobile devices.

How to start using WordPress on your phone or tablet

Download and start using the WordPress mobile app to be more efficient in posting to and moderating your blog.

The WordPress app is free and lets users write new posts, edit content and manage comments. The app is available for iPhone, Android, BlackBerry and iPad.

Can I use my personal smartphone or tablet with the app?

Yes.

Can I use my work smartphone or tablet with the app?

Yes.

How do I download the app?

  • For Android users: you can search for "wordpress" in the Android App Market. You will need a Gmail account to download apps (free or paid) from the Android Market.
  • For iPhone and iPad users: search for "wordpress" in the iTunes App Store. You will need an iTunes account to download apps (free or paid) from the store.
  • For BlackBerry users: search for "wordpress" in the BlackBerry App World. You will need a BlackBerry account to download apps (free or paid).

How do I start using the app?

  1. Open the app.
  2. IF you are adding a work-hosted blog, of the options listed, choose "Add self-hosted WordPress blog."
  3. Enter the URL for your blog. Make sure you add the "http://" to the URL.
  4. Enter your username and your password.
  5. Touch Save.
  6. The app will take you to a list of all the site-wide blogs of which you are a member. Choose all the blogs you would like to add. You can also touch the button for "Select All."
  7. Touch "Add Selected."
  8. The blogs will be added to the app.

How do I use the app?

Touch on the name of the blog you want to manage from your list of blogs.

The comments area shows approved and pending comments. Pending comments are shown in yellow. Touch on a yellow comment to review the comment. A button (different for each device) will let you approve the comment, mark the comment as spam, edit the comment or delete the comment. You can also quickly reply to the comment from this screen.

In the posts area you can view published, scheduled and draft posts. You can create a new blog post from this same area. You can start a post and publish straight from the app, or you can start a post and save it as a draft by changing the post's settings.

You can also view, edit and create pages in the pages section.

The stats section is not enabled for Register blogs. To view your statistics, use the Omniture app.

What is the "Quick Photo" button?

This button is only available, for now, for iPhone users.

The button is intended to let you quickly take a photo (you cannot access your library of previously-taken photos), write a quick bit of text and publish quicikly.

Can I adjust the size of photos uploaded from the app?

When in the tabbed view of your blog, select ‘Menu’ -> ‘Blog Settings’, then change the ‘Maximum thumbnail pixel width’ setting to your desired width.