Monthly Archives: September 2012

BxB publishers united in reporting FOR vs ABOUT their communities

Posted on September 25, 2012 by Sally Duros

The secret sauce for effective local indie online news easily boils down to choosing between two words: FOR  vs. ABOUT. “Reporters elsewhere write ABOUT our communities. We write FOR our communities,” said David Boraks, Publisher of DavidsonNews.net, at the close of … Continue reading →

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Site criteria, lessons learned, LION discussed in BxB12 closing session

Posted on September 25, 2012 by Sally Duros

                In a wide ranging conversation Jay Rosen, journalism professor from New York University, and Michele Mclellan, founder of the BlockbyBlock Community News Summit,  discussed the summit’s origin, and the lessons learned about sustaining … Continue reading →

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The future of Block by Block

Posted on September 20, 2012 by MicheleMcLellan

With the Block by Block summit behind us, I want to share next steps and activities for the Block by Block network. I am excited to report that the BxB network will continue to serve independent publishers and innovators in local … Continue reading →

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Knight Lab Year Two: Progress, use cases and feedback

Posted on September 16, 2012 by Denise Cheng

by Denise Cheng, MIT Center for Civic Media Rich Gordon and his Northwestern colleagues have had a presence at Block by Block for all three years, and under the banner of Knight News Innovation Lab for the last two. At … Continue reading →

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BlockbyBlock 2012 kicks off: Publishers discuss the art of the business pivot

Posted on September 15, 2012 by Sally Duros

  Rusty Coats, principal of Coats2Coats,  kicked off the opening panel of the 2012 BlockbyBlock Community News Summit challenging local indie online news publishers to honestly answer three questions: Is this my hobby or is this my full-time job? What pivots has your business … Continue reading →

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Photos: The first day of BxB 2012

Posted on September 15, 2012 by Howard Owens

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Put metrics to work for you

Posted on September 15, 2012 by Anna Tarkov

If you can’t measure it, maybe you shouldn’t be doing it. That was Susan Mernit‘s message to the roomful of publishers who gathered for her session on harnessing metrics. “Think about how hard you work,” Mernit went on to say. … Continue reading →

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Photos: From the afternoon sessions of BxB 2012

Posted on September 14, 2012 by Howard Owens

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Run Your News Business, Don’t Be It

Posted on September 14, 2012 by Brandy Tuzon Boyd

If you don’t make time to think about your business, you’ll be given time to think about your news business – because you will no longer have one. That was the message from Rusty Coats of Coats2Coats, moderater of “The … Continue reading →

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It’s a must: CRM for indie news sites

Posted on September 14, 2012 by Kathleen Majorsky

Whether you are managing an entire sales team for your site or if you’re the lone wolf selling advertising, a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system will make your life easier. In Eleanor Cippel’s breakout session, “Turning Prospects into Dollars,” she … Continue reading →

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