How to save your local newspaper with digital tools?

A Norwegian case:

Origo and A-pressen

Bente Kalsnes

Communication Advisor, Origo

@benteka

bente@bengler.no

http://blogg.origo.no/http://www.flickr.com/photos/timo/10689184/

Our philosophy:

Use the web in a smart way to improve the printed newspaper (majorty of revenue still in print)

Underskog (social calendar)

2581 kommentarer

How to make a

”journalistic Hawk Sandwich”, aka a digital environment where your

readers want to contribute and share with the local community and the

newsroom?

We’ve built:

Social network (similar to NING.com); blogging, photo sharing, social calendar

We’ve built:

Social network for the Norwegian Labour party, My Labour Party

We’ve built:

Closed social network about traffic safety for young girls

We’ve built:

Digital hearing site for the Norwegian IT Ministry about internet-related topics

We’ve built:

Cultural calendars for local counties

• But now, let’s focus on NEWSPAPERS

• First, a short description of the media market in Norway

Norwegian newspaper facts

• 230 newspapers in Norway

• 1,6 average - number of newspapers Norwegians read EVERY day

• Financial press support by government (310 mill NOK/ 40 mill euro)

• We’re working with A-pressen, media consortium owning 50 local and regional newspapers

Absurd circulation numbers:

VG, Norway’s largest newspaper:

344.000

Washington Post:

710.000

(2005)

Media trends

• Tabloids

• Local newspaper, niche papers

• Regional newspapers

• Online news

16

Internet access Norway 1996 – 2009Percent

Source: Consumer & Media. http://www.tns-gallup.no/default.aspx?aid=9080712

(Halogen.no, feb-10)

Origo fascilitate the media transition from…

MONOLOG

DIALOG

Traditional online news1997 - 2007

Readers’ sites2005 - 2009

Traditional newspapers1757 - 1997

Readers become contributors… and they talk about what is important for them

Espen Systad - A-pressen Digitale Medier

Online editorial news vs user created content

Redaksjonene100 nettaviser

A-prs nettaviser publiserer 5.000 saker pr uke

Professional online content

ca 100 news websites

A-pressen’s news sites:

ca 5.000 articles, images,

comments a week

User created content 2006

Twitter 10 Underskog 10.000Origo -Facebook -Blink/Nettby

User createdd content 2009

Underskog 20.000Twitter 105.000Origo 155.000Facebook 2.200.000

Origo-users:

ca 35.000 image, comments,events a week

Origo users are already creating 7 times morecontent than the journalists

Tools for cooperation

Blogging, image sharing, social calendar, filesharing, etc

Group blogging is common

at Origo

Easy to distribute content to Twitter and Facebook

The unique things about Origo:

Connected to local communities

Distribution channel (newspapers, Facebook, Twitter)

Role verification

Open and closed groups

★ The newspapers are using Origo to gather user created content (comments, blog posts, images)

★ Each newspaper has a geographic area (local zone)

★ Importes from Origo to the online site

and the newspaper

Digital tool for the newspapers

A-pressen’s goal for 2010:

Print 30.000 newspaper pages based on user

created content

BergensavisenRomerikes BladAvisa NordlandNordlysFirdaSarpsborg ArbeiderbladTelemarksavisaStjørdalens BladLofotpostenRogalands AvisSiste.noTidens KravGlåmdalenOppland ArbeiderbladØstlands-PostenHelgeland ArbeiderbladRana BladRingerikes BladFinnmark DagbladHardanger FolkebladFremoverFirdapostenSmaalenenes AvisLofot-TidendeArbeidets RettKvinnheringenMoss DagbladHadelandNamdalsavisaAkershus AmtstidendeOpdalingenDemokratenHalden ArbeiderbladAura AvisFinnmarkenBygdepostenAvisa NordhordlandAust Agder BladRakkestad AvisEikerbladetGlåmdalenØstlands-PostenEnebakk AvisBergensavisenMalvik-BladetJarlsbergØyeneVestby AvisTvedestrandspostenIndre Akershus BladPorsgrunns DagbladÅs Avis

Local zones

These people have at least one thing

in common.

They care about something and want

to share it with others.

Det som gjør Origo spsielt og verdifult

Jølster

Firda.no Papir-Firda

Helen registers an event in a local zone.

Firdas Origo-sone

Fjordaglimt

NettionenNationen Origo sone

Papir-Nationen

Nationen.no

36

Web to print

Boy racing in Firda

.

Foto:Aslakr, Flickr, CC

First article

Follow up: Article based on the comments

The debate takes off

Jan Herstad, er

previous

mayor

Frontpage in the

newspaper

The debate continues on print

Lørdagsavisa

Some other examples

Redaksjonell bruk av debatt

First comment

1. Started as a blog entry

2. Profiled on the website

3. More debate

4. Good print article

5. More debate

We ask one simple question We find a hobby metro hobby meteorologist with his own weather station

Local patriots (song contest) Enthusiastic comments

Origo:

Mobile verification since 2007

• Clear rules, journalists should be present in comment section

• Be strict on personal attacts

• Encourage good comments

• Encourage people to add profile picture

How to moderate the online debate

Manually verified roles

Comments via Origo, Facebook, Twitter, Gmail• Different levels of registration:

Facebook, Twitter, Gmail, Origo • Highest level of verification – verify

name with Census

Distribute content via Facebook/Twitter

Thanks!

Bente Kalsnes

Communication Advisor, Origo

@benteka

bente@bengler.no

http://blogg.origo.no/http://www.flickr.com/photos/timo/10689184/