Become the Answer SourceDatabases help news organizationsbuild audience & generate revenue

Steve Buttry, Gazette CommunicationsOttawa Citizen

January 19, 2010steve.buttry@gazcomm.com, @stevebuttry on Twitter

Slideshare.net/stevebuttry

Read about using databases

Available at Newspapernext.org

Building on our traditional role

Stock listings Sports results Obituaries Calendars Movie schedules Police blotters Lawmakers’ votes

Job listings Service directories Homes for sale Garage sales Vehicles for sale Worship times

Newspapers were always a database

Databases add value

Stories provide content today; databases provide evergreen content

Databases allow the user to personalize the content and the experience

Start with the question – the job

How to develop databases

• Acquire or gather data on a topic of interest• Organize & present data• User asks question & database answers with

relevant information • Graphics & flexibility enhance presentation• Simple user interface

Databases start with mega-jobs*

For consumers: “Help me make good spending decisions.” “Help me connect, talk and share with others” “Help me find/choose things to do” “Help me get answers about my community” “Give me a one-stop answer place”

* Newspaper Next 2.0

Databases start with mega-jobs

For businesses: “Help me reach exactly the type of customer I

need to reach.” “Help me get considered when a customer is

about to make a choice.” “Help me show people the quality of my

product/service/user experience.” “Help me build and maintain customer loyalty.” “Make advertising simple and cheap enough that I

can actually do it.” “Help me with the customer transaction.”

Opportunities for revenue growth

• Local search• Email, text advertising• Video advertising• Direct sales• Mobile• CalendarsDatabases help with all of these

Mega-jobs for everyone

• For businesses: “Help me get considered when a customer is about to make a choice.”

• For consumers: “Help me make good spending decisions.”

Databases help tell news stories

Consider whether database can have value that outlives the story

Consider whether a database can tell a continuing story or place daily stories in context

Consider how audience might contribute answers

Databases help with mega jobs

“Help me find/choose things to do”

Don’t do all the work yourself

Burlington Times-News in North Carolina includes invitation to post events in the calendar in staff members’ email signatures.

Databases help with mega jobs

• Mega-job: “Help me get answers about my community”

Answer questions about … Politics

Answer questions about … Politics Government

Answer questions about … Politics Government Crime

Answer questions about … Politics Government Crime Education

Answer questions about … Politics Government Crime Education Sports

Answer questions about … Politics Government Crime Education Sports Recreation

Answer questions about … Politics Government Crime Education Sports Recreation Interests

What else?What are some other kinds of answers you could provide for your community?

Community answerbasesMultiple answers layered into one

database:• EveryBlock• Local Explorer• CinciNavigator

Promotion builds traffic Promote databases in print product Promote databases in blog(s) Offer chance to sign up for emails

notifying of new databases TV, T-shirts Use widgets to direct traffic to databases

How will you do it? Data desk or team Job descriptions Training Measuring traffic

Building database skills Get started with simple databases Vendors (Caspio, Zvents, Planet Discover,

LJWorld) provide plug-and-play solutions Start with the easy stuff (maps, simple

queries)

Building database skills Build on computer-assisted reporting

experience Build on web development experience Get started now and improve as you go Hire for programming skills

A great opportunity

• Databases will help you seize the digital opportunity

• Start working now to become your community’s answer source