Comments for Stewart Kirkpatrick: content, social media, digital training http://www.stewart-kirkpatrick.com Unlocking the practical power of digital Sun, 11 Apr 2010 22:51:12 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Comment on Death of Scottish journalism: we name the guilty men by Ambitious Outsider http://www.stewart-kirkpatrick.com/2008/09/03/death-of-scottish-journalism-we-name-the-guilty-men/#comment-89 Ambitious Outsider Sun, 11 Apr 2010 22:51:12 +0000 http://www.stewart-kirkpatrick.com/souralba/?p=99#comment-89 At a more local level, The current Director of Operations at Clyde & Forth Press Ltd, who deserves an honourable mention. He is the guy responsible for closing down the offices of The Paisley & Renfrewshire Gazette, Barrhead News, Helensburgh Advertiser and Dumbarton Reporter and relocating the news teams and advertising staff to a centralised call-centre style operation in Clydebank, miles away from the communities in which the newspapers are supposed to serve. Staffing levels have been stripped down to a bare minimum, journalists rarely get to speak to anyone face-to-face, errors such as place names, street names etc are more evidient in the papers, staff off long-term sick due to stress at work, advertising revenue falling like snow off a dyke but the most telling truth is the circulation figures - they are falling at an alarming speed, so much so that even the absent Queen Deirdre must surely take notice. What was a good business once upon a time is being ruined by stupid decisions by a man who knows the price of everything but understands the value of nothing. At a more local level, The current Director of Operations at Clyde & Forth Press Ltd, who deserves an honourable mention. He is the guy responsible for closing down the offices of The Paisley & Renfrewshire Gazette, Barrhead News, Helensburgh Advertiser and Dumbarton Reporter and relocating the news teams and advertising staff to a centralised call-centre style operation in Clydebank, miles away from the communities in which the newspapers are supposed to serve.

Staffing levels have been stripped down to a bare minimum, journalists rarely get to speak to anyone face-to-face, errors such as place names, street names etc are more evidient in the papers, staff off long-term sick due to stress at work, advertising revenue falling like snow off a dyke but the most telling truth is the circulation figures – they are falling at an alarming speed, so much so that even the absent Queen Deirdre must surely take notice.

What was a good business once upon a time is being ruined by stupid decisions by a man who knows the price of everything but understands the value of nothing.

]]> Comment on How to save The Scotsman, The Herald and newspapers in general: a modest proposal by mark gorman http://www.stewart-kirkpatrick.com/2009/02/03/how-to-save-the-scotsman/#comment-120 mark gorman Wed, 03 Feb 2010 08:40:27 +0000 http://www.stewart-kirkpatrick.com/souralba/?p=1598#comment-120 A lot of sense Stewart. I largely agree. Great article. A lot of sense Stewart. I largely agree. Great article.

]]> Comment on Start your news site now – thanks to Murdoch by Stewart http://www.stewart-kirkpatrick.com/2009/08/06/start-your-news-site-now/#comment-154 Stewart Wed, 09 Sep 2009 16:47:40 +0000 http://www.stewart-kirkpatrick.com/souralba/?p=1790#comment-154 Ah, yes. User generated content, How very 2008. Not a big part of what I'm suggesting, you'll notice... Ah, yes. User generated content, How very 2008. Not a big part of what I’m suggesting, you’ll notice…

]]> Comment on Start your news site now – thanks to Murdoch by scottdouglas http://www.stewart-kirkpatrick.com/2009/08/06/start-your-news-site-now/#comment-153 scottdouglas Tue, 08 Sep 2009 21:39:09 +0000 http://www.stewart-kirkpatrick.com/souralba/?p=1790#comment-153 Oh dear. This whole argument simply makes me want to weep. More opinion. Just what the world needs to replace the kind of journalism that used to hold various ne'er do wells to account. Because, as David Simon (ex of the Baltimore Sun) has pointed out, your average "citizen journalist" or opinion peddler is hardly going to get out of their jammies to go and knock doors, challenge officialdomw or do the other difficult/unpleasant/time-consuming/boring/risky grunt work that is the bedrock of good journalism. Free news is great - as long as it is free news worth having. Just how long will it be worth having if the choice comes down to either state-funded BBC - or unchecked opinion from a bedroom activist (no matter how pretty their turn of phrase)? Up to a point, Lord Copper. As long as it's not cash point, eh? Oh dear.
This whole argument simply makes me want to weep.
More opinion. Just what the world needs to replace the kind of journalism that used to hold various ne’er do wells to account.
Because, as David Simon (ex of the Baltimore Sun) has pointed out, your average “citizen journalist” or opinion peddler is hardly going to get out of their jammies to go and knock doors, challenge officialdomw or do the other difficult/unpleasant/time-consuming/boring/risky grunt work that is the bedrock of good journalism.
Free news is great – as long as it is free news worth having.
Just how long will it be worth having if the choice comes down to either state-funded BBC – or unchecked opinion from a bedroom activist (no matter how pretty their turn of phrase)?
Up to a point, Lord Copper. As long as it’s not cash point, eh?

]]> Comment on Start your news site now – thanks to Murdoch by Tale of an old newspaper shows why paid news websites may be the future after all – Media is Social: Craig McGill, PR, Social Media, Digital http://www.stewart-kirkpatrick.com/2009/08/06/start-your-news-site-now/#comment-152 Tale of an old newspaper shows why paid news websites may be the future after all – Media is Social: Craig McGill, PR, Social Media, Digital Wed, 19 Aug 2009 00:20:15 +0000 http://www.stewart-kirkpatrick.com/souralba/?p=1790#comment-152 [...] does this have to do with online news? Well Stewart Kirkpatrick, Shaun Milne, Iain Bruce have all had their stab at the recent chat over paywalls. They think [...] [...] does this have to do with online news? Well Stewart Kirkpatrick, Shaun Milne, Iain Bruce have all had their stab at the recent chat over paywalls. They think [...]

]]> Comment on Start your news site now – thanks to Murdoch by Wes Mantooth http://www.stewart-kirkpatrick.com/2009/08/06/start-your-news-site-now/#comment-151 Wes Mantooth Sun, 09 Aug 2009 10:25:54 +0000 http://www.stewart-kirkpatrick.com/souralba/?p=1790#comment-151 Stewart, I suppose a good indicator is the lack of comments on the subscription articles, apart from the few dribblers, who acknowledge they divine the gist of the article from a few sentences, there are rarely any comments on them, therefore few subscribers, presumably. One senses that Murdoch has been waiting ages to apply standard business practise to online news and start charging. I think you're right and more journos should turn their skills to their own blawgs/newsfeeds. forargyll.com being the perfect example of an independent press concerned with local issues. Stewart, I suppose a good indicator is the lack of comments on the subscription articles, apart from the few dribblers, who acknowledge they divine the gist of the article from a few sentences, there are rarely any comments on them, therefore few subscribers, presumably.

One senses that Murdoch has been waiting ages to apply standard business practise to online news and start charging. I think you’re right and more journos should turn their skills to their own blawgs/newsfeeds.

forargyll.com being the perfect example of an independent press concerned with local issues.

]]> Comment on Start your news site now – thanks to Murdoch by Stewart http://www.stewart-kirkpatrick.com/2009/08/06/start-your-news-site-now/#comment-150 Stewart Sun, 09 Aug 2009 08:15:41 +0000 http://www.stewart-kirkpatrick.com/souralba/?p=1790#comment-150 @ Wes Mantooth: It's been a long time since I left The Hootsmon so I don't know. When I was there the strong impression we had from our first experiments with charging was that we'd have made more money from dropping the barrier and getting ad revenue from the increased traffic. That was years and years ago, tho, and I have no idea what the numbers are now. @ Wes Mantooth: It’s been a long time since I left The Hootsmon so I don’t know. When I was there the strong impression we had from our first experiments with charging was that we’d have made more money from dropping the barrier and getting ad revenue from the increased traffic. That was years and years ago, tho, and I have no idea what the numbers are now.

]]> Comment on Start your news site now – thanks to Murdoch by Wes Mantooth http://www.stewart-kirkpatrick.com/2009/08/06/start-your-news-site-now/#comment-149 Wes Mantooth Sat, 08 Aug 2009 11:37:01 +0000 http://www.stewart-kirkpatrick.com/souralba/?p=1790#comment-149 Do the premium subscription articles on the Scotsman make much income? Do the premium subscription articles on the Scotsman make much income?

]]> Comment on Start your news site now – thanks to Murdoch by Johnnnie http://www.stewart-kirkpatrick.com/2009/08/06/start-your-news-site-now/#comment-148 Johnnnie Fri, 07 Aug 2009 18:14:00 +0000 http://www.stewart-kirkpatrick.com/souralba/?p=1790#comment-148 yes, it's interesting that when you see a piece by Nick Cohen or Obs news story or, say, a piece by AA Gill in the Sunday Times, it goes straight under guardianunlimited or timesonline respectively. no wonder the Sundays' identity gets a little lost. The Observer and Sun Times need stronger online identity, don't they? as well as the various Observers of which you speak. Obs Music Monthly, and Sport, could be newstand products if beefed up. yes, it’s interesting that when you see a piece by Nick Cohen or Obs news story or, say, a piece by AA Gill in the Sunday Times, it goes straight under guardianunlimited or timesonline respectively. no wonder the Sundays’ identity gets a little lost. The Observer and Sun Times need stronger online identity, don’t they? as well as the various Observers of which you speak. Obs Music Monthly, and Sport, could be newstand products if beefed up.

]]> Comment on Start your news site now – thanks to Murdoch by Stewart http://www.stewart-kirkpatrick.com/2009/08/06/start-your-news-site-now/#comment-147 Stewart Fri, 07 Aug 2009 09:03:37 +0000 http://www.stewart-kirkpatrick.com/souralba/?p=1790#comment-147 @ Johnnnie: The Graun would be mad to soft-pedal on Guardian Unlimited (a lot whose success can be credited to Mr Tosh above). But they'd also be mad to shut the Observer. They're on the right lines when they talk about changing the print product but they need to realise that part of the future lies in putting various Observers in the news agent, not one print product. They should also conserve the print version that's being bought by tens of thousands of people right now. @ Johnnnie: The Graun would be mad to soft-pedal on Guardian Unlimited (a lot whose success can be credited to Mr Tosh above). But they’d also be mad to shut the Observer.

They’re on the right lines when they talk about changing the print product but they need to realise that part of the future lies in putting various Observers in the news agent, not one print product. They should also conserve the print version that’s being bought by tens of thousands of people right now.

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