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Module 4: Mobile Journalism

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Mobile journalism

• Doing it all with one device

• Blackberry, iPhone, Flip HD camcorder, smartphones, netbooks, tablets

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Reuters’ Mobile Journalism Toolkit

Nokia N95 8GB, a foldable Bluetooth keyboard Nokia SU-8W which has a bracket to hold the phone, basic tripod, Sony microphone, solar chargers.

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Examples: iPhonePhotographer Melissa Lyttle took series of photos using iPhone for TampaBay.com, part of St Petersburg Times, that was turned into online gallery

http://blogs.tampabay.com/photo/2009/07/iphone-photography.html

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Example: Flip camcorderNews Sentinel senior reporter Frank Munger captures compelling interview after a fatal shooting during a children's play.

http://blogs.knoxnews.com/roll/2008/07/its-not-the-camera-its-the-jou.html

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“Apple Mobile Share Should Surprise on Upside Near Term”

“Apple is driving the platform change to mobile computing. Its mobile ecosystem (iPhone + iTouch + iTunes + accessories + services) market share / impact should surprise on upside for at least the next 1-2 years. Long term, emerging markets competition, open mobile web (paced by likes of Google Android) and carrier limitations pose challenges. RIM likely to maintain enterprise lead for 1-2 years owing to installed base” ~ Mary Meeker, Morgan Stanley

Link: http://bit.ly/mmeeker

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Source: admob.com/metrics in Oct, 2009

Admob: “Apple comprises 17%+ of the total page views in Malaysia”

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Location-based servicesLocation-based services have taken off with release of Apple's iPhone and Google's LBS-enabled Android OS. They allow people to beam their location, “check in” at places and meet friends, sometimes using game elements.

Examples:FoursquareGowalla BrightkiteLooptGoogle LatitudeFacebook Places

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Ways journalists can use LBS1. Breaking news: Eg. WSJ checked-in and

pushed notifications to about 2,600 phones in New York during a Times Square bomb scare in May, 2010

2. Sourcing sources and tips: Find “mayors” or frequenters of a restaurants as interview subjects and glean from “tips” to get a sense of the place.

3. Profiling: Get your subjects to agree to “friend” you on Foursquare, and monitor their activity to add colour to your profile story on their habits.Foursquare allows you to see the activity of popular nearby venues in real-time.

4. Discover trends: Monitor trends to see if newsworthy patterns emerge.For eg, why are there suddenly many people checking-in to a specific shopping destination or restaurant or tourist spot.

5. Crowdsourcing news: Offer readers badges when they send in updates of a local event, a political rally, a concert, a sports event or spotting a celebrity. Develop a system of rewards to get readers involved and keep them engaged.

Link: http://mashable.com/2010/05/14/journalists-foursquare/