First, let me introduce myself… - ASU...First, let me introduce myself… John Lofy Editor of Michigan Today for past three years. Became editor in time to produce the last print

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© 2008 Higher Ed Experts Feel free to print this document, but don’t upload it to a web server 1

Going Paperless: How to prepare for and survive the transition from print to digital

John LofyEditor, Michigan TodayUniversity of Michigan

© 2007 Higher Ed Experts 2

First, let me introduce myself…

John Lofy Editor of Michigan Today for past three years.Became editor in time to produce the last print issues.Led complete redesign of the online version, and now publish only online: both website and e-newsletter.

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After this webinar, you will…

See how Michigan Today made the transition from print to online-only.Understand the critical tasks in building a new site.Get insight into solving the key challenges involved in going online.Be ready to launch your own transition to the online world.


Why are we talking about this?

"I really don't know whether we'll be printing the Times in five years, and you know what? I don't care either."

--Arthur Sulzberger, publisher, NY Times.

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Michigan Today, pre-transition

Main version…

Print

• 24-pages • Tabloid • Newsprint

1968 - 2006



Secondary version…

MT Online

• Same content asprint edition

1993 - 2006

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Third version…

“NewsE” newsletter

• Monthly.• Original content.• No obvious connection to other versions.

2003 - 2007


Why go paperless?

Two reasons:NecessityOpportunity

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Why “Necessity”?

Michigan Today’s print numbers:

Shrinking!Budget

4x / year (then 3x, then 2x)

Frequency

$120,000Cost/issue

~400,000Circulation


Grim Reality

At 2 – 3 issues/year, MT no longer had “presence.”

Quarterly is minimum for a magazine to earn recognition in readers’ mail.

With a shrinking budget, even that limited schedule was not sustainable.

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Blind Groping: Now what?

Could we halve circulation? Publish annually?

Consensus emerged: Michigan Today’s niche is to speak to everyalum. It’s not worth publishing without “presence”—i.e. quarterly or better.



Our VP:“If we can’t get money for a low-profile

tabloid, maybe we could for a high-profile glossy.”

Compete with Ivies and others;Get resources from across campus;Oh, and it’ll cost a few million…

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Me: I preferred printI love print.I had just figured out what I was doing.

My bottom line: “I don’t care what we do, I just want to keep my job.”



Long story shortWhat would your administration say to:

“Can we have 2 million dollars to start a new magazine?”

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Michigan Today, today:

Website:


Website and Newsletter:

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Why “Opportunity”?

I would have preferred to keep producing a print magazine

But now, after less than a year online, I would never go back.



When you go online, the important things stay the same:

Your identityYour mission

You’re just doing it in a new format…

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New ways to tell stories:

Video…


Opportunities: some examples

Slideshows…

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Podcasts…



Get your readers involved…

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What about that budget?OnlinePrint

4x / year (then less)

$120,000(mostly print, mailing)

~400,000

10x/yearFrequency

$2,500(all content)

Cost/issue~235,000Circulation



Circulation:We had hoped to avoid cutting our print circulation.When we went online, that decision was made for us.

Well, at least we’ve got “presence.”

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Michigan Today, today

Other budget items:

Redesign: ~$12,000 for layout, coding, ongoing tech help.

Content sources:U-M News Service press releases and multimedia,Other U-M publications,Freelancers ($1/word, 1 or 2 features/issue)


Michigan Today, today

Readership:

Email circulation: half of print.“Opt-out” mail list, sent to every address we have.Consider: is a reduced list acceptable to you?

~9% of recipients click through to stories.

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Now, how to do it at your institution?

Know thyselfWhat is your mission?What is your editorial core?Who is your audience?Why are you different?

These things will not change much. You don’t sell—or alter—your soul by going online.



Determine content categories (news, features, interactive, etc.)

...so the form of your site follows its function.What weighs the most? What matters least?What will appear regularly?Where can you save resources by cross-linking?

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Design and Layout TipsHire a pro to do it……but educate yourself. Study all the sites you can.Don’t overwhelm your users! Just as in print, clutter kills.

Keep the look simple, clean, and easy to navigate.Empty space is just as important as text.Resist the temptation to keep adding content.



Build it right with good codeA good coder makes all the difference:

Builds a bug-free architecture that others understand,Meets web standards,Optimizes for search engines (at least 60% of traffic will bypass your home page!).

One way to i.d. a good coder: ask for proof that all code “validates.”

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Test, test, testOn your own:

Every link, every function.Every browser.

Usability testing:Get diverse group of ordinary folks, with range of computer skills, to try your site.



Will you send out an e-newsletter?Below: Michigan Today site visits, showing spikes when we send newsletter. ‘Nuff said.

Important question: Can you coordinate your institution’s mailings?

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And what about…?

Accessibility for users with limited mobility, vision, and hearing.

Build it in from the start.Recognize that accessibility is part of your message.Accessibility makes a site more usable for “abled”users, too.Plus, it’s the law.



And what about…?

TrackingOptions include Google Analytics and newsletter-mailing services.Learn what your users do—but write a policy that explains what you may and may not do with that information.

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And what about…?

Comments tools and policyWhat are your rules and expectations for interaction online?

Do you vet content before it’s posted?Moderate afterward?Where’s your written comment policy?



And what about…?

Explaining the transitionWe did not: still wangling for that big glossy…We should have

Respect: explain the transition to long-time readers,Get readers to subscribe to e-news.

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Recap: A checklist for getting started

Know thyself: Your publication’s core identity should survive and thrive in the transition online.

Determine content categories, find opportunities to scavenge content, and cross-link with other units. Use cross-linking to build relationships, too.

Invest in a good designer and coder, but also…

Invest in yourself. Learn the web’s best practices by studying sites. Better yet, take coding and design classes. This is your world now—learn to thrive in it.

Rely on fundamental principles for design and content.


Recap: A checklist for getting started

Test everything yourself, a lot, then conduct usability testing with ordinary users.

E-Newsletter? Decide if you’ll mail it as an opt-in or opt-out system. Be sure it’s consistent with your site, and try to coordinate your mailings with the rest of your institution.

Build in accessibility from the start. And teach yourself what it’s like to go to a site that’s not accessible.

Establish clear policies for tracking data and user input.

Have fun!

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Got a question?

We have until 2PM to answer your questionsAfter the webinar, you can post them in the HEE forum or send them via HEE private messages to speaker’s name as listed in directory.


Thanks

Thanks for taking part in this HEE webinar!www.higheredexperts.com

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First, let me introduce myself… - ASU...First, let me introduce myself… John Lofy Editor of Michigan Today for past three years. Became editor in time to produce the last print