It's a tough time for the traditional yearbook model, but an exciting time when staffs consider the digital options available as they attempt to connect with readers. The "Game Changer" session examines ways to rethink what we do from coverage to marketing, information gathering to production.

1. ideas shared by Sarah Nichols, MJE
Monday, December 20, 2010

2. What’s the
yearbook climate
these days?
What are our most
pressing concerns?
How can we stay
in the game?
Monday, December 20, 2010

3. Monday, December 20, 2010

4. the conversation
• beating delayed gratification
• playing their game on their terms
• delivery speed, style
• open dialogue
• opinion sharing (likes, comments)
Monday, December 20, 2010

5. know your audience
• 77 percent of WHS students are on Facebook
• 74 percent with Myspace accounts
• 50 percent on Twitter
• 62 percent spend more than one hour
per day on social networking sites
Monday, December 20, 2010

6. Facebook is your friend
• profile, group, fan page
• friends
• news feed
• event reminders & invitations
• staying in the conversation is key
Monday, December 20, 2010

7. reach out to readers
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8. internal use
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9. internal use
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10. post-event
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11. pre-event
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12. story generation
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13. Monday, December 20, 2010

14. post-event
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15. post-event
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16. remind your readers
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17. Monday, December 20, 2010

18. adapting interactivity
Monday, December 20, 2010

19. Twitter is here to stay
Monday, December 20, 2010

20. why does it matter?
• constant updates
• personal, sometimes
emotional or trivial content
• immediate reactions
• common discussion threads &
trending topics
Monday, December 20, 2010

21. how can it influence us?
• short, personal quotes
• multiple perspectives
on news events
• emphasis on editing
• timely and time-sensitive
responses
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22. invite participation
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23. promotion (not journalism)
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24. it’s all conncted
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25. guidelines
• limited access to accounts
• mission statement and purpose
• correcting mistakes
• avoid being in the story
• announce yourself as a reporter the same
way a camera would identify you
Monday, December 20, 2010

26. online opinion polls
• easy way to conduct reader research
• simple creation process
• free or inexpensive account options
• link or embed to spread quickly
• responses tallied automatically
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28. Monday, December 20, 2010

29. things to consider
• shared link might generate non-student
responses
• representative sample (gender, age,
type of student responses)
• computer lab or profile
• oversaturation
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30. Monday, December 20, 2010

31. Monday, December 20, 2010

32. add value
• more is more with selective buyers
• additional content
• expand coverage
• introduce multimedia
• update beyond deadlines
Monday, December 20, 2010

33. online yearbook
• how to begin
• hosting, name, CMS
• plan site map first
• matching the print edition
• launch date
• marketing/promotion
Monday, December 20, 2010

34. WordPress
• simple, free setup
• variety of themes
• customization options
• forums, support
Monday, December 20, 2010

35. online yearbook
• content
• topical or chronological coverage
• photo galleries
• personality profiles
• audio slideshows
• about: staff, publication, purchase, etc
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36. online yearbook
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37. online yearbook
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41. Monday, December 20, 2010

42. audio slideshows
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43. captions, of course
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44. Monday, December 20, 2010

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46. Monday, December 20, 2010

47. hear for yourself
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48. non-book content
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49. audio slideshows
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50. Monday, December 20, 2010

51. Whitney Update staff
Monday, December 20, 2010

52. analytics
• free (Google)
• track visitors
• bounce rate
• see what works (reader patterns)
• set goals for increased traffic
Monday, December 20, 2010

53. another idea
• designated page on school site
• no hosting/URL or CMS decisions
• possible tech help
• built-in traffic from parents, students
• opportunity to expand
• BUT may be limited or more static
and is harder to track w/ analytics
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54. Monday, December 20, 2010

55. Monday, December 20, 2010

56. other considerations
• fresh content rather than repeat from
print publication(s)
• updated in regular intervals or once?
• students upload content, not adviser
• students design, manage site
Monday, December 20, 2010

57. video clips
• complement print coverage with video
footage of important events
• embed on website OR simply post on
Vimeo, YouTube, SchoolTube (or CD)
• camera recommendation: Canon T1i
• indicate in print edition how to find/
view additional content online (or CD)
Monday, December 20, 2010

58. Monday, December 20, 2010

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61. digital staff manual
• from paper to PDF
• attach to Google Group
• store online via Issuu
• free, easily accessible
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63. Monday, December 20, 2010

64. digital tutorials
• Jing tutorials
• PDFs linked to website or network
• slideshare options
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65. Monday, December 20, 2010

66. community journalism
• let readers in on the process
• crowdsourcing or expanding coverage to
events your reporters cannot attend
• inviting submissions generates interest,
involves the audience
• online submission tools make it simple
Monday, December 20, 2010

67. survey says
• 70 percent upload photos to Facebook
to share with others
• 68 percent to Myspace
• 51 percent to Photobucket
• 7 percent to Flickr
• 21 percent to “other”
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68. Monday, December 20, 2010

69. online photo submission
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70. diversified coverage
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71. from you to them
• Flickr
• Smug Mug
• staff site (Shutterfly, etc)
• Facebook
• photos with tags
• pages in progress
Monday, December 20, 2010

72. Flickr
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73. Monday, December 20, 2010

74. Monday, December 20, 2010

75. Smug Mug
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76. fund-raising
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77. Monday, December 20, 2010

78. tagging to create buzz
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79. Monday, December 20, 2010

80. work smarter
• time-saving devices
• Social Oomph for scheduled updates
• staff positions for constant progress
• less on school network, more online
• Evernote
Monday, December 20, 2010

81. Google
• Docs, Forms, Spreadsheets
• possible uses: reporting, ladder, index,
applications
Monday, December 20, 2010

82. simplified production
Monday, December 20, 2010

83. simplified production
Monday, December 20, 2010

84. e-mail: snichols@rocklin.k12.ca.us
Facebook: Sarah Gliemmo Nichols
Twitter: @sarahjnichols
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Monday, December 20, 2010