Readership study shows good news for small papers

We love statistics, don’t we! Especially when it informs us of the importance of community papers. Our neighbours to the south from the National Newspaper Association came out with a few statistics on the strength of community newspapers.

Check out the full story by clicking HERE and learn important statistics such as: 86 million Americans read community newspapers every week!

BCYCNA Community Classifieds winners!

Beginning in August the BC and Yukon Community Newspapers Association reintroduced its initiative for member’s classified sales teams. As the members sell BCYCNA Community Classifieds their name is automatically entered in the monthly draw for a chance to win $500.

The lucky winner for the month of August was Keera Drinkall from the Fort Nelson News.

In September, Kristy O’Connor from BC Classifieds took home the cash prize of $500.

This could be you in October, just continue to sell the most BCYCNA Community Classifieds. Keep connected to find out who’s this month’s serendipitous salesperson!

BlackBerry vs. iPhone, How do they compare for Journalists?

Recently the Poynter Institute came out with a fun blog posting on the best apps for journalists on the BlackBerry and iPhone. After a review of the 10 best journalistic apps for both devices they went on to discover which phone is better for journalists.

Below are some of the highlights from the post. To review the entire blog check out the following link: www.poynter.org/.

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To help gauge the strengths and weaknesses of the iPhone and BlackBerry, I posted a survey on my blog. I asked journalists which device they used, its most useful apps or features and which phone they thought was better for journalists.

About 20 journalists responded, and they were pretty evenly split between iPhone and BlackBerry owners. The majority of iPhone owners bought the phone themselves, while many BlackBerry owners were issued the device by their employer. The iPhone was more popular among freelancers, and some people had both devices — a work-issued BlackBerry and a personal iPhone.

What are the BlackBerry’s best features? What are the iPhone’s?

The BlackBerry’s best features are its keyboard and e-mail service, which make it better for mobile communication and writing stories, notes or scripts. The iPhone’s best features are its multimedia capabilities and its ability to run more than 85,000 apps, which make it a more versatile gadget that can eliminate the need to carry other devices.

For journalists who get frustrated by technology, the iPhone is the better device because it sports an intuitive interface and it’s much easier to use without opening the manual or searching for help. I frequently get asked questions by the BlackBerry owners in my newsroom, but very rarely do I hear from iPhone owners needing help.

But as an all-day communications tool, the BlackBerry beats the iPhone. There are many different ways to stay in touch with colleagues and sources (including the super useful BlackBerry Messenger), its battery lasts longer and you can remove and replace it with a spare when it runs out.

Since applications can run in the background, you can have instant messaging programs running at all times so you never miss a message. And with a physical keyboard, many people can post stories and write e-mails, text messages and instant messages much faster than on the iPhone’s virtual keyboard.

Is the iPhone eclipsing the BlackBerry in the field?

In the days when producing content mainly happened from a laptop or the office, the BlackBerry made a lot of sense. It is a perfect tool for communicating quickly by e-mail or text and looking up information online. But now that many journalists are expected to post stories, blog posts, photos and videos from the field, the iPhone is a better option.

As a profession, journalism is still struggling to find its footing in the digital age. Since most of the innovative mobile applications are being developed for the iPhone, using an iPhone will help journalists stay current with technology and get them excited about its potential for news.

Don’t believe me? Just give an iPhone to one of the old-school types in your newsroom and see how they react after a few days of use. They’re likely to tell you the device changed their life. You won’t get the same response by giving someone a BlackBerry.

But that doesn’t mean the iPhone is best for all journalists. Editors, Web producers and others who don’t report from the field but frequently communicate with a team will probably be better served by a BlackBerry. And the fact that BlackBerrys cost less, run on multiple carriers and have removable batteries and memory cards are also valid considerations.

Whichever phone you decide to get, learn as many of its features as you can, download applications and use it to its full potential. Just as consuming news has shifted from a print, radio and TV-dominated world to an online one for many people, it’s shifting again from online to mobile. Being comfortable with a BlackBerry, iPhone or other smart phone will help prepare you and your news organization for that future.