Top Web Publisher Mistakes
Robert Niles (Robert Niles), editor of the Online Journalism Review , lists the most popular myths that exist among offline publishers who are superficially familiar with the Internet. They often say that it is impossible to earn serious money on the Internet, no one here makes original reports, and the blogosphere is a meaningless mixture of selfish individuals and spam. These are very common misconceptions.
According to Niles, there are only two reasons for such a pessimistic attitude to web journalism: or you don’t know what you are talking about, and this is the reason for disappointment; or you know what you are talking about, but are afraid of competition. The following tips are intended for members of the first group to help them avoid common mistakes made by a publisher starting to learn the Internet.
1. Work for money
On the internet, passion is more important than professionalism. Yes, smart, disciplined online publishers make money here - this is not surprising, given the billions of dollars that advertisers spend on the Internet. But this fact should by no means be the main reason for working in online journalism. The reader will surely feel such an attitude if they just want to make money on it. The fact is that on the Internet you can find bright, exciting and authoritative sites on any topic that you can imagine. You must be one of these sites.
Experience shows that even the most professional media give up their audience to small amateur niche projects, because the latter are made with soul, and the professionals think first and foremost about maximizing profits. Instead, you need to constantly reflect on the launch of new interesting projects, even if not profitable.
')
2. Too wide specialization
Robert Niles recommends choosing a specific specialization for your project, be it some kind of business, hobby or something else that you are good at. The quality of journalistic work should be on top. Here, too, professionalism, professional work with sources, the extraction of authentic facts are important.
People do not visit the websites of online newspapers because it is easier to read texts from a computer screen, and not to save money on buying a newspaper at a kiosk. No, they need authoritative voices to help cope with the information overload in modern life.
3. To be immodest
Being immodest is a mistake. Online communities are more competent on any subject than individual experts. Of course, to earn credibility on the Internet, you must be an expert, but at the same time you need to understand that the collective knowledge of your readers exceeds your own knowledge. Each reader has some unique experience. An important task of online journalism is to extract this knowledge outside (for example, to initiate a discussion in the comments to the article).
In online journalism, the interview does not end at the time of publication of the article. After writing the text, it is necessary to invite competent readers to supplement this text. At least, you need to initially assume this possibility.
4. Accept spam on your account
Too many publishers sharply limit the interactivity of their site as soon as the first wave of spam appears in the comments or on the forum. Do not be too sensitive to perceive it. Look at spam as a common cold. Viruses are constantly present in the atmosphere, they can infect you at any time, but you should not make a problem out of it and think about them all the time. This is just a minor hindrance.
5. Tell the world what you're doing ... before you do it.
Veterans of the “old media” especially often make this mistake. They can be understood. In earlier times, to launch a project, you had to advertise it in advance in order to find investors. On the Internet there is absolutely no need to publish announcements. In addition, some secrecy gives you a certain freedom of maneuver.
6. Throw money on the site
The economy of publishing business on the Internet encourages individual efforts. Successful businesses usually start with the creativity of one person, and not with investments in state expansion. It is also difficult to find a successful project, which began with a large advertising budget, ads in the offline media and the like. At the beginning of the development of the project is better to refrain from unnecessary spending.
7. Inflate attendance statistics
Every web publisher is closely monitoring site traffic. But many novice publishers do not quite understand the terminology and do not very well understand the difference between hits, page shows and unique visitors. In general, site statistics are best analyzed not only by server logs, but also with the help of specialized counters, at least free, like Google Analytics .
8. Unrealistic goals
It is necessary to clearly understand the advantages of the Internet, to make the most of the interactivity of the web in journalistic work. It takes a long time to build strong relationships with your readers, and you should not be distracted by the thought that you will get rich, become famous and get a professional award.
According to Niles, there are only two reasons for such a pessimistic attitude to web journalism: or you don’t know what you are talking about, and this is the reason for disappointment; or you know what you are talking about, but are afraid of competition. The following tips are intended for members of the first group to help them avoid common mistakes made by a publisher starting to learn the Internet.
1. Work for money
On the internet, passion is more important than professionalism. Yes, smart, disciplined online publishers make money here - this is not surprising, given the billions of dollars that advertisers spend on the Internet. But this fact should by no means be the main reason for working in online journalism. The reader will surely feel such an attitude if they just want to make money on it. The fact is that on the Internet you can find bright, exciting and authoritative sites on any topic that you can imagine. You must be one of these sites.
Experience shows that even the most professional media give up their audience to small amateur niche projects, because the latter are made with soul, and the professionals think first and foremost about maximizing profits. Instead, you need to constantly reflect on the launch of new interesting projects, even if not profitable.
')
2. Too wide specialization
Robert Niles recommends choosing a specific specialization for your project, be it some kind of business, hobby or something else that you are good at. The quality of journalistic work should be on top. Here, too, professionalism, professional work with sources, the extraction of authentic facts are important.
People do not visit the websites of online newspapers because it is easier to read texts from a computer screen, and not to save money on buying a newspaper at a kiosk. No, they need authoritative voices to help cope with the information overload in modern life.
3. To be immodest
Being immodest is a mistake. Online communities are more competent on any subject than individual experts. Of course, to earn credibility on the Internet, you must be an expert, but at the same time you need to understand that the collective knowledge of your readers exceeds your own knowledge. Each reader has some unique experience. An important task of online journalism is to extract this knowledge outside (for example, to initiate a discussion in the comments to the article).
In online journalism, the interview does not end at the time of publication of the article. After writing the text, it is necessary to invite competent readers to supplement this text. At least, you need to initially assume this possibility.
4. Accept spam on your account
Too many publishers sharply limit the interactivity of their site as soon as the first wave of spam appears in the comments or on the forum. Do not be too sensitive to perceive it. Look at spam as a common cold. Viruses are constantly present in the atmosphere, they can infect you at any time, but you should not make a problem out of it and think about them all the time. This is just a minor hindrance.
5. Tell the world what you're doing ... before you do it.
Veterans of the “old media” especially often make this mistake. They can be understood. In earlier times, to launch a project, you had to advertise it in advance in order to find investors. On the Internet there is absolutely no need to publish announcements. In addition, some secrecy gives you a certain freedom of maneuver.
6. Throw money on the site
The economy of publishing business on the Internet encourages individual efforts. Successful businesses usually start with the creativity of one person, and not with investments in state expansion. It is also difficult to find a successful project, which began with a large advertising budget, ads in the offline media and the like. At the beginning of the development of the project is better to refrain from unnecessary spending.
7. Inflate attendance statistics
Every web publisher is closely monitoring site traffic. But many novice publishers do not quite understand the terminology and do not very well understand the difference between hits, page shows and unique visitors. In general, site statistics are best analyzed not only by server logs, but also with the help of specialized counters, at least free, like Google Analytics .
8. Unrealistic goals
It is necessary to clearly understand the advantages of the Internet, to make the most of the interactivity of the web in journalistic work. It takes a long time to build strong relationships with your readers, and you should not be distracted by the thought that you will get rich, become famous and get a professional award.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/4839/
All Articles