Creative newsroom

I vote for creative party themes: How to host a swingin' swing state party

stephanieogilvieseagle — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 14:41:00 -0500

Roanoke has been called a swing town in a swing state, so why not celebrate with your own swingin’ election night party?

(And by the looks of Virginia’s changing demographics, we should be able to recycle these ideas in the next presidential election.)

Read more from my Roanoke Times story, Elect to party! How to throw a swing state election night party »

Win-win newsroom idea: Cook up creative content while treating your staff

stephanieogilvieseagle — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 17:50:00 -0400

Roanoke Times food writer Lindsey Nair wanted to write about all of the creative Halloween treats she saw on Pinterest. So she challenged a few staffers to try whipping them up themselves.

I made these *scandalously easy* witch hat cookies (photo by Rebecca Barnett | The Roanoke Times).

The best part? After photographing all of the yummy sweets (including Frankenstein crispy rice treats and a pumpkin-shaped cake), she shared them all with the newsroom in a casual Halloween party.

Read the story here.

This reminds me of my “Quest for the Best Margarita” series in our Inside Out entertainment section in 2006. I tried to create social opportunities for our ragtag team of freelancers, so we met every couple of weeks to rate restaurant margaritas. This made for engaging (and incredibly popular) content throughout the summer — and each stop became a relaxed incubator to joke about story ideas.

To celebrate Inside Out’s first birthday in 2005, I hosted a small staff party at my house — we rated store-bought birthday cakes (Kroger’s chocolate with whipped vanilla icing won us over).

My top 5 takeaways from Knight Digital Media Center's 'Diving into Data' webinar

stephanieogilvieseagle — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 15:33:00 -0400

This is my own (numberless) data visualization to explain a digital journalist’s skill set.

Lisa Williams of Placeblogger.com and MIT Media Lab’s Center for Future Civic Media shared some tips on creating powerful data visualizations in this free “Diving into Data” webinar from the Knight Digital Media Center (Oct. 30, 2012).

1. Why should I care? Why is learning data visualization tools so important? Because the problems we face as a nation/world/species are ever more complex and can’t be told adequately in narrative forms, says Williams. (HOORAY FOR ALT STORY FORMATS! She’s my people!) Data viz is persuasive and shareable (think viral Facebook memes) because it’s so visual. It can teach the story better. This was one my favorite examples from the webinar: Billion Dollar O-Gram, which puts the billions of dollars of global spending into context using a treemap.

2. Data viz *IS NOT* new. The Vietnam War Memorial is data visualized. Also, Florence Nightingale displayed her death statistics from the Crimean war in a powerful chart.

3. Go to the ‘gym’! Yes, we’re all incredibly busy doing our jobs. Who has time to learn how to make data come to life? We just have to make time, says Williams. Try to develop an exploration mindset — one of continuous learning. How? Intentionally carve a few hours a week to update your skills and try some of these tools out. Think of it as a “gym for your career.” Fantastic analogy!

4. Where should I start? If you’re hunting for data, be sure to search what’s already available at data.gov and datacatalogs.org. How to turn the data into fancy charts and graphs? For beginners, Williams recommends Many Eyes. More options: Buzzdata (more visual snap) and Tableau Public if you’re really serious.

5. Need some inspiration? Williams recommends “Visualize This” and sunfoundation.tumblr.com to get your creative data viz juices flowing.

My top 5 takeaways from CityWorks (X)po: Big ideas for small cities

stephanieogilvieseagle — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 11:29:00 -0400

I’m still processing all of the amazing ideas from the second CityWorks (X)po in Roanoke, Virginia, over the weekend. I connected with so many creative, cool people; tweeted from the conference like a maniac; and boiled down all of the good stuff into 5 top takeaways that I can apply to my own life and work at The Roanoke Times.

1. Think big, stay small

Don’t forget the power you have to improve your neighborhood, city and world. But progress happens in baby steps — small ways every day (Mike Edson). You don’t have to do it perfectly or expensively (Mike Lydon), the most important thing is that we DO IT — and magic can happen. But don’t pin too much on magical wishing, said the refreshingly blunt speaker James Howard Kunstler. His new book (which I bought — and he signed) says it all: “Too Much Magic: Wishful Thinking, Technology, and the Fate of the Nation.” A sobering alarm about our finite energy sources — and one that emphasizes contraction: Our systems will be forced to be smaller, more local.

Keynote speaker Kennedy Smith shares “The Best Ideas of 2012” on the first day of CityWorks (X)po.

2. Millennials are taking us back to the future

1912 is coming back again (with some twists), according to Kennedy Smith. Millennials will impact our economics and design for years to come: They think local; are more environmentally conscious; reuse and recycle (see: rise of consignment, repair shops); and appreciate playful, techy interactivity (see Peapod grocery shopping). Most importantly, a huge number expect to own their own businesses (see: popup shops). An entrepreneurial explosion on the horizon?

3. Could we create a real Times Square?

All the talk of placemaking — and especially Mike Lydon’s examples of “tactical urbanism” (like DIY crosswalks) — got me thinking about our imminent launch of the Times Square blog on roanoke.com. We want Times Square to become a bustling digital town square, where we’ll invite conversations about the most important — and most popular — Roanoke Times stories; spotlight contributions from the community (reader photos, videos, etc.); and connect the community with our journalists and staff through Q&As, behind-the-scenes tidbits and schedules for meetups and events. But couldn’t we create a *real* Times Square — possibly outside our doorstep, on the lawn of Roanoke’s Municipal Building? Or on our little-used roof garden? We could host picnic lunches — meetups about various issues discussed on the blog. Would there be interest?

Robin Williams, an architetural historian at the Savannah College of Art and Design (and the guy in the hat), was impressed with the abundance of art deco style in downtown Roanoke. He urged the owner of the building behind him (which houses the City Corner buffet) to restore the bottom half to its original art deco glory.

4. Let’s go on historical scavenger hunts

The architectural tour of downtown Roanoke (thanks, Robin Williams) was a fascinating peek into our past. Williams was impressed by all of the art deco (a sign Roanoke was booming during the 1930s?), and was especially moved by the building that houses the Roanoke Chamber of Commerce. Who knew it was such a special example of postwar modernism? He mentioned creating some sort of architectural scavenger hunt to help folks learn to look up — and it reminded me of Inside Out’s St. Patrick’s Day treasure hunt in 2008, which relied on many architectural elements for clues in our puzzle. Perhaps we should do another version, asking historians to provide the stories behind the buildings? This time we’ll have QR codes.

Who knew the building on Jefferson that houses the Roanoke Chamber of Commerce was such a special example of postwar modernism?

5. How can we help bring neighbors together?

We heard Aaron Naparstek’s hilarious “Honku” poetry — this was his therapeutic way of dealing with the incessant honking outside his Brooklyn home. His project helped unite his neighborhood over a problem. But during CityWorks, I also met committed Roanoke neighborhood advocates who were trying to find ways to bring their communities together over positive issues. This got me thinking about our own Good Neighbors Fund that The Roanoke Times has sponsored for years. How might we reinvigorate this fundraiser — or take advantage of social media? I keep focusing on the name: Good Neighbors. Sadly, I don’t know my own neighbors very well — but I’d jump at the chance to help organize an effort to raise money for a good cause, which would help me get to know them better. Perhaps we can help neighborhoods brainstorm ideas on how to raise money for the Good Neighbors fund — either around the holidays, or throughout the year? We might offer a “starter kit” of sorts for these neighborhood connectors? Hmmm. Wheels are turning ….

Did you attend the (X)po? What were some of your biggest takeaways?

It was only a matter of time before my obsessions with Halloween...

stephanieogilvieseagle — Sun, 21 Oct 2012 10:45:56 -0400

It was only a matter of time before my obsessions with Halloween and bargain shopping combined on the pages of The Roanoke Times.

Here’s my how-to story published Oct. 18 in Inside Out: Frugal magic: Steal this wicked Halloween look for your fireplace

Photo by Jeanna Duerscherl | The Roanoke Times

Top 5 lessons from Poynter/ACES Art & Science of Editing webinar

stephanieogilvieseagle — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 12:47:00 -0400

My top 5 takeaways from The Art and Science of Editing webinar with consultant/educator Merrill Perlman (@meperl), formerly of The New York Times

This Oct. 3, 2012, webinar is “for writers and editors who want to learn to identify when you need to edit something, when you don’t and how to explain your changes to others.”

Most important: Your job as an editor is to stand up for the reader. Your goal is to make something more accessible — what is the writer saying? What is the reader hearing?

Good editing follows guidelines, not rules (except when it’s a law).

You want to edit, not change. A change is something you *want* to do … an edit is what copy *needs* to be clearer. “An edit always keeps its main focus on the reader. A change is made for convenience sake or to obey a rule.” And editing improves copy as *invisibly* as possible.

“Good editors understand why they do what they do … and can explain it.” When you do explain an edit, avoid terms like “you did” or “I fixed.” Instead: “The idea is unclear” or “a reader might misunderstand …”

How to give a story a fresh read? Change the font size to make it bigger … or print it out and read on paper.

Twitter tip for the newsroom: The importance of @mentions

stephanieogilvieseagle — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 16:55:35 -0400

Our style on The Roanoke Times Twitter account is always evolving, but I thought I’d explain my new goal:

Not only do I strive to find the (verified) Twitter account of any business/politician/etc. mentioned in the tweet, but now I’m trying to add reporters / photogs whenever possible. This gets your attention —- and gives our 8,500 followers an opportunity to engage with – or follow – you, too.

Here’s a good example:

Ideally, I would have added this businessman’s Twitter handle, but alas – couldn’t find it in a quick search.

For more about WHY @mentions are so important to build your network — and TO GET YOU NOTICED, read this post on Steve Buttry’s blog.

And I try to keep our list of @roanoketimes journos as up-to-date as possible, so please let me know if you’re missing! Find our Twitter “phone book” here

I especially love the innovative solution for kids terrified by...

stephanieogilvieseagle — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 16:05:36 -0400

I especially love the innovative solution for kids terrified by the MRI machine in this TED Talk by IDEO’s David Kelley: How to build your creative confidence.

Free online class on creativity from Stanford's Tina Seelig

stephanieogilvieseagle — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 12:20:00 -0400

*Free* online class on creativity from Stanford's Tina Seelig:

What a wonderful online opportunity: “A Crash Course on Creativity” begins Oct. 17. I’m trying to gather a small team from The Roanoke Times / roanoke.com newsroom …

Top 5 lessons from Poynter's/James Janega's Social Media Voice webinar

stephanieogilvieseagle — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 17:21:00 -0400

In this Sept. 14 Poynter webinar, James Janega (@JamesJanega) of the Chicago Tribune talked about developing voice in social media (something I’m always thinking about, as I tweet/Facebook as The Roanoke Times throughout the day).

Here are my top 5 takeaways, which I emailed to the newsroom:

Whenever you doubt the amount of time and energy we spend interacting with folks on Facebook/Twitter/whatever, remember this quote:

“Journalism is no longer a mass medium; it’s a series of personal connections that add up to millions.”

Janega said this was the most important idea to take away from his webinar, and I couldn’t agree more.

Not sure what to tweet? I liked his Rule of Thirds (he stressed this was a guideline … not a rule.): One third your material, one third other people’s material (retweets), and one third personal highlights (showing your personality, what you’re reading, etc.).

How do you develop a social media voice without compromising your news credibility? Janega used the example of Chicago Tribune news reporter @StacyStClair, who tweeted pure facts from the recent Drew Peterson murder trial. BUT, she was able to develop a voice worth following by describing fascinating details about the jury (apparently they wore the same colors before verdict was reached), Peterson’s reactions, etc.

So look for the fascinating nuggets … or as I like to say, hunt for the tasty the Lucky Charms.

Want to see what’s trending on Twitter locally? Check out trendsmap.com — this morning (Monday, Sept. 17), it was all sports around Roanoke: #steelersnation, cowboys, redskins, nfl and pittsburgh. I’m not sure how to use this information, but it’s worth bookmarking.

Cheat sheet! Some scribbles from the webinar provided by Janega:

Are You A Bit Of A Loser? Don’t Worry, You’re Probably Really Creative (via Fast Company)

stephanieogilvieseagle — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 11:59:26 -0400

Are You A Bit Of A Loser? Don’t Worry, You’re Probably Really Creative (via Fast Company):

As a teen who wore a snood to school, I appreciate the social rejection / creativity connection.

Creativity and 'The Nature Principle': Some big takeaways

stephanieogilvieseagle — Sun, 26 Aug 2012 12:03:00 -0400

I’m so grateful I decided to pick up “The Nature Principle” at a newsroom benefit book sale earlier this year — and took the time to read it, as I don’t consider myself an “outdoorsy” gal.

In late July, when I asked our newsroom to pick a 30-day creativity challenge for the month of August, I was inspired to choose my own project based on reading just a few chapters of this book by Richard Louv.

Citing all kinds of studies, Louv argues that nature can stimulate ideas and boost creativity. He devotes the first part of his book exploring this angle, telling us about great thinkers and writers who use outdoor walks to help open their minds and connect the dots. One particular Danish study showed that outdoor kindergartens stimulated children’s creativity much more than indoor classrooms.

So based on his book, I created my “15 minutes of sunlight” challenge — to spend a minimum of 15 minutes a day outdoors per day throughout August. I’ll write more about the challenge in a separate post.

Now that I’ve finished the book, I’ll note a few specific notes, quotes and questions:

» Overall, the most important takeaway is my new appreciation and curiosity about ancient Appalachia: What’s the geology? Fossil record? Native plants? How might I incorporate more nature in my yard, my home, my daily surroundings?

» “The more high-tech our lives become, the more nature we need.”

» I never realized the Native American word “Shenandoah” meant “daughter of the stars.” (p. 178-179). I think about this during my daily drive down Shenandoah toward the Mill Mountain Star in downtown Roanoke.

» Louv devoted more than a page (p. 148-149) to report about Chip Donahue, a Roanoke dad who was inspired by his previous bestselling book, “Last Child in the Woods.” Donahue (with his wife Ashley, who helped teach me volleyball skills at a Hollins University summer camp many years ago), formed the club Kids in the Valley, Adventuring! (KIVA). The Roanoke Times has reported on this four-year-old family nature group through the years, and KIVA has received national attention on NBC’s “Today” show.

» As for the newspaper’s role in the community, shouldn’t we “own” outdoors recreation / business/ geology / culture / history / policy as a master narrative? How can we organize this knowledge better? What are some existing resources / schools / organizations that we could help connect?

» Besides all of the recreational opportunities, how is our region pursuing “nature therapy,” especially as a medical hub — and with the ancient Blue Ridge Mountains surrounding us.

» In one of the final chapters focusing on nature careers, Louv introduces a pioneer in “vanguard agriculture” — Anthony Flaccavento, an organic farmer and former executive director of Appalachian Sustainable Development (ASD), which created a co-op organic farming program for former tobacco farmers. His name seemed really familiar — and a quick Google search showed me why: Flaccavento is a Democrat running for Congress in the 9th district — against incumbent Morgan Griffith of Salem, where I live.

Our latest “Tea with TED” Talk was by science...

stephanieogilvieseagle — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 11:26:00 -0400

Our latest “Tea with TED” Talk was by science journalist Joshua Foer, who focused on memory.

I chose Foer because he will be speaking about his book, “Moonwalking with Einstein,” at Roanoke’s Jefferson Center on Monday, Sept. 10. Find ticket info here.

The main point I took away from his talk was reinforcement that we are visual creatures — and why visual storytelling is so powerful (and important if we want folks to engage with — and remember — what we create).

From TED: There are people who can quickly memorize lists of thousands of numbers, the order of all the cards in a deck (or ten!), and much more. Science writer Joshua Foer describes the technique — called the memory palace — and shows off its most remarkable feature: anyone can learn how to use it, including him.

The talk is 20 minutes long. WATCH HERE »

From Fast Company: What Google Gets That Others Don’t: Innovation Evolves Customers

stephanieogilvieseagle — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 10:37:21 -0400

From Fast Company: What Google Gets That Others Don’t: Innovation Evolves Customers:

“Successful innovators ask users to embrace — or at least tolerate — new values, new skills, new behaviors, new vocabularies, new ideas, new expectations, and new aspirations. They transform their customers. Successful innovators reinvent their customers as well as their businesses. Their innovations make customers better and make better customers.”

How would this apply to journalism innovations? My first thought is civility … how might we raise the level of discourse, especially on divisive political issues?

Creating an environment that breeds innovative ideas is one of...

stephanieogilvieseagle — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 22:01:00 -0400

Creating an environment that breeds innovative ideas is one of my favorite topics to discuss. It was at the heart of my master’s thesis (building an internship program like a “think tank”) — and it drives this entire blog.

I want to help foster a constantly learning, creative culture in our newsroom.

That’s why I chose this particular talk for this week’s Tea with TED session: Where good ideas come from, where author Steven Johnson talks about seeing ideas as networks. Social networks, really.

From TED: “People often credit their ideas to individual “Eureka!” moments. But Steven Johnson shows how history tells a different story. His fascinating tour takes us from the “liquid networks” of London’s coffee houses to Charles Darwin’s long, slow hunch to today’s high-velocity web.”

From Fast Company: If Miles Davis Taught Your Office To Improvise (leadership lessons from jazz)

stephanieogilvieseagle — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 09:42:49 -0400

From Fast Company: If Miles Davis Taught Your Office To Improvise (leadership lessons from jazz):

Love the part of an affirmative mindset, as I confront this every day:

Too often, in established cultures, cynicism is a way to attain status, and cynical responses to ideas seem justified because they are more “realistic.” It is much easier to critique than to build. Yet equating cynicism with realism shrinks the imagination.

Instead, do what jazz greats do: assume that you can make the situation work somehow, that there exists an opportunistic possibility to be gleaned.

Digital journalists as gymnasts? Mastering the core competencies like Gabby Douglas

stephanieogilvieseagle — Sat, 11 Aug 2012 15:24:00 -0400

My best metaphor to help explain the basic skills journalists need to master in the digital age? Olympic gymnastics. Some of us can become the Gabby Douglases of journalism, but most of us will really shine on a particular apparatus (this is probably what we were originally hired to do). Photo credit: AP/Julie Jacobson

As I have mentioned before in this blog, The Roanoke Times / roanoke.com is in the middle of a website redesign and long-overdue CMS overhaul.

I serve on a couple of key teams to make the transition in our newsroom: Engagement (covering comments/user-submissions/social media/etc.) and Workflow.

What’s becoming clear is that in order to become a true “digital first” enterprise, we have to go beyond looking at a workflow reorganization or a community engagement strategy.

We have to completely re-imagine our individual jobs. We can’t just be a reporter. Or a photographer. Or a copy editor. Or a social media editor.

We need all of these skills — and apply them at different times and situations.

We’ve known this for years, but it’s always been a vague notion. Sort of like the word “multimedia” — what does that mean?

This weekend, I’ve forced myself to drill down and categorize some basic core competencies — traits and skill sets that should be shared by everyone in our newsroom.

My best metaphor at the moment is inspired by the Olympics: I look at it as the all-around gymnastics competition.

In order to win, these gymnasts must hold their own on multiple difficult apparatuses — horizontal bars, the vault, floor exercise and balance beam.

Some of us might become the Gabby Douglases of digital journalism, but most of us will truly shine on a particular apparatus (this is probably what we were originally hired to do).

I like this metaphor because the sport combines strength with flexibility. It’s tough, but beautiful. And that’s what we should should aspire for.

So what are the digital journalism apparatuses to train for — and master in varying degrees?

This is what I propose:

1. News hunter/ gatherer: We should all know how to research, interview, verify and curate. Accuracy is paramount, and an entrepreneurial approach is ideal. Stars on this apparatus include investigative watchdogs.

2. Visual storyteller: We are visual creatures — images speak to our creative, subconscious minds, and we retain visual information very easily. No surprise that photos and editorial cartoons are the most popular posts on our Facebook page. Or that readers overwhelmingly contribute photos more than text submissions. All digital journalists should be equipped and ready to snap photos, shoot video, present data with charts/graphs, and have an appreciation of good design. And realize the power (and importance) of collecting mug shots and providing maps whenever possible. Show, don’t tell! Obviously, photo/video/multimedia journalists, graphics artists and designers shine here.

3. Social collaborator: Reach out and engage through social media, individual blogs, polls, surveys and old-fashioned, in-person networking. Listen, share and empathize. Overall, be a team player inside and outside the newsroom. Our best beat reporters, social media editors/community managers and frontline editors (who must lead a team along with the content) excel in this realm.

4. Wordsmith: Write with clarity, voice and minimal grammatical/spelling errors. Can craft effective SEO headlines, captions, tweets, etc., and adhere to local and AP style. Stars on this apparatus include our top writers and copy editors.

In the middle of my apparatuses are four non-negotiable values that link all of these competencies:

1. Integrity

2. Curious, critical thinking

3. Creative problem solving

4. Urgency

(Sort of like the Olympic motto: “Citius, Altius, Fortius,” which is Latin for “Faster, Higher, Stronger.”)

Articulating these competencies will help our newsroom better define (and break down) our roles and help guide our training.

Notice that the mastery of digital technology is assumed — it’s a set of ever-changing tools that we should use in the service of journalism, not a core competency or value.

Am I missing anything huge?

More questions: Where do you excel? What should you be developing?

Using our gymnastics apparatus metaphor as a guide, I envision a future exercise with the staff where we draw pie charts of how we individually spend our work time. And what our ideal pie chart would look like. Pizza and fruit pies would be served, of course. :-)

I’ll expand on this idea in future blog posts.

Meanwhile, if you’re wrestling with the same “digital first” transition, I highly recommend this series of blog posts by Digital First Media Jedi Steve Buttry:

» How a Digital First approach guides a journalist’s work

» Digital First journalists: What we value

» 10 ways to think like a Digital First journalist

» Leading a Digital First newsroom

And this post was really helpful, too:

» 8 Must-Have Traits of Tomorrow’s Journalist by Vadim Lavrusik

He’s taught the most popular class at Harvard … and...

stephanieogilvieseagle — Sat, 11 Aug 2012 07:13:52 -0400

He’s taught the most popular class at Harvard … and he’s the author of “The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work.”

In this week’s Tea with TED, we listened to Shawn Achor talk about happiness, creativity and success — and changing how we look at the world.

From TED: “We believe that we should work to be happy, but could that be backwards? In this fast-moving and entertaining talk, psychologist Shawn Achor argues that actually happiness inspires productivity.”

ENJOY! »

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/shawn_achor_the_happy_secret_to_better_work.html

My 5 favorite nuggets from Knight training report highlighting importance of creating a 'learning culture' in our newsrooms

stephanieogilvieseagle — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 14:47:00 -0400

Once again … Stanford bingo time!

I never realized Storify was born from a Stanford journalism fellowship … I learned this by reading the full Knight Foundation study, “Digital Training Comes of Age,” released today.

Howard Finberg of Poynter does a fine job summing up the survey results here.

Below are my 5 favorite nuggets (many of them echo the highlights from “News, Improved,” written by one of the same authors) … the bolding is mine:

1. “Professional development will play a key role in the transformation of the news landscape. Not all news organizations will survive the transition to the digital age. The ones that make it will be nimble, adaptable. They’ll have learning cultures, where training is built into the daily routine.”

2. “Creating a ‘learning culture’ can be as important as skill training because most traditional news organizations historically are highly change averse and they must become more adaptive and open to change to succeed in the digital world.

3. “In assessing their shift to a more digital focus, the training and fellowship program leaders stressed the need to constantly adapt as well. ‘The most important lesson that we have learned is that it is essential to keep evolving. That means not just adding new things but getting rid of old ones,’ Bettinger said. ‘We now aim to shed 5-10 percent of what we do in any given year, freeing up time and energy to add things.’ ”

4. “Training that is strategic, training that focuses on goals, training that involves entire newsrooms can improve both the content and the culture of news organizations. Good professional development, by its very nature, emphasizes communication and breaks down internal barriers.”

5. In Wichita, editor Sherry Chisenhall says training is a key part of her newsroom reorganization. Every job description has been rewritten to reflect a multiplatform newsroom, where Web and mobile publication come first and print is at the end of the work cycle. The key to the success of her restructuring was a training plan designed ‘to help every person learn, on their work time, how to do the job now
expected of them.’ The newsroom set a goal – every employee gets at least 30 hours of training a year – ‘because what gets measured gets done.’ Chisenhall says it can be done without a large budget by using online services such as Lynda.com (at $2,000 per year for unlimited use), peer training, inexpensive webinars and seeking scholarships for outside training. This past year, she said, 80 percent of the staff met the 30-hour goal. Chisenhall said training is essential to progress. ‘It’s imperative to be more creative about how you define training, and to start with the position that it’s fatal for the newsroom and for people’s individual careers to do without it.’

Why Your Company Should Celebrate More, via Fast Company ...

stephanieogilvieseagle — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 11:37:00 -0400

Why Your Company Should Celebrate More, via Fast Company ...:

“Camaraderie within an organization leads to higher employee morale and ensures that your most valued colleagues stick around.”

Also, writer John Coleman mentions establishing a bocce court league at his agency … why did I immediately think of shuffleboard on the Roanoke Times roof garden, sort of like a cruise ship deck?