Reaction to Business Plan...

So we all wrote our business plans this week.  Personally, I had a blast writing mine!  Even though I may not ever follow through with this idea, it was really fun to write in a way that would make people believe I will.  I was having so much fun I hope I didn't go overboard but I loved writing confident (borderline outlandish bragging) statements regarding my idea.  I did have one question: would a business plan be something to complement a powerpoint presentation, something I would present on or something that the investors get separately, to read at their leisure?  Just trying to further wrap my brain around this new world of business!

Globe Opinion Piece...

It's coincidental that I read this article because we were actually just talking about this case in my other journalism class last week.  Someone in my class is doing his final project on coverage on the Tsnarnaev case- I might suggest he look at this for some opinion.  I thought the article took an interesting look at the case because I know I've pretty much only heard about the successful capture, but this article rose some questions as to how the police department is growing in case something unexpectedly awful were to happen again.  One of the things I love about online news is the comments section.  Although I enjoyed reading this article, I really loved looking at the comments below- I thought some were really good, some were trying to pick a fight.  I think it kind of embodies the world in which we live.  Not everyone may be a journalist but everyone can have a say on what's written with comments and twitter.  Some people get very invested (to the point of being downright mean) in some stories, and the new age of journalism is enabling them to do so.

Real Life Example...

I'm an avid skier so I naturally get ski magazine sent to me which I rapidly devour- taking in all the gear, technique and reviews.  This month, there was an article about a Littleton NH man.  I was automatically drawn to this article because Ski Magazine is primarily for Western skiers (it's based in Colorado) but in this issue I saw "New Hampshire" and immediately needed to read it.  "What could one of my fellow New Hampshireites be doing to warrant an article in this magazine?" I wondered.  As it turns out, this guy, is an entrepreneur- he's trying to re-open a small ski hill in Littleton NH.  Although it's not journalism based, he's still finding a need and filling it the way he thinks will work.  The hill will be to-pull only, a real "locals" hill.  I just though it was cool to read about what we've been practicing and see how it's being done in the area.

John Christie Follow Up...

I loved John's visit! I thought he had a really good model for his journalism and actually had some goals on where he wants to go in the future.  I also liked his "how we got started" story because it was basically John saw a need and he thought of a way to fix it- very entrepreneurial of him!  I twas also interesting for me to hear about how his organization functions as a non-profit.  Throughout the semester we've talked a lot about different way to make money on our journalism, whether it's through advertisements, investors or events.  However, we haven't really talked in depth about running a non-profit so it was really interesting and helpful for me to hear John's story so I could understand what that whole area is like.  As it turns out, it can actually be profitable!  Overall, I though John's visit was great.  he was engaging and informative and just seemed like a nice guy.

Thoughts on Business Plans...

So, I've just completed the "competition" and "market research" aspects of my business plan and, as it turns out, it's a hell or a lot more complex than I originally thought it would be.  I really shouldn't be surprised, I feel like all semester we've been learning about how starting a business is never as straight forward or simple as we think.  I was especially confused about the market research, even after reading the Forbes article (which was really helpful by the way).  After doing some of my own research, I called my Dad because he has to do this stuff all the time for his job.  Now, I'm not sure he gave me the right information but he told me to look at the problem I want to fix, show how it's a problem and then explain how I can solve that problem using statistics and such.  I did A LOT of research today on internet use in the past twenty years, especially looking at where people get their news from.  Not surprisingly, people are increasingly getting their news from online sources and they are increasingly using their cell phones to access the news.  I thought it was hard to get information on the market because the internet is so broad and expansive it's kind of hard for me to quantify who uses it and for what in my brain.  I fell like it would be easier for me to think "oh, how many people use..." or "how many people have..." than "how many people go online for news".  I don't know, for me, I'm a "seeing" person, I like to see examples because it helps me picture what I'm dealing with.  However, I can't picture the massive amounts of people using the internet.  Maybe it's just me but it's harder for me to visualize millions of users logging on to google than it is to imagine the hundreds of people with boats, for example.  As my idea is primarily internet based... I should probably figure this out!

Market Research

Market Research

Problem: People don’t think critically about the news which is a consequence of getting news from, primarily, one source.  In 2010, only 3% percent of American said they enjoyed following the news “a lot”, let’s get this number up! (poytner.org)

Fix: Choice News! This site is an interactive way for users to critically analyze the news themselves without having a newscaster or broadcaster tell them what is happening.  Users experience events vicariously through the adventure stories.

Media and Public Opinion Post:

• ·         10.8% Americans get news from newspapers
• ·         Approx. 30% each for network and cable television
• ·         15% don’t use the internet (approx. 85% use internet)
• ·         Majority of network television users like NBC (22.7%)
• ·         Majority of cable users like Fox (66.1%)
• ·         Majority internet users get their news from different sources than from The Washington Post, NYT, MSNBC, Fox, CNN, CBS, NBC or ABC (29%)

Pew Research Center:

• ·         USA 2012- 244MMs
• ·         63% of adults use cell phones to go online.  Compare this to 2010, when only 38% of adults used their cell phones to access the internet
• ·         34% of these users say they mostly go online using their cell phone
• ·         This means 21% of cell owners do most of their online browsing using mobile phone
• ·         98% of population between ages of 18-29
• ·         92% between the ages of 30-49
• ·         96% of population use internet with college+ education

Fox News Channel:

• ·         In 1995, 14% of Americans said they went online, by 2000 half were online and by 2007 75% were online.

In conclusion, Americans have been increasing their internet use for the past twenty years or so.  Many Americans are now accessing news online or online via cell phones.  As Choice News will be an online site we have a huge advantage here to use these rising numbers to our advantage and get internet users more invested in their news.  There is a market for Choice News because the majority of Americans no longer find joy in reading or experiencing the news anymore.  With our interactive, analytical and enjoyable format, our goal is to get Americans invested in the news once more!  

Choice News: competition

I didn't find that much competition in this area of media.  A lot of what news organizations seem t be doing with this format is making it a one time, special or turning it into a game.  I did not find any news organizations which operate on a "choose your own adventure" format all the time.  However, because I am a new, up and coming organization, I may have to compete with the readership of other, historic, news groups.  For example, the Boston Globe had a choose your own mayor a while back.  The player chose where to go and what to do in Boston then "met" a candidate wherever they ended up. Even though this was a one time deal for the Globe, if I were to run a story like this at the same time they did, I would definitely have to compete for similar audiences.  However, as this seems to be a "One and done" idea for the Globe, I am not too worried about the competition.
Here's what they did:     http://www.boston.com/news/politics/2013_boston_mayoral_race/choose_your_adventure/

Most of what I found seemed to be games or videos or even just bulleted lists of ideas or things to do, like this one from the Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/veer-gidwaney/affordable-care-act_b_4220906.html

British Airways recently launched a choose your own adventure video series, which I explored, loved and may want to experiment with.  In this interactive advertisement, the “player” goes through the experience of choosing a city to go to then exploring the city through a series of decisions.  I had a blast vicariously exploring Paris, Rome, Barcelona and Berlin.  Because this is not a news site with the purpose of informing the public, I would not be competing with them.  However, like I said, it is a really cool idea and I think it would be fun to experiment with their concept.
Here's what they did:  http://skift.com/2013/11/13/british-airways-launches-choose-your-own-adventure-youtube-series/

 

Review of "The Book on Paul LePage"

This story was insanely detailed and reported.  I, as the reader, really got a sense for the governor's personality and policies.  Each chapter covered a different aspect of LePage's policies and how he and his opponents view those policies.  I felt like it portrayed many different aspects of LePage and his life and I got to see how different people thought of him.  At no point did I know exactly what Christie's opinion of LePage was, which absolutely goes along with their vision statement of "looking beneath the surface of Maine government and writing clearly and without fear or favor about what it discovers".  I was kind of wondering how Christie got the word out about Pine Tree Watchdog.  Obviously it is not always easy getting in touch with politicians, so how did he get the word out about his publication so these politicians knew who he was writing for and visions regarding journalism etc.

Questions for John...

• How did you come up with the idea for Pine Tree Watchdog?  Was there a certain moment where you went, "ah-ha, this is what we need"?
• How did you go about creating and reporting once the idea was formed? Was it a one man show for a while or did you have people hop on board immediately?
• What challenges did you face when starting this site?
• If you could go back and change one thing about your process in starting this company, what would it be and why?
• What is your business model and why did you choose that?
• Do you have any suggestions for us, as aspiring journalists and entrepreneurs?
• How did you come up with the different sections? Why did you choose them?
• How did you find your staff writers?
• How did you make money when you first started and how are you continuing to make money now?

Mission and Vision Statements

Mission: At Choice News we aim to provide the audience with a unique, fun, interactive and insightful news experience.  It is our hope that our audience will not only skim the headlines but become invested in the story telling and critically think about what decisions have been made throughout the years.

Vision: Choice News will provide accurate, clearly written pieces without favor for one side or the other.  Our reporting will be critical, insightful and timely while also conveying a sense of adventure and fun that comes with a choose your own adventure story format.

Pine Tree Watchdog

I think this concept is really interesting.  I have always been interested in investigative reporting so to see it done on such a local scale is awesome.  I think if i lived in Maine I would frequently visit this site for updates and news.  The next thing I noticed was the variety of news on this site.  They cover everything from the environment to elections.  Some of the most recent stories have to do with Governor Paul LePage and how people perceive their governor.  One thing I was wondering was how they decided what to cover.  Obviously the people creating this site saw a need for coverage about veterans and climate change but I was just wondering how they narrowed it down.  Also, something else that I noticed: I really liked the "donate" button.  On articles there is a little counter that tracks how much money has been raised for the non-profit, the Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting.  If you share the story, they donate a dollar.  I thought this was a really cool concept for raising money for non-profits because all you have to do is share the story and feel like a superhero!

Response to Terry Williams

I really enjoyed Terry's visit.  I thought it was interesting, informative and Terry was a pretty good guy to talk to anyway.  Something that really stuck with me was what Terry was saying about what he looks for in new hires.  He said he looks for people who can use social media, take video, take photos and break news.  Basically, it looks like I'm going to have to figure out technology sooner or later!  I also liked what he was saying about The Conway Daily Sun and how they choose to release less papers than they could to keep demand up.  I just thought this was such a smart idea and I would love to harness this idea some how and make it relate to my project idea somehow.  Hmmmm, something to think about!

Forbes Article

OK, first thing I noticed when I went to the site to read this article was that there was a page you had to pass before actually reading the article.  The page was essentially all advertisements but it made me think about ways this site makes money.  That was comment number 1, now on to the actual content of the article.  The article essentially just reiterated what Meg and Terry were saying for the past two weeks: as journalists we need to understand a whole lot more than we used to in order to succeed.  Something I really liked about this article was how it laid out a bunch of different kinds of advertisement for the reader to understand.  It made the whole idea of advertisements a lot easier to understand the different ways to advertise.  We have talked about some of these types of advertisement in class (e.g. native advertising) but it was nice to have a detailed description for all the different options offered to entrepreneurs.

Comments on Pitches

In last weeks' blogs I commented on "The Source" and "Focused Fencing".  So, here are my comments on the rest!

The Gamer's Gazette: I think this is a really neat idea.  A lot of people love video games and I think this could be a way to promote involvement with the news as well.  I was wondering how much money you though you needed to get started as well as if you had thought of using events to make money?  You could sponsor scavenger hunts or 5K runs or something like that to go along with the whole adventure/video game theme.

Exploring New Hampshire, Discovering Asia: I think you definitely found a niche subject area that works really well for you.  I also think it is interesting that you don't want a paid subscription.  I love it, I think you can pull in a lot of consumers that way.  One question I had was: what will your advertising look like and how exactly will you make money from it?

Well Now: I think your target audience will really enjoy something like this.  I know I like to read up on articles to help me be my best self and make myself healthier so I think that this could be something a lot of people can relate to.  I was wondering if you could partner yourself with local health food stores or something like that to promote your business as well as the local businesses in your area.  It could be a good way to get the word out right when you're starting!

News in Comics:  This is a really fun idea!  I was wondering though, is the 100K specifically to get you started or will you make money some other way?  Once your company is started and you have spent the 100K how do you plan to make money?  Just something I was wondering!  Overall, great, creative idea!

Unblocked Writers: Really innovative idea, I would for sure use this!  You mentioned interactive advertising in your pitch.  What would that look like?  Would it be online or, like, handing things out to people? I just wasn't sure!

See the News:  Great idea, I love the idea of a mobile app, it's very technologically savvy of you.  How much would it cost for users?  I'm just thinking people might not want to pay for a subscription and for the mobile app if it's too much.  Overall though, I love the idea.  Did you see the recent article about the man who documented his wife's struggle with cancer? It was so powerful and I think your idea will hit home with a lot of people!

The New Stand: Cute and clever idea!  I think it's a great way to harness the age of technology while also promoting the "traditional" news outlets.  I also think your business model could work really well but do you have an idea of how much it will cost to run your company just so you could predict how much you would need to make off advertisements? It's a bit of an in depth question but I was just wondering!