Happy Birthday, America. Happy Birthday AFP Print

kpaul.mallasch — Fri, 4 Jul 2008 15:08:46 -0700

Three years ago, around this very same time, I sent out my declaration of independence from big media. I thought it was worth a smile, but I was also trying to send a serious message. Amidst the soaring newsprint prices and declining ad revenues, the media corporations have more to worry about.

Last night, I drove around 40 miles to pick up 1,000 of 18,000 copies of Anderson Free Press print. Yup. AFP Print is a free tabloid prototype for Anderson and Madison County, Indiana. (Nope, not the city I started in...) Around 550 were distributed at the annual Anderson Midnight Parade. I personally handed them out. Another 17,000 await shipment to a direct mail company for delivery to three zip codes - 46011, 46012, 46044.

I'm exhausted, but I feel good. Well, mostly good. Looking it over today, I notice two typos I didn't catch on the front page. Oops. I'm going to give 10,000 AFP Points (user points) to website users who can point them out. And be more careful next time.

What a long, crazy three years it's been. So many things I'd do differently now, but there's no changing the past - only learning from it. Now I push forward with the next step - getting the word out there via direct mail and making some money as well. Still no office or staff, but little to no overhead makes print a little more viable for the short term, imho.

Now, I do realize that ad sales are down and print is dying. I figure it has a few more years at least, though. (Read: 5 to 10 is my prediction... the time before e-paper becomes prominent.) So, the plan is to leverage print for revenue and to get word out about the website. The website is very (very!) prominent in the printed edition. The website is still the main product and always will be.

(Here's hoping Morris and others help with the newsML<-to->InDesign magic for Drupal...I have a long way to go before automating it, but web to print shouldn't be too hard.)

The next steps for me, though, are distributing the other 500 or so wisely (circulation hat) and selling ads (advertising hat.) Maybe that's why it's not so exciting yet. There's still a lot of work to be done. There's something about holding Anderson Free Press in my hands, though, that makes it seem somehow more real.

It's light (8 pages, FBC color, 35# bright...), but it will grow. The people are ready for it. I just have to juggle for a little while longer.

So here's the deal. (Yeah, it's a little crazy.) I'm offering 50 copies of this first special edition of Anderson Free Press Print - signed and numbered - for $20/copy. Heck, for that price, I'll even
point out the typos on the front page *hangs head*...

First 50 people to email with their address and a method for payment (PayPal preferred!) will receive copies in the order gmail sends them to me.

The idea might fail (like some of the others I've tried over the years), but I have hope. The people who come to the website are a great inspiration to me as I've struggled to stay afloat for three years, planting seeds on the series of tubes and in the real world. A couple of them even revealed their real names in the first print edition. That's kinda cool.

Do you have a few extra bucks? Want to hold a piece of history in the making in your hands? Just like my sense of humor and passion? Follow instructions above.

Happy Birthday, America. Happy Birthday, Free Press.

K. Paul Mallasch - Publisher
http://www.kpaulmedia.com

Hidden Text at Yahoo HotJobs.

kpaul.mallasch — Thu, 1 May 2008 12:14:21 -0700

Browsing the job sites today, I stumbled across hidden text on this Yahoo listing. At first I thought Yahoo was behind it, but giving it a minute and thinking about it, I bet it's the person who posted the ad who did it. Now, the question is - Since Yahoo's site has so much reputation, would there be no penalty for the hidden text? Or if there was a penalty, would the reputation of the site outweigh the hidden text? Poking around on Google, that page isn't indexed individually, but I don't know if that's because of volume of pages on that domain or if it has been penalized for using the hidden text. I also noticed the same listing on other job sites with the keywords in normal text. Anyway, just a little observation.

Frequency: Newspapers' Greatest Challenge Online?

kpaul.mallasch — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 22:57:16 -0700

One of the threads on Poynter's Online-News mailing list over the last week or so was Frequency: Our Toughest Challenge. Greg Harmon of Belden Associates had some good thoughts I want to share here (with permission.)

Greg Harmon wrote:

Frequency is a "big" issue!

What we have seen [here at Belden] is that in general (that is, mostly excluding Urchin, which in 3.o and iterations only reported "Visitors" not "Visits) sites report remarkably, not to say astonishingly, similar frequency stats.

When Steve (Yelvington) wonders, "If your average user visits your site twice a month, how can you possibly deliver effective ad campaigns?" he speaks from real knowledge -- that is the overall industry average that we see.

Without citing any specific tool, when we get figures for Unique Visitors and Unique Visits, we see a VERY standard ratio of 2:1. That is the gross number of Visits reported equals twice the gross number of counted Unique Visitors. So, typically, a site with 200,000 Visits/User Sessions will report 100,000 or so "Unique Visitors."

We recommend you check your numbers!

The range we see now is typically 1.8 or so on the low side and 3.2 or so on the high side. What has seemed strange to us is that this range of 2-3 visits per month is by far the overwhelming number in nearly all reports. That is, the range seems to be the same for Miami, Akron, Sacramento, Savannah, Elko, Nampa, and on and on. So, to appearances, site "quality" is not affecting the data on frequency. Basically everyone reports the same number.

More than this, when we look at data from 4 years ago, 3 years ago, 2 years ago, last year, and today, we see only a very, very slight increases in overall frequency--basically from something like a mean of 2.3 to now pushing somewhere around 2.7.

So, despite the fact that we have seen massive growth in pageviews, visits, and Unique visitors over this time frame, the net frequency rate has remained substantially the same. So, frequency does not appear to grow over time or with audience. Basically, everyone reports the same number.

So, no correlation to quality, no growth over time, and everyone reports basically the same number....What's the problem?

We think the "problem" is not that frequency is particularly low or not growing over time. We think the problem is that people clear cookies, cookies drive "Unique Visitor" counts, and that basically the "frequency" that can be deduced from comparing visits to visitors has nothing whatever to do with "frequency" but everything to do with the persistence of cookies over a period of about 7 days.

What has NOT changed in the last 5 years is the basic technology of
"cookies."

Web audiences, particularly newspaper Web audiences, come in three basic
flavors and proportions:

Fly-by traffic who are driven by episodic news events picked up by Drudge, Digg, etc or on "Big" Search from Google and Yahoo. This can vary quite significantly month to month creating anywhere from a low of 15-20% of all visitors, to over 60%. Mean Frequency: 1 time per month.

Loyalist Incidentals who are familiar with the site, come there infrequently for a specific purpose a few days per month to read a story, check verticals, weather, etc. Excluding the "Fly-by" proportions, this is typically 60% of what we call the "Loyalist" audience. This may be perhaps an average of 40% if we include "fly-bys" but our data are not yet conclusive on this. Mean Frequency: 2 times per month.

Last, and MOST important, "Core Loyalists" who are the real daily base. These people come by an average of about 4 days per week, two to three times on weekdays, so upwards of 40 times per month, that is REALLY frequently. This is the real audience we deliver to advertisers day in day out, month in and month out. Excluding the "Fly-by" proportions, this is typically in the range of 40% of audience. This may perhaps be an average of 20% if we include "fly-bys" but our data are not yet conclusive on this. Mean Frequency: 40 times per month.

"Means" are what statisticians call "measures of central tendency." They only apply to groups that actually have a "central tendency." Our Web site audiences are what these same geeks would call a "tri-modal" group. Fly-bys, 1; Loyalist Incidentals, 2; Core Loyalists, 40.

By all means work to build "frequency." Just remember, you can't really see it in cookie-based reporting tools.

Some more thoughts (gems):

1) Understand that the visits/visitors ratios for frequency are incorrect from server tools (Omniture, WebTrends,etc.). It's not that these tools are "bad," just that user behaviors are too complex for passive metrics/monitors. Frankly, we feel they are also wrong as to our overall audience in NN & ComScore, but that's another discussion.

2) Get the real numbers from direct surveys of your OWN online audience from
online surveys.

Bascially all audience is, in fact, valuable-fly-bys, incidentals, and core.

Practically speaking, we cannot be too complex in our pricing or ad strategies. Simple is best.

Local advertisers, the vast majority of our revenues, simply don't need to be confused by even more complex metrics or solutions.

We think the best way to conceive and present these data is something like this.

Fly-bys, Incidentals, and Core Loyalists Combined are a rough equivalent to "Total Readership" for a given month. This varies quite significantly month to month.

Core & Incidentals Combined are equivalent to "Circulation." This is a stable number.

Core Loyalists alone are equivalent to "Subscribers." This is extremely stable.

We don't price our print ads based on these factors but we DO use them to model our basic pricing AND to make the "value" argument.

This value argument includes "local area" people, of which most sites have 65% of people using them accessing from the local area.

For nearly all local advertisers, simply being able to know the site has XXX Total Audience, YYY "Combined Core," and ZZZ Core is more than enough to evaluate the value of your online audience.

Since the "Core Loyalist" group (40 times per month) drive the vast majority of pageviews, their value should drive the logic, structure, and pricing of the sites. We think this number should be somewhat to VERY high.

So, one price that is the "Display Ad Open Rate CPMi" should suffice & then, if available, sell unsold positions to nationals/remnant for whatever they will pay, which is not very much.

Lastly here--Sell value, not volume or frequency. That is, ALL local newspapers deliver an intensely valuable audience. Skews female, 25-54 years old, high income,etc. & local.

If you're not on the online-news list, you should be.

Harmon has kindly agreed to an interview on this subject.

Any questions *you* want to ask him?

Leave a comment below or email me kpaul.mallasch@gmail.com

We'll say by this Friday, 4/25/08...

Alex Halasz and Jay Flanagan own 1529 1/2 South A in Elwood - Would you Rent Here?

kpaul.mallasch — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 17:05:10 -0700

The following is a true story (without malice) of my experiences dealing with Jay Flannagan (Jay Flanagan) and Alex Halasz, who own a building at 1529 1/2 South A in Elwood, Indiana.

Here are some pictures of the state of my apartment. After you look at them, you can see why I wanted to know why my rent (and my rent alone) was raised from $100/week to $150/week. The video following the pictures is of one of the building owners saying at this time I'm the only one who has had my rent raised and that he knows the condition of my apartment.

Both Jay Flannagan (Flanagan) and the building managers - Jay and Vicki Kelich - know of the damage in my apartment. (I went a few months with a leaky roof.) These pictures don't show how the radiators don't work in my apartment most of the time, but I did plug in a space heater (which almost shorted out the whole apartment - see photo above.)

Like I said, I'm not doing this with malice, but to let people know the state of my apartment and the treatment I'm receiving from the building owners and the building manager.

This is video of me asking one of the owners why I was the only one who had their rent raised and whether he knew the shape of my apartment.

This is video of me talking to the building managers at 1529 1/2 South A.

About a week after the last incident in the video above, Tom Doan, building commissioner for Elwood walked by the Elwood newsroom. The Computer Dude and I went out to talk with him. The building next door had called him because someone at 1529 1/2 South A threw a whole bunch of building materials from apartment #8 into the parking lot of an adjacent building - and let them sit there a week or so.

I told Mr. Doan that I'd walk around front with him, but that I was afraid if I was seen with him I would be retaliated against. He said it would be ok, and we walked around to the front of the building where Mr. Jay Kelich was sweeping the front sidewalk. I went inside back to my apartment.

A day or so later (about a week after being told I was one of the ones who was going to pay), I had a knock on my apartment door. Mr. Jay Kelich handed me a note (with a lot of it scribbled out) saying that due to property taxes and utilities, rent was being raised from $100/week to $150/week effective immediately.

I asked Mr. Jay Kelich whether I was the only one to have my rent raised and he said I wasn't, and that the tenant in number 7 might have to move out because she wouldn't be able to afford it either. We talked a little and I asked him to let the other tenants know I wanted to talk with them about the rent being raised when there is so much damage to the building from the roof the owners took their time fixing. (One of the roofing contractors told me the roof needed to be redone completely, but they only paid to have it 'patched up.'

Mr. Jay Kelich left the note with me (copy to be online later) and left. I started thinking about it and realized that I might be the only one who was having their rent raised. Then I remembered Jay Kelich saying I was going to pay. Was this connected? I didn't know.

The next day I made a few calls and found out I was the only one who had gotten the notice. What I didn't understand, and still don't, is that they've put new doors on one or two of the apartments (and started sanding down the building manager's apartment for hardwood floors), but my roof was still bare, metal still sticking out of my sockets, the walls still falling down, etc.

A day or so after receiving the notice, I happened on Jay Flannagan (Flanagan) in the hallway. Being an intrepid reporter, I grabbed my video camera and went out to ask him some questions. As you can see by the video above, his answer somewhat changes when he realizes he's being filmed.

Like I said, I'm not doing this out of malice, but to let the citizens of East Central Indiana know how this building is currently being run.

What would you do?

Classic Journalism?

kpaul.mallasch — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 16:14:00 -0700

This was pretty simple, but no one in the area is doing it yet. The readers seem to like the idea and it makes sense to ask them what questions they want answered. Of course, there's still a need for a gatekeeper, an editor, a JOURNALIST, but I've always seen a need for that. Indeed, I've seen a need for more of that. 1) Ask the people what questions they want answered. 2) Go ask the Mayor the questions the people want answered and video tape it. 3)Rinse and Repeat. 4) ??? Profit. Heh. Here's the video: I see this idea growing this year. There is a business plan (not for this but the whole free press project) to take it to the next level, but with no capital there's only so much one person can do. Anyway... Thoughts/Reax?

Anderson Herald Bulletin - Hey, Google, What's Happening Here?

kpaul.mallasch — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 22:35:25 -0700

Ok, take a look at the screengrab with this post. The Herald Bulletin has the top spot (with whatever they're calling the extra links under it this month), plus a More results from theheraldbulletin.com », then *another* for www.theheraldbulletin.com, then *two more* for just www.heraldbulletin.com (which appears to be a mirror?).

On that last one, if you don't know search engines, lots of little guys are penalized for doing something like that to take as many of the top spots as they can w/out paying for Adwords. So, if they're a 'trusted site' and get the more from this domain links, why the heck are they spamming the index with two domains for the same content? Unless I'm missing something?

At least Gannett spreads it out over various domains they control - i.e. thestarpress.cars.com, etc etc etc. Anyone from Google listening? Anyone else have comment on this? I see it a lot ...

Ok, rant off.

More cool/good news tomorrow hopefully.

Citizen Journalism as a Title ... is dead...

kpaul.mallasch — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 14:49:38 -0700

Citizen Journalism as a term must die this year. I mean, just a little further and we'd be calling it 'Human Journalism...' Anyone agree you're L7 if you use it?

Elwood Police Scanner Online - Beta Test

kpaul.mallasch — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 18:40:13 -0700

I've had this idea since I first saw it online for L.A. and New York, etc., but always thought it would take tons of resources to pull it off. I talked with Al Jordan (The Computer Dude - who runs ElwoodIndiana.org) about the idea and he ran with it. He was able to find free software to stream (once) to a remote server where it's then divvied up between all the users connecting. Seems to be working ok, but we've only been live a few hours. I posted a note to Poynter's Online-News list to try to spur some good discussion (on HOPE for JOURNALISM), but I wanted to say something here too and encourage you to check it out - Elwood Police Scanner. There's also a discussion (with EMT, Fire and Police participation) going on at Anderson Free Press. I guess this isn't anything 'new' or 'bleeding edge' - but the fact it's being done by a grassroots operation (two of them working together actually...) with little to no resources is something, I think. Not to get too negative, but why isn't some of the hefty profits being made by newspapers poured into community service things like this? I think some of the members at AFP were surprised a cash-strapped org like kpaul media and The Computer Dude could pull this off, but we have. Again, though, kudos to Al Jordan for doing all the dirty work and looking into the idea to come up with a low-cost solution.

Drupal Ninja for Hire

kpaul.mallasch — Fri, 7 Mar 2008 11:00:42 -0800

I'm looking to take on one or two small/medium projects. Rates are only $40/hour and include a holistic view of your project - technical, design, marketing, etc. If you know someone needing work done, please pass along my contact info. Questions? (765) 557-0576 or kpaul.mallasch@gmail.com I

Journalism Tips and Guides

kpaul.mallasch — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 23:37:25 -0800

This is a little list of resources for journalism tips. Enjoy.

Independent Journalism Tips

10 Journalism Tips For Bloggers, Podcasters & Other E-Writers - By Spencer Critchley at O'Reilley Digital Media - 2005
Citizen Journalism Tips - List of resources (stories) geared toward 'citizen journalists' at CyberJournalist.net

Basic Journalism Tips

Actual News Guy's Journalism Tips - Short nuggets spread over a lot of pages.
17 Tips: What A Peace Journalist Would Try To Do - notes from Peace Journalism — How To Do It, by Jake Lynch and Annabel McGoldrick

Peace Journalism (Conflict & Peacebuilding)

Journalism Design Tips

Flash Journalism Tips - Short cheatsheet like list of helpful tips for those new to Adobe Flash.
Tips for shooting better online video - Via OJR - about a year old, but full of good information.

Tips for the Future of Journalism

10 Things Journalists Can do to Reinvent Journalism - Howard Owens - Recent and close read worthy piece. (HORSS)
6 tips for comments on stories and j-blogs - Mindy McAdams has a good rundown of good things to do when allowing comments in your virtual community. This becomes more and more important as we venture forth into the world of journalism as conversation.

Have a source you think should be included? Leave a comment or email me - kpaul.mallasch@gmail.com

Thanks.