If you want to be successful, either as a journalist or a digital manager, you'd better understand how web analytics work. Avinash Kaushik, Google evangelist and author of two best-selling books on the subject, says that in order to get conversant in the field, you should try experimenting with free … [Read more...] about Free or Cheap Tools for Learning Web Analytics
Why Are Your Web Pages So Fat and Slow?
A 2000-word article is around 12kb of text, yet average web page sizes are now over 3MB. As an example, TJ VanToll, a jQuery team member and the author of jQuery UI in Action takes quick peek at CNN.com's homepage. The page weighs over 2MB and uses 200+ HTTP requests from 25 domains. And, as you … [Read more...] about Why Are Your Web Pages So Fat and Slow?
Jon Morrow’s 52 Headline Hacks
Jon Morrow's "52 Headline Hacks" is an interesting application of junk mail copywriting to the web. It's free and worth reading the descriptions of how each headline is used. However, the URL changes a little to often for me to track, so search for it -- and, the next time you're on Buzzfeed or … [Read more...] about Jon Morrow’s 52 Headline Hacks
How to Write One Great Post Every Week
I’m working on a digital strategy project and was asked (told) by the client: "We need more content on the blog. How do we get the team to write more?" My first suggestion -- draconian punishments and extravagant rewards -- was rejected, but I remembered a wonderful piece by Pamela Wilson of … [Read more...] about How to Write One Great Post Every Week
The 7 Types of Data Stories
How do you parse large chunks of data looking for sharable insights? Martha Kang, editorial manager of Tableau Software (a maker of visualization software), writing in Mediashift, says that you should try to display information so the user can explore the data in at least one of these seven … [Read more...] about The 7 Types of Data Stories
TweetDeck For Beginners: Setting Up Twitter Lists
Start at Twitter.com Before you take any steps, you'll need a twitter account. You can't sign up through TweetDeck, so you'll need to go to Twitter.com and create an account. Once you've created an account, fill out your profile and update your privacy settings. Next, create a simple list to use … [Read more...] about TweetDeck For Beginners: Setting Up Twitter Lists
Key Principles Behind the Guardian’s New Site
The Guardian just performed a major redesign based on new data from their home-grown analytics program. Abigail Edge (great name) from Journalism.co.uk interviewed Wolfgang Blau (great name too), director of digital strategy for the Guardian. Here are the bullet-points: Every Article … [Read more...] about Key Principles Behind the Guardian’s New Site
HTML 5: What It Is And Why It Matters
A while ago I published "Adaptive vs. Responsive Design: What They Are, Why They Matter," and immediately received some follow-up questions about HTML5. Here's a very quick explanation: For the last fifteen years (since 1997, actually), we've been stuffing all sorts of new content onto the web … [Read more...] about HTML 5: What It Is And Why It Matters