Category Archives: Content Development

02.10.14
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Content Development: Storehouse

Use:  develop stories for readers or advertisers by aggregating content from various sites and service

Storehouse is a storytelling iPad app that allows you to upload and combine content from Flickr, Instagram, your Dropbox or your iOS camera roll.  Content can include text, photos and videos.

The app provides an easy-to-use and intuitive editing tool to manipulate content elements into a cohesive story.

Other similar story creation tools covered in this blog include Videolicious, Creatavist, Soo Meta,

In addition to news or human interest stories, you can use Storehouse to develop content for advertisers, such as an aggregation of on-sale apparel at Macy’s or tours of new homes for realtors.

More:

VentureBeat: Meet Storehouse, the visual narrative app that wants to tell your story

journalism.co.uk: Journalists can use Storehouse to build media-rich stories

Sfgate: Storehouse creates game-changing visual storytelling app

 

 

 

 

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11.13.13
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Social Media: Twitter Custom Timelines

Use:  Curate Tweets into a custom story for users

Twitter’s Custom Timelines allows publishers to create custom feeds by curating various Tweets into one stream.   The custom timeline can be created manually or automatically through Twitter’s API and embedded into your Web site or be a standalone page with a unique URL.  The feature will be available initially on TweetDeck, Twitter’s social media management app.

Publishers can use custom timelines to create a chronological re-telling of recent news story, aggregate comments about local personalities or events, promote a range of Web site or offline content, compare conflicting statements from politicians, etc.  They can also use the product to assemble endorsements from various people for a particular advertiser or integrate sponsored posts into one stream.

More:

The Next Web: Twitter announces ‘Custom Timelines’, lets users curate collections of tweets on any subject

Mashable: How to Create and Embed Your Own Custom Timeline on Twitter

TechCrunch: Twitter Announces Custom Timelines For Hashtags Or Topics On Tweetdeck, Launching API Too

11.12.13
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Content Development: Google Tour Builder

Use:  Create compelling story timelines integrating Google Earth locations

Google Tour Builder is an experimental product from Google that allows publishers to create timelines of stories and integrate Google Earth map locations.   For example, ABC correspondent Bob Woodruff illustrates his journey to the Middle East, where he was injured in Iraq, to various medical facilities, back home and then to a benefit concert in 2012.

The service, which requires a Google Map plug-in, walks you through the creation of your tour which can be shared with specificaudiences or posted in Google’s gallery.  Stories can include a mix of text and images.

This could be a great tool for illustrating stories with a timeline and a range of locations, for example the Boston Red Sox story from pre-season to the World Series. Or providing a gallery of local readers to capture interesting travel stories.

More:

ReadWrite: Drop A Pin, Tell A Story With Google’s New ‘Tour Builder’ Tool

Engadget: Google Earth Tour Builder lets you tell stories through maps

TheNextWeb: Tour Builder: Google wants you to tell your stories using Google Earth

 

 

10.17.13
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Content Development: Google Media Tools

Use: Leverage Google tools to create new content and products

Google Media Tools aggregates all of Google’s various tools for media companies in one location.  The site is organized by categories (Gather and Organize, Publish, Engage, Develop and Visualize) and includes 27 “tools” such as Advance Search, Google Consumer Surveys, Google Analytics, Google Maps Engine and Google Charts.   YouTube, Google+, Google News and other Google properties are also considered tools for journalists.

 

10.02.13
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Video: JumpCam

Use:  Easily combine video snippets from multiple locations into one seamless video

In an earlier blog post, I featured an app called Crowdflik that allows you to aggregate video clips from various shooters at the same event. JumpCam is a similar concept but allows videographers at different locations (and different times) to collaborate on a single video and edit it in real-time.  Using the free app, a user can shoot up to a 10-second video and then invite others to add their clips to the same video (for up to 30 clips).  Users can arrange the clips in any order, add music, etc.

Publishers can use JumpCam to create a single video from reporters covering different aspects of the same story.  For example, reporters can be spread out over a town capturing perspectives on a new city ordinance and integrate them into one video.  Or students covering simultaneous football games at different locations could provide quick game summaries that can be combined into one movie.

More:

TechCrunch: JumpCam, Backed With $2.7M, Debuts Its Snappy Mobile App For Making Collaborative Videos

Time:  JumpCam Is a Video Sharing Network That’s Collaborative as Well as Social

The Verge: JumpCam for iPhone wants you to crowdsource your video with friends

 

09.27.13
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Video: Spreecast

Use:  Provide users with access to real-time virtual conversations with reporters, thought leaders, newsmakers, etc.

Spreecast is a “social video” platform that allows users to view real-time, streaming conversations between up to four people.  Publishers can organize conversations, interviews, etc. with newsmakers through Webcams and broadcast that to viewers through Spreecast’s platform.  Video conversations can be shared on social media platforms and are archived for later viewing.

From TechCrunch:  Up to 4 people at a time can be face-to-face, streaming their conversation live while hundreds of others can watch, chat, and participate by submitting comments and questions to those on-screen. Viewers can also request to join on camera, while producers of the Spreecast can manage the action. Spreecast is also integrated with Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ so that producers and creators can broadcast their conversations to their friends, followers, circles, contacts and connections. Once live-streamed, Spreecasts are recorded and then made immediately available for playback and sharing. The platform is browser-based and built on Flash. By default, Spreecasts are public and designed to be social but users can also create private Spreecasts as well.

More:

PCMag.com: Q&A: StubHub Founder Mixes Social Media, Video, Celebs on Spreecast

TechCrunch: Social Video Startup Spreecast Launches An iPhone App And Mobile Web Streaming For iOS And Android

08.07.13
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Roundup: Tips and Tools for Writers and Journalists, Part 2

Following is an aggregation of stories with tips and tools for journalists and writers.  Part 1 is located here.

Journalism.co.uk: 6 lessons from BuzzFeed as it launches in the UK

Streetfight: 7 Strategies for Generating Localized News Stories

Social Media Examiner: 3 Tools to Help You Discover and Share Great Content

Storyful: Facebook for news: maximising the effectiveness of Facebook newsgathering

Journalism.co.uk: 16 online tools for newsgathering

Journalism.co.uk: 20 search tips and tools for journalists

Mashable: 13 Best Free Audio Editors

Journalism.co.uk: Journalist launches iPad app for logging video interviews

PaidContent: Check out Slate’s cool tool for better Twitter headlines

Journalism.co.uk: Twenty Tumblr tips for news outlets

API: 10 tips for understanding your audiences and targeting new ones

07.30.13
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Content Development: Zeega

Use:  Create multimedia mash-ups to tell stories for users or advertisers in new, engaging ways

Zeega allows users to tell stories with a variety of multimedia elements, some curated by Zeega and some supplied by the users themselves.  Users drag various media onto slides, insert text, choose music to play behind the images and share the final product (essentially a slide show) through Facebook, Twitter or Tumblr.  Zeega curates media from SoundCloub, Tumblr, Flickr and Giphy (and provides appropriate attribution).

You can view samples Zeegas here.

Publishers can use Zeega tools to tell interesting stories in new, compelling ways.  They can also use the tool to create new, engaging advertising units (in the form of slideshows).

More:

Mashable: Zeega Offers a New Way to Tell Stories With Interactive Media

GigaOM: Amping up the GIF: Zeega wants to re-invent interactive media on mobile

i-Docs: The Zeega revolution: remake the Internet!

 

 

07.30.13
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Video: ifussss

Use:  Get access to user-provided breaking-news video

ifussss, which stands for “if you see something, share something,” is a platform for accessing user-generated breaking new video.  The app, which will be available for iOS and Android on September 9, allows users to record and share 30-second clips (metadata will be added automatically).  The platform will filter and clear the rights to each video.

Publishers can monitor and search content on ifussss and download clips for a “small fee”, part of which will go to the original videographer.

Other crowdsourced video platforms include Newsflare and Demotix.

More:

Mediabistro: ifussss: New Video Sharing App and Newsroom for Journos

Journalism.co.uk: New user-generated video app to launch