If newspapers really want to “Get Digital”
Update: Google updated Google Goggles today to include a feature which makes the big first step in this direction:
Let’s say you’re reading a magazine article you really like and want to share it with your friends. Just point Goggles at a part of the page, and instantly find a link to an online version to share immediately or read again later. You won’t even need the entire article in the frame. Goggles will also pull up more information from pages around the web where that text is mentioned, so its easier to learn about what you’re seeing. more
Original Post:
So... It seems to me that if Newspapers truly wanted to get “hip”, they would not just use social networks to let their readers spam their friends, but actually integrate with social networks to let their readers connect with their friends and co-comment on articles and create and foster real discussion about the issues presented.
Picture this: For every article in the newspaper, you can scan it with your phone and pull up the online version.. Check in with facebook or twitter or your newspaper website account, and see which friends have read, liked, commented or shared, and then be able to join the conversation either on site or link through to the 3rd party site.
Or how about scanning the front of the newspaper to see which of the articles your friends have read/liked/shared/commented, and then being able to jump to the article on your phone, or see which page it’s on?
This sounds like an epic iPhone/Android/MobileWeb application dev project for any local or major newspaper that wants to not only stay relevant, but be the leader in connecting the physical paper experience with the digital world.
I'd love to work with a local paper on this. 
Some, What? Important Videos [Explicit Language]
Hey so these are a bunch of videos on youtube that I found inspirational. Like, Awesome... Informative... makes me want to dance type stuff, all rolled into one. I'm still figuring out what order I want to put them in or how to best present them. But I guess if you're interested in me, I guess it would be fun/interesting to watch. Hah! Anyway.. Enjoy!
Citizen Journalism, Redefined
What comes to mind when you think of "citizen journalism"? Probably mediocre reporting, mildly entertaining but maybe a bit sensational or biased, and subject matter that isn't necessarily important. These characterizations are likely well-founded too. But pick up a newspaper and consider those articles with the same kind of scrutiny... I'm sure you'll still find sensationalism, bias, and subject matter that isn't necessarily important. And that's okay. We just have to overcome our fear of citizen journalism... because it's coming, and here's why...
Everyone is a journalist. No? Fine. Not yet. But we need to be. Here's the thing though, hopefully the key distinction for you... When I ask you to be a citizen journalist, I'm not asking you to make a time commitment. I'm not asking you to interview people. I'm not asking you to go look for leads on stories, to go take photos, or be an expert on anything. Now certainly, those things would be cool, but totally not something I can expect of you. What I'm asking is this: to be an alert citizen. To notice things that aren't right. And when there's something that needs attention to just speak up. But instead of mentioning it to your friends or coworkings in passing, you need to be able to tell the world. You need to be able to write an article for your newspaper. And it needs to be easy.
It's not about creating more content. It's about giving you a megaphone when you need one.
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I'm Rex. I write about personal technology and I fix computers.
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