I wrote a posting last weekend on why I thought the Internet hasn’t yet killed traditional print publications [READ]. In a nutshell, I think that the Internet has changed the game for newspapers in and some ways, made their job easier but I don’t believe that blogs (and 100% online journals) can ever replace the credibility and resources at the disposal of a major newspaper. I think it’s all related to advertising revenue as well and advertising revenue is ruled by demographics. As long as boomers continue to prefer a newspaper over reading online, there will be newspapers. Blogs and electronic journals aren’t going away but neither are newspapers so that means we’ll all have to play nicely together for the foreseeable future. Here’s how I think we can make it work:

Bloggers be accessible to reporters

Bloggers are an interesting source of material for reporters – many of whom are in their early 20s. These young reporters are web savvy and they know the difference between good materials and fluff online – something that their older counterparts have trouble with. Many bloggers blog about their work or their volunteer work and leave morsels of story ideas lying all over the web for reporters to pick up. Here’s where bloggers can make reporter’s lives easier – answer the phone when they call to clarify something you’ve written or to ask for more information. No, you’re not going to get paid for it but you’ll increase the chances that your name gets in print and get on the inside track with someone who can get you a lot of publicity.

I was cold-called by a reporter last year who read something I posted on this blog and it led to my smiling mug landing on the top fold of the Working section of a number of major newspapers across Canada. I’ve also been on the other end of this scenario where I’ve been looking for more information and found a lead on a blog and have been frustrated on a number of occasions when that person never makes the time to talk to me. It’s happened twice in the past year to me. The more bloggers and reporters work together, the more we all walk away happy.

Cite your sources

This is a two-way street and while newspapers are quick to point the finger at bloggers for stealing their content, I believe that newspapers and television reporters are equally guilty of stealing content from the web. A good rule of thumb should be that if you quote more than a sentence from someone, cite the source. Bloggers, just put a [READ] link after the quote if there’s an online copy available. Mention the reporter’s name as well – they Google their own names as much as anyone, I’m sure. Reporters – dig a little deeper and make sure you spell peoples’ names/business names right when you cite them in a print article. Although I was flattered that I was featured in a newspaper article, they never spelled my business name right despite it being all over the website that they found me at. It’s also in my e-mail address which we used for corresponding about the article. It’s just sloppy when you don’t get someone’s name right.

Build up a mutually beneficial relationship

Bloggers, if you have a reporter whose work you like – set up a Google Alert to keep you posted on their writing. [LINK] That way, next time they write something interesting, you can catch it and blog about it. Reporters, bloggers love being quoted – if you find a blogger that’s intelligent and gives you story ideas, keep in touch with them. Even if you don’t end up quoting them, let them help you write better stories. If I had a good relationship with a reporter who was writing consistently about an area where I have some expertise, I’d feed them links and story ideas all the time.

Comment on each others’ work

Most newspaper articles end up online within 24 hours of going to print and an increasing number of these online versions of print publications allow comments from the general public on these articles. Most bloggers also actively encourage comments on their work. As a writer (for print or web) the best barometer of your work is if it stirs up conversation. Do each other a favour – keep the conversation going. Comments voraciously on articles that interest you. Bloggers and newspaper writers want the same thing – dialogue. Keep dialogue happening by being a part of the conversation. Comments on print articles help them draw the attention of content aggregators like Digg and subsequently drive more web traffic to the newspaper’s site. Comments on blog articles help them rise to the top of Google pageranks so that when someone searches on a topic, your blog posting comes out in the top search results.

Conclusion

This “pissing match” between the newspaper industry and Google [READ] doesn’t help anyone’s cause. It’s obviously borne out of frustration and I can understand that but as bloggers and reporters, let’s not let this argument stop us from floating all boats and making things better for everyone involved.