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News, information and much more for independent online news publishers. 
How slow is your news site? Opportunity in faster load times

The average load time of a U.S. web site is 5 seconds. The average load time of a U.S. newspaper web site is 17 seconds.

Barrett Golding took a look at the issue of slow load times for Reynolds Journalism Institute and found that legacy newspapers' sites are the worst.

There are many links within explaining how key load times are to building a larger and more engaged audience and converting that audience to sustainable revenue that supports journalism.


A local online news site joins Facebook Instant Articles

Facebook dramatically stepped up delivery of its "Instant Articles" program last week, opening them up to all iPhone users.

It also announced the addition of new publishers who've agreed to publish directly on Facebook under a previously revenue share agreement, and one of them is a local independent online news site, Billy Penn of Philadelphia, led by LION member Jim Brady.

Early results, according to Facebook anyway, show that Instant Articles are being shared at a much higher rate than old-fashioned links on the platform.

Why Instant Articles' focus on fast load time is so important.

Related:

How Facebook turned unloved ‘Paper’ into ‘Instant Articles.’

Publishers straddle the Apple-Google, app-web divide.

Twitter and Facebook are turning publishers into ghost writers.


Facebook search changes social media newsgathering picture

Facebook just made more than two trillion posts searchable - billing it in part as a way to track discussion of news events in real time. The change could be a boon for reporters, but also create more tension around privacy settings.

Related:

The dos and don’ts of ethical social newsgathering.

News organizations should use social media to identify diverse voices.


News About Local Independent News Sites

LION MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: This week's LION member Q&A is with Liz George, an local independent online news pioneer who is still going strong at Baristanet in New Jersey. What makes her site unique? "The engagement we have with readers, the 24/7 updates and or reporting we do, and the types of articles we cover," she said. "We also kick ass when it comes to staying on top of new restaurants and businesses, something that's very popular with our readers."

NONPROFIT HELP: Poynter is hosting a conference Jan. 20-22 for nonprofit newsrooms who are either 1) within their first couple years of existence or 2) needing help to move into a growth stage. The conference is free for all and, in most cases, Poynter be able to provide a stipend to help cover travel and hotel costs.

CHICAGO: How a niche Chicago local news site cracked open a major schools scandal.

CHARLOTTE: How a local startup in Charlotte, North Carolina, thinks it can make online advertising work.

GERMANY: Partnerships, events, and ebooks are some of the ways German nonprofit CORRECT!V is making a name for itself.

LION SUMMIT: ICYMI: A roundup of our Chicago summit of local independent online news publishers.


Tools and Tips: Advertising and Revenue

AD BLOCKING: How aggressive is Apple in promoting an ad blocking culture? It is now warning people about clicking ads. As ad blocking issue ripens, conciliatory publishers accept some blame. To combat ad blockers, media companies should shift their business model. Google seeks common cause with media firms over ad blocking. And Google AMP battles ad-blocking, Apple and Facebook by cutting load times. Meanwhile, the first major UK newspaper is banning ad blocker users. Finally, why it’s OK to block ads.

SPONSORED CONTENT: Do BuzzFeed’s native political ads cross a line?

PAYWALLS: Why the Toronto Star abandoned its paywall ... and what’s next. What three publishers have learned from their approach to paywalls.

MICROPAYMENTS: The secret weapon of the company introducing a pay-by-article concept in Europe.

ANALYTICS: Three ways to get more out of your web analytics.

EVENTS: How LinkedIn uses events to sell more ads.

NEWSLETTERS: Publishers' new old-fashioned newsletter growth hack: contests.

SUCCESS STORIES: What’s actually working in digital advertising? Eight publishers on how they’re bringing in money.

NEWSPAPER DECLINE: Newspapers already hit hard by print losses are facing up to an ad crunch in digital.

CROWDFUNDING: Why do crowds contribute to journalism campaigns? Lessons from new Tow Center research.

FOUNDATIONS: How to get foundation funding for journalism projects: An online workshop in November.

DIGITAL RECORD: IAB: Digital advertising hits record high of $27.5 billion.


Tools and Tips: Journalism and Technology

LISTS: How news organizations are using The List App to reclaim the listicle.

ENGAGEMENT: Five tips for nonprofits who want to embrace audience engagement. Four ideas journalism can borrow from libraries. Declaration of dependence: Building the bridge between newsroom and community. http://mediashift.org/idealab/2015/10/declaration-of-dependence-building-the-bridge-between-newsroom-and-community/

HACKING: Survey shows 52 percent of media companies across the world have suffered from hacking.

PUSH NOTIFICATIONS: The push notification paradox: When people actually want more alerts.

FREELANCE: WordRates: A Yelp-like site for freelance writers. Freelance journalists, meet freelance platforms: Together you might rock.

TRAUMA: Why newsrooms should focus more on addressing vicarious trauma from user-generated content. What’s restorative narrative? A Q&A with a journalism professor who’s studying it.

TEXTING: You’re probably underestimating how much your articles are being shared via text message.

FACT CHECKING: Useful links for fact-checkers.

ARTICLE PARTS: Articles: Why? And other questions people are suddenly asking themselves. The future of news is not an article.

TWITTER: Twitter announces new tools, partnerships for finding and publishing embedded tweets. And polls are coming to Twitter.

VIRTUAL REALITY: The New York Times to launch virtual reality app. and is sending out a million Google Cardboards to go with its upcoming VR films. But you don't need to be the New York Times to do virtual reality.

STORY COMMENTS: Goodbye, comments: The rise of curated conversations.

SCIENCE: If journalism were run like science, would it be more believable?

DATA: On the ethics of data-driven journalism: of fact, friction and public records in a more transparent age.

VIDEO: No longer a matter of newsroom size - How Wochit's text-to-video technology democratizes digital video news. Getting young audiences to watch longer videos online: The Vice News way.

WEB DESIGN: The home page isn’t dead – and its design matters.

AUTOMATION: This news-writing bot is now free for everyone.

MOBILE: What it means to be a mobile editor, as told by mobile editors themselves.

INSTAGRAM: How Instagram is giving publishers an 'authentic insight' into their communities.

BUSINESS COVERAGE: Five tips for covering private companies and nonprofits.


Industry News

LOCAL OWNERSHIP: Los Angeles Times publisher fired for bucking Tribune Co. bosses urges local ownership for newspapers.

KNIGHT FUNDING: A new project from Knight and Temple helps metro newsrooms get digital faster (and on a deadline).

GANNETT CUTS: "Proven ability to consistently wring substantial cost savings out of expansion" key to Gannett-Journal Media deal.

ATLANTA CUTS: Atlanta Journal-Constitution cuts 16 newsroom positions, including breaking news, to put more focus on digital.

TABLETS: Too much slicing and dicing: Canada’s Postmedia ditches its evening tablet editions. Designer Mario Garcia on what went wrong.

YOUTUBE: An inside look at YouTube’s new ad-free subscription service.

TWITTER: Twitter apologizes to developers and suggests Politwoops might come back.

UK NEWSPAPERS CLOSE: Johnston Press closures mean more than 300 UK local newspapers have gone in last ten years.

PINTEREST: Pinterest adds location data to pins for retailers. Inside Pinterest's plans to win advertisers and (maybe) beat Twitter.

NIELSEN: A first look at Nielsen's total audience measurement and how it will change the industry.

CORD CUTTING: Pay TV losing 300,000 customers is seen as "good news" in cord-cutting era.

INTERCEPT: The Intercept mulls working with other newsrooms to maximize its impact.

DRONES: U.S. government will require drones to be registered.

GOOGLE VS. FACEBOOK: How Google is fighting Facebook with data tied behind its back.


Is Your LION Publishers Membership Up for Renewal?
 
For many of our LION Publishers members, it's time to renew! Your membership includes participation in the LION Publishers Den on Facebook, networking and support from fellow LION publishers, our new newsletter, discounted rates on media liability and directors and officers insurance and more. 

Plus, being a member gives you access to a members-only rate to the LION Summit – a savings of up to $175 compared to the non-member rate. If your membership is due for renewal, please go to www.lionpublishers.com/members/dues to submit your payment. Those who opt for multi-year membership save, and easy, secure payment options are available via credit card or through Paypal. (Not sure when your membership expires? You can look it up easily on LIONPublishers.com.)

Thanks to our current members who have already renewed!
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