At the Tribune, we talked about the use of social networks as “where journalism meets marketing.” At Medill, there is a huge emphasis on audience understanding. It all leads to the same place – one where journalism reaches the people who most will benefit from it, who most want it, who will be most likely to consume more of it.
“My generation, the notion of marketing your own copy, that was like dirty. You know, don’t make me get near that. That’s somebody else’s job. But in fact, now, marketing — we don’t call it that, but that’s a big part of what online journalists do. Figuring out which blogs they need to be in touch with in order to keep their audience together, using Twitter to drive traffic to your stuff, figuring out the right mix.” — Alan Murray, The Wall Street Journal
My own list is at the end of this speech from April 2006. Your mileage may vary, but I like mine pretty well.
