Driving Traffic to Web

Saw this and thought it was interesting. 60 Minutes had an online test as a component to a story it did about face recognition. Not sure how you'd repeat it, but clearly viewers are willing to go online if you provide something that's interesting enough to be worth their time. Perhaps a bad example-- but I know in my 20s, a lot of my friends (and me too) would do those quizzes from women's magazines-- those "How to know if you and your boyfriend are a good match" things.

Maybe a better way to think about it is when covering a story, or when your crews cover a story, what element or elements doesn't work well for TV but might online? A court document that's pertinent? Photos you couldn't work in? Or what little interesting sidebar doesn't fit in your piece but could online? So maybe for a fire, it's fire safety tips from the local Fire Department or a consumer guide on buying renter's insurance.

Accuracy Checklist

Ran across this and thought this was worth reading. It's a checklist for proofing stories. Obviously this is meant for a print crowd-- but it can work for TV. Modify it to fit your needs. I particularly like "read aloud" and "check phone numbers." As for grammar and spelling, double check that it's right for fonts & full screens.

Handy checklist here

By the way, the Reynolds Center for Business Journalism has a lot of good (free) advice and workshops. Although it's directed toward business writers, a lot of it can be translated to our business.