Personalized weather on the Web
December 24, 2002
What can be done with weather content online far surpasses what even the most ambitious meteorologist-editor-designer team can devise for the printed page, Steve Outing says. Newspaper sites like the Star Tribune’s in Minneapolis offer “My-Cast,” a personalized weather service developed by a local meteorologist and his company, Digital Cyclone.
“What makes My-Cast special is its ability to pare weather data down to the neighborhood level. One My-Cast feature lets the website user type in a home address, then receive a personalized weather forecast, neighborhood-specific heavy-weather alerts, and maps with the user-defined address at the center. (Users can even set up multiple addresses.) The service uses weather data that is specific down to an area of about 4 miles square — smaller than the typical ZIP (postal) code.
What’s great about such a system, of course, is the personalization. It takes into account the existence of “micro-climates” within a geographic area — taking advantage of available weather data that supports such micro analysis. While a metro newspaper’s weather page is restricted by space to covering broad areas with a single forecast, Web weather can tailor content to the individual neighborhood.”
Top Ten Web-Design Mistakes
December 24, 2002
Design guru Jakob Nielsen lists 10 “design mistakes that were particularly good at punishing users and costing site owners business in 2002.” Among his top no-nos: Horizontal scrolling; fixed font size; JavaScript in links; long URLs; mailto links in unexpected locations; and large blocks of text.
A Lott of Great Work Online
December 22, 2002
The sequence of events that led to Trent Lott stepping down as Senate GOP leader began with his comments about Strom Thurmond. Soon the media jumped all over the backlash. But the first reports of his comments came not in traditional media, but online: on two Weblogs, Josh Marshall’s TalkingPointsMemo.com and ABCNews.com’s The Note.
Top December news sites
December 20, 2002
Holiday Fast Facts feature ideas
December 19, 2002
Top 10 Online Journalism Stories of 2002
December 18, 2002
What were the biggest events in the online news world this year? Here’s a look at CyberJournalist.net’s Top 10 Online Journalism Stories of 2002. Continue reading…
Smallpox Resources
December 14, 2002
Now that President Bush has decided on a plan for inoculating the military and the public against smallpox, you may find yourself reporting on the disease, the vaccine and its implications. Here is a comprehensive site from the CDC covering everything from smallpox basics to side effects of vaccination.
Finding Property Tax Records
December 14, 2002
Here’s how to find property tax records online that can be invaluable for backgrounding individuals and also lead to local story ideas.
ajc.com: Georgia’s disappearing chorus
December 12, 2002
Dozens of Georgia’s most colorful, sweet-sounding songbirds are in serious trouble, and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution doesn’t just tell you about it in its series — it let’s you hear the birds cry for help. In this Flash interactive, you can hear the songs of dozens of birds.
Gear for the Multimedia Newsroom
December 10, 2002
Every year, the Advanced Journalist Technology Project, an initiative of the Ifra Centre for Advanced News Operations, develops a list of the most useful technologies for networked, converged newsrooms: the best laptops, digital cameras, digital camcorders and mobile networking devices. Here’s a look at the latest list.