NewsFoo: So much inspiration, so little sleep

I spent the weekend in Phoenix, attending the second of what I hope remains a recurring annual event with a funny name — NewsFoo.

Put on by O’Reilly Media with the help of the Knight Foundation and Google, this ~150-person unconference (read: most powerful event format when done right) gathered minds from journalism and technology for two days of serious and seriously laid back thinking about anything and everything new in news.

With nonstop conversations with some incredible people (I am not worthy!) and nightly rounds of the blockbuster geek conference game “Werewolf,” it also left a lot of us exhausted.

Before I take a nap (seriously — or maybe I just turn in?), here are a couple of thoughts that have emerged so far from the mix of insights I heard at NewsFoo and the contents of my own messy mind:

• When you have data, you have to think beyond the story. Better than a story is an interactive feature that lets readers explore the data. Better than an interactive feature is a tool that lets them compute, calculate and better understand the world to come based on that data. How can news be more useful?
• When seeking revenue — and I am so sure of this — you also have to think beyond the story. What products or services would your community value? The Texas Tribune host popular newsmaker breakfasts. The Chronicle of Philanthropy offers webinars. The Seattle Times sells a college football fan app. BostonGlobe.com offers a simpler reading experience. The Chicago Tribune puts on a regular ticketed variety show. (I led a session on this, and thanks to the amazing folks in attendance, my three examples turned to ~15. Thanks to Elise Hu, Dean Putney, Andrew Phelps, Brian Boyer, Jon Bruner, Baratunde Thurston, Dean Jonathan Dube and everyone who stopped by for a great discussion).
• Journalists can combat fear-mongering and other ailments by leveraging their knowledge, taking a risk and taking up a voice. We’ve sat safely in neutrality in the past, saying something only when someone else has said it. But what if we see it, and it’s too important not to say? (Thanks to Jay Rosen and danah boyd for helping flesh that out)
• The more you know your community and the more narrowly they are defined, the more deeply you as a journalist or news organization will be able to serve them (and the less a cold metric like raw page views will need to matter).
• Let’s not kid ourselves: a terrible news consumption experience can ruin otherwise wonderful content. If it’s clunky, choked with ads, a bad fit for the device it’s read on, or otherwise distracting or incongruous, it’s less effective.
• You can’t deny coming changes; you anticipate them. One trend I’d not heard of but am now convinced will grow: drone journalism. (Thanks to Matt Waite for the introduction.)

P.S. — I gave an Ignite talk at the conference Saturday night about why I’ve decided to unplug one day a week (’cause yes, I’m actually doing it!). Stay tuned for the video.