1. Publishing in a Many-to-Many Online Word The Gilbane Conference San Francisco April 11, 2007 Moderator is the new role model

2. Today’s Agenda About the Union-Tribune’s SignOnSanDiego.com Many-to-many techniques for publishers Problems and challenges A new role for publishers

3. San Diego’s Leading Local News Site Updated 24x7 Focused on breaking local news Partnership with print newsroom Staff of 70 for sales, content, operations Email, wireless & multimedia content Typical mix of local, national news

4. Growing Commitment to Multimedia Online and print staff shoot video Averaging one local video clip daily Frequent use of audio slide shows New all-local Internet radio station Goal: beat local TV Yvette De La Garza on location

5. Trend in Page Views Since 2002

6. Web Sites with Largest Local Audiences Source: The Media Audit SignOn ranks 13 th, but San Diego is only the 27 th DMA Online reach is 32%, versus 49% for print Site adds 11 points to combined reach Challenge ahead: build daily, repeat traffic Local Web Site Audiences

7. Solid Economic Model, But Still Tied To Print Fast food promoted by email Large, growing audience Profitable since 2002 15% growth in 2006 50%+ margin Revenue tied to print under pressure Most growth coming from direct online sales

8. Many-to-Many Techniques for Publishers Reader comments Guest Weblogs with reader comments Reader-created multimedia Wikis A good, old-fashioned human touch Forums with 2.4 million posts

9. Reader Comments in Many forms Gated communities: Traditional BBS formats Hyde Park Corner: comments with articles Advice: user reviews and ratings Reader cataloging: photos, audio, video Comments as front-page news

10. Publishers Must Encourage Give and Take Pay attention and nurture discussion Register participants, but keep in simple Rely on ‘common carrier’ legal protection Understand that you can’t control this Padres forum on opening day

11. Weblogs are Niche Publications with Feedback Blogs give voice to a niche or community Readers can follow on with comments A discussion hosted by the publisher A ‘super’ thread among all discussions Blogging from Chula Vista, Calif.

12. User-Generated Images, Audio & Video Photo galleries Video galleries Internet radio Publishers gain content and context No organization can field a staff this big A day in the life of San Diego

13. Wikis Go Mainstream The next step after simple comments Let experts among readers contribute Publishers gain a breadth of new content Readers help shape the product Prototype indie music wiki

14. Wikis Challenge Many Publishers A major step beyond comments and photos Assumes the gestalt of publishing ‘You Tube’ had similar affect on TV Potentially the most powerful technique Wikis can be conprehensive

15. Don’t Forget the Human Touch Sometimes the best conversation is in person Communication is not necessarily conversation Hire top-notch customer service staff Read email and take calls A person in the loop

16. Noise Amid the Many-to-Many Conversation Libel, slander & bad taste are problems Readers can get too much of a good thing It’s hard for people to find what they want Sometimes publishers must take charge A community becomes crowded

17. Envisioning a Long-term Strategy Publishers nurture conversations to build new audiences Professional values still count… …but publishers must relinquish some control We’re moderators now Publishers must reach out