CAJ live events

Understanding audiences for publishers

How can newsrooms use analytics to better understand and engage their audiences? James G. Robinson of the New York Times shares what he's learned about helping editors and journalists apply audience insights to build better relationships with their readers, and some thoughts on what's to come.#CAJ15insight

3rd & 7 37yd

Now sitting in on James Robinson's lecture on analytics and metrics #UnderstandingAudiences #CAJ2015

by Allan April 6/5/2015 1:55:50 PM
People tend to use measurement as a path to insight- James Robinson

by Allan April 6/5/2015 1:56:48 PM
Robinson says he is less concerned about measuring engagement- almost an impossible task- and more with understanding engagement #UnderstandingAudiences #CAJ2015

by Allan April 6/5/2015 1:57:45 PM
Explicit questions vs implicit questions- Robinson is more concerned with implicit questions- habits, hypothesis, things that haven't been asked yet. #UnderstandingAudiences #CAJ2015

by Allan April 6/5/2015 1:59:07 PM
Links from @JamesGRobinson's session can be found at akazelig.com/caj15. #caj15 #caj2015

by CAJ via twitter 6/5/2015 2:01:34 PM
NYT Now: "it says good morning to you, which the paper doesn't do" - James Robinson. #CAJ15

by 500khz via twitter 6/5/2015 2:01:51 PM
Best measure of value: from those interested in reading a specific story, how many read it - James Robinson. #caj15

by 500khz via twitter 6/5/2015 2:01:53 PM
Engagement: alignment between what your readers do and what you want them to do - James Robinson. #CAJ15

by 500khz via twitter 6/5/2015 2:01:56 PM
Audience: the @nytimes' challenge is reaching an audience they are not familiar with - James Robinson. #CAJ15

by 500khz via twitter 6/5/2015 2:01:59 PM
Most people only read one article on NYT website- very few read more than two - James Robinson #UnderstandingAudiences #CAJ2015

by Allan April 6/5/2015 2:03:28 PM
by itsaprilfools via twitter 6/5/2015 2:05:23 PM
by itsaprilfools via twitter 6/5/2015 2:05:28 PM
How to develop insight? People ask explicit and implicit questions - insights come from implicit questions @JamesGRobinson #CAJ15

by RandyAllan via twitter 6/5/2015 2:05:39 PM
Smart publishers look at reader behaviour, actions they take—not just numbers of views, says @JamesGRobinson. #CAJ15

by HalifaxMagazine via twitter 6/5/2015 2:05:41 PM
Analytics = two different disciplines; measurement vs insight @JamesGRobinson #CAJ15

by RandyAllan via twitter 6/5/2015 2:05:49 PM
Listening to James G. Robinson of the New York Times talk analytics is extremely eye opening and incredibly interesting ???????? #CAJ15

by Marilyn Santucci via twitter 6/5/2015 2:08:02 PM
by tscurrie via twitter 6/5/2015 2:08:07 PM
Three challenges every editor faces with understanding analytics

1. Define your audience
- online has greatly changed and fragmented audiences
- an example of this is the NYT project "The Jockey"
- who would enjoy this piece? Hypothesis: long read fans, newspaper readers, sports fans
- what about horse-racing fans?
- if horse-racing fans don't love the story, then the opportunity has been lost
- target more narrow audiences via the internet
- moving from monolithic audience to a broad, growing, unknown audience

#understandingaudiences
#CAJ15

by Allan April 6/5/2015 2:12:37 PM
Listening to James G. Robinson of the New York Times talk analytics is extremely eye opening and incredibly interesting ???????? #CAJ15

by Marilyn Santucci via twitter 6/5/2015 2:12:54 PM
Targeting "all readers" doesn't work. Publishers should talk with editors to understand who reads & why. —@JamesGRobinson #CAJ15

by HalifaxMagazine via twitter 6/5/2015 2:13:06 PM
@HalifaxEditor @JamesGRobinson The library equivalent is circ. It's easy to game the system to bump it up, but not the most important metric

by PhilMoscovitch via twitter 6/5/2015 2:13:08 PM
The way newsrooms oriented "desks" in print age may not make sense in digital age - need more interaction now @JamesGRobinson #CAJ15

by RandyAllan via twitter 6/5/2015 2:13:12 PM
"I promise I won't mention Snowfall again." @JamesGRobinson #CAJ15

by Kat Eschner via twitter 6/5/2015 2:13:13 PM
"When we focus on numbers we tend to forget that these numbers are actually not-so-useful proxies for audience needs."@JamesGRobinson #CAJ15

by Kat Eschner via twitter 6/5/2015 2:13:16 PM
NYT's @JamesGRobinson: Poor navigation from story to story is often a function of poor communication between editors #CAJ15 #CAJ15insight

by tscurrie via twitter 6/5/2015 2:13:18 PM
by itsaprilfools via twitter 6/5/2015 2:13:20 PM
"Who are the audiences and how do we learn about them?"

by Allan April 6/5/2015 2:13:46 PM
Reddit is a huge driver of traffic for New York Times- you can't really promote stuff, but reddit picks up on a lot of unexpected content

#understandingaudiences #CAJ2015

by Allan April 6/5/2015 2:16:17 PM
"Reddit, for those of you who don't know, is kind of this aggregator of links." @JamesGRobinson #CAJ15

by Kat Eschner via twitter 6/5/2015 2:16:41 PM
by Nick Taylor-Vaisey via twitter 6/5/2015 2:16:51 PM
More than the traffic it drives, the engagement and conversation is the most interesting part of reddit
#understandingaudiences
#CAJ15

by Allan April 6/5/2015 2:18:02 PM
NYT encourages and trains reporters and editors to jump in on reddit conversations #understandingaudiences #CAJ15

by Allan April 6/5/2015 2:18:53 PM
While reddit frowns on self-promotion, there is a way to have very engaging experiences on reddit- helps to prove your identity first!

#understandingaudiences #CAJ15

by Allan April 6/5/2015 2:19:56 PM
Three challenges every editor faces with understanding analytics

1. Define your audience

2. Listen to your audience

3. Adapt to your audience

#understandingaudiences
#CAJ15

by Allan April 6/5/2015 2:21:15 PM
New York Times Knicks beat reporter had huge feedback on reddit when he posed question, what team should I cover for quality basketball? #understandingaudiences #CAJ15

by Allan April 6/5/2015 2:22:23 PM
Transforming and adapting content to the audience, while keeping journalistic integrity. Mal de tête! #CAJ15

by 500khz via twitter 6/5/2015 2:23:23 PM
NYT's @JamesGRobinson: Newsroom has a bot that detects when a story is subject of significant conversation on Reddit #CAJ15 #CAJ15insight

by tscurrie via twitter 6/5/2015 2:23:27 PM
With people like @JamesGRobinson on board, no wonder @nytimes is everyone's model. #AudienceMastermind! #CAJ15

by TousNadine via twitter 6/5/2015 2:23:32 PM
I need to check out "Today I Learned" on Reddit. Interesting way to monitor what people are discussing online #CAJ15 via: @JamesGRobinson

by RandyAllan via twitter 6/5/2015 2:23:33 PM
Working relationship between analytics people and newsroom people - mutual humility
Analyst must have respect for judgement of editorial staff

#understandingaudiences #caj15

by Allan April 6/5/2015 2:25:04 PM
Journalists need to stop bombarding analytics people with the same questions- what are the numbers, how did I do?

by Allan April 6/5/2015 2:25:33 PM
Analysts have similar skills to journalists- a combination of resources and values

#understandinganalytics #CAJ15

by Allan April 6/5/2015 2:26:16 PM
by itsaprilfools via twitter 6/5/2015 2:26:30 PM
NYT uses standard web analytics tools, google analytics but also much more... Capture all their own raw data

Also has a research team that looks at data and focuses on groups

#understandinganalytics #CAJ15

by Allan April 6/5/2015 2:28:09 PM
NYT has used social media to crowd source topics and gather insight for health care stories #CAJ15 @JamesGRobinson

by RandyAllan via twitter 6/5/2015 2:28:26 PM
Comments are important for us because they provide communication and conversation- the NYT has a team of moderators for their site comments

#UnderstandingAudiences #CAJ15

by Allan April 6/5/2015 2:29:35 PM
NYT's @JamesGRobinson: Reporter did story on high cost of colonoscopies. Further series resulted from reader comments #CAJ15insight #CAJ15

by tscurrie via twitter 6/5/2015 2:31:45 PM
by itsaprilfools via twitter 6/5/2015 2:32:14 PM
"Comments are very important for NYT, they are monitored and a big team is dedicated to that" @JamesGRobinson #CAJ15

by TousNadine via twitter 6/5/2015 2:32:17 PM
Robinson says analytics can be used to measure value of long form vs short form journalism and how it is being consumed and shared

#understandingaudience #CAJ15

by Allan April 6/5/2015 2:33:31 PM
NYT's @JamesGRobinson: Purpose of analytics: 1) Define your audience 2) Listen to your audience 3) Adapt to audience #CAJ15 #CAJ15insight

by tscurrie via twitter 6/5/2015 2:36:08 PM
Robinson would like to see a tool that for any given story could tell him how many New York Times readers would be interested, which he could forward to editors and journalists ... Currently resources and technical fire power are in the way
#UnderstandingAudiences #CAJ15

by Allan April 6/5/2015 2:41:41 PM
"I think we're still obsessed with numbers. We haven't made that transition from looking at numbers to audiences" James Robinson on analytics
#UnderstandingAudiences #CAJ15

by Allan April 6/5/2015 2:43:26 PM
Small audiences can have real value to the New York Times. Hundreds of subscribers makes a huge difference. Depends on business model.

#UnderstandingAudiences #CAJ15

by Allan April 6/5/2015 2:45:58 PM
Thanks to James Robinson for a very informative lecture on Analytics and Understanding Audiences #CAJ15

by Allan April 6/5/2015 2:46:36 PM

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