#responsiveDEN Coming to you live from the Media Factory

#responsiveDEN Responsive Design isn't just about design or technology

There's little doubt that forward-thinking news publishers big and small will be ramping up their mobile efforts in 2013.

But while that may be strategically straightforward, implementing an effective cross-media publishing strategy will continue to present significant technical, organisational and business challenges.

With the array of channels and devices increasing, it's probably not surprising that the RWD (Responsive Web Design) vs AWD (Adaptive Web Design) is a hot debateright now. Or that the title for the next Digital Editors Network meetup on 21 Februrary in the Media Factory in Preston is #responsiveDEN.

Sure, we'll be taking an indepth look at the various approaches to web design that intends to provide an optimal viewing experience — easy reading and navigation with a minimum of resizing, panning, and scrolling — across a wide range of devices from desktop computer monitors to mobile phones. But we'll also be thinking more laterally about what Responsive Design means, including the need for content to be in formats that enable innovation in presentation forms (across channels, devices), functions (customisation, curation, repurposed, conversation, etc ) and financing (costs savings, additional income). These obviously have implications not only on operational level, but also for the business.

To help us unpick the issues, the #responsiveDEN programme, which kicks off with lunch  at 12:45 and runs until 5pm, followed by a networking reception until 6:30, will include: 

Indepth case studies: "Implementing RWD at leading news publishers in the UK and US"

• MNA Digital development manager Mark Cadmanand electronic editor Abigail Edge who led the team that charted the Express and Star and Shropshire Star’s route to responsive web design will be lifting the lid on that innovative project - and how their efforts have paid off.   
• [Update: 15/01/2013] Seattle Times managing editor for digital Erik Ulkin will be discussing their responsive-design election app - and lessons learned.
• [Update: 15/02/2013] Hayden Evans, creative director of the Trinity Mirror-owned digital agency Rippleffect, will be discussing TM's new adaptive design website. 

Panel Discussion:  "What now, what next? Designing and Managing Responsive Channels, Content, Communities and Commerce" with: 

• Aidan McGrath of Aetopia will talking about managing and monetising so-called "digital assets" (images, video, and pdf's etc.) including:  geotagging assets at point of capture to enable the aggregation and delivery of hyper-local content;  "project-based" content acquisition, curation and workflow; and  monetising assets through B2B and B2C channels.
• Carl Savage of Mobiletech will be giving a Scandanavian  perspective of responsive design. "I’ll be looking beyond the hype of responsive design at the challenges editors face in creating great reader experiences and how to monitise them," said Carl, who has been involved with Internet businesses since the mid-90’s and currently helps Nordic businesses such as MobileTech with their UK sales and marketing.  
• Grig Davidovitz is CEO of RGB Media and regular workshop presenter for the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers. Grig will be presenting a new concept: Journalistic Responsive Design. Using this methode, the journalistic experience is defragmented into its components: modules and article templates. The dynamic connection of the article templates is generating an ever-changing, engaging content experience perfectly fitted for each device and screen size. 
• Paul Egglestone of  Digital Coordinator at UCLan's School of Journalism & Digital Media will be demonstrating the award-winning  Interactive Newsprint project which is bringing together communities, technologists, researchers and professional journalists to develop and test a new way of telling stories using paper that connects to the internet.  

• Rick Waghon is CEO of Addiply. On the back of funding from the Technology Strategy Board to make Addiply's API Public this summer, Addiply ceo Rick Waghorn will outline the opportunities he foresees for mobile app developers to make their designs more responsive to in app advertising.

The discussions will be chaired by DEN co-founders Nick Turner (@nickincumbria), Head of Digital Content for the CN Group, and François Nel, Director of the Journalism Leaders Programmeand the MADE (Media And Digital Enterprise) Project at UCLan.

You can register for one of the 50 spaces at #responsiveDEN  here. 

Since 2007, the Digital Editors Network has worked to link media innovators, whether they work inside, outside or alongside mainstream media organisations. You can connect with DEN by liking our Facebook page, joining our Linkedin group , or following us on Twitter @DENupdates or this blog .

If you'd like to contribute ideas, speak, host, sponsor or collaborate on a future DEN meetup or workshop, contact the convenors François Nel FPNel@uclan.ac.uk or
Nick Turner nick.turner@cumbrian-newspapers.co.uk.

Leading media innovators contribute to Autumn 2011 DEN meeting, master classes and Forum

Leading innovators in digital media content, multi-platform designand online business models are lined up for two days of Digital Editors Networkmaster classes, meetings and meetups on October 20th and 21st in Preston.

Thursday, October 20^th

09:00- 15:00 Master Class: TruthTelling. Have you ever been deceived?In an interview for a new recruit? By a business partner or client? By a colleague? By a news source?
The Truth Telling Master Class with Cliff Lansley and Dr Dawn Archer will interest all who are concerned about the validity of what we hear read and see. Cliff is managing director of Paul Ekman International, whichhas been established to make emotional skills and deception detectionprogrammes accessible across the world, and Dawn is Reader in CorpusLinguistics at the Universityof Central Lancashire, where her internationally-rated research includesusing computer aided linguistic analysis to identify implicit/“hidden”messages.
More details about the master class, which suitable for professionals from a variety of disciplines, including media managers, investigators andresearchers, download the workshop flyer here and register here.

13:00-17:00 Autumn DigitalEditors Network meeting programme will focus on innovations incross-platform content, design and commerce. Confirmed presenters are:

• Paul Gallagher. The Manchester Evening News was praised for its coverage of the summer riots which included instant news, pictures and comment via a live blog that ran during the disturbances. Paul, the MEN's head of online editorial, reports on its success and gives digital editors the chance to reflect on the advantages and limitations of live blogging.


• [Note: This session has been rescheduled for the next DEN meeting in Feb 2012] Sarah Hartley. Guardian Media Group Community StrategistSarah Hartley will introduce GMG’s latest innovation: n0tice.com, a communitynoticeboard for online and mobile. Sarahwill give DEN a glimpse behind the scenes at the site's Beta and explain the opportunitiesit provides for local newspaper journalists.


• Grig Davidovitz. “Content is beautiful. Surprising. Shocking.Funny. Dramatic. Engaging. Try to see that in today’s journalistic websites.They are over-crowded with information, displayed in dull, static templateswith dense content areas and inefficient banners. So how can websites expresstheir content better?” A cross-media digitaldesign specialist with wide international experience, Grig will address thaqt question during the DEN meetingand expand his explanation the next day in the News Show master class (Register here.).


• Cliff Lansley.There’s a lot of talk about truth and lies in the media. But just how good areyou at detecting truth and deception in verbal and non-verbal communication? Paul Ekman International managing director CliffLansley will introduce some basic truth/liess analysis techniques – and giveyou a chance to test them.


• Marc Reeves. When the editor of the Birmingham Post leftthe mainstream media to join digital start up TheBusinessDesk.com many wondered just how long it wouldlast. Well, it’s been almost two yearsand Marc will tell us what it takes not only to start up a new online news business,but to keep it up.

Book your place at #den2011 here .

17:00-18:00 Networking Reception in Greenbank Foyer.

18:00-19:15 The 14th Journalism Leaders Forum in Greenbank Lecture Theatre will debate"Press Regulation: Is there Third Way?" These have been bruising times for the Press. Scandals about the conduct of some journalistshave not only brought down journalists, senior executives and one of thelargest newspapers in Britain, but it has also prompted the resignation of thehead of the Press Complaints Commission and raised questions about the futureof press regulation. Those who seek to simplify the issues usually offer twooptions: press self-regulation, or government regulation. But others are lookingfurther afield and so we're asking, "Is there a Third Way?" Thepanel will include executive director of the Society of Editors BobSatchwell, head of journalism ethics at UCLAN and former deputy editor of The Independent on Saturdays Michael Williams, the head of the Global Forum for Media Development Bettina Petersand, author of Journalism Ethics and Regulation Prof Chris Frost, Director of the Media Standards Trust Martin Moore and Prof Peter Cole, co-author of Newspaper Journalism. This event, which is open to all UCLAN students and the public, but advance registration is essential in order to guarantee seating.

If you can't be there in person, there are other ways to join the discussion. You can post your questions and comments on this site, or you can participate in the live Webcast by logging in here as a "guest". Online participants will be able to post questions to panellists and each other in a text chat room. Follow the conversation on Twitter at#14jlp.

19:15 onwards. Informal discussions continue at the Lamb & Packet pub .

FRIDAY, October 21^st

Update: Regrettably this Master Class has been postponed until Spring 2012. Please contact Francois Nel at FPNel @ uclan.ac.uk if you'd like to get more information.

10:00-17:00 MasterClass: It’s News Show Time online, on mobile, on tablets. Wondering how mobiles and tablets influence your website design - and your cross media business strategy? Then join this one-day workshop with Grig Davidovitz on ways to turn dull, template-based sites into coherent, cross-platform newsexperiences that captivate users, confound the competition - and grow revenues.
As online journalism evolves it becomes clear that the one-template static sites are just not enough. News sites should be able toinstantly change to reflect drama (Muammar Qaddafi has been toppled) tohighlight the best elements of the article (an amazing video of the hurricaneIrene hitting the shores of the US) and to create dynamic information packages(all the news on the elections today). This dynamic experience should bevisible on all digital devices, according to the users’ choice: laptops, mobilephones and tablets.
This workshop will be presented by the international digital media consultantGrig Davidovitz, who is regular conference speaker and workshop leader for the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA). Grig has recently worked with, among others, HearstMagazines (US), 24 Sata (Croatia), TTGItalia (Italy) and Haaretz (Israel).
In the first part, the workshop will present solutions forimproving organic traffic and stickiness by creating flexible news sites andsuccessfully duplicating this "news show" on all devices. In thesecond part, it will explore different ways of monetizing digital products,including: a) Improving display-ads; b) paywalls, freemium and selling content;c) e-commerce.

Please register for the News Show Master Class here.

For the latest programme information follow @denupdates on Twitter or contact Francois Nel at FPNel @ uclan.ac.uk or Nick Turner at Nick.Turner @ cngroup.co.uk .