NPR Blogs: Inside NPR.org http://www.npr.org/blogs/inside/ Inside NPR.org en Copyright 2009 Tue, 27 Oct 2009 09:32:48 -0500 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Reflections On PublicMediaCamp By Andy Carvin (@acarvin) On October 17-18 in Washington DC we held our first national PublicMediaCamp. I'm proud to say that it completely exceeded my expectations. Held in conjunction with PBS, American University's Center for Social Media and iStrategyLabs, PubCamp brought together more than 250 people from across the country, including bloggers, social media enthusiasts, techies and staff from around three dozen public media stations. Following the model of BarCamp and PodCamp, PubCamp was organized, as it were, as an unconference. We encouraged participants to brainstorm session ideas on a wiki prior to the camp, but the schedule itself wasn't created until each morning's opening session. Anyone who wanted to lead a session had to announce it to the entire group; volunteers wrote down the session titles and gave them to me for placement on a paper chart mapping out which rooms and time slots were available. If you've never attended an unconference, it might come as a surprise that this method of event planning (or lack thereof) could actually work, but we ended up spawning more than 50 sessions over both days of the camp. Very few of these sessions were your typical conference PowerPoint presentation. in many cases, the session leader would make everyone rearrange the chairs in a circle so everyone could participate equally, which was heartening given the fact we tried to emphasize that attendees should see themselves as full-fledged participants rather than passive audience members. The sessions themselves covered a range of issues, from strategies for stations to work with local bloggers to mobilizing volunteers during natural disasters. Many of the sessions managed to wrangle someone in the group to serve as official note taker; we've assembled these notes on the PubCamp wiki. PubCamper John Proffitt put together this video capturing some of the scenes from PubCamp: Some of the big ideas that've been on my mind since PubCamp: Emergency response. Many stations are grappling with the question of how to respond to natural disasters and other emergencies, both in terms of providing useful information to the public and keeping their operations running. A number of representatives from stations in the southeast participated, which led to a number of conversations on dealing with hurricanes in particular. Stations expressed interest in putting together a real-time drill to practice how they respond to such events. To avoid confusing people with an actual disaster, we thought about using a zombie attack as the subject of the drill, though they'd still have to remind people it's a drill -- just in case. :-) Station-blogger relations. One of the most intense sessions of the camp occurred on the first day, when a discussion about stations working with local bloggers led to a debate about the nature of that relationship. On one side, some public media staff advocated a more arms-length approach, occasionally utilizing blogger content when relevant. On the other side, bloggers (and some public media staff as well) advocated a more direct partnership approach, where they have an ongoing editorial relationship with stations around a given content product. Blogger Jessie Newburn wrote up a very interesting summary of the debate, breaking it down on generational lines. Volunteer management. Several sessions raised the possibility of creating a public media volunteer corps, an idea that I've been thinking about since working on the Hurricanes08.org and VoteReport projects last year. One question that came up a lot was what tools are available to manage volunteers locally and nationally. Julia Schrenkler of American Public Media said she'd explore the possibility of incorporating volunteer management tools into their Public Insight software, which allows the public to volunteer and serve as subject-matter experts for reporters. User generated content curation. One of the biggest themes from PubCamp was the question of how to curate user-generated content. Our experiences last year with VoteReport and related projects demonstrated that it's possible to create a system for both ingesting UGC from a variety of sources, as well as getting volunteers to help curate the content. But we still don't have a set of generic tools that makes it easy to ingest, curate and display UGC, whether it's for a station reporting project or a major breaking news event. There was a lot of interest in the development of tools like Swift, an open source spinoff of our VoteReport project that's attempting to tackle some of these challenges. Swift aims to ingest UGC from a variety of sources and then allow curation through a combination of people reviewing the content and machine-based algorithms. Whatever form these tools take place, it seemed clear that a range of toolsets would ultimately be needed at the local and national level. Creating an "Apps for Public Media" contest. Ever since we started to plan PubCamp this spring, I've been thinking about what public media can learn from software-building contests such as Apps For Democracy and Apps For America. These contests encourage people to develop free software with a community focus, using locally available APIs and data. Given the fact that NPR has its own API and PBS is working on some of their own, a contest might be an interesting way of encouraging development using those tools. We got some useful feedback at PubCamp on the idea. For example, while such a contest probably should encourage the development of local apps, it's probably not realistic to expect stations to run their own contests. Others suggested that an apps contest should include specific challenges, such as developing apps for the 2010 midterm election. They're definitely ideas worth considering if we choose to move forward. Perhaps the biggest takeaway from PubCamp is that this really is the beginning of something. The 10 stations we brought to PubCamp on scholarship have all agreed to host their own camps in 2010, and a number of other stations are likely to organize their own as well. To help them pull it off, we've published a PublicMediaCamp Field Guide, which includes step-by-step instructions on how to use unconferences as a model for stations to engage their communities. We also held a PubCamp 101 session to explain the field guide in greater detail, which John Proffitt also recorded on video: All in all, I think our first national PubCamp was a great success. Despite the fact we had some of the worst weather in months, combined with all sorts of road closures, we managed to attract an amazing and diverse crowd. Now let's see if we can take that momentum and convert it into real collaboration at the local level. By Andy Carvin (@acarvin)

On October 17-18 in Washington DC we held our first national PublicMediaCamp. I'm proud to say that it completely exceeded my expectations. Held in conjunction with PBS, American University's Center for Social Media and iStrategyLabs, PubCamp brought together more than 250 people from across the country, including bloggers, social media enthusiasts, techies and staff from around three dozen public media stations.

Following the model of BarCamp and PodCamp, PubCamp was organized, as it were, as an unconference. We encouraged participants to brainstorm session ideas on a wiki prior to the camp, but the schedule itself wasn't created until each morning's opening session. Anyone who wanted to lead a session had to announce it to the entire group; volunteers wrote down the session titles and gave them to me for placement on a paper chart mapping out which rooms and time slots were available. If you've never attended an unconference, it might come as a surprise that this method of event planning (or lack thereof) could actually work, but we ended up spawning more than 50 sessions over both days of the camp. Very few of these sessions were your typical conference PowerPoint presentation. in many cases, the session leader would make everyone rearrange the chairs in a circle so everyone could participate equally, which was heartening given the fact we tried to emphasize that attendees should see themselves as full-fledged participants rather than passive audience members.

The sessions themselves covered a range of issues, from strategies for stations to work with local bloggers to mobilizing volunteers during natural disasters. Many of the sessions managed to wrangle someone in the group to serve as official note taker; we've assembled these notes on the PubCamp wiki.

PubCamper John Proffitt put together this video capturing some of the scenes from PubCamp:

]]> Some of the big ideas that've been on my mind since PubCamp:

Emergency response. Many stations are grappling with the question of how to respond to natural disasters and other emergencies, both in terms of providing useful information to the public and keeping their operations running. A number of representatives from stations in the southeast participated, which led to a number of conversations on dealing with hurricanes in particular. Stations expressed interest in putting together a real-time drill to practice how they respond to such events. To avoid confusing people with an actual disaster, we thought about using a zombie attack as the subject of the drill, though they'd still have to remind people it's a drill -- just in case. :-)

Station-blogger relations. One of the most intense sessions of the camp occurred on the first day, when a discussion about stations working with local bloggers led to a debate about the nature of that relationship. On one side, some public media staff advocated a more arms-length approach, occasionally utilizing blogger content when relevant. On the other side, bloggers (and some public media staff as well) advocated a more direct partnership approach, where they have an ongoing editorial relationship with stations around a given content product. Blogger Jessie Newburn wrote up a very interesting summary of the debate, breaking it down on generational lines.

Volunteer management. Several sessions raised the possibility of creating a public media volunteer corps, an idea that I've been thinking about since working on the Hurricanes08.org and VoteReport projects last year. One question that came up a lot was what tools are available to manage volunteers locally and nationally. Julia Schrenkler of American Public Media said she'd explore the possibility of incorporating volunteer management tools into their Public Insight software, which allows the public to volunteer and serve as subject-matter experts for reporters.

User generated content curation. One of the biggest themes from PubCamp was the question of how to curate user-generated content. Our experiences last year with VoteReport and related projects demonstrated that it's possible to create a system for both ingesting UGC from a variety of sources, as well as getting volunteers to help curate the content. But we still don't have a set of generic tools that makes it easy to ingest, curate and display UGC, whether it's for a station reporting project or a major breaking news event. There was a lot of interest in the development of tools like Swift, an open source spinoff of our VoteReport project that's attempting to tackle some of these challenges. Swift aims to ingest UGC from a variety of sources and then allow curation through a combination of people reviewing the content and machine-based algorithms. Whatever form these tools take place, it seemed clear that a range of toolsets would ultimately be needed at the local and national level.

Creating an "Apps for Public Media" contest. Ever since we started to plan PubCamp this spring, I've been thinking about what public media can learn from software-building contests such as Apps For Democracy and Apps For America. These contests encourage people to develop free software with a community focus, using locally available APIs and data. Given the fact that NPR has its own API and PBS is working on some of their own, a contest might be an interesting way of encouraging development using those tools. We got some useful feedback at PubCamp on the idea. For example, while such a contest probably should encourage the development of local apps, it's probably not realistic to expect stations to run their own contests. Others suggested that an apps contest should include specific challenges, such as developing apps for the 2010 midterm election. They're definitely ideas worth considering if we choose to move forward.

Perhaps the biggest takeaway from PubCamp is that this really is the beginning of something. The 10 stations we brought to PubCamp on scholarship have all agreed to host their own camps in 2010, and a number of other stations are likely to organize their own as well. To help them pull it off, we've published a PublicMediaCamp Field Guide, which includes step-by-step instructions on how to use unconferences as a model for stations to engage their communities. We also held a PubCamp 101 session to explain the field guide in greater detail, which John Proffitt also recorded on video:

All in all, I think our first national PubCamp was a great success. Despite the fact we had some of the worst weather in months, combined with all sorts of road closures, we managed to attract an amazing and diverse crowd. Now let's see if we can take that momentum and convert it into real collaboration at the local level.


]]> <p><a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/inside/2009/10/reflections_on_publicmediacamp.html#email">&raquo; E-Mail This</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="http://del.icio.us/post?url=http://www.npr.org/blogs/inside/2009/10/reflections_on_publicmediacamp.html">&raquo; Add to Del.icio.us</a> </p> http://www.npr.org/blogs/inside/2009/10/reflections_on_publicmediacamp.html?ft=1&f=91000411 http://www.npr.org/blogs/inside/2009/10/reflections_on_publicmediacamp.html?ft=1&f=91000411 Social Media PubCamp PublicMediaCamp events Tue, 27 Oct 2009 09:32:48 -0500 Beats and Tweets: Journalistic Guidelines for the Facebook Era By Mark Stencel The NPR News staff is a chatty group, on-air and online -- as thousands of our Twitter followers and Facebook friends already know. Individual NPR journalists, from longtime host Scott Simon to new health blogger Scott Hensley, regularly muse online about their work and other subjects. Even the somewhat technical updates that our Digital Media staff posted on Twitter when we revamped NPR.org in July drew surprising interest and feedback. Popular social media sites and services are great reporting tools. They help our journalists find and keep in contact with a wide range of sources. They also provide powerful ways to connect with our listeners and users and to share our journalism. But all of us at NPR News need to remember that, as journalists, we are just as responsible and accountable for what we say and do online as we are in other aspects of our lives. Social media guidelines shared with the news staff on Thursday offer commonsense rules and reminders for those of us here who make use of these communication channels. Summarizing the guidance in an e-mail message, Senior Vice President for News Ellen Weiss urged the staff to "use social media for journalistic purposes and as a way to connect with the audience." Weiss also reminded our journalists -- including the engineering, operations and news administration staffs -- to avoid doing "anything online that will damage your credibility or the credibility of NPR." In a separate message, CEO Vivian Schiller emphasized that the guidelines for the news staff "are relevant to ALL employees." The rules are mandatory for all company officers, as well as any staff involved with programming, digital media, communications and legal affairs. But Schiller urged those who "fall outside those boundaries" to follow the guidelines as well. "NPR is first and foremost a news organization," she wrote, "which means staffers from Finance to Facilities represent the face of NPR's journalistic integrity. So I'd ask that you please use your best judgment when it comes to your public activities online." In the spirit of openness that social media often represents, we thought we'd share with you the full text of these Social Media Guidelines. (Please see below.) The guidelines also are posted in the About section of NPR.org, where you can find a link to the NPR News Code of Ethics. As ever, we welcome any thoughts and feedback -- whatever the medium. Mark Stencel (@markstencel on Twitter) is NPR's managing editor for Digital News. * * * NPR NEWS SOCIAL MEDIA GUIDELINES Social networking sites, such as Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter have become an integral part of everyday life for millions of people around the world. As NPR grows to serve the audience well beyond the radio, social media is becoming an increasingly important aspect of our interaction and our transparency with our audience and with a variety of communities. Properly used, social networking sites can also be very valuable newsgathering and reporting tools and can speed research and extend a reporter's contacts, and we encourage our journalists to take advantage of them. The line between private and public activity has been blurred by these tools, which is why we are providing guidance now. Information from your Facebook page, your blog entries and your tweets -- even if you intend them to be personal messages to your friends or family -- can be easily circulated beyond your intended audience. This content, therefore, represents you and NPR to the outside world as much as a radio story or story for NPR.org does. As in all of your reporting, the NPR Code of Ethics (http://www.npr.org/about/ethics/) should guide you in your use of social media. You should read and be sure you understand the Code. What follows are some basic but important guidelines to help you as you deal with the changing world of gathering and reporting news, and to provide additional guidance on specific issues. These guidelines apply to every member of the News Division. First and foremost -- you should do nothing that could undermine your credibility with the public, damage NPR's standing as an impartial source of news or otherwise jeopardize NPR's reputation. Recognize that everything you write or receive on a social media site is public. Anyone with access to the web can get access to your activity on social media sites. And regardless of how careful you are in trying to keep them separate, in your online activity, your professional life and your personal life overlap. Use the highest level of privacy tools available to control access to your personal activity when appropriate, but don't let that make you complacent. It's just not that hard for someone to hack those tools and make public what you thought was private. You should conduct yourself in social media forums with an eye to how your behavior or comments might appear if we were called upon to defend them as a news organization. In other words, don't behave any differently online than you would in any other public setting. While we strongly encourage linking to NPR.org, you may not repost NPR copyrighted material to social networks without prior permission. For example, it is o.k. to link from your blog or Facebook profile to a story of yours on the NPR site, but you should not copy the full text or audio onto a personal site or Web page. You may accomplish this through the NPR API or widgets that NPR provides to the public under the same terms of use as apply to anyone else. Remember that the terms of service of a social media site apply to what you post and gather on that site. The terms might allow for material that you post to be used in a different way than you intended. Additionally, law enforcement officials may be able to obtain by subpoena anything you post or gather on a site without your consent -- or perhaps even your knowledge. Remember the same ethics rules as apply offline also apply to information gathered online. Journalism should be conducted in the open, regardless of the platform. Just as you would do if you were working offline, you should identify yourself as an NPR journalist when you are working online. If you are acting as an NPR journalist, you must not use a pseudonym or misrepresent who you are. If you are acting in a personal capacity, you may use a screen name if that is allowed by the relevant forum. You should always explain to anyone who provides you information online how you intend to use the information you are gathering. When possible, clarify and confirm any information you collect online by later interviewing your online sources by phone or in person. While widely disseminated and reported, material gathered online can be just as inaccurate or untrustworthy as some material collected or received in more traditional ways. As always, consider and verify the source. Content gathered online is subject to the same attribution rules as other content. You must not advocate for political or other polarizing issues online. This extends to joining online groups or using social media in any form (including your Facebook page or a personal blog) to express personal views on a political or other controversial issue that you could not write for the air or post on NPR.org. Your simple participation in some online groups could be seen to indicate that you endorse their views. Consider whether you can accomplish your purposes by just observing a group's activity, rather than becoming a member. If you do join, be clear that you've done so to seek information or story ideas. And if you "friend" or join a group representing one side of an issue, do so for a group representing the competing viewpoint, when reasonable to do so. Realize that social media communities have their own culture, etiquette and norms, and be respectful of them. If you are writing about meetings and gatherings at NPR -- always ask first if the forum is on or off the record before distributing information or content about it. And a final caution -- when in doubt, consult with your editor. Social media is a very dynamic ecosystem so don't be surprised if we continue to revise or elaborate on our guidelines at a later date. In the mean time, we welcome your feedback. By Mark Stencel

The NPR News staff is a chatty group, on-air and online -- as thousands of our Twitter followers and Facebook friends already know. Individual NPR journalists, from longtime host Scott Simon to new health blogger Scott Hensley, regularly muse online about their work and other subjects. Even the somewhat technical updates that our Digital Media staff posted on Twitter when we revamped NPR.org in July drew surprising interest and feedback.

Popular social media sites and services are great reporting tools. They help our journalists find and keep in contact with a wide range of sources. They also provide powerful ways to connect with our listeners and users and to share our journalism. But all of us at NPR News need to remember that, as journalists, we are just as responsible and accountable for what we say and do online as we are in other aspects of our lives.

Social media guidelines shared with the news staff on Thursday offer commonsense rules and reminders for those of us here who make use of these communication channels. Summarizing the guidance in an e-mail message, Senior Vice President for News Ellen Weiss urged the staff to "use social media for journalistic purposes and as a way to connect with the audience." Weiss also reminded our journalists -- including the engineering, operations and news administration staffs -- to avoid doing "anything online that will damage your credibility or the credibility of NPR."

]]> In a separate message, CEO Vivian Schiller emphasized that the guidelines for the news staff "are relevant to ALL employees." The rules are mandatory for all company officers, as well as any staff involved with programming, digital media, communications and legal affairs. But Schiller urged those who "fall outside those boundaries" to follow the guidelines as well. "NPR is first and foremost a news organization," she wrote, "which means staffers from Finance to Facilities represent the face of NPR's journalistic integrity. So I'd ask that you please use your best judgment when it comes to your public activities online."

In the spirit of openness that social media often represents, we thought we'd share with you the full text of these Social Media Guidelines. (Please see below.)

The guidelines also are posted in the About section of NPR.org, where you can find a link to the NPR News Code of Ethics.

As ever, we welcome any thoughts and feedback -- whatever the medium.

Mark Stencel (@markstencel on Twitter) is NPR's managing editor for Digital News.

* * *

NPR NEWS SOCIAL MEDIA GUIDELINES

Social networking sites, such as Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter have become an integral part of everyday life for millions of people around the world. As NPR grows to serve the audience well beyond the radio, social media is becoming an increasingly important aspect of our interaction and our transparency with our audience and with a variety of communities. Properly used, social networking sites can also be very valuable newsgathering and reporting tools and can speed research and extend a reporter's contacts, and we encourage our journalists to take advantage of them.

The line between private and public activity has been blurred by these tools, which is why we are providing guidance now. Information from your Facebook page, your blog entries and your tweets -- even if you intend them to be personal messages to your friends or family -- can be easily circulated beyond your intended audience. This content, therefore, represents you and NPR to the outside world as much as a radio story or story for NPR.org does.

As in all of your reporting, the NPR Code of Ethics (http://www.npr.org/about/ethics/) should guide you in your use of social media. You should read and be sure you understand the Code.

What follows are some basic but important guidelines to help you as you deal with the changing world of gathering and reporting news, and to provide additional guidance on specific issues. These guidelines apply to every member of the News Division.

First and foremost -- you should do nothing that could undermine your credibility with the public, damage NPR's standing as an impartial source of news or otherwise jeopardize NPR's reputation.

  • Recognize that everything you write or receive on a social media site is public. Anyone with access to the web can get access to your activity on social media sites. And regardless of how careful you are in trying to keep them separate, in your online activity, your professional life and your personal life overlap.

  • Use the highest level of privacy tools available to control access to your personal activity when appropriate, but don't let that make you complacent. It's just not that hard for someone to hack those tools and make public what you thought was private.

  • You should conduct yourself in social media forums with an eye to how your behavior or comments might appear if we were called upon to defend them as a news organization. In other words, don't behave any differently online than you would in any other public setting.

  • While we strongly encourage linking to NPR.org, you may not repost NPR copyrighted material to social networks without prior permission. For example, it is o.k. to link from your blog or Facebook profile to a story of yours on the NPR site, but you should not copy the full text or audio onto a personal site or Web page. You may accomplish this through the NPR API or widgets that NPR provides to the public under the same terms of use as apply to anyone else.

  • Remember that the terms of service of a social media site apply to what you post and gather on that site. The terms might allow for material that you post to be used in a different way than you intended. Additionally, law enforcement officials may be able to obtain by subpoena anything you post or gather on a site without your consent -- or perhaps even your knowledge.

  • Remember the same ethics rules as apply offline also apply to information gathered online.

  • Journalism should be conducted in the open, regardless of the platform. Just as you would do if you were working offline, you should identify yourself as an NPR journalist when you are working online. If you are acting as an NPR journalist, you must not use a pseudonym or misrepresent who you are. If you are acting in a personal capacity, you may use a screen name if that is allowed by the relevant forum.

  • You should always explain to anyone who provides you information online how you intend to use the information you are gathering.

  • When possible, clarify and confirm any information you collect online by later interviewing your online sources by phone or in person.

  • While widely disseminated and reported, material gathered online can be just as inaccurate or untrustworthy as some material collected or received in more traditional ways. As always, consider and verify the source.

  • Content gathered online is subject to the same attribution rules as other content.

  • You must not advocate for political or other polarizing issues online. This extends to joining online groups or using social media in any form (including your Facebook page or a personal blog) to express personal views on a political or other controversial issue that you could not write for the air or post on NPR.org.

  • Your simple participation in some online groups could be seen to indicate that you endorse their views. Consider whether you can accomplish your purposes by just observing a group's activity, rather than becoming a member. If you do join, be clear that you've done so to seek information or story ideas. And if you "friend" or join a group representing one side of an issue, do so for a group representing the competing viewpoint, when reasonable to do so.

  • Realize that social media communities have their own culture, etiquette and norms, and be respectful of them.

  • If you are writing about meetings and gatherings at NPR -- always ask first if the forum is on or off the record before distributing information or content about it.

    And a final caution -- when in doubt, consult with your editor.

    Social media is a very dynamic ecosystem so don't be surprised if we continue to revise or elaborate on our guidelines at a later date. In the mean time, we welcome your feedback.

    ]]> <p><a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/inside/2009/10/beats_and_tweets_journalistic.html#email">&raquo; E-Mail This</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="http://del.icio.us/post?url=http://www.npr.org/blogs/inside/2009/10/beats_and_tweets_journalistic.html">&raquo; Add to Del.icio.us</a> </p> http://www.npr.org/blogs/inside/2009/10/beats_and_tweets_journalistic.html?ft=1&f=91000411 http://www.npr.org/blogs/inside/2009/10/beats_and_tweets_journalistic.html?ft=1&f=91000411 Social Media Facebook Twitter ethics social media Thu, 15 Oct 2009 08:50:00 -0500 NPR News iPhone App Upgrade Includes Live Coverage And More By Robert Spier, Demian Perry and Daniel Jacobson We have just released a new update to our NPR News iPhone app. (v1.2, if you're counting; we sure are!) It's ready for download from the iTunes Store. Here are some of the updates we've made to it: Listen Live: Although NPR is not a radio station, we do "go live," over our member stations' broadcasts as well as from NPR.org, for major scheduled or unscheduled news events. With v1.2, we have now extended this capability to the iPhone; if NPR is in live coverage, you will receive a start-up alert inviting you to tune in. Down the line, we will improve the ways in which we notify iPhone app users about live coverage; we also anticipate presenting NPR Music live concerts. A Better Audio Experience: v1.2 offers two improvements here: improved audio streaming in low bandwidth scenarios, and greater Playlist stability. Sharing: We have added the ability for users to share, not just individual stories, but also many of the program episodes via email, Twitter and Facebook. We have also improved the Twitter share screens in particular. Story Page & Images: We have improved the layout of individual story pages. And, if you enlarge any photo on a story page, you will now see an overlay presenting the full caption. All in all, v1.2 offers a total of 32 improvements. Many of these are in response to your feedback via the NPR Facebook page, Twitter, other posts on this blog, iTunes reviews, etc. So, please, keep 'em coming -- we are already working on v1.3. By Robert Spier, Demian Perry and Daniel Jacobson

    We have just released a new update to our NPR News iPhone app. (v1.2, if you're counting; we sure are!) It's ready for download from the iTunes Store. Here are some of the updates we've made to it:

    Listen Live: Although NPR is not a radio station, we do "go live," over our member stations' broadcasts as well as from NPR.org, for major scheduled or unscheduled news events. With v1.2, we have now extended this capability to the iPhone; if NPR is in live coverage, you will receive a start-up alert inviting you to tune in. Down the line, we will improve the ways in which we notify iPhone app users about live coverage; we also anticipate presenting NPR Music live concerts.

    A Better Audio Experience: v1.2 offers two improvements here: improved audio streaming in low bandwidth scenarios, and greater Playlist stability.

    Sharing: We have added the ability for users to share, not just individual stories, but also many of the program episodes via email, Twitter and Facebook. We have also improved the Twitter share screens in particular.

    Story Page & Images: We have improved the layout of individual story pages. And, if you enlarge any photo on a story page, you will now see an overlay presenting the full caption.

    All in all, v1.2 offers a total of 32 improvements. Many of these are in response to your feedback via the NPR Facebook page, Twitter, other posts on this blog, iTunes reviews, etc. So, please, keep 'em coming -- we are already working on v1.3.

    ]]> <p><a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/inside/2009/10/npr_news_iphone_app_upgrade_in_1.html#email">&raquo; E-Mail This</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="http://del.icio.us/post?url=http://www.npr.org/blogs/inside/2009/10/npr_news_iphone_app_upgrade_in_1.html">&raquo; Add to Del.icio.us</a> </p> <p> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://u.npr.org/adclick/utype=rss/aamsz=300x80/position=rss1/site=NPR/blog=91000411"> <img border="0" width="300" height="80" src="http://u.npr.org/iserver/utype=rss/aamsz=300x80/position=rss1/site=NPR/blog=91000411" /> </a> </p>     http://www.npr.org/blogs/inside/2009/10/npr_news_iphone_app_upgrade_in_1.html?ft=1&f=91000411 http://www.npr.org/blogs/inside/2009/10/npr_news_iphone_app_upgrade_in_1.html?ft=1&f=91000411 Mobile Tue, 13 Oct 2009 11:00:00 -0500     Thinking About NPR's Digital Future By Kinsey Wilson The media landscape is changing at unprecedented speed. And news organizations everywhere are racing to keep up. One way NPR tries to stay current is by connecting with people who are working at the forefront of technological change. Usually, those are casual, behind-the-scenes encounters. But today, we've assembled an extraordinary group of technologists, entrepreneurs and innovators in San Francisco to spend the day thinking -- in public -- about NPR's future. The event is being hosted by frog design, a San Francisco-based global innovation firm. NPR's President and CEO, Vivian Schiller, and I will kick off the conversation and then invite guests to spend the rest of the day in small breakout sessions thinking about how we can tackle some of the biggest challenges of the day. Everything from how public radio's revenue picture might change in coming years to how we respond to a world in which information increasingly flows freely across every conceivable channel and device. We're calling it the NPR Digital Think In and you can follow it and join the conversation if you're so inclined. We're streaming selected portions and live-blogging throughout the day. Attendees will be tweeting using the hashtag #nprthink. And NPR's Andy Carvin will be posting to YouTube and Flickr under "nprthink" and updating NPR's Facebook page. We hope you'll join us and help us figure out how to keep NPR vital and engaging even as technology transforms the way we deliver the news. Kinsey Wilson is senior vice president and general manager of digital media for NPR. By Kinsey Wilson

    The media landscape is changing at unprecedented speed. And news organizations everywhere are racing to keep up.

    One way NPR tries to stay current is by connecting with people who are working at the forefront of technological change.

    Usually, those are casual, behind-the-scenes encounters. But today, we've assembled an extraordinary group of technologists, entrepreneurs and innovators in San Francisco to spend the day thinking -- in public -- about NPR's future.

    ]]> The event is being hosted by frog design, a San Francisco-based global innovation firm. NPR's President and CEO, Vivian Schiller, and I will kick off the conversation and then invite guests to spend the rest of the day in small breakout sessions thinking about how we can tackle some of the biggest challenges of the day.

    Everything from how public radio's revenue picture might change in coming years to how we respond to a world in which information increasingly flows freely across every conceivable channel and device.

    We're calling it the NPR Digital Think In and you can follow it and join the conversation if you're so inclined. We're streaming selected portions and live-blogging throughout the day. Attendees will be tweeting using the hashtag #nprthink. And NPR's Andy Carvin will be posting to YouTube and Flickr under "nprthink" and updating NPR's Facebook page.

    We hope you'll join us and help us figure out how to keep NPR vital and engaging even as technology transforms the way we deliver the news.

    Kinsey Wilson is senior vice president and general manager of digital media for NPR.

    ]]> <p><a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/inside/2009/10/nprs_digital_think_in.html#email">&raquo; E-Mail This</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="http://del.icio.us/post?url=http://www.npr.org/blogs/inside/2009/10/nprs_digital_think_in.html">&raquo; Add to Del.icio.us</a> </p>     http://www.npr.org/blogs/inside/2009/10/nprs_digital_think_in.html?ft=1&f=91000411 http://www.npr.org/blogs/inside/2009/10/nprs_digital_think_in.html?ft=1&f=91000411 Technology Fri, 09 Oct 2009 09:11:05 -0500     Jira: 'Swapping Chaos for a Little Overhead' * By Kim Bryant This post is the first in a series explaining the challenges we face in managing work requests, bug tracking and other operational processes. Specifically, I'll cover Jira, the tool that we selected to help with these challenges, as well as the ways we've configured it to suit our culture and needs. Part of my job is figuring out how we can work more effectively, and one of the first areas we needed to tackle was our work request system. Our overarching goal when managing work requests is to allow Digital Media to easily separate the noise from the important stuff. You know that scene right after the crash in the first episode of Lost where Locke sees the equivalent of a redshirt wandering near an intermittently-spinning jet turbine, and the guy can't hear the specifics of Locke's yelled warning so he stops long enough to shout "What?!" and then fahWHOMP-- redshirt becomes strawberry jam and the engine explodes and a horrible situation just got worse? Here's a refresher: We needed to stay off the path to experiencing our own redshirt schmear in the midst of premature labor, ineffective CPR, and lethal chunks of flaming metal shrapnel. Maybe ours wouldn't be as messy, but certainly no reprise of Beach Blanket Bingo. Our ops demons and how we started taming them, after the jump. We face the same operational challenges as most small-to-mid-size development shops when prioritizing: multiple types of requesters with different levels of expertise Our requests come from a wide range of people, including senior managers, interns, contractors, developers, project managers, and designers. Each stakeholder has a different comfort level with and ability to describe technical problems and suggestions for improvement. Our process management system must accommodate all of our users, making it as easy as possible for them to log and track issues. multiple paths for making requests Folks stop by our desks, call us, email us, IM us, report bugs in tracking systems, and pass along problems while walking by the kitchen when we're nuking lunch. We don't want to limit the amount of human contact, but we do need a central repository that we encourage people to use. multiple types of requests We get everything from backend changes requiring a release to design reviews, documentation needs, and front-end changes. Often, the requestor doesn't understand the scope of what they're asking for or how it might impact other applications or users. We need a way of bucketing the same types of requests and providing an LOE estimate. different teams working at different levels at the same time On any given day, we have a mix of 40+ developers, information architects, project managers, designers, and product owners working on projects, production requests, and emergency and planned releases. They need to be able to filter by and switch from type to type with a minimum of effort, and they need to see what everyone else is working on. figuring out resource load We receive hundreds of requests a week and have a limited number of staff and contractors who can address them. Our work request system should ideally show us how much work each developer or designer has in his/her queue and allow us to adjust the load for peaks and lulls (not that we've seen much of the latter). Taking these key challenges into account, we established some process ground rules, which include: 1. Jira isn't meant to take the place of human interaction. We use Jira to document, plan, track, and report on work requests and bugs. It's not like that fishing game at the community carnival where you cast your line over the wall and reel in your random prize when you feel a tug. We want our reporters to know exactly what they're getting, and we depend on them and many others to help us clarify and work collaboratively. 2. Jira isn't the first point of contact in a true emergency. While it doesn't take much time to enter an issue and several folks are monitoring Jira throughout the workday, we don't have 24/7 coverage and we don't have any staff 100% dedicated to triaging Jira tickets as they come in. If our site is down or an editor on a breaking news deadline can't publish, folks call an emergency support number, come to our desks, or page us on the intercom. Only if necessary (sometimes after the fact) do we or they enter a Jira ticket. 3. Product owners decide the priority of the issue. In the past, many requests requiring business analysis came to the developers for resolution. We tried to pull in product owners whenever possible, but it's a conflict of interest for developers to be setting product vision for stuff we don't own. Our new process makes product owners the first assignee by default. 4. Only one person is responsible for a Jira issue. This rule addresses the challenges we have when someone sends a request to an email distribution list: multiple email threads start, it may not be clear who is working on it (or if anyone is working on it), and a lot of time could pass before it's resolved. The assignee is the person who has to do something with the issue -- even if it's as simple as assigning it to the right person to carry out the work. Other group members may be notified/watching, but only one person owns an issue at any given point. Throughout the lifecycle of an issue, product owners need to weigh in, but they generally don't execute the work for task. 5. Closed issues stay closed. We often reopened bugs weeks or even months after they were closed, either to flag a recurrence of the same problem or to add comments about a new, related problem. Now, production code changes are tied to specific Jira requests, which enables more efficient troubleshooting and insight for future development. If a request goes live after UAT (User Acceptance Testing) and there's a production issue, it's a different problem and a new request is opened. We sometimes link to related issues to clarify the new problem. 6. We're never done improving. We're treating the work request process like our bastardized Agile development process: we learn more as we use it and make adjustments as necessary. Since we launched, product owners received more Jira permissions in order to ease a triage bottleneck. We're working on determining our optimum velocity for planned releases. We still need to come up with an overall plan for prioritizing production requests, now that Jira has been open to all Digital Media users for a little over a month. We know we always can do better and try to be as flexible as possible. So, why did we end up choosing Jira? Find out in my next post, "You say Godzilla, I say Gojira." * I wish could take credit for the title of this post; Harold Neal (Senior Software Developer) said it while reviewing the Jira implementation plan. By Kim Bryant

    This post is the first in a series explaining the challenges we face in managing work requests, bug tracking and other operational processes. Specifically, I'll cover Jira, the tool that we selected to help with these challenges, as well as the ways we've configured it to suit our culture and needs.

    Part of my job is figuring out how we can work more effectively, and one of the first areas we needed to tackle was our work request system. Our overarching goal when managing work requests is to allow Digital Media to easily separate the noise from the important stuff. You know that scene right after the crash in the first episode of Lost where Locke sees the equivalent of a redshirt wandering near an intermittently-spinning jet turbine, and the guy can't hear the specifics of Locke's yelled warning so he stops long enough to shout "What?!" and then fahWHOMP-- redshirt becomes strawberry jam and the engine explodes and a horrible situation just got worse? Here's a refresher:

    We needed to stay off the path to experiencing our own redshirt schmear in the midst of premature labor, ineffective CPR, and lethal chunks of flaming metal shrapnel. Maybe ours wouldn't be as messy, but certainly no reprise of Beach Blanket Bingo.

    Our ops demons and how we started taming them, after the jump.

    ]]> We face the same operational challenges as most small-to-mid-size development shops when prioritizing:

    multiple types of requesters with different levels of expertise
    Our requests come from a wide range of people, including senior managers, interns, contractors, developers, project managers, and designers. Each stakeholder has a different comfort level with and ability to describe technical problems and suggestions for improvement. Our process management system must accommodate all of our users, making it as easy as possible for them to log and track issues.

    multiple paths for making requests
    Folks stop by our desks, call us, email us, IM us, report bugs in tracking systems, and pass along problems while walking by the kitchen when we're nuking lunch. We don't want to limit the amount of human contact, but we do need a central repository that we encourage people to use.

    multiple types of requests
    We get everything from backend changes requiring a release to design reviews, documentation needs, and front-end changes. Often, the requestor doesn't understand the scope of what they're asking for or how it might impact other applications or users. We need a way of bucketing the same types of requests and providing an LOE estimate.

    different teams working at different levels at the same time
    On any given day, we have a mix of 40+ developers, information architects, project managers, designers, and product owners working on projects, production requests, and emergency and planned releases. They need to be able to filter by and switch from type to type with a minimum of effort, and they need to see what everyone else is working on.

    figuring out resource load
    We receive hundreds of requests a week and have a limited number of staff and contractors who can address them. Our work request system should ideally show us how much work each developer or designer has in his/her queue and allow us to adjust the load for peaks and lulls (not that we've seen much of the latter).

    Taking these key challenges into account, we established some process ground rules, which include:

    1. Jira isn't meant to take the place of human interaction. We use Jira to document, plan, track, and report on work requests and bugs. It's not like that fishing game at the community carnival where you cast your line over the wall and reel in your random prize when you feel a tug. We want our reporters to know exactly what they're getting, and we depend on them and many others to help us clarify and work collaboratively.

    2. Jira isn't the first point of contact in a true emergency. While it doesn't take much time to enter an issue and several folks are monitoring Jira throughout the workday, we don't have 24/7 coverage and we don't have any staff 100% dedicated to triaging Jira tickets as they come in. If our site is down or an editor on a breaking news deadline can't publish, folks call an emergency support number, come to our desks, or page us on the intercom. Only if necessary (sometimes after the fact) do we or they enter a Jira ticket.

    3. Product owners decide the priority of the issue. In the past, many requests requiring business analysis came to the developers for resolution. We tried to pull in product owners whenever possible, but it's a conflict of interest for developers to be setting product vision for stuff we don't own. Our new process makes product owners the first assignee by default.

    4. Only one person is responsible for a Jira issue. This rule addresses the challenges we have when someone sends a request to an email distribution list: multiple email threads start, it may not be clear who is working on it (or if anyone is working on it), and a lot of time could pass before it's resolved. The assignee is the person who has to do something with the issue -- even if it's as simple as assigning it to the right person to carry out the work. Other group members may be notified/watching, but only one person owns an issue at any given point. Throughout the lifecycle of an issue, product owners need to weigh in, but they generally don't execute the work for task.

    5. Closed issues stay closed. We often reopened bugs weeks or even months after they were closed, either to flag a recurrence of the same problem or to add comments about a new, related problem. Now, production code changes are tied to specific Jira requests, which enables more efficient troubleshooting and insight for future development. If a request goes live after UAT (User Acceptance Testing) and there's a production issue, it's a different problem and a new request is opened. We sometimes link to related issues to clarify the new problem.

    6. We're never done improving. We're treating the work request process like our bastardized Agile development process: we learn more as we use it and make adjustments as necessary. Since we launched, product owners received more Jira permissions in order to ease a triage bottleneck. We're working on determining our optimum velocity for planned releases. We still need to come up with an overall plan for prioritizing production requests, now that Jira has been open to all Digital Media users for a little over a month. We know we always can do better and try to be as flexible as possible.

    So, why did we end up choosing Jira? Find out in my next post, "You say Godzilla, I say Gojira."

    * I wish could take credit for the title of this post; Harold Neal (Senior Software Developer) said it while reviewing the Jira implementation plan.

    ]]> <p><a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/inside/2009/10/jira_swapping_chaos_for_a_litt.html#email">&raquo; E-Mail This</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="http://del.icio.us/post?url=http://www.npr.org/blogs/inside/2009/10/jira_swapping_chaos_for_a_litt.html">&raquo; Add to Del.icio.us</a> </p>     http://www.npr.org/blogs/inside/2009/10/jira_swapping_chaos_for_a_litt.html?ft=1&f=91000411 http://www.npr.org/blogs/inside/2009/10/jira_swapping_chaos_for_a_litt.html?ft=1&f=91000411 Administrative Stuff Thu, 08 Oct 2009 13:44:09 -0500     Journalism That Clicked By Mark Stencel Two of NPR's most ambitious multimedia projects -- "Planet Money" and "Climate Connections" -- collected prestigious awards for online journalism in the past week. The Online News Association gave its annual award for topical reporting and blogging by a large news Web site to Planet Money. The Planet Money team was set up last year to produce a series of on-air and online reports, blog posts and podcasts that explained the global economy. No easy task -- especially given the international financial crisis that was unfolding as the project made its debut last fall. "Planet Money provided a distinct value to a community of readers at a time when clear reporting on the financial crisis was just vital," the ONA judges said. "A lot of people were looking for and needed this information. The inaugural post that kicked off Planet Money was a feat of explanatory reporting. It stood out in an excellent field by the value it provided." The ONA prize, announced late Saturday at the organization's Online Journalism Awards banquet in San Francisco, came days after NPR collected another significant honor -- this one from The National Academies here in Washington. The National Academies is an influential scientific advisory organization comprising of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council. It gave its 2009 Communication Award for Internet journalism to NPR's online components of Climate Connections, a yearlong series developed in partnership with National Geographic to explain "how we are shaping climate" and "how climate is shaping us" -- subjects of considerable complexity and controversy. The Academies' prize for online journalism is one of four it awards each year with support from the W.M. Keck Foundation to recognize "excellence in reporting and communicating science, engineering, and medicine to the general public." "Singly, these are significant honors for NPR," Ellen Weiss, senior vice president for news and information, said in an e-mail to our staff on Monday afternoon. "We were competing with the best in our field -- including the New York Times and Wired. The awards illustrate the growing seamlessness between NPR News on the air and online, and they are a testament to the journalistic importance and integrity of our presence in the digital space." Planet Money and Climate Connections both represented major efforts to provide serious, in-depth reporting on complicated and important issues -- both online and on the air. All of us at NPR are thrilled for the staff who worked so hard on both of these projects. Mark Stencel is managing editor for digital news at NPR. By Mark Stencel

    Two of NPR's most ambitious multimedia projects -- "Planet Money" and "Climate Connections" -- collected prestigious awards for online journalism in the past week.

    The Online News Association gave its annual award for topical reporting and blogging by a large news Web site to Planet Money. The Planet Money team was set up last year to produce a series of on-air and online reports, blog posts and podcasts that explained the global economy. No easy task -- especially given the international financial crisis that was unfolding as the project made its debut last fall.

    "Planet Money provided a distinct value to a community of readers at a time when clear reporting on the financial crisis was just vital," the ONA judges said. "A lot of people were looking for and needed this information. The inaugural post that kicked off Planet Money was a feat of explanatory reporting. It stood out in an excellent field by the value it provided."

    The ONA prize, announced late Saturday at the organization's Online Journalism Awards banquet in San Francisco, came days after NPR collected another significant honor -- this one from The National Academies here in Washington.

    The National Academies is an influential scientific advisory organization comprising of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council. It gave its 2009 Communication Award for Internet journalism to NPR's online components of Climate Connections, a yearlong series developed in partnership with National Geographic to explain "how we are shaping climate" and "how climate is shaping us" -- subjects of considerable complexity and controversy. The Academies' prize for online journalism is one of four it awards each year with support from the W.M. Keck Foundation to recognize "excellence in reporting and communicating science, engineering, and medicine to the general public."

    "Singly, these are significant honors for NPR," Ellen Weiss, senior vice president for news and information, said in an e-mail to our staff on Monday afternoon. "We were competing with the best in our field -- including the New York Times and Wired. The awards illustrate the growing seamlessness between NPR News on the air and online, and they are a testament to the journalistic importance and integrity of our presence in the digital space."

    Planet Money and Climate Connections both represented major efforts to provide serious, in-depth reporting on complicated and important issues -- both online and on the air. All of us at NPR are thrilled for the staff who worked so hard on both of these projects.

    Mark Stencel is managing editor for digital news at NPR.

    ]]> <p><a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/inside/2009/10/journalism_that_clicked.html#email">&raquo; E-Mail This</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="http://del.icio.us/post?url=http://www.npr.org/blogs/inside/2009/10/journalism_that_clicked.html">&raquo; Add to Del.icio.us</a> </p>     http://www.npr.org/blogs/inside/2009/10/journalism_that_clicked.html?ft=1&f=91000411 http://www.npr.org/blogs/inside/2009/10/journalism_that_clicked.html?ft=1&f=91000411 Editorial Mon, 05 Oct 2009 16:44:09 -0500     Apply For A Travel Scholarship To PublicMediaCamp By Andy Carvin If you work at an NPR or PBS member station, you can now apply for a scholarship to attend PublicMediaCamp, scheduled for October 17-18 in Washington DC. We expect to award no more than 10 scholarships. Each of the station scholarships will cover basic travel-related expenses to attend PublicMediaCamp, as well as a $2,000 stipend towards that same station hosting a local PublicMediaCamp. One application per station, please. Scholarship Travel: Each station scholarship will cover basic travel-related reimbursements for one or two participants designated by the station to attend the PublicMediaCamp occurring in Washington DC Oct 17th and 18th. If sending two individuals to the unconference, one should be an employee of the station, but you have the option of having the second be a representative of a community organization that you will partner with to plan and host your local PublicMediaCamp. Such travel expenses may include: airfare, lodging, food and other expenses allowed by CPB travel guidelines. Local Event Stipend: In accepting a scholarship, the recipient station also commits to hosting a local PublicMediaCamp before September 1, 2010. An additional $2,000 stipend will be given scholarship recipients to offset organizing and hosting that local PublicMediaCamp. Note: Scholarship recipients (and all interested stations) will receive detailed information, documented processes, and tools to aid in hosting such events. Criteria: NPR and PBS will be selecting scholarship recipients -- pending CPB approval -- based on the applicant's experience with local community collaboration and ability to host a local PublicMediaCamp, and to create a balance of station market sizes and types (radio/TV). Deadline: Applications will be accepted until 5 p.m. ET on Wednesday, September 30, though will be considered on a rolling basis effective immediately. Please submit your information using this application form as soon as possible. Scholarship recipients will be notified immediately after being selected, and will be provided with information and process for booking and reimbursement of travel. By Andy Carvin

    If you work at an NPR or PBS member station, you can now apply for a scholarship to attend PublicMediaCamp, scheduled for October 17-18 in Washington DC.

    We expect to award no more than 10 scholarships. Each of the station scholarships will cover basic travel-related expenses to attend PublicMediaCamp, as well as a $2,000 stipend towards that same station hosting a local PublicMediaCamp. One application per station, please.

    Scholarship Travel: Each station scholarship will cover basic travel-related reimbursements for one or two participants designated by the station to attend the PublicMediaCamp occurring in Washington DC Oct 17th and 18th. If sending two individuals to the unconference, one should be an employee of the station, but you have the option of having the second be a representative of a community organization that you will partner with to plan and host your local PublicMediaCamp. Such travel expenses may include: airfare, lodging, food and other expenses allowed by CPB travel guidelines.

    Local Event Stipend: In accepting a scholarship, the recipient station also commits to hosting a local PublicMediaCamp before September 1, 2010. An additional $2,000 stipend will be given scholarship recipients to offset organizing and hosting that local PublicMediaCamp. Note: Scholarship recipients (and all interested stations) will receive detailed information, documented processes, and tools to aid in hosting such events.

    Criteria: NPR and PBS will be selecting scholarship recipients -- pending CPB approval -- based on the applicant's experience with local community collaboration and ability to host a local PublicMediaCamp, and to create a balance of station market sizes and types (radio/TV).

    Deadline: Applications will be accepted until 5 p.m. ET on Wednesday, September 30, though will be considered on a rolling basis effective immediately. Please submit your information using this application form as soon as possible. Scholarship recipients will be notified immediately after being selected, and will be provided with information and process for booking and reimbursement of travel.

    ]]> <p><a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/inside/2009/09/apply_for_a_travel_scholarship.html#email">&raquo; E-Mail This</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="http://del.icio.us/post?url=http://www.npr.org/blogs/inside/2009/09/apply_for_a_travel_scholarship.html">&raquo; Add to Del.icio.us</a> </p>     http://www.npr.org/blogs/inside/2009/09/apply_for_a_travel_scholarship.html?ft=1&f=91000411 http://www.npr.org/blogs/inside/2009/09/apply_for_a_travel_scholarship.html?ft=1&f=91000411 PubCamp PublicMediaCamp Tue, 15 Sep 2009 16:51:51 -0500     NPR News iPhone App Upgrade Includes Sharing, Audio Controls and More By Demian Perry, Robert Spier and Daniel Jacobson The NPR News iPhone app launched on August 15 and the feedback has been tremendous! But we are not content to leave well-enough alone... Today, we launched our first upgrade to the app (version 1.1). Many of the changes in this version were implemented based on your feedback via the NPR Facebook page, Twitter, other posts on this blog, iTunes reviews, etc. We built this app for you, the users, so we took your comments to heart. This release includes a lot of improvements. Most of these are "behind-the-scenes" changes to improve performance, minor layout issues and smaller feature enhancements. But there are some major additions as well, including: Sharing Tools With this release, you are now able to share stories via e-mail, Facebook and Twitter. All three sharing functions are performed within the app itself, so you can continue to listen to the story while you share it. Audio Controls One of the most frequent comments about the app has been that there was no way to pause the audio and continue where you left off. This version adds the pause button to on-demand audio, such as programs and news segments. We also added "scrubbing", which allows you to fast-forward or rewind within either program- or story-audio segments. Image Enlargement For any story that contains a photo, we have added the ability to tap on the image to see a larger version of it. Again, most of the changes for this are directly a result of your feedback. If you would like to see other features in the next version of the app, which we are already working on, please let us know. You can write us directly at techcenter at npr dot org, tweet us at NPRTechTeam or post comments to this blog. By Demian Perry, Robert Spier and Daniel Jacobson

    The NPR News iPhone app launched on August 15 and the feedback has been tremendous! But we are not content to leave well-enough alone... Today, we launched our first upgrade to the app (version 1.1). Many of the changes in this version were implemented based on your feedback via the NPR Facebook page, Twitter, other posts on this blog, iTunes reviews, etc. We built this app for you, the users, so we took your comments to heart.

    This release includes a lot of improvements. Most of these are "behind-the-scenes" changes to improve performance, minor layout issues and smaller feature enhancements. But there are some major additions as well, including:

    Sharing Tools
    With this release, you are now able to share stories via e-mail, Facebook and Twitter. All three sharing functions are performed within the app itself, so you can continue to listen to the story while you share it.

    Audio Controls
    One of the most frequent comments about the app has been that there was no way to pause the audio and continue where you left off. This version adds the pause button to on-demand audio, such as programs and news segments. We also added "scrubbing", which allows you to fast-forward or rewind within either program- or story-audio segments.

    Image Enlargement
    For any story that contains a photo, we have added the ability to tap on the image to see a larger version of it.

    Again, most of the changes for this are directly a result of your feedback. If you would like to see other features in the next version of the app, which we are already working on, please let us know. You can write us directly at techcenter at npr dot org, tweet us at NPRTechTeam or post comments to this blog.

    ]]> <p><a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/inside/2009/09/npr_news_iphone_app_upgrade_in.html#email">&raquo; E-Mail This</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="http://del.icio.us/post?url=http://www.npr.org/blogs/inside/2009/09/npr_news_iphone_app_upgrade_in.html">&raquo; Add to Del.icio.us</a> </p>     http://www.npr.org/blogs/inside/2009/09/npr_news_iphone_app_upgrade_in.html?ft=1&f=91000411 http://www.npr.org/blogs/inside/2009/09/npr_news_iphone_app_upgrade_in.html?ft=1&f=91000411 Mobile Fri, 11 Sep 2009 20:26:59 -0500     Registration Now Open For PublicMediaCamp By Andy Carvin For those of you who have been following our posts on PublicMediaCamp, I just wanted to let you know that registration is now open, as is the official PublicMediaCamp Web site. On October 17-18 in Washington DC, NPR and PBS will team up with The AU Center for Social Media and iStrategyLabs to host this unconference, focusing on exploring new forms of collaboration between public broadcasters and their communities. The event will kick off what we hope will be a series of local PublicMediaCamps hosted by stations and other community partners. Registration is free, and you should sign up as soon as possible; we've got room for around 350 people and we're almost one-third full in just the first 24 hours of registration. If you plan to attend, please be sure to visit the Web site and its wiki, as that's where we'll be planning the sessions. You can also join the PublicMediaCamp Google Group; we expect conversations to kick off there some time next week. By Andy Carvin

    For those of you who have been following our posts on PublicMediaCamp, I just wanted to let you know that registration is now open, as is the official PublicMediaCamp Web site. On October 17-18 in Washington DC, NPR and PBS will team up with The AU Center for Social Media and iStrategyLabs to host this unconference, focusing on exploring new forms of collaboration between public broadcasters and their communities. The event will kick off what we hope will be a series of local PublicMediaCamps hosted by stations and other community partners.

    Registration is free, and you should sign up as soon as possible; we've got room for around 350 people and we're almost one-third full in just the first 24 hours of registration. If you plan to attend, please be sure to visit the Web site and its wiki, as that's where we'll be planning the sessions. You can also join the PublicMediaCamp Google Group; we expect conversations to kick off there some time next week.

    ]]> <p><a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/inside/2009/09/registration_now_open_for_publ.html#email">&raquo; E-Mail This</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="http://del.icio.us/post?url=http://www.npr.org/blogs/inside/2009/09/registration_now_open_for_publ.html">&raquo; Add to Del.icio.us</a> </p> <p> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://u.npr.org/adclick/utype=rss/aamsz=300x80/position=rss2/site=NPR/blog=91000411"> <img border="0" width="300" height="80" src="http://u.npr.org/iserver/utype=rss/aamsz=300x80/position=rss2/site=NPR/blog=91000411" /> </a> </p>     http://www.npr.org/blogs/inside/2009/09/registration_now_open_for_publ.html?ft=1&f=91000411 http://www.npr.org/blogs/inside/2009/09/registration_now_open_for_publ.html?ft=1&f=91000411 PubCamp PublicMediaCamp collaboration stations unconferences Fri, 11 Sep 2009 15:17:10 -0500     Introducing The NPR Gadget For iGoogle By Jon Foreman Please welcome the latest NPR API-powered app: it's the NPR gadget for iGoogle. You can check out the gadget for yourself by adding it to your iGoogle page. Produced in collaboration with Google, the gadget offers maximum convenience to iGoogle users since content can be consumed entirely within iGoogle. It is possible to scan headlines, listen to audio, read stories, share stories, set up custom feeds, display the headlines of a favorite topic and even play the 'Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!' news quiz all within the confines of a customized iGoogle page. Most of the items displayed in the gadget are delivered via the NPR API: headlines, story text, story audio and related story links. Items that don't make use of the API are the The Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! quiz which is driven by a custom XML document, the sponsorship banner powered by JavaScript and the hourly news and program stream which are direct links to an mp3 file and stream respectively. Stories in the gadget can also be shared with friends -- this is powered by iGoogle's latest social features. Here are some screen shots of the gadget: Home View ( / )--> Canvas View ( / )--> Story View ( / )--> Quiz ( / )--> By Jon Foreman

    Please welcome the latest NPR API-powered app: it's the NPR gadget for iGoogle. You can check out the gadget for yourself by adding it to your iGoogle page.

    Produced in collaboration with Google, the gadget offers maximum convenience to iGoogle users since content can be consumed entirely within iGoogle. It is possible to scan headlines, listen to audio, read stories, share stories, set up custom feeds, display the headlines of a favorite topic and even play the 'Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!' news quiz all within the confines of a customized iGoogle page.

    Most of the items displayed in the gadget are delivered via the NPR API: headlines, story text, story audio and related story links. Items that don't make use of the API are the The Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! quiz which is driven by a custom XML document, the sponsorship banner powered by JavaScript and the hourly news and program stream which are direct links to an mp3 file and stream respectively. Stories in the gadget can also be shared with friends -- this is powered by iGoogle's latest social features.

    Here are some screen shots of the gadget:

    Home View

    gadget home view

    ]]>

    Canvas View

    gadget home view


    Story View

    gadget home view

    Quiz

    gadget home view

    ]]> <p><a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/inside/2009/09/npr_gadget_for_igoogle.html#email">&raquo; E-Mail This</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="http://del.icio.us/post?url=http://www.npr.org/blogs/inside/2009/09/npr_gadget_for_igoogle.html">&raquo; Add to Del.icio.us</a> </p>     http://www.npr.org/blogs/inside/2009/09/npr_gadget_for_igoogle.html?ft=1&f=91000411 http://www.npr.org/blogs/inside/2009/09/npr_gadget_for_igoogle.html?ft=1&f=91000411 3rd Party Tools API API gadgets iGoogle Wed, 02 Sep 2009 13:51:21 -0500     Why NPR.org Scrapped The Fees And Made Transcripts Free By Bruce Melzer One of the biggest changes we made with the launch of the new NPR.org was offering free transcripts on the site. Ever since NPR started transcribing its radio programs in 1990, we have been selling transcripts to help defray the costs of producing them. In the old days, we used to mail out copies of the transcripts, a time-consuming and expensive process for all involved. In 2002 we added e-commerce to the transcript operation and were able to drop the prices and deliver the transcripts via email. Why did we give up this revenue stream? First and foremost, the users expect to be able to come to our site and read the story they heard on the air. As rich as the radio stories are, reading is faster than listening, our users told us. Although we were writing Web versions of many radio stories, a number of stories still didn't have much text. Making transcripts free solved that. A second reason is accessibility for deaf and hard-of-hearing users. Although NPR has always had a policy of providing free transcripts to these users, we eliminated the need for them to contact us for transcript copies. There are solid business reasons for making transcripts free. Sales have been dropping over the years. As people search for, discover and share content, offering free transcripts will boost the traffic to NPR.org, traffic that can be monetized with sponsorship. Finally, search engines like text. Many of our stories could not be found by the search engines because they did not have enough text. Now it will be easier for the search engines -- and ultimately the users -- to find and enjoy NPR's stories. By Bruce Melzer

    One of the biggest changes we made with the launch of the new NPR.org was offering free transcripts on the site. Ever since NPR started transcribing its radio programs in 1990, we have been selling transcripts to help defray the costs of producing them. In the old days, we used to mail out copies of the transcripts, a time-consuming and expensive process for all involved. In 2002 we added e-commerce to the transcript operation and were able to drop the prices and deliver the transcripts via email.

    Why did we give up this revenue stream? First and foremost, the users expect to be able to come to our site and read the story they heard on the air. As rich as the radio stories are, reading is faster than listening, our users told us. Although we were writing Web versions of many radio stories, a number of stories still didn't have much text. Making transcripts free solved that.

    A second reason is accessibility for deaf and hard-of-hearing users. Although NPR has always had a policy of providing free transcripts to these users, we eliminated the need for them to contact us for transcript copies.

    There are solid business reasons for making transcripts free. Sales have been dropping over the years. As people search for, discover and share content, offering free transcripts will boost the traffic to NPR.org, traffic that can be monetized with sponsorship. Finally, search engines like text. Many of our stories could not be found by the search engines because they did not have enough text. Now it will be easier for the search engines -- and ultimately the users -- to find and enjoy NPR's stories.

    ]]> <p><a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/inside/2009/08/why_nprorg_scrapped_the_fees_a.html#email">&raquo; E-Mail This</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="http://del.icio.us/post?url=http://www.npr.org/blogs/inside/2009/08/why_nprorg_scrapped_the_fees_a.html">&raquo; Add to Del.icio.us</a> </p>     http://www.npr.org/blogs/inside/2009/08/why_nprorg_scrapped_the_fees_a.html?ft=1&f=91000411 http://www.npr.org/blogs/inside/2009/08/why_nprorg_scrapped_the_fees_a.html?ft=1&f=91000411 Mon, 24 Aug 2009 16:22:36 -0500     API Presentation at CPB By Daniel Jacobson Last week, at the request of Rob Bole, I gave a presentation on NPR's API to the staff of CPB. This presentation was the first in a series that Rob is hosting to expose the staff of the CPB to the rapidly changing technology advancements in the digital media space. This presentation is largely similar to the presentation I prepared for OSCON, with a few differences. The OSCON presentation focuses more on the technology of the API and digs a little more into the usage from a technical perspective. In the CPB presentation, on the other hand, I spent more time explaining what API's are, why they are useful, and the particular reasons why NPR built the ones that we have. Both presentations share a lot of the more interesting uses of the API across the four major target audiences: NPR, stations, partners and the public. So, here is the full CPB presentation. Click here to view the presentation (requires Adobe Acrobat) By Daniel Jacobson

    Last week, at the request of Rob Bole, I gave a presentation on NPR's API to the staff of CPB. This presentation was the first in a series that Rob is hosting to expose the staff of the CPB to the rapidly changing technology advancements in the digital media space.

    This presentation is largely similar to the presentation I prepared for OSCON, with a few differences. The OSCON presentation focuses more on the technology of the API and digs a little more into the usage from a technical perspective. In the CPB presentation, on the other hand, I spent more time explaining what API's are, why they are useful, and the particular reasons why NPR built the ones that we have. Both presentations share a lot of the more interesting uses of the API across the four major target audiences: NPR, stations, partners and the public.

    So, here is the full CPB presentation.




    Click here to view the presentation (requires Adobe Acrobat)

    ]]> <p><a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/inside/2009/08/api_presentation_at_cpb.html#email">&raquo; E-Mail This</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="http://del.icio.us/post?url=http://www.npr.org/blogs/inside/2009/08/api_presentation_at_cpb.html">&raquo; Add to Del.icio.us</a> </p>     http://www.npr.org/blogs/inside/2009/08/api_presentation_at_cpb.html?ft=1&f=91000411 http://www.npr.org/blogs/inside/2009/08/api_presentation_at_cpb.html?ft=1&f=91000411 API API CPB Presentation Mon, 24 Aug 2009 10:30:58 -0500     Incorporating Your Feedback Into The Next iPhone App Release By Demian Perry The next version of our NPR News iPhone app will include audio scrubbing and a pause button. (Calvin Carter / Bottle Rocket) I mentioned in my last post that the design of the NPR News app was based largely on ideas and suggestions from a panel of NPR listeners and heavy iPhone users. Immediately after launch, NPR ended the project precisely where it had begun: in consumer research. Through structured interviews and hours of videotaped close-ups of people playing with the NPR News app, we discovered several ways to improve the app. Because we failed to provide users with the ability to pause and skip ahead within an audio piece, our early testers were occasionally frustrated by the listening experience. We also learned that the distinction between news you read and news you listen to, once so clear to us, was lost on users. Our listeners also helped us see that the playlist, while intuitive, was hard to manage for certain tasks. In the hours that followed our release, we continued to track and learn from the comments in the app store and in our twitter feed. A couple of users discovered an error in the way some articles display, and we heard, time and again, of the need for better audio controls. Scott Stroud, in our user experience group, assembled the comments into a list of recommendations for our next version of the app. Some of the improvements, such as a more intuitive playlist interface, will take a major code rewrite that may not be available until later this fall. But our listeners also helped us to see a few ideas for improving the app that would be relatively easy to implement. Here, then, are the features slated for release within the next few weeks: Pause button - While listening to a piece, users will be able to pause playback and return to the audio later, exactly where they left off. Audio Scrubbing - Also while listening, users will soon be able to skip ahead to a particular place in an audio file. Sharing - Want to share NPR stories with your friends? We're adding support for Facebook and Twitter, as well as a way to send stories via the iPhone's native email application. Listener comments from the iPhone app release will also help us to improve the design of the other apps we have in development. Michael Frederick, a developer at Google who is leading our Android project, has created an intuitive player experience that seems to be in line with user comments and with the recommendations from our user experience group. The Symbian Foundation has also listened intently to the comments and recommendations from NPR listeners, and they're focusing the bulk of the effort for their upcoming NPR app on creating a fully-featured audio player. As you're making your own list of improvements, please share them with us. We really appreciate those five star reviews, but we also appreciate your suggestions for improvement, because they help us know where to focus our efforts. By Demian Perry

    NPR News iPhone 1.1 screenshot

    The next version of our NPR News iPhone app will include audio scrubbing and a pause button. (Calvin Carter / Bottle Rocket)

    I mentioned in my last post that the design of the NPR News app was based largely on ideas and suggestions from a panel of NPR listeners and heavy iPhone users. Immediately after launch, NPR ended the project precisely where it had begun: in consumer research.

    Through structured interviews and hours of videotaped close-ups of people playing with the NPR News app, we discovered several ways to improve the app. Because we failed to provide users with the ability to pause and skip ahead within an audio piece, our early testers were occasionally frustrated by the listening experience. We also learned that the distinction between news you read and news you listen to, once so clear to us, was lost on users. Our listeners also helped us see that the playlist, while intuitive, was hard to manage for certain tasks.

    In the hours that followed our release, we continued to track and learn from the comments in the app store and in our twitter feed. A couple of users discovered an error in the way some articles display, and we heard, time and again, of the need for better audio controls.

    Scott Stroud, in our user experience group, assembled the comments into a list of recommendations for our next version of the app. Some of the improvements, such as a more intuitive playlist interface, will take a major code rewrite that may not be available until later this fall.

    But our listeners also helped us to see a few ideas for improving the app that would be relatively easy to implement. Here, then, are the features slated for release within the next few weeks:

    • Pause button - While listening to a piece, users will be able to pause playback and return to the audio later, exactly where they left off.
    • Audio Scrubbing - Also while listening, users will soon be able to skip ahead to a particular place in an audio file.
    • Sharing - Want to share NPR stories with your friends? We're adding support for Facebook and Twitter, as well as a way to send stories via the iPhone's native email application.

    Listener comments from the iPhone app release will also help us to improve the design of the other apps we have in development. Michael Frederick, a developer at Google who is leading our Android project, has created an intuitive player experience that seems to be in line with user comments and with the recommendations from our user experience group.

    The Symbian Foundation has also listened intently to the comments and recommendations from NPR listeners, and they're focusing the bulk of the effort for their upcoming NPR app on creating a fully-featured audio player.

    As you're making your own list of improvements, please share them with us. We really appreciate those five star reviews, but we also appreciate your suggestions for improvement, because they help us know where to focus our efforts.

    ]]> <p><a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/inside/2009/08/incorporating_your_feedback_in.html#email">&raquo; E-Mail This</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="http://del.icio.us/post?url=http://www.npr.org/blogs/inside/2009/08/incorporating_your_feedback_in.html">&raquo; Add to Del.icio.us</a> </p>     http://www.npr.org/blogs/inside/2009/08/incorporating_your_feedback_in.html?ft=1&f=91000411 http://www.npr.org/blogs/inside/2009/08/incorporating_your_feedback_in.html?ft=1&f=91000411 Mobile NPR News App feedback iPhone user experience Wed, 19 Aug 2009 16:59:37 -0500     The Making of the NPR News iPhone App Early pencil sketch of the NPR News iPhone app. (Calvin Carter / Bottle Rocket) By Demian Perry What I love most about our new NPR News iPhone app is the way the design combines the plentiful content choices of the Internet with the effortless functionality of an old transistor radio. But while the app's interface is simple, its creation was complex, involving dozens of contributors, from designers and developers to business strategists and communication specialists, all working together for more than half a year. That process began early in 2009, with our search for a development partner who was familiar with the usability practices of the iPhone operating system. Developer selection After collecting recommendations from our contacts at Apple and at various digital media organizations across the country, we assembled a list of candidates and conducted interviews. We were looking for a developer who would listen to our needs and challenge our opinions. We found a good fit with Bottle Rocket, a Dallas-based app specialist with 10 apps under its belt and substantial audio experience. What we liked most about Bottle Rocket was that its CEO, Calvin Carter, listened carefully to our project plan, made notes, and patiently convinced us that everything we thought we knew about the iPhone was wrong. Most important, Calvin emphasized that the optimal user experience would be a fusion of the signature appearance and functionality of NPR.org and the standard functionality of the iPhone. Editorial proposition In our early brainstorming sessions, we defined the 'editorial proposition' of the app. We asked two important questions: What would regular NPR listeners expect us to create? How could we use the iPhone to distribute our content to new audiences? Our research department assembled a group of loyal NPR listeners and heavy iPhone users to help us answer these questions. It was clear that our most loyal listeners expected us to stay close to our roots in audio journalism and create a passive listening experience that was as simple as switching on the radio. But it was also clear from our user interviews that there was a new kind of media consumer on the horizon, one who expected 24/7 coverage, time-shifted broadcast content, and the ability to actively customize a news browsing experience. In this group, we found omnivorous news junkies who regularly consumed newspapers, television, internet and radio, often at the same time. User Experience Early pencil sketches, as seen in the above picture, showed a user interface that would clearly distinguish between reading and listening. Every story listed in the news section would have a full-text story -- and would thus be primarily a section for reading -- but would also clearly indicate which stories had associated audio. Conversely, every story listed in the program section would have audio content, but only a short description: this would be the section of the app targeted towards listening. We also began to imagine two different kinds of listening. We wanted to create a passive listening experience where: you could turn on the radio while cleaning out the garage or exercising your programming would be done for you, and you would constantly be surprised by new topics and stories. For this passive listening experience, we sketched out an area where a live stream of the listener's favorite stations would never be more than a touch away. For this app to succeed, however, it couldn't just be a radio-like experience. We needed to create a place for active listening as well. This would be the section of the app where: you could dive deep into a subject of personal interest you could program your own stories, and you hear only those stories that had caught your attention moments before. We imagined a playlist that you could listen to immediately, or build now and listen to later. We also considered how the playlist might serve both as a way to keep track of stories you had not yet heard, as well as those you might listen to over and over again. Lastly, we wanted to create a way to browse the news and build your playlist at the same time that you were listening to a stream, so that the omnivorous news consumer could keep both eyes and ears occupied. Development Based on our own experience with iPhone apps, we decided that performance was at least as important as features (this was one point that Calvin agreed with us on). To achieve this performance goal, the app was built almost entirely on NPR's Story API, which allowed us to deliver tight data packets that would ensure speedy navigation within the app. Station streams, however, presented a larger challenge. To begin with, NPR didn't have direct stream links for any of its stations, so we built a Web spider that identified and captured more than 300 iPhone-compatible station streams. After that first pass, we worked with our station representatives to manually test each stream. In the process they found enough new streams to double our database. All of these streams are delivered to the app from NPR's Station Finder API. Shortly after we began development, Public Interactive (the division of NPR that manages digital media properties of many public radio stations) came to us with an exciting opportunity: they offered us access to their database of program schedules for NPR stations. By combining direct stream links with program schedule information, PI would make it possible for users to find stations playing a particular program right now, and then listen to that program live. We had never done anything like this before, but an iPhone app seemed an ideal opportunity to launch this new service. Since the launch, we've learned a lot about what features NPR fans expect from their NPR app. We plan to make those changes in the next couple of weeks. Later this week, we'll give you a sneak peak of what's coming in the next version of the NPR News app. pencil sketch of NPR News iPhone app.

    Early pencil sketch of the NPR News iPhone app. (Calvin Carter / Bottle Rocket)

    By Demian Perry

    What I love most about our new NPR News iPhone app is the way the design combines the plentiful content choices of the Internet with the effortless functionality of an old transistor radio. But while the app's interface is simple, its creation was complex, involving dozens of contributors, from designers and developers to business strategists and communication specialists, all working together for more than half a year. That process began early in 2009, with our search for a development partner who was familiar with the usability practices of the iPhone operating system.

    Developer selection

    After collecting recommendations from our contacts at Apple and at various digital media organizations across the country, we assembled a list of candidates and conducted interviews. We were looking for a developer who would listen to our needs and challenge our opinions. We found a good fit with Bottle Rocket, a Dallas-based app specialist with 10 apps under its belt and substantial audio experience. What we liked most about Bottle Rocket was that its CEO, Calvin Carter, listened carefully to our project plan, made notes, and patiently convinced us that everything we thought we knew about the iPhone was wrong. Most important, Calvin emphasized that the optimal user experience would be a fusion of the signature appearance and functionality of NPR.org and the standard functionality of the iPhone.

    Editorial proposition

    In our early brainstorming sessions, we defined the 'editorial proposition' of the app. We asked two important questions:

    • What would regular NPR listeners expect us to create?
    • How could we use the iPhone to distribute our content to new audiences?

    Our research department assembled a group of loyal NPR listeners and heavy iPhone users to help us answer these questions. It was clear that our most loyal listeners expected us to stay close to our roots in audio journalism and create a passive listening experience that was as simple as switching on the radio. But it was also clear from our user interviews that there was a new kind of media consumer on the horizon, one who expected 24/7 coverage, time-shifted broadcast content, and the ability to actively customize a news browsing experience. In this group, we found omnivorous news junkies who regularly consumed newspapers, television, internet and radio, often at the same time.

    ]]> User Experience


    Early pencil sketches, as seen in the above picture, showed a user interface that would clearly distinguish between reading and listening. Every story listed in the news section would have a full-text story -- and would thus be primarily a section for reading -- but would also clearly indicate which stories had associated audio. Conversely, every story listed in the program section would have audio content, but only a short description: this would be the section of the app targeted towards listening.

    We also began to imagine two different kinds of listening. We wanted to create a passive listening experience where:

    • you could turn on the radio while cleaning out the garage or exercising
    • your programming would be done for you, and
    • you would constantly be surprised by new topics and stories.

    For this passive listening experience, we sketched out an area where a live stream of the listener's favorite stations would never be more than a touch away.

    For this app to succeed, however, it couldn't just be a radio-like experience. We needed to create a place for active listening as well. This would be the section of the app where:

    • you could dive deep into a subject of personal interest
    • you could program your own stories, and
    • you hear only those stories that had caught your attention moments before.

    We imagined a playlist that you could listen to immediately, or build now and listen to later. We also considered how the playlist might serve both as a way to keep track of stories you had not yet heard, as well as those you might listen to over and over again.
    Lastly, we wanted to create a way to browse the news and build your playlist at the same time that you were listening to a stream, so that the omnivorous news consumer could keep both eyes and ears occupied.

    Development

    Based on our own experience with iPhone apps, we decided that performance was at least as important as features (this was one point that Calvin agreed with us on). To achieve this performance goal, the app was built almost entirely on NPR's Story API, which allowed us to deliver tight data packets that would ensure speedy navigation within the app. Station streams, however, presented a larger challenge. To begin with, NPR didn't have direct stream links for any of its stations, so we built a Web spider that identified and captured more than 300 iPhone-compatible station streams. After that first pass, we worked with our station representatives to manually test each stream. In the process they found enough new streams to double our database. All of these streams are delivered to the app from NPR's Station Finder API.

    Shortly after we began development, Public Interactive (the division of NPR that manages digital media properties of many public radio stations) came to us with an exciting opportunity: they offered us access to their database of program schedules for NPR stations. By combining direct stream links with program schedule information, PI would make it possible for users to find stations playing a particular program right now, and then listen to that program live. We had never done anything like this before, but an iPhone app seemed an ideal opportunity to launch this new service.

    Since the launch, we've learned a lot about what features NPR fans expect from their NPR app. We plan to make those changes in the next couple of weeks. Later this week, we'll give you a sneak peak of what's coming in the next version of the NPR News app.

    ]]> <p><a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/inside/2009/08/the_making_of_the_npr_news_iph.html#email">&raquo; E-Mail This</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="http://del.icio.us/post?url=http://www.npr.org/blogs/inside/2009/08/the_making_of_the_npr_news_iph.html">&raquo; Add to Del.icio.us</a> </p>     http://www.npr.org/blogs/inside/2009/08/the_making_of_the_npr_news_iph.html?ft=1&f=91000411 http://www.npr.org/blogs/inside/2009/08/the_making_of_the_npr_news_iph.html?ft=1&f=91000411 Mobile Bottle Rocket NPR News App iPhone product development user experience Mon, 17 Aug 2009 13:15:05 -0500     Introducing the NPR News iPhone App By Kinsey Wilson and Dick Meyer For those who like to get their NPR information on the go, we're pleased to announce the launch of the NPR News iPhone app. It's designed to let you tune in your favorite stations, catch up on programs you missed or simply stay abreast of the latest news. It's fast and efficient. And, like the redesigned Web site, designed to deliver news and programming to standards NPR listeners and readers have come to expect -- with integrity, consistency and occasional wit. Scott Simon, host of Weekend Edition Saturday, gives you a visual preview here: As Scott explains, you can browse headlines and read the latest news stories. You can listen to programs live from practically any NPR station in the country -- or time-shifted to suit your own schedule. You can bookmark your favorite stations. And you can queue up programs to a play list, so you can listen later at your own convenience. It's all part of our effort to make sure you can enjoy NPR, day or night, on whatever platform you use -- at your desk, in the car, on the subway, or strolling around the city. The iPhone app is just the first of several smart-phone apps we'll be launching this year. And it supplements the access you already enjoy on our mobile Web site. To download the free app, go to iphone.npr.org/recommendnprnews or search for "NPR News" in the iTunes App Store. Please give it a try and let us know what you think. Respectfully, Kinsey Wilson, SVP & GM, NPR Digital Media Dick Meyer, Executive Editor, NPR News By Kinsey Wilson and Dick Meyer

    For those who like to get their NPR information on the go, we're pleased to announce the launch of the NPR News iPhone app. It's designed to let you tune in your favorite stations, catch up on programs you missed or simply stay abreast of the latest news.

    It's fast and efficient. And, like the redesigned Web site, designed to deliver news and programming to standards NPR listeners and readers have come to expect -- with integrity, consistency and occasional wit.

    Scott Simon, host of Weekend Edition Saturday, gives you a visual preview here:

    As Scott explains, you can browse headlines and read the latest news stories. You can listen to programs live from practically any NPR station in the country -- or time-shifted to suit your own schedule. You can bookmark your favorite stations. And you can queue up programs to a play list, so you can listen later at your own convenience.

    It's all part of our effort to make sure you can enjoy NPR, day or night, on whatever platform you use -- at your desk, in the car, on the subway, or strolling around the city.

    The iPhone app is just the first of several smart-phone apps we'll be launching this year. And it supplements the access you already enjoy on our mobile Web site.

    To download the free app, go to iphone.npr.org/recommendnprnews or search for "NPR News" in the iTunes App Store. Please give it a try and let us know what you think.

    Respectfully,

    Kinsey Wilson, SVP & GM, NPR Digital Media
    Dick Meyer, Executive Editor, NPR News

    ]]> <p><a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/inside/2009/08/introducing_the_npr_news_iphon.html#email">&raquo; E-Mail This</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="http://del.icio.us/post?url=http://www.npr.org/blogs/inside/2009/08/introducing_the_npr_news_iphon.html">&raquo; Add to Del.icio.us</a> </p> <p> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://u.npr.org/adclick/utype=rss/aamsz=300x80/position=rss3/site=NPR/blog=91000411"> <img border="0" width="300" height="80" src="http://u.npr.org/iserver/utype=rss/aamsz=300x80/position=rss3/site=NPR/blog=91000411" /> </a> </p>     http://www.npr.org/blogs/inside/2009/08/introducing_the_npr_news_iphon.html?ft=1&f=91000411 http://www.npr.org/blogs/inside/2009/08/introducing_the_npr_news_iphon.html?ft=1&f=91000411 Mobile App Store NPR News iPhone mobile Sat, 15 Aug 2009 20:05:30 -0500