It’s not news to anyone that more and more news is being consumed online. Yes, people still read the newspaper and watch television and listen to the radio, but the Internet and social media are becoming the popular choice for consuming news.

So, we know this, but how are we capitalizing on it? And are we doing it often enough?

I would argue journalists can always do more with web content. More videos, more social media interaction, more interactives, the list goes on and on.

Here are some successful web content elements I have created.

1. Live streaming. The Oprah interview with Lance Armstrong is a perfect example of this. While the interview was live on television, it was simultaneously streaming live on the web. You can do this with court events, press conferences and more and you don’t have to interrupt any programs on TV.

2. Web interactives. Data is great but can be overwhelming and dull at times. Web interactives can make the data easy to understand andeasier to sift through for your audience.

3. Web extras. Have an incredible interview but can’t include it all in the piece? Why not add it to the web? Or behind-the-scenes videos or explanations of how the story came a part are always great too.

4. Live blogging. Live tweeting. Sometime your audience cannot always be watching or listening live to meeting, press conference or court event. So, why not live blog the event or live tweet it with hashtags? It can help you gain followers and it helps share information as it happens.

5. Photo slideshows. People love photos. From people to animals to scene photos, people will look and they will click on them. They are a great way to generate clicks and hits for your website.

I think all of these are worth trying and once you try them I bet you will keep doing them and see results.

Lynn Walsh in the Investigative Producer for WPTV in West Palm Beach, Florida. She is the Chair for the SPJ Generation J Committee and also sits on the Board for the SPJ South Florida Chapter. Connect with her on Twitter, @LWalsh or send her an e-mail: Lynn.K.Walsh@gmail.com.

Most of my friends don’t get it. “Why are you following (insert elected officials name here) around?”

My family still sometimes doesn’t understand why when they watch a story I produced they don’t see my face on camera. “That was great Lynn, but we didn’t see you. Was that the correct link?”

And on first dates, let’s just say, they seem to think it means I work with James Bond. “So, you go undercover all the time? Hide out in vans? Cool!”

And the reality is my job is cool (or at least I think so.)

I get to write, research, shoot video, play with new interactive web tools, ask questions that make people uncomfortable but provide answers for the community and most importantly make a difference in people’s lives.

Everyday isn’t perfect and some days are more frustrating than you know: all I want is the answer to what you think would be a simple question, but after being re-directed to eight different offices, leaving voicemails and waiting for return phone calls, a day can pass by and you still may not have the answer.
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Over the years, conversations with friends and colleagues and listening to my parents friends and sometimes relatives gripe about their jobs, I have learned that a lot of people don’t like what they do. They’re working to make money to survive or they’re settling for something they fell into easily.

For those people that may be fine, but I know I would never be able to work somewhere and not love what I was doing.

As articles about how tough the news business is, pop up almost daily. As columns about how journalism is dying continue to be tweeted. And as year after year, survey after survey ranks “journalist” as one of the worst jobs a person could have, the Generation J committee has something to say: WE LOVE OUR JOBS!

Yes, I think our enthusiasm shines brightly in our blogs and our tweets daily and I like to think it’s just as contagious, this time we wanted to scream it and make sure every journalist and even those non-news people out there are hearing us loud and clear.

So, tomorrow will mark the beginning of a series of posts from Gen J committee members and young journalists working in news that will tell you why we love what we do.

These blogs will run right up to the start of the SPJ and RTDNA Excellence in Journalism Convention which begins September 19. The fun and love of journalism will continue at the convention where you can meet and mingle with the committee members and other young journalists who love their jobs.
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by: Lynn Walsh & Mike Brannen

It’s time again. The Society of Professional Journalists Generation J Hangout is just days away and we want you to join us.

February is almost over, which means for those of us in the television news business, sweeps is coming to an end. So, why not take a break and chat with us about sweeps, the stories you have seen covered by local or national news organization or just journalism in general.

We all know the business is tough, but it is also exciting and that is why we are still writing, posting and interviewing. come chat with other journalists who are passionate about the news industry and want to see the industry continue to adapt to changing technology.

The next one is Monday, February 27, 8:00 p.m. EST.

To join just SPJ Generation J or Lynn on Google+. You can also shoot Lynn an e-mail: Lynn.K.Walsh@gmail.com and she can send you a personal invitation.

Our vision is to use the space for a “therapeutic” experience. We all need time to vent over the things that drive us nuts. Here, you’ll get a chance to do that without repercussion. We hope to gather a handful of folks from across the county, from different newsrooms, and share war stories.

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