Registration opens for DJCamp2013 in Istanbul

[Update 08/01/2012: All the places for this workshop have now been taken. However, if you are interested in attending, please add your name to the waiting list and we'll let you know if any additional places become available]

Registration is now open for the much-anticipated DJCAMP2013 Istanbul – a two-day workshop designed to inspire and equip journalists with the skills they need to find and shape data into stories with impact.

Presented by internationally-recognised digital journalism thought leaders and experienced data journalism trainers Sarah Hartley and Megan Knight, this hands-on workshop will run over the weekend of 26th and 27th January 2013 at Istanbul Bilgi University's Santral Campus. DJCamp2013 is part of the series of activities of the MADE project, which aims to support innovative news entrepreneurs in Turkey  and the UK.

In addition to spaces reserved for those who participated in the recent MADE: Turkey Weekend for Startups, 15 additional spaces are available to professional journalists and  journalism  academics.

You'll find more information about the workshop and alshow you can reserve your place available here.

The MADE UK Weekend for Media Entrepreneurs

The Northern Lights business incubation unit

We have just finished winding up the first MADE UK Weekend for Media Entrepreneurs and the only word that feels appropriate is, Wow.

Forty keen entrepreneurs and coaches descended on UCLan’s Media Factory campus for an intensive 48 hours discussing their own projects and the things we can do to create sustainable journalism businesses. Being in Preston we couldn’t promise great weather but we created a great space where our entrepreneurs could speak freely about their projects and the challenges they face.

We had several top notch coaches to guide participants on the finer points of cash flow, innovation, content strategies, advertising models, community engagement and new technologies.

The days were long and intensive. This was no breezy day conference and networking event. Participants were expected to work, engage and contribute and they certainly rose to the challenge. One of the weekend’s coaches, MADE partner Aine McGuire of Scraperwiki said:

“It’s been amazing. I certainly feel I learnt more from the participants than I was able to give back.”

We were delighted by how much participants shared with each other: WordPress tips and tricks, social media advice, advertising methods. Everyone recognised that the secret to achieving sustainable new media enterprises is by conversation and knowledge transfer. At the end of the weekend when our entrepreneurs gave a five minute pitch of their businesses they invited constructive criticism from our judges and other participants. They got plenty of this but also, overwhelmingly, they were offered advice and suggestions on funding, technology, contacts. The generosity participants showed each other was humbling.

MADE initiator François Nel kicked off the UK’s first weekend workshop aimed specifically at news entrepreneurs by asking: “Why are we here? “

“The short answer, “ he told the 32 nascent and new media entrepreneurs who had come from throughout the UK and as far afield as Italy and Lagos, “is to help you” you. And to learn.”

“How will we know if the Media And Digital Enterprise project has been successful? “
“In the longer term, we would know if the news entrepreneurs manage to not only startup
news enterprise in the public interest, but succeed in creating sustainable thriving enterprises – whether for social, educational or commercial purposes. Or all three.

“Of more immediate focus is you and your experiences over this weekend. For us, success would be measured in a number of ways:
If you manage to test and confirm your strategy against all the Why? What If? What Else? questions we’re going to be asking this weekend. Or if you manage to test your ideas and redirect or pivot your focus. Or if you decide to refocus on an entirely different opportunity – either on your own or in partnership with one or more of the people in this room.”

On Friday evening we kicked off with the intriguing story of Preston’s newspaper wars from UCLan’s Dr Andrew Hobbs followed by Nick Jaspan of How-Do media on his successes, failures and battle stories from media entrepreneurship. Then the ice-breaker task, the point in so many conferences and events when people cringe and get uncomfortable. But under the stewardship of Stuart and Gillian Morris our MADE participants threw themselves into it and created brand new companies, ideas and business models in under an hour.

MADE’s François Nel started off Saturday with a look at what the make-up of a news media start-up is. What makes them different to the established media? Where are the opportunities? What must they do differently? 

Rick Waghorn of Addiply and Arthur Porter of the Business Journals talked about how news start-ups can get their hands on cold, hard cash before fascinating round-table discussions on marketing, money, community and technology.

Aine McGuire and scraping maestro Julian Todd of Scraperwiki looked at how news start-ups can get a competitive advantage on their mainstream rivals by the means of open data. Traditional print media has long monopolised the dissemination of data but through government initiatives and tools like Scraperwiki, news start-ups can get a unique slice of the pie.

Community is vital to any new media company. Whether it’s a community defined by geography or one defined by interests it is important that publishers recognise who their community is and how best they can serve them. This is what Sarah Hartley of Guardian Media Group’s n0tice project shared with us before demonstrating how our participants can use the n0tice journalism toolbox and APIs to create great community content.

The MADE Exchange

In the afternoon our MADE entrepreneurs were given the opportunity to sit down with our coaches and discuss their business ideas and call on their invaluable advice. Of course we ran out of time for these fantastic conversations but rest assured they continued on into the night.

Saturday was a day of ideas and inspiration but Sunday was a day of realities. Peter Rawling of the Northern Lights business incubation unit based at UCLan walked our entrepreneurs step by step through creating a business plan and cash-flow forecast. He was then joined by François Nel to talk about where funding opportunities are and how entrepreneurs can get their hands on some much needed cash.

Taking this on board participants began to craft their final presentations to deliver to the group in the afternoon.

What was delivered were pitches, that while hastily done, were brimming with enthusiasm and optimism. The range of ideas and business on show was truly remarkable. Business and projects tackled issues such as local, environment, travel, black lifestyle, business, niche industries and so many more. We can’t share the details of these businesses but we can share this: if MADE participants can capture the enthusiasm and creativity they demonstrated this weekend and put it into their businesses then we have no doubt of their success.

François Nel quizzes the MADE entrepreneurs

Nel said: “We’ve certainly delighted that we achieved what we set out to do. We’ve also seeded what I certainly hope will become a strong network of entrepreneurs. We’ve even seen some flirting amongst the entrepreneurs. I suspect there’ll be a few co-founder dates over the coming weeks and we may even be able to announce partnership or two.”

Next: The five candidates invited to join the MADE Hothouse, a 12-week business support
programme will be announced on 21 June.

All the participants have been invited to join the MADE Network and to participate in a two-day data journalism camp in September.

The MADE Project will also run in Turkey this autumn

How to apply for the MADE: UK Weekend for media startups and get into the MADE: Hothouse

MADE is looking for creative, motivated communicators who want to start or grow digital news enterprises for civic, educational or commercial purposes.

In June, we kick off with a 48-hour MADE: UK Weekend for media startups for up to 30 news entrepreneurs from anywhere in Europe with creative flair, energy and ability coupled with a willingness to learn. Successful applicants will work with a team of mentors including the cream of digital talent from ScraperWiki, Talk About Local and UCLan’s School of Journalism, Media and Communication and Northern Lights’ business support team.

The MADE: UK Startup Weekend will run from 5pm on Friday, 15 June to 5pm on Sunday, 17 June in the Sandbox at the Media Factory, UCLan’s creative and digital industries centre in Preston.  

(The MADE: Turkey Weekend for media startups is being planned for the Autumn in Istanbul. If you’d like to be kept in the loop, please add your contact details here)

Following the Startup Weekend, up to five projects will be invited to join the the MADE Hothouse, a 12-week mentoring and support programme that will give you one-to-one access to expertise to help you develop and grow your news enterprise. Those in the MADE Hothouse will get to work directly with developers from ScraperWiki, who will help you create bespoke solutions for your online news and information venture, and will get additional business development training and coaching from industry professionals and UCLan staff. You’ll also get to connect and share with other innovators in the MADE Hothouses in the UK and Turkey.

Sounds good. But how do I know I qualify?

MADE is for you if you’re keen on making and sharing “factual content in the public interest” (the definition of news that MADE initiator François Nel uses). That could a news and information project about a geographic community, such as Ventnor Blog , or specific niche content theme, such as How-Do, or issue, such as the data-driven Ethical Consumer cooperative. Whether your motivation is civic, educational or commercial (or all three), MADE wants to help your start-up stay up. So, whether you’re a professionally trained journalist or just an enthusiast. Young or old. Experienced in business or a novice. If you’re either thinking about starting up a digital news site or your project has been going for less than three years and you'd like to find ways to take it to the next level, we’d like to hear from you.

 I’m excited. How do I apply?

We want you to send a copy of your CV along with a short statement about why you as a news innovator think a new set of skills and connections will help your enterprise.(400 words maximum). Deadline for Applications is Friday, 18 May at 5pm. Your application will be considered by a panel of industry professionals and a representative from UCLan, who will compile a shortlist of candidates.

 What happens next?

If you make it to the shortlist you will be notified via email no later than 28 May and may be invited to participate in an interview. For the interview you’ll be asked to discuss how you intend to make use of the opportunity offered by MADE. This will be followed by questions from the panel.

 Then what?

You’ll be told whether or not you have a place on the MADE Startup Weekend by 31 May 2012.

 What else do I need to know about the process?

Applicants must be available to attend every day of the MADE Startup Weekend. Anyone who does not attend the weekend will not be eligible for one of the 12 week mentoring opportunities in the MADE Hothouse. There is no charge for the MADE Startup Weekend, but MADE does not cover the cost of travel to and from the workshop. A limited number of accommodation and subsistence scholarships are available. Please contact the project leader François Nel at FPNel@uclan.ac.uk for more details.  

Where do I send my completed CV and short statement?

You can email your CV and short statement to: FPNel@uclan.ac.uk. Please put the words ‘#uclanMADE Application’ in the subject line of your email.

Anything else?

Yes, plenty. The MADE team is hard at work researching news entrepreneurship and we’ll be sharing what we find on our blog and, eventually, in MADE Insight reports. We’ve also got more networking events, hangouts and workshops - including a MADE DJ Camp (yes, that’ll be a follow on Data Journalism Camp from the booked-out DJCamp2011) - in the works for the Autumn, so keep following @uclanMADE  or, better still, join sign up to get MADE Updates and MADE GoogleGroup.

#SoLoMoDEN Social, Local and Mobile Innovation & MADE project launch on the agenda for next DEN meetup on 23 Feb in Media City, Manchester

Innovations in Social, Local and Mobile news top the agenda for the next Digital Editors Network meeting from 1-5:30pm on Thursday, 23 February 2012, at Media City UK in Manchester, followed by a networking reception and launch of the MADE project, the UK winner of the International Press Institute's inaugural News Innovation Contest sponsored by Google.

 

Leading the discussions on Social, Local and Mobile Innovations are:

Greg Hadfield (@greghadfield) on how the rise of open-data cities is giving local media a chance to re-invent themselves – and why it could be their last lifeline. Greg, a former Fleet Street journalist and internet entrepreneur, is director of strategic projects with Cogapp, an award-winning digital agency in Brighton and Hove.

Paul Bradshaw (@paulbradshaw) on opportunities for news enterprises to co-create content through new HelpMeInvestigate initiatives. Paul is author of the Online Journalism Handbook, founder of the Online Journalism Blog, HelpMeInvestigate and Hacks & Hackers Birmingham.

Sarah Hartley (@foodiesarah) on how news innovators can use the Guardian Media Group’s nOtice.com platform for local content, communities and commerce. Sarah is Managing Director of TalkAboutLocal and Community Strategist for GMG.






François Nel (@francoisnel) on the how local newspapers are doing on the 4Cs of mobile news - content, channels, content and commerce – and why they’re in danger of making some grave errors. François is digital media business researcher and director of the Journalism Leaders Programme at UCLan.






François also recently became the only UK winner of the inaugural International Press Institute’s News Innovation Contest funded by a grant from Google. During the networking reception that will follow the DEN meeting at 5:30, François will briefly explain the Media And Digital Enterprise (MADE) project which aims to equip digital innovators with the cutting-edge knowledge and skills required to start up and sustain innovative new journalistic enterprises in the public interest. The MADE project hopes to support individuals, groups and organisations in- and outside of the mainstream media (To stay in the MADE project loop, see http://bit.ly/thXQiy ).



The discussion will be chaired by Nick Turner (@nickincumbria), Head of Digital Content for the CN Group and a co-founder of DEN.

You can register for one of the 50 spaces at the next #SoLoMoDEN or to only join for MADE project launch HERE.

Since 2007, the Digital Editors Network has worked to link media innovators, whether they work inside, outside or alongside mainstream media organisations. You can connect with DEN by liking our Facebook page , joining our Linkedin group, or following us on Twitter @DENupdates or this blog. DEN is supported by the School of Journalism, Media & Communication at the University of Central Lancashire in Preston, UK, home to the UK's oldest journalism programme.

If you'd like to contribute ideas, speak, host or sponsor a future DEN meetup, don't hesitate to contact the convenors Nick Turner nick.turner @cumbrian-newspapers. co.uk or François Nel FPNel @uclan . ac . uk