Digital Identities, powered by Google News Lab, invites journalists to join the third edition of the innovative one-day development workshop. You’ll learn how to test your story ideas on social media and scale them from concept to reality. The workshops will run in London and Dublin in October 2017. Register for the free workshop in your city using the form below.
In this one day workshop, you will develop an action plan to raise awareness of your stories online, capture audience attention and encourage communities to take action. This workshop will help you understand the evolution of conversation on social media – from content to chaos to constructive dialogue.
We’ll explore new engagement models that yield powerful outcomes: from the polarising effect of memes to the compelling narratives of true-crime podcasts. Google News Lab will provide a digital tools workshop to help journalists strengthen their online news gathering and reporting. The sessions will also feature lightning talks from international journalists who have published stories that have led to powerful outcomes, using the approaches presented in this workshop.
“The workshop… is unique in valuing journalism and using technology as a process and not an end in itself.”
Neha Dixit, Independent Journalist.
Neha’s work has been published by Al Jazeera, NYTimes, Smithsonian, Caravan and other publications.
Who should attend:
This free workshop is open to editorial teams, product owners, community managers and hyperlocal publishers. No prior experience of digital storytelling, however we encourage participants to come with story ideas that you can explore in the workshop.
The workshop programme:
When and Where: The sessions will take place in London – October 23 and Dublin – October 24. Please register for a session in your city using the form below.
| 0930 | Arrival and coffee |
| 1000 | Part 1: The evolution of conversation, from comments to chaos |
| You will learn how to test your story idea on social media and scale it from concept to reality. We’ll look at several case studies and you will start to develop a personal plan of action. Google News Lab will also provide a digital tools workshop for newsgathering and reporting and we introduce our first speaker. | |
| 1230 | Lunch |
| 1330 | What does audience participation mean to you? |
| Previous participants have consistently told us that this workshop is a valuable opportunity to think through ideas, something that isn’t possible in a hectic newsroom. This is why we’ve introduced a new segment to help you explore what audience participation means to you, using the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® innovation process. | |
| 1415 | Part 2: What happens when your readers form a community? |
| What are the rules of engagement when your readers start talking to each other online and may turn on you? We’ll explore strategies to capture audience attention and manage risk, especially if you story focuses on a contentious theme. | |
| 1500 | Coffee break |
| 1515 | Part 3: Design your innovation experiment – what’s your story idea? | In this segment we look at emerging trends in impact journalism, including new digital tools and storytelling techniques. You’ll be taken through a step-by-step process to consolidate what you’ve learnt so far and design an experiment to test your story idea using social media. |
| 1600 | Final lighting talk and Q&A with international journalists |
| 1630 | Workshop concludes |
About this edition of Digital Identities powered by Google News Lab:
This edition of Digital Identities is inspired by the experiments conducted by our previous participants. Since 2016, we’ve engaged more than one hundred journalists from eight countries, many of whom have conducted radical experiments and produced powerful stories. From Canada to India, these stories have been published on platforms that have a combined reach of a 100 million and they continue to inspire national conversations on issues such as gender, integration and politics.
Register your place:
The workshop is free, but as space is limited it is essential to RSVP. It is open to editorial teams, product owners, community managers and hyperlocal publishers. No prior experience of digital storytelling, however we encourage participants to come with story ideas that you can explore in the workshop. A maximum of four employees per organisation can take part.