Nothing without content
With all the talk about new social media and the projects that new technology is going to allow us to embark on in the coming year, I thought it would be pertinent to talk about content. Content is king, no matter how good the website is or our means of communicating are, it is the content that rules.
It matters on two levels, first, that it is of a high quality – well written, interesting and accurate. Second that it is relevant – that the news is on issues that concern the students. So I pose two questions for Redbrick, how do we ensure good ideas and high quality articles?
The answer lies in many areas; to be the centre of discussion and debate on campus means writing news that is factual and accurate and then providing comment, it means having thought provoking reviews, challenging sports coverage and insightful analysis of current affairs. Unlike our ever reliable politicians we need openness and to provide our readers with the means to engage in the content.
We are always posed with the dilemma about how we cover local and national news – both are important and students are interested in much of what goes on. Striking a balance that is focused on campus and local news, whilst also lending resources to students with an interesting perspective or first hand experience/knowledge of an international event is an important median to find.
This year we will be looking to provide our writers with more feedback, so that they may improve their writing and develop their skills. We will provide more specific training on writing reviews, conducting interviews and investigating news stories. We are also looking to get more proof-readers involved to help maintain the quality of the content.
Of course working to a deadline is always a difficult task and the nature of the paper is that mistakes will be made, yet the current team have done a good job in encouraging the articles to be interesting and relevant and this is something we will endeavour to continue at Redbrick.
This year we will be looking to crowdsource and to follow up on the results from the survey we ran last term. The survey has indicated to us where students feel we have room for improvement and also which sections need some more attention, in both style and content. We will take on board any criticisms of the content and urge you all to challenge the opinions and commentary in the paper.
We want to be the centre of discussion and debate on campus, to confront the status quo and to be a trusted and reliable source of information for students. This does not involve us proscribing to you what is news and what is important, we are not going to dictate what should be being discussed. So get a twitter account – follow us @redbrickpaper, keep your eyes out for the new website, comment, challenge and engage.
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