This slideshow could not be started. Try refreshing the page or viewing it in another browser.
WordPress in the Newsroom
About me: Mohammad (Mo) Jangda
mo@automattic.com | batmoo@gmail.com | @mjangda
- Code Wrangler at WordPress.com VIP (Automattic)
- Core Contributor to WordPress
- Imprint (University of Waterloo) Alum
- NASH 2007
- Background in News, Publishing, Tech
- Ice Cream Fan
DISCLAIMER #1
A lot of the plugins I will talk about are mine or have significant contributions by me. Not because I’m being self-serving asshat but because these are some of the best tools for newsrooms to use.
DISCLAIMER #2
Tailor everything to your community and newsroom’s needs and culture; there is “no one size fits all” approach.
Scientific Fact of the Day!
17.5% of the web uses WordPress
(New York Times, TIME, CNN, CBS Local, National Post, Quartz, Boing Boing, Mashable, etc.)


Unscientific Fact of the Day!
80% of Canadian University newspapers use WordPress to power their sites.
University of Toronto | thevarsity.ca
University of Waterloo | theimprint.ca
University of Western Ontario | westerngazette.ca
York University | excal.on.ca
University of Victoria | martlet.ca
Ryerson University | theeyeopener.com
Carleton University | charlatan.ca
Concordian University | theconcordian.com
University of British Columbia | ubyssey.ca
University of Ottawa | thefulcrum.ca
University of Manitoba | themanitoban.com
It’s hip to be WordPress
But do you really know and use WordPress?
Leveraging Structured Data
WordPress is a semantic publishing platform.
Custom Post Types
A custom post type is nothing more than a regular post with a different
MARKDOWN_HASH01b0357bbb461420eb0aced7e3c2fcb9MARKDOWN_HASH
value in the database. The post type of regular posts is post, pages use page, attachments use attachment and so on. You can now create your own to indicate the type of content created. You could create custom post types for books, movies, reviews, products and so on.
— Smashing Magazine (http://wp.smashingmagazine.com)
Custom Taxonomies
WordPress’ custom taxonomies make it possible to structure large amounts of content in a logical, well-organized way. In WordPress, categories are set up as a hierarchal taxonomy, and tags are set up as a multifaceted taxonomy […] A large news organization could organize its content by world region (Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, Middle East, US & Canada), as the BBC does in its “World” section.
— Smashing Magazine (http://wp.smashingmagazine.com)
Post Metadata
WordPress lets you add arbitrary metadata to posts. Movie Ratings. Pull quotes. Geolocation.
Leveraging Media
Easy Galleries. Easy Embeds.
HULK NOW A JOURNALIST FOR FREEDOM! HULK SMASH LIES!
— Journalist Hulk (@iiefhwpi23hdkwd) January 10, 2011
Leveraging Mobile
Make the mobile app a pre-requisite for all your editors and reporters.
Leveraging Real-time
Liveblogging. All the things.
Leveraging Social
- Social Commenting
- Social Sharing
- Social Publishing
Leveraging a Web-first Workflow
WordPress is your central hub and content store.
Plugin: Edit Flow
Edit Flow gives you custom statuses, a calendar, editorial comments, and more, all to make it much easier for your team to collaborate within WordPress.
Edit Flow: Calendar
A convenient month-by-month look at your content
Edit Flow: Custom Statuses
Define the key stages to your workflow.
Edit Flow: Editorial Comments
Threaded commenting in the admin for private discussion between writers and editors
Edit Flow: Everything Else
- Notifications – Receive timely updates on the content you’re following.
- User Groups – Keep your users organized by department or function.
- Editorial Metadata – Keep track of the important details.
- Story Budget – View all of your upcoming posts in a more traditional story budget view, and hit the print button to take it to your planning meeting.
Plugin: Zoninator (Zone Manager)
Curation Made Easy.
Plugin: Co-Authors Plus
Multiple bylines.
Plugin: Co-Authors Plus
“Guest” Authors.
Plugin: WP-Help
Institutional Knowledge. Newsroom Continuity.
Lots and lots more
- Peter’s Collaboration Plugins (Notes + Emails)
- Editorial Calendar
- Winer Links
- Email Post Changes
- Post Forking
- Post Forking
- Project Largo
Iterate. Test. F#$% S#$% Up.
Think like a startup. Try new things. Share what you know/learn/build. Change the world.
Thanks!
mo@automattic.com | batmoo@gmail.com | @mjangda
Is your college paper on WP? Tweet us at #nash75wp!
Want free upgrades on WordPress.com? Come talk to me.