I am no longer the digital editor of the Sunderland Echo. And I’ve just taken up a post as a senior lecturer in the well-regarded Journalism and PR department at the University of Sunderland.

Term hasn’t started, but I feel like a kid in a sweet shop.

I’m shelving my journalistic cynicism and trying not to think too hard about the tidal wave of pressure (and marking!) coming my way.

Instead I’m beaming. I’ve got bleeding edge technology all around me (amazing radio studios, TV studios, a lovely HD cinema, computers that work and versions of Photoshop I have only ever read about).

My colleagues are a formidably qualified bunch too.

I’m delighted at the prospect of enjoying the autonomy to play with the reporting and multimedia tools I’ve tried to get my hands on any moment I could during my time at the Echo.

And above all, I expect to do more actual journalism than ever before.

Plus, I’ll be able to pursue my growing interest in entrepreneurial journalism – both in theoretical terms and practical terms with my satirical news project www.thenewsgrind.com

Don’t get me wrong, I’ll miss some aspects of my old job. I’ve always thrived in low resource environments, and Johnston Press was certainly that.

But this is a great new start for me, and I can’t wait for term to begin.

It’s been a great excuse to play with live video streaming.

It’s the kind of job I love as it lets me fiddle with technology, exploit a platform which minimises effort for instant returns and I’ve been given the freedom to work autonomously.

I’ve used my iPhone 3GS over a 3G connection to stream (near) live footage to a custom page via Qik.

The results have been good, and being able to wander around looking for compelling subjects to shoot with an almost instant upload has been great.

Lessons learned:
- Close all your apps, or notifications that appear on screen will pop up in vids you are streaming back
- Start talking as soon as you push the record button, even if Qik is buffering, or you look dumb
- Don’t shoot anything further away that ten yards
- Make sure the people back at base have a half-decent connection speed when viewing your results
- Stay within a few hundred yards or a plug point so you can recharge your iPhone at (VERY) regular intervals
- Manage expectations on the quality of video returned and sell the message that what it lacks in quality it more than makes up for in immediacy
- Be quick at returning expense forms if you are about to leave your current employer and you have just racked up a data bill that will make those Jimmy Choos you bought the missus for your anniversary look like a bargain.

I’m back on Tuesday shooting more live footage between 2pm and 7pm if you want to take a look.

>> Hartlepool Mail Tall Ships 2010 Live Coverage

1. Reader email:

I would like to vote on the Internet Poll but where and how do I find it please?

2. My polite response:

Dear Mrs Xxxxxx,
 
Our internet vote is quite tricky to find as it does not appear on the main page of our website.
 
However, if you visit www.sunderlandecho.com and click on any of the individual articles it appears in the bottom right of the page.
 
All the best,
 
Lee

3. Reader’s delightful comeback

I’m afraid I do not have time to spend hunting the internet poll all day.
 
Who in the hell designed this awful web site–a drunk????
Xxxxxx X

It’s a hard sell when you’re giving examples involving the BBC or a Guardian tech reporter.

But I had a simple win today when I tweeted out a call via www.twitter.com/sunderlandecho asking for anyone planning to buy the iPad to drop me a line for a feature I’m writing. Two people duly did and as a result I have case studies with local relevance for my piece. Plus, a relevant local government body got back to me offering their input.

The alternative would have involved digging out some rent-a-quote or – worse still – just asking around the office to see if someone knew anyone who might be the type…

With authorative quotes, background and info, this extra source will lift the piece. Had I ignored Twitter, or shunned the web as some folk seem to, my output in Friday’s newspaper would have been weaker. Simple as that.

>> Newsdesk also tell me that one of the reporters was stuck for fillers at the weekend and put out a call for community events of Facebook. She got a pile of responses from local people. Everyone’s a winner.

The News Grind is a hobby enterprise designed as a virtual sandpit for me to learn more about hosting, ads etc online.

Above all, it’s just a bit of fun.

To add some wow-factor to your presentations, try www.prezi.com. It’s free* and you can download your displays to run them offline in case of connection issues.

The application is incredibly easy to use, enabling you to do the basics such as embedding photos, video and words. You can then effect beautiful style changes. But the key hook is that Prezi is Flash-based so you can intuitively add lovely, swooshy motion.

Here’s one I presented on May 4 entitled ‘The Future of Magazine Journalism’. http://prezi.com/j-99c82bv3uj/

Will dig out the script and attach when I get a spare moment.

*(with premium upgrades to get extra storage and hide your work from others)

Having been trained in the new content management system I can say that Atex is set to change the workflow of the newspaper, largely doing away with copy banks which are squeezed into paper shapes. Instead, pages are commissioned in a more orderly and efficient manner. All of which sounds good in principle.

The big problem at Northeast Press –  the division of JP which runs dailies the Sunderland Echo, Shields Gazette, Hartlepool Mail and several weekly titles and freesheets – is that our entire workforce of 18 subs have been told their jobs have gone. On a more positive note it looks as if almost everyone facing that stark news has been reassigned to new roles or has taken voluntary redundancy.

But, being  selfish for a moment, I have a major concern about the new system in that it relies on content creators (usually reporters) filling out optional fields to ensure material is ready for the web. Under time pressure reporters are asked to attach meta data and allocate a section and web priority to stories they have just written. But under pressure do any of us – no matter how committed to the digital process – have the time to carry out optional tasks? Not always.

The simple fact is, the web is not optional.

I believe that making the web aspects of the process mandatory sends out a simple message – ‘we want a well-populated website’. It would then be up to managers to decide what content makes the cut and is shared to the web.

That said, even if I do face the mundane prospect of sifting through content to make it internet-ready, the alternative of continuing with a system which requires that all content is cut and pasted onto the web remains far less desirable.

I’ll be shouting about the url when there’s some decent copy on there.

The site will be a showcase for journalists and new writing talent and a warm place to hide for readers seeking shelter from the barrage of ‘real’ news out there.

Personally speaking, it will also be a virtual sandpit in which to explore a few commercial, technical and editorial recesses I haven’t yet managed to poke my nose into.

Anyone interested in getting involved should drop me an email.