How to use Google Analytics: Interactive quiz proves effective training tool

Posted on July 9, 2014 by Mu Lin

Instructors preparing for a Google Analytics training session can create self-paced, interactive quizzes to help students navigate the complex interface of a Google Analytics account. Continue reading →

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How they teach digital journalism: A collection of course websites

Posted on July 1, 2014 by Mu Lin

Instructors preparing for digital journalism courses may borrow some ideas from similar courses taught at peer institutions – here is a collection of such courses that I came across as they link to posts on my blog as tutorials or reading materials.  Continue reading →

Posted in Teaching digital journalism | 1 Comment

Web analytics for newsroom and classroom: Essential metrics journalists should know and use

Posted on May 29, 2014 by Mu Lin

A national survey reveals seven top web metrics that top-level U.S. editors monitor; journalists and journalism students should learn how to read and interpret these key performance indicators, as well as the limitations of each metric. Continue reading →

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Learning Google Analytics: Selected readings to get you started

Posted on May 27, 2014 by Mu Lin

I want to share a list of readings that I compiled for the introduction session of my Web Analytics open course; the list may be of use to instructors teaching web analytics; suggestions for additional readings are always welcomed. Continue reading →

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Journalists should learn to illustrate location elements in a news story

Posted on May 16, 2014 by Mu Lin

Google Maps provides an easy way to illustrate “where it is” and “what it looks like” – two  questions a reader may raise but are usually left unanswered. Continue reading →

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Telling a story with Google Earth: Student work in my online mapping course

Posted on May 4, 2014 by Mu Lin

A participant in my online course Google Mapping for Communicators created a virtual tour using Google Earth, and it provides for a good example of how Google Earth can be used as a storytelling tool. Continue reading →

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Teaching data visualization: Recommended readings and resources

Posted on May 2, 2014 by Mu Lin

I want to share the reading/resource list in my data visualization course; the list breaks into six sections: intro to data viz, choosing the right chart, designing a nice-looking visulization, communicating your message, tools/tips, and resources. This list will be a work in progress and all suggestions are welcomed. Continue reading →

Posted in Data journalism | 1 Comment

Fusion Tables map tutorial: How to find and use public KML geographic data

Posted on April 22, 2014 by Mu Lin

This tutorial was prompted by questions students raised in my online mapping course: some students ran into problems when working with real-world data sets that (a) are not properly formatted and (b) do not come with ready-made KML geographic data. Continue reading →

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Google Camera: A new mobile reporting tool to create your own Street View

Posted on April 21, 2014 by Mu Lin

Google recently released a camera app, Google Camera, to mobile devices running Android 4.4 KitKat. Photo Sphere, one unique feature of Google Camera, makes it easy to create a custom Street View of a news scene and embed it in a news article. Continue reading →

Posted in Mobile news reporting | 2 Comments

Google maps tutorial (part 4/5): About KML/KMZ geographic files

Posted on April 15, 2014 by Mu Lin

Tabular data, in the form of spreadsheets, is familiar to us; the geographic data, in the form of KML files, is new to many people. Among others, two common questions Fusion Tables map beginners have are (a) What is KML file? and (b) where to find the KML file for my project at hand? Continue reading →

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Google maps tutorial (part 3/5): How Fusion Tables map works

Posted on April 15, 2014 by Mu Lin

Usually there are two scenarios when creating a Google Fusion Tables map: 1. you have a file (e.g., a spreadsheet) that has both raw data and geographic data. 2. you have a file that only has raw data, and the geographic data is in separate file. Continue reading →

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Google maps tutorial (part 2/5): How to work with Fusion Tables

Posted on April 15, 2014 by Mu Lin

This tutorial introduces you to three aspects of using Fusion Tables: How to start a new table, how to navigate the table interface and how to use filter. Continue reading →

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Google maps tutorial (part 1/5): What Fusion Tables is and does

Posted on April 15, 2014 by Mu Lin

Google Fusion Tables (or simply Fusion Tables) is a free Web service provided by Google for data management. Data is stored in the form of tables that web users can view and download. Fusion Tables is a popular tool to store, visualize and share larger data tables. Continue reading →

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How to do SEO: A sample SEO strategy by student in my web writing course

Posted on April 10, 2014 by Mu Lin

A participant in my open online course Writing for the Web did a good job developing an SEO strategy following guidelines in class lecture. I want to share with my blog readers this step-by-step SEO plan for a proposed online article. Continue reading →

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Telling a story using audio slideshow: Student works in my open online course

Posted on April 3, 2014 by Mu Lin

About 190 people from 46 countries and regions took the recent Audio Slideshow Storytelling class, a free online course offered by this blog. Here’s a recap of what they learned and two sample stories they produced. Continue reading →

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