Sessions at SXSW Interactive 2012 about Writing on Sunday 11th March

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• 140 Characters vs. 14000 Words: The New Long Form

  by David Plotz and Evan Ratliff

  In the age of shortened attention spans and journalism that exists in 140 characters or less, how does long-form journalism not only compete but prevail in the digital space? Slate editor David Plotz, creator of Slate’s noted fresca program, will showcase some of the latest and most engaging interactive features that are redefining long-form journalism on the web. Evan Ratliff, contributing editor at Wired and founder and editor of The Atavist, will present the newest opportunities for interactivity within long-form in-app. This isn’t your grandmother’s long-form -- the innovations showcased in this presentation move us to the next phase of the medium, helping to transform long-form journalism pieces into traffic success stories, and a boon for advertisers.

  • Twitter
  • Writing

  At 11:00am to 12:00pm, Sunday 11th March

  In Capitol A-D, Sheraton Austin Hotel at the Capitol

  Coverage audio clip

• Cookbook 2.0: The Future of Recipe Content

  by Adam Salomone and Bruce Shaw

  Whither the cookbook? It’s a question that publishers, authors, agents, just about anyone in the industry is asking. Questions around content generation, monetization opportunities, and new media all have prompted great rethinking of the processes by which cookbooks come to market. But what does that mean for changing traditional models? And how do content creation methods evolve with the advent of user-generated and blog content?

  This session is meant to explore some of these issues in depth, by looking at what publishers are doing today and how that can change in the future. We’ll explore a variety of questions on the topic, breaking down the conversation around content, monetization, and new media promotion. What are some of the upcoming content monetization channels? How can publishers become more flexible in their approach to content, both in-print and online? And where do publishers, authors and other constituents fit in the conversation happening online with consumers?

  Along the way, we’ll also discuss methods by which cookbooks come to market going forward, and whether decentralized approaches to content through blogging and self-publishing are viable in the new digital world. And, we'll also look at ways in which new models can be applied outside of cookbooks to the wider content world.

  • Content
  • Publishing
  • Writing

  At 3:30pm to 4:30pm, Sunday 11th March

  In Citadel, Driskill Hotel

• Tech Writer Meet Up

  by Christine Lagorio

  Get together with other technology writers/journalists for an hour of brainstorming, idea-buidling, networking, friend-making and career-enhancement. Or, attend this Meet Up to learn more about this segment of the industry.

  • Meetup
  • Technology
  • Writing

  At 3:30pm to 4:30pm, Sunday 11th March

  In Big Bend, Hyatt Regency Austin

• Content and Coding Are Not Commodities

  by Andrei Scheinkman, Benjamin Balter, Raju Narisetti and Jennifer 8. Lee

  Geeks see code as art and content as stuff. Journalists see code as stuff and content as the art. Geeks may say "provide me content" while journalists are like "build this site." With that kind of attitudes, it's hard to get buy-in from the other side. What coders and journalists should understand: they have more in common than not. Both sides are motivated by their craft and a desire to feel that an audience is experiencing their work, whether though prose or programming. They want to work with smart people on interesting problems. Coders and writers are not interchangeable. Great talent can be an order of magnitude more effective than mediocre talent.Though discussions of case studies from The Washington Post, New York Times, Huffington Post and the federal government, this panel will explain from both the journalists' and the programmers' perspectives how to speak a language they will understand.

  • Communication
  • Content
  • Content Strategy
  • Development
  • Journalism
  • Writing

  At 5:00pm to 6:00pm, Sunday 11th March

  In Capitol E-H, Sheraton Austin Hotel at the Capitol

  Coverage slide deck audio clip