This is for a Speaker in the category for a Beginner audience.
On September 18, Scots will finally decide if they want to become a nation independent of the rest of the UK. HeraldScotland has been a leading player in the lengthy, passionate online Yes-No debate, deploying a number of radical innovations: a readers’ forum with Britain’s tightest moderating rules to ensure exceptional quality; and user-friendly widgets, developed either in-house or with a digital agency under a contra deal – the IndyRef Personality Test, and the Twitterendum.
All set in a context where we’re the only regional site in the UK operating a metered paywall (successfully), we have to blend the differing political stances of our feeder daily and Sunday print titles and, with other Scottish publishers and even broadcasters (Mainstream Media – MSM) seen as anti-independence, nationalists have clustered around a number of low-cost bloggers.
It’s the most important vote since July 2, 1776 – and with the strongest online dimension.
How does your submission contribute to the diversity of the conference?
By looking at political coverage from a country outwith the US, and examining how to succeed with a pioneering approach in an industry where new publishing models have yet to be widely established.
What will your audience have gained by the time your session is over?
Suggested Speakers
Calum Macdonald | @cjmheraldtimes