To request further information on any of the training courses listed below, please click the individual course titles.

New Media Skills - Editorial Training Courses

Our online new media courses are trained by online experts and journalists and are designed to focus on the effective delivery of information to a target market, rather than the technology behind it.

An Introduction to Digital Media (½ day course)

The Introduction to Digital Media course is ideal for anyone who is new to online media.

This training course demystifies the jargon surrounding the digital revolution and gives delegates the opportunity to embrace the possibilities of creating content for websites.

Course content:

• Why digital media is top of the agenda and here to stay
• Understanding web speak
• Why do users turn to the web?
• Revenue possibilities
• How is online success measured?
• How magazines can use their web sites
• How and why readers get to sites
• What is SEO: driving traffic to your site
• Moving content from print to site - the issues
• Podcasting
• Vodcasting
• Blogging

The Multimedia Writer - Writing for Print and the Web Training (1 day course)

The Multimedia Writer course is ideal for writers who are being asked to provide content for print, web and other media.

This session gives journalists the chance to focus on how to work smart so that they can use material across a variety of media.

Course content:

• Where will your material end up?
• What does this mean for you?
• Print vs the web - the differences and the similarities
• What that means for writers
• Understanding key words
• Why search engines matter
• Getting the information you need
• Making it work on the web

Writing for the Web Training - The Basics (½ day course)

The Writing for the Web Basic course is ideal for print journalists who want to develop or improve online writing skills.

To introduce delegates to successful techniques for writing for the web.

Course content:

• Web vs print: the differences
• How people read on the web
• What that means for writers
• The importance of key words
• Why search engines matter
• News on the web: the basics
• Features and analysis on the Web

Writing for the Web Training - Advanced (½ day course)

The Writing for the Web Advanced course is ideal for journalists who have been producing copy for the web and want to improve.

To prompt delegates to look at what works when writing for the web.

Course content:

• How people read online
• Writing copy that works on the web
• Using key words and phrases to pull people to the site
• Remembering search engines
• Promoting reader interaction
• Considering audio and video

Blogging Training (½ day course)

The Blogging course is ideal for anyone who wants to write a blog.

By the end of this course session, delegates will know what blogging is all about and have written their first post.

Course content:

• What is a blog?
• Why blog?
• Some terms
• Blog tools
• The technical side
• Enriching blogs
• Moderating
• Magazine blogging options
• Pulling readers to your blog

Writing for the Mobile/Wireless Internet Training (1 day course)

The Writing for the Mobile Internet course is ideal for magazine writers/editors who need to contribute mobile content.

The mobile internet is a different medium to the internet. This session prompts delegates to adapt their style to the media.

Course content:

• Differences between mobile internet and internet - a different, much more complicated type of technology
• Types of content - text, images, video, streaming, games, LBS, PDA
• What media companies are doing already
• Pros and cons of mobile content/expectations versus reality
• Mobile "magazines"
• Writing for the mobile internet
• Usability and user expectations

Driving Traffic to your Site - SEO Training (½ day course)

The Search Engine Optimisation course is ideal for anyone who wants to increase the traffic to a website by the use of SEO techniques.

Course content:

• What is 'traffic' anyway?
• Why does it matter and how should a better understanding affect what you do editorially
• Hits, page views, ad inventory, site 'stickiness', referrals etc. Which stats matter and why
• Why referrals are important and how they are created
• Sources of online traffic and making the most of them online - print audience, your existing online audience and the untapped audience interested in your content
• Making your site work better with search engines
• Keywords, tags, metatags
• Related SEO activities like usability, site design and navigation

Online Communities Training (½ day course)

The Online Communities course is ideal for anyone who wants to get more visitors to their website by encouraging interaction through polls, message boards and blogs.

Benefits:Delegates will be exposed to the issues that affect communities on websites and come away with ideas for how to grow the traffic to their sites.

Course content:

• Defining an online community
• Building your community
• Messages from you to them...
• Messages from them to you...
• Online voting
• Blogging with comments
• Forums and discussions
• Social networking services
• What makes a site easy to use and engage with
• Balancing complexity and user features
• Meeting the expectations of potential online readers both new and experienced
• Managing forums and blogs

Managing Online News Operations Training (1 day course)

The Managing Online News Operations course is ideal for anyone who is involved in providing news for their website.

Course content:

• Understanding news online
• Pitching content at your reader
• Using the news pyramid
• Unfolding the news story - how much; how often
• Managing news flow
• Using keywords and phrases
• Writing meaningful headlines
• Keeping ahead of the competition
• Operating in a 24 hour world

Media Law Online Training (1 day course)

The Media Law Online course is ideal for online publishers, editors, journalists and others running online publications who need to know their responsibilities and rights.

Course content:

The different roles of online publishing

• As an originator of content
• As the host of content
• As the consumer of content

Using other's content and protecting your own

• Copyright on the Internet
• Passing off on the Internet
• Trade marks on the Internet

Protecting reputations

• The developing laws of libel and slander on the Internet

Holding and processing data

• The Data Protection provisions

Misusing computer systems

• The Computer Misuse Act

Doing it: A review of current company practices and what needs to be reinforced and changed.

Pod and Vodcasting Skills Training (1 day course)

The Vodcasting and Podcasting Skills course is ideal for anyone who wants to plan and produce a podcast or vodcast for their site.

Course content:

• Why pod and vodcasting?
• The 'added value' of the pod and vodcast
• What's in it for the consumer/listener/viewer?
• The pod/vodcast interview - how to ask questions which produce:
  
  • The stand-alone answer
  • The answer that incorporates the question
  • The easy to edit soundbite
• How to get the subject to give you useable stories and illustrations
• What will/won't work technically
• How to know when you need a re-take
• Your voice/your appearance - talking on mic and appearing on camera - the basic rules
• Technical stuff - what you need to know about audio recording and basic camera techniques
• Timing and editing - how to compose a 3 and 5-minute pod/vodcast
• How editing can help you shape your interview for maximum impact
• How to make a pod/vodcast in the first person - from a studio or on location

Video Camera Skills for the Web Training

A series of course sessions aimed at anyone who is producing video for their websites. Catering for all levels of skills and experience, each training course is tailored to the specific needs of the delegates.

Essential Video Camera Skills for the Web (1 day course)

The Essential Video Camera Skills course is ideal for anyone new to videoing and editing. The day is interspered with practical training sessions where delegates will record their own videos. A video editor will edit these on the day to illustrate how good camerawork makes good video.

Course content:

• Basics of camerawork
• Camera vs the eye (what's the difference?)
• Storytelling through a lens
• Basic camera shots and controls
• The 'auto' button
• Essentials of editing
• Why sound is so important
• Backlight and spotlight conditions
• Manual focus
• Editing 'in camera'
• The edit suite environment
• Importing your video
• Simple transitions
• Titling your project for the web

Advanced Camera Skills for the Web (1 day course)

The Advanced Camera Skills course is ideal for people who already have a good working knowledge of shooting video for the web but now want to learn more advanced techniques.

Course content:

• Composition and camera angles
• Camera accessories
• Presenting on camera
• Video conventions
• In-camera techniques
• Using editing to enhance your video

Camera and Editing Skills for the Web Training

Advanced Camera and Editing Skills for the Web (1 day course)

A training session based at a professional studio where small groups can have intensive tuition in both camera-work and editing.

The Advanced Camera and Editing Skills course is ideal for people who already have some camera and editing experience but who now want to raise their abilities even further.

All delegates will be able to plan, shoot and then edit their own projects in a one-to-one training environment.

Course content:

• Composition and camera angles
• Presenting on camera
• Project - delegates are given a choice of projects to work on
• Planning your shoot
• Structuring your story
• Planning your shots
• Deciding locations
• Filming - delegates go on location to record their chosen project
• Better editing
• Adding music and voice over
• Titling
• Editing of projects - delegates get to edit their chosen project on a professional edit suite

Video Skills Training Modules

Advanced modules aimed at people who already have a good working knowledge of shooting video for the web and want to learn more advanced techniques. Delegates can decide whether to attend specific modules or run all of them on the same day.

Advanced Camera Skills Training (½ day course)

The Advanced Camera Skills course is ideal for people who already have a good knowledge of using video cameras to produce content for the Internet and who want to learn more advanced techniques.

Course content:

• Composition
• Camera angles
• Lighting
• Manual camera controls
• Good and bad video examples from the internet

Filming and Presenting on your Own Training (½ day course)

The Filming and Presenting on your Own course is ideal for people who are expected to both film and present their own video projects for the Internet.

Course content:

• Planning your shoot
• Camera techniques for the solo operator
• Better presenting skills

Presenting on Camera Training (½ day course)

The Presenting on Camera course is ideal for people who are going to present short video clips for the Internet and who want to learn on-screen skills.

Course content:

• Essentials of presenting
• Warmth, authority, animation
• Spoken language
• Vocal colour
• Importance of eyeline and the spoken word