Masterclasses
Introducing the 2012-13 programme of masterclasses
You'll find links to all masterclasses on the right. They're available to registered users of MMJ
And the current batch are introduced below the video.
If you'd like to know more about masterclasses, this video introduces them: what they are, what they set out to do, and how you can get involved in them.
Please note: Masterclasses will usually be available outside the paywall for a short period before being restricted to registered users only. To register, you'll need to follow the instructions when you buy the textbook, which also gets you access to the full website, masterclasses and comment forums.
What masterclasses contain
Masterclasses contain detailed, up-to-the-minute video and text tuition, information, analysis and views – as appropriate to the particular subject – from the author and/or experts in the particular fields covered.
If you’d like a particular question answered, submit it via the Contact Us Form at least 14 days before the go-live date and we’ll try to cover it in the relevant masterclass.
MMJ on your mobile
You'll find all the latest developments on the mobile version of MMJ. Either type www.mippin.com/multimediajournalism into the browser on your mobile device, or click on the button 
Masterclass email newsletter
Sign up for the weekly newsletter for all the latest on masterclassses, plus other developments on the site and in the wider world of multimedia journalism. Sign up here
Masterclass 51: Analytics for journalists
How to use analytics to improve your content and the effectiveness of your journalism.
We’ll include a guide to the tools social platforms including Twitter, Facebook and YouTube provide you with, plus a step-by-step user’s guide to Google Analytics.
Masterclass 52: New storytelling and research tools for journalists
The most promising of the latest tools road tested – how to use them and what they may be able to do for your research and storytelling.
We plan to include Graftee, myhistro, Contweets and others. But if you have further suggestions, get in touch.
Masterclass 53: Infographics for everyone
How to easily make professional infographics, and when to use them
You don’t have to be a graphic designer to create infographics anymore. We roadtest some of the tools that promise to help you make great infographics.
But when should you use infographics as a storytelling technique? We’ll give a guide.
Masterclass 54: Getting started with augmented reality
Augmented reality applications - in which pointing your mobile phone camera at a trigger image loads further media such as a video - are now being used by print publishers as a way of making what has always been a static medium more dynamic.
We look at how you can create your own augmented reality projects using an application called Aurasma.
Masterclass 55: How to build your personal brand
First we'll look at why every journalist needs to see themselves as a brand.
Then we'll cover how to build that brand online.
We'll look at:
- Why good branding must start with good journalism
- The goals of your branding, and how to measure your success
- The places to build your brand: websites, blogs, on social media and on cv/resume/portfolio sites
- Why you need a Google profile and to be recognised by Google as an author
- Building your personal brand on Twitter
- Building you brand on Facebook
- Branding on LinkedIn
- And where else you should consider brand-building
Masterclass 56: Create your own digital magazine for iPad, other tablets, smartphones and the web
Up until now it's been pretty difficult for the non-coder to create a magazine for the iPad and other tablets.
What simple platforms there were for building mobile phone and tablet apps often charged a hefty fee to host
But now there's a platform that lets you create and publish digital magazines for free. We take a look at glossi, what it can do, and how to use it
Want to suggest a masterclass topic?
Is there a new development in mulimedia journalism that you'd like us to create a tutorial in?
If so, get in touch, using any of the contact buttons on the site, or DM me @andybull and I'll see what we can do
Masterclasses 34-50: the 2011-12 season
Masterclass 34: Getting started in social media
Because social media has developed so fast in the 18 months since MMJ was published, it’s time to bring everything up to date.
So I’m adding three masterclasses in using social media for journalism that correspond with the three learning levels – getting started, building proficiency and professional standards – of the MMJ project.
Those new chapter will be web-exclusive for now, but will be added to the next print edition of MMJ.
Masterclass 35: Getting started with RSS feeds
We looked in the last masterclass at how social media can be a valuable source of stories, contacts and tools for research. Now we add to that with a look at the use of RSS feeds, and how to combine the sources you want to keep tabs on into combinations, known as bundles or pipes, that make such sources manageable.
Masterclass 36: Seven essential tools for visual storytelling
This is a round-up of ways for multimedia journalists to tell stories visually including:
- Using geotagged images and video to tell stories on a map
- Creating multimedia timelines and visualisations
- Live multimedia broadcasting from your mobile
Masterclasses 37-40: Building proficiency in social media
We take our use of social media to the next level, with a detaield look at enhacing our use of Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and a range of other social platforms.
this is a big project, and will be published as four separate masterclasses over a number of weeks. Find out more...
Masterclass 37: Building proficiency with Twitter
Masterclass 38: Building proficiency with Facebook
Masterclass 39: Building proficiency with Google+
Masterclass 40: Building proficiency with social platforms including YouTube, Instagram and others
Masterclass 41: Top 3 essential web-clipping apps for journalists
We take a look at three incredibly useful clipping apps - each of which is the best in its field for one key function. There's Evernote, a great research-gathering tool for news reporters; Zotero, perfect for more academic research and article composition; and Cuttings Me, an elegant way to put your best material together in a showcase of your talents.
Masterclass 42: How to use Google Creative Kit for photo-editing, plus some alternative apps to check out
When Google announced it would close Picnik, the popular photo-edtiting software company it bought a while back, there was outrage. Infact, what Google has done is bring Picnik into the Google+ fold, giving the good old Picnik functionality a re-skin.
We'll look at how to use it - hence updating the coverage of Picnik in the print version of MMJ, and in the equivalent part of the ebook and online versions of the project.
We'll also take a look at five alternatives to Creative Kit/Picnik
Masterclass 43: How to make your own newspaper - plus: win your own print run
Print may be under pressure, but it's still core to what many journalists do. We'll take a look at the future of print, and at an interesting new venture called Make My Newspaper.
Make My Newspaper lets you create your own tabloid online, design it, add content and buy a short print run. It could be the answer for journalism courses where creating a print product is an important learning tool and demonstration of competence. And it might work for hyperlocals that want a print presence.
We will offer two free print runs of 100, 16-page papers to lucky UK-based journalism courses, hyperlocals or start-ups.
Masterclass 44: Getting started in Wordpress
We’ll kick off by getting a basic news website up and running on Wordpress.com, and we'll explore the differences between the .com version of Wordpess, and Wordpress.org.
Masterclass 45: Building proficiency, in Wordpress
Using customised themes to create a really impressive Wordpress news publishing platform. Exploring Wordpress.org, and having your .org site hosted.
Masterclass 46 - 49: How to choose a specialism, Series 2
We looked here at eight popular journalistic specialisms. Now we feature a second series, including:
- Technology
- Music
- Education
April 6 - May 30
Masterclass 50: Brand Journalism
What it is, and why it could be the future for many journalists
The 2010-11 season of Masterclasses - Nos 13-33
This season of masterclasses is now completed, and available to subscribers for free.
In addition, where the material they covered has become a proven addition to any multimedia journalist's toolkit, the learning has been fed into the main framework of MMJ, via one of 14 new, web-exclusive chapters. Those chapters will be added to future print editions of the book, but for now you can only find them on thsi website.
Masterclass 13: How to get a job. Careers in journalism, an overview and update
What's right for you: consumer magazines, business mags, TV, radio, local papers, hyperlocal, or self-employment?
We're all multimedia journalists now, but the simple truth is that the people handing out the jobs are still - predominantly - operating in one of the traditional media categories. We'll look at how to pick the area that best suits you, and how to demonstrate in your application, and at interview, how good you'll be at enhancing the multimedia capabilities of anyone who gives you a job.
We'll also cover working as a freelance, and the opportunities that developments in hyperlocal are opening up.
Masterclass 14: iPhone for Journalism
Smartphones are a highly convenient way for the multimedia journalist to publish instantly
We'll look at how to turn your iPhone into a fully-enabled multimedia reporting device, so you can file text, stills, video and audio instantly to a custom-made blog, to a mobile-enabled multimedia site, and any combination you like of Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, YouTube and a huge range of other platforms.
We're concentrating on the iPhone, but what we cover is also applicable to other smartphones.
Masterclass 15: Media law is changing fast, are you keeping up?
What do you know about the developing de facto law on privacy in the UK?
Puzzled about sports stars, data protection and super-injunctions?
Ever wondered why what your law textbook says on defamation and contempt seems out of step with how the media actually behaves?
Then this Masterclass is for you. Media law expert Duncan Lamont talks about how the law as it relates to the media is changing, and explains how the law is interpreted in real journalistic life.
Masterclass 16: App-building for non-coders
How to build an iPhone and Android-compatible app, without being a web-developer
We'll build on what we covered in Masterclass 11, where we created simple mobile-friendly applications for our content, and look at a number of software packages that promise to enable the non-coder to create sophisticated apps that can gain approval in the Android and iPhone stores.
How good are they, and how easy to use?
Masterclass 17: A guide to hyperlocal
We'll follow one freelance journalist as he establishes his own hyperlocal publication
In what will hopefully be the first of many dispatches, we'll follow the creation of a news website for an area of London. First we'll look at getting started. Do you go it alone, or sign up with one of the organisations that offer to partner with you?
How do you get rich streams of hyperlocal information to augment your own reporting efforts? We'll look at how Yahoo Pipes can give you exactly the content streams you want. In future instalments we'll look at publishing platforms for hyperlocal sites, advertising and marketing.
Masterclass 18: Drupal website building for non-coders
Drupal is a hugely popular open source web platform. Until recently you needed to be a developer to use it. But not any more.
Now, with Drupal gardens, a non-coder can create a site with all the complexity and sophisticaton of the most professional sites built by web developers.
We will be building on the MMJ book and website tuition on creating publishing platforms in this masterclass.
How easy is it? Are there any problems to be aware of? Because Drupal offers so much you can't learn to use it comprehensively overnight, so this will be a grounding in the essentials - we'll return to learn more later.
There's more here for the hyperlocal journalist who is building their own site.
Masterclass 19: Improve your video storytelling
The latest on what works best in online video, and how to get it right
This masterclass builds on the book version of Chapter 14: Professional standards: publishing platforms for advanced multimedia storytelling
Our understanding of how best to deliver video online is developing rapidly. We'll build on existing MMJ course content and gather advice from some of the leading practitioners of online video reporting. We'll also be looking at what the BBC has learned, and see how to put it into practice.
And we'll take in the National Council for the Training of Journalist's requirements in its new videojournalism for online option at Diploma in Journalism level.
January 2011
Masterclass 20: Getting started in data journalism
What it is, what it can achieve, and how to do it
When MMJ was published just 10 months ago, data journalism was something that few journalists were aware of, and hardly any could do.
Spectacularly big data-driven stories, such as the MPs' expenses scandal in the UK, and the Afghanistan war logs leaked to Wikileaks, have changed all that.
Now any journalist needs an understanding of at least the basics of data-driven journalism, and of how data can be processed to reveal stories.
This masterclass is called Getting Started to mirror the sections in the MMJ book and on this accompanying website. So it's an additional unit at that level. We'll return to the subject of data journalism in future masterclasses, and build the other two levels of learning: Building Proficiency and Professional Standards.
February 2011
Masterclass 21: Getting started in HyperText Markup Language (HTML) and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)
You don't have to be an expert coder to be a good multimedia journalist, but it will help if you understand the basics
An introduction to what HTML and CSS are, and what they do. We'll conduct a practical workshop with explanations, demonstrations and exercises.
The next four masterclasses are connected - they look at new ways of storytelling and the latest reporting techniques
Masterclass 22: New ways of reporting online
How to make your website a valuable resource and attract loyal users.
We've concentrated a good deal in these Masterclasses on how to reach out to new audiences with the effective use of a wide range of social media. The goal was always to draw readers who appreciate what you are doing back to your branded website and print publication.
Now we look at how to make that website as effective as it can be at turning casual visitors into committed and regular consumers of our content. In particular, at what the Digital Media Pyramid, topic pages and beat blogging might add to our online offering.
March 2011
Masterclass 23: Location-based content for local journalism
How to build content platforms on a range of emerging geo-location applications
We'll look at a range of apps and mapping platforms that enable you to geo-tag content and present it in a way that perfectly suits your audence - and potential audience - when they are on the move. You'll see how FourSquare and Gowalla can be made to work in local journalism, how to create a Geodelic GeoGuide, and various ways in which mapping can be used. We'll create communities, and cluster content, around key points on your beat using Bubbleby.
And it's not just for local journalism either. Location-based content works for a wide ragnge of specialist publications - infact it's hugely valuable in any journalistic situation where location matters.
Masterclass 24: Curatorial journalism
What it is, why it's becoming more important, and how to do it
As the number of information sources spirals, scanning, editing and presenting those sources coherently for readers becames a more and more important skill.
April 2011
Masterclass 25: Live Blogging and real-time reporting
How to cover major, rolling stories as they happen
SPECIAL SERIES FOCUSING ON A RANGE OF JOURNALISTIC SPECIALISMS
Feel free to tell us about other subjects you'd like to see covered. Just use any of the Contact buttons on the site
May 2011
Masterclass 26: Specialisms: International Journalism
The skills and knowledge you need to thrive in this area of journalism
Masterclass 27: Specialisms: Political Journalism
The skills and knowledge you need to thrive in this area of journalism
Masterclass 28: Specialisms: Sports Journalism
The skills and knowledge you need to thrive in this area of journalism
Masterclass 29: Specialisms: Celebrity, shwobiz and arts reporting
The skills and knowledge you need to thrive in this area of journalism
June 2011
Masterclass 30: Specialisms: Business and Financial Journalism
The skills and knowledge you need to thrive in this area of journalism
Masterclass 31: Specialisms: Travel writing
The skills and knowledge you need to thrive in this area of journalism
Masterclass 32: Specialisms: Science, Health, Environment
The skills and knowledge you need to thrive in this area of journalism
Masterclass 33: Fashion Journalism
The skills and knowledge you need to thrive in this area of journalism
Earlier Masterclasses
These Masterclasses were broadcast during the 2009-10 academic year. They're all still relevant, and many of them offer the latest updates on material in the book.
February 2010
Masterclass 1: Careers
What employers look for in journalism graduates
Two industry experts in multimedia companies - one with its roots in magazines, the other in local newspapers - on the skills they want you to have if you are to be a serious candidate for a job. Find out more
Masterclass 2: Web 3.0 and social media
Where the web is going
Latest developments and how they affect you as a reporter. This is the first in a series of masterclasses on the cutting edge of multimedia journalism. Find out more
March 2010
Masterclass 3: Business to business journalism
Why, far from being boring, B2B is a great segment to work in
Listen to a creator of B2B magazines and a web editor on a B2B title explain what the sector is all about, how magazines are created and what it's like as a journalist on a business title. Find out more
Masterclass 4: Creating stills and audio packages
Leading photojournalist David Berman gives a practical guide
Stills can be far more powerful and memorable than video. Twin them with a great soundtrack and you have a winning combination that didn't exist before the online, multimedia revolution. This masterclass picks up where Chapter 10 left off, and brings the practical advice and experience of a local paper photojournalist to the subject. Find out more
Masterclass 5: How to win an article commission
From idea to pitch, to research, to writing
Follow me as I develop an idea for an article, write the pitch, respond to the editor's guidance, do my research, conduct interviews and write the piece. Find out more
April 2010
Masterclass 6: How to master Facebook and Twitter
The second in our series on the effective use of social media
Facebook and Twitter are very powerful publishing tools, but it is easy to get them wrong, or to use them in a way that does not explore their full potential. This masterclass will help you exploit the opportunities and avoid the pitfalls. Find out more
Masterclass 7: Consumer journalism
How two consumer titles serve their audiences, and how to get a job on them
Our experts are Gary Parkinson, online editor of the football title FourFourTwo, and Simon Strang, online editor of the motor racing title Autosport. They talk about their career paths, what they look for in new recruits, and go into detail on how they seek to serve their audiences through a combinatin of print, web and social media. Find out more
May 2010
Masterclass 8: Search (and everything else) is going social
The third masterclass in our series on social media
In this wide-ranging masterclass we cover three new Google tools: Google Social Search, Google Buzz and Google Wave. We do so in two contexts: their usefulness to journalists, and how they demonstrate that the web is becoming more and more social.
We also look at three social networks that tend to be less effectively exploited by journalists: YouTube, Flickr and LinkedIn. Find out more
Masterclass 9: TV journalism
How to get a job in television, with industry experts
Television is notoriously tough to get into, but with the right approach and experience it can be done. And it's not all about doing a piece to camera for the local news, there are plenty of behind-camera roles for journalists. Find out more
Masterclass 10: Local paper journalism
Sir Ray Tindle, owner of 220 regional titles, on a great future for the regional press
Local newspapers have suffered perhaps more than any other sector as a result of the double whammy of the recession and competition from the internet. But they are still a significant training ground. We look at the future of the local press and what it has to offer you. Find out more
June and July 2010
Masterclass 11: Going mobile
The fourth masterclass in our series on social media covers mobile: the new frontier
Smart phones that offer information and entertainment on the move pose journalists great challenges and opportunities. This masterclass focuses on how to exploit mobile opportunities and how to adapt, and create, content for phones. You'll find practical demonstrations of how to turn a blog, an RSS feed and a full website into effective mobile sites. Find out more
Masterclass 12: How to build your own job
The essentials of entrepreneurialism. Experts and practitioners on how to create your own journalism business
Not so much a masterclass, more a week of postings covering a huge, and hugely important area.
With the rise in freelancing, and the great opportunities that new technologies offer us to launch our own titles, we look at proven strategies for creating your own media business.
Experts include Adam Westbrook, the multimedia journalist, lecturer, author and more who epitomises the entrepreneurial spirit. Eric Gordon, who bought and revived the Camden New Journal, and David Howell, who created his own magazine and is an expert on self-publishing.
One focus is on hyperlocal, and we profile three outfits that offer the prospect of creating a local website/magazine that pays. We also look at how to build a portfolio of money-making activities. Find out more
Feel free to suggest subjects you'd like to see included through this contact form
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