More cuts at USA Today?

[PaperDoll]

I'm hearing from some Gannett folks that there is a big corporate push on for social engagement (i.e. Twitter followers), figure they will use this metric to cut some experienced folks. Colleagues are going on Facebook begging for people to follow them on Twitter.

You mean "Social Tuesday?" Gannetteers were supposed to pimp themselves out to the communities they cover yesterday.

It's a lot easier to get from zero to 100 than from, say, 2500 to 2600. Time of year is in many sportswriters' favor though.

Several friends have mentioned their ratios, so I guess that matters too.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

Sounds like it's going down in an ugly way, though. From Romenesko's site:

Sports pages editor Liza Koon writes on Facebook that after being laid off, "my escort out of the building wouldn't let me talk to anyone, so hello social media."

http://jimromenesko.com/2014/09/03/gannett-layoff-updates-are-trickling-in/

She should have told the escort to take a hike, and that if the escort touched her in any way, her "old injury" would be aggravated and she'd sue the company.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

I'm hearing from some Gannett folks that there is a big corporate push on for social engagement (i.e. Twitter followers), figure they will use this metric to cut some experienced folks. Colleagues are going on Facebook begging for people to follow them on Twitter.

It's kind of hard to blame them on that one. If you're lucky to have a job there and you're refusing to utilize social media, that's a problem.

It's not always just an age thing. I know plenty of older (50+) writers who do a great job on Twitter. In this day and age, you have to be able to adapt and change with the times.

You can blame them for using follower count as a metric. If I followed 100,000 people and 20 percent followed me back -- voila, 20,000 Twitter followers. So a beancounter would see that, and only that, and think I have a decent audience on Twitter when I just gamed the system.

You can't follow 100,000 people on Twitter unless that many follow you. I think the limit is 2,000.

Well, you get my point. It's a flawed metric and a horrible way to judge an employee's competence and worth. If my boss said I needed to boost my follower numbers by X in a finite amount of time or lose my job, I wouldn't turn into a better reporter. I'd turn into one of those Twitter users that you want to strangle.

shirt, if I was told to boost follower numbers on Twitter, I'd just post porn. Problem solved.

 

[Double Down]

You can buy 10,000 followers for about $100. Most will be fake, but no one at Gannett will figure that out. I'd encourage every USA Today staffer to game the shirt out if that ASAP.

 

[Bruhman]

First job out of Howard University was at USAT. Haven't worked there since 2000 but see some familiar names like Lisa and Deb and Scott and this sucks. It's hard to love journalism when it doesn't love you back. Best wishes to all, casualties and survivors.

 

[Dave_Ammenheuser]

Thanks for the compliment.

Yes, I started a Twitter account. But it was only in last week, not in the last three weeks. I really haven't pushed it out there much yet.

I'd appreciate if every member here Followed me @NashSportsEd.

Tennessean staff finds out their fates tomorrow. It will be a sleepless night for many of us.

What we all must remember is what has gotten us to this point. It's not all our fault. We can be the best editors, writers, designers, etc., in the world. If folks are no longer buying us, than revenues go down and the staffing must be cut. I understand that. It hurts.

But, also abide by the number one policy that I've told everyone who has ever worked for me: Remember. Family comes first. Period. Your family is with you for your lifetime. Your job is what it is. A job. There are many days we love our job. There are those other days, too. But, your family. Is YOUR family. Take care all. Again ... follow me @NashSportsEd. You can find out what I do next.

Dave

 

[Songbird]

A good meal will go a long way tonight.

 

[Joe Williams]

Sounds like it's going down in an ugly way, though. From Romenesko's site:

Sports pages editor Liza Koon writes on Facebook that after being laid off, "my escort out of the building wouldn't let me talk to anyone, so hello social media."

http://jimromenesko.com/2014/09/03/gannett-layoff-updates-are-trickling-in/

She should have told the escort to take a hike, and that if the escort touched her in any way, her "old injury" would be aggravated and she'd sue the company.

Exactly.

Newspapers, what's left of 'em, need to get the fork over themselves. Maybe the editors/bean counters get little woodies when they strong-arm escort someone out. Someone needs to remind them that they'd need to use similar methods, only with firearms at the ready, to escort in most journalists of quality these days.

 

[joe king]

Thanks for the compliment.

Yes, I started a Twitter account. But it was only in last week, not in the last three weeks. I really haven't pushed it out there much yet.

I'd appreciate if every member here Followed me @NashSportsEd.

Tennessean staff finds out their fates tomorrow. It will be a sleepless night for many of us.

What we all must remember is what has gotten us to this point. It's not all our fault. We can be the best editors, writers, designers, etc., in the world. If folks are no longer buying us, than revenues go down and the staffing must be cut. I understand that. It hurts.

But, also abide by the number one policy that I've told everyone who has ever worked for me: Remember. Family comes first. Period. Your family is with you for your lifetime. Your job is what it is. A job. There are many days we love our job. There are those other days, too. But, your family. Is YOUR family. Take care all. Again ... follow me @NashSportsEd. You can find out what I do next.

Dave

Best of luck, Dave, from one who's been there.

 

[Moderator1]

Thanks for the compliment.

Yes, I started a Twitter account. But it was only in last week, not in the last three weeks. I really haven't pushed it out there much yet.

I'd appreciate if every member here Followed me @NashSportsEd.

Tennessean staff finds out their fates tomorrow. It will be a sleepless night for many of us.

What we all must remember is what has gotten us to this point. It's not all our fault. We can be the best editors, writers, designers, etc., in the world. If folks are no longer buying us, than revenues go down and the staffing must be cut. I understand that. It hurts.

But, also abide by the number one policy that I've told everyone who has ever worked for me: Remember. Family comes first. Period. Your family is with you for your lifetime. Your job is what it is. A job. There are many days we love our job. There are those other days, too. But, your family. Is YOUR family. Take care all. Again ... follow me @NashSportsEd. You can find out what I do next.

Dave

Got you followed. Good luck

 

[steveu]

Ditto. Good luck Dave!

 

[Tucsondriver]

Sorry to hear this. I'd assumed, like I think many of us had, that our industry had stabilized (somewhat) since the bloodbaths of the late 2000's. This year seems like the worst since 2008 (I believe something like 10 percent of the industry was laid off that year alone).