Mediabistro Circus

Miss the circus? Now you can experience it right from your desktop.

Footage from the Mediabistro Circus presentation by members of The New York Times' digital newsroom is now available for Mediabistro On Demand subscribers.

The panel, moderated by BusinessWeek columnist Jon Fine, featured Times' multimedia editor Andrew DeVigal, graphics editor Steve Duenes and Fiona Spruill, editor of the web newsroom, who gave a behind-the-scenes look into some of the new interactive creations on the Times Web site, including One in 8 Million.

A free preview of the panel can be found here and you can get the full 58-minute experience by subscribing to Mediabistro On Demand.

Also available on demand now is author Tim Ferriss's Mediabistro Circus presentation about social media, blogging and self-promotion.

Media jobs are dwindling and reporters are being let go left and right, so everyone needs a leg up where they can get it. A lot of advice that we find is repetitive, but here are some insightful tips from Recessionwire blogger Laura Rich that she picked up from Mediabistro Circus speakers.

Although Rich says her tips are for not just for journalists -- since "new work and new careers are emerging in the recession based on approaches that everyone needs to pick up in order to survive and thrive, and emerge from this downturn intact and better than ever" -- we think reporters should take note. Whether you are currently unemployed, fearing for your job or comfortable where you are, taking advantage of these tools will undoubtedly help you build your own personal brand, which invaluable today.

Here are some of Rich's key points:

"Build Your Brand. Bylines are one thing, but journalists have otherwise tended to align their identity with their publication. No more. Going forward, the name of the game is personal branding. Start a blog. Twitter. Be consistent and persistent in the ideas you get behind -- they'll get noticed and you'll get a following. That following is valuable to editors who can count on you to help them build their readership.

"Crowdsource. This concept builds on the idea of 'transparency,' but it refers specifically to actively seeking participation in the development of your story. Take advantage of the efficiencies the Internet provides by sending out parts of your story to your following."

"Interact with Your Readers. This is another area that is a radical shift for journalists who are used to simply sending their words out into the ether. In the new order, journalists absolutely must interact with their readers -- learn from them and, yes, serve them -- to ensure their careers. To make his point, Byrne tells his writers that their stories will stay on the homepage longer if they post responses to readers on the comment board."

Earlier: Our coverage of Mediabistro Circus

Our sister blog MediaJobsDaily has joined us at the Mediabistro Circus and they caught the presentation by Businessweek.com editor-in-chief John Byrne. Byrne's presentation was called "New World Intimacy" and dealt with building reader engagement -- something we think about every day.

"The secret of digital technology isn't that you can do video, but that you can collaborate. Journalism has to become not a product but a process," Byrne said.

As MediaJobsDaily reports, here some of the ways that BW.com is collaborating with its writers and readers in order to drive engagement:

* They put a module on every page on the site called "In Your Face," in which they harvest the best comments on the site and feature the reader on the homepage.
* BW.com's "bribed" journalists to respond to readers by promising better exposure on the site if journos engage.
* They have a feature called "My Take" with essays from readers, but they don't take any submissions. They find articulate readers who are leaving lots of comments and commission essays from them.
* The 100 "best" commenters last year were given T-shirts, the top 10 got a dinner.

What do you think? What are some ways blogs like FishbowlNY can engage readers?

Best selling author Tim Ferriss opened Mediabistro Circus today with a dynamic presentation about self promotion. "Don't be lazy," he told an audience filled with journalists, writers and professionals in PR, advertising and design -- many who are freelancing and know how much hard work it takes to be successful.

Our colleagues at WebNewser have a great run down of his speech, in which the author of "The 4-Hour Workweek" revealed that he makes money primarily as a speaker at events like the Circus. His blog helps sell books, which "help keep Ferriss a hot commodity on the speaker's circuit, and that's where the money is made," WebNewser explains. He can earn a 5-figure fee for an event like Mediabistro Circus.

And if you want another tip from Ferriss, don't waste time or money on a PR firm, he said. From WebNewser:

Ferris says he spent $25,000 to get the word out about "4-Hour." "I spent $18,000 on a PR firm which was a big waste of money." The other $7,000 was spent on sending galleys and meeting in person with influential bloggers. "Buy them alcohol," he advised.

FishbowlNY managing editor Rebecca Fox moderated a panel this afternoon about integrated partnerships and multiplatform marketing and publicity deals in the media world. If you're uncertain what kind of deals would fall under this umbrella, a good example is the partnership between Bravo's "Top Chef" reality cooking competition and food magazine Food & Wine.

Ellen Stone, Bravo's SVP of marketing, told the Mediabistro Circus audience that the cable channel works closely with Food & Wine to promote both brands: Gail Simmons, who works for the magazine, appears on "Top Chef" as a judge, and the magazine, which is published by American Express Publishing, covers the show on its edit pages. The two are even working together to create a "Top Chef" magazine, Stone said.

Other panelists, Chuck Cordray and Tom Smith of Hearst Digital, Steve Rosenbaum, the CEO of Magnify.net, and NYMag.com GM Michael Silberman also discussed deals they have worked on recently and things they seek out in partners.

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This morning, PCMag.com executive editor Dan Costa hosted a panel at Mediabistro Circus where he discussed the future of digital journalism with Anil Dash from Six Apart, Blurb founder Eileen Gittins and Rob Samuels, the director of mobile product development for the The New York Times.

Costa opened the discussion with a story about a freelance writer who pitched him recently. The writer said his rate was 15 cents per word. Is this this future of journalism?

Both Dash and Gittins agreed that measuring the rate a writer is paid based on number of words is outdated. Today, it's all about being entrepreneurial, creating a brand and building a following. "If you can go to Dan and show that you have 10,000 avid followers, your rate per word will go up," Gittins said.

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For the next two days, we're going to be reporting from Mediabistro Circus. We'll be hitting some of the panels and presentations, talking to movers and shakers and -- hopefully -- schmoozing with readers.

If you're going to be there, keep an eye out for us, and if you can't make it, let us know what panels you want to hear about and who you want us to talk to.

Hope to see you there!

We have ten discounted tickets for Mediabistro Circus only available for FishbowlNY readers!

Click here to register, use the promo code FBNY245 and score a ticket to the Circus for only $245. But don't wait, because this offer expires at close of business May 28 or when tickets run out (and we only have ten), whichever comes first.

If you haven't already picked up a ticket to the two-day conference, you are probably on the fence about whether there will be anything interesting there for you to see and learn. Well, there will be. Promise.

Mediabistro Circus will kick off Tuesday, June 2 with a presentation about self-promotion by Tim Ferriss, the author of the best seller "The 4-Hour Workweek." In today's difficult job climate, its more important than ever for journalists (employed or otherwise), freelance writers, bloggers and authors to use all the tools available to them to promote themselves and their work.

And if that doesn't grab your attention, perhaps you will enjoy the panel called "Strange Bedfellows: The [New] Media Deal," featuring Chuck Cordray and Tom Smith from Hearst's Digital Media side and NYmag.com's general manager Michael Silberman, moderated by FBNY managing editor Rebecca L. Fox.

And of course, on Wednesday afternoon there will be a performance by Cirque du Soleil.

If you want to take part in fun, its not too late, but you have to act fast. Register now!

Our new editor is gearing up for her first trip to Mediabistro Circus on June 2-3 and excitement couldn't be higher around here.

But just wait until the incredible performers of Cirque du Soleil take the stage on the last day of the Circus. Nothing makes us happier than acrobatic feats or displays of physical skill, like these two on the left, performing a tango on a unicycle (!) -- and we've been assured they will be there next week.

Cirque du Soleil director of creation Carmen Ruest will also be on hand, speaking about turning a small company into the tumbling world-wide franchise it is today. And of course there will be tons of other fun speakers like Fiona Spruill of The New York Times and John Byrne, executive editor/editor-in-chief of BusinessWeek.com.

Come meet us there!