innovation

Without prejudging the outcome either way, try this little sociology experiment.

Count the number of times people ask you questions like this:

"Did you see [such-and-such happened]?"

Wow. I can look back over the past six weeks and say, with resounding confidence, I've been busy:

Links in search of a good, hot meal:

In recent weeks, at least a half dozen acquaintances in and near the news biz have asked me about innovation in some form:

We want to start an innovation [program|team|fund] at my [newspaper|Web site|media company]. How do we do it?

How do you find and keep good people to manage an innovations process and team?

Resources are tight in my shop. We're cutting staff here or there. How do we set aside time and money for innovation and still [get the paper out|keep the Web server running|make payroll|see our families]?

How do you make build-vs.-buy decisions?

What about Scripps' (my day job) Entrepreneur Fund? How does that work, and how well is it working?

These are great questions that deserved better, faster replies than this tome. Still, I hope some of these ideas might help frame thinking about innovation at individual newspapers or media conglomerates. Even if you want to improve product development at another kind of company, you might find some nuggets of value.

To a very small corner of the Web world, including me, this is pretty darned funny: How to Make Square Corners with CSS.

I led a discussion on digital storytelling today at the American Press Institute, as mentioned in an earlier post (on which the c