benwerd 7 months ago

What AI means for the business of: journalism

Ben Werdmuller

What AI means for the business of: journalism

"[An] archipelago of high-trust communities [is] where journalists are uniquely capable of building thriving businesses."

benwerd 7 months ago

Telomeres, my son, and me

Ben Werdmuller

Telomeres, my son, and me

I bawled my way through Nowhere Special, a 2020 movie about a terminally ill man who needs to find a new family for his four year old son. I’ll ...

benwerd 7 months ago

Massive immigration raid on Chicago apartment building leaves residents reeling: 'I feel defeated'

Ben Werdmuller

Massive immigration raid on Chicago apartment building leaves residents reeling: 'I feel defeated'

Many of our colleagues' communities are being directly targeted by an increasingly authoritarian, anti-immigrant regime. As managers and leaders, w...

benwerd 7 months ago

Don’t dwell on “democracy,” and other new findings about how to market local news

Ben Werdmuller

Don’t dwell on “democracy,” and other new findings about how to market local news

It turns out that "we're protecting democracy and our industry is dying, please pay us money" is not a great sales pitch.

benwerd 7 months ago

The One-on-One Gift Exchange

Ben Werdmuller

The One-on-One Gift Exchange

This simple, repeatable framework for building a culture of open feedback has been a part of my toolkit for over a decade.

benwerd 8 months ago

Your private data isn't as private as you think

Ben Werdmuller

Your private data isn't as private as you think

How law enforcement and private parties can access your information without your knowledge, and what you can do about it.

benwerd 8 months ago

Building distributed media for a democratic breakdown

Ben Werdmuller

Building distributed media for a democratic breakdown

Preparing viable alternatives for broadcast censorship and a restricted internet.

benwerd 8 months ago

What I learned in the first five years of Platformer

Ben Werdmuller

What I learned in the first five years of Platformer

Casey Newton's annual updates are always great. This year, perhaps predictably, the biggest highlight for me is his ambitions around community. We ...

benwerd 8 months ago

How aesthetics destroyed privacy and polarized us

Ben Werdmuller

How aesthetics destroyed privacy and polarized us

Has the internet led to more polarization, or is this more of a great unmasking, where people feel more comfortable to share opinions they've alway...

benwerd 8 months ago

Using technology skills for positive change

Ben Werdmuller

Using technology skills for positive change

Let's help build the world we want to see.

benwerd 8 months ago

WordPress for newsrooms

Ben Werdmuller

WordPress for newsrooms

From self-hosted WordPress to managed solutions

benwerd 8 months ago

Implementing an unlimited PTO policy

Ben Werdmuller

Implementing an unlimited PTO policy

Useful tips on creating an unlimited PTO policy. I used to think these were more accounting hacks than real benefits - but I've changed my mind ove...

benwerd 9 months ago

Can newsrooms become social platforms?

Ben Werdmuller

Can newsrooms become social platforms?

How community-first thinking can help newsrooms survive AI

benwerd 9 months ago

GregoryAI aims to improve the lives of researchers and patients alike

Ben Werdmuller

GregoryAI aims to improve the lives of researchers and patients alike

An open source project aimed at making medical research easier.

benwerd 9 months ago

Bluesky now platform of choice for science community

Ben Werdmuller

Bluesky now platform of choice for science community

A new survey suggests that scientists vastly prefer Bluesky to X - and to its other alternatives.

benwerd 9 months ago

More UK news publishers are adopting 'consent or pay' advertising model

Ben Werdmuller

More UK news publishers are adopting 'consent or pay' advertising model

"Sixteen of the 50 biggest news websites in the UK are now using a “consent or pay” model to allow users to pay to reject personalised advertis...

benwerd 9 months ago

Why You Need Systems Thinking Now

Ben Werdmuller

Why You Need Systems Thinking Now

"Focus on flows and relationships, not products or services." An argument for systems thinking instead of design thinking or breakthrough innovation.

benwerd 9 months ago

Political Pollsters Are Trying to Save Money by Polling AI Instead of Real People, and It’s Going About as Well as You’d Expect

Ben Werdmuller

Political Pollsters Are Trying to Save Money by Polling AI Instead of Real People, and It’s Going About as Well as You’d Expect

"Obviously, any campaign that used only that AI-generated data would miss the mark — instead of looking at the views of real respondents, it woul...

benwerd 9 months ago

Why I'm all-in on Zen Browser

Ben Werdmuller

Why I'm all-in on Zen Browser

After Arc's pivot to AI left power users behind, I found the browser I actually wanted.

benwerd 9 months ago

The 19th's Strategic Plan

Ben Werdmuller

The 19th's Strategic Plan

"The 19th developed seven key initiatives to guide our priorities for the next three years." Doing this work in public is such a smart move.