I think there is still a culture of skills for a role rather than skills for life in some newsrooms. People are not in a mindset to play. Not their fault. They are in an industry where training has traditionally been something you where sent on or rewarded with.

Play, exploration with a low expectation of return ie.we don’t expect you to generate 12 stories from this. Is, for me, the only way to get people excited about stuff.

But as Paul points out that’s a mindset issue to change and not an easy one.

As for the media shift idea of a newsroom. I think its good but without the background level of interaction with technology you are talking about it becomes a bit like that ‘known unknowns’ speech. How are you supposed to know what will make a good story on video if you don’t know.

There is a lot more groundwork to do with hearts and minds.

As for a Wii…I think that’s a great idea but I think many in your newsroom will moan at the head start you have on the Wii but will keep shtum when they see you boxing

So someone who does a lot of face-to-face could use a portable audio recorder and produce podcast-type shows by editing that together. Someone who does a lot of online research could use delicious or similar. Someone who does a lot of opinion-style writing could benefit from the feedback on a blog. You’ll know the better examples but that’s how I’d approach it.

Maybe provide packages of tech kit for each general sort of journo in your team? An audio kit, a blogging kit, a video kit, that sort of thing.

And if some of your best writers are not interested in blogging…

Without wishing to upset former colleagues in various newsrooms (!), newspaper offices are very insular and closed environments in so many respects.
Change = bad, like in so many other aspects of life.

It needs a significant culture change which won’t be achieved easily – old printing vs electronic; b&w vs colour; tabloid vs broadsheet. All these “battles” have been fought and won (not sure about the tabloid one though) since I became a trainee 20(ish) years ago and they all took time.

But having a very good, respected, enthusiastic journalist as Development Editor pushing the sort of ideas you’ve listed above and explaining to peers why they would make their job easier and better is a big step in the right direction.

Training is very important, but not necessarily the traditional HR-approved format. Some former colleagues I’ve spoken to – either still in newspapers or doing other things – still can’t get their head around the idea that “play” and all the things they do at home (Facebook et al, games consoles, gadgets generally, trawling the web etc) are things that fit perfectly into this new way of working.

Good luck!