Media Development Investment Fund (MDIF) Media Advisory Services (MAS)'s Series of Practical Guides for Media Managers and Practitioners

The series aims to provide practical guidance and strategic direction to help media organisations navigate the digital transition, including best practices to implement different tools, processes, and techniques that may improve their operations and streamline how they work. The guides are not designed to replace existing resources; rather, they summarise current trends and approaches in what is meant to be an easily understandable way and provide links to other resources - with an emphasis on practical use and real-life examples.

The guides include:

• Guide #1: Product Management for Media Managers, by Derrick Fountain [25 pages] - This guide is structured around a product lifecycle - Research, Define, Plan, Design, Build, Test, Launch, Support, Measure, Iterate, Retire - and provides an overview of the activities that take place during each phase, accompanied by inline links and references to more detailed explanations and resources.
• Guide #2: Launching a Paywall: What You and Your Team Need to Know, by Tomáš Bella [40 pages] and Case Studies on Paywall Implementation: Gazeta Wyborzca and Malaysiakini by Marius Dragomir, Dumitrita Holdis, and Ian M. Cook [28 pages] - The main guide helps answer the question: What subscription model is right for you? Covers: readers' clubs (just pay, no wall - The Guardian model); metered paywall (The New York Times model); hard paywall (The Times model); and crowdfunding. It also looks at technical aspects - what software do you need; pricing strategies, discounting; and marketing. The accompanying case studies aim to help media organisations navigate paywall implementation.
• Guide #3: Best Practices for Data Journalism, by Kuek Ser Kuang Keng [52 pages] - Media organisations have invested in data journalism, which complements and enhances what journalists are already doing, because it can help them to: find stories that would not have been found through traditional reporting or that are hidden in data; verify or clarify claims more authoritatively with evidence; communicate information quickly, effectively, and memorably; tackle bigger stories that involve a large amount of information or data; set reporting apart from competitors; and engage the audience in more personalised storytelling approaches. The guide offers "13 commandments" for data journalism - e.g., the goal of data visualisation is to communicate information effectively, but a common mistake among designers is aiming for powerful graphics rather than powerful journalism.
• Guide #4: Facebook News Feed Changes: Impact and Actions, by Ross Settles [28 pages] - This guide introduces the changes Facebook made in its News Feed in October 2017, explaining steps that a media executive could take to prepare and strategise for how to compensate for the impact of the change on their business.
• Guide #5: Introduction to Podcasting, by Erkki Mervaala [40 pages] - This guide covers: the benefits a podcast can bring; what a podcast is and isn't; technical aspects; planning production; the necessary equipment and software; processes for recording and editing the audio; feeds and hosting; distribution and promotion; analytics and metrics; and monetisation and next steps.
• Guide #6: Using WhatsApp for Radio, by Clémence Petit-Perrot and Linda Daniels [23 pages] - With support from MDIF's SAMIP (South Africa Media Innovation Program), the Children's Radio Foundation (CRF) has compiled this toolkit based on its experiences supporting 8 radio stations across South Africa to integrate WhatsApp into their reporting and broadcasting environments. CRF uses radio to create opportunities for information sharing, access to public services, dialogue, leadership, advocacy, and community building. It trains young people as radio reporters who broadcast about issues important to youth in their communities.