Thank you, Millie Tran!

It’s time to share my prototype! This makes me nervous and uncomfortable, but I am ready.

Shoobies of the Shore is my first real world journalism endeavor. I am sharing it with a group that I feel really connected to. I want, and need, it to be taken seriously.

Luckily, Millie Tran, editor of mobile news at BuzzFeed, had some experiences to share about launching their BuzzFeed News newsletter.

Step 1 — create a prototype

• I want my prototype to explain who I am and what I am doing. I want to emanate confidence and knowledge of my subject as well as gain people’s trust.

Step 2 — figure out an audience

• I’ve already reflected on my ideal reader! Find that here.

Step 3 — reach that audience

• For family and friends’ opinions, I have a list of ~20 people who have been to Margate or have a home in Margate to send my first column too.
• To go public, I will post in Facebook groups. Tran said it may be scary going public, but in the end, we are not our users and we need that feedback to succeed.

Step 4 — start small and test

• My prototype is short and universal. I want people to engage and connect with me. If they liked the story, would they subscribe? Why or why not? Do they have any ideas for the future?

Step 5 — tweak for better user experiences

• I must be engaging and forgiving. I have to think about people’s backgrounds, as well as what they are interested in, to get the best reactions. Every sentence, bullet, image, etc, must be perfectly clear for the user. Each small edit leads to overall improvement.

Step 6 — understand good advice vs. bad advice

• Personal preferences will not appeal to the majority. If a lot of people tend to like an idea and one person doesn’t, that one person’s opinion probably doesn’t carry much influence.
• Constructive criticism is good! This is why we are sending out our first columns before going public. I expect things to change.

Getting honest feedback seems challenging, but I am willing to work hard to receive constructive responses. With Tran’s experiences in mind, I am confident in sending out my prototype to understand the wants and needs of the community.