If the future of news is in smartphones, freelance journalists need to be ready. Here’s a simple 6-step plan for getting into mobile news apps.
1. Get a smartphone. You can’t understand how mobile apps work if you don’t use them, so the first step in your mobile internet education is getting a smartphone. Apple’s new iPhone 4 will be out June 24. But if you don’t have that kind of money to spend, get a cheaper one. Coinciding with the iPhone 4’s announcement, Apple dropped the prizes of existing models, so there are plenty of deals. Verizon has been running a buy 1, get 1 free offer for Motorola Droids – I’ve had a Droid since December and love it.
2. Play around with news or other content-related mobile apps. See what’s out there. Some of my current favorites are AP Mobile, NPR and USA Today. But there are hundreds more, and many of them are free.
3. Get training. If you’re not the DIY type, take a mobile app development class from a journalism training center such as Knowledgewebb, J-Lab or News U. If you know journalists who’re already doing this, ask them to teach you – everybody’s busy, so offer to barter something you could do for them in exchange for in-person or virtual lessons.
4. Investigate mobile app markets. Publishers are looking for writers to write mobile apps. Travel guide publishers have been among the first to move existing content to smartphones or hire writers to produce fresh material. From what I’ve read on writer message boards, not all these opportunities pay well, but if it’s your first time out, think of it as getting paid to learn. Once you’ve mastered the form, you can ask for more money, or pick up some extra cash teaching other freelancers (see above).
5. Pitch yourself to publications. Start with the ones that are already producing mobile apps or publications you already work with. A publisher’s taking a chance investing resources in a new product, they might feel safer assigning the work to someone they know is reliable.
6. Write your own app. If you’ve got an entrepreneurial bent and are good with tech – or know enough about it to tell a software developer what you’re after – consider developing your own app. But don’t do the work without a willing buyer. Think of it like selling a book. You come up with an idea, put together a proposal, line up the resources you’d need, and shop it to a publisher. Finding a software developer who can write the code shouldn’t be a problem. Cities like Portland have thriving app developer communities with plenty of coders for hire who could do the back end stuff for you.
Have you successfully written or sold a mobile app? If so, I’d love to hear about it.
Actually because the smartphones came to remaining, it has provided rise to what is now regarded as the app economic system. So how does this succeed? Smartphones are now the new interface for many people to talk, show results and collaborate. By presenting mobile phone applications that can be downloaded on to these interfaces, the programmers supply a lot more utility for the smartphone end users. In return, the builders both get a new ‘estate’ to exhibit ads and monetize or they can simply make revenue by selling the apps at a charge.
For people that do not private a Mac but would like to learn about how to compose iPhone applications, there are a variety of alternatives, which are talked about below.