Re-training Newspaper Workers

     Social media is changing the work of the communicators and they training needed.  New technologies demand that communicators need training that prepares them for the changes in corporate practices.  Social media is not just for connecting with friends on Facebook.  Tools like Twitter, Facebook, and Google+ allow organizations to interact with audiences ( Harvard Kennedy School Shorenstein Center on Media, 213).  Corporations can speak directly to consumers for minimum cost.  This exchange of data and interaction with target audiences can lead to constructive criticism, helpful feedback, and even revenue. 

As digital and social technologies enter the workplace, workers will need training to keep up with demands.  Corporations struggle to retool staff.  Research from Pew Research Center study is finding that executives within the newspaper industry know that the sales people need retraining that sell print advertising (Rosenstiel, Jurowitz, & Ji, 2012).  The business side of the newspaper involves the challenge of attracting high digitally skilled sales people to the newspaper industry because many view the newspaper industry to be a troubled industry.  This is a concern is one that the newspaper industry wants to address internally.  Newspapers reported that 88 percent of their ad revenue came from their staff and not outside sources.

     The study found that starting salaries were on average, about $9,000 higher for digital-only account executives than for those selling both traditional and online, because the "bounty is higher…for good internet sales reps (Rosenstiel, Jurowitz, & Ji, 2012).  Newspaper leadership say that it is getting harder to find and hire reps who are knowledgeable in things like SEO, SEM, mobile advertising and social media.

Reference

Harvard Kennedy School Shorenstein Center on Media, P. a. (2013, Aprill 11). Social Media in the Workplace: Research roundup. Retrieved from Journalist Resoure: Research on today's new topics: http://journalistsresource.org/studies/society/social-media/social-media-workplace-research-roundup#

Rosenstiel, T., Jurowitz, M., & Ji, H. (2012, March 5). Pew Research Center. Retrieved from Pew Research Center: http://www.journalism.org/2012/03/05/retooling-sales-staff/