Refining Your Idea

09 Nov

Archived Web Chat

Posted by Robertson Adams in live chat, Refining Your Idea

The following web chat took place Monday Nov. 9 from 1 to 2 p.m.

29 Sep

3 tips to determine how much money you should ask for

Posted by Jose Zamora in funding, funding tips, how much should I ask for?, tips, Refining Your Idea

Jose Zamora is a Journalism Program Associate at Knight Foundation

1. Do your research

2. Develop an accurate budget

3. Be reasonable

You have a great idea, and you want to apply to the Knight News Challenge, but you are not sure about how much money to ask for. The answer lies in how much the project will cost.

To decide how much funding to ask for you have to create a budget. And that budget should be as accurate as possible. You should take into account things like salaries, contractors, rent, utilities, travel, legal fees, marketing, etc. Include everything you are planning to do and how you will do it. Then do research and get real estimates of what each activity, salary and fee will cost.

It might also be helpful to look for other projects in the application pool and see how much they are asking for. You also could examine the budgets of organizations or individuals that are doing projects similar to the one you want to develop. That number should also help you determine how much you should ask for.

The Knight News Challenge contest does not request a line-item budget unless you are a finalist. However you need to know your general budget when you apply to be able to state the amount you are requesting. Creating a budget will be a helpful exercise. It will allow you to know how much to ask for and it will also allow you to have a budget ready in case you move forward in the contest to the phase where we do ask for a budget.

The most important thing to remember when asking for an amount for your project is to ask for an amount that is reasonable for what you are proposing to do.

Good luck!

29 Sep

Make a video pitch for your News Challenge idea

Posted by Matt Thompson in elevator pitch, Refining Your Idea

Want to bring more attention to your News Challenge idea in hopes of generating more feedback? Post a quick (< 20 seconds) video pitching the essence of your idea as a response to this video on YouTube:

Update: (12/15/09) Now that the application deadline is upon us, we won't be highlighting any more video responses. You can see all the responses that were submitted here on YouTube.

18 Sep

5 tips on discovering what else is out there.

Posted by Jose Zamora in applying, jose zamora, refining your idea, Refining Your Idea

Jose Zamora is a Journalism Program Associate for Knight Foundation

A great application meets the main three criteria of: 1) using digital open-source technology; 2) to distribute news and information, 3) to a local community, but goes beyond that by having the following elements:

1. It is clearly written. (A child should be able to understand it.)

2. It is concise. (It is what we know of as a great and brief elevator pitch.)

3. It has research and discovery in it (meaning that you tried to find out about everything else that is out there that is similar to what you are proposing to do).

The third factor is a key element of your application. Before submitting your project you should do the necessary research to demonstrate that you have a unique idea and that you are not reinventing the wheel.

You will have a great advantage in the contest if you are able to show that:

• You know the landscape of the field and the project you are proposing to do.

• You are able to explain why your idea/project is different or better than everything else that is already exists.

The simplest way to start doing your research is by doing Google searches with key words of what you are proposing to do. You can also crowd-source your research using twitter and asking everyone if they have ever heard or seen anything like what you are planning to do. You can also ask your social networks for help and see what media, social media and mobile organizations are already doing. These are only a few things you can do to make sure you are presenting something that is unique or something that is using what already exists, but in a very useful and different way.

03 Sep

What are the Questions on the Online Form?

Posted by Jose Zamora in Refining Your Idea
Jose Zamora is a Journalism Program Associate at Knight Foundation

 

It is a good idea to start working on the Knight News Challenge  questions  before submitting the online form. You will find the questions on the online application form below.

  1. Project title: 100 char.
  2. Describe your project: 1,800 char.
  3. How will your project improve the way news and information are delivered to geographic communities? 750 char.
  4. How is your idea innovative? (new or different from what already exists): 750 char.
  5. What experience do you or your organization have to successfully develop this project? 1,600 char.

Good luck!

02 Sep

Application Tips for the Challenge

Posted by Robertson Adams in video, Refining Your Idea

Knight Foundation Journalism Program Associate Jose Zamora and Journalism Program Director Gary Kebbel address what's new in the 2010 News Challenge and what it takes to win. This is first in a series aimed at helping applicants sharpen their proposals.
(Editor: Marika Lynch.)

31 Aug

On getting feedback on your submission

Posted by Jose Zamora in feedback, improving your application, tips, Refining Your Idea

Jose Zamora is a Journalism Program Associate at Knight Foundation

Getting feedback on your application is important; it will definitely improve your idea and increase the chances of your project moving forward in the contest.

The first thing you should do is draft your submission. Be as clear and concise as possible. Once you have the draft ready read it a few more times and edit it. Try to get rid of jargon and technical terms. Make it simple and to the point.

Once you feel ready for submission, let a few friends read your application. If they think everything is clear and do not have any questions you are ready to submit and receive public feedback. (Public feedback only applies if you submit under the open category)

Posting your application for public comment early will allow you to benefit from the wisdom of the crowd. You will be able to receive feedback and ideas that you can incorporate into your application. Or you will receive questions that will allow you to see in what parts of your submission you need more clarity.

Once your application is public you can also poke your social networks and ask everyone in them to give you feedback. These steps should improve your application and your chance of moving to the full proposal phase of the contest.