Happy Birthday, 10,000 Words!

10,000 Words was created in response to a training workshop I participated in with editors from some of the top newspapers in the U.S. At the end of the workshop, the question was asked "Where can we go for more multimedia tutorials?"

There are several sites that provide tutorials for multimedia tools, but not in a journalistic context, and several multimedia blogs, many of which lament the state of the industry, yet don't showcase the tools to make multimedia happen. And thus 10,000 Words was born.

Here are the top 10 most read posts this year (Note: Google Analytics was only installed four months ago so this list favors more recent posts):


1. Wise words from a wise man

The posts that become popular are never the ones that I think will do so. I was very tired the day I began to craft this post, but I didn't want to not write anything altogether. So, I took one of my favorite quotes that had been at the top of my notes and found a few more Albert Einstein sayings to go along with it. The result is by far the most popular post in the history of this blog, mostly due to some insane (and ongoing) traffic from StumbleUpon.

2. 8 Ways of visualizing the news

3. Selecting the right font

4. 12 Creative uses of time-lapse photography

5. Barack Obama: political candidate, muse?

6. 8 Beautifully Designed Maps

7. 7 Gadgets for the eccentric journalist

8. 12 Useful online tools for journalists

9. How to make the most of your journalism internship

10. Essential social networks for journalists


And the first post ever on 10,000 Words: Cool v. Innovative Journalism. Now that I work at an entertainment magazine rather than a daily newspaper, a lot more "coolness" has been injected into my work. I still believe, however, that we as journalists should strive for innovation and function over flashy and cool.