Must-Have Digital Tools For Journalists

Personalised news applications prove a popular addition to Alfred Hermida’s list of “31 Essential Online Tools for Journalists” for 2008.

The blogger and academic includes no less than six RSS software and online feed readers, including FeedDemon for Windows, NewsFire for Mac operating systems, and Google Reader on the web.

Hermida’s guide also comprises four personalised news page services (such as Netvibes and MyYahoo) and news alerts offerings from Google and Yahoo.

And under the heading of Web 2.0, the former BBC journalist reckons a digital journalism toolkit would not be complete without a social bookmarking website like delicious and online storage services like Wuala and Box.

Hermida, who is programme leader at the University of British Columbia, said of his list of essential tools for 2008: “What is striking is how much these tools have developed in the past year.

“Some fall by the wayside and new ones spring up, such as sites that mine social network sites for personal information.”

The full list is available on Hermida’s reportr.net blog and he welcomes any additions to his 31 essential tools.

Picture: Results Through Training