Being an online journalist requires one to wrestle with the internet - more than traditional journalists do. The internet is not a scary harmful monster anyway, but it runs much on some technical tricks and knowledge that one must apply into work for best results. If you are a journalist new to internet and need to get the basics, or been around a while and still not sure of how to work it out, here is some help.

First, we need note that the day-to-day tasks of a journalist can be more generally grouped in terms of functions as:
Managerial
Business
Editorial

If you are starting online journalism as a hobby, you are not to bother with the business function and you have less to worry about the managerial function. You are most likely to have no strict perform metrics or project goals to meet, and it is certain you are not out for income or other business gains. As a hired professional online journalist, the managerial and editorial functions are where you require much concentration. You would usually work with or as part of a team that will handle the business side of things. While as an independent professional online journalist, you are responsible for all of these functions.

Here are some tricks and insights to help you out with each of these functions:

Managerial
The administrative and regulatory side

Organise
As a hired or independent professional online journalist, you have to execute your work in an orderly and productive manner. If you are hired, your employer probably already has a structure to support you on this, all you will need is to follow laid down processes and policies. Do not hesitate to suggest new processes and policies to your employer, but do not force them to be adopted or be disappointed if they are not considered. If you are independent, it will be your responsibility to formulate plans, mobilise resources and control operations. You have the freedom to steer to the path you wish and in the manner you prefer, within professional and civil regulations.

Account
There is only one way to measure growth or progress and that is to keep record of it. After working a while, you will definitely want to know how much you have grown and at what rate you have been growing. Records often serve as data that translate to metrics useful for measurement and decision making. Your employer, employees, partners and investors will need some of these metrics.

Develop
Nothing grows without being developed. You want to grow your career, then develop the capabilities and qualities required to perform your work better. You want to grow your business, then develop the structure and resources required to perform your operations better. Take learning opportunities. Seek productive alternatives.

Business
The profitability and financial side

Marketing
A good idea or product is worthless if it satisfies no real need. If your work satisfies no need, it simply means there will be no demand for it in the market you intend to offer it. And an idea or product of high need will remain worthless if it cannot make it to the market where it is in demand. If you are hired, your employer must have a marketing structure which you may or may not be involved with. If you are independent, you are responsible for putting a marketing structure in place. Marketing is all the effort you put into making your work ready for the market where it is in demand and getting it to that market.

Revenue
Business results in income generation. As a hired professional, your employer must have a system for handling income, while you focus on your work. But as an independent professional, you must setup a system for handling your income. You must set pricing, process payments and manage money reserves.

Investment
Business requires investment of money or other forms of wealth. Hired professionals often have their employers doing the investments. On the other hand, independent professionals are required to make investments. You are to invest in operating structures and resources - from personal savings, income and wealth, or bank loans and investor funds. Investments are to create or attract value for your business - but not all investments do so in reality. You must be able to identify good investments which will add value and poor investments which add no or little value to justify investment.

Editorial
The content production and design side

Plain writing
You engage your audience better with messages they find easy to read and understand. A common approach in professional practice is the Plain Writing technique which emphasises the use of simple words, simple sentences and active voice. Whether as a hobbyist or professional newly hopping into journalism, you need this.

Search Engine Optimisation
Information published on the internet is distributed to users based on a computer algorithm for handling data. This algorithm places before each unique user surfing the internet the most relevant information based on the personal information of the unique user or search keyword which the unique user has entered. Tailoring your content to include information that matches the personal information of the users you intend to engage and the keywords they search will make it more visible to them.

Research
As a journalist, you probably have to report about many different subjects which you have no indepth prior knowledge about. You need to make findings on such subjects to enable you prepare a credible report. Your findings can be made from direct or indirect sources. However, the highest quality findings are mostly from direct sources. Hence it is better to gather findings from direct sources or from indirect sources that accurately gather from direct sources.

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