The chart, at right, shows the climb of smartphone news consumers. The large jump seen in early 2012 is because analytics were improved in our mobile app allowing us to see all user activity in the app (before that we could only see some of what people viewed during a visit)

A timeline of the mobile share for the month of July over the past few years:

• 2008: 0.10%
• 2009: 6.12%
• 2010: 9.27%
• 2011: 13.98%
• 2012: 40.58%

Tracking the mobile share helps to understand the changing nature of our audience. Gone are the days when people just got news from one medium – be it the newspaper, radio or television.

Today’s population is getting information in all sorts of ways and our job is to deliver news how and where people want the information.

At 4 p.m. July 21 officers shot a man who was chased based on suspicious activity. The man’s death a few hours later sparked a small riot later that night and protests that continue days later.

I worked as a breaking news reporter the morning after the shooting and initial protest. I managed the story coverage – giving reporters out in the field information on where to go and what was happening while taking in notes and quotes and weaving one narrative.

I also managed the narrative, working to make it as easy as possible for readers to both find the latest information and to follow the story. I published 15 updates to the story during my shift, several of which were published as protesters rushed the police station lobby while the police chief updated reporters on the known events. In the story, I kept the latest information at the top and below continued updating sections on each element of the story: the officer-involved shooting, the melee and the police-community tension.

Link: Best apps for the new retina iPad

To augment the Register tech reporter’s coverage, I wrote two posts about the new iPad.

The first was about if someone should buy the new iPad. While discussing the new iPad ahead of the announcement, most people talked about it within the scope of if they didn’t have an iPad or if they already have the 1 or 2. I thought that writing to each person could help make the new iPad features more relevant (rather than just writing to one general audience).

I also collected the best apps for the new iPad – for proud new owners looking to play and show off. Before the new iPad was available I collected apps that should sparkle in retina and make full use of the camera. Then, after my new iPad arrived, I updated with new information from a user’s perspective.

Most tech blogs like to write about every single rumor as it stumbles across the web. As CNet and a few others did, I rounded up the rumors for anxious tech readers.

The round-up was also a good way for potential iPad buyers and sellers to think about what is most likely to be included – in case they wanted to buy or sell ahead of the Apple announcement. Also, the links throughout help readers to find out more about each specific rumor.

Link: Katherine Darmer remembered fondly

Link: Law professor’s death probed as suicide

Link: Vigil honors Chapman Law’s Katherine Darmer

I was working a weekend reporting shift when I was forwarded an email announcing the death of a beloved Chapman law school professor. I wrote an obituary about her, her work and the impact she had on others’ lives. Then, I started and continued updating a collection of memory’s about Darmer that streamed in after people read my story. Due to high reader interest in the story, I continued reporting on Darmer during the week and posted that it was probed, and later confirmed, a suicide and I posted that a vigil was planned and then followed up with photos from the vigil.

Link: Think Different

I remember it like it was yesterday. I had just gotten home from work and was walking my beagle. I got a text from my husband who asked if I knew. “Know what?” I asked. And then he told me that Steve Jobs had died. I still couldn’t believe the news. I read through all the text messages and push notifications and emails I’d received as news alerts. I was in disbelief.

As our tech reporter worked up the main story, I worked on two Storifys as sidebars. The first one was on Orange County people reacting on Twitter to the news. The other I published the next day – a Storify of the exact words of the famous “Think Different” campaign by Apple that also speaks to Jobs’ thinking that shaped Apple and everyone who uses the company’s products.

Link: Storify wrap-up of #OCFair tweets

In a regular story, wrapping up the last day of the Orange County Fair, I was able to use social media to add valuable information to my story.

The first big help was in finding a person to talk to about this year’s fair. Rather than going to the fair and wandering around aimlessly looking for an interesting person, I looked up the OC Fair Foursquare mayor. I asked her via Twitter if I could interview her for my story and she agreed. She turned out to be a fair employee, a bartender, who attended all but one day of this year’s fair. She’s also been to the fair every year since she was a small girl. One hour later, I had a story with great insight provided by the fair’s “mayor.”

I also used Storify to bring in some interesting details from the fair’s last two days. The tweet quotes show the human side of the fair’s final weekend – as told by its attendees.

A description of the panel: ” Learn how to design mobile experiences for maximum impact and how to leverage new or existing tools and technologies efficiently as you enter the mobile space. Panelists will offer advice and examples of how to create mobile products with impact and what newsroom changes are needed to create successful mobile content.”

“Mobile share” is a figure I use to explain how much of our content is accessed by people using a mobile device (smartphone or tablet). The number compares total mobile page views to total digital page views (mobile + desktop website).

Notes about the Register’s mobile share:

• OCRegister mobile share crossed the 15% mark for the first time with 15.92% in June 2011.
• The Register crossed the 10% mark in October 2010 and the 5% mark in May 2010.

“Sonya Quick has done a fantastic job helping us move forward with social and mobile strategies and exploring new opportunities to engage with readers via ShareOC. Our mobile audience is growing at such a phenomenal rate – and has such great potential – that Sonya will focus her talents on our mobile site and mobile apps, while continuing to share her insights on social networks and user-generated content. The ShareOC work will migrate to the crowd sourcing team leader once that role is filled.”