Online journalism is not rocket science; it just takes practice: NCEW University gives pointers.

The 2007 version of NCEW-U, the pre-convention warmup, featured a crash course in shooting video and producing multimedia editorials, followed by a far-ranging panel discussion of other online possibilities.

Rick Musser, director of the University of Kansas' multimedia newsroom, went over the basics of shooting video. The most important? Take off the lens cap.

Musser discussed common video cliches. These included shooting pictures of signs to establish location, shots of people walking, shots of buildings, shots of people walking into buildings and, finally, the dreaded BOPSA: shots of a Bunch of People Sitting Around.

As writers, Musser said, newspaper journalists "have spent a lifetime making words do the work." Their common approach is to use video to illustrate the text, rather than learning how to let the video tell the story.

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Editorial writers face an even more difficult task, because traditional editorial topics don't necessarily lend themselves to visuals. Musser's recommendation: "Don't shoot a city council meeting; shoot the problem they are debating. Let the images do the talking." Musser acknowledged that could be easier said than done.

Musser discussed ways to eliminate most bad video. Avoid backlighting, unless you are intentionally going for a "witness protection video" effect. Avoid jump cuts: jarring breaks in continuity of action.

Eddie Roth, editorial writer and columnist the Dayton Daily News in Ohio, discussed strategies he uses in putting together video editorials. He started with a fashion demonstration: a camera hanging from his neck, a bag of accessories belted around his waist, and a video camera in one hand.

"You just have to get used to the fact that you will look like a goofball doing this" Roth said.

The idea is to get a basket full of stuff--still photos, video, audio--that can be put together like a jigsaw puzzle.

Three notions should guide you as you gather material: the need to orient viewers and show them where you're taking them, the desire to take your audience places they haven't been, and the knowledge that people make the most powerful images.

Beyond that, just make sure you get plenty of material, and worry later about how you'll use it.

The boot camp ended with a wide-ranging discussion by Larry Reisman, editorial page editor of the Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers in Florida; David Mastio, founder of Blognetnews; and Pete Wasson, opinion editor of the Wausau Daily Herald in Wisconsin. All three are pushing the online envelope in different ways.

Dan Radmacher is editorial page editor at The Roanoke Times in Virginia. Email: dan.radmacher@roanoke.com