Our-Hometown will be hosting a LIVE WEBINAR on Protecting Your Content from AI next month on September 21st at 2PM Eastern.

With so much focus lately on new AI technologies and the limitless potential they represent for news publishers, one negative that has often gone overlooked is the risk of AI scraping your content without your permission.

One way that AI language models train themselves to remain current is to scrape news content from across the internet, making that information available in its database to share with users or applications who may benefit from it. For news publishers who are charging subscribers for access to that information, seeing AI bots scrape and share this information for free is problematic, to say the least.

In fact, some big names have already taken action: Business Insider reports that Amazon and the New York Times are blocking OpenAI’s web crawler.

Join us for a presentation on how Our-Hometown helps to protect our customers from this threat with various safeguards. This includes utilizing paywalls to protect your content, as well as additional options such as blocking AI crawlers and robots.

Fill out the short form below to register for the webinar. As always, registration is free for Our-Hometown customers and members of our Partnered Press Associations.

The cost to general public is $25.

The post LIVE WEBINAR: Protecting Your Content from AI on September 21st first appeared on Our-Hometown.

We’ve recently hosted live webinars on AI Generated Content and AI Generated Imagery, demonstrating how publishers can leverage the power of popular AI models like ChatGPT and DALL-E to produce written articles and related stock imagery for their websites.

Now, we’re ready to tie it all together and demonstrate how you can use the Our-Hometown WordPress Platform and our Reverse Publishing tools to quickly export any AI generated content for placement in the printed newspaper.

Join us on July 20th at 3PM Eastern for a complete overview of exporting your AI-generated content for use in the print edition. As always, the presentation is free to Our-Hometown customers and members of our partnered Press Associations. 

Just fill out the short form below to register now!

The cost to the general public is $25.

The post LIVE Webinar: Reverse Publishing AI Generated Content on July 20th first appeared on Our-Hometown.

In this video, the OHT team provides commentary on an interview between Lex Fridman and Sam Altman, the founder of OpenAI. They discuss various topics related to ChatGPT and the personalization of models. They explore the idea of feedback mechanisms and the potential for users to report, upvote, or downvote responses.

They also touch on the democratization of the alignment process and the importance of keeping alignment ahead of the capabilities of models. The conversation delves into topics like human training, reinforcement learning, and the challenges of aligning models with different values across countries.

They also discuss the partnership between Open AI and Microsoft, as well as the potential business model changes and the role of safety in AI development. Throughout the conversation, they mention various features and possibilities related to the Open AI system and its applications.

Chapters

00:00 – Intro
00:22 – GPT-4
06:41 – RLHF
15:30 – AI Safety
19:05 – Alignment vs. Capability
25:14 – System Prompts
28:00 – AI Engine Prompts
31:52 – Steerability
35:04 – Business Model
38:45 – Relationship with Microsoft

The post OpenAI and ChatGPT: Lex Fridman interviews CEO Sam Altman first appeared on Our-Hometown.

In this commentary video, the Our-Hometown team engage in casual forum-style discussions based on an episode of the Lex Fridman podcast featuring Mark Zuckerberg.

They highlight how Zuckerberg’s discussion about AI aligns with their vision of developing chat bots. The team mentions the availability of open-source AI models, such as GPT, and the potential use of Facebook’s AI in their own chat bot development. They delve into the importance of open sourcing AI and the benefits it offers to researchers and developers.

The conversation also touches on the significance of alignment in AI models and the potential risks associated with AGI. The team explores various possibilities of utilizing AI, including customized chat bots for businesses and content generation based on specific prompts.

The video concludes with discussions on training models, generating summaries, and potential applications for AI in journalism and local events coverage.

Chapters

00:00 – Start
00:53 – AI and Open Source
10:01 – Models and Datasets
11:57 – AI Chatbots and Personalization
14:26 – AI Engine for WordPress
19:22 – Model Alignment
21:13 – Open Source = More Secure
22:44 – Custom Chatbots
25:00 – AI Engine: Content Creation
Original Podcast Video:    • Mark Zuckerberg: …  
Transcript: https://steno.ai/lex-fridman-podcast-…

The post META and AI: Insights from the Lex Fridman interview with Mark Zuckerberg first appeared on Our-Hometown.

We’ve seen AI technologies advance at a rapid pace throughout the first half of 2023, and that trend isn’t expected to stall out any time soon. One of the major tools released to the public this year is DALL-E 2 by OpenAI (the same company who brought you ChatGPT).

DALL-E 2 is an AI-image generation system that creates images and digital art from a simple text description entered by the end user. While this kind of technology has endless potential, one key way that it can impact the news publishing industry is by replacing generic stock imagery. 

It is no secret that content shared across social media and the internet in general performs better when there is an attached image or graphic to draw the reader’s attention. However, it is unlikely that you’ll have a relevant stock image for every topic, and using a generic image of your publication’s logo can become redundant. 

Enter: DALL-E 2.

By harnessing the power of DALL-E 2, publishers can enter a short description and generate a completely custom graphic to use with their story, potentially eliminating the need for stock imagery services altogether.

Join us on June 29th at 3PM Eastern for a complete overview of AI-generated imagery and other use cases. As always, the presentation is free to Our-Hometown customers and members of our partnered Press Associations. 

Just fill out the short form below to register now!

The cost to the general public is $25.

The post LIVE Webinar: AI for Image Generation on June 29th first appeared on Our-Hometown.

As a marketer, I am always searching for ways to create high-quality content that resonates with my audience. And that’s why I was thrilled to discover ChatGPT – a game-changing language model that has transformed the way I approach content creation.

The power of ChatGPT is nothing short of remarkable. It’s like having an endless library of content ideas and inspiration right at your fingertips. Whether I need help with blog posts, social media updates, or email newsletters, ChatGPT has my back. All I have to do is enter a prompt or a topic, and the tool generates a response that I can refine to meet my needs.

What I appreciate most about ChatGPT is its flexibility. It can produce content in a variety of formats, including short snippets, long-form articles, and even poetry. This means that regardless of what type of content I’m looking to create, ChatGPT has a solution for me.

I am eager to share my experience with this powerful tool during our upcoming webinar, “Chat GTP for Content Generation,” scheduled for May 18, 2023.

During the webinar, we will dive into how ChatGPT can transform the way you approach content creation. You’ll learn how to generate ideas, refine your content, and optimize your approach to content creation. I cannot wait to share my insights and discoveries with you and help you unlock the full potential of ChatGPT.

If you’re looking for a way to streamline your content creation process and produce quality content at scale, then you won’t want to miss this webinar. Join us on May 18, 2023, and see how ChatGPT can help you achieve your content creation goals.

The post ChatGPT on using ChatGPT for Content Generation first appeared on Our-Hometown.

The presentation will focus on Search Engine Optimization for news publishers and will highlight various techniques for optimizing your website’s structure and content in order to improve visibility and ranking on popular search engines.

Michael will also cover several new topics since last year’s webinar, including helpful content and spam updates from Google, as well as a look at AI-generated content and how it may effect search results.

For newspaper publishers, practicing strong SEO techniques is essential for remaining competitive in the digital age. With so much content available online, it can be difficult to stand out and attract readers to your site. By implementing some of these techniques, you can ensure that your website is optimized to appear at the top of relevant search engine results, making it easier for potential readers to find your content.

Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions, share their own experiences, and network with other publishers in the industry. The cost of attendance is a small fee of $25 per person, which includes access to the live webinar, as well as a recording of the session for later viewing upon request.

Our-Hometown customers and members of our partnered Press Associations are eligible to attend for free. Just designate your affiliation during registration to activate the discount!

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn about the importance of SEO for newspaper publishers and gain practical tips for implementing strong SEO techniques on your website. Register below to secure your seat today!

Register Now

The post SEO for Newspapers LIVE WEBINAR set for March 17th first appeared on Our-Hometown.

As you may already know, Google Analytics Universal is being phased out and will stop processing new data on July 1st, 2023. This means that it is essential for you to upgrade to Google Analytics 4 by then to ensure that your website continues to track and analyze data accurately.

What’s different about GA4 compared to Universal?

For starters, GA4 offers a more holistic approach to data tracking. It takes into account the various ways customers interact with your website, including through their mobile devices and offline activities. GA4 also provides more advanced analysis features and the ability to set up custom conversion events, making it easier to understand the impact of your marketing efforts.

A few notable features are highlighted below:

• Cross-device and cross-platform tracking: GA4 enables you to track user behavior across devices and platforms, giving you a more comprehensive understanding of your audience.
  
• Enhanced machine learning capabilities: GA4 uses machine learning algorithms to automatically detect and highlight important insights in your data, saving you time and effort in analyzing your website’s performance.
  
• Improved data privacy: GA4 includes features to help you comply with data privacy regulations, such as GDPR and CCPA, giving you peace of mind that your website is secure and in compliance.
  
• User-centric data: GA4 allows you to view data in a more user-centric manner, giving you a better understanding of how individual users interact with your website.

Another advantage of GA4 is the integration with Google’s other products, such as Google Ads and Google Tag Manager. This allows for even more granular tracking and insights, helping you make data-driven decisions to improve your online presence.

Remember, Google Analytics Universal will stop processing new data after July 1st, 2023. If you are currently using Google Analytics Universal, you’ll need to upgrade to Google Analytics 4 before then.

We want to help make this transition as smooth as possible for you. If you need assistance setting up GA4, we’re here to help. Simply send us your GA4 code, and we’ll place it in your website header for you.

We also have a walkthrough for the steps to setup a GA4 account if you don’t have one and where to find the code that we need to place on your website.

Don’t wait until it’s too late. Upgrade to GA4 today and take advantage of the powerful insights it has to offer. If you have any questions or need assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.

The post Don’t forget to upgrade to Google Analytics 4 first appeared on Our-Hometown.

Kevin is well-known in the newspaper industry for his wide array of expertise across various stages of the newspaper production process — everything from writing effective headlines and designing effective advertisements to developing an attractive theme and laying out the final product. He leads webinar sessions every month teaching both basic and advanced design concepts in software like Adobe Photoshop and InDesign that are used to produce content.

Needless to say, a one-on-one consultation with Kevin Slimp could be invaluable for your newspaper — and Our-Hometown customers now have this resource for free!

If you’re interested in scheduling a free consultation with Kevin Slimp to talk about your newspaper’s print design, please fill out the form below with your information and indicate what days/times would work best for you.

Please note that you will be required to upload & attach a .PDF of one of your newspaper’s recent editions for Kevin to review ahead of time.

We have more exciting things in the works with Kevin, so keep an eye out for more announcements in the coming weeks!

The post Apply for a free print design consultation with Kevin Slimp! first appeared on Our-Hometown.

Our-Hometown is excited to present this WEBINAR INTERVIEW with the Directors of the Virginia Press Association — the innovators of the original Digital Initiative program! The event was recorded on Thursday, July 28th at 2PM Eastern.

Our-Hometown President & CEO Matthew Larson is joined by the Directors of the Virginia Press Association to discuss the ins-and-outs of the Digital Initiative program: how the idea started, what prompted the VPA to partner with Our-Hometown, and what kind of impact the program has had on association members.

As our partner on the original Digital Initiative, the Virginia Press Association has helped us build the program from the ground up, and serves as a model for future Digital Initiative programs to follow. No one is in a better position to share their thoughts on the program than the brain trust at the Virginia Press Association!

If you’re considering getting involved in our Digital Initiative, or want to build some demand for your own press association, you won’t want to skip this informative interview!

The post Webinar Interview with VPA Directors on the Digital Initiative | July 28, 2022 [Replay] first appeared on Our-Hometown.