We’re reaching out to ask Chicago’s online journalists to help with our second annual survey of Chicago’s online news ecosystem. Here’s the link.

Unlike last year’s survey and directory (available here) we will not be ranking sites this year–too complicated but it sure did get people’s attention, as we discussed last spring!

If you produce an online news site, we have 20 questions for you. If not, please help us spread the word.The survey, which takes less than 10 minutes to complete, asks people who own or manage online news sites about the topics they cover, the areas of Chicago they cover, and how they finance — or don’t finance — their sites.

The emphasis is on covering the broadest range of sites. If you think you belong, we think you belong–but sites should focus on or be based in the Metro Chicago region. The categories the survey seeks to capture include:

• Aggregator of news or data
• Blogs
• Mostly or all online news service/sites
• Niche news sites that serve a specific community of interest, neighborhood, or ethnic news
• Part of a nonprofit organization not primarily producing news
• Part of independent or “alternative” news organization
• Part of traditional metro/mainstream news org
• Other (actually the survey says, “Your categories stink, here’s a better description of what we’re doing”)

The Workshop will use the information collected in the online survey to develop its second annual report to be released in June on the state of Chicago’s online news ecosystem, “The New News,” a project of CMW and The Chicago Community Trust’s Community News Matters project. The information will also inform listings and contact info on CMW’s New News page and the annual Getting On Air, Online & Into Print guide to Chicago and Midwest media.

Spread the word:
If you know someone else who should receive this survey, we ask that you please make sure they know about this survey by forwarding them the survey link.

Get Selected:
In addition to creating a new public list of who’s doing what in online news in Chicago, the Medill School of Journalism will use information from this survey to select a partner for a media-innovation class this fall. If you’re selected master’s students in the class will examine and recommend improvements in your site’s content, marketing, technology and business practices. The class will be directed by Medill Prof. Rich Gordon; if you have any questions about this project, contact him at richgor@northwestern.edu.

Deadline is May 7
We need to hear from you by May 7 because we are planning to release what we’ve learned by late May-early June.

Win $100
As an added incentive and to say thank you for your time, on May 7 we will randomly select from among the online journalists who complete the survey the winner of a $100 Visa gift card.

Learn More
More details about what we will be doing with what you tell us are embedded in the survey itself.

Who’s in so far?

Thought you might like to see the list in the first day or so of responses:

“Going Public” blog, Adentro de Pilsen, AREA Chicago, Arte y Vida Chicago, BroadShouldersUpdate.com, Centerstage Chicago, Chicago Art Magazine, Chicago Art Collector, Chicago Parent, chicagoistheworld, ChicagoStorytelling, District 299: The Chicago Public Schools Blog, Edgewater Community Buzz, Editor, Evanston Now, Examiner.com, Gapers Block, Hot Potato, insideonline, Journal of Ordinary Thought, Mindful Metropolis, NPCommunicator, NUF SAID, Outside the Loop Radio: Chicago’s Almost Above-Ground Audio Magazine, Outside.in, PBS NewsHour (Formerly The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer), Post-Tribune, Proyecto Latina, SallyDuros.com, Seeding Chicago, SkokieNet Community Information Network, The 35th Street Review, The Beachwood Reporter, The Music Box, The Sixth Ward, The Welles Park Bulldog, This is Hell!, U.S. Catholic magazine, WE The People Media/Residents’ Journal, and Windy City Media Group.

Please also feel free to contact us by email or call us at 312-369-6400.