Billions of people are using chat apps. Can brand owners and broadcasters make themselves part of these private conversations? And should they?

The BBC World Service, the Weather Company USA and youth-led creative network Livity have been exploring ways to engage with these hard-to-reach audiences.

This podcast explores how organisations are using short animated images such as gifs as well as chatbots - computer programmes which simulate conversations with humans - to become part of the conversation in private spaces.

Communications on these text, email or instant messaging apps is referred to as 'dark social' because, unlike a Facebook share or a retweet, it’s harder for brands and broadcasters to see what’s going on ‘in the dark’.

In this podcast you'll learn:

• how big-name brands are using ‘dark social’ to promote themselves

• what the Weather Channel learnt from audience interactions with its chatbot

• about the insight the BBC World Service gained from its first attempt to deliver original journalism via a chat app

This podcast is presented by Charles Miller, editor of the BBC Academy blog. He's joined by BBC World Service assistant editor Vladimir Hernandez, series-producer of Young, Angry and Connected, a story of political activism in Africa and the BBC's first WhatsApp journalism project.

Also on the panel are Alan Bryant, a planner and strategist at Livity, which helps organisations reach young people, and Domenic Venuto, general manager of consumer products at the Weather Company in the US.

Find out more about BBC Academy:
Website – www.bbc.co.uk/academy 
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Twitter – www.twitter.com/bbcacademy

Following your audience on 'dark social'

The Radio 1 breakfast show with Nick Grimshaw achieves more than five million listeners a week, thriving on a diet of the latest music releases, news and guests. The BBC Academy's Roxy Ebrahim-Khan spoke to producer Will Foster, assistant producer Fiona Hanlon and Nick Grimshaw himself to find out what it takes to work on this fast-paced show.

In this podcast you'll learn about:

- the different responsibilities of presenters and producers
- the preparation that goes into each programme
- what's most challenging and most enjoyable about working on the show
- team dynamics
- ways to get your first break in radio

"If it's a good vibe in the studio and we're getting on as a production team you can hear that on the radio. You want to be part of it - it feels inclusive." – Nick Grimshaw

The production team also shone a light on staffing issues, booking guests, roles within the team, where they get their ideas from, and what happens if teams don't get on or guests don't work out.

Find out more about BBC Academy:
Website – www.bbc.co.uk/academy 
Facebook – www.facebook.com/bbcacademy  
Twitter – www.twitter.com/bbcacademy

Making Radio 1's Breakfast Show with Nick Grimshaw

Virtual reality (VR) and 360 video are the new cool kids on the media block but how will this impact media organisations? Over the past couple of years, projects have been produced on a wide range of subjects, such as Notes on blindness, The Arctic and even one filmed from the International Space Station. The BBC has produced its own VR content too.

There's no doubt that VR and 360 both give the user something extra, taking them somewhere they couldn’t go in real life and providing an 'experience' rather than just something to watch. So how should media organisations approach the challenge in terms of creativity, production and distribution?

"You have to be prepared to hand over control to your viewers which has implications for how we report on TV."– Zillah Watson

In this podcast you will learn:

- the difference between VR and 360 video 
- how broadcasters are currently using VR and 360
- how other industries are using VR and 360 
- what's augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) 
- will there be a killer app? 

Zillah Watson, from BBC Research & Development, is an editor who’s been responsible for a number of VR projects at the BBC. She wrote a recent report for the Reuters Institute on VR and 360 in news organisations.

Si Lumb is a senior product manager for BBC’s Research & Development Future Experiences team.

Rebecca Gregory-Clarke is the lead technologist for immersive technology at Digital Catapult, a government-backed agency that promotes technological development in the UK.

Find out more about BBC Academy:
Website – www.bbc.co.uk/academy 
Facebook – www.facebook.com/bbcacademy  
Twitter – www.twitter.com/bbcacademy

VR and 360 Video: The path to popularity

The BBC wants more women to apply for engineering jobs but the advice given at a recent BBC Design & Engineering event could be useful to everyone.

In this podcast you’ll hear: 

- what it’s like to work at the BBC
- tips on how to approach a job application
- thoughts about changing career direction and goals
- specific advice for women

The question-and-answer session was chaired by Rebecca Salsbury, interim director of platform in BBC Design & Engineering. The panel included:

- Frances McNamara executive product manager at iPlayer
- Sareh Heidari, a software engineer in BBC News Products & Systems
- Murray Fortescue, head of architecture and engineering for Audience Platform
- Dave Walters, head of product, systems and services for BBC TV, Radio & Archives

As Sareh Heidari said at the event, “almost pretty much whatever you’re interested in, there’s probably a role for you here at the BBC”.

Find out more about BBC Academy:
Website – www.bbc.co.uk/academy 
Facebook – www.facebook.com/bbcacademy  
Twitter – www.twitter.com/bbcacademy

How to get a job: Women in technology

With more and more cyber-attacks in the headlines, including this year's NHS attack, BBC Information security specialist Andrea Walker and BBC News technology broadcast journalist Chris Foxx cut through the jargon to show you how to defend yourself against online threats.

"We have to keep our information safe so we're not letting other people know where our children are, or our bank details, or where we're going on holiday."– Andrea Walker

In this podcast you'll learn about:

- the significance of cyber-security
- the different types of online risks
- spotting hazards
- protecting your social media

We'd love to know what you think about the BBC Academy podcast. Please let us know your thoughts at edrsurvey.com/bbcsurvey

Cyber-Security - How to protect yourself online

With more and more cyber-attacks in the headlines, including this year's NHS attack, BBC Information security specialist Andrea Walker and BBC News technology broadcast journalist Chris Foxx cut through the jargon to show you how to defend yourself against online threats.

"We have to keep our information safe so we're not letting other people know where our children are, or our bank details, or where we're going on holiday."– Andrea Walker

In this podcast you'll learn about:

- the significance of cyber-security
- the different types of online risks
- spotting hazards
- protecting your social media

Find out more about BBC Academy:
Website – www.bbc.co.uk/academy 
Facebook – www.facebook.com/bbcacademy  
Twitter – www.twitter.com/bbcacademy

Cyber-security: How to protect yourself online

In an era where fake news is fashionable, data can help distinguish the facts from the fiction. But how do you interrogate a spreadsheet and hold the data to account? And how can journalists use data to find stories? 

The BBC has placed the "interrogation of data" at the heart of its annual plan for 2017/18 and subsequent three-year strategy. Around 12 new staff are being recruited, including data journalists, data scientists, developers, designers, a cartographer, and a first head of statistics who will start in August 2017. 

Data is clearly becoming an increasingly important storytelling tool. But is data journalism new? And is it a specialist skill or can anyone do it? 

In this podcast you will learn:

- the skills you need to be a data journalist
- what makes a good data story
- if you need to know how to code or be good at maths to create stories
- how 'scripting' can be useful when working with data
- how long it takes to learn the spreadsheet skills you need to work on data stories 
- how quickly you can go from idea to publication

"I really hope that sometime in the future we drop the term 'data journalism' because it's just journalism." – Helena Bengtsson

Presenter Daniel Wainwright of the BBC England Data Unit is joined by BBC data journalism editor John Walton, Guardian data projects team editor Helena Bengtsson and Paul Bradshaw who leads the new MA in Data Journalism at Birmingham City University.

Find out more about BBC Academy:
Website – www.bbc.co.uk/academy 
Facebook – www.facebook.com/bbcacademy  
Twitter – www.twitter.com/bbcacademy

Data journalism: More important than ever?

Daytime television was once thought of as the nursery slopes of a TV career. Today its complex formats and production requirements are seen by many as more challenging than peak-time programming.

“You will learn more making a daytime show than any other.”– Rachel Innes-Lumsden

Smaller teams, smaller budgets and tighter schedules mean there’s little room for error. That makes a daytime production team a well-oiled machine where everyone knows their job.

Street Auction (above) and Dom on the Spot are two BBC One daytime series that were given the green light by commissioning editor Lindsay Bradbury. Alongside Lindsay in this week’s podcast are Julia Foot, series producer of Street Auction, and Rachel Innes-Lumsden, executive producer from the independent production company TwoFour which makes Dom on the Spot

In this podcast you’ll learn:

- the pros and cons of working on daytime programmes
- the daytime TV production process
- the relationship between commissioning editors and programme producers
- the schedules for daytime productions

Find out more about BBC Academy:
Website – www.bbc.co.uk/academy 
Facebook – www.facebook.com/bbcacademy 
Twitter – www.twitter.com/bbcacademy

Inside daytime television: Ideas, reveals and hard work

Training the media industry today, upskilling it for tomorrow. Essential listening for the broadcast production, journalism and technology communities, from editorial and craft skills to taking your next step in the industry. You can get involved in the podcast discussion using the #academycast. This podcast was formerly the CoP Show.

Popular tracks by The BBC Academy podcast