(3 of 5 in “From good to great” series)

Focusing goals is an important step toward focusing energy, but new mandates will most certainly be received negatively if the newspaper does little to help editors succeed.

Don’t set editors up for failure by withholding the tools for success. Two kinds of tools are needed most everywhere:

First, simplify technology.

Most reporters are sent into the field with only a phone and a notepad. How will they record audio, video or photos? To be converged, reporters must have the tools of convergence.

That doesn’t mean every reporter should drag around a digital SLR camera, a video camera and a tape recorder. No reporter will welcome that burden. I heard Jon Landman of NYTimes.com once say that if the technology is simple enough, reporters will use it.

Take advantage of miniature modern technology. Can every reporter can be equipped with a cell phone that has a built-in camcorder, camera and e-mail access? Yes, the video is good enough for use online. In an emergency, it can be used on television and screenshots can be run in print.

There is evidence that equipping reporters does directly cause new content. The Naples Daily News equipped each of its reporters with an audio tape recorder. The result was enough audio for a daily news podcast.

Second, and most importantly, editors need Web-only staff.

All across the country, newspaper Web sites report being overwhelmed by requests from the newsroom to do more, faster. Everyone in online leadership is concerned that being forced to turn away valid content opportunities will leave folks forever turned off.

At the Washington Post, there is such high use of reporter-generated audio that they started providing training on how best to tape record. But first the site fell victim to its own success. Reporters quickly got interested in gathering audio. At least one eager reporter tried it, only to be told the audio quality was so sub-par that it couldn’t be posted.

The Web needs enough staff not only to respond to the overwhelming amount of requests from the newsroom, but also to “pre-edit” and train reporters embarking on new territory.

Tomorrow’s entry: Need for immediate expansion