Social Media – Page 14

April 23, 2007April 23, 2007 kenekaplan Media, PodTech, Social Media, Socialmedia, TV

Mainstream and New Media Meet, But at What Cost?

The Virginia Tech killings showed how mainstream and social media, like the social networking site Facebook, are fitting together to cover news that has a broad audience. It also reveals a major divide between those embracing technology and those who are trying to first understand it better. We need both. San Francisco Chronicle writer Joe Garofoli on April 20, 2007 wrote: “The questions and concerns about the boundaries of openness are being raised not just by traditional media fuddy-duddies but by leaders of new media, those who often praise the virtues of a “democratized” media world in which anyone can publish his own writing, video or photos.”

There is a lot of learning ahead of us – ethics, potentially dangerous uses – but there’s no need to reinvent the wheel. Rather, many are building on lessons learned from the printing press, birth of radio, TV, cable, Internet and now the people at-large who are media producers and worldwide distributors news, information and babble. Garofoli shows the audience for Fox and CNN on Tuesday, April 17:

The 1.8 million people who watched Fox on Monday, the day the shooting occurred, represented a 115 percent jump in ratings over Fox’s average for the first part of this year.
CNN’s 1.4 million viewers were a ratings jump of 186 percent for that same period. MSNBC.com had 108.8 million page views Tuesday, a record for the site.

Garofoli provides a variety of soundbites that show how different people and professions are looking at this. Reading some of these (pasted below), I get the sense that many people are not watching primetime TV shows like CSI, Law&Order and other crime-themed programs. These shows explore many of the ethical and potentially harmful possibilities that come from a society living with more technology-powered capabilities than ever before. Most of the storylines may seem fear or protectionist-based, but they allow us to explore possibilities.

Jeff Jarvis wrote on his BuzzMachine.com blog, “There is no control point anymore. When anyone and everyone — witnesses, criminals, victims, commentators, officials and journalists — can publish and broadcast as events happen, there is no longer any guarantee that news and society itself can be filtered, packaged, edited, sanitized, polished, secured.”
“It is future shock,” said Micah Sifry, executive editor of the Personal Democracy Forum, a
New York think-tank that explores the intersections of technology and politics. “The technology has developed so fast that the culture hasn’t caught up with all of it. On one hand, you have the advocates, who want NBC to release all of (Cho’s manifesto). On the other, you have people who are saying, ‘Wait a minute.’ This is a very challenging moment. What works best is an open-networked system. It’s the difference between trusting a few people to make decisions for everyone and trusting many people.”
“Conflicted is the right word,” said Dave Winer, a pioneering blogger and influential figure in new media. “Yes, I realize that it’s unfortunate right now that this guy gets to control the discussion. We hadn’t foreseen this use of the technology because, as utopians, we tend to look for the good stuff. I liked to think I had a balanced view, and could see where bloggers weren’t doing good, but I hadn’t seriously considered our tools used to further such a bad cause.
“The lesson for this week is that the news is everywhere. The news is on Facebook,” said Jennifer Sizemore, editor in chief of MSNBC.com. Like other news outlets, MSNBC turned to social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook to find students to interview about the Virginia Tech slayings. “I don’t view them as the competition,” said Sizemore. “I see them as enlarging the conversation.”
“In the end, it’s going to get out there,” said Jay Wallace, executive producer for news at Fox News Channel. “Even if every newspaper and cable news channel doesn’t put it out there, somebody will. In those early hours, it is a feeding frenzy. We know that people are flipping around everywhere for news.”

People who are keenly interested will flip through TV, Radio and the Internet, where social media sites offer insight into people’s daily lives. Sometimes people are flipping through all of these at the same time.

We have more people participating than ever, and lots of interesting viewpoints on how we can move ahead in our rapidly changing, technology-driven, new media-filled lives. PodTech’s Rio Pesino talks with a good collection of mainstream and new media pros in this vidoe mashup where he asks, “What’s missing form local media?”

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April 23, 2007April 23, 2007 kenekaplan Media, PR, Social Media, Socialmedia

Blog as Resume, How About Video Resume?

As resumes move from paper to online profile to blogs, the video resume could soon become a new norm.

“The blog is your resume,” Jeremiah Owyang told me this week over lunch, refering to his recent blog post. A few weeks ago, I wrote about Rohit Bhargava’s story on the Social Media resume. NY Times’ Abby Ellin on 4/21/07 talks about video resumes, which could make “the blog is your resume” even richer, more meaningful and impactful.

TV news reporters, anchors and producers have always kept a “reel” of their best work. Their reel was their resume or ticket to getting a new or better job. Other media industry pros do the same. Now since “we are the media,” it seems that short video resumes might be right for anyone with a blog and a career under construction.

Why not create a good self-made video interview where you answer/address thoughtful questions any potential employer may ask?

Something related to note, HR Magazine March 2007 cited a study on web conferencing by global consulting company Frost & Sullivan shows this market jumping nearly 300 percent between 2005 and 2011, to $2.9 billion.

Seeing yourself on video allows you to see how other people really see you. You can see any mannerisms you’re not aware of. Saying the right words with good delivery is important – especially for audio-only interviews (i.e. phone), but seeing your body language immediately triggers trust, confidence and personality.

First, bone up on “media training” techniques…which really means, think about your audience, what is important to them, how they like to be talked to, and how can you make your story interesting and meaningful to them? Sounds like common sense, but when it comes to you telling your story it might help working with a trusted friend or someone who is media savvy — professional or otherwise. Or simply find examples you like and emulate, but tell your authentic story while being mindful of your audience.

Here are some quotes from Abby Ellin’s NY Times’ story:

“We live in an on-demand world where people want the most detailed information to make a decision, as well as the ability to make that decision quickly,” said Nicholas Murphy, 27, the co-founder of WorkBlast.com, which aims to help users create online video résumés. It also allows employers to videotape themselves so they can advertise to prospective employees. (Now that’s “two-way”)
“Executives fall into a trap of speaking business-speak,” said Karen Friedman, a media trainer. “While they might speak the language of their subject, it’s like listening to someone who’s stuck in a tunnel. They’re in a fog. The point they really need to get across gets muddled, lost and unfocused. What is it you want the listener to remember about your message when you’re done communicating?
Debra Benton , media trainer: People will soon forget what you have accomplished and long remember how you made them feel. That’s true on a date, in a job interview, even in Congress. You can get more of an emotional response if you can tap at the heartstrings.” Do everything purposefully, and slow down. “Not to the point where you look like you’re dragging with energy, but most of us go too fast; we hurry; we look anxious. The more time you give yourself, the more status people give you. If you slow down, you look calm and make others calm around you. For instance, when shaking hands, pump two and a half times instead of one. You only have seconds to set yourself apart.”

More video interview tips from Karen Friedman: Ace Your Next Media Interview, Every Number Tells A Story, When Bad News Happens to Good People, Just Say It!

Debra Benton offers tips on how to be a good self-coach. In her article Traits That Make Good Lovers Make Good Leaders, she suggests: “Ask questions. Know what people need and want. Use humor. No one will fault you for lightening the mood. Touch. Figuratively and literally pat people on the back. Initiate. Don’t wait to be asked or prodded. Slow down, shut up, and listen. When you play hard to get they want you more.”

April 17, 2007 kenekaplan Media, Social Media, Socialmedia, TV

TV & Radio News Facing Revolution

The Radio and Television News Directors Association (RTNDA) is happening this week in Las Vegas along side the annual gathering of the National Association of Broadcasters.

Well respected KGO-TV tech and business reporter David Louie is hosting a panel to help TV reporters file stories from wireless cafes. A laptop with Wi-Fi connection to the Internet allows a reporter to edit and “file” a story or b-roll from the field. The technology keeps getting better. Maybe the wonders of WiMAX could someday soon take things to a new level.

Today I read in the broadcast industry newsletter, ShopTalk, a Television Week story by Elizabeth Jensen. Seeing and embracing change — here are some excerpts from Jensen:

“The digital revolution is really hitting home in newsrooms, we find this year, even more than in previous years,” said RTNDA President Barbara Cochran.
…the convention played on some of the newsroom’s technology fears with its slogan “Don’t let the digital revolution leave you behind,” Bill Roswell, RTNDA’s chairman-elect and convention producer, has a more embracing outlook. “There’s a brave new world out there that is very exciting,” he said. “We’re not just radio or television stations anymore; we’re information providers.”
this year, the topics of interest that came up over and over were such technology challenges as the conversion to high-definition, deciding what material to make available for podcasts or cell phone-casts, how newsrooms can best use Web platforms, the impact of one-person newsgathering, how to bring the audience into the newsgathering process, even the thorny legal issues raised by repurposing material for outlets other than traditional radio and TV broadcasts.

Players involved this year are a nice mix of seasoned journalists, new media pros and technology experts (from Jensen’s story):

ABC News video blogger Amanda Congdon: examine “what the next generation of news will look like. [Almost] all the people who are on that panel … come from media organizations or are doing jobs that we wouldn’t have imagined three or four years ago.”
Congdon’s session is moderated by CNN’s chief technology correspondent Miles O’Brien, and they’re joined by Zadi Diaz, new-media producer and co-founder of Smashface Productions; Terry Heaton, senior VP, Media 2.0, audience research and development; Elizabeth Osder, senior director of product for Yahoo News; and Michael Rosenblum of Rosenblum Associates, a pioneer in the single-person video journalism world.

For better or worse, in the Bay Area we’ve seen and felt the revolution for quiet some time. At KRON-TV in the early to mid 1990s, launched their Website and were among the first broadcasters to make news video stories available online. The station also launched a cable channel called BayTV, where I saw for the first time a “one man band” daily news pro producing, scripting, shooting, editing and reporting. That was crazy to me! In 2000, thing began changing even more dramatically and today we’re seeing “single person video journalism” on the flagship KRON newscasts inspired by Rosenblum.

Those may be fundamental changes, but what I learned visiting KNTV this month is even more exciting. How can boradcasters work together with people — bloggers, citizen journalists — to make the daily news more meaningful to the community. That pursuit has always driven the best local TV and radio newsrooms. More people seem to agree that there may be potential benefits to “building community” “reaching out” “involving” the community, rather than just reporting on the community. This was a major topic exlpored duing the first Silicon Valley Chapter of the Social Media Club, hosted at KNTV. Here’s a link to my earlier post and links to more info from that meeting from Mario Sundar.

Lots of momentum for change and it’s inspiring to see professionals from different industries come together. Maybe the real things to observe here:

Technology is ever more important to every industry
Social media is allowing more people to try new things, getting more people involved and participating

April 16, 2007April 16, 2007 kenekaplan PodTech, Social Media, Socialmedia

Anything Goes vs. Civility Enforced

Late night rambling after a watching a great vloggies episode.

As someone who works for a publically owned company, I see the debate on blog codes of conduct as nothing new. It actually offers a chance for every to say who they are and who they want to be. Not having guidelines says you’re the type that likes to be free of “rules” — that’s me! But even without explicit rules, I still treat people with respect and interest. Yet human nature also includes being combatitive, defensive, jealous, vendictive… Maybe we all have our own rules which reflect our tastes and preferences.

If the investors own the company and the company is spending money to allow blogging — internally or externally — it seems important to outline the intentions of the blog. Intended uses and what it is not intended for. Seems things can stay pretty open, but a company does a services to its bloggers, readers and investers when it clearly defines what are its tastes and preferences. Guidelines are bad or evil. They can be limiting, stifling at times, or they can become a foundation for greatness. The Bill of Rights are the Constitution might be considered good examples. I’m sure there are way more bad examples, and there are even examples of guidelines that we never know or hear about. The latter probably serve us all the best.

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April 10, 2007April 10, 2007 kenekaplan Intel, PodTech, Social Media, Socialmedia

Intel’s Ken Kaplan Tells How Storytelling Impacts Social Media

Learning by doing. It’s a great way to put yourself out there among others — for better or worse. Sure you gotta bone up on background and methods, but the best learning comes from people who have more experience than you. The learning never stops, but at some point along the way you get to help others learn and grow their skills and passions.

That’s how it’s been working with PodTech for almost two years now. Sure we work, but it’s more like we challenge each other to step up and bust our our best each time. We see our limits as something to prod because we see and believe in the possibilities. I’m grateful to Jennifer Jones, John Furrier, Darold Massaro, Jason Lopez, Michael Johnson, Catherine Girardeau, Jeremiah Owyang, Robert Scoble and many others at PodTech for sharing lots of thier time, insight, constructive criticism and vision. There’s great variety of talent and flavor powering that PodTech site. Where else can you go and find West Coast hippy babble from someone like me next to the East Coast wisdom of a Loren Feldman and voices in between and beyond?

In this interview with Jennifer Jones, I didn’t drop much science but I let fly my enthusiasm for being part of “times they are a changin'” for the better. It’s about better communication.

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April 8, 2007 kenekaplan Media, Social Media, Socialmedia, TV

New Rules Fly in Our Face

I saw several stories today about business reporter Bambi Francisco (her blog) leaving MarketWatch for her video start-up Vator.tv. It’s become another story on journalism ethics and new rules for communications as mainstream media and new/social media fuse. Full disclosure and fair agreements are essential, but mistakes will be made that bring consequences. Consequences that are opportunities for movin’ ahead better together.

CNET provided some analysis on the Bambi story. Their story was titled “Rewriting ethics rules for the new media…”Some members of the so-called old-media establishment may no longer be able to wag a finger at what they say is questionable ethics among bloggers.” Here are some interesting soundbites from the CNET story that show how things are movin’ ahead…sometimes boldly, sometime kickin’ and screamin’.

Bob Steele is an ethics adviser at journalism think tank Poynter Institute speaking generally here:

“Good news organizations have checks and balances that protect the independence of the journalist. Editors challenge reporters who might get too close to sources. Organizational guidelines restrict financial investments to protect against conflicts and competing loyalties. Those standards, practices and guidelines, while imperfect, are still important.”

MarketWatch Editor In Chief David Callaway gave Francisco his blessing before she accepted the Vator.tv offer:

“Conflicts and potential conflicts are something that journalists deal with every day. We often have to deal with them on a case-by-case basis and find separate solutions. We feel that the guidelines we set up work. (Francisco is not allowed to write about any of the companies that make pitches through Vator, and she was supposed to steer clear of writing in favor of Vator’s interests.) You can’t just totally rewrite the rules, but there needs to be some happy medium…the rigid rules of the past may not always apply to new media. Is there a potential for a conflict in Bambi’s case? Yes. Do I think we can avoid it? Yes.”

Maybe this is the part where “transparency” might’ve helped Bambi?

Francisco said she has not revealed her relationship with Vator to MarketWatch readers, nor on her personal blog because she was waiting for the company to “truly get off the ground.” She said she has not written about any of the companies that have posted business ideas to Vator and that she would never give Thiel or his companies favorable treatment. Francisco added that “old-media rules” are still important but that there has “always been a problem with judging objectivity.”

Michael Arrington has received plenty of criticism about conflicts of interest in his tech news blog TechCrunch about “insider information and conflicts of interest” and it’s acceptable because he discloses his investments on his site.

“Why would you give stock to a journalist? Put it this way: I’ve stopped accepting jobs as an adviser for companies. These companies don’t want me to be an adviser. They don’t need me advising them. What they want is coverage on TechCrunch.”

Craig Newmark, founder of online-classifieds powerhouse Craigslist and the member of an investment group that’s starting a news aggregation site called DayLife.

“Part of fairness involves disclosure of the relationships between the reporter and the reported, particularly if payment in money or influence is involved. I’d suggest anyone just state it, and leave judgment to the mass of readers who are smarter than usually credited.”

MSM journalist embracing citizen journalism? Here’s an abbreviated post I saw on Bambi’s MarketWatch blog that shows what happens when MSM journalists participate in dialogues with new media enthusiasts.

Refering to “Confronting the Citizen Journalist,” a panel at the iHollywood Forum, where Bambi was joined by Leonard Brody, CEO and co-founder of NowPublic, and FeedBurner’s vice president, Don Loeb. They talked about the book “The Wisdom of Crowds” (audio excerpts of the book).

Maybe we ought to begin trusting “information viewed and vetted by more people than a few editors. In the process of collaborating, people are accountable to one another. If an editor gets a story wrong, he’s disciplined internally. If someone in a collaborative process gets a story wrong, he’s publicly humiliated, Brody said. Moderator Michael Stroud, a co-founder of the iHollywood Forum, ended that discussion by saying that perhaps it’s not flawed facts that citizen journalists would provide but different information.Indeed, it’s different, but that doesn’t mean it’s false. It’s just a different perspective. And, at the end of the day, people are voting for this type of journalism. A recent study conducted by Piper Jaffray and comScore showed that 31% of traffic in October 2006 went to sites built around user-generated content, such as MySpace, operated by News Corp. (NWS); Facebook; Metacafe; and Google’s (GOOG) YouTube. That was up from just 3% in April 2005.Now, whether that percentage will continue to rise is unknown. It does seem that many attractive new ideas are quickly embraced by adherents, but people often lose interest. We cannot extrapolate that traffic growth — certainly not at its 2005-06 pace — because one contributor to the increased popularity is curiosity, not true demand or need. Additionally, the fusion of user-generated content and traditional content makes it difficult for anyone to know what users are going after. It’s likely a bit of both.Nonetheless, I believe that we’ll see more of it in journalism and across the Web. The Web has become an archipelago of tiny villages tied together not by proximity but by interests. In the old-style town square, passionate, informed people came together to debate and share news and create dialogue. Today the Web is that square.Traditional media have lost their monopoly on journalism, most people agree. And more and more, everyday citizens will be plying the trade — once they find the village they want to be part of.