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Showing posts from April, 2013

This Is My Jam : Music Sharing Site

Just discovered this music sharing site, ThisIsMyJam.com . I love discovering new music, and part a key part of that is seeing what my friends are listening to. This seems like a great synergy of those two elements. I'll have more to say soon. However, if you're currently using the site, or want to go sign up yourself, connect with me. I'd love to see what Your Jams are. http://www.thisismyjam.com/questionsall

The Matthew Keys Firing, Journalism and Social Media

Matthew Keys , the deputy social media editor for Reuters, has been let go ( Mr. Keys' description of that event is here ). As with all things like this, discerning the truth will take some time. We don't have Reuters side, and most likely won't until the union grievance is resolved. The details listed on his Tumblr post give me pause, though. It seems Reuters' beefs centered around his Twitter postings surrounding the Boston Marathon bombings. Each item seems to have a logical rebuttal, which always raises my eyebrows. I can sense there are gaps here, but there's not enough detail yet to read between the proverbial lines. One thing, though, I wonder about is how this affects Twitter's relationship with journalism. It seems that Mr. Keys mostly aggregated information from police scanners, as well as other tweets. This is an endeavor that makes accuracy tough. Yet, I'd argue, there's deep value. Yes, we, as citizens and media consumers, need to recogn

Twitter & The Present Of News

I just read a Tweet about " Twitter being the future of journalism ". Well, it's really the "now" of journalism. Right now. Perhaps it's a great time for one of my favorite Wil Wheaton quips, "I love living in the future". Crowdsourcing is one of the greatest pieces of the Internet age. Whether we're talking about open source software, raising funds, or news, the power of the collective amazes me. The downside stems from volume, and the ability of malevolent players to perform mischief. Yet those voices tend towards discovery with amazing speed. Hard to gauge how all this will evolve. But the journalistic game changed, radically and permanently. I label this whole phenomena "digitized democracy". Voices become equalized. So, just a few random thoughts which I intend to flesh out further. I hope you have wonderful Fridays.

Infographic : Facebook, Teens and "Cool"

Some things to meditate on if you market towards the teen crowd. Or if you're a creepy stalker type. Either way, read and get learned. Whatever feelings you have towards youth, their feelings reflect the direction culture is migrating towards. I found this over at Social Media Today .

Harrison Ford on Jimmy Kimmel

I don't watch network TV much anymore, so missed this. Thank goodness for the YouTube. Enjoy your mind-growth moment of the day.

Action vs. Cynicism

There's greater risk from action than from cynical critique. And greater reward. Go and DO great things. Don't simply sit and pick apart those actually doing the hard work of enacting change; driving to make the world better.

Thoughts on podcasting & NPR

I like to listen to podcasts on my commute. This got me thinking about how many of NPR's weekly shows would lend themselves nicely to the podcast format. The first show I thought of, though, is Fiona Ritchie's Thistle & Shamrock. It's not carried locally and, unless I find a live stream, I'm out of luck. Providing the whole show via podcast would work nicely. Broadcast the show intact. You can increase your viewership significantly with minimal increased coast. There's great power in allowing timeshifting. I think it'd be a great win for NPR. You?

The Everlasting Nature Of Bad PR

I noticed this gem trending on Reddit today: Zales Fires Top Earning Saleswoman Because She Needs Surgery . Basics: Zales fires one of their best performing sales staff right after being informed she will need to take a disability leave. However one feels about this, the most crucial piece is that this is from 2009. 4 years later, this is rising on Reddit. You can guarantee that Zales will get hate messaging about this. Reminds me of one of the recurring issues I saw at Starbucks: Starbucks Hates The Military Rumor. This guy kept recycling, often at the most random times. Lesson: be very careful with your PR. Even false accusations will cycle through cyberspace and provide you regular aggravation. True ones will continuously rise up and bite, teeth sharper with each retelling.

More Thoughts on LinkedIn

I'm expanding on my thoughts from a few weeks back . LinkedIn functions as an afterthought for so many. Sharing of personal stories happens on Facebook. Well, most internet interaction seems to happen on Facebook. It had games, myriad other apps for consuming time. Yet, if you're like me, you have a career to manage. I value my career, even though I'm trying to find a unique path through my work life. So, I'm trying to nurture my LinkedIn account. Maybe I should call it "curate". Immaterial, really, the label. What's important is deliberate focus. I seek to expand my influence. Thus, connecting with new people consistently. At least weekly access, though I shoot for more. Sharing relevant articles. And, though seeking to expand my network, not add everyone in the world. Additionally, I want the heavy lifting done before I'm seeking a new job. That's one of the cynical parts to LinkedIn. People don't use the tool extensively until they