#BWENY #sreetalk Session: Social Media for Journalists – The Tools You Need and How to Use Them w/ @Sree

Filed under Media, Technology, new media by Kate Brodock on 26 May 2011 at 09:55 {no comments}

Key takeaways from Sree Sreenivisan’s BlogWorld East discussion.

When you’re tweeting, or looking at your own twitter feed, make sure you’re seeing a lot of blue, meaning links, replies, hashtags etc. Your tweet will travel further.

A few tools: ViddyJam.com, Storify, Twiangulate.com, Twunfollow, Letter.ly, hy.ly, dnainfo.com

“I promise that my social media presence will be helpful, useful, informative, relevant, practical, actionable, timely, generous, brief, entertaining, fun, occasionally funny.”

Social media can help media pros find new ideas, trends and sources, connect with readers and viewers in new ways, bring eyeballs, traffic and attention to their work, help the create, craft and enhance their brand.

When you’re looking at twitter profile or thinking about your own, don’t think about the followers, think about the tweets and the following numbers.

Suggestion to make your own Facebook page as a journalist. People spend 70% of their time on their newsfeed and on their wall. You need to come out of the noise.

Check out his Social Media Guide. It’s got a lot of helpful tips.

Open Access to Government Data: Benefits versus risks

Filed under Technology, Thoughts by Kate Brodock on 16 December 2009 at 12:05 {no comments}

I was listening to a back episode of NYT Tech Talk podcast from 9 December on this story about governments offering up data for developers to mash-up things like phone apps that can give you the safest route home at night (using government crime data) and other such things.

While I support open access to information (and remember that most of this information is available already, although perhaps not so readily), I also recognize the dangers of allowing people access to data without proper context or filters.  The article talks about it a little bit, but there are unfortunately a LOT of people who just don’t know how to properly analyze data, and there are also unfortunately a lot of people who are willing to manipulate or abuse data for their benefit.

It’s a really interesting topic as we’re entering an era when, at least in this country, people are starting to demand access to certain things, and transparency is a huge issue.  Do we have a line in mind when it comes to the amount of data?  Is it a matter of what form it comes in?

While I tend to agree that, in the absence of perfect data, actions can and sometimes should still be taken (As Evgeny Morozov has stated on several occasions), what happens when people a little less thoughtful get their hands on only limited data?

It would be ideal, of course, to have the data already run through a series of “experts” and analysts (not that that means it’s necessarily truth), or at the very least put in some format that allows people to understand all of the factors involved in a given situation and put the data into context…. but then we’d be really running budgets thin on the amount of government time that process would take.

So what then? Disregarding the instances alluded to above where action is still necessary with inadequate information, how to we handle the desire for access to information (disregard the instances alluded to above where action is still necessary with inadequate information) against the risks it might hold in terms of interpretations or abuse?

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Mass High Tech: Community tools needed to improve STEM education

Filed under Technology by Kate Brodock on 3 July 2009 at 08:20 {no comments}

An opinion piece written for Mass High Tech’s “How I See It” Column concerning how community and social online tools would be helpful in achieving their goals set forth to improve the State of Massachusetts Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education

I recently attended the STEM Business Leaders Breakfast concerning tapping Massachusetts’ potential in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics education. The goal of the initiative, which is part of the national Tapping America’s Potential (TAP) Coalition, is to act as a “voice to the business community’s deep concern about sustaining U.S. scientific and technological leadership into the future.”

Many of the attendees and speakers at the STEM breakfast continually used words such as “outreach,” “connecting,” “information sharing,” “collaboration” — and even “community” — when addressing how they envision many of the STEM programs would need to be created and maintained.

This is where I’d like to expand on the conversation that was focused on how we go about building communities, connecting with core audiences and collaborating across a wide range of industries and schools. How we do it quickly, with the highest probability for success and the most cost-effective implementation.

The answer, I believe, is rooted in online communities, open-source collaboration technology and social networking…..

For expanded text, please visit Mass High Tech.

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DigiActive Post: Iranian elections, Information Passing and Twitter

Filed under DigiActive, Digital Activism, Technology, new media by Kate Brodock on 19 June 2009 at 19:32 {2 comments}

I posted analysis on the Iranian election Twitter phenomenon and its effects on the future of information dissemination on the DigiActive blog.

Earlier this week, amidst travel and trying really hard to work, I followed the events of what was happening in Iran post-election.  I followed it all on Twitter.

There are many comments I could make on the events, but I wanted to highlight something that will be important for how information and participation happens in the months and years to come.

The fact is, we are all becoming a larger part of the information dissemination mechanisms that were once reserved for formal media channels.  DigiActive has reported many instances of citizen journalism, on-the-ground reporting and information gathering, but now we’re talking about the addition of a process of broader dissemination.

Visit DigiActive for the full post.

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So now TIME says Twitter will change the world?

Filed under Technology, new media by Kate Brodock on 16 June 2009 at 08:33 {5 comments}

TIME’s last issue had a big photo of an iPhone on it that showed….you guessed it….Twitter.  The title of their article was “How Twitter will change the way we live” and author Steven Johnson goes on to take a short sentence to (still) jab Twitter, followed by a pretty decent synopsis of some of the general benefits of Twitter.

Back in March (over on the Other Side Group blog), I wrote a response to Lev Grossman’s “Quitting Twitter” write up in TIME, where he essentially bashes Twitter through and through. I pointed out several ways in which Twitter is not only just useful, but world-changing (and trust me, there are more).

I only bring this up because this shift by TIME points to something basic in the way new technologies emerge (and something I wish weren’t so).  Nothing profound has happened on Twitter since March.  What happened is that a reporter took little to no TIME in actually reviewing the product (read: get insider info).

Anyone interested in learning more about the value of Twitter has for some time had their fair share of users that could have added a lot of insight.  Heck, I would have (and did) tell you what I thought.

I know I know.  Lev’s piece was an opinion piece.  Let’s try out this “Twitter” thing for a few days.

Maybe this is the academic in me, but I’ve always learned that a little-researched opinion invites (a lot of) criticism.  Just ask.  All of these things TIME has listed in the latest issue were all there in March.  Dig around a little.  Heck, just do a Google search!

On that note, as a supporter of Twitter and what it can do for you (a big one at that), I will tell you that the new article is great for the lay person who was wondering why Twitter isn’t all that silly afterall.

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Pop!Tech Blog: Scorses embraces digital distribution

Filed under Pop!Tech, Technology by Kate Brodock on 26 May 2009 at 09:11 {no comments}
Martin Scorsese on film restoration
Image by Steve Rhodes via Flickr

In a showing of the times, or perhaps ahead of the times, film director Martin Scorsese has decided to begin releasing the films restored by his World Cinema Foundation online.

The mission of the foundation is “to preserv[e] and restor[e] neglected films from around the world – in particular, those countries lacking the financial and technical ability to do so.”  According to the foundation, “Only about 10 percent of the silent movies made in the United States, for instance, still exist.”

Read the full post at the Pop!Tech blog.

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Pop!Tech post: DigiActive and social tools for social change

Filed under Digital Activism, Pop!Tech, Technology by Kate Brodock on 23 April 2009 at 19:58 {no comments}

A write up on digital activism and DigiActive as an organization.

In recent months, there’s been a marked increase in the mentions of how social media tools have been used around the world to enhance social activism either on a small scale, such as campaigning to free locally-jailed individuals, as was the case with “Free Jestina Mukoko” Facebook group or a larger scale, as was the case with the recent protests in Moldova. Press on the subject has varied from surface-level analysis to more well-informed accounts, but in each case, the use of digital tools was highlighted as playing an active and often pivotal role in the campaign.

Visit the Pop!Tech blog for the full post.

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