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Daniel Honigman
Chicago-based digital strategist. Co-founder of Webby-nominated the3six5. Views expressed are my own.
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Tweets
- Reading: 500M People Were Defriended Last Year. Does That Undermine Facebook's Business? http://t.co/3O6pfhpx (via @GOOD) #socialmedia
- Reading: Why Are Criminals Stealing Tide Detergent and Using It for Money? http://t.co/Qw0FMJoY (via @theatlantic)
- Reading: Caring for Your Introvert http://t.co/k4qU0Htf via @theatlantic
- RT @justinlevy: Google Analytics is adding more social reporting. Awesome! http://t.co/t46hYdX6Mar 20, 12 from web Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- Back on the grid after a few days at a wake/funeral. It's good to be in the swing of things once more.Mar 20, 12 from web Reply, Retweet, Favorite
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Info
- SummaryDaniel Honigman was most recently co-founder of AdYapper, an early-stage startup in the ad measurement space.
Prior to that, he was Social Media & Mobile Manager for Sears/Kmart Consumer Electronics, where he was work was awarded with two 2011 Bulldog Digital/Social PR Awards.
Going back further, he was an award-winning digital PR professional at Weber Shandwick, where he worked with clients such as General Motors, Oscar Mayer, Kraft Foods and Campbell Soup Company.
Daniel really started his current career as an industry-leading Social Media Strategist for the Chicago Tribune, and then The Tribune Company, where he broke new ground in the news business, having created numerous social media newsroom initiatives such as the successful Colonel Tribune (http://on.mash.to/66HCy), which was a Forrester "Groundswell" award finalist. He's also Webby Award-nominated.Specialties: Daniel is an award-winning digital professional who specializes in: online strategy, social business development, content development and production, social and new media, journalism and public relations, search engine optimization (SEO), and basic HTML and Web site development. He is also proficient in social media and other digital marketing tools, including Omniture, Radian6, Lithium, Hootsuite, Tweetdeck, Google Analytics, Google AdWords, Facebook Ads, Wordpress CMSExperience- Oct 2009 - PresentCo-founder / the3six5Co-founder of the3six5, a collaborative storytelling project. (More information at http://the3six5.com) - Webby Award-nominated (2011)
- Nov 2008 - PresentCo-founder / Old Media, New Tricks- Co-founder of Old Media, New Tricks, a site targeted towards people working in "mainstream" media that provides tips about social and new media.
- Aug 2008 - PresentExperienced speaker/presenter/panelist / Various Conferences/EventsI've been a presenter, panelist, speaker, moderator and lecturer at conferences, universities and venues including: - SXSW Interactive 2011 - SXSW Interactive 2009 - Social Media Jungle at CES 2009 - Blogworld 2008 - NewsXchange 2009 - Kellogg Technology Conference 2010 - 140 Character Conference - Publicity Club of Chicago - TiE-Midwest: Trends in Social Media panel - Crain's Chicago Business - Social Media Club - Florida Press Association 2009 Conference - Kellstadt Marketing Symposium at DePaul University - Ragan Conference: Corporate Communications and the Social Media Revolution - Society of News Design Chicago "unconference" - Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University - Columbia College Chicago ...and others
- Nov 2007 - PresentContributor / CigarJack.net
- Oct 2010 - Jan 2012Co-founder / AdYapperCo-founder of AdYapper, a startup in the ad space. Led sales, business development and marketing efforts. One of nine startups accepted by the PIE incubator out of Wieden + Kennedy (Portland, OR)
- Mar 2010 - May 2011Social Media Manager / Sears Holdings CorporationSocial media and mobile marketing lead for Sears Holdings' electronics business on both the mass-merchant (Kmart) and department store-type (Sears) retailers. - Increased Sears/Kmart Electronics share of voice in digital space by 25 percent (according to Radian6 dashboard of key electronics terms). - Launched an initiative to incorporate community-based product reviews into the Kmart gaming in-store experience. - Created and launched the Sears Blue Blogger Crew, an effort to unify and brand the Sears Electronics (and eventually, the SHC) blogger efforts. - Created, branded and launched the KmartGamer initiative, leveraging social media channels and tactics to help grow Kmart's video game business by roughly 300 percent, making it the second-leading department (in revenue; behind Pharmacy) of Kmart. This, in turn, has helped double overall Kmart Electronics awareness and consideration metrics, according to IPSOS. (NOTE: Exact market share proprietary, but fairly significant.) This has, in turn, resulted in greater product allocations and vendor-funded marketing resources. KmartGamer is also the winner of five Cheapy Awards. - Instrumental part of KmartGamer blog re-imagining and launch (http://gamer.kmart.com) - Served as an internal thought leader, hosting weekly social media training meetings with buyers; in addition, I have created an eight-week forum self-training program. - Interviewed and quoted in various industry-related publications and podcasts about work performed in role Work recognized with two 2011 Bulldog Digital/Social PR Awards: - Best Use of Digital/Social for a Consumer Technology Campaign (Gold) for the Sears Blue Blogger Crew - Best Use of Digital/Social in an Arts/Culture/Entertainment Campaign (Silver) for KmartGamer.
- Jun 2009 - Mar 2010Digital Communications Supervisor / Weber Shandwick- Worked to create, develop and execute digital strategies for companies such as General Motors, Oscar Mayer, Kraft Foods, the Milk Processors Education Program (MilkPEP), Campbell Soup Company and the Cherry Marketing Institute. - Day-to-day lead for launch of Oscar Mayer social media presence, in conjunction with $50mm "Good Mood"-themed ad campaign. - Increased share of voice for tart cherries in social media by more than 250 percent. - Oversaw the ideation, creation and soft launch of the Nutrition Blog Network, a Weber Shandwick-branded network for registered dietitians. (http://nutritionblognetwork.com/) - Written white papers and other official Weber Shandwick POVs on key social media issues, such as the new FTC guidelines, for internal and client purposes. - 2009 MarCom Award Platinum Winner for white paper on lifestreaming (http://bit.ly/2bX6J)
- Mar 2009 - May 2009Social Media Strategist, Editorial Engagement Strategist / Tribune InteractiveLead social media strategist for Tribune Interactive. I work with news companies such as the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Baltimore Sun, WGN Television, etc. In conjunction with newsroom reorganization initiatives, I implement changes that connect our news organizations at the ground level with different local communities. Produce best practices, social media strategy/tactics, social media training for employees in Tribune markets. Company spokesperson for social media initiatives throughout the Tribune Interactive network of sites.
- Aug 2008 - Mar 2009Social Media Strategy Coordinator / Tribune InteractiveLead social media strategist for Tribune Interactive. I work with news companies such as the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Baltimore Sun, WGN Television, etc.
- Mar 2008 - Aug 2008Social Media Coordinator/Strategy / Chicago Tribune- Helped develop and implement SEO strategy and techniques for ChicagoTribune.com. - Created, developed and ran the Colonel Tribune persona for ChicagoTribune.com, which helped increase number of overall CT page views by 10 percent. - Strengthened Chicago Tribune interactive brand presence. - Served as an internal consultant for several other Tribune Co. brands, including the Los Angeles Times, RedEye, Metromix and Chicago Magazine.
- Aug 2007 - Jul 2008Contributor / Going.com
- Aug 2006 - Jul 2008Freelance writer / Self-employedRecent freelance work has appeared in The San Francisco Chronicle, GapersBlock, North Shore Magazine, Chicago Social, UR Chicago Magazine, Concierge Preferred: Chicago, HipHopDX, Pioneer Press, NewCity Chicago, The Daily Herald, Asian-American Golf Magazine, The Daily Southtown, The Northwest Indiana Times, The Chicago Defender and on DanielHonigman.com. E-mail me for clips.
- Aug 2007 - Mar 2008Staff Writer / Marketing News (American Marketing Association)• Covered all aspects of marketing for publication targeted to more than 75K mid- and high-level executives. • Developed mission statement and content strategy for Marketing News online presence; substantially increased blog engagement/participation, and doubled RSS subscriber base for MN blog to 4,100 in less than seven months. • Hired by MN before first issue of redesign; brought on to help with magazine’s new voice and new Microsoft Sharepoint-powered Web portal.
Education-
2006 - 2007Northwestern UniversityMSJ in Journalism (Medill School of Journalism)
Activities: Mike Royko Fellow, 2006-2007 -
2002 - 2006State University of New York at BuffaloB.A. in Cultural Anthropology
Activities: Lambda Alpha honor society, Pi Lambda Phi Fraternity, WRUB Radio, Spectrum, Visions
Additional Information-
Websites:
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Honors:Mike Royko Fellowship (Medill School of Journalism); 2006-2007 Inducted member, Lambda Alpha National Collegiate Honors Society (anthropology)
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Posts
- May 25, 12
Nearly three months ago, "Scout" came into our lives. I don't think we could have been any luckier.
It has been amazing to watch her transform from hyperactive, confused rescue dog to fiercely loyal companion. Because she had been bounced around from the shelter to a foster home and then through two surgeries, it took her awhile to get comfortable with us. But, by now, we've seen her full personality.
She has been cracking us up lately with her antics. Like, how she follows during the entire time he is mowing the lawn. Or, how she insists on carrying her tennis ball everywhere - even dropping it in her water bowl so that no one will steal it. Today, my fiancé was vacuuming the floor....right where she was laying. He lightly brushed her with it and she just looked up at him, like "I'm good with this, as long as you're here with me."
As we were cleaning the house this evening, we were complaining about all the dog hair. I'm pretty sure we could make a Pomeranian out of all the hair that came out of the vacuum!
But, I think it's a small price to pay for a dog that will make you smile after a long day of work and wakes you up in the morning (albeit much too early in the morning sometimes) with a giant doggy smile on her face. And, it makes me feel even better to know that we rescued her rather than purchased her from an expensive breeder. We gave Scout her second chance, but she has given us so much more.
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About the Author:
Rachel Esterline is a nonprofit marketing pro and hopeful photographer. She loves her rescue dog, Scout, and pretending she can cook.
- May 24, 12
You know those days when you wake up with a flurry of emotions? That was me today. Anxiety, excitement and ADD were my sidekicks today, which is typical for anyone with a four-day holiday weekend looming in the very near future.
What’s not typical is having anything close to a calm and quiet day in the PR/social media world I live in. That held true today, but it’s why I honestly love my career choice.
I did my typical bouncing between multiple tasks, emails, phone calls, tweets and posts, and I even accomplished a few things on my to-do list that I didn’t plan to tackle until Tuesday. Focusing more on the exciting weekend ahead and less on the “how the heck am I going to get this all done?” made everything seem much more manageable.
Maybe it’s because I’m wearing my favorite “like a boss” T-shirt today. The dudes in the cafeteria at work gave me a good laugh because it went right over their heads. They gave me the thumbs up and said, “Way to go, boss!” – not understanding it’s a play off the Facebook “like” button. Sometimes I forget not everyone lives in my nerd world.
To add to my distractions today (as if the gorgeous weather outside the enormous windows behind my desk taunting me all day wasn't enough), I keep thinking about my USTA summer tennis league starting tonight and how I wish I didn’t have to wait until next week to start league play. I sent my teammates a pep talk email telling them to channel the “like a boss” thoughts my fave shirt and I sent them and to own the court tonight. And my competitive side kicks in...
My excitement thoughts conquered and helped melt away the stress and anxiety of the “last day in the office” syndrome I started out with this morning. I see plenty of sun, tennis, lounging by the lake at my in-laws’ place and reading in my future this Memorial Day weekend.
Plus, as Seth Godin so eloquently once said, “Anxiety is nothing but repeatedly re-experiencing failure in advance. What a waste.” Wise words.
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About the Author:
Nikki Little is a PR pro & social media manager at Identity who loves warm weather, sparkly things, tennis & all things Michigan.
- May 23, 12
I cooked today.
I spent all day cooking and baking and shopping and mixing.
I haven’t cooked like this for a year. Not since I moved out Midwest and started grad school; not since I got sick and couldn’t keep things down, no matter how plain. Today I wandered aisles of fresh produce, squeezing mangoes and sniffing melons. Today I roasted asparagus, cooked eggplant parmesan, prepared an egg soufflé, and will probably bake muffins. Today also happens to be my six-month anniversary with the first man I’ve ever loved truly and deeply, but first and foremost, today I cooked. I love to cook for him, but in many ways today I cooked for me. We’re going to split the leftovers, so technically I’ve cooked for us, but it’s an accomplishment to cook things for people that they like.
Today was mostly warm but sometimes unexpectedly rainy, and I wore a fancy purple dress in the morning and comfortable purple sweatpants in the afternoon. I drove to the grocery store, exercising my dubiously-legal right to drive with an out-of-state Learner’s Permit, and came home with more than I planned to get. The steering wheel was stiffer than I prefer, and the car responded less than I would have liked, but every time I drive it feels a little bit more comfortable. I’d love to get my license someday soon, but I have to re-take a 5 hour class on what road signs mean, and I’m not sure if I’m up for that. Eventually, though.
My apartment still smells like a mix of tomato sauce, cheese, and sweat. The heat of the oven filled my apartment faster than I’d expected, and it hasn’t cooled yet. My beer is cold and fruity, and the couch is comfortable and soft. I’ve had a good day. The thing I’m looking forward to most is when the pool in the apartment complex opens. Going for a swim would have been the one thing to make today even more than it already was.
I don’t want to say that today wasn’t perfect. Today was more than I thought it could be, because today, I cooked, and I loved every minute of it.
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About the Author:
Maia Frieser is a Masters’ of Public Health Candidate at the University of Michigan. She’s an unrepentant New Yorker, and you’ll know that as soon as you speak to her. citywomenwithdolls.tumblr.com; @maiawithaneye
- May 23, 12
I think we all have witnessed or at least heard about the incredible strength that women gain when they become mothers. Strength that helps them move mountains to make sure their child is healthy, save, strong and happy.
Now I realize that daughters possess similar strength.
I spent the last two months watching my beloved grandma wander between life and death. More importantly, I watched my mother’s quiet strength. I watched her attempts to make grandma feel as comfortable as possible, feed her, watch old telenovelas with her, cook without onions because grandma doesn’t like onions. Well, didn’t like onions. Not for a single moment did my mother show fear, sadness, helplessness or panic in front of grandma. Not even once. Because that’s what grandma needed now. When she needed someone to fight for her, to move mountains, to find better doctors and better treatments my mom was there to fight. But now there were no more medical miracles left and grandma didn’t want to fight or have someone to fight for her. She asked my mother to accept that and mom did. Somehow she found the strength to accept my grandma’s last wish and quietly watch her die.
Honestly, I didn’t think it was possible. I barely pulled myself together to go to the funeral, let alone witness every moment of my grandma’s last days and accept the fact that there was nothing I could do. If I were my mother, I would have probably run to a tropical island and pretended that this wasn’t happening.
Maybe the strength I saw in my mother is that same motherly strength just channelled elsewhere. Or maybe there’s a different kind of strength - one possessed by daughters that allows us to show our gratitude for all sacrifices. Gratitude for all our mothers have done for us. Or maybe it is something you develop as you mature, as you spend several decades on this planet and realize death is part of life. Death is part of our story. I am not sure. I just hope that one day I am half the daughter my mom is.
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About the Author:
Andreana Drencheva is a wanderer and wonderer, strategist and sponge, ethnographer and experimenter, and daughter. You can follow her on Twitter @addy_dren.
- May 21, 12
I think it’s the honey locusts. I’m blaming the honey locusts. I don’t want it to be the plane trees. I like those guys. So proud. So dignified. Socratic. There’s a honey locust right outside the open window over my bed. Probably her fault. I never suffered tree allergies in Seattle, but I learned since moving to Philadelphia to expect the exodus of bodily humors every May, streaming in gooey protest from my eyes, nose, mouth. Mucous membranes indeed. Disgusting.
Mercifully, it rained pretty enthusiastically last night, and whichever particles are responsible for my springtime woes have been silenced for now. I take this omen favorably. A damp pall of stratus hangs distended over the grey morning and promises to linger through the afternoon. The guilty locust actually looks defeated. Every tree on my block has that lovely emerald wilt that follows a good rain, in fact. I love this. I love the way it rains in spring here. Hard, fast, somewhat sloppy, gone in the morning. There’s a bawdy joke in there, but I’ll leave it unventured. Paraleipsis.
Yogurt, kiwi and coffee follow a run, astoundingly mudless, and then I’m off to campus. I’ve been hammering away at this first chapter of my dissertation with renewed aplomb of late, and I mean to exploit the auspicious recess of my allergies on this dismal Monday through dynamic, tissue-free industry. The library is empty, mine. Favorable omens are practically taking numbers.
“…Catullus’ literary acumen—here mediated by the metrical restrictions of epic, which he is nonetheless unafraid to assay—is nowhere more carefully exhibited than in c. 64…”
Or something. This gig is pretty alright. Some days I wonder what a humanities Ph.D. will do for me, days when I worry that I’ll never write anything my mom would read, or that whatever my contributions to my field they will doubtless be lost beneath the criticism and disproof of subsequent generations of scholars. Today, though, I don’t know why, but I feel pretty good. It could be the hiccup of success the Mariners enjoyed over the weekend. The elaborate dinner I’m planning to prepare tonight, perhaps? Maybe it’s just the weather. ‘Why?’ doesn’t really matter, actually.
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About the Author:
Sam is a Ph.D. candidate in Classics at Penn. He writes prose and verse in a tiny spiral notebook with the word ἀκρίβεια scrawled atop it
- May 20, 12
I’m pretty sure I’m living vicariously through my dog.
Having been up until four this morning working on a computer for a client, the result of attending a Marilyn Manson concert in Milwaukee the night prior, Mia, our intrepid Chihuahua was nestled in bed with my fiancé – exactly where I’d have preferred to be.
For five-years-old, she’s still catching up on a deficit of sleep, hunger and long walks, yet I can’t help but relate. She was born in a puppy mill before being rescued by the West Suburban Humane Society and I grew up amidst a rough childhood. Somewhere in her big brown eyes, there’s a mutual, wordless understanding.
Ever playing catch-up on whatever IT project I happened to have fallen behind on, Mia is perpetually there, seemingly doing my living for me. For every hour of sleep I’ve lost rebuilding a system or meal I’ve forgone recovering a seemingly wayward file, she has been all too happy to take care of both for me. I can’t help but appreciate her enthusiasm.
On the few occasions when I do get to fall asleep at a decent hour, Mia’s on her hind legs, pawing to climb her way up onto my side of the bed. She falls asleep on my chest, not even disturbed by the sound of my gratuitous snoring from a long day. Even now, she’s asleep, keeping me company and catching up on the sleep I wish I could. I’d call her lazy, if I wasn’t so jealous.
Thankfully, it’s beautiful out, a day sandwiched between torrential rain and sweltering heat. It’s a good day to spend outside. So, despite her pink leash and harness, and despite an overwhelming urge to fall into bed for a long overdue nap – a slow walk would be a welcome change from the otherwise fast pace.
So to stop, even for a few hours is more than a welcome break in stride. In this particular case, it’s a necessity. Mia is more than just a best friend; she’s reminded me that there are simpler things in life -like enjoying a soft bed, delicious meal and a simple walk with the people you love most.
Good dog.
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About the Author:
Andrew Galbraith lives in Schaumburg with his fiancé and dogs. He does IT by day and writes about video games by night. He's on twitter as @AndrewG009
- May 19, 12
This morning I woke up in Buffalo, New York - about 7 hours away from home. Charles and I drove all through the night to see his baby niece, Charlotte. For months I've been so excited to see her. Charlotte was playing with Charles' family in the yard when I approached her, and she waved frantically at me. My heart melted.
Sitting outside in the backyard with the sun to my left and my feet splashing in the pool with baby Charlotte's, I find myself being truly content with this vision. I'm having somewhat of a silent battle with myself of wanting to be happy in my present and enjoy these wonderful moments, but also so anxious for what my life will be in the years to come. I feel guilty saying so, but today I struggle with being in two places at once: summer-timing by the pool in this beautiful 80-degree weather, and wishing I were somewhere else playing with my own kid.
On days like today, I remind myself of where I am, what time it is, and that the memories I have of my child have not yet actually happened. Sometimes it's sad, but today it gives me something to look forward to.
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About the Author
Rebecca Rorrer is a professional fashion blogger based in New York City.
@thee_aof - May 19, 12
I love Friday nights--especially in the springtime.
Arriving home from work after running errands while the sun is still out, with the knowledge that there are 48 hours in front of me where the routine of the weekday has no place, I’m thinking my weekend is already off to a great start.
If I don’t have Friday evening plans, like tonight, I’m more motivated to do errands after work than on other nights. And, in that scenario, somehow those errands feel less like chores. In my opinion, the satisfaction of running errands on a Friday night can be described (poorly) as somewhere between organizing your sock drawer and going out with a good friend to a local gastropub.
You see, while I certainly enjoy being social on week nights, if I don’t have plans on a “school night,” there’s a part of my brain that instructs me to go home, eat dinner, watch something on Hulu and rest up for the upcoming work day. Those five hours after work and before I sleep start to feel like a routine, too. There’s delicate balance that I attempt to maintain between spontaneity and routine.
Tonight, as I peeled out of my office’s parking garage, I think I actually heard that voice in my head say to me, “The evening is all yours, sistah!” So I zipped over to the hardware store to buy some flowers to plant tomorrow. Then I took the party to my pharmacy to pick up prescriptions. Once home, I plucked some weeds from my veggie garden. Who needs a pub crawl when I’ve got an errand crawl?
While my Friday night exploits might not be water-cooler appropriate on Monday morning, it’ll be nice going to sleep feeling pleased about how I spent my free time today. It’s kind of great that sometimes the simplest and most banal things are what inspire contentedness on a night that’s frequently associated with socializing and “going out."
I now have 48 hours in front of me to go to the beach, have lunch with friends, go bike riding with a friend, take a nap, pluck more weeds and who knows what else. Bring it. I can’t wait.
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About the Author:
An outdoorsy enthusiast and an aspiring veggie gardner, Sheryl is a carefree consumer of craft beer, good TV and all things digital media.
- May 17, 12
Today a rainstorm rages and I am retracing treasured memories of riding out the storm with my father when I was very young. Faded, duotone memories of him sitting on our concrete stoop, arms resting on his knees. His hands gently clasped, a cigarette poised between his right fore & middle fingers. Me wiggling in between those knees safely encased and canopied by his arms overhead. Concurrently terrified and excited by the squall of driving pellets and crashing thunder. Emboldened by my father’s delight at the circumstances.
The palpable sense memory of the smell of rain commingled with the residue of a spent Pall Mall pains me now. The cigarette: his constant companion and his executioner. Not long ago we rode out his final storm together. This memory is still sharp and has a jagged edge, so I close my eyes and swallow hard to force about a happier memory of riding out a storm with another, beloved, family member.
Gabby was my first, and only, dog. I liked to say that she was half Westie and half human. Often I looked at her and was certain that she was a tiny human dressed in a dog suit. Convincingly, her “tail” was fully operational.
In this memory I am again encased. Sitting on the concrete step just outside my back door, my presence hidden by the ascending and descending stairwells of the fire escape. When the storms were brewing, Gabby would pace about the porch. Her low grumbling growl mirrored the threatening rumble of the thunder. When the storm fully raged, she’d jump up on my lap, her rubbery toes gripping my bare legs when lightening struck. Emboldened by my delight, she’d point her nose upward and howl as the storm reached its crescendo.
Today I am missing both of my storm chasers. I am going to leave the umbrella unopened, leave my encasement, head outside and welcome the rain with open arms. It is a new day.
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About the Author:
Lori is an Essayist, Chicago Enthusiast, Docent, Advertising Professional and Raconteur.
- May 16, 12
Food photography. What a tasty profession that would be, wouldn’t it? Every day one of the things I get to do with my staff is photograph food from different restaurants and a local coffee shop. I wouldn’t claim food styling in the food photography equation, however I find a lot of gratification from gorgeous photos of food in its most natural form.
Recently, I had the opportunity to photograph a series of cupcakes and each holding a unique characteristic like none other. Today I continued on that journey of photographing these cupcakes, but this time they were mini cupcakes that were cute as a button. One of the key things I had to work on with each mini cupcake was to give them a personality and a purpose. Out of all the mini cupcakes I photographed, my favorite was Cotton Candy. Not only for its sweet taste but for its blue and pink color frosting with a dusting of clear sugar crystals that added a hint of sparkle.
It’s curvy minute stature carries so much character with subtle cracks and bumps on its vanilla-flavored bodice that melts away like a cloud at dusk. Cotton Candy immediately reminded me of the circus and how life mimics the chaotic nature that engulfs a circus. I believe that we control our destiny even amidst chaos just like the ring master snapping everyone in line at the circus to unfold a great performance. So my little quip for Cotton Candy was:
“Cotton Candy for those days when it feels like a circus and you’re the only Ring Master who can keep everyone in line!"
I know there are days where everything is absolutely mad and sometimes disappointing, but I always have to keep reminding myself that I have the ability to change the way I feel and the craziness around me. Who would have thought a little Cotton Candy cupcake would remind me of such a lesson in life that is as important as the daily routine of remembering to lock your car or getting dressed in the morning. Perhaps we all find meaning in the ordinary to fill a sense of purpose in life, or do we?
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About the Author:
Sarah Lee is a Malaysian girl living in Kalamazoo, MI as a marketing manager for Greenleaf Hospitality. Loves social media and photography.
- May 15, 12
The fact is no one tells you that in order to be you, sometimes you might have to stop being someone else. At least no one told me that the person everyone else thinks I should be is a tangible entity who might haunt your steps, causing you look over your shoulder and wonder if she will trip you up and take back over.
You have to give up some things. Or rather some habits which may include people. The friend who makes plans and cancels? Yes, I deleted her. The colleague who complains with ceasing? Starting avoiding him. Endless social media stalking of strangers I wouldn’t talk to in person? Only if I’m stuck in line somewhere.
Moving your life so that what you love comes out of the margins into the center is excruciating because most of the people around you gave up along the way. You have to give up sleep; not as a lifestyle, but if needed. Skip a television episode or even a whole season. Movie money pays for a consultant.
To be a winner, sometimes you have to be a loser. During the in-between time, when you’re neither winning or losing, perfecting a dedicated practice, of 10,000 hours, you will be lonely.
I took a leap when I finished courses for my PhD and moved to another city, one that was more nurturing of my South Asian identity. Once there, I found out about a campus in Qatar, a country in the Middle East, a part of the world I had been curious about for some years. In 2005, I moved to the capital city, Doha, got married in 2006, had a baby in 2010, finished my PhD, changed jobs three times, moved house four, and published twelve books.
In each moment, at decision time, I was standing at the edge, looking over my shoulder, wondering if I could back down and take the easy way. But because loneliness’ twin, fear, was a familiar companion, I leapt. And I keep leaping. With each bound you get closer to the center, to being fully in control instead of being controlled.
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About the Author:
Mohanalakshmi is the modern mother, writer and scholar. Trying to do it all but not all at once. Published 5 e-books. Told you she's been busy. http://www.mohanalakshmi.com
- May 14, 12
Details.
I love them. Attention to detail is one of the things that makes me good at my job, one of the reasons my family is able to keep on-track and one of the things that has made today run smoothly.
I work in theatre, so Monday is usually my day off. Today, however, has been consumed with big and small tasks, including a trip to the dentist, getting my son packed and dropped off for a week at his grandparents' house, and getting my husband and myself packed for a week away at a workshop.
Planning around deadlines, the weather and other people's schedules is seldom easy, so I've become a master list-maker. This has come in handy today in a big way. There is currently a personal master list, complete with subcategories, and a work master list, complete with color-coded boxes denoting which person on my staff has been delegated which duties. It feels good to check things off my lists. I smile to myself as the "to-dos" get checked off, and the "done" category grows.
Tomorrow, I start a project with artists from coast-to-coast, all coming together to "birth" four new plays. Soon, we'll have everything in place for each of our rehearsal spaces, each box on the four separate lists checked off, each room ready for the week.
People laugh sometimes at the fact that I can remember the phone number of my dorm room from my freshman year of college or that I rarely forget a name, face or conversation. In my job, though, being able to recall those details at will is the most valuable resource I have. My family is amused that I'd rather receive post-its than candy for Christmas, that I literally squeal aloud upon receiving the "right" kind of pencil. But it's all about the details.
The details are what make me.
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About the Author:
Jen Lane is a mom, wife, food-lover and stage manager living in Alabama. Follow her musings at Hey, Y'all, Food Lush or @jennelsonlane.
- May 13, 12
You have to love nationally imposed holidays.
I'm just being facetious. This is one of the few that really matter, and for reasons I shouldn't have to explain.
This Mother's Day I thought about the influence my mother has had on me. Pretty profound, I'd say.
I think the world of my father, but my mother was the one who raised me day-to-day. As I went shopping for gifts, I couldn't help but think about her style, her esthetic, the way she designed the house, the clothes she put on my back, the books she put in front of me, the easels we painted on, the early writing we did, and of course, all the gentle care that went into it.
She was and is an artist, really. Motherhood is one of the greatest forms of art.
I found myself in an antique furniture shop -- with all sorts of interesting trinkets and knickknacks and novelties and what have you -- and my eyes centered on this one piece: A beautiful tree sculpture. One of those natural, amazing wood formations crafted by God on a beach somewhere, just waiting to be discovered and repurposed.
Sinuous, mysterious, distending and colorful, it reminded me of the complexities of our life, and all the things we had to look forward to, and still do.
I bought it and shuttled it over to her house using a buddy's car (he has a big SUV).
Right now, it's late morning and she's out for a walk. When she gets back and she gets over the sheer size of it, I think she's really going to like it.
I think she's going to see our life together, on display, in the middle of her living room. How fun.
Happy Mother's Day, mom ;)
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About the Author:
Gunther Sonnenfeld is an entrepreneur, investor and social technologist. You can follow him at A Literacy of the Imaginationor @goonth. - May 12, 12
I could not have predicted how much my life would change when I started volunteering at the local animal shelter in January. My husband and I wanted a dog for a while, and I'd hoped the experience would get it out of my system. But, its done the exact opposite. Today we woke up at 5 a. m. to tend to 3 cats, 2 geckos, 3 hermit crabs, 3 urban chickens and the two most recent family additions - a 1 year old pit bull and 12 week old boxer lab mix puppy, so we could load the car with people and accessories - snacks, crate, bowl, treats, blanket, leashes, pick up a rescue dog named Iggy from the kennel, and head to a local adoption event.
As I sat there on 'rescue row' and watched dog after dog parade past with yellow 'adopt me' kerchiefs, I was filled with mixed emotions. Happiness for the amazing people who care enough to rescue these beautiful creatures, and deep sadness for the animals themselves. Sadness that we have a throw away society that thinks even living, loving creatures are disposable. That on the day before mother's day I am reminded there are millions of dogs forced to be moms to litter after litter of pups that may never find homes because their humans were too lazy to spay or neuter
Sadness that dogs whose stories are of being left to starve, being beaten, forced to fight, covered in fleas that ate them till their flesh was raw and chained till their collars embedded in their necks, can still love so freely.
In typical fashion Cleveland TV celebrity, Dick Goddard, was there lending a hand to pets in need. He did surprise me when during the event costume contest he declared a dog as 'bad ass.'
The biggest highlight was learning that nearly 40 dogs and several cats found forever homes today, where they will hopefully have love, happiness and a sense of security.
For each one adopted, another sits in a kennel waiting for their turn. As I head home, my thinking turns to how to help more dogs get adopted at the next event.
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About the Author:
Charity Herb Katz is a wife and mom to a variety pack of finned, feathered & furry kids. Follow her at flipflopgirl.com or @charityherb
- May 11, 12
I spent the afternoon with my little brother today. He's not really my brother in the biological or legal sense. But he's mine just the same. We met sixteen months ago, at a match meeting coordinated by Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. At that time, I never knew that somewhere along the way the lines of child and mentor would blur, and all that would be left is a couple of guys who laugh and learn together. It's been a nice surprise.
We drove into Atlanta after school to spend some time at the Georgia Aquarium. Along the way we played a road-trip game, in which we tried to find the letters of the alphabet on signs and license plates. There was quite a bit of time between the letters 'P' and 'Q', so we chatted about his school, or my work. When he asked me what the word 'motivation' meant, I did my best to explain. I'm not sure how I did.
I recently realized how intently he watches my interactions with other people, and how he tries to mimic those actions. This realization left me feeling both proud and scared out of my wits, all at the same time. These are the moments I can't help but question if the the effort I put into this experience has been worth his time, or if it adds any real value to his life. I know what it's done for me.
As we take our exit into Atlanta, I'm the first to spot the letter 'Q' on a billboard for the aquarium. Much noise erupts within the car, as we realize the abundance of letters on the billboard and try to quickly call out letters 'R' through 'V' before the other one does.
At the aquarium, I watched my little brother's eyes light up as we enter the lobby. For a moment I thought he was about to abandon me in all of his excitement. Instead, he surprised me by turning around and throwing his arms around my waist. "I love you," he said, as effortlessly as if it wasn't the first time he'd said this to me.
Yeah, it's been worth every second.
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About the Author:
Peter Combs is a husband, writer, and foster care survivor. He blogs at http://petercombs.wordpress.com and tweets @petercombs
- May 10, 12
I woke up this morning and realised that I dreamt of home again. It’s been like that for the past few days, and I’m not sure what to make of it. It was a chore to get out of bed, just because it was ten degrees outside when I woke up. I’m still adjusting to autumn here in Adelaide, Australia. Growing up in sunny, tropical Malaysia definitely didn’t prepare me for this dry chill.
The bus ride to my campus was uneventful, but when I got off at my stop and walked down the road, I saw a cat. A cat! A black one with white and orange patches! This immediately put a huge smile on my face. I cannot describe just how excited this made me, simply because there aren’t many felines here. I’m not used to it, having five cats back home. Honestly, I’ve petted more kangaroos here than I’ve seen cats.
It’s a good thing my Thursday digital design class is also my favourite, or I’d resent it for being so early in the morning. We worked on our postage stamp assignments while the tutor complained how he could have done a better job with the logo of this year’s Olympics. Coincidentally, the 2012 Olympics torch was kindled today. Wouldn’t have realised if he hadn’t mentioned it.
After lunch, I got 115 photos developed of my time here in Adelaide, three months’ worth. There are a few snapshots from home too. Friends and family I left behind. I’ve been missing them, and maybe that’s why I’ve been dreaming of home so much. I told my Mama about wanting to develop photos and she lamented how she never sees developed photos anymore – my sister and I keep storing photos away in our computers, occasionally sharing them on Facebook.
Now I find myself discussing with my sister about what she wants to do for Mama on Mother’s Day. It feels strange to be far away at this time, not being able to physically help her with her plans; this is the sacrifice you make when you decide to experience studying overseas. For now, I just hope my dreams tonight will be filled with cats.
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About the Author:
A 21 year old with a love for cats, platypuses, drawing and comic books. I post doodles I find worthy on my deviantArt account.
- May 09, 12
There was a nip in the air this morning and the sky hung heavy and leaden, threatening rain. This isn’t unusual. Wet weather is part and parcel of the west coast of Scotland – it defines life here and shapes the landscape. But the past few weeks have been unseasonably warm and sunny. As England’s been pummelled and frozen, we’ve been strolling around in t-shirts. It seems today, however, that everything’s back to normal. I grabbed my waterproofs and headed out.
It was still early when I arrived at the polytunnel, our modern-day greenhouse set on the hillside above the village. The only sound was the low coo of a dove from the wild wood behind. Stepping through the doors, I left behind the drizzly chill and entered a hot, fragrant, mulchy world, heady with growth. Peas curled around canes, broad beans flowered and aubergine seedlings peeped through the soil, testing the air. Inside this arch of plastic, local people have found a way to grow their own food, come rain, shine or, indeed, gale.
I checked my bed. Slugs had feasted on the green beans, and something, a mouse perhaps, had nibbled my mange-tout. I soaked the soil – I could almost hear the plants drink up the water – and harvested some baby spinach leaves and peppery rocket. The first of my radishes slipped out of the soil, ruby red with a long white tail. I whiled away a few happy hours, weeding and planting, enjoying the peace, the space to think and the feel of the soft warm soil in my hands.
The school bell rang and children’s chatter echoed in the still air. It was 10.30am and time, alas, to get on with the day. On the way home, the man on the radio talked about Greece and France, the Eurozone crisis, austerity or growth. I tried to engage, but my mind was too busy with cabbages and cauliflowers, kale and cucumbers; with a community beginning to feed, to fuel, itself again.
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About the Author:
A year ago today, Eve MacFarlane moved to the west coast of Scotland to live off the land(ish), find wild places and write. She blogs at westcoastings.wordpress.com
- May 08, 12
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“What’s your name?”
“Farmer One. What’s your name?”
“Pig One.”
These simple sentences are the zenith of the third graders’ English at the school where I teach in Dresden. Today we are acting out the three little pigs: I say a line, the students repeat it, and then I tell them what it means so they can act it out. There’s a beautiful delay between when the kids say, “I have some bricks!” and when they pretend to hold bricks by sagging their arms and buckling their knees.
As I teach, I think about Aidan, who I angered by calling his essay about Emily Dickinson pompous. He’s my only friend, so I was happy when he sent me a bouquet of Dickinson’s poems that reference flowers, like ancient lilacs and a window filled with a permanent rainbow. Aidan thinks Dickinson is afraid of dying and losing the beauty of the world; I think that the transient radiance of a hyacinth rainbow is a perfect metaphor for the way that we, dying, live: defiantly displaying our beauty and never quite believing that we could be anything but eternal.
I think about how Nora, my niece, doesn’t yet have the words to describe the fleeting, chaotic beauty of experience, and how Neil, when a butterfly landed next to him, said that “it just seemed to delight in opening and closing its wings and just actually being beautiful for that period of time.” I look at the tissue paper roses that I have in a waterless vase on my window: they won’t live and they won’t die.
Lily’s text says “Maurice Sendak.” I know that he’s gone and I imagine a boat sailing in and out of weeks and through a day. I think back to the last time I heard him, when he said, “I cry a lot because people die and I can’t stop them. It’s like a dream life, but, you know, there’s something I am finding out as I’m aging: that I am in love with the world.”
And I sit on the banks of the Elbe and the water is always rushing away but the river never leaves me, and I am calm.
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About the Author:
Dan Gray is an American writer living in Germany. He posts at yabottherobot.com, & may not have a byline again: Hi Family, Hi Friends, Hi Lily.
- May 07, 12
I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck. Bruised, scratched, sunburned, sore. Great start to a Monday morning. Rock climbing with friends at Table Mountain over the weekend was both thrilling and terrifying and has left me exhausted with the rest of the week looming in front me. Yet another mountain to traverse.
Monday mornings tend to bring worry about tasks that need to be completed, people that need to be visited, and how the heck I am going to get it all done?
I’m waiting to hear about a job and should learn today whether or not I’ll move to the next round of interviews. A knot of anxiety that has been lingering in my stomach, temporarily staunched by the whirlwind weekend, is back in full force this morning. I also need to take one more photo to share with in my photography class tomorrow evening. The simple directive that the photo should include grass has led to a creative block and resulted in a collection of images NOT containing grass. Really? Pull it together. It’s grass for crying out loud.
I am meeting a friend this evening at Berkeley Ironworks to rock climb and am slightly nervous. I was half way up a wall last week when some schmuck smashed my passenger window and stole my tote and phone. It could have been a million times worse. My laptop and other valuables were still safely in the trunk. The phone can be replaced. But the tote? That was a discontinued, leather handled LLBean that I purchased off of Craiglist from a woman in Michigan for $15. And had her ship to California. I’ve tried to keep a positive attitude but am still slightly unnerved by the vandalism that occurred at a place I spend so much of my time.
If I can just make it past today the rest of my week should be a walk in the park. So here’s hoping I get to the top of the mountain.
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About the Author:
Emily lives in the sunny (but perpetually cold) Bay Area with her husband and cat. She enjoys spending her free time writing, climbing, and horseback riding. Read more about her adventures at www.emisagem.com.
- May 06, 12
It never seems to end. Just as I was thinking things would be winding down since it is FINALLY the end of the semester, the universe decides to prove me wrong. Sunday, May 6, 2012: Today’s to-do list: studying for two finals: one on Tuesday, one on Thursday, and finishing practica documentation for the year. Things taking the place of all I should really be doing: cleaning the condo, dinner with my advisor and her other advisees (which I completely forgot about until I got a reminder about an hour ago), trying to keep a sick dog quiet and force-feed him his medicine in a couple hours (how can an 18-pound dog be so dang strong?), and writing a couple of deployed soldiers (just because I think they need to know they aren’t forgotten). Last minute addition to the list: telling my roommate that she can’t have her dog here anymore. She’s avoiding me right now since I called her out last Thursday for the 80th time in 8 months about not cleaning up her dog’s poop and food crumbs. I’m pretty sure that my dog eating those crumbs is what has led to this episode of pancreatitis. For his sake, I can’t chicken out. I hate confrontation, especially when I have to live with the person, but this has gotten out of control. Oh well, she’s not here right now, so I’ll just enjoy the quiet and contemplate a shower since I probably stink a little after cleaning. It is the socially acceptable thing to do to shower when you sweat, especially before a dinner with my graduate school advisor who just signed off on my EdS licensure and who will help me write my dissertation, right? I know I’m so close to finishing classes and my PhD, but I really need someone to remind me to care. I can’t afford to blow it now. Well, things never got done by just sitting around (things on either list), so I guess I’d better get back to it. Or, maybe the dog really has the right idea and I should take a nap before dinner. Hmm, what I decide, the world may never know…
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Bio: I’m Stephanie, a 27 year-old Ph.D student living in Iowa. My passion is helping children in the child welfare/ juvenile justice systems.
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Posts
Photo: A big thanks to Stewart’s Coffee for the care package. Thanks for checking out my blog! (Taken with instagram)
Who’s on first? Snuffy!
Reblogging for @danielhonigman. Also I love Snuffaluffagus.
Photo: Mini key lime pie, courtesy of @giuseppetentori and the GT crew (Taken with instagram)
- Discussion: What will Twitter do with Posterous?
Posterous, a blogging platform very similar to Tumblr, was acquired by Twitter earlier today.
It was an interesting move, I think, for several reasons. (Disclaimer: I used to host this blog over on Posterous, but switched several months back, after several service disruptions.)
Why do YOU think Twitter acquired Posterous? Was it:
a) a talent grab, ‘nuff said. The Posterous founders are geniuses, and Twitter’s lucky to have ‘em.
b) the continuation of Twitter’s move into expanded brand pages. (We’re already starting to see expanded tweets and other content on the new Twitter brand pages)
C) This reason.
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- Feb 24, 12
A few weeks ago, I wrote about my experiences creating single-topic Tumblr blogs. This got me thinking about news organizations using Tumblr, and what they’re getting out of it.
Dan Schneider, Denver Post social media news producer, was kind enough to talk about the paper’s Tumblr blog, its goals and just how unique its Tumblr readership is.
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When did you start the Denver Post’s Tumblr? What prompted you to do so?
We started our Tumblr in April of 2011, in part because we were aware of some other news Tumblrs, and in part because we’ve been pioneers on Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, and other social platforms and wanted to continue that trend of experimentation.
What do you see as the purpose of the Tumblr? Do you post the same stories you post on either Twitter or Facebook?
For us, Tumblr is about reaching an audience that we think is unlikely to find us otherwise. While lots of Tumblr users are on Facebook, they may not be as engaged on Facebook as users who aren’t also on Tumblr. Also, there’s less crossover with Twitter (our other truly strong social effort) than with other services. Add that to the demographic uniqueness of Tumblr and we suspect that a sizeable fraction of our readers on Tumblr aren’t finding our news any other way. In part it’s a brand-building effort — getting our name in the consciousness of those who might not see it otherwise. In part it’s an effort to keep our foot in every door that might eventually be a thoroughfare for our brand.
How often do you post? How do you decide what to post?
Mostly I post when I get the chance. Sometimes it only happens a few times a week. I try to let Tumblr guide my choices. I’m a Tumblr user myself, though mostly a student of its phone-photography stars, so I’m somewhat in tune with the tastes and trends of Tumblr as a whole. Along with that, I’ve asked our Tumblr readers what they’d like us to post on Tumblr. I try to choose things that I think have a possibility of viral growth, and things that are relevant and timely and of potentially national or international interest. And I try to mix it up and not just post the same types of things over an over. While I’ve been doing this for most of a year, I feel I’m still in a learning phase with trying to pick content that will get a lot of notice and engagement on Tumblr.
What do you know about the folks that are “loving” or re-blogging your Tumblr posts? Are they local? How much overlap is there with your followers/fans in other networks?
We know that a lot of locals follow our Tumblr. I’ve visited hundreds of their own Tumblr pages and seen where they’re from, what they post and reblog, etc. We know there’s a lot of spam/robot/junk accounts, too, just like on Twitter. We suspect that the overlap is less than with our other social efforts, and other studies indicate that Tumblr users seek out news on the web elsewhere less than average.
What kind of traffic are you getting from Tumblr referrals? Are people clicking through? Does it compare yet with what you’re getting from, say, Facebook, Twitter or Reddit?
I can’t give you any specific numbers on the traffic Tumblr is generating for us, but it’s modest. The click-through rate is not amazing, but the payoff is still good. In my opinion, it’s still worth the efforts we put in because the clicks through are generally high quality (time on site, pages per visit, etc.). It does compare with Reddit, but still lags behind Twitter and far behind Facebook.
Do you have any plans to expand your Tumblr presence? (e.g. create other blogs, single-topic blogs, reporter-specific Tumblrs)
We have two Tumblrs right now; we don’t have any plans to create new Tumblr blogs that the online team would be responsible for, but would be happy to help reporters or section editors that had an idea for Tumblr.
All in all, how would you evaluate your Tumblr experience? What have you learned from using it?
I’d say my Tumblr experience has been great. We’ve picked up a few good news tips from Tumblr and had some great response to things that didn’t have a lot of news value or success in other arenas. I’ve definitely learned more about picking news people will chuckle at and pass on out of the stream, and I think I’ve learned a lot about our Tumblr readers and their news habits (Brian Stelter’s “the news will find me” quote comes to mind) that will be increasingly characteristic of all our readers as social and mobile gain ever-increasing speed in their dominance of digital content consumption.
A lot of folks are starting to look at Pinterest as well as a way of clipping articles and photos to share with a slightly different community? What are your thoughts on news organizations using Pinterest? Any preference to stream vs storyboard-based lifestream platforms?
We’ve had a hard time, like many news organizations, thinking of a way to get value from Pinterest with news content. The majority of opinions I’ve seen agree with the notion that it would be good for features departments — your food critics, travel writers, fashion editors and so on — and I think that’s probably right, at least for now. I definitely think it’s a platform to experiment with, and I’ve been thinking of ways we could ‘break in’ to that network from our newsroom. With news consumption where it is, the industry as a whole should be embracing every possible avenue, in my opinion. My personal preference, if you’re comparing Tumblr to Pinterest, is a Tumblr-style platform. That has to do with how I use it and what I expect to be sharing, though. Pinterest has a tendency to look cluttered to me, but that hasn’t stopped me from spending several long sessions digging through the pins and even repinning a few things.
- Dec 13, 11A few months back, I went full time with AdYapper, an early stage startup in the ad space. Since around that time, I’ve been thinking of reasons why I think journalists could make good entrepreneurs.Why is this important? Newsrooms continue to lay off reporters, and starting a business could be a great alternative to a path in the communications field, which is where many journalists go once they’re done in the news business.This is not a new concept. (In fact, we’ve blogged about it recently.) Since my time at Chicago Tribune/Tribune Company, I’ve been urging reporters to think of themselves as entrepreneurs within their beats, and within their newsrooms; however, I never really thought of just why I think the very act of reporting and writing is entrepreneurial. So I came up with a few reasons:
- Expertise: The very practice of journalism requires knowledge of a space other than journalism. Other than writing and reporting. And if there’s something a reporter doesn’t know, they learn about it.
- Hustle: This one really goes without saying.
- Contacts: Journalists have the right to ask anyone any question, at any time. (Whether they respond is another story entirely.) Through it all, journalists develop great rolodexes, and if they’re good, respect — and a good working relationship — from and among their readers and sources.
I put out a call within my network, asking why they thought reporters could be good entrepreneurs. I got one answer: “Journalists can make great entrepreneurs. Our skill sets are tuned to detect and address relevant problems,” says Jason Goodrich, a former editor at the Chicago Tribune and now CEO of Shortlist. ”We get to the ‘why’ by talking with people and analyzing the data. Maybe above all else, journalists tend to possess the right mix of idealism, skepticism and determination to bring useful ideas to life.”
Not surprisingly, Goodrich also thinks there’s a learning curve. “However, being a journalist does not qualify you for startup life,” he said. ”Entrepreneurship is about building a sustainable business. Let’s just say that there’s a lot of math involved.”
Just something to think about.
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What do you think? What are some reasons YOU think journalists could make good entrepreneurs? Do you have any examples of entrepreneurship within your newsrooms? Please leave your thoughts as comments below!
- Sep 23, 11
With all the layoffs in the news industry in the past few years, it’s easy to get down on journalism. However, journalism is not dead, it’s adapting.
Two people who know that better than just about anyone are Laura Frank and Jennifer Lord Paluzzi. The two former mainstream journalism employees spoke Friday morning at the Online News Association Conference about how they lost, adapted, survived and eventually thrived as journalists.
Frank, who worked at the Rocky Mountain News (which shut down in 2009), decided to create a news startup, the Rocky Mountain Investigative News Network, when she was laid off. The I-News Network is a nonprofit investigative organization that has found its way.
Frank, the networks executive director, says the organization makes ends meet in the following ways:
* Donations and grants (which she said was the seed money)
* Underwriting (the nonprofit world’s version of advertising)
* Partnerships with mainstream media.
* Products and services – As an example, Frank said the organization created a summer camp for high school students interested in investigative reporting.
Frank said the key is to “dip your toe in.”
“I’m not going to launch USA Today right away, but I’m going take steps that lead me toward my goals.”
Paluzzi, the managing editor of Main Street Connect in Massachusetts, said she capitalized on a small-but-growing blog about small-town news when she got laid off.
She said her former colleagues probably belittled her little blog until it grew into a nine-site network. She said they were then saying, “Why did we lay you off again?”
Paluzzi sought to cover small towns that were ignored by regional newspapers, which had cut back on coverage.
“The blog blossomed into something quite bigger than what I expected. That’s the fun part.”
- May 06, 11
After 16 years in the newspaper business, it’s hard to imagine doing anything else, but that’s just what I’m going to do, starting at the end of this summer. I am very excited to announce that I have accepted an offer from the University of Texas to be a full-time multimedia journalism professor. I’ll start in August, and I’ll continue at the Statesman through July.
I’m excited because this is a rare opportunity to be part of a major transformation at a great journalism school. The UT School of Journalism recently voted to change its curriculum, putting much more emphasis on teaching all journalism students the necessary tools to succeed in a still-rapidly changing landscape. I expect to be a driving force behind the school’s transformation. UT’s journalism program is already excellent, and I know the faculty and staff there want to push ahead. What sold it for me is the enthusiasm of Glenn Frankel, the relatively new director of the journalism school. He has a clear vision for what they can be in a few years, and he has won over faculty and administration.
The very hard part for me is leaving the Statesman, where I’ve worked since the spring of 1998. Throughout my career here, I’ve had incredible support and guidance from management, including Zach Ryall, Tim Lott, Fred Zipp, Debbie Hiott, John Bridges and Michael Vivio (who has since become president of Valpak). I wouldn’t have been able to do half of what I accomplished without their help. The other major reason I found success in pushing ahead at the Statesman is my remarkable colleagues. They “get it” when it comes to new media, which made my job much easier. Some of the finest journalists in the nation work at the Statesman, but they’re not just colleagues – they’re my friends. I met my wife here. I also met the best man at my wedding here. I will miss mixing it up with everyone in the newsroom, but I’m glad I’ll still be in Austin with them.
I’m not leaving because of anything going on at the Statesman or in the newspaper industry. I know that I could continue pushing the envelope when it comes to social media and new media into the future at the Statesman. I have no doubt that the Statesman will remain a national leader when it comes to social media and new media, and I’ll eagerly follow the Statesman’s social streams to get my news and to interact with the staff. The UT job was just something I felt I couldn’t pass up.
In my new role, I’m looking forward to teaching the bright minds who come to UT. I’ve been a guest-lecturer several times at UT and at Austin Community College, and I’ve enjoyed it immensely each time. I’m also going to blog about the latest techniques in the field of journalism, with professional journalists as my target audience.
This wasn’t an easy decision, but I’m very excited about where it will take me.
- Apr 14, 11
Author’s note: This is an old memo I wrote from my days at Tribune Company. I’ve edited it into a blog post and have added a couple of links, but it’s very much a media rant. Enjoy!
What is it about Zappos that makes it an innovative, well-regarded company?
It’s not that Zappos sells shoes and clothes online, and it can’t be because of Zappos’ sleek Web site. (In fact, Zappos.com isn’t the most visually attractive website.)
Every inch – well, perhaps not every inch – of the page oozes, “We care about our customers.” There are links to live chats, and a company phone number is posted in a place that’s easy to find. It’s not buried on some hidden customer service page. (Read Zappos founder Tony Hsieh’s book, Delivering Happiness, for more on this.)
The fact is this: If you go to any news Web site, how does it feel? Does it feel like the news organization cares about what you think the news is?
Newsrooms are constantly reorganizing and changing the look and feel of their digital and print products, but I believe that there’s a unique opportunity to change the way people actually experience the news.
Here’s my point: Experiment with small, cross-functional teams to change the environment in which folks experience our content. And there are some things that you can gain:
- A feedback loop or connection with readers that you’ve never had before.
- Insight that will help your figure out ways to improve the quality of your reader comments. (On this point, this OMNT post is a must-read.)
- A look into reader dynamics.
- Experience. This will help teach your community managers, digital producers or bloggers how to wrangle a community.
- Expand the reach of the online communities you’re trying to build.
Most importantly, this will let your readers know you’re listening in ways mainstream media tends not to. My vision of true “journalism on demand” isn’t just similar to a restaurant comment drop box, but is a living, breathing, dynamic community.
Here’s what you’ll need to get started:
- A Small group of forward-thinking, customer-centric – not necessarily social media-savvy – folks in your news organization. A reporter. The public editor. A web producer. A marketing team member. Someone in ad ops. A circulation manager. Anyone who really wants to gain these insights, and someone who likes side projects.
- A platform. Start small. Try putting a link on a homepage to a live chat. From there, we can possibly build forums. Events. Anything. Try to make your community vibrant and open, because if you do, you can market it somehow.
- A message. If you think of branding your platform from the start, you’ll get support from the top down.
True journalism on demand can be an industry-changer. Be willing to test technology, timing and figure out what you even want to know. Don’t rush this into looking like a hokey marketing initiative, but a real effort to connect with your readers. (Perhaps, at some point, you can extend this into a chat with your advertisers.)
This isn’t cutting edge stuff, but test with some basics, including forums, live chats, instant messenger (or Skype), and customer service-driven platforms (e.g. Get Satisfaction).
If you do this, it should be a two-way street. In addition to getting ideas from readers, you could pitch ideas to them, asking what they think you should write about. The idea that gets picked will get done in a timely fashion.
Experiment with treatments. Is your execution a blog? A forum? A poll? Is this promoted in a box with a graphic, or as a text link? You don’t know what will resonate until you try.
Lastly, steward the conversation, and have clear, concise rules of conversation. If you’re waist deep in it, you can drive a positive experience for everyone.
What examples of “journalism on demand” have you seen in the news world? Is your news organization doing something along these lines? Please leave your thoughts as comments below!
- Apr 12, 11
Guest post by Mathilde Piard
In the past few days there’s been a blog post about the top 25 newspapers on Twitter that’s been making the rounds. In fact, it’s been circulated so far and wide that I’ve heard about it from multiple coworkers who don’t tend to run in different Twitter and/or reading sharing circles as I do, and who were wondering why two of our newspapers weren’t on the list (the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the Austin American-Statesman).
The problem with the post over at The Wrap is that it worked off a list from Journalistics.com from the fall. Back then, the Journalistics post only looked at the top 25 newspapers in terms of circulation because it was part of a series comparing those exact 25 papers on Twitter, Facebook, website traffic, and Google PageRank. I commented on the recent blog post to point this out, as did Jeremy Porter, the author of the original list at Journalistics.com. But because Dylan Stableford hasn’t clarified in the post that his list is just for the top 25 newspapers by circulation (although he did update it to include at the bottom a few of the omissions, thank you) and since most people don’t read comments anyway, I figured it would be best to just provide my own list of the top 25 newspapers on Twitter, one that actually goes by number of followers on Twitter, not circulation.
Some will argue that ranking Twitter accounts by number of followers is a load of hogwash, either because Twitter’s recommended list skews things or because it’s not a good measure of “engagement”. The truth is, you could argue the same about any type of metric. Companies don’t share specific traffic numbers, so the only way to compare websites to each other is to use ComScore’s number of monthly unique visitors. Uniques don’t measure how long visitors stay on sites, how many page views they provide, how many comments they leave or pages they share with their friends.
Which leads me to my next thought: we shouldn’t have to resort to manually compiling lists like these of top accounts on Facebook and Twitter (by the way, Chris Snider does this every month for the top newspapers on Facebook). MuckRack has rankings of journalists by beat and region, but only tracks individual journalists, not brands. Jeremy Porter had a great idea when he compared newspaper circulation with other online metrics – but it would be great to see that kind of stuff for more than just the top 25 (mostly national) papers. And why look only at newspapers? I keep secretly hoping Cory Bergman at Lost Remote will compile a list of top TV accounts on Facebook and Twitter, since he’s one of the only ones to cover what local television stations are doing with social media – but again, he shouldn’t have to. (UPDATE: actually, he already did, ha!). Wouldn’t it be cool to compare TV ratings or radio cumes with online stats? And why keep it to media organizations? There are so many brands out there that fudge the line between media, and, well, everything else. Just like ComScore tracks unique visitors for websites, it should also track number of Twitter followers and Facebook fans.
Anyway, here’s my list, and here’s my methodology:
- I used the top of a list that Robert Quigley had compiled on this very blog in the wake of the original Journalistics list (which didn’t really state clearly that it was part of a series comparing how the top 25 newspapers tacked online in a variety of metrics, so it too drew a lot of criticism from people who didn’t get it at first, including myself. Apologies Jeremy!) However, I kept to just the top 25-ish, because frankly I don’t have time to be as thorough as Robert was and go through nearly 200 newspapers.
- I’ve kept the list to US newspapers – no online/iPad only publications and I also took The Onion off the list. Sorry guys, it’s just easier to compare apples to apples. All the more reason somebody like ComScore should be tracking this for everybody, not just newspapers, perhaps not even just news orgs.
- In the case of the San Francisco Chronicle and the Arizona Republic, I went with the Twitter accounts that Jeremy Porter/Journalistics and Dylan Stableford/The Wrap used rather than the ones Robert Quigley had on this blog – as in, @sfgate instead of @sfchron_alert and @azcentral instead of @arizonarepublic. That seemed only fair since Robert’s list used @bostonupdate instead of @bostonglobe and @coloneltribune instead of @chicagotribune. That explains why the Chronicle went from 51st to 18th place, and Arizona Republic from 158th to 25th.
- I also added the Minneapolis Star Tribune, which The Wrap and Journalistics lists did have, but Old Media New Tricks did not. Interesting to note, it looks like the username used to be @mn_news and was changed to @startribune without claiming the old username. So I just did, to avoid someone else perhaps ill intentioned grabbing it. Hey Minnesota Star Tribune folks, if you want @mn_news back, holler and I’ll gladly hand it over.
- Because I removed The Onion from the list, I’m only confident about the top 24 or so listed. Beyond those, I had a quick look around the various lists to find the lucky #25, and that’s how I realized the fudging up of the other accounts like the Chronicle, Republic etc, so I extended the list to beyond 25, as a means or righting a previous slight I suppose J. If I missed your newspaper, I apologize. I’ll happily share the Google doc with you so you can add it yourself, or if you feel like updating Robert Quigley’s list of 200 papers (thus further emphasizing my point that someone like ComScore should really be tracking this stuff instead)
- A word about growth rates since the October lists: The Chronicle, Star Tribune and Washington Post lead with 127%, 91% and 84% (followed by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution with 63% – shameless plug, they are one of Cox Media Group’s papers – and a handful of others in the 40-50% range). Interestingly, there is one account that had a negative growth rate: The Chicago Tribune @coloneltribune account with -2%. Ouch. I wonder what the story is there.
Top newspapers by Twitter followers
Piard is the social media manager for Cox Media Group Digital
- Mar 16, 11
I find myself continuously inspired by OMNT co-creator Rob Quigley’s posts, so I felt a need to expand on the great points he made in his recent post, “The ‘gamification’ of news, and how it can be relevant.”
The gamification of news can be a powerful tool for marketing and reader engagement, but it must be done in a way that rewards all types of readers, based on their level of involvement. (Check out the Forrester Social Technographics Ladder; slide nine here is especially helpful.)
If the news is gamified as a knee-jerk response to industry trends, the user experience may end up not be a relevant one. Before you start to create a game around your publication, you’ll not only want to think about the goals — rewarding loyal readers to increase loyalty is a simple one — but what exactly you want to reward readers for.
I’ve thought of three main things news organizations want to reward readers for:
1. Reward activity.
This is the most general type of reward, and many sites and platforms do this (Foursquare and GiantBomb are two examples). News organizations can reward readers for reading, commenting on and sharing (Facebook/Twitter/e-mail) stories.This type of reward, however, is easily gamed. Think about all of those erroneous Foursquare and Gowalla check-ins meant only to boost numbers. (This led to our well-received Foursquare etiquette post.)
Rewarding basic reader activity is a great way to get your audience to spend more time on your news site, or to visit multiple times each day. The more local traffic your news organization receives, the more likely advertisers will want to get involved; incremental revenue is never bad.
2. Reward curiosity.
Once your news organization sponsors reader activity on the site, you’ll want to reward readers who take that extra step outside of the basic on-site experience.
Perhaps they follow up on a series of restaurant-related articles by following along with a Gowalla or SCVNGR activity. Reward them with a coupon they can use at one of them. Maybe they consistently read stories about their neighborhood, or their local politician. If this is the case, you might want to invite them to a sponsored summit or activity; for instance, a political debate. If a reader users a “social” ad or promotion, reward them.
3. Reward involvement.
Yes, there’s a difference between reader activity and reader involvement.
The most active news readers and followers are the ones most likely to contribute, or want to contribute — but there’s no way for them to do so.
In my SXSW Interactive panel, titled “Better Crowdsourcing: Lessons Learned from the3six5 Project,” I spoke of the need to involve one’s audience by having a built-in hierarchy of involvement.
In this case, what’s the process for involving readers at different levels? For users that read the news, how can you get them to read more? For readers that read a lot, how can they contribute? For readers that contribute, how can you make them a more active part of the stories you tell each day?
Can they be a moderator in a reader forum? Can they contribute to a blog? Would your news organization allow them to create a more specialized blog using your publication’s blog platform? If these features don’t exist, perhaps it’s important to consider them.
How big are your calls to action? If a reader submits a tip, not only should you thank them, but perhaps they could earn a special “Armchair Reporter ” achievement for doing so. If a reader posts a valuable comment on a story, they should be rewarded in some way for doing so.
What else can news organizations reward readers for doing? Please leave your thoughts as comments below!
- Mar 16, 11
One of the somewhat-obnoxious buzzwords going around the South by Southwest Interactive Festival is the “gamification” of, well, everything, including the gamification of news. In a nutshell, that means taking video-game style processes and applying them to everything, from the way we educate our children to the way we keep up with what’s going on in the community. Location-based service game SCVNGR’s “Chief Ninja” Seth Priebatsch’s keynote address on Saturday afternoon was all about using game mechanics to interest people to do important but often-mundane tasks (such as succeeding at school).
Some news organizations, notably The Huffington Post, have been keen to figure out how to add game mechanics to online news in hopes of gaining reader loyalty and increasing clicks. Users can earn points by reading articles or play HuffPo’s “Predict the News” feature, which launched at the end of last year.
“Gamification” is a goofy made-up word, but its idea, I believe, has merits. The key, as Gowalla CEO Josh Williams put it during a SXSW panel on Monday, is to make the game useful and relevant to real people, not just the early adopter crowds that attend SXSW.
Foursquare has about 7.5 million users, and Gowalla has about 1 million. Both have been around for two years and have been pushing their services pretty hard. What will it take to push those numbers into nationwide acceptance? Relevance.
Williams, who says he dislikes the term “gamification,” said Monday that virtual “badges are bullshit.” He said to truly reach the masses, these services have to go beyond “checking in” to places or earning virtual badges. For his part, Williams says he wants Gowalla’s service to mean something to people’s lives. He said the goal of Gowalla is to help people explore the world around them and archive vacations, complete with pictures, comments and more — all put into a neat little box that you can review.
Williams makes a lot of sense. There’s some fun to becoming the “mayor” of a location on Foursquare. There’s also some fun to collecting virtual items for your passport on Gowalla. However, it takes earning good discounts, archiving valuable memories or gaining valuable content — something — to make it worthwhile to the general population. Gowalla, for instance, worked with TOMS Shoes and AT&T to give Gowalla users a chance to earn a pair of shoes (which also means TOMS gives a pair to a needy child somewhere in the world). That’s value that will make people want to keep using your service.
That got me to thinking about what value a news organization could offer by making the news more of a game. There’s no question that mobile and location are going to be an even bigger part of the landscape in the years to come as more people get better smart phones (and as the smart phones continue to evolve at a blistering pace).
So, what if news organizations started adding location data to each URL? This idea came up while I was chatting with Gowalla developer Rob Mack at a party later Monday night. Imagine a reader using her smart phone to open your news app while she’s sitting at a coffee shop. Instead of just the latest, or even hand-picked top stories, appearing on the main page, what if it had a section that showed news that was relevant to the area around that coffee shop? What if the “game” were that users get points for reading the news about all sections of the city (as they travel and check your stories, a map fills in, showing they saw the latest news for that area)? The game mechanic added in could also just be to show which of their Facebook friends had read the same stories, at the same location. So when you log into the app at that coffee shop, it tells you that three of your friends read the news from your site from that same shop. Users could also leave comments on the story that are location-specific or just a tip about the coffee shop (which could be displayed next to your news organization’s review, which also could appear thanks to location tagging).
This wouldn’t be “gamification” just for the sake of having a game. Users would get value in return — relevant, targeted news content and a communal experience.
Other ideas I have for using location to “gamifiy” the news include a fun online mobile scavenger hunt or tagging user photos and news tips at locations, which could appear on a news organization’s website. Or what about giving users a virtual tour of your city, using your news content? That’s exactly what I did for the Statesman — I set up virtual “trips” on Gowalla using the Statesman’s content to get people to explore Austin.
It’s not just the newsroom that needs to be thinking about this. Priebatsch pointed out in his keynote that the reason Groupon is so successful is because it uses game mechanics effectively to hook users. It gives out a “free lunch” by giving steep discounts, it has a time element (clock is ticking on each deal), and it encourages team play by having a “tipping point” before the deal is active. And Groupon is moving into news organization’s advertising territory in a hurry. Why can’t news organizations, which already have the retailer relationships set up, and the news content to make the app worth using, fight to take it back? Some are trying various Groupon-like services, including my parent company CMGd, which created DealSwarm. What’s the next step, though? If I could guess, it would be adding that element of location to the mix. There’s huge potential for advertising when it comes to location-based information and gamification. News organizations are used to reaching local retailers, and location is a natural when it comes to shopping. Imagine that that same woman sitting in a coffee shop reading your news learns, thanks to a banner ad or some type of alert, that there’s a sale two blocks away.
These might sound like far-down-the-road ideas, but more and more people are using smart phones in lieu of computers (or newsprint or TV stations, for that matter). It’s time to start thinking about how news organizations can add value in this space. Williams said that a new location-based service starts up “every week” but we forget about them almost as fast. The reason they go away — they don’t focus on value. News organizations have something they don’t — good content. They just need to think about how to use it in new ways … and make it, dare I say, a game.
- Mar 15, 11
I’m honored to be included on a panel that is part of South by Southwest’s new Tech Summit, which is open to all SXSW badge holders and has an international flavor to it. The panel, which is scheduled to be at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday on the sixth floor of the downtown Hilton, will focus on how social media is changing the landscape outside of the United States.
David J. Neff, an Austinite who uses social media for social good, is going to moderate the panel, which also includes Tolly Moseley, a tech-savvy book publicist, and Kate Schnepel, who in on the board of Wildlife SOS, an Indian rescue organization.
For my part of the panel, I’m going to:
- Discuss whether Malcolm Gladwell is correct in saying that social media is almost incidental when it comes to the changes we’ve seen in the Middle East
- Talk about the evolution of the media’s coverage of the Middle East situation, thanks to a combination of social tools and old-fashioned journalism
- Show off some examples of media organizations that are pushing the envelope in their coverage of the Middle East
For those of you who aren’t leaving on Tuesday (or just coming in for the music portion of the festival), drop by and add to the conversation.
- Robert Quigley
- Feb 24, 11
It’s a time of shrinking newsroom budgets, and often one of the first things to go is the travel budget, especially for conferences. That’s a shame, because conferences are fantastic for fostering innovation in newsrooms. A journalist returning from a good conference should have a half dozen ideas to try, plus new contacts to help make them happen.
If your organization can only afford to send someone to one conference all year, I strongly suggest the South by Southwest Interactive Conference, which begins in a few weeks in Austin, Texas. It’s not your typical journalism conference, but I think that’s part of what makes it so great. Not to knock on other journalism conferences, but in this day and age, I think journalists need to see first-hand how the rest of the tech world innovates.
What journalists will get out of it
- Networking. The conference is filled with people working on the bleeding-edge of the tech world. If you’ve ever been to a journalism conference, you know that some of the best things you learned and best connections you made happened between panels, during that 20-minute snack break. At SXSW, the halls of the Austin Convention Center are filled with the 20-something CEOs, designers and programmers at mobile, gaming and social media companies — and much more. You’re as likely to bump into Twitter cofounder Ev Williams as you are Jeff Jarvis. Add an incredible list of side parties (and official parties) to the networking opportunities: You can go to a party thrown by Mashable one night and hardcore Android enthusiasts the next. I’ve found that the tech crowd loves journalism, and they’re excited to share their products and ideas with media types.
- Great panels, mixed with some OK ones. Not every panel is going to be a hit, but there are so many to choose from that if you land in a stinker, you can get up and wander into another one. Some of the best panels I have attended were discovered that way. Before you go, make a game plan of what panels you absolutely want to attend, but be ready to tear up your plan as necessary. I think it’s good to break away from journalism panels and just look for ones that sound interesting, though if you want a good list of journalism-related panels, Poynter put one together.
- Optimism! I’ve been to a few media conventions in the past few years, and the general mood felt pretty dour. The industry has been beaten down, and it shows. At SXSW Interactive, you won’t see that. Instead, you’ll see enthusiasm for the future and innovations that excite everyone. What journalists need to remember is that a lot of these innovations could be and should be used in newsrooms to not only make our jobs more interesting and make us more valuable employees, but help our organizations’ bottom lines.
So, you want to go this year?
It’s going to cost you. The tickets for the Interactive portion of the festival started at $450 for early registrants, but it has gone up to $750 now. If you’re starting this late, good luck finding a bed to sleep in, too. The hotels are booked within 10 miles or so of the festival, and even hotels on the shuttle route are booked, so include the price of a rental car and just pray you can find parking.
I think if your organization can still swing the higher costs, and you don’t mind trying to figure out the hotel/parking situation, it’s still worth going this year. Otherwise, start planning for the 2012 festival. Book your hotel and purchase those tickets in September. Better yet, submit a panel idea in the summer (it’s great exposure, and panelists get free SXSW badges).
If you do attend, be sure to look me up. I’ll likely be checking out a crazy panel or heading to the TechCrunch party, but I’ll definitely stop, say hi — and share ideas.
- By Robert Quigley
Gowalla CEO Josh Williams, at the Statesman Texas Social Media Awards during SXSW in 2010
Rodolfo Gonzalez/American-Statesman photo
