New Media/Socia Media/Multimedia: Where Is The Diversity?

By Benét J. Wilson, DJTF co-chair, Online Managing Editor-Business Aviation, Aviation Week Group

I was scrolling through my Google Reader earlier this month when I read this Dec. 8 post on Steve Buttry’s informative blog on multimedia.  He was writing about News Foo, an invitation-only event that was (as Steve wrote) a “stimulating and thoughtful interaction with creative and innovative journalists, entrepreneurs, digital thinkers and technology pioneers.”  The event was held at the Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University.  When I read Buttry’s post, my first question was “I wonder how many journalists of color were in attendance?”  You can see the list of attendees here.

I sent out some Tweets to people I would guess should have been invited.  A handful were, but chose not to attend for whatever reason.  But then this post from Retha Hill, director of the new media innovation lab at ASU – who did attend News Foo – offered more information.  And Hill asked the bigger question – why are new media conferences lacking in minorities?  That, in turn, led to a spirited live Twitter chat yesterday hosted by PBS Media Shift, which featured Doug Mitchell, chairman of NABJ’s Media Institute, among other things.  You can follow the chat at the #mediadiversity hash tag.  My big takeaway was one side saying “we don’t know where you new media journalists of color are” on one side and “here we are, but you ignore us” on the other.

Here at NABJDigital, we have worked hard to spotlight and champion journalists of color who we think are doing some interesting things on the new/social/multimedia side of the business.  Below are the ones we’ve done since starting this blog in October 2009.  If you know of others, PLEASE – let us know.!

• Interview with Brazil’s Juliana Bozan on Women in Tech Entrepreneurship
• NABJDigital Interviews Multimedia Journalist Mark Luckie – Part 1
• NABJ Digital Interviews Multimedia Journalist Mark Luckie, Part 2
• NABJDigital Interviews Black Girl With Long Hair Web Site Founder
• NABJDigital BlogTalkRadio: Journalist/Professor/Evangelist/Skeptic Sree Sreenivasan
• Part 1: NABJDigital Profiles Maurice Cherry, Creator of the Black Weblog Awards
• Part 2: NABJDigital Profiles Maurice Cherry, Owner of 3eighteen Media
• NABJDigital Profiles Marian Anderson of Haute Travels Blog
• Brandon Gillespie – Going After His OWN
• NABJDigital Profiles the Professor Diva Diaries
• NABJ Member Retha Hill Among Winners of Knight News Challenge Grant
• NABJDigital Profiles The FlavorDiva.com Blog
• NABJDigital Profiles Elaine “The Etiquette Lady” Swann
• South By Southwest 2011 Interactive Seeks Diverse Panels
• NABJDigital Profiles Dr. Michelle Ferrier of LocallyGrownNews.com
• What Do Investors Want When Funding Entrepreneurial Projects? Terry Hicks Tells Us
• NABJDigital Profiles shades Magazine’s Michelle Fitzhugh-Craig
• NABJDigital Interviews Renée Horne, FedEx Director of Digital Social Media Engagement

Choosing My Social Media Influencers

By Benét J. Wilson, DJTF co-chair, Online Managing Editor-Business Aviation, Aviation Week Group

Back on Sept. 22, The Poynter Institute, as part of its 35-year anniversary celebration, asked journalists to help it choose 35 influential people in social media — both in and outside of journalism.  Mandy Jenkins, owner of the Zombie Journalism blog and social media producer at TBD.com. did a blog post on four people who have influenced her, so I thought I’d take a crack with my own picks.

• Josh Hallett, Voce Communications and Hyku.com.  I had been dabbling in social media, but didn’t take it to the next level until I heard Josh’s presentation on the possibilities of social media at a conference back in June 2007.  As a result, I completely revamped the way I approach journalism.  You still need the basic tools – writing, reporting and editing — but social media has been a boon in enhancing my work.
• Mark Luckie, The Digital Journalist’s Handbook, Washington Post and the 10000 Words blog.  I met Mark at my very first NABJ annual conference in Indianapolis back in 2006.  His blogging panel planted the see to what became my employer’s first official blog.  His 10000 Words blog has been my multimedia sherpa and he LITERALLY wrote the book on how to become an effective digital journalist.
• Sree Sreenivasan, Columbia University journalism professor and new media guru at sree.net.  I attended Sree’s social media for journalists seminar in Washington, D.C., which gave me practical tips specifically targeted to my work.  He also taught me the true power of LinkedIn.
• Vadim Lavrusik, community manager at Mashable, digital journalism blogger and Columbia University social media adjunct professor.  His journalism-specific posts on Mashable — including 8 Must-Have Traits of Tomorrow’s Journalist and The Future of Social Media in Journalism — constantly make me rethink how I’m doing my job and whether I’m adapting to the new media realities.
• Jessica Faye Carter, Mashable contributor,  founder and CEO of Nette Media and creator of Black Social Media Professionals.  She is a pioneer in showing companies on how to use social media and technology to reach women and multicultural communities. She is also a strong advocate for more diversity in social media.
• Shireen Mitchell, AKA Digitalsista.  She is probably the biggest cheerleader for women to get involved in technology and new media, and many times, has been the lone minority representative at industry conferences and seminars on these topics.

I’m sure I’ll think of 10 more people once this is published.  But I’ll put the question to you: who are your social media influences?  Put them in our comments section and I’ll compile them for a future blog post!

Friday Fast Five + Five: The Branding Edition

By Benét J. Wilson, DJTF co-chair, Online Managing Editor-Business Aviation, Aviation Week Group

At last month’s NABJ annual convention, I moderated a panel — Brand Yourself, Ensure Your Survival — on how journalists can and should brand themselves.  Reasons I gave to do this included: having a higher profile makes firing/layoffs harder; your company/industry sees you as invaluable source; and you have unique knowledge to showcase.  So in that spirit, today’s five plus five are links that can help you get started with your personal branding campaign. For a more comprehensive look, I recommend checking out Me 2.0: Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success at your local library.

But before we start, I have a public service announcement.  Please join DJTF and the NABJ Media Institute on Tuesday, Aug. 24 for a free BlogTalkRadio show: “Internet Etiquette: Being `Socially’ Responsible.” Did you miss this popular panel at last month’s NABJ annual conference? We’re re-creating it in this one-hour show! Journalists can post information on their social networks that may be harmful to their reputation. Lifestyle & Etiquette Expert Elaine Swann and Howard University graduate student and Google Fellow Kiara Pesante will give you the do’s and don’t’s on navigating proper Internet etiquette, and we’ll leave plenty of time for your questions.  Hope you can join us!

1. 10000 Words – 10 Ways to track what people are saying about you on Twitter.  It’s not enough to create the brand; you also have to track what people are saying about you and your brand.
2. Adam Vincenzini’s Share-house – Snapshot of your social media presence (all five parts) via @socialmouths.  Adam links to the Socialmouths blog 5-part series on your social media presence.
3. Mashable – 7 Services to Find and Reserve Your Name Across the Web.  So you’ve decided to take the plunge. You need to find that perfect name (whether it’s your actual one or not). These websites are one-stop shops that let you check across myriad platforms quickly and easily.
4. Voosh Themes – Create A Professional Portfolio Using WordPress 3.0 Custom Post Types.  You need a website/blog to serve as a showcase for your work.
5. Bit Rebels – 7 Steps To Building Your Online Identity.  So you’ve decided to take the plunge. Or you’re having trouble deciding what that identity should be. Check this blog post out for some clarity.
6. Brian Solis – 5 Not-So-Easy Steps to Managing Your Brand Online.  Once you’ve decided what to do, you have to manage it. Check out these tips for doing that successfully.
7. Social Media Biz – How to optimize your LinkedIn profile.  I was one of those people who created a perfunctory LinkedIn profile just to be in that space. But after I heard a lecture from Columbia University dean of student affairs & professor Sree Sreenivasan on the benefits of LinkedIn, I updated my profile and opportunities and new contacts flowed in.
8. Sitepoint – 12 Reasons You Need a Facebook Fan Page and 5 Easy Steps for Creating One.
9. Mashable – 5 Ways to Clean Up Your Social Media Identity.  There are some people who have myriad websites, blogs, Twitter accounts, YouTube channels, etc. This post offers great tips on how to wrangle all your identities into a cohesive face.
10. AppStorm – 15 Great Ways to Secure Your Website. So you have that website, but you need to make sure you’re the only one with access to it.

Society of Professional Journalists Offers 20 Journalists to Follow

By Benét J. Wilson, DJTF co-chair, Online Managing Editor-Business Aviation, Aviation Week Group

The Society of Professional Journalists’ Quill magazine yesterday released its list of 20 journalists to follow.  I was absolutely thrilled to be on a list that includes my new media idols Mark Luckie of 10000 Words, Columbia University journalism professor and new media guru Sree Sreenivasan, Mashable’s Vadim Lavrusik, SeattlePI’s Mónica Guzmán,  Steve Buttry of DC-based TBD and researcher/reporter Emma Carew.  I have followed these people on Twitter and their blogs for quite a while, and I’m honored to be on any list with them.

I encourage you to read about them, start following them on Twitter and put their RSS feeds on your web reader.  The 20 offer a wealth of information and observations that can help us all navigate the wild and wonderful waters of new media.

A Note from Columbia University’s Sree Sreenivasan

Dear NABJ members and friends:

As some of you know, I had the privilege of speaking on a webcast last week about social media for journalists. I really enjoyed the questions and comments and look forward to continuing to be a resource for NABJ. BTW, your NABJ Digital Task Force is a wonderful example to all other journo orgs and sets the bar very high for the rest of us!

Here are some notes & links that you might find helpful. Or not.

Audio recording of the webcast: http://bit.ly/btrnabj

Handout and materials:

Social Media Guide:
http://bit.ly/sreesoc

Twitter Guide for Newbies & Skeptics:
http://bit.ly/twitterideas

Write to me at sree@sree.net (subject line = mailing list) to be added to my monthly tech tips and tricks mailing list.

See how I use social media by connecting with me online here:
Twitter: http://twitter.com/sreenet
Facebook: http://facebook.com/sreetips (tech tips only)
LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/sreenivasan

Some articles about my socmedia teaching – with tips and ideas:

NEW YORK OBSERVER: The Twitter Tutor – http://sree.ly/sreenyo

HUFFINGTON POST: Dean Sree Sreenivasan on Using Social Media For Better Journalism – http://bit.ly/sreehuffpo

MEDIABISTRO: So, What Do You Do, Sree Sreenivasan?
http://bit.ly/sreembprofile (written by Aliya S. King, who was named one of top black authors on Twitter!)

And, finally, a favor to ask: A group of us who are turning (or have turned) 40 in 2010 are working on a project involving social media. If you know anyone (or any institution; eg, Essence mag) turning/turned 40, would you please ask them to e-mail me, sree@sree.net? AGE ANONYMITY GUARANTEED!

Thanks, and please keep in touch!

Prof. Sree Sreenivasan | sree@sree.net
Dean of Student Affairs, Columbia Graduate School of Journalism
http://www.sree.net | http://www.sreetips.com
FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/sreetips
TWITTER: @sreenet – http://twitter.com/sreenet

NABJDigital BlogTalkRadio Chat With Sree Sreenivasan

By Benét J. Wilson, DJTF co-chair, Online Managing Editor-Business Aviation, Aviation Week Group

We were honored to host Sree Sreenivasan, dean of student affairs & a professor at Columbia University’s journalism school.  Sree is a very popular speaker and offered a truncated version of his Social Media for Journalists talk, a talk that literally changed the way I work.

Sree  is  a noted expert on how journalists can use social media and other technology tools to work smarter — and harder.  You can follow him here.  To listen to last night’s chat, click here.  And below are the links Sree mentioned in his talk.

*** (02:52:18):Welcome to the NABJDigital Chat Room.

Here’s a link to where Sree will be speaking through the end of 2010 – http://sreetips.tumblr.com/post/94211778/workshops

Sorry – that address is http://bit.ly/sreesoc

NABJDigital says (03:14:51):
http://www.mashable.com is the Wall Street Journal of social media. They cover the beat very well. RSS feed here-http://feeds.mashable.com/mashable/socialmedia

NABJDigital says (03:15:42):
http://muckrack.com/ You can list yourself by beat, sources

NABJDigital says (03:20:41):
Facebook.com/sreetips

ColumbiaJournalism says to  (03:29:36):
http://bit.ly/sreesoc

ColumbiaJournalism says to  (03:35:24):
Twitter myths: http://bit.ly/twdnainfo

ColumbiaJournalism says to  (03:41:03):
http://hootsuite.com

NABJDigital says (03:41:56):
Great article on MediaPost blog today: 25 Signs Your Social Media Guru is a Hack http://bit.ly/dcXhZb

ColumbiaJournalism says to  (03:43:46):
http://twiangulate.com

NABJDigital says (03:52:24):
And here’s the link to all the stuff we’ve covered about Twitter on our NABJDigital blog: https://nabjdigital.wordpress.com/tag/twitter/

ColumbiaJournalism says to  (03:58:13):
My syllabus: http://bit.ly/socmediaskills and my socmedia tips: http://bit.ly/sreesoc

Friday Fast Five

I’m on my way out the door, but I wanted you to have your Friday Fast Five.  Enjoy!!

1. 10000 Words – Spice up food journalism with multimedia and interactivity (and the streak of using a 10000 Words tip continues!)
2. Blogging Tips – 5 Tips for Using WordPress for Non-Blog Sites
3. Web Worker Daily – Roundup:  Social Media Monitoring Tools
4. All Facebook – 4 Ways To Monitor Your Facebook Page Traffic
5. Mashable – Magntize Helps You Build a Simple Social Media Business Card

And please join us Monday, May 10 from 6:00-7:00 p.m. Eastern time for our first Blog Talk Radio event.  We will have an informative and enjoyable  talk with Sree Sreenivasan,  dean of student affairs & a professor at Columbia University’s journalism school.  He is also a noted expert on how journalists can use social media and other technology tools to work smarter — and harder. His seminar on Social Media for Journalists is a must-attend.  Sree will talk on this very topic and take your questions.  I hope you can join us!

NABJDigital BlogTalkRadio: Journalist/Professor/Evangelist/Skeptic Sree Sreenivasan

Protecting Your Social Media Identity From Potential Employers

By Benét J. Wilson, DJTF co-chair, Online Managing Editor-Business Aviation, Aviation Week Group

Awhile ago, I heard a story on NPR (sorry-I can’t find it) about a man who legally changed his name.  As I recall, back when he was in college, he wrote some provocative articles for the newspaper that received wide distribution, and they have dogged him ever since.  A simple Google search of his name brought up the articles and the firestorm they provoked, and he believed it scared off potential employers, so he decided to change his name.

We all have lives outside of work.  But with the advent of social media tools like Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and Foursquare, to name a few, your entire life and your movements can be easily tracked.   Back when I was in college, I went down to Florida for Spring Break like thousands of students across the country.  I didn’t do anything that my parents would have been upset about, but I did see plenty of cameras snapping at drinking contests, wet t-shirt contests and other high jinks that one did on Spring Break.

Back then, those pictures would have been developed and either put into a scrapbook or just thrown in a drawer.  These days, people post their pictures on social media Web sites for the world to see.  Yes, you do have the right to enjoy yourself on your vacation.  And yes, you can post those pictures on your Facebook account.  But be warned — you are not just sharing your pictures with your friends.

A potential employer could easily pull up your pictures and see you doing some crazy things on that vacation, and they may decide you may not be the kind of employee they want representing their company.  We have all heard the story of Jon Favreau, President Obama’s chief speechwriter.  Pictures of him drunkenly groping a cardboard cutout of Secretary of State Hilary Clinton appeared on Facebook and spread like wildfire.  He apologized and kept his job, but those pictures will be a part of his unofficial biography forever.

Microsoft commissioned a report — Online Reputation in a Connected World — from Cross-Tab Marketing Services that found:

• The recruiters and HR professionals surveyed are not only checking online sources to learn about potential candidates, but they also report that their companies have made online screening a formal requirement of the hiring process.
• Of U.S. recruiters and HR professionals surveyed, 70% say they have rejected candidates based on information they found online. Though not as frequently, respondents from the U.K. and Germany report the same trend.
• Recruiters and HR professionals surveyed report being very or somewhat concerned about the authenticity of the content they find.
• In all countries, recruiters and HR professionals say they believe the use of online reputational information will significantly increase over the next five years.
• Positive online reputations matter. Among U.S. recruiters and HR professionals surveyed, 85% say that positive online reputation influences their hiring decisions at least to some extent. Nearly half say that a strong online reputation influences their decisions to a great extent.

Is it fair? No. but that’s the world we live in today.  There are things you can do to protect your online identity.  For Facebook, start cleaning out the names of people who you don’t really know or who are friends of friends. That helps cut down on your information being passed along.

The Mashable blog has this great post on how to split your personal and professional sides on Facebook.  ReadWriteWeb has invaluable information on tools you can use to manage your online reputation.  And the MakeUseOf blog has some great tips on how to protect your Twitter information.  I have a professional and personal account, and the two rarely meet.  I keep the Tweets on my private account protected.  I don’t have anything to hide, but you can never be too careful.

I took a great course with Sree Sreenivasan, Columbia Journalism Professor & Dean of Student Affairs and Tech evangelist/skeptic, and he advised that we treat social media like a party.  You think about the people you want at your party, and whether you want them out in the back yard, in the living room or using your personal bathroom.  So who do you want where?

Global is the New Local (Part 2): Using Live Streaming, Social Media & Email So Ur Local Stories R Viewed Globally

By Andrew Humphrey, CBM
Founder & Co-Chair, DJTF

I was recently invited to speak with Columbia University journalism students by my good friend, Dean Of Student Affairs and Professor Sree Sreenivasan.  I accepted and spoke with the budding broadcasters and scribes in New York City.

Pictures were taken and after returning to Detroit, I wanted to show them and say “hi” to future storytellers and acknowledge their educational efforts live on television.  How would I do this in The Motor City and have them watch simultaneously from The Big Apple?  The answer was live streaming.

On a following morning, during my weathercast’s  finale, I showed the pictures of the future Columbia grads on WDIV-TV.  Since we live stream all of our newscasts, the photos were seen on ClickOnDetroit.com, also.

However, the work of informing the students and my audience took place before my broadcast.  I had to inform Sree and his students that their pictures would be seen in Detroit and around the world so they could eventually watch it live.  So, I emailed and used social media (Facebook and Twitter) to advertise their upcoming 15 seconds of fame.

15 seconds actually turned into forever because of this blog and YouTube.  On the web, the future journalists and everyone can see everything after my broadcast.  Here is a video of it:

Live streaming and these digital tools of communication empower you to increase your story’s (or any activity’s) viewership from local to global.  Whether the live streamed or video archived story is good or bad, when you want your sources or subjects to witness the final product, make the time to do these three easy steps:

1. Collect their contact information, especially email addresses
2. Contact them and/or invite them to join you on Twitter, Facebook or any other social media outlet
3. Send the “when” and “where” message that their story/sharing of experiences is available online

Storytellers share information to people to help them in informative and entertaining ways.  The more people journalists can touch, the greater opportunity to help.