“A Month Away From Spring’s Equinox’s” (a/k/a: #3rdWinter/Day31) & #HelpRon #HelpsKlout?

En Castellano, Traduciendo y Expandiendo:

Okidoki; no posts via @WordPressDotCom for a WHOLE week!… #WhatGives?

@Klout!

Been to The TimeLine lately? (as in the wee hours of THIS morning?)

It’s all there, so to better understand my mind’s perpetual #ScavengerHunt modality, skim here, scan pics here and there, AND then take a look at your OWN Klout Score!

Why? Appears to be a new Job Requirement, that’s why!

(En Castellano, les contare e interpretare pronto!)

Au Revoir!

#TimelineTuesdays: on Valentine’s Day, some romantic Decor, straight from the Heavens!

So it all began as an app, downloaded a while back, which along with @PInterest and @GooglePlus, a dreaded #Homework item, become hath….

… Add a dreadfully unseasonal season, a romantically laden day, and voila! Here’s me synapses attempting to learn a brand new nomenclature of “Toasters”, “Inkwells” and “1977″‘s – in lieu of 60+ steps to achieve same in my desktops prehistorical copy of PS 6.0!

One word?

Amazing!

Anyway, here is the Tweet, pls follow if u r already an @Instagram user; or check it out, if your phone so allows!

Cheers!

@FJPalacio: #3rdWinter/Day38 an Eighth Layer (Finally!) hath brought? Finalmente, algo de nieve, quizá San Valentin? http://t.co/aFHYYZTu

Original Message:

#3rdWinter/Day38 an Eighth Layer (Finally!) hath brought? Finalmente, algo de nieve, quizá San Valentin? instagr.am/p/G_JmNzp94r/—
Francisco J Palacio (@FJPalacio) February 14, 2012

Sent from HootSuite for iPhone

http://ow.ly/7trFE

And a Valencia layered on a Nashville? Cool! (and yeah, why the Xmas lights still run, too!)

Can’t stop!

#MMS: Market & Audience Rationales: “Behind The Scenes With Newspaper Journalists”

Behind The Scene With Newspaper Journalists

(Posted on Facebook by Spero Canton on Friday, October 23, 2009 at 10:16am)

This is a synopsis of a 66 page report which can be found at: http://www.mediamanagementcenter.org/research/lifebeyondprint.asp

According to a new report: “Life beyond print: Newspaper journalists’ digital appetite” by the Media Management Center, Northwestern University, almost half of today’s newspaper journalists think their newsroom’s transition from print to digital is moving too slowly, as they have no trouble envisioning a career where news is delivered primarily online and to mobile devices instead of in print.
MMC executive director Michael P. Smith, says “For several years we have heard that it is the journalists’ resistance to change that was holding newspapers back… this study shows that they are ready, and some are even impatient, for change.”
Now it appears that America’s journalists want a quicker transformation from print to digital delivery of the news, a study of almost 3,800 people in a cross-section of newspaper newsrooms shows. Many of these journalists are heavily engaged in digital activities in their personal lives and would like to devote more effort to digital products at work. But most of their time in the newsroom is still spent on print responsibilities. Only 20% of the workforce like things the way they are or yearn for the good old days.
Life Beyond Print, a study by Vickey Williams, Stacy Lynch and Bob LeBailly, assembles profiles of six types of journalists inhabiting the typical newspaper newsroom in 2009. They range from the “Digitals” (12% of the workforce) who spend a majority of their efforts online today, to the “Turn Back the Clock” contingent (6%), who long for the day when print was king.
Fully half of newsroom workers wish to do “Moderately More” online, arriving at something closer to an equal split with their print efforts, requiring a doubling of the effort they spend today. Those in the “Major Shift” profile (11%) would devote five times their current effort to online if given their druthers.
Newspaper journalists still love their jobs: Despite industry turmoil:
• 77% of journalists are somewhat or very satisfied with their current jobs
• 67% think it somewhat or very likely they will be in the news business two years from now
• 59% think they’ll likely be with their same newspaper
Online desire in the newsroom is not determined by age, years of journalism experience, or proximity to retirement. And youth is not a factor in predicting who in the newsroom wants to move into digital. Rather, the top two predictors of digital appetite are heavy Internet use outside work and having knowledge of online audiences and their preferences.
Previous Readership Institute research has proven the importance of customer knowledge as a first step in building media use, says the report. Real customer focus also includes acting on the results and letting customer needs drive internal decision-making. This study offers a new reason why knowing the audience is important… it helps stimulate a desire to transition to online work. Other predictors of digital appetite include:
• Openness to change at work and adaptability
• Proactive pursuit of the training necessary to learn online skills
• Keeping up with companywide initiatives and industry developments
The study creates these profiles of journalists:
Digitals, about 12% of the workforce, spend most of their time working online. They’re the youngest group, with an average age of 38, and 59% believe the digital transformation is taking too long in their newsroom. They follow big-picture trends, want to quicken the pace These journalists are most likely to be online editors or producers, but about 17% are reporters or writers. Overall, they’re newer to journalism than any other group.
Digitals score highly on factors that relate to adaptability – such as openness to change and work and career proactivity. They’re similar to leaders in this and many other respects. They’re most apt to describe themselves as the first to try something new at work and as having career options.
In a key finding, digital employees label themselves markedly more knowledgeable about consumers of digital, and at the same level of print reader knowledge as their print counterparts. Overall they are much more aware of customer behaviors and needs.
Other findings:
• More than half of the Digitals have undergraduate or graduate degrees in journalism
• 23% have no post-secondary journalism training
• 42% have been in the news business less than 10 years
• 11% have been journalists for more than 30 years
• The average age is the youngest for any segment
Major Shift, at 11%, are the most dissatisfied with their current state, more pessimistic about staying in the business long-term and want the most pronounced change. This group – roughly an equal mix of reporters, mid-level editors, copy editors, designers and videographers, most of whom have been in the business at least 15 years – would like to devote five times their current effort to online. They’re deeply engaged online in their personal lives, but see a disconnect at work. They could help the newsroom adapt faster, but need a sign they should stay in newspapers.
Moderately More, the largest segment at 50% and encompassing many reporters and mid-level editors, want a roughly equal split between online and print work. Half the newsroom believes their newsroom transition has been too slow and would be comfortable seeing their job duties shift moderately more online. But by nearly a 2-1 margin, they believe the newsroom is headed in the right direction.
Some of the Moderately More defining characteristics include:
• Their ideal job would be divided about 50-50 between print and online effort, requiring a doubling of their digital effort today.
• They tend to have been in the business more than 20 years
• 43% are reporters and another 22% are mid-level editors
• They would hire more reporters and editors, improve print content and improve the Web site design, in that order.
The Status Quo segment, at 14%, believe the 30% of effort they currently devote to online is sufficient and expect little disruption to the way they work now. In newsrooms where improving digital performance is a top strategic priority, this group will need a wake-up call. These journalists believe the evolution of newspapers has gone far enough. Just less than a third of their current effort centers online and they would prefer to see no change.
Most of the Status Quos believe the pace of change to date has been “about right,” whether in respect to their own job or newsroom-wide change. They forecast more moderate or minimal changes to come than the rest of the newsroom. This group is slightly older than the overall population. Nearly half are age 50 or older and 1-in-10 is 60 or older.
If put in command, they would:
• First hire more reporters and editors
• Invest in improving print content
• Support online investment, but third after print improvements and increasing manpower
Turn Back the Clock segment represents 6% of journalists who wish it would all go away. This part of the staff would go more heavily into print if they could. They report about 30% of their current effort is spent online, nearly triple the amount they would prefer. This is a group that has tested the online environment and they don’t like it.
This group weighs toward reporters and photographers and they closely mirror the newsroom average for age and years until retirement. What particularly sets them apart from others is their low levels of adaptability. Asked to rate themselves on openness to change, how they approach change at work, and career resilience, they rated significantly lower than other print employees and dramatically lower than digital employees or senior managers.
Individuals in this group report being less satisfied than their Status Quo colleagues. They also have the lowest opinion of leaders of all the groups and are least likely, in particular, to believe executives really understand what it takes to put out the newspaper.
Leaders, at 5%, are publishers, editors and managing editors, most of whom have been in the news business more than 20 years. Most report their roles are primarily print-focused but want to shift to online. Like Digitals, they describe themselves as open to change and optimistic about their career options.
• Publishers, editors and managing editors indicate they are spending about a quarter of their work effort on online matters, but believe the emphasis should shift to favor digital (53%) over print responsibilities
• 28% of leaders think their job is changing too fast overall, which could reflect the lack of clarity around a business model to sustain digitally delivered journalism.
• Leaders tend to be more than a decade older (49), and 77% have been in the news business more than 20 years, including 42% for more than 30 years.
• Leaders are more confident in the overall direction of the newsroom, with nearly 70% saying the newsroom is on the right track, as compared to about 45% of Digitals.
• This group reports somewhat greater Internet use outside work than other journalists. On the job, they use the Internet as a reporting or editing tool, but likely not for much else. Given their druthers, they would post more, plan more and link more online.
The study concludes with challenge the leaders face:
• Journalists’ passion for the mission is there, but they need basic tools for reinvention and more engaged leadership. More than half of the journalists working primarily in print had no training in the previous year to equip them for a digital transition. One in four journalists reports having had no training at all
• There are major gaps between how leaders think they are doing and how staff view them, in such areas as fostering collaboration, seeking out input from employees at all levels, and communicating strategy in a way that relates to employees’ jobs
In addition, there are differing expectations for leaders among the segments:
• Digitals want leaders to be even more immersed in online trends and to sharpen the digital vision
• Major Shifts want more risk-taking
• Status Quos generally like what leaders are doing and advocate staying the course.

Source/Credits/More: : http://www.mediamanagementcenter.org/research/lifebeyondprint.asp

Constructively Speaking… a nice thread on Social Media Certifications (via @UnMarketing)

Apropos this tweet…

#Corrected: @unmarketing “… Future of Social Media Certifications” @TheBrandBuilder http://bit.ly/7iztwX #MustRead anyways #FaveTopic ^SM 26 minutes ago from UberTwitter

I jumped into the thread comment to vent out a couple of thoughts…

Stalling at the Gate?

Here..

(Thanks to Scott for Tweeting about this… even if it was about a typo!… seems like a Pow-Wow by now!)

If I may?

One, I took the time (and even took out a Student Loan) to get my MCP/MCSA certifications… and spend a year at New Horizons, learning HALF of what I did not know (which we usually DON’T KNOW, right?) about the whole Microsoft environment… got a few sneers from some peers, but I’m sure that the GE HR DB also got enough hits out of my resume to help me land my last job… are they valuable? I don’t think that’s in doubt, but I just wanted to remind myself (and whoever read this) that along with Microsoft’s, a peek at the Test Taking site (Thompson-Prometric) allowed one to see that a whole industry was sitting on those servers…

Two, as to certifying bodies and standards: I am a certified PADI Divemaster… why? ‘cuz I follow the PADI standards… and again, SAME scenarios (of plain subjectivity, a human frailty we all seem to be afflicted with – and which also allows for varied offerings to compete in an open market, as Ruth pointed out earlier) where we’d have “pissing contests” between the old salts who thought that PADI was ‘bad’ because of a few feet, a few atmospheres, and whatever other differences they could find, just to validate that ‘theirs’ (meaning such other bodies like NAUI, SSI, etc) was ‘better’…

This being a blog about brands, I can easily foresee a combination of what y’all are talking about, and a future mature industry where different ‘venues’ are offered, as in the end, just as I mentioned earlier, these kind of discussions are sure to ‘chum up the waters’ and bring in the apex predators… the ones with the cash and the stamina to aggregate and catalyze these divergent dialectics into a marketable product that allows, much like y’all have posted, for individuals to “highlight” their abilities (not that they prove anything, yes, as I’ve also seen ‘certified’ IT pros whose personal proclivities left for a lot of room for doubt as to their professionalism) and for companies to ‘segregate’ those whose desire for continuing education (that old process of learning AND unlearning that keeps some of us afloat in these raging labor markets) at least validates their desire to find a way to make it, whether by mere training attendance, or by coagulating what they ‘knew’ from first hand experience, into yet another piece of paper on the proverbial bragger wall.

Greed and other base values will take care of the rest, as this nascent industry matures and gains the recognition it deserves from those we so desperately try to evangelize as to its existence.

A Lifelong Learner – and Unlearner

#InCaseYouMissedIt… “It’s Not Just a Matter of Common Sense Anymore” (Via NYT.COM)

Found today via Twitter… a great article on the things we seem to forget are still basic in these environs!

Source: NYT.COM

“It’s Not Just a Matter of Common Sense Anymore

As the above best practices show, a lot of the things you can do to protect yourself from malware are the same as they have been in the past – keep your computer and browser up-to-date, don’t open attachments, etc. However, malware is trickier to identify these days thanks to social networking sites. It now uses the trusted identities of your friends in order to lull its victims into a false sense of safety. You can no longer simply assume that because someone you know posted a link, it’s automatically safe. You can’t even assume that the networks themselves are safe, either. They’re not always scanned for malware-laden links, and when they are, such as is the case with Twitter, it’s not a 100% effective method.

Security researchers are actively working on better ways to fight this problem – for example, Kaspersky just announced their “Krab Krawler” project which will help keep their blacklists current by scanning for malicious links on Twitter, but it’s not a tool that end-users can download to protect themselves; it’s only one of many methods that security firms use to collect data about the malware on the internet. The best way to stay safe is to follow through with all the best practices – not just one or two. Malware isn’t ever going away, so everyone must do their own part in order to stay safe on the web….” (NYT.Com, 2009)

#RequiredReading: Stuck on Type? (and GOIN’ POSTAL!)… More on MBTI…

Apropos MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) and WHY for some Social Media is just NOT goin’ to EVER cut it… “… Introverts must OFTEN feel like the Old Woman whom the well-intentioned Boy Scout kept trying to help across the street; the only problem? She just DID NOT WANT TO GO!” (Tieger & Barron-Tieger, 1998 “The Art Of Speed Reading People)

So yeah, by now I’m also thinkin’ of dear ‘zombies’ such as James B Dreisbach and Juancho Arraiz (yeah, u owe me a phone call, buddy!) and of course Ellen Soto and maybe even Adriana Mihaly et al… Gotta finish this though… “Extraverts are NOTORIOUS for trying to get their INTROVERTED friends, coworkers, spouses or children INVOLVED in activities they would rather AVOID… ” (SOUNDS familiar, y’all ‘E’ Types?)… (ibid) #ShallBlogAboutThisSnippetNext (And what would Kare Anderson say ’bout this too? Mind-Mappin’ wise?)

Voila!

… now try to mind-map THAT!… (Hint: if you read the book, you’ll notice that I DID alter the sequence for “punchline” effects… hehehe!)

[CHORTLES]

Oh! What Thomas Mann would do to be here on FB-land!

So yeah, who’d have thunk that Mind-Mappin’, Word-Games and Etymology, all COULD be combined in a famous Celebrity! (yeah, I’m still on that MBTI rant… get it? D’Onofrio? … check your ‘Saints’… got it? if not, ask Dr. Schmidt why he thought it ‘vital’ for me to find this pic?)(Well, besides my obvious fan-ship of the third sibling in the L&O Syndication Family, of course!)

[L&O SOUND FX... FLUTES... INTRO JINGLE...]

[GUFFAWS]

… and DEFINITELY a reason to study type? why some just go POSTAL when FORCED into Societal Situations that just DO NOT FIT? (Credit to Stanley Kubrick, though, for such a FORCEFUL illustration… ready for more Vincent?)

Seriously!… as The Tiegers continue around the same page…

“It’s not always possible to look to your work to determine your type, because many people’s work is not welll suited to their preferences. Frequently, Extraverts end up doing jobs [Yup, what is the army after all but just another job, for many?] better suited to Introverts and vice versa. If you are an Introvert, imagine what it would feel like t work as a tour guide or receptionist, where all day, each day, your job required you to meet and greet dozens of strangers, engage them in small talk, and make them feel comfortable.  Now for you Extraverts, imagine a job as a researcher, working on one project for weeks at a time, completely alone, without the infusion of energy you get from interacting with other people, or talking about different projects. Neither is a bad job, but both are potential prescriptions for frustration and BURNOUT [CAPS MINE!] if held by people not naturally suited to them” (Tieger and Barron-Tieger, “The Art of Speed Reading People”, 1998, p 15-16)

WHOA!… I think I’m actually ALSO making a case for MARTIAL DISCIPLINE?

[STANDS IN ATTENTION]

[CRIES OUT!]

“All preeeeesent and accounted for!!!!’

Need the IMDB Snippet to get this into your NetFlix queue? (Yup, assume some millenials may see Kubrick as some of us see Welles, too!)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093058/

And the Wiki-Zeitgeist? WOW

A two-segment look at the effect of the military mindset and war itself on Vietnam era Marines. The first half follows a group of recruits in basic training under the command of the punishing Sgt. Hartman. The second half shows one of those recruits, Joker, covering the war as a correspondent for Stars and Stripes, focusing on the Tet offensive.  Written by Scott Renshaw {as.idc@forsythe.stanford.edu}

A two-segment story that follows young men from the start of recruit training in the Marine Corps to the lethal cauldron known as Vietnam. The first segment follows Joker, Pyle and others as they progress through the hell of USMC boot-camp at the hands of the colorful, foul-mouthed Gunnery Sergeant Hartman. The second begins in Vietnam, near Hue, at the time of the Tet Offensive. Joker, along with Animal Mother, Rafterman and others, face threats such as ambush, booby traps, and Viet Cong snipers as they move through the city. Written by Derek O’Cain

Full Metal Jacket begins by following the trials and tribulations of a platoon of fresh Marine Corps recruits focusing on the relationship between Gunnery Sergeant Hartman and Privates Pyle and Joker. We see Pyle grow into an instrument of death as Hartman has forseen of all of his recruits. Through Pyle’s torment and Joker’s unwillingness to stand up against it the climax of part one is achieved with all three main characters deciding their fates by their action or inaction. The second chapter of Full Metal Jacket delves into Joker’s psyche and the repeated referal to the fact that he joined the Corps to become a killer. When his mostly behind the scenes job as a combat correspondant is interfered with by the Tet offensive he is thrust into real combat and ultimately must choose if he really is a killer. Written by FMJ_Joker

During the Vietnam War private ‘Joker’ -the narrator, a future author- and his class are put through US marines training in gunnery sergeant Hartman’s verbally and physically abusive, sex-obsessed style. It’s all far worse for fat simpleton Pyle, who keeps doing everything wrong, even when gentle Joker is appointed his personal tutor, till peer pressure becomes group bullying. On their last day on Paris Island, when everyone graduates, the psychological time-bomb explodes. Only intellectual Joker isn’t assigned to jungle duty but as military war correspondent. He’s unwilling to play the deceptive propaganda game and violence catches up even in the ‘safe’ city Hue. Written by KGF Vissers (IMDB.Com, 2009)

Quotes?

Gunnery Sergeant Hartman: I’m Gunnery Sergeant Hartman, your senior drill instructor, from now on you will speak only when spoken to, and the first and the last word out of your filthy sewers will be “Sir”. Do you maggots understand that?

[recruits answers: Sir. Yes Sir!]

Gunnery Sergeant Hartman: Bullshit I can’t hear you. Sound off like you got a pair!

[recruits repeats with a louder tone]

Gunnery Sergeant Hartman: If you ladies leave my island, if you survive recruit training, you will be a weapon. You will be a minister of death praying for war. But until that day you are pukes. You are the lowest form of life on Earth. You are not even human, fucking beings. You are nothing but unorganized grabastic pieces of amphibian shit. Because I am hard you will not like me. But the more you hate me the more you will learn. I am hard but I am fair. There is no racial bigotry here. I do not look down on niggers, kikes, wops or greasers. Here you are all equally worthless. And my orders are to weed out all non-hackers who do not pack the gear to serve in my beloved Corps. Do you maggots understand that?

More?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093058/quotes

(So can this still be called a “Wall Photo”?)

Nupe… now it’s a “Blog” Photo… with a Tweet!

#SpeedBlogging, anyone? with a #Pictorial Twist? Apropos #Kubrick’s “Full Metal Jacket”, MBTI (Myers-Briggs) etc… http://bit.ly/33eDoL #FB

“Seen on a Wall Near You” Series… On The Meaning of “New Media” – or is it just “Media”

* @ TSJ

[STATES]

Love seeing someone else thinking, writing and working on what this old media/new media convergence is all about. Quicker than I think we all realize, it’s just going to be “media” and we’re going to drop the “new”.

* @ JL

[REPLIES TO]

T. I wholeheartedly agree. In fact, I would argue we reached that point long ago. Sadly, I secured this domain a couple of years ago LOL

* @ FJP

[REPLIES TO]

@ TSJ

Someone at a recent PRSA meeting stated exactly what you said here…

“Quicker than I think we all realize, it’s just going to be “media” and we’re going to drop the “new”.” (Jump, 2009)

Which is BOTH good and bad news, perhaps? as companies currently cutting back actually rehire people to “staff” these new-ly “figured out” posts?

Won’t be the first time that we realize that with all the expediency, all we did was create more work (read: complications!)

… apropos, there was a quote on Twitter about this… BRB…

@ FJP

[STATES FURTHER]

[GETS THAT ANNOYING 'MOBY DICK' ERROR MESSAGE]

Well… is this what will make Google Wave feasible, BTW?

[CHUCKLES] …

I’ll come back to it later, it was pretty apropos ‘expediency’; which we all know sometimes drives some pretty in-congruent business decisions, right?

* @ TSJ

[REPLIES TO]

@ FJP

Francisco, I think though that the most important take away for all “media types” is to be able to embrace the change. Look at Jim. He could be pigeonholed as a cameraman but he’s embracing and expanding his skill set - which will make him highly marketable as/when video is no longer is relegated to just tv screens.

It’s similar to what many newspaper journalist had to realize and had to adapt to the idea of now being bloggers…and videographers…and not just writers. Those who couldn’t adapt to the 24/7 news cycle got left in the dust, unfortunately.

Gotta Embrace it... or ELSE!

Granted, the biggest bugaboo is how in beejesus are we going to monetize all this content that people now expect to get for free…but I’ll leave that to the finance guys. I’m just a PR Grrl these days.

And Twitter is being a pain today. I’ve gotten the Fail Whale more times that I care to mention.

* @ FJP

[REPLIES TO]

@ TSJ

This part? hits VERY close to home, actually!

“It’s similar to what many newspaper journalist had to realize and had to adapt to the idea of now being bloggers…and videographers…and not just writers. Those who couldn’t adapt to the 24/7 news cycle got left in the dust, unfortunately.” (Jump, 2009)

Sadly, what Luddites in any era NEVER appear to get, is that all that fear and distaste for the ‘new’ is actually just the aggregation of ALL their ‘old’ gripes… meaning, what is a software application but the embodiment of what many thought was WRONG with a process?… and in the lucky cases, an app not only embodies those ‘complaints’ about ‘what could be done’ but in many cases, it automatically/naturally forces the users to immediately think about NEWER and FASTER ways to do the processes in question, ONCE they’ve been automatized?

(yeah, it’s the IT guy in me doin’ the talking, I know)

Gotta learn what you gotta learn - and unlearn it, too!

Bottom line? in most EVERY area, said “embracing and expanding” of one’s skillset is not only necessary, but a requirement – for survival.

[THUMBS UP!]

Excellent points, keep ‘em comin’!

* @ FJP

[REPLIES TO]

@ TSJ

… and yeah, about that ‘bugaboo’ about monetization? just take a peek at Hulu… personally? I am thinking of ways to hook up my 52″ screen to a decent computer, as what would be better than to have my HD properly managed within a Website?

… and we all thought that Flash was meant to build little banners and pretty skyscrapers…

[SNICKERS]

… so do they want to run an ad? be my guest, you ARE still fulfilling the same old promise of giving me ‘valuable’ content/entertainment… and more, as I’m now able to play with it, comment it, share it, and ‘regurgitate’ it, ad nauseam!

Final thought, though? I was involved with Ad Sales & Traffic Apps for a while, and fortunately I can say that the ‘current’ state of the industry has us pretty close to the point where said monetization WILL occur, as what was ‘missing’ were the tracking tools…

[GRINS]

Ad Sense, meet an Automation Player!

... Converging and converging, at a monitor near you!

[SO LATER ON... THE THREAD CONTINUED!]

* @ TSJ

[REPLIES TO]

@FJP

You make some excellent observations…do you think Jim minds us co-opting his FB post?

“just take a peek at Hulu… personally? I am thinking of ways to hook up my 52″ screen to a decent computer, as what would be better than to have my HD properly managed within a Website?”

Absolutely! That’s the amazing convergence that is happening right before our eyes. A computer… is a tv…is a computer. I wonder who will “own the space” though? Will it be Apple? Will it be Google? My money isn’t on the big tv giants like NBC or ABC…I think they’ve missed the boat and the ship is sailing away without them.

It’s funny – this was what cable was supposed to have been 15 -20 years ago. But they never delivered on the promise. Leave it to the IT guys to figure it all out and make it happen!

The metrics part of monetization is very interesting. From a PR perspective, there are many parallels. I am now tweeting and FB-ing for my organization and initially, there was a sense that I was just goofing off. It’s hard to justify from a metrics perspective on “earned media hits” but PR people have to embrace the social media tools, too, because we’re watching our traditional methods of PR outreach erode.

The old method of pitching to a reporter or a traditional press release is starting to unravel as reporters are being let go. We still have a message and a pitch but we are using new tools to get it across – all online.

It’s niche and it’s hard to measure its effectiveness but again, you have to embrace it because, honestly, this is where the audience is these days! Twitter alone grew over 1000% between Jan and Feb of this year!

We are all in THIS together, indeed!

* @ JL

[REPLIES TO ALL]

I LOVE co-opting other folks FB posts! hehe now i do wish that this conversation took place on my blog. But this simply demonstrates that you can’t force people to have conversations where you are. You have to meet them where THEY are.

* @ JL

[REPLIES TO]

@ TSJ

And Tricia, by no means are you JUST a PR grrrl

* @ TSJ

[REPLIES TO]

@ JL

JL, I *heart* these conversations because they bring together such a wide audience of computer folks, media types, pr people, writers, journalists, filmmakers…we are are feeling the change, aren’t we?

Gotta luv 'em!

(and next time this will be going on your blog!)

[SO OF COURSE... I HAD TO SHARE THIS WITH THEM BOTH!]

* @ FJP

@ TSJ

Echo, Echo… and now that we now we are ‘welcome’ here… well… comment on!

One?

“It’s hard to justify from a metrics perspective on “earned media hits” (Jump, 2009)

Personally, in the little time that I spent on TV, I ended up feeling that most everyone shared a ‘secret’ of mistrusting those Nielsen numbers; not to belittle them, but we three know that nowadays they are able to MINE these for keywords, and KNOW exactly who the people behind the message(s) are… so what’s to stop them from telling the sponsors that their message WAS somewhere, when they finally have some ‘harder’ metrics to rely on?

That the sponsors have wisened up and realized that they can run some of these ‘media’ operations on their own? no doubt about it… yet, as we become more and more refined on our ‘acquired taste’ of Social Media, well, we will see the proverbial return of those savvy professionals, now finally convinced that these are bona-fide channels, and well, that there’s such a thing as a ‘Professional Blogger…”

Two?

“We still have a message and a pitch but we are using new tools to get it across – all online.” (ibid)… Why do we love Google? it’s all about HARD data… anyone here ever used their “Ad Words” system… where a WORD is worth COLD HARD cash as it is measured SECOND BY SECOND and BID on by those who “want” it?…

… so when we compare a Nielsen box, whose process dates back to the days of Mad Men, and the Google “Algorithm” (which BTW, relies on hordes of people to work, trust me on that one too!) which one will the advertisers prefer?

Personally it’s more an issue of mindset versus unlearning; meaning, it does take a bit of pain to let go of the old metrics, we all made money with them, so to ‘unlearn’ the tried and true processes not only affects a point of view, but the systems that were built on those premises/paradigms… which is not only expensive, but SLOW in most cases…

That said, do we have a CHOICE?… don’t think so!

[GRINS!]

Finally, stay tuned for a tag to the two of you… I think I have a surprise for Jim to post!… BRB!

* …. So then I proceeded to get their input on whether or not to post… take a listen to their reaction!

* [@FJP 2 @JL]

Hiya Jim!… Whaddayathink?… and yeah, onlyYOU can see it (and TSJ, if she accepts my friend request)…

I have done a few of these on my blog before, taking out names and doing a bit of formatting… well, IMHO? if you read them HERE, why not READ (and monetize? disseminate? retweet?) them OVER THERE?

Feel free to “pluck” the text for your own use; or let me know, it’s on an Outlook Draft ready to be sent, I can forward it to you, etc, etc… … Leer más

Bottom line? I think we CAN repurpose these discussions… as you said, they ARE for REAL, aren’t they?

Saludos!

* [@JL 2 FP]

Francisco, I LOVE it! I think it’s terrific when spontaneous conversation happens

* [@FJP 2 JL]

Great!

Looking forward to the blog entry, then!

[THUMBS UP!]

* [@FJP 2 @TSJ]

@ TSJ

Whaddayathink? readable enough to go out and get us some hits?

(;OD)~

* [@TSJ 2 FJP]

Absolutely! We are blog-worthy!

[THUMBS UP!]

* [@FJP 2 JL]

Jim? You go first?

Want the text via e-mail? lemme know!

… so while I wait for Jim, I decided to post… as I have a couple more of these “Wall Near You” in the queue!… let’s see how they happen to come out!

[REMEMBERS WHERE THE WHOLE THING STARTED!]

… and yeah… last but NOT least… here’s the address to Jim Long’s Blog!… wait… actually, here’s the “catalyst” that got us talkin’!

* Re-launching my blog which has been gathering dust. Stop by and leave a comment! http://vergenewmedia.com

From Fast Company, an “Overture to a Complete Educational Remix”

Based on a recent article disseminated via Facebook’s Home Stream, Fast Company magazine put out an article on the current movement aimed at integrating the free content some institutions have already posted on the web, and how such content could someday be integrated into a degree, in ways hitherto unexplored in higher education.

“A free, peer-to-peer Wiki university? These all exist today, the overture to a complete educational remix” http://bit.ly/l63Td @FastCompany

8:25 AM Sep 4th from web

The article, written by Anya Kamenetz, actually contains the word “Web-Savvy Edupunks” in its title; and with the key word being transforming, became a must-read for the author, in spite of it being a rather lengthy four pages online; was it worth it? You betcha, as I for one became a believer upon enrolling at University of Phoenix, currently the largest private university in the U.S., and a virtual unknown less than a decade ago, and whose business blueprint is now being copied by most every other outfit out there that plans to stay in business in the near future.

After a 1996 comparison with higher university being much like a string quartet, Kamenetz reminds us of the speed of change, by stating: “Suddenly, it is possible to imagine a new model of education using online resources to serve more students, more cheaply than ever before.” (Kamenetz, Fast Company, 2009)

Personally, I think the issue of cost is what will make these efforts viable, as with most every other area of our lives that the internet has touched, said cost benefits find their biggest impact in those places where issues of dire poverty and basic access to life’s conveniences are perhaps even seen as a luxury, as was my case when I dropped out of college here in the U.S., only to find that even though it was public and free, higher education in my country was actually more ‘expensive’, in many ways, than the humble community college I had to leave behind – and then, remain a dropout for over a decade, as I had to forfeit getting a degree for the dangers of bankruptcy and foreclosure that loomed over the family’s finances.

So it is easy to imagine, that outside the geographic borders of the U.S.A, and much like services such as Pay-Pal have blurred the lines of banking and finance at the microeconomic level, the thirst for these materials, now freely available to anyone who thinks of himself as an autodidact, and perhaps ready to be shaped in the next iteration of old fashioned “correspondence school”, can be.

To close this blog post, here is a quote that summarizes the thrust of the effort:

Sharpen away!

‘”The Internet disrupts any industry whose core product can be reduced to ones and zeros,” says Jose Ferreira, founder and CEO of education startup Knewton. Education, he says, “is the biggest virgin forest out there.” Ferreira is among a loose-knit band of education 2.0 architects sharpening their saws for that forest.’ (ibid)

So therefore, seeing that an institution of the stature of MIT is the one leading the charge, that very soon us foreign students may be able to telecommute to Cambridge, and for a fraction of the effort, obtain a bonafide U.S. higher education certification.

Can only picture the impact in the economies of emerging nations, as again, a large percentage of international students come precisely from those places where the watering holes of knowledge can sometimes be as parched – as a summery stretch of the Kalahari.

Luddites Redux: The Social Media Chapter

Luddite Redux?

Personally, I find it rather disheartening to hear these “Luddite” kind of arguments being thrown out at new technology, specially when some of us are aware of the fact that the increasing number of users is merely fueling the ability of the developers to crank out more and more features, and getting some decision makers to start thinking about these “fads” as real business tools, which can help people communicate with each other – and make money in the process.

Today’s argument came from what I’ve come to consider as the proverbial well, Twitter:

@SocialMediaList Social networking: Filling a need or creating one? http://bit.ly/3o5k49 …. 3 minutes ago from twitterfeed

Upon review of the article on the link, penned by Dave Churchill, and after finding that his main angle merely derived on some early adopters now perhaps having moved on to the latest and greatest craze – precisely because of them being early adopters, perhaps?

So this simple fact gave Dave the ammunition to tell himself that, “For my part, I’m going to risk life without social networking…” an argument much like the ones we used to hear – and still do, believe me! – about more mature technologies such as email, texting, and uploading videos to the web (which according to the heads at Google, is not only worth the hassle and money of expanding one of the largest infrastructures ever deployed out in the cloud, as the adage about “a thousand words” echoes in the clips and snippets loaded to it every minute) which, if we are to believe half the hype of certain product launches, are key to key consumer demographics.

Point being, every time I personally hear someone decrying the push others have imposed on them, as in Dave’s case it was a matter of both challenging his age, but also, challenging his need to expand outside the boundaries of what he used to consider to be his job, I can vividly depict the many instances in the history of technology, specially in the last few centuries, where a group of established users challenged the advantages of newer technologies.

Not that I was glad to read his work on the online edition of his publication, which allowed me to get in touch with his point of view at the click of a mouse, but that as we all hear the bad news about the newspaper industry settling into the latter chapters of its history, and as many others have been reshaped by the Internet, is there room nowadays to disregard the advent of such changes?

I for one try to at least find out the “angle” or better, the rationale behind why not only millions of users are congregating in these “watering holes” of information, but also, why are corporations putting their money, sometimes subtly or sometimes with a lot of gusto and bravado, behind them?

In the case of Social Media, a recent article in Fortune stated, much like I’ve been mentioning since I started getting more and more into the application functionality of Facebook, that the time for corporations to start asking for these feature sets in their Enterprise Groupware was near, as those of us in technology know how comfortable it would be to migrate from a large and distributed Exchange organization, for example, onto an SaaS (Software-as-a-Service, the newest moniker for the old ASP, or Application Service Provider business model of the late nineties), thin-client and mobile enabled private, secure version of that same software that we learned to use so well, whilst being facetious with our friends?

[CRACKBERRI BEEPS…]

[ANOTHER FACEBOOK NOTIFICATION AWAITS]

… or was it a work notification in there?

Para la version en castellano, aqui

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