Znetlady: Modern Media

Have Tool. Will Visualize

Ooooh.  We love visualization.  It is, after all, one of the six mega trends* we encourage our clients to live by.   As you might expect, we spend a fair amount of time on ManyEyes. 

ManyEyes allows the entire Internet to upload all kinds of data and turn it into beautiful, elegant and sometimes surprisingly insightful pattern pictures.  Lots of different kinds of patterns available to you as well and all from our friends at IBM. ManyEyes goes one step beyond great visualizations turning them into social media through its rating and discussion features.  The home page at ManyEyes has an up-to-the-minute gallery of visualizations – check them out.

We encourage you to start thinking about how to visualize your stuff – make it more meaningful and you might even surprise yourself about the insight you might see inside your data.  So, to help you get your visualization ideas flowing, here are a few other favorite visualization tools.

Newsmap – visualizing the Google news aggregator.

Amaztype – a typographic visual search of Amazon 

We Feel Fine – a somewhat addictive set of visualizations of feelings from all over the web.

Have tool. Will visualize.

*all six mega trends are: connectivity, personalization, mobility, sharable media, visualization, virtualization.

Original Post: The Modohood: http://modohood.marcominteractive.com/2008/11/have-tool-will.html

Backchanneling MTV

MTV has clearly elevated the concept of socializing while watching television to an artfully modern parlor game. It’s called Backchannel. 

Here’s the nutshell.  Micro-blog funny or snarky comments in real time with others online while watching The Hills on MTV (you probably already do that). To play, log into a specialized MTV Backchannel game “chat room” while you are tuned into the tv show.  Viewers make comments (called tags) about what is happening in the show to the 100 other people or so in that room. Other people click on the comments floating around that they like - a la an arcade game.  Players get points as both a clicker and tagger with the goal of becoming a Backchannel superstar.  It is all timed and limited pretty ingeniously so the tagging and clicking isn’t overwhelming.  It’s way more compelling than it might sound, trust me.

The commenting goes on right through the commercials – yes, I hear the ad-people gears turning on the potential advertising metrics on that one…. Advertisers, are you ready to hear what people think of you?

Social media concepts personified.  MTV connects the audience to each other (one of our well-worn mantras here), and makes their TV shows interactive, more fun and socially powered. But just think about the insight MTV is gathering from the audience on the content of the show – not to mention a new value they can offer their advertisers.

MTV has mashed up TV with Twitter with gaming with social networking – they’ve done equally interesting things with virtual worlds, but that's another story.

I tell you. MTV are ones to follow (even if their programming may not always be).

Original Post: The Modohood: http://modohood.marcominteractive.com/2008/10/backchanneling.html

Blogger Arrests Worldwide

Blogger Arrest Worldwide: World Information Access, 2008 report.

The average prison time for bloggers is 15 months.  The longest time in prison is 8 years.

The WIA Briefing Booklet from the University of Washington is available as a PDF here.

Virtual Business Gets a Real Magazine: Business Magazine for Second Life Launches

Second Life, one of the growing virtual worlds, has a new magazine dedicated to real world issues surrounding doing business in Second Life.  SL Business Magazine launched yesterday.  And true to modern media it is available in both ”real world” formats, like PDF and hard-copy, as well as “virtual formats,” like in-world note cards, and a full-color “prim” version (a prim is an in-world virtual object).

The premier issue is very nicely designed.  The content of the issue is geared to those fairly new to business in Second Life but the magazine’s goal is to cover topics such as Law, Building, the rich music scene and success stories. And, it contains both Second Life (SL) and real life (RL) advertisers. 

Second Life has had a couple of news publications for quite a while (in online time), but the SL Business Magazine hopes to focus on issues of both doing business “in world” and the intersection of RL and SL business.

While the reviews of the first issue are mixed, I’m hoping that SL Business Magazine will tell the story of the evolving business side of Second Life without the “novelty” factor given most mainstream media coverage of SL.  Some very serious work is going on in Second Life as both a media channel and a business environment. 

I hope as it matures the magazine will serve to affirm that very real business is being conducted in virtual worlds. Some believe SL is about escapism, however the facts are that some visionary companies are grabbing onto SL to leapfrog their real world businesses.  American Express, Intel and Wal-Mart, for example, are part of a consortium exploring using SL for training.  American Apparel has opened up a virtual retail outlet. The University of Southern California has built a Public Diplomacy and Virtual Worlds Center to explore how virtual worlds can be used in diplomatic endeavors.  The American Cancer Society raised over $40,000 last week in an in-world relay. And, then there are the Second Life Library and the International Space Museum which both regularly hold discussions, presentations and lectures in world - not to mention their amazingly rich exhibits.

Check out the new magazine, and if you are interested in exploring SL business implications with other business people, please join the SL Business Communicators group in SL.  We'll be holding the first meeting in mid-August.

What is a Blog? How Can I Use a Blog?

I am cross-posting this from my Modern Mediasphere blog

Blogs are the every-person’s publishing tool.  The simplest definition of a blog - or weblog - is a personal, topical web site that is frequently updated.  Corporate executives, journalists, marketers, freelancers, advertisers, politicians, and citizens of the world have taken to publishing blogs, moving them from personal journals to a modern influential media form.

Estimates of the current number of blogs might surprise you if you aren’t tuned into the blog-o-sphere. One hundred million worldwide and growing at a rate of about one new blog per second.  Creating a blog is fast, and is as easy as filling out a web form.  But what makes them so alluring – and powerful - is blogs’ social nature, their populist culture, and their immediacy.

In short, blogs are a channel that is totally remodeling the flow of information.

Blogs have a set of features that distinguish them from a traditional web page – but keep in mind these features are not about the technology.  These characteristics turn a simple web page into a social network, a lone voice into an influential one and a local conversation into a global one.

The four features, in particular, that distinguish blogs are:

Posts: A single blog entry is called a post.  Posts are often short, are conversational and time-stamped, displayed with the newest post on top. The time-stamps create a sense of proximity to the writer for the reader.

Syndication:   This is the “motion potion” of blogs.  Blogs are automatically syndicated through a feature called RSS - “Really Simple Syndication.” RSS is a tiny bit of code embedded in the blog that allows readers to subscribe to an automatic “feed” of all blog entries.  As soon as an author posts a blog entry, the post can be "pulled" by the subscriber.  Subscribers receive these posts through software integrated into their web browser or through a separate application called a “news reader.”  RSS also makes it possible for blog content to be distributed automatically onto other web sites or blogs.

Comments:  Each post invites readers to comment via a small web form immediately under the post.  Comments are published with the related blog post. Blog readers can read both the author’s posts and the comments of other readers.  The author is notified when a comment is posted to their blog.  Blog authors may comment back, or enter new posts.  Comments keep the conversation moving forward on that individual blog.

Trackbacks:  The conversation continues among blogs too.  Trackbacks interconnect blogs.  A trackback is a method for one blogger to publish a special type of post directly onto someone else’s blog. It works by entering a post on your own blog, then entering the URL of your post into the trackback feature of another blog.  Your trackback post, and the link to it, is published on that other blog.  Authors are notified when a trackback link is entered into their blog.   Trackbacks intertwine multiple blogs and conversations.

There are a few other common features that categorize and organize blog posts and link blogs or web pages together, but these are the four that have turned the flow of information from broadcast media to conversation commons.

What Does it Mean?

Blogs are at least as significant a development as the printing press was – and more so because of their interconnectedness and social network nature.  It means we – all of us – now hold the keys to the information kingdom.  We no longer rely on mass media for our news, information, or gossip.  It means anyone can publish a globally accessible channel in seconds. 

Blogs are disturbing every form of business communication. Blogs have already had a profound effect on mass media and consumer behaviors.  Traditional TV and print media outlets as well as individual journalists are creating blogs.  Consumers are blogging about everything from politics to mothering; using blogs as a complement to mass media and as a trusted source to check on mass media.  Even executives of Fortune 500 companies have started blogging to ensure their company’s story is told in the worldwide conversation and to personally engage constituents.

Blogs are a communications fact of life.  If you join in, the conversation is happening with you.  If you aren’t involved, it is happening without you and about you.   And, being in the dark is not a good competitive strategy.

What is it Good For?

Understanding the power of blogs requires that you blog.  It isn’t something to simply study.  Try Blogger, Typepad, Bloglines, Blogstream or one of the many other services, and have your blog up and running in less than 5 minutes for free or nearly free.      

In the meantime, here are just a few blogs selected from the 100 million or so.

• The writers of the hit TV show, Grey’s Anatomy, are blogging; talking directly to their fans and offering it as a gathering point for its fans.  It is a fascinating case study.

• General Motors’ Vice Chairman is blogging to engage customers, but also as a way not to leave the last word to mainstream media reports, according its author, Bob Lutz.

• PR agencies like Edelman, Ogilvy and Hill and Knowlton are blogging – mostly about the changing communications landscape.

• 101 Cookbooks, by Heidi Swanson, is a chronicle of a cookbook collection. She is a photographer and cookbook author whose website is a blog – a well-read one, with nearly 700 other sites linking to hers.  She has sponsors, markets her classes and her own recipes, and offers an opt-in newsletter.

• McDonalds' Open for Discussion blog focuses on the company's social responsibility initiatives.

• Charlene Li, a Forrester Research analyst, blogs about how technology is affecting content delivery, media and advertising.

• Major broadcast and print media, like CBS, NBC, Business Week, and The Wall Street Journal to name a few are using blogs as a way to provide additional content. 

• Overheard in New York.  Two New Yorkers have gathered bits of overhead conversations and published them on a blog.  They now have thousands of submissions – and have just published a print book of selected conversations.

Find more at Google Blog Search or Technorati Blog Finder.

So, what are blogs good for?  Almost any type of communication.  The trick here is that this is two-way communication, not a controlled website.  Blogs are both the talking part and the listening part.  Blogs are good for taking part in the marketplace conversation, the political conversation or your industry conversation. 

Here are a few ideas to get you going:

• Publish your newsletter online as a blog.  The syndication feature will build readership, and provide your readers a way to join in.

• Establish your expertise by publishing a blog on a topic you are passionate about.

• Publish industry thought leadership articles to a blog.  Search engines like blogs and this is a way to increase search engine visibility and distribution.  You don’t have to wait for or pitch them to the industry rags.

• Use blogs internally to keep everyone apprised of ongoing projects.

• Create an “ideas” blog on which team members can create an archive of best practices or good ideas.

• Create a citizens blog around a community issue.

• Create a non-public blog to communicate with a client or contractor on the progress of a project – it is easier to organize than email and creates a chronological, time-stamped archive.

• Create a “blog event” by inviting guest experts to post on a specific topic during a particular week or month.

• Create a photo blog on which you publish pictures of a special event, for ongoing team building, an archival history of a project, or a  “behind-the-scenes” peek.

• Use a blog as a pointer to topical resources for your clients or internal teams.

• Market yourself!

From here, it is up to you.  The conversation about how to communicate with audiences has changed.  Audiences find you.  Be where they are - the blogosphere is one of those "places."

New Blog for Communications Professionals: Modern Mediasphere

I've launched a second blog called Modern Mediasphere.  I hope it will act as a companion to this one, and I'd appreciate your comments. 

This is an excerpt from my first post over at Modern Mediasphere that I hope explains what the new blog is:

There are lots of great blogs about new media technologies. Most of these give us pointers to new tools, but they lack context. There are lots of extremely valuable discussions going on about the big picture and shifting models, but most of those are focused on generalities.

I find what many professionals who are closest to the everyday media decisions and "transactions" need is solid examples of how modern media is being used, and specific ideas about how to put it to work for themselves.

So, I started this blog with the goal of helping people new to modern media (new media) find out what new and emerging media mean - practically - to them, their business, their practices, and the people who touch those businesses.  I want to help answer the question "what is [insert new media here] good for?"

Let me know what you think!

And if you are one of those searching for what new media is good for, I’d welcome hearing the questions you'd like answered.

Check Yourself Against Six of the Signs of PR Atrophy

PR Atrophy Sign 1:  Your PR universe consists of Print, TV, Radio, Web site and Email.

“Make way for a generation of storytellers who get it”: my favorite line from the MediaCenter’s report on the Future of News.  The photo of the young man holding a PSP belies the actual message – that We (that means you) are dead-center, in the middle of that future.   It is swirling all around us.   Look at the way you gather information everyday. 

Somehow, we don’t translate the way we live our lives – running to the Internet for news, recreation, or connection; mobile devices, our condiment of choice; consuming information on-demand, always on, and in an array of formats – into the way we practice the craft of communicator.

The media universe is expanding:  Internet radio, streaming, podcasts, RSS, mobile phone, blogs, citizen journalism, wikis, mobile TV, photoblogs, self-publishing.  Content everywhere.

A little stretching is in order.

PR Atrophy Sign 2:  You believe the Internet is downstream from Mainstream Media (MSM).

July 7, 2005, A  blogger’s entry begins, “The entire London Underground is closed…. Being blamed on a “power surge”…. Curious.” 

Moments later.  “Update.  A bus exploded in Russell Square.” 

And then, “Skynews is reporting '90 casualties' at Aldgate…” 

What has to be the iconic image of the recent London bombings - shown in hundreds, if not thousands of “mainstream” publications and broadcast news - was born of a mobile phone, posted and reposted on moblogs, then to WikiNews. SkyNews, a UK online news site, picked it up and from there it went to the AP, print media and everywhere else in the mediasphere.

Online news sites and blog search engines were overloaded by people in urgent search of the latest news in London that day.

And, the next day the “mainstream” news was filled with stories - and hard-core realization - that citizen journalism is "The Media."

Mainstream media woke up that day. 

Are you awake?

PR Atrophy Sign 3:  You’re sure blogs are a fad and we are experiencing a journalism “bubble.”

The New York Times is melding their online and print newsrooms into a single newsroom staff.

Current TV,  an independent cable and satellite TV channel, is where We are the producers.  It follows the global pulse via Google and produces “Google Current,” a real-time TV view based on what the world is searching for, every half-hour 24/7.  VC2 – viewer-created content -  is an extension of the Current TV studio where anyone can join in and get paid, or simply watch and vote for what goes on TV.

Scoopt, an online service, has launched which sells “on the scene” mobile phone photos to news outlets.

CBS News launches a “build you own newscast” feature on CBSNews.com

I, Reporter is an initiative that teaches news editors how to use citizen reporters, and citizen reporters how to be reporters.

There are currently more than 900,000 blog posts every day.

Cyberjournalist.net lists 341 blogs by journalists, and 19 news sites that produce podcasts.

Steve Gillmor at ZDNet implies trade publications are fading, stating “The insistent voice of the blogosphere is beginning to dominate the conversation between vendors and customers.”

It isn’t froth. The ground is shifting. Get your sea legs.

PR Atrophy Sign 4:  You don’t have a blogging policy.

Delta Airlines, Friendster, Starbucks, WellsFargo, Kmart  have fired employees for blogging.

Your organization could be liable for unlawful termination, or open to Sarbanes-Oxley violations, or even trade disparagement because you and your blogging employees don’t have an understanding of the legal issues.  And, these issues don’t stop at the front door of the corporate offices, they extend to personal, non-work related blogs.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is actively involved in assisting bloggers with knowing and exercising their rights in everything from intellectual property to labor laws related to blogging.

Lines are blurring between internal communication and external communications.

Get moving.

PR Atrophy Sign 5:  Google is your first stop when you research online.

IceRocket, Technorati, Blogdigger, Yahoo’s My Web 2.0, PubSub, Del.icio.us, Flickr, Feedster are just a few of the new generation of search engines, powered by RSS (Really Simple Syndication) and/or tagging.

Whether you know what RSS is or not – you are using it everyday via your online news sites.  RSS powers the connectedness of blogs, search engines and even mainstream media.  It should be powering your own connectedness to journalists, analysts, citizen journalists, your publics.

Tagging is the share-and-search mechanism of this We Generation.  Online content is given context by how each individual viewer or publisher relates to it.   The infinite web is being organized by Everyone into multi-dimensional views of the same content.

Information is finding you.

Lift your head.  There are new channels.

PR Atrophy Sign 6:  You provide media content in Print for Print, video for TV, audio for Radio.

Broadcast radio stations move to all-podcast content.  Newspapers stream video news online. TV broadcasters publish blogs.  Google partners to produce a TV show. Internet radio and broadcast radio embrace “visual radio.” Mobile phones deliver terrestrial radio. Web sites publish for mobile phones. Corporations, newspapers and TV create podcasts for expanded and original content.

All media is multimedia.  All media is multimedia.  All media is multimedia.

Think what I want, when I want it, how I want it. 

“Edit for more, not less.” The Futre of News, The MediaCenter