Category Archives: Net Effects on Society(NOTE: I’m cross-posting this from Poynter’s E-Media Tidbits weblog, which is read mainly by mainstream journalists. But I think Jeffrey Treem — noted below — is right: this topic deserves examination beyond newsrooms.)
On June 27, NYU professor Jay Rosen published a bluntly worded clarion call to mainstream media organizations: The People Formerly Known as the Audience
Here’s my favorite quote…
Obviously some people over at Corante know a few things about doing blogs well. Why, then, is comment spam such a pervasive problem on Corante blogs?…
Wow, I’m gratified that my recent Right Conversation post on strategic commenting attracted so much attention – including praise from the famous Apple-maven-turned-venture-capitalist Guy Kawaski!
I’ve been slamming on several client projects lately, but right now I’m going to take a few minutes to address some of the points raised in the rich comment thread that article spawned…
(NOTE: I originally posted this item on Poynter’s group weblog E-Media Tidbits.)
“The Emperor’s New Clothes” is my favorite fable, because I’ve always thought that speaking truth to power is the bravest and most useful thing anyone can do. That’s why I fell in love with journalism, too.
Speaking truth to power isn’t always about revealing what’s hidden, but rather declaring the obvious and thus yanking entire communities out of their collective delusions. Over at Corante’s “Rebuilding Media” blog, media consultant and former E-Media Tidbits contributor Vin Crosbie just accomplished this singular feat.
Crosbie’s Apr. 27 essay, What is ‘New Media’? is absolutely vital reading for anyone who cares about helping journalism survive as news organizations eagerly butcher and “converge” themselves into oblivion. And no, I don’t think “butcher” is too harsh a word — it’s the term Crosbie chose in his somewhat inflammatory but well-supported preamble, A Date with the Butcher. So read the “Butcher” setup first, then the longer essay.
Crosbie’s “Butcher” piece will probably scare the fedoras off hardcore old-school news pros. Read it anyway. Here’s one of his key points…
On Monday, March 13, the BBC Radio 4 program Women’s Hour will be covering the topic of women in podcasting. It’ll be a panel discussion, with audio clips from various shows hosted or co-hosted by women.
Here’s the Women’s Hour web site. They archive their shows in streaming format. After this episode is archived online, I’ll post a link.
If you’re interested in this topic…
I like my government to be accountable to me, since I’m paying for it, and since they’ve got all the big guns. So every year, I look forward to “Sunshine Week” – a campaign spearheaded by the American Society of Newspaper Editors (ASNE) that encourages news organizations to highlight current threats to open government. This year, Sunshine Week is March 12-18.
ASNE has published a fairly extensive Bright Ideas booklet showcasing various news organizations’ Sunshine Week efforts from years past. While that booklet offers some guidance for mainstream media web sites (mainly focused on “special web pages“), much more can be done with Sunshine Week online.
Here are a few ideas for putting the new tools of social and conversational media to use for this project….
A few days ago, my friend and colleague Dave Taylor posted a thought-provoking commentary on Google’s decision to launch a censored version of its search engine for the Chinese market.
See: “Google gets pragmatic and enters China”
On balance, Dave thinks that this was a good business decision that ultimately will be good for both Google and the Chinese people.
On the one hand, I agree with Dave about business pragmatism. China is a huge market no search firm can afford to ignore. Also, I do think it’s good for Google to have a presence in China, and for for Chinese citizens to have at least some access to Google. Engagement can yield considerable benefits, however it happens. Never underestimate the power of serendipity.
But down the road, who’s the 800-lb gorilla in this room: Google, or the Chinese government? I’d bet my bananas on the Chinese government. Here’s what that might mean…
often discuss with media professionals – including PR pros – the role of the traditional press release in today’s media environment. Basically, I believe it no longer has a one.
That is, I think the press release as it’s evolved over previous decades has outlived its limited usefulness and now usually represents more of a hindrance than a help to communication. It’s time to let it go and explore new vehicles for lobbying the media as well reaching target audiences directly.
Many people (almost all of them PR pros) disagree strongly with me on this. That’s good, since I always learn more through constructive debate and I love learning. I’ve listened carefully to their arguments supporting press releases. They make good points. Gradually, through in-depth discussion, most of these people relent point by point. So far I’ve been able to successfully counter all their supporting rationales for press releases.
…Except for this trump card: “Federal regulations require press releases for financial disclosure.”
Well, yeah. My understanding so far is that this requirement does exist. So that makes it the sole undeniable rationale favoring the continued existence of traditional press releases – the life support system.
…Or does it? Of course I had to wonder, what REALLY is required? In my journalistic work I’ve often found that if you delve into a thicket of legal language all sorts of options and loopholes appear. The realm of what’s legally possible generally boils down to who has the power of interpretation.
Therefore, might close examination of disclosure rules indicate other viable communication options that regulators would allow?
That’s what Todd Van Hoosear of the tech PR firm Topaz Partners and I are going to try to find out…
Mass communication has been evolving rapidly over the last several years. But exactly how is it changing? What’s the best way to understand this change in order to adapt and thrive in the emerging media environment?
There’s no one way to answer this question. Some people view this change through the prism of technology; others, through the lens of the media business.
I’ve become fascinated with a fundamentally human angle: how the tools of mass communication lately have grown amazingly conversational. In fact, I’ve become so fascinated with this topic that I’ve just begun a new weblog focused on conversational media…
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