Old Meets New Media

Twitter turns five today.   It’s hard to believe that a micro-blogging site that dominates the social media world (OK, it’s second fiddle to Facebook) was a barely a whisper just a few years ago.

It started with this tweet from co-founder Jack Dorsey @Jack: “just setting up my twttr.”

I signed up for Twitter in February 2009. It’s been so long that I forget my first tweet.

Alas, there’s no disputing that Twitter has become an key news-gathering, information disseminating, and time-stealing tool for many of us.

Several of my newsroom co-workers are on Twitter. Check it out.

@StCatStandard The Standard’s general Twitter account.

@GrantRants Reporter Grant LaFleche, Covers health, politics

@karena_news Reporter Karena Walter, Covers court

@juliemcgreco Reporter Julie Greco, Covers education

@mattvandongen Reporter Matthew Van Dongen, Covers regional council, environment

@donffdonut Reporter Don Fraser, Covers business

@StandardSports Editor Bernie Puchalski and Reporter Bill Potrecz cover sports

Thanks for all the happy 140-character memories.

I walked into The Standard’s Queen St.  building  Friday morning with sweaty palms and a dry mouth. It was my first day on the job. Or at least it felt that way. I’ve been a reporter with the St. Catharines Standard since May, 2005. I’ve been the Standard’s multimedia co-ordinator for two days now. I’m excited. While I love writing, my passion is trying to bring the musty-old world of journalism into the modern age. It’s our future.

I’ve been tinkering with this stuff for several months now. During the 2010 municipal election, it was my job to help create a special online section, build maps, host live chats, livestream video and hear what readers had to say through the Standard’s Twitter and Facebook fan page. Remember #voteSTC? There were some successes (our live coverage election night) and some misses (challenges livestreaming video). I’ve learned from the experience. Lesson #1: When you’re trying out new online tools, you’re bound to fail and triumph.

From now on, I’m the newsroom’s Jill of all Social Media/Website trades.  I want to reach out to readers and make you feel part of the news process. You’re still probably wondering what the heck does all this mean?

Well here’s an idea of what I’ll be doing:

• Co-ordinate long-term web projects (i.e. elections, series, special events, such as the 1812 Bicentennial, PanAm Games, Shaw Festival, Niagara Wine Festivals, etc.)
• Co-ordinate regular live chats (CoverItLive) and livestreaming video (not like Charlie Sheen).
• Web/social media training. It’s inevitable that something new is going to keep coming along. It would be the multimedia co-ordinator’s job to stay on top of trends and to ensure staff know how to use the latest tools.
• Talk to our readers. It would be my job to ensure readers are being heard and that all staff engage readers. Act as a social media curator to crowd source on important issues/topics.
• Readers want to feel part of the newsroom. This blog!

I want to hear from you. What do you think the Standard should be doing to engage readers through our website/social media?

Some of the very fledgling ideas I have kicking around my brain include:

• A camera club: Send us their favourite pictures and our Standard photographers choose the best of the week. All would be featured online.

• St. Catharines on YouTube. Type in St. Catharines and you’ll find scores videos about our fair city. I’d like to highlight one a week.

Where to find me:

Twitter

Facebook

LinkedIn

Foursquare

Allowing user comments on websites, Facebook fan pages, Twitter, blogs has become a new frontier for everyone from news outlets to retail chains to school boards.

Recently, the issue came to a head on the District School Board of Niagara’s Facebook Fan Page.

As soon as the public school board approved a new school for low income students (the criteria has since changed to allow all kids whose parents do not have a post-secondary education) comments started flooding in on their fan page.
While some supported the idea to help break the poverty cycle in Niagara, many more expressed their disappointment with the trustees’ decision to create a school for underprivileged children.

The more media attention the school received — it’s garnered press from both local and national news outlets — the more public debate online raged on. With a few strokes of a keyboard, Niagara residents had an instant way of voicing their support or disdain.

After a while, the volume of comments became so great on the DSBN’s Facebook page that the board’s communication staff opted to move comments to a special discussion tab. To the board’s credit, they allowed debate and retained some remarks critical of the board’s decision to open the school, which is slated to open in September at the former Empire School in Welland. After a while, more than 250 postings.

A few weeks ago, the board shut down the discussion board and removed the conversation thread. Some users were banned.

Most people respectfully submitted feedback, but a few broke the DSBN’s commenting guidelines said board spokesman Brett Sweeney.

As well, Sweeney said the board had ample time to get a range of feedback, and didn’t need anymore online.

“At that point, we thought, ‘You know what? We’ve heard the feedback. We’ve heard what people had to say. We appreciated that feedback and the forum was really becoming a place that wasn’t constructive anymore.”

Response to the shutting down comments was swift. Several parents and other community members were angered by the school board decision and that it had closed commenting.

How to negotiate comments is a topic we’ve had to tackle at the Standard. Where does the right to free speech cross the line? How do we best monitor commenting for personal attacks and other violations? Right now, our website relies largely on public policing. A comment is flagged and we review it. There are times, such as some criminal matters, where we turn off commenting.

How important are comments to you on news websites, institutional Facebook fan pages, etc.? Do you read the comments? Why or why not? How open do you think commenting policies should be?

Helped a colleague get started on Twitter the other day. Inevitably, the question always comes up: What’s the point of this?

For old school media types, accustomed to carefully gathering information and disseminating it after some reflection, the thought of spewing out facts at breakneck speed can be daunting at first. For years, the media’s role has been spreading the message. Newspapers, television stations, radio were the only sources to get news. Now, the role of mainstream media is  more about guiding a community conversation. Platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, etc., have made many amateur news gatherers/critics/photographers.

But there’s still a key role for The Standard and other newspapers and TV stations to play in the new media age, particularly on Twitter. People are still looking for a credible voice in the midst of millions of tweets. Most of the stories I see linked to on Twitter come from mainstream sources, including the Standard. We need to be there highlighting the issues that matter in Niagara, and giving readers a place to “gather” in the virtual world to share thoughts about their community.

The Standard, and all other media outlets, can’t ignore what our readers are saying. We do our best to gather comments from several sources: Our website and social media. I’m constantly amazed by how many of my story ideas now come from Twitter. Several Niagara wineries, restaurants, associations now use the micro-blog site to get out their message. It’s become a valuable tool to learn what people think about any issue. It’s an instant crowd sourcing, mood-gathering tool.

Are you on Twitter? Why or why not?

Am I the only one worried about Ted Williams, the man with the golden voice?

On Monday, this homeless man was still holding a sign on a street corner in Columbus, Ohio, asking for change in exchange for a preview of his truly astounding radio announcer voice. James Earl Jones may have some competition.

But as virtually everyone in North America now knows, a video shot by a Columbus Dispatch journalist changed his fortunes. The video hit YouTube and went mainstream.

By Thursday, Mr. Williams was making appearances on the Today Show , Jimmy Fallon, and the Insider. He’s the official voice of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese and has had offers from the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers.

Everyone else seems thrilled that this guy has shot into stardom within a week. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been cheering this guy on from the sidelines along with the rest of the world. He’s got true talent and has handled himself amazingly well given the intense media spotlight. I hope he makes it.

But I’m worried that Ted’s meteoric rise will come crashing down — fast. Let’s not forget that he’s spent several years on the streets, spending many of those days battling drug and alcohol addiction. (He says he’s been clean for two years). He’s been estranged from his mother for two decades — they reunited in front of television cameras this week — and has spent time in jail for theft.

Now I’m all for giving people second chances. It would be great to see Ted turn his life around and become the voice of North America. But it’s not going to happen in a week. Chances are this guy needs counseling, a life coach, an addictions recovery mentor, maybe a psychiatrist. Perhaps a lawyer and public relations consultant to ensure he’s not taken advantage during the frenzy.

It’s been a favourite past-time in the U.S. to build up celebrities only to tear them down. But in the Internet age and social media explosion, it can happen within a 24-hour news cycle. Ten years ago, a story would have appeared about this guy in the print edition of the Columbus Dispatch. The local radio station might have picked it up and put Ted on the air. Perhaps, the local TV station would hear it and interview him for one of their news spots. If things really went in Ted’s favour, a national news program might see the segment from one of their affiliates and feature him. The whole process would likely take weeks, if it happened at all. Maybe there would have been time to give Ted extra support along the way.

UPDATE: Looks like poor Ted has already had a stumble. He was detained by police in Hollywood on Monday after an altercation with his daughter. See the Hollywood Reporter story here: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/blogs/live-feed/golden-voiced-ted-williams-detained-70369

Another story on Ted. Daughter says he’s been drinking heavily.

When I was about 12 years old, I traveled to Florida with my mom and dad to visit my grandparents.
It was March break in St. Petersburg. The weather was balmy.  Snowbirds flocked to poolsides and early-bird specials at Bob Evans.
While most preteens would have been out hunting for the alligator that lived in my grandparents’ condo complex, I spent most of my days indoors reading.
One afternoon I became so engrossed in the latest edition of the Babysitter’s Club series that I ended up sitting in my grandparents en-suite bathroom for more than an hour poring over every page. While I sat on the floor unaware of time passing, my family started to panic. They searched for me throughout the condo complex, including the gator lagoon.
What I’m trying to get at is this: I’ve always loved books. Everything about them. Cracking the spine of a new book. The musty smell of an old one.
So I was doubtful that an electronic screen would give me the same thrill as leafing through the pages of a paperback. But then, this Christmas came around and I got my Amazon Kindle Wireless Reading Device.
Actually, I had purchased the paperback novel-sized electronic reader with the six-inch, non-glare screen and Wi-Fi for my husband. But my hubby, bless his particular soul, rebuffed the gift with the declaration he had really wanted a Sony e-reader, which is compatible with public libraries. Amazon-made Kindle is proprietary.
So instead of returning the 8.5-ounce graphite device, I opted to keep it for myself.
I started using it on Thursday. I became an addict by Friday.
This slim plastic reader can hold up to 3,500 books. I can choose from more than 550,000 titles and download a novel in less than 60 seconds.  All books are $9.99 or less.
If I wanted, I could download a copy of today’s New York Times or Globe and Mail. The screen reads like paper, not your typical computer screen that blinds you if light shoots in.
At the risk of sounding like an ad — and I’m sure I already do — it’s kinda cool. 
Since downloading my first book — The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo — I’ve used my Kindle for hours on end in bed, on the couch. It’s come in handy while eating.  Place Kindle on table and chow down. (Always tough to do with an old-school book that stubbornly refuses to stay open). It’s lighter to hold upright while lying down.

The only thing I’ve found myself missing is the satisfaction of slowly working my way through a book, and thumbing through pages I’ve already read and taking a gander of how many more I have to go.

Sadly, the three old-school paper books I received for Christmas have been relegated to the shelf for now — shunned in favor of my shiny new tech toy.

Will the Kindle replace real paper completely in my life? For the moment no. I’d miss nosing through the library and the bookstore, picking up a title for its colorful jacket or funky title. Walking into a bookstore is like walking into a world of possibilities. That’s hard to recreate in a virtual store.
But like my iPod and Blackberry, which revolutionized the way I listen to music and communicate, I’m pretty sure the Kindle has forever changed the way I read.
I feel like that 12-year-old kid again who can’t seem to put her, er, e-book down.

Welcome to Old Meets New Media blog. Enjoy and share!!