Despite the tremendously enthusiastic, persistent support and promotion from high profile web marketing strategists, entrepreneurs and technology pundits, Google’s nascent social platform, Google Plus, appears to be sputtering.  That may change with the much anticipated official rollout of  Google + Pages for business.  It will be interesting to see if behaviors and attitudes toward Google Plus change with the introduction of businesses to the network.  If brands see value in being there, they will likely demand more from Google in terms of our data and in turn, Google will demand more from them in cash.

So far Google+ has focused on connecting people with other people. But we want to make sure you can build relationships with all the things you care about—from local businesses to global brands—so today we’re rolling out Google+ Pages worldwide.  - The Official Google Blog

Just this past weekend, web luminaries Guy Kawasaki and Chris Brogan made the case for Google + for Business before the online publishing faithful at the Blog World Expo in Los Angeles.

And while many adherents crow about more “meaningful and intelligent conversations” taking place there, the real reason Google Plus can’t be ignored can be found in this video of the Brogan/Kawasaki presentation. Google giveth and Google taketh away.

The search ranking is the reason I tell people to start using  Google Plus for business, because when you post to public, it shoots up very fast and gets indexed very fast in Google rankings. – Chris Brogan

Google has such advantages… I don’t see how they can’t be a success. – Guy Kawasaki

One has to wonder if the languid days of “meaningful conversations” will be well behind us when Google Plus is inundated with free e-book offers, webinar announcements, “10 reasons why…” – oh and a sure sign of the End Times for Google Plus – Purchase +1.

My Un-scientific Google Plus Usage Survey

Please humor me. Between the 44 thousand of you who “follow” me on Twitter, my 3 thousand plus Facebook connections, and the thousand or so of you who have circled me on Google Plus, I figured I could get a sense of the prevailing sentiment towards G+.  So I’ve put together some survey questions that I hope you’ll take the time to fill out. I’m not a professional pollster, but I hope the survey is structured in a way to produce some useful data. PLEASE pass this on if you think it is a useful survey.

While Google Plus appears to have plateaued, it would be unwise to dismiss the platform as another yet-to-be-shelved social effort by the internet behemoth. I have an account there and visit daily, posting nearly as often. Still, I have yet to find my groove Google Plus, which makes me skeptical of it’s long term success.  Because as any good blogger knows personal experience is a reliable bellwether for any web technology (/snark).

Facetious (mostly) confirmation bias aside, I am curious if there is anecdotal consensus about how people are using Google Plus and how they plan on integrating the less than mainstream network into current or future content strategy.  One thing we can be sure of is that Google has plans for how online publishers – individual to corporate – integrate Google Plus into their content strategy.  My aim here is to gather data on how YOU plan to, or are currently using Google Plus.  As always, please leave your thoughts in the comments.  What am I missing here? What would make the survey better? And PLEASE share this. Survey results will be released Wednesday October November 16th.

Please Take the Google Plus Survey:

Thank you for taking the time to finish the survey!  Feel free to +1 the post or share it in any way you see fit. For the record, I’m not dismissing Google Plus. I’m just not sure how I will embrace it – but I will – because I don’t think it’s going to be just another shelved Google project.

Related Reading
Google Plus for Business – Guy Kawasaki & Chris Brogan
Google+ is not a social network, but it’s not a graveyard, either

GigaOM web show "Cord Cutters"

Mark your calendars!  On Tuesday, April 26th, the world will celebrate Cord Cutters Day.  It is neither a national, nor Hallmark holiday, rather a manufactured “meetup” ginned up by the folks at GigaOM to raise awareness about  “cord cutting”.  It’s the gaining trend of folks giving up pay TV, for content they stream from the web, on broadband connected TV’s and set top boxes.

Now when I say the world will celebrate, I mean there are just over a dozen meetups scattered across the US, and one in South America.  At last check, the one in DC has three attendees.  Cord Cutters Day is likely in some part to promote their eponymous web-series.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not anti cord-cutting.  I have Boxee installed on a Mac Mini that was, until recently, connected to the big TV.  I’ve got a blu-ray with Pandora, Blockbuster and YouTube installed.  I’m excited by the promise of new networks and innovative content arising from the opportunity and potential of IPTV. But in addition to my blazing fast broadband, I also have an abundant digital TV package.  I enjoy that flexibility of what and how I able to watch.

And that, friends and readers, is the world we live in today.  People will seek out hacks to get the information and content they desire – when, and on what device they want it delivered.  What will be interesting to see is whether the cord cutting “movement” will prompt a shift in how services are bundled and where networks choose to distribute content.

What media moguls fear: 2011 could become the year when increasing numbers of people watch Web TV content from sources including Netflix, iTunes, YouTube, Amazon, Vudu, Hulu Plus and Crackle — and trim or even cancel their monthly subscriptions for cable, satellite or phone company TV service.

from: Web and other options are shaking up how we watch TV by David Lieberman, USA Today

Who They Are and What They Watch?

I set out to find out the answer to these questions – on Twitter and Facebook of course.  I asked:

so apparently, the 26th is #CordCuttersDay. show of hands – who out there has cut the cord from pay TV and now solely web TV?

Turns out, quite a few people I know.  Here’s some of the responses:

Cut the cord March 2009. Hulu and online sites with on-demand content is enough for the wife and I. Since we still have Verizon FiOS I can watch ESPN3 for free. Good enough, just miss cable news stations.

-Ching-Yao Yu via Facebook

Actually, I don’t miss much. I get a little envious when friends talk about a new show, but I know that if it’s really good, I’m going to see it online soon enough

-Melissa Pierce via Facebook

we’ve been talking about it for a while. i’m concerned about Internet providers instituting tiered access though. we’ll be paying out the nose to have enough bandwidth to watch Netflix, so not sure what the benefit will be in the future. i’m watching this one evolve.

- Jen Roy Goode via Facebook

There are quite a few more responses in my Twitter favorites, echoing similar sentiments.

Where Is The Market?

For any of this cord cutting to work on a viable scale, all parties in the marketplace must be able to derive value.  Connected TV and set-top-box manufuacturers will have to move enough units to make it worthwhile for them.  Premium content providers will need to ink favorable licensing deals to make an IPTV offering worth their while.  Advertisers will have to be able to reach enough viewers to support the kind of cost-intensive programming that tends to reach a lot of viewers.  In order for the big infrastructure players to begin to un-bundle their phone-tv-internet offerings and create a la carte TV selection,  they will likely meter their bandwidth.

Finally, viewers will have to easily be able to access quality programming. Right now, those criteria just aren’t there.  Most people wouldn’t be satisfied with a diet solely of the independent TV shows available on the web.  While there is a great deal of phenomenal, economically viable, and successful independent content on the web, the viewership isn’t there to support other pieces of the puzzle.

Eric Schumacher-Rasmussen – Editor of StreamingMedia.com and OnlineVideo.net – summed it up, responding to me on Twitter.

Take a look at their An Experiment In Cord Cutting video.  It does provide some interesting insights.

People have well-formed expectations about how a TV should work, and the devices didn’t seem to confirm well to these mental models. Surfing TV channels is seamless; “tasting” unfamiliar on-demand shows includes picking them from different menu categories and waiting for them to buffer first (and often paying for them up-front). This latency is tolerated in exchange for high-consideration longer-form content but it becomes too much of a friction when all one wants is the “in-n-out” material.

- results from Hill Holliday cable cutting experiment

So while I certainly understand why people are looking into cord cutting,  I think there some people on the cutting side of the debate would like to frame this as a false choice, raising their pitchforks and torches against the infrastructure that brings the internet to their homes. Lord knows, I look at my TV/phone/internet bill each month and wonder how much overtime it will take for me to pay it.

But I consider myself to be in the middle ground here.  I like the flexibility of apps, the promise of new, niche market video content but I also like crystal clear HD network television shows on my 42″ Samsung.  Perhaps these two driving forces will push us toward consumer centric offerings.  Until then, my cord remains uncut.

What about you?  Are you a cord-cutter?  What led you to that choice.  What type of programming are you watching on the web?  What do you miss that isn’t available over the web?  Please take time to leave your voice below.

Pilgrimage to Geek Spring Break

SXSW Still Life by Becky McCray

As social media, web strategy, and tech company luminaries prepare to descend upon Austin, TX for the annual geekapalooza that is South by Southwest Interactive, it’s after some deliberation that I’ve decided to join the pilgrimage. The “why” of going isn’t some existential, intellectual – is SXSW dead – struggle for me.  Rather, it’s a practical one.  It costs a lot of money, plus time away from family and work – so pragmatically, there has to be definable value for me to go. Nonetheless, I do feel a primal, instinctive tug inside to make this migration along with the rest of the techno-herd.

My inaugural attendance was in ’08, and it was a fascinating, non-stop, overwhelming attention fest. I recall just getting settled into one event only to by tugged to the next by a group of friends. It was an exhilarating, if not exhausting – all consuming dynamic. I expect this year to be no different, magnified by the success and growth of the event itself – growth and success that are beginning to put stressors on the value of SXSW. Could SXSW ultimately collapse under the weight of its own success? Some notable detractors are suggesting it could.

The selection approach for the talks is all about popularity, and there is no obvious thematic control, and no MC, so the sessions are very uneven. Some can be great, but the majority are a rewarming of shopworn topics. The most popular talks are too crowded to admit all those that want in, so you’re lucky if you get into one in five of those.

- Stowe Boyd

Still, while I understand those criticisms, my thirst for personal and professional growth compels me to go. My means and time to attend events like this throughout the year are pretty limited and I admit a bit of envy toward folks I know who seem to be serial conference attendees. I don’t get paid to attend or speak at conferences and it’s not part of my job to be at these things. But I hunger for challenge, knowledge and the “contagion of optimism” that come from surrounding yourself with smart, driven people. I think many of these group events can expose us to new ideas and technologies, make us smarter, and invigorate our inner entrepreneurs.

Why Go to SXSW?

The crystalizing, defining moment of that experience for me is still very fresh in my mind. It’s SXSW ’08.  I’m in a minivan with the social media folks of Dell, along with Shel Israel, on our way to Salt Lick as we drive past Jeff Jarvis on our way out of town. Here were the Davids and Goliaths of “Dell Hell” and it’s fruit – this nascent, un-corraled social CRM. It was a little surreal at the time, but it kind of put a fine point on what was – and still is – happening to how institutions and us regular folk talk with one another.

Since then, web communication technology has become increasingly fast and mobile, and has transformed power structures around the world. Turn on the news if you’re not exactly sure what I’m talking about. The people who developed these technologies will be remembered and written about the same way history pays tribute to people like David Sarnoff, Guglielmo Marconi, Alexander Graham Bell, and Philo T. Farnsworth.

These modern-day communications pioneers will be walking the streets of Austin in a couple of weeks, along with the financial and promotional infrastructure that supports them. That’s where I want to be, that’s who I want to meet, that’s what I want to be a part of. The contact high alone will be worth the time, energy and money to get there. As Jeff Jarvis once said of attending South by Southwest Interactive, one goes there to “touch the zeitgeist”. (provided there are no municipal laws against such touching)

Relationships

C.C., me and Rocky - photo by Adele McAlear

Along the way, I’ve come to know some of the finest rogues, ne’r-do-wells, and upstarts to grace these here interwebs. The list is too long and you know who you are. I love you all and can’t wait to see you in Austin! Like me, you’ve been pushing rocks up mountains, whether at your work, or just shouting from the mountain top – trying to bring the horses of old thinking to the water of new media. You have taught me much and have always inspired me.

Connecting with friends old and new is the priceless part of SXSW. In fact, it’s really the best.  We all “see” each other every day on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and blogs – but connecting in person and sharing real face to face conversation is energizing and joyous.  Getting past this screen is important.  I was reminded of this by refreshingly forthright PR/Commuications pro Jeremy Pepper.  In response to my Facebook query  “What is your main conference focus this year?”, his response:

there’s supposed to be this new thing about talking to people IN REAL LIFE to create real relationships. I think it’s vaporware, though. we get so caught up in tech, that we forget the realworld relationships that are made in public.

Jeremy Pepper – via Facebook

Making the Most of SXSW

another fine SXSW ’08 photo by Becky McCray
While I don’t have a specific, strategic plan of who to meet, and where to be during my four days there, I did outline some broad reasons of why I’m determined to be there this year.

• to meet people who have pioneered entirely new ways of creating and sharing information
• to be challenged by people smarter than me and to be exposed to new ideas and new ways of seeing things
• to be part of something bigger than me
• to be with the objects in motion, not the objects at rest

I’ll be relying on the serendipity of the experience to guide me to these goals.  In fact, in many respects, SXSW is very much like your Twitter stream.  It moves by very quickly and you have to pay attention, and have your wits about you to find those interstitial moments that are pure gold.

As a practical matter, conference goers should have a good logistics/survival plan in place.  I found this great one via the serendipity of Twitter, courtesy of Dave Delaney.

Special Thanks

I want to send big shout outs to the folks at Chinwag, Airbnb and Zipcar.  Fran at Chinwag helped me score a discounted interactive pass.  Airbnb is a phenomenal site for finding short term housing rentals all over the world.  Their system is built on reputation and trust, and their payment system helps ensure that everybody in the process wins.  They helped me find a great place to stay when all of the hotels were booked solid.  Finally Zipcar has been tremendously helpful in getting my account set up.

Chris Brogan Mobile

I’ve got my Zipcard and was able (surprisingly at this late stage) to book a cool little car named “Brogan” Apparently Zipcar names their cars. Who knew?  I told my friend Chris Brogan, it was my homage to his SXSW spirit.  Finally, a HUGE shout out to WordPress core developer Andrew Nacin, who upgraded my server to php5 last night so, I could run a SWEET install of WordPress 3.1, and get this post out.

That’s my plan for SXSW ’11. What do you hope to achieve there? Who would you most like to meet? Are you a session or hallway person? Just there to party?? (not that there’s anything wrong with that) Bankrolling the trip yourself or on the company dime? Will this be your last SXSW? Do I need to buy ironic hipster clothes for this conference? These are all things I want to know! Please leave comments below.

This is my livelihood

I come from a tradition where creating video requires expertise.  The web has changed that, both for traditional media and emerging, evolving media.  Now that we’re all brands and we are all the media, McLuhan’s “the medium is the message” rings true more than ever before.

In simpler times, when web video pioneers like Casey McKinnon, Zadi Diaz, Steve Garfield, Amanda Congdon, Justin Kownacki and Jay Dedman were trailblazing an upstart path to this new brand of storytelling.  Few knew just how disruptive these simple, honest, first person stories would be to the worlds of media and technology.  Years later we see an explosive growth in web video.  But as more an more videos are created for the web, how do you – as a media maker or a brand – make your video stand out.. in a good way?  There is enough crappy video out there already.  Before adding to the noise, take some time to learn how to do it right.  This blog post does NOT attempt to do that.  I can’t encapsulate everything that I’ve come to imprint on my brain as instinct into a single post.  I will provide some perspective,  some resources, and some examples of good and bad web video.

The State of Web Video Today

Recently released comScore data shows the continued growth in the  consumption of online videos.

..nearly 173 million U.S. Internet users watched online video during the month. U.S. Internet users watched 32.4 billion videos in January.. -comScore

The proliferation of inexpensive production tools, simple to use, free distribution platforms combined with Cisco’s recent announcement of their new routing system all point to  continued rise in web video.

Cisco’s CEO John Chambers said the CRS-3 Carrier Routing System is aimed at the huge growth in video on the Internet, a trend that has also caused slowdowns. – from a report by Kara Swisher, All Things Digital

Cisco, interestingly, is a company very big into videoblogging.

Good Video vs. Bad Video

Folks like Michael Rosenblum have long preached, much to the chagrin of the broadcast TV cameraman, that small high quality cameras and laptop based editing will usher in a new era of solo, video journalists.  The origin of this revolution is pre-web, but but smaller tools like the Flip camera and platforms like YouTube, have mainstreamed video as a communication tool.  And as much as it imperils my career, I have to admit there is some quality, engaging video work being done out there.  Still, some will embark on a video marketing or other storytelling project with no experience, or at best a “bootcamp” under their belts, and the results will be disastrous.

Quality – let’s talk about quality for a bit.  To me, quality, especially when using smaller, simpler tools, comes from the authenticity of the message.  Take a look at this very compelling video by Chris Brogan.  Chris walks us out of his building very early in the morning, clearly exhausted, talking about what it takes to be an “Overnight Success” (New York Times best-selling author and #1 on the AdAge Power150 blogs).  I know those early hours and short turnarounds so this video resonated with me.  Plus I just loved the cinematic quality of the long tracking shot.

To Chris, video is about making a personal connection.

But it really opened up a feeling that I’ve yet to tap since, which is that very personal interaction between lens and you.  I use video to make a personal connection so that people see me in 3 dimensions and not just read my blog. – Chris Brogan

Now take a look at this video produced by TurnHere for custom printing house Hello Lucky.  This video has a much higher level of production value or “polish” than Chris’ video, but still maintains authenticity as a fine example of marketing cum storytelling.

Tools

Both of these cameras are valid storytelling tools

I’m not going to get into makes and models, or some technical discussion about the merits of the Flip over the Kodak Zi8.  Anyone who truly understands the medium can tell compelling stories regardless of the tools used.  See that little Canon Powershot camera I’m holding in the picture?  Well it shoots video as well as stills.  I used it to shoot this video of A Day in the Life of the White House Press Corps.

Next Steps

Before you decide to embark on any kind of video project, ask yourself the following.

• Can this information better be conveyed by text or audio?
• Is this simple enough to do myself or should I consult with a professional?
• Will the video I produce represent me or my brand well?
• Does my video need to be live or recorded?

Underestimating the complexity of video – whether it’s the nuance of the grammar of film, challenging lighting and audio issues, or the respect for your audience’s time and attention – is a sure way leave a very bad first impression.  Please don’t add to the din of crappy video out there.

Resources and Further Reading

an exhaustive online video resource for business

Friend and fellow media maker Steve Garfield has been called the first videoblogger.  Over the years he’s been at the forefront of web video,  advising companies and encouraging everyday folk to apply best practices as they create content for the web.  He has amassed is experience into a very exhaustive survey of online video strategies calledGet Seen: Online Video Secrets to Building Your Business (The New Rules of Social Media)
It’s well worth checking out if your serious about creating and distributing web video.

B-roll.net – The Professional Camera Crews’ Forum (Check out the tips&tricks section)

Creative Cow – Support Community for Media Professionals

Video Branding Strategies

How to Make a Great Web Video

Important Note

The motivation for this entry here was a blog post by communications consultant Steve Lubetkin.  What set HIM off were some really poorly done videos from last years PRSA International Conference in San Diego.  The videos are gone now, but Steve describes the shortcomings very well in his post

Hope This Helps

I wanted to show some examples of how folks were doing web video right.  I think we all know that there is some really bad video out there.  What are your experiences with creating video for the web?  What makes a compelling video?  I allow links in my comments so feel free to show off your productions.

video blogging tools of the trade

So is this your idea of fun? Are you a political junkie? Are you good at multi-tasking? Do you work well with liltte or no sleep? If the answer to ALL of these questions is “yes”, I suggest you look into a once-in-a-lifetime (or once every four years at least) journalism opportunity.

NBC News, along with partner The National Journal, recently announced plans to embed video journalists in the campaigns of Presidential candidates. NBC News chief Steve Capus describes the benefits of this intimate access.

There is nothing like being there, up close and personal, when it comes to covering a presidential election, and this allows us to be there in a very big way. Our team of reporters on the road with the candidates will be in a unique position to report all aspects of this dynamic story for every single one of our platforms

- Steve Capus, President, NBC News

Candidates for these coveted positions should expect to sleep very little, work very hard, and keep up with a very demanding production schedule in terms of posting video, audio, photographs and text. Additionally these embeds will be expected to be the editorial eyes and ears of NBC News, providing extensive and accurate coverage of the campaign and the candidates. Make no mistake… this is VERY difficult work. I know, becuause i recently provided this type of coverage for the NBC Nightly News blog as we circumnavigated the globe covering the Secretary of Defense. It is grueling, punishing work, and I know from experience that Presidential campaigns are particularly draining.

Having said that, there is a unique opportunity for some great online storytelling here. While some have suggested that I have the specific qualifications to take on such an assignment, I suspect that they’re not as interested in someone who gets overtime for this job. If they’re smart, they will look at forward-thinking photographers not just, eager poli-sci majors who can find the on off switch on a DV camera. Technology is only as good as the artisans and storytellers it empowers.

Interestingly NBC News and the National Journal are entering a field already already alive with online journalists, bloggers, and vloggers, either positioned to give them a run for their money or, if nothing else, provide useful technical and editorial perspective.

When I first heard of these openings, I first thought of friend and colleague Amani Channel, not because I think he could do the job, but because he IS doing the job. Check him out!

Click To Play

Former ABC producer and Atlanta blogger Grayson Daughters has been covering Georgia politics on her blog, bringing her delightfully unique personality and rapier sharp wit to her video blogging efforts.

A-list blogger Jeff Jarvis of Buzzmachine is, is building a small political media empire, launching his Prezvid site having seen the revolutionary implications of a “YouTube” campgaign.

Video blogging pioneer Steve Garfield has been pushing the envelope of empowering video technology for years. Most recently, he’s been using bleeding edge live video tools to broadcast live video from his Nokia N95 from far-flung reaches of the globe using platforms such as Ustream, Kyte, Operator11, BlogTV, and Comvu. Hmmm, the press bus will never be the same again. I don’t have details of what technology NBC is empowering these emeds with, but I’m sure he’d be more than happy to share his vast knowledge.

Ultimately the technology is just a tool. It’s the stories, and the people who tell them that make the difference. What these video journalists will offer is access.

Having this team of reporters on the trail with the candidates and their top staff day in and day out will provide our audience of political junkies with the inside stories and interesting tidbits that they otherwise would not get.

- John Fox Sullivan, Publisher and Chief Executive, National Journal Group

It’s important to note that these embedded video journalists will be just part of a much larger effort by NBC News to cover this wide open Presidential race. Ultimately, the news is covered by people not technology. It’s the people of NBC News that are the formidibale force that Polticial Director Chuck Todd brings to bear on NBC’s coverage.

The sheer volume for one thing… The fact that we’ll [be] so transparent about what we’re reporting… Both in print and thru video is something that will be unprecedented for a major news organization. It is revolutionary as far as a network is concerned.

- Chuck Todd, NBC News Political Director

Part of me thinks i should still apply for the job, just for grins, then watch them laugh as I slide my salary requirements across the table. What do you think? Should I apply?

Hey if you know any good candidtates or you think you’re one yourself, leave a link in the comments section!

How will big news media reach out to fragmented audiences in a networked world of infinite choice? How does network TV news reclaim audiences that have given up on the evening news all together? How will my employer connect deeply with people who have lost their faith in traditional media? How about this: empower your most passionate employees to engage and even drive online conversation using drop dead simple social media tools.

Mobasoft President Michael Bailey blogged on the vexing nature of corporations overcoming their fear of the transparent nature of social media.

Once they seem to be getting it, how difficult is it to let them know that it is okay to be human, without giving away the store, another way of saying that would be that you don’t need to divulge company secrets to let people know what is going on within the company.
-Michael Bailey, President, Mobasoft LLC

Considering the increasingly confrontational mood at the fringes of the new media/old media dialogue, it’s no surprise that many companies are shying away from the transparency and openness of social media. Some companies are setting those apprehensions aside in favor of comprehensive branding strategies that include social media. In an interview with Intel Internet Strategist Bryan Rhoads, Pod Tech’s Jeremiah Owyang gives us a compelling case study for big companies harnessing the conversational power of social media. While it would be patently absurd to suggest that a big media company replace the promotions department with legions of Twitter-ers, I believe a a healthy mix of traditional an non-traditional branding will be key to spreading the brand across millions of channels.

I don’t know if people in big media fully understand the power of the one on one, human connection that social media enable. I was in the newswroom talking to one of my favorite NBC News correspondents the other day about Twitter. I’d emailed him my feed, and ultimately he asked, what most people who’ve given Twitter only a cursory glance typically inquire: “Who cares?” When I was first introduced to this “attention director” I felt the same way. Evidentally, people DO care about what I’m doing, and I care about what they’re doing. It’s strangely addictive, to the point where I go back through a day’s worth of Twitters to see what my friends have been up to.

What’s perhaps unusual about the nature of my Twittering is that I do it from the “rarefied air”, as friend and social media guru Chris Abraham put it, of my perch as a network news cameraman. My posts range from my need for fresh coffee to the chopper landing of the President of the United States. I’ve come to discover that people in this early-adopter, social media influencer, ecostystem have really become intrigued, by the very simple, human observations of a worker-bee toiling in the salt mines of TV news. Many of my friends who follow me on Twitter have told me that they’ve rekindled their interest in TV news because of my enthusiasm for what I do. I guess I do have a pretty cool job. At least that’s what my Twitter friends tell me!

In a post entitled “Why I Switched to NBC News”, consultant and social media evangelist Connie Reece uses podcasting tools to describe how my “rarefied air” twittering has influenced her news viewing habits, with her lovely Texan radio voice.

Last week I was asked to be Brian Williams’ cameraman as he anchored NBC Nightly News from our Washington bureau. I took this opportunity to give my Twitter friends a behind-the-scenes look at live network news. Take a look at these responses.

I had a similar response when I was a guest cameraman on the set of Meet The Press, with Tim Russert. Take a close look at the comments section of that post. At a time when ratings battles are decided by margins of thousands, any effort to engage one more passionate user of your product is worthwhile. If the response of my Twitter friends is any indicator, putting a human face on your brand really does make a difference. Ironically, I use Twitter to direct attention to my blog and new media venture. But because my day job is so demanding of my time, I “tweet” a great deal about it. I’ve been genuinely surprised by the positive comments I get about NBC’s efforts. I truly believe that I help people understand that a lot of dedicated, talented people work very hard to put together the news product.

I’ve blogged about how, in a world of unlimited choice, it is now incumbent upon journalists to promote their own work. Twitter and other social media tools allow you to direct peoples attention, using links as marketing tools. For me, this is about connecting with people and building my brand. Turns out, it’s becoming precisely that for my current employer. As the fragmentation of media continues to sour the economics of being technical worker in my chosen field, I continue to seek out the attendant opportunity created by this disruption using social media tools. Fortunately, we both seem to benefit from it!

So I wonder, do any of my assembled readers engage in social media that inadvertanly champions the brand of their employer? Is that type of “unauthorized” discussion welcome? I’m kind of out on a limb here. While I simply talk about what I’m doing on any given day. Just so happens that I Twitter about a lot of high-profile stuff. The likely outcome of this little experiment (The people I work for watch what I do) would be one of the following:

I’ve listed those outcomes in order of desirability. I’ll Twitter the results.

Can’t we all just get along? As two of my favorite foils, Michael Rosenblum and Jeff Jarvis were storming the gates of traditional TV at the NAB conference in Vegas, many of the journalists who actually do the “boots on the ground” work of TV news were in Blacksburg, VA, covering the worst single shooting rampage in American history.

There is no doubt that citizen journalism and social media played absolutely vital roles in bringing context, community and diverse viewpoints to this tragic event. I pointed out that the first person photojournalism of Jamal Albarghouti itself was historic and provided a chilling account of the shooting. I spoke to Jamal today by phone and, interestingly, he disagrees with Michael Rosenblum’s assertions about the future of TV news. Firstly, he doesn’t consider himself a journalist. More importantly, he considers the role of professional media crucial.

As for the role of citizen journalism and if it will replace traditional media,
I personally think that citizen journalism will indeed change traditional
media in sense that it will improve it. I think we will be seeing more and more
people taking videos about future news incidents. I think we might even come to
a point where we get more than one video for only one story. However, I do not
think that citizen journalism will by any mean replace traditional media (it
will just improve it). I think that people covering the news now (traditional
media) are professionals who know what they are doing. they tend to give a
wider prospective than a citizen journalist. For example, when the media came
here to VT, they talked to VT officials, police, families of the victims,
students and last, they were able to somehow show what the shooter was
thinking. I do not think that a citizen journalist alone would be able to give
such a picture but he or she would definitely help in doing so.
-Jamal Albarghouti

Traditional media was the ones getting all the facts and representing it to everyone all over the world. The tradtional media had the big picture of covering all the stories. Citizen journalists will have a bigger role but it won’t replace traditional media. We wil see more people getting video.
-Jamal Albarghouti

Jamal, a Palestinian, says it was his exposure to professional journalism while living in the West Bank, that gave him the courage to record the terrifying events of April 16th 2007. It’s interesting that he has such pragmatic view of his role while others hold him up as the future model of TV News.

i’m not a journalist, i just did this. i was there and i took the video. Traditional media was important, seeing how professionals worked allowed me to do what i did. i would’ve never thought of doing that at Virginia Tech.
-Jamal Albarghouti

The scorched earth screeds of both Jarvis and Rosenblum begin to ring hollow a bit. In fact, in Jarvis’ post he inadvertantly (I suspect) points out the dogmatic nature of Rosnblum’s rants.

At an RTNDA panel, my pal, panel star Michael Rosenblum, lectured executives and stars of local TV news about this implosion.
-Jeff Jarvis

From what I heard, “lecturing” is precisely what Rosenblum was engaged in. Lecturing is what someone with ALL the answers does. Rosenblum and Jarvis are both men of big ideas, who often speak in absolute terms. I’m always suspicious of people who speak in absolutes and don’t leave room for dissenting points of view. Winning the argument becomes more important than exchange of ideas an I don’t think that’s terribly productive.

Unlike strumpette, who has a very clever take on the citizen/social media movement, I believe that there is a place for the amateur. Unlike Jeff and Michael, I still believe there is a place for infrastructure. Having said that, both of them have a great many ideas to share, and many are right on the money. Traditional TV is certainly bending under the weight of its infrastructure, but you can print this: It ain’t going anywere. Will it change, even dramatically? Absolutely. Will it be replaced entirely by VJ’s and citizen journos? Highly unlikely.

Ultimately smart media companies will create a complementary blend of professinal and citizen. Rosenblum raises an issue that has remained hidden in the back of my mind for some time. How long can anchors contine to be paid 50 to 100 times more than the average network worker bee in a time where audiences are shifting to non linear content on the web, and revenue streams continue to fragment. I’m hesitant to even publicly loft such a notion, particularly since I’ll be working with Brian Willams, who I respect and admire a great deal, this coming Monday. But as the pie continues to shrink, big media will not be well served to continue coming after the earning capacity of its best and brightets workers.

Once again it’s people placing far too much faith in technology. Jeremiah Owyang of Podtech posted a video produced for Podtech client Topix discussing the problems wiht local news. Many of the interviews spoke of aggregators and feedback loops, but it was Craigslist’s Craig Newmark, that hit the nail on the head. What’s missing is more investigative journalism. And that folks, translates to people and time, which equals infrastructure. Rosenblum’s mantra is small cameras, which as Stewart Pittman points out in his dispatch from Blacksburg, can prove an astonishly poor storytelling tool, in some circumstances.

I couldn’t help but realize this as I watched a muttonchopped dude with a tricked-out consumer-cam, working the pack of mourning kids like he was shooting a concert. Too cool for sticks, he cradled his lens awkwardly in his upturned palms, jamming the damn thing repeatedly in the faces of sobbing freshmen.

Jack-ass…
-Lenslinger

Journalism is ultimately about hard working, dedicated people (read infrastructure). It is often a thankless undertaking whose particpants are often looked upon with disdain. Journalists sacrifice time with their families and risk their lives to practice their craft. I frankly don’t care if they’re professional or amateur. I do care if they have to the courage to seek out and tell the truth, despite how unpopular that truth may be.

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE

DC Media Maker Andy Carvin, pointed me in the direction of a very interesting discussion about Jamal’s video and citizen journalism that took place at the DC Web Women’s web 2.0 panel. Andy provides some useful insights along with fellow DC Media Maker Jonny Goldstein. The video was shot and cut by Jill Foster (also DCMM)

As the largest collection of live trucks my colleagues and I had ever witnessed beamed images of the horrifying massacre at Virginia Tech, a live TV revolution was quietly happening on the internet.

Prompted by “always on” Justin.tv, suddednly everyone’s video had to be live. Tech evangelist Chris Pirillo was live streaming on Ustream, when news of an earthquake in Mexico fell in his lap. His live stream then became a source of information and communication about the quake. I managed to catch a bit of Robert Scoble driving to the Web 2.0 conference on his live Ustream feed. Jeff Pulver and Chris Brogan now have their own live show and Steve Garfield, on the cutting edge as always, has been going live via Comvu with his Nokia N95.

And now politicians have thrown their hats into the ring..so to speak. Ustream CEO Chris Yeh tells me that Senator Chris Dodd’s war room will be streamed live, using Ustream’s service, during the South Carolina Democratic Debates. So while Jeff Jarvis is miffed at NBC for “stealing” tonight’s debate, at least one of the candidates will provide a unique, behind-the scenes live view.

The current fascination with live video is very interesting to me. It is extremely empowering to be “live” in the “right now” of the moment. Live is a call to action. But what makes Ustream’s live video platform unique is the interactivity. It’s one to many and many to one. Here Chris Pirillo and Robert Scoble talk about how the audience interactivity is real value in live video. DISCLOSURE!!: I did NOT NOT shoot this video. It’s a wee bit shaky, but it’s the content that counts.

My first experience with transmitting live video was some 16 years ago, when I lofted the 60 foot aluminum mast of a WRC-TV live truck, while covering a grocery store shooting in Southeast DC. Flicking the switch on the 2Ghz transmitter from “standby” to “transmit” was enormously empowering…even magical. Since then I’ve transmitted live video, in the form of broadcast news, via microwave, satellite and fiber optics. I’m pretty jaded to being live at work (NBC News), and I grow restless being tied to a control room.

The notion of easy, live video, available to anyone with broadband and a camera, has really re-kindled that empowering feeling i first felt 16 years ago. I’ve been playing with Stickam for a few months now. It’s pretty cool but my “live” offerings are limited to video tours of my environs with an audience I’ve lured away from their Twittering.

I think the context of live is as important as the content. Frankly people sitting in front of webcams !!LIVE!! has a certain “so what” factor to it. Integrating the live video experience into real time events of significance is where this tecnhology will shine. Right now most of us are experimenting and doing it because we can (and that’s fun!). Where we’ll see growth and the real value of live is when it’s used in the proper context.

Earlier today I spoke with Ustream’s acting CEO, Chris Yeh, he agreed with me that the “always on” model of live internet TV would wain in favor of live in some type of context. Yeh believes Ustream wins, echoing the thoughts of Pirillo and Scoble, by its interactivity.

What’s special about Ustream is the interactivity. In traditional
broadcasting, even traditional live broadcasting, there is no interaction.
And in the end, people crave interaction. Just look how many telephone
votes are cast on American Idol each week. Ustream lets the viewers
interact with each other. Even more importantly, it lets them interact with
the broadcaster. This makes the viewers real participants in the broadcast,
and gives the broadcaster instant feedback to help improve the show.
-Chris Yeh

It will be interesting to see how the use of live web video evolves. It already has critics. Mathew Ingram asks: “how much is too much?” Brian Solis points out that, while on the surface it appears that “narcissism” is the driving factor of this technology, “live” has much more value beyond that. I believe we will see tremendous value from live streaming video. Imagine if Jamal Albarghouti had been able to stream live video from his phone during the Virginia Tech shootings. The potential for video journalism is huge, both for independant and mainstream media.

So fellow media makers, how does live video fit into your media toolkit?

On Monday, April 16th, Jamal Albarghouti made a consciously editorial decision that the chaos happening – right there – all around him on the Virginia Tech campus, was something that he should record on his video enabled camera. To fight the wise instinct to protect ones life – to set that aside and decide to pick up a camera, turn it on, and roll – can only be described as an act of journalism. I’ve been in situations where I’ve actively chosen to pick up my camera an roll, despite enormous risk to my life so I admire Albarghouti because of his actions. Albarghouti then posted this video to CNN’s I-Report (hello NBC!!)

Jamal Albarghouti being interviewed

So it was a very big moment for me to have the opportunity to meet Jamal Albarghouti yesterday. He was doing interviews with other TV, so I walked up and “cherry picked” (loosley defined as glomming off someone else’s already in-progress interview) with my Canon Powershot. Just as I was going to ask my own questions to Albarghouti, he was whisked away (literally grabbed by the arm), by an insistent Canadian TV producer. So I’ve hobbled together a very rough video of Albarghouti responding to reporter questions. I wish I’d had more time with him, but just as he rushed off, I had a live shot to attend to myself! On a technical note, Jamal’s tool of choice is the Nokia N70 (I suggested he may want to look at the N95).

Click To Play

New Tee Vee has a useful post on Albarghouti, with links for further discussion. Jonny Goldstein points out the value of big media teaming up with citizen media makers on his blog.

This again raises the issues of citizen jouralism. Is Jamal Albarghouti a “journalist” because he comitted an “act of journalism”? I certainly think he has the right instincts to be a fine photojournalist. There are those out there who would like to see enitre news operations built on solo journalists with video phones. I think that idea is gimmicky. I do believe that given no pictures, or the pictures of a courageous, resourceful individual with keen editorial instincts and a video enabled phone… I’ll take grainy, shaky cell phone video any day. This demonstrates that technology provides the means not the end, an option not the solution. Jamal provided a courageous first person point of view, and big media provided more in depth context and coverage. What do you think?

As I come down from the contact high of adrenaline brought about by deadlines on top of dealines, exposure to screaming producers, competing with ourselves and others, the constant din of satellite truck generators, running from this breaking event to that… I’m now able to come up for air. Before I type another word, (i worry that the remainder of them will be less than coherent) I have to point out how much I admire the hard work, talent, and tireless dedication of the people with whom I work. Before you read another word of this blog, please take a moment to see the hard work of my colleagues and me. Did we do this story justice?

We’ve thrown tremendous resources at this. We’ve shipped in crews from Burbank, New York, Washington DC (my bureau), Dallas and probably others who I don’t even know of. We have three satellite trucks here with a combined transmission capacity of 14 video paths out and we’re still fighting over who feeds first. I think Michael Rosenblum may have picked a bad day to push the VJ solution at NAB. Would having a couple of them there be helpful? Sure! Chris Brogan has an interesting (as always) take on this.

Nightly News set

Small Portion of Sat Truck Farm

We’ve got anchors from both the Today Show and Nightly News with all of the associated production support. We brought incredible resources to bear on this story and I think it shows in the coverage. At this stage of a story like this, you need to put in place a mechanism for managing all of these resources. We’ve now set up a temporary “bureau”, where a bureau chief focuses on getting old union cameramen like me off the clock, making sure the shows are staffed properly, and letting people know where they’re expected to be and when.

So since the bureau chief “goodnighted” me, I finally have time to reflect. It’s a amazing to me that my Monday of blogging, video editing, phone calls, a movie with my daughter, was shattered by this:

This was the Twitter tweet from Connie Reece that sank like a pit in my stomach. First and foremost for the victims, I knew that the saddest part of this story would be the friends and family these victims left behind. I also had a sadly knee-jerk question in the back of my mind.. terrorism? Just as the self-centered thought “I wonder if they’ll call…” BZZZZZZZZ the blackberry danced across my desk. Next thing I know I’m jamming down 66 towards 81, Twittering breathlessly, which Connie Reece blogs about it here.

I’ve worked big stories, to be sure, but I work with people who’ve worked WAY more than me. We like to measure things..best, worst, least, most. I’ve been assured by my colleagues and contemporaries, that never have they seen this many satellite trucks.

Funny how counting sat dishes somehow assigns news value. An even worse metric is the notion of “worst shooting ever”. Have we reached a point where tragedy has to reach a certain threshold? Is there some awful victim to sat truck ratio? I hope not, but suspect there’s a little more than just a grain of truth to that.

The role of tradional media in some ways has become a starting point for incredibly vauluable discussions online. Andy Carvin blogged about the need for reliable emergency broadcast SMS tools. Tom Costello did a spot for NBC Nightly News (i shot most of the on campus elements for this) on how students used technology to communicate and share their grief. Clearly phones played a huge role here in the form of citizen journalism, communication and community.

InfoWorld has a nice wrap of how crowdsourcing technologies helped shape this story. Harrowing accounts of Mondays horror showed up in online journals as well. So what blossoms from terrible events is often useful discussion. Maybe these discussions will lead to ideas that may help prevent things like this from happening, or if nothing else, just help folk get through it, and talk it out.

Point me to other ideas and conversations you found about the shootings, the media coverage and/or social media tools that trumped traditional channels.