Wednesday, February 29, 2012

DFM Chat on linking, Facebook Timeline for pages


Good morning! Journalists, members of Digital First Media and pretty much everyone else who wants to - are going to be taking part on the weekly Twitter chat at noon.

Today we're talking about the linking economy, not just the philosophy of linking, but how to work it into newsroom workflows (especially if you also have a print publication). We will also brainstorm ideas for the newly released Facebook Timeline for pages.

The live feed is posted below. But you can also follow the chat here or here or also here. And you can also check out past chats over here.

If you want to chime in, just post a tweet with the hashtag "#dfmchat" so it can automatically appear below.

Better yet, type your question in the box below if you want some clarification.

Monday, February 27, 2012

How to do a livestream and live-tweeting event at the same time


Here's the cheat sheet on livetweeting and livestreaming at the same time, in case you want to know how and why we are doing this at the Freeman. .



THE SET UP
For live tweeting:
* Make a CoveritLive event, add your Twitter account or that of the person doing live tweeting. New to CoveritLive? Here's a whole bunch of tutorials to get you started.

Why would I want to live tweet if there is going to be live video?

Because live-tweeting the event can serve as your notes, it helps members of your community with context (and those who jump in late), and helps you mark time stamps in the video, which makes it easier to search for direct quotes once you're done livestreaming.

How in the world do you expect me to live-tweet and live-stream at the same time?

Livestreaming is as easy as hitting a button.

Seriously?

Seriously. Here's the button in Ustream.


So you have to do hit that button (and the 'record' one next to it) at the beginning of the event and at the end. All the time in between is for note taking, interviews, etc. But the event will determine if it can be done easily or not. Don't try to do everything if it's difficult and/or cumbersome.

For livestream:
* Place a Ustream or Livestream container online (the embed code), with the CoverItLive container on top or at the bottom, hours before the event. Have it featured prominently online. Push it on social media and in print the day of the event.

Wait a sec! How do you livestream?

Like this. Go to www.ustream.tv/, create an account (or use your Facebook one), from the dashboard, hit create a show, name it, hit 'Go Live' on top right and click on the Start Broadcast and Start Record buttons. That's it. You can get fancy if you want and add logos, pre-roll, hook up your social media and all that. But for a quick start, that's pretty much it.




BEFORE THE EVENT

Press conferences are the easiest things to plan for and can be very newsy, so interest would be high. We did one earlier this month without notice and it got tons of hits.

Arrive at least 30 minutes in advance and test livestream, CoveritLive and tweets 10 minutes before events (something like, “hey guys, I’m about to blahbhahbghbalhdlkfjaqryuiahsdf” “how’s the sound” etc.)



WHAT YOU NEED:

A laptop with a web cam and an Internet card if out of the office. (Netbook works but I don’t recommended because they’re too cumbersome for most).

Duct tape to place web camera on convenient places and to prevent people from tripping on your cables if you find a plug. Look at the photo at right. There's a camera on top of a box. The other one (plan B, which we didn't need) is taped to a laptop.

(In the photo at right, we were taking live questions from the community, which were being displayed on the screen on the wall. This required another person.)

So, yes, you can have a sidekick in the newsroom or at the scene watching/tweeting/writing early web story and moderating comments. Tasks can be split depending on digital proficiency.

Using these tips, we've livestreamed three events last week. And two of them happened at the same time. It should be noted that the reporters did the livestreams themselves, with me just watching and /or moderating comments. I was only physically present for one of the livestreams.


Walkway Over the Hudson

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Thursday, February 23, 2012

How to blog, tweet and OMG! CATS!

I had the pleasure of hosting Rosemary Armao's journalism class at SUNY Albany this morning.
You might recognized Armao's voice as one of the hosts of WAMC's "The Media Project", which also hosts Freeman Publisher Ira Fusfeld.
I spoke about some of the Freeman's digital initiatives, some tools, and how they help improve journalism. Some of those initiatives are showcased below:
I was asked to give tips on blogging and Twitter, and I was probably incomprehensible as I tried to cram too much information into a lecture. I think I said something about cats. Repeatedly.

Still, I want to offer the prospective journalists a quick cheat-sheet on how to blog and how to use Twitter. There are others that are way better than me at this. But you're stuck with me, so here it goes.

Quick tips for blogging:
* What to blog. Do you have a passion? Then you have a blog.Write about what you talk about and about what interests you, your beat, etc.  Have fun.
* Don't make the post too long. Yes, sometimes you want to write long pieces, but generally speaking, a short post will do better (this is where your training as a concise writer comes in handy).
* Have a voice. If you are just starting, this is the best way to develop your voice. Be personal (though you don't have to if you don't want to). Be yourself. So, yes, add an image and at least a bio.

* Watch out for typos. This might be the copy editor in me, but typos, even in blogs, are not coolsies, unless you're doing it on purposies.
* Add an image. Humans are visual people (Pinterest, anyone?) and people respond better to posts with images than those without. It's not my fault, so don't blame me. It's just more attractive to read. If you don't have an image that fits your particular post, include a stock art image (I actually said "post pictures of cats!" during the lecture, but the point holds, as the image above wonderfully illustrates with cuteness).

 Quick tips for Twitter use.
* GET ON TWITTER. Now. I'll wait. (here's an explainer I wrote a while back)
* Are you in. Great! Update an image of yourself (or a cat). Add a bio (link to your blog!), contact info, etc. Don't make your account private. That beats the purpose of the whole thing.
* So what now? I'd give you a Top-10 list if uber media man Craig Kanalley hadn't written a most excellent one already,, for making the most of Twitter. And yes, as Sree Sreenivasan wrote, "make your tweets blue."

There's obviously, a lot more to this. But this should be enough to get you started.

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Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Pet project

Daily Freeman Pets 2012

You're welcome.

DFM chat on Storify, Pinterest, storytelling and attribution

Good morning! Journalists, members of Digital First Media and pretty much everyone else who wants to - are going to be taking part on the weekly Twitter chat at noon.

Today we're talking about new developments with Storify, Pinterest, how can they be used in journalism, issues with proper attribution (and copyright) and storytelling.

The live feed is posted below. But you can also follow the chat here or here or also here. And you can also check out past chats over here.

If you want to chime in, just post a tweet with the hashtag "#dfmchat" so it can automatically appear below.
Better yet, type your question in the box below if you want some clarification.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Contact Paul Kirby, because you can

I'm testing contact boxes, and I'm using Paul as guinea pig.
Adding Patti for kicks.And Ariel. And Kyle. And Ann. And Paula. ...



Monday, February 20, 2012

Kingston crime reports

Just testing over here. But in case you're wondering, this is the Kingston Police blotter in a map.

Have you ever visited the Ashokan Reservoir?

That's today's poll question at the Daily Freeman.

Well, here's my answer.

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And this:

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

DFM chat on digital workflow

Good morning! Journalists, members of Digital First Media and pretty much everyone else who wants to - are going to be taking part on the weekly Twitter chat at noon.

Today we're talking about how to add digital offerings into journalism's daily workflow.

The live feed is posted below. But you can also follow the chat here or here or also here. And you can also check out past chats over here.

If you want to chime in, just post a tweet with the hashtag "#dfmchat" so it can automatically appear below.
Better yet, type your question in the box below if you want some clarification.

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

DFM chat on tweeting in journalism

Good morning! Journalists, members of Digital First Media and pretty much everyone else who wants to - are going to be taking part on the weekly Twitter chat at noon.

Today we're talking about Twitter in journalism: Is it OK to express your opinion? What are the best practices? What is WRONG WITH SKY NEWS?????

The live feed is posted below. But you can also follow the chat here or here or also here. And you can also check out past chats over here.

If you want to chime in, just post a tweet with the hashtag "#dfmchat" so it can automatically appear below.
Better yet, type your question in the box below if you want some clarification.


Richmond Magazine Image

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Towne Crier in Pawling to stay open - for now

The Town Crier in Pawling in Dutchess County announced it will stay open for March and April after it reached an agreement with its landlord "to stay put until a new venue is located."

Here's a gigantic photo list of noted musicians who have performed at the venue. (And yes, the guy in the right is folk giant Pete Seeger of Beacon performing at the venue).

Shows at the venue, on its 39th year, are currently being booked for March and April.

In a news release, the venue announced:
With its building for sale by its owner, the music club had planned to vacate its Pawling location after February. "We haven't been able to find an appropriate new location as quickly as we hoped," Ciganer said. "Fortunately, we've been able to arrange to stay on a month-by-month basis."

February Life story list

Here are some of the stories we are working on in February:

DFM chat on data in journalism

Good morning! Journalists, members of Digital First Media and pretty much everyone else who wants to - are going to be taking part on the weekly Twitter chat at noon.

Today we're talking about data in journalism: What to use, how to use it and present it, tips, etc.

The live feed is posted below. But you can also follow the chat here or here or also here. And you can also check out past chats over here.

If you want to chime in, just post a tweet with the hashtag "#dfmchat" so it can automatically appear below.
Better yet, type your question in the box below if you want some clarification.