Bernaisesource

I have been somewhat preoccupied the last few days preparing for a networking and business development trip to San Francisco and Silicon Valley this upcoming week. Among my meetings, I am looking forward to Charlene Li’s blogger meet-up on Tuesday March 25 at the 21st Amendment.

And in the spirit of social networking, drop me a line if you would like to connect -
dangtech2000 AT yahoo DOT com

Nevertheless, write I must and I wanted to use this entry to follow up on two recent posts - one about CBS and their Facebook strategy and the other about the future of the Associated Press.

What do the figures 1.4 billion and 122 have in common? Well the former is the number of dollars the outplacement company Challenger Gray & Christmas, Inc. (sounds like the name of a firm from a Dickens novel) estimates the NCAA “March Madness” basketball tournament could cost the nation’s employers over the 15 days of the event. (For which I jokingly ask the firm Challenger Gray and Christmas – where is your sense of Christmas?) Their reasoning can be found here.

Meanwhile the very helpful PR folks at CBS Sports reported there were 1,751,956 unique visitors to the NCAA March Madness on Demand video player for the first day of the first round of the tournament, a 122 percent increase over 2007 figures. They attribute this jump in part to their decision to drop registration requirements for the player and enabling non-CBS properties to take advantage of it.

So you decide whether social media is good for corporate America – lower productivity or (as Challenger Gray & Christmas CEO John Challenger points out) higher employee morale. Let's face it, the tournament connects people in new and more personal ways and facilitates good natured smack talk at the water cooler. Either way, it’s good business for CBS and a validation of their social networking strategy. And now this…

Concerning my AP posting, I got some feedback from Sue Cross, Senior Vice President of Global New Media and U.S. Print and Broadcast Markets.

I was looking at how technology was impacting traditional media including the AP.

It was interesting to get her perspective. It seems news consumption is not declining, only changing. It's not less news, but a proliferation of opinion.

The Internet has not replaced the AP, but has allowed it to enter new channels.

And as Sue wrote me:

AP is creating a common industry standard for coding news content for online use -- attaching metadata or tags that make searches more productive. Similar to how the AP Stylebook created a common writing style guide for the news industry, this AP "content enrichment" adds value to the industry by enabling newspapers and broadcasters to share a common metadata standard in addition to their own local tags. A tag or metadata is information that is not visible to the end reader, but can be read by computers to tell what a story, photo or video is about, and then categorize and enable searching of elements within it.

AP also is opening up its full database of English language content to U.S. newspaper members, and providing them with tools to help mine the database for news about topics, companies and people of local interest. This will exponentially increase the amount of content beyond what AP members currently get via satellite delivery, though satellite feeds of top national and state news will continue as well.

For PR professionals, it means the world of news just got more complex. Readers have more sources of news, but it makes it more difficult to sift through the available information.

It therefore makes it more challenging to gain readers’ attention. I know social media is about personalization and letting users find their own way. But at the same time, we are expected to be tour guides and direct them to where we would like them go. I liken this inherent tension to raising children. You can provide structure, direction, discipline but ultimately they have minds of their own. And the more you direct them, the less they will listen. But ignore them and you lose a tremendous opportunity to engage them and see the world in an entirely different way.

Let me get back to you.

Technorati Tags: AP; Associated Press; Sue Cross; March Madness; NCAA Basketball Tournament; CBS; CBS Sports; Challenger Gray & Christmas; AP Stylebook;

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1. The blog must cover one or more content marketing topics.
2. The blog should include significant/substantial posts.
3. As a measure of quality, we should weight the importance of others linking to the blog (Google PageRank).
4. The blog should consistently communicate with the audience.
5. How well do we (Junta42) believe the blog adds something substantial to the content marketing industry (subjective)

Please check out these blogs. What other blogs should be included?

Let me get back to you.


Technorati Tags: Junta42;

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I returned this past Friday from the D Conference in Carlsbad, California.  Hundreds of leaders from the world of media, entertainment and digital technology were on hand for three days of discussion on the state of the industry.  It did not disappoint.   

So many conferences focus on what is ahead – usually in five year time horizons.  Being its fifth, this conference spent some time looking backward.  There was even a photo shoot for the five year veterans.  Noticeably absent was Garry Betty.  EarthLink’s former CEO didn’t make it this year.  He passed away in January from cancer.  Kara Swisher and Walt Mossberg were very gracious to take a few minutes to honor his memory.

I must also commend Walt for beginning the conference with a moment of silence in memory of our armed services members who have lost their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan.

A clear high point of the conference was a rare joint appearance by Bill Gates and Steve Jobs or should it be Steve Jobs and Bill Gates.  The anticipation was palpable as audience members filed into the conference hall – unsure what to expect.  Earlier in the day, Jobs had jokingly referred to the Mac as a glass of cold water for those living in Hell.  Here on stage would be two of the industry’s greatest luminaries.  Would the two Titans clash or remain cordial?

The Wednesday evening event began with video clips from previous joint appearances over the years – a reminder of how 20 years can change us all.

The showdown itself struck me as a touch ironic.  So often these days we celebrate and fixate on the rise of the citizen journalist, the end of the expert, and the impact of user generated content, but apparently star power still matters. 

Walking around the conference before the main event, they were both unassuming just like any other attendee.  On the stage, Gates and Jobs commanded your attention.  This match-up however would not be a slugfest.  Common ground replaced rivalries.  Cordial and respectful, they reminisced, praised and focused on shared stories.

So much of our industry is about the guts of the machine.  But it is the human stories, personalities, challenges faced and obstacles overcome that are its soul.  

There was no greater reminder of the importance of storytelling than George Lucas who had spoken prior to dinner.  No stranger to epics, Lucas has successfully and rather remarkably bridged the worlds of art, entertainment and technology.  

Toward the latter part of the interview, Jobs and Gates were asked to speculate on the future of the PC five years from now.  Not surprisingly, Jobs was more reluctant to commit.  They both felt the PC would persist even as an explosion of post PC devices continued.  Cameras would be ubiquitous, and entertainment and communications would continue to commingle -- only more so.

Looking around the room, I wondered if we would witness a similar showdown with two new competitors in another twenty years.  

Such speculation is amusing and, for those who can correctly guess their names, very lucrative.  But for me, that night was not about predictions.  It was about human side of our business. Putting aside the hype, the story of our industry in fact does come down to technology -- the consumers who use it, the visionaries who create it, and from my perspective the scribes who chronicle it.

Let me get back to you.

Technorati Tags: D Conference; Walt Mossberg; Kara Swisher; Bill Gates; Microsoft; Steve Jobs; Apple;

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This past weekend I attended my first unconference/ blog camp hosted by Podcamp Atlanta and organized by Amber Rhea, Penny Haynes, Rusty Tanton along with several others.

With a great face for radio and a voice suitable for who knows what, I attended because I want to start podcasting.  For work, I usually go to high level (read pricey) conferences where attendees sit in the audience and listen to industry luminaries. This one was free and very interactive. There were numerous break out sessions.  And while I would have preferred to have slept in this weekend, I made my way along with 150 others to Emory University here in Atlanta for discussions on podcasting tools, vlogging, screencasating and audience engagement.  

I was impressed by the diversity, levels of experience and overall enthusiasm of the attendees that came together as part of a growing social media movement. 

It is also interesting to compare the experience from the eyes of an AP reporter and those of bloggers like Josh Hallett, Patrick Gaul, Grayson Daughters and Stephanie Roberts.  I ask you as outsiders, which gives you a better sense of PodCamp Atlanta? Which would you rather read? Is user generated content less newsworthy? Is it time to throw out distinctions?

The message from the audience: relax, stop apologizing, and pick your techie battles.

While the expectations are getting higher, the tools are getting easier.  One audience member likened online tools to those at a construction site.  You don’t need all the tools; only the tools you need.  Experienced carpenters can always tell the rookies; they are the ones that come to work with the most tools.  The veterans only bring the ones they need. 

Let me get back to you.

Technorati Tags: PodCampAtlanta; PodCampAtlanta07; Blogging; Social Media; Unconferences; Podcasting; Podcast;

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I took the day off today -- preparing for my birthday tomorrow.  Paraphrasing the immortal words of General MacArthur, "Let me get back you."

Live or nearly live from Philips Arena in downtown Atlanta.

Last evening I had the chance to be part of Hawks Blog Night -- an opportunity for bloggers to report live and in person as the Hawks took on the Lakers.  It is just another example of how folks are using new media to filter their everyday experiences.  For sports fans, it is a way to enhance the way they follow their favorite team.

The event was sponsored by the Atlanta Spirit -- the parent company of the Atlanta Hawks and Thrashers. This season EarthLink has partnered with Atlanta Spirit to help raise our visibility and hopefully get some sign ups.

I counted about 11 bloggers reporting on the game and at least 2 celebrities in the stands -- Tim Allen and Martin Lawrence. Though unconfirmed, I was told that the rap star Bow Wow was in the house.  I could have sworn I saw Patrick Ewing on my way up to the suite.  Too bad he couldn't bring one home for the Knicks. 

A lot of Kobe fans in the crowd -- a fact that did not go unnoticed by the highly partisan group of bloggers.  I was doing more observing, but my fellow bloggers were reporting with regular updates, weaving highlights from the court and stunts for the fans into a single chronology of the game.  One fan favorite was the Kiss Cam in which couples are singled out and encouraged to kiss on camera.

I spoke to Micah Hart manager of websites for the the Hawks and Thrashers.  Touting the new Atlanta Hawks blog, he told me that "Ultimately our job is to sell tickets, but we want fans to come to our site for information and content they can't get anywhere else." 

"We want to cater to the fan and take advantage of the way the web is changing."

Taking advantage of the free Wi-Fi access, the bloggers were very enthusiastic. Said sports blogger -- Jay Busbee:  "It's a great idea -- real time feedback -- not a sanitized view of the game -- talking like the way I  would if I was sitting at home watching the game with my buddies.  It's not for everybody.  It requires you to keep focused."

My take: Blogging is still relatively new and professional teams are only beginning to understand the potential for fan engagement.   Fans are a team's ultimate ambassadors.  Engage them and they will help you spread the word.

Granted many people don't go to games to blog and if they wanted to, they probably couldn't get their laptops through security.  

For the Atlanta Spirit, they are looking to possibly sponsor more live blog nights.  Seeing the underbelly of the stadium, getting a press pass, some food and access to a post game press conference becomes part of the ultimate sports experience for die hard fans.   It is all about engaging fans in a space between sports fantasy leagues and paying for the right to play against old time baseball greats in Florida during spring training.

In the end, it was a really great experience. It was interesting to hang out with bloggers who are more passionate about the subject matter than the technology that drives their discussions.  I haven't decided about live blogging.  It gives you a sense of immediacy, but it is hard for me to do much reflecting as I get caught up in the half time show -- the contortionist -- Rubberboy -- and the contortions of Kobe Bryant freeing himself from some pretty intense man-to-man coverage to score a basket.

Let me get back to you.

Technorati Tags: Atlanta Spirit; NBA; Atlanta Hawks; Basketball; Blogging; Kobe Bryant;

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