How to be a good PR person – or PR client
Know what we write about. If there’s one message I can impart to public relations, that’s it. That’s exactly the same information I would have given 10 or 20 years ago, and even 30 years ago if “The Loker Elementary 6th Grade Newsletter” got pitched. (“New Swingset is Bleeding Edge of Back-And-Forth Tech!”) At a [...]
Should local newsrooms publish via Foursquare?
After the WSJ published a breaking news alert from Times Square a few days ago — posting it as a check-in on Foursquare — you may wonder if local news organizations should invest the effort to publish location-based updates through the social network. Here’s how it works: if you’re a friend of Wall Street Journal [...]
Podcasting for profits: Why isn’t local media playing?
If Leo Leporte can make $1.5 million a year in advertising revenue through podcasting, surely local media companies can find a market large enough to make it worth their while. Yet podcasting has never quite delivered on the potential that many Internet pundits saw 10 years ago. (Remember, Evan Williams and friends were working on [...]
Tippr will battle Groupon, Living Social in 10 cities
The online daily deal is white hot right now. But just how big is the playing field? While Groupon is leading the charge with its fresh round of funding and $1 billion valuation, Seattle-based Tippr has announced plans to compete in at least 10 cities. Other brands such as Living Social and BuyWithMe also compete [...]
First iPad user test from Jakob Nielsen
Why is LR, a local media blog, carrying on so much about the iPad? Because it is a major player in where your content should be going. It’s not a fad product – Apple has sold one million and at a record pace. You need to be a part of the platform and you need [...]
Two tools you should be using
Here are two of the social media tools we use these days. These get the LR stamp of approval. (A beer on a shield, with the words “REPERIO VESTRI LONGINQUU” on a banner below.) Instapaper: This is invaluable. Instapaper allows you to collect the stories you want to read later (or save) and then serves [...]
Reminder: Sign up for the RTDNA/LR Foursquare webinar
We’d like to remind you to sign up for our upcoming webinar, “Foursquare 101,” which we’re holding this Thursday, May 13th at 1 pm EDT. We’re doing this in conjunction with the RTDNA, which did a great job utilizing social media at the recent RTDNA@NAB convention. Whether you’re a convert, a skeptic or just don’t [...]
Quick Hits: Facebook Growth, Disney FAIL, iPod/iPad stats
Growth in Visits to Facebook Outpaces Twitter in U.S. (ClickZ) Funny: Toy Story 3 website built in Flash. Can’t see on iPad. Steve Jobs is Disney’s top shareholder. (ATD) Alan Mutter: iPad users are big consumers of news. We love a good infographic: How the iPod took the world by storm (Mashable). Wild numbers about [...]
Now Available: “The Lost Remote Wikipedia Guide to Media”
It’s our first book! And it’s all thanks to that cool new service, PediaPress, that lets you curate stories from Wikipedia and compile them into dead tree form. The Lost Remote Wikipedia Guide to Media is a 350-page guide to the basics you need to know about journalism and new media. We’ve curated the best [...]
Weekend Fun: Ferris Bueller is Tweeting in real time
This is inspired. Someone (or a group) is Twittering “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” the way it would play out today. @ferris_bueller_ is keeping us updated on his antics using Twitter, Foursquare and other tools. That, alone, would have been funny enough. But the other characters, @sloanepeterson_, @Prin_Rooney and bitter sister @JeanieBueller_ are also tweeting their [...]
Use of social media soaring at local TV stations
TV stations are now flocking to Twitter, Facebook and other forms of social media. An RTDNA/Hofstra study finds that 76 percent of responding stations now have some form of social media initiative integrated on their websites. 68 percent incorporate social media into their storytelling. The always insightful Bob Papper, Hofstra Chair of Journalism, says that [...]
Rant: BBC America falls down on election coverage
I know it’s called BBC America, but come on – what good is it having the Beeb here if they don’t show election coverage? Last night, we were treated to reruns of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and Gordon Ramsey. The biggest election of a generation, and we get Mister Worf. Meantime, NYTimes.com got permission [...]
You can now print books using Wikipedia content
This is the coolest. Wikipedia has enabled a great new feature that lets you collect all the content you want from the site and publish it as a book. The example given is for a travel guide – say you’re traveling somewhere and want all the articles related to your destination. Within Wikipedia, there is [...]
Facebook and McDonald’s team for geo-marketing
Facebook is debuting location-based features next month, and its kickoff partner will be McDonald’s. According to ClickZ (which you should be reading every day), Facebook is pulling a FourSquare and enabling users to “check in” from their locations. First stop: McDonald’s, where people can check in “while featuring one of the quick-serve chain’s products, such [...]
Honolulu Civil Beat launches, pay wall in place
A victim of the always-on, always-updating news cycle is the concept of a “fully baked” news product. Since it’s always changing, through updates, comments and reactions, the news is never done. Ostensibly, this makes it more difficult to charge for news, since it’s more a process than a product these days. Pierre Omidyar, founder of [...]
48 Hour Magazine to transform old media
How would you like to contribute to a magazine that aims to go from concept to completion in 48 hours? You would join a cadre of photographers, journalists, illustrators, and editors who want to combine the efficiencies of the web with the permanence of ink . In only twice the time it takes Jack Bauer [...]
Now you can embed tweets
There’s a new feature out from Twitter – one that we bloggers will truly appreciate. Previously, if you wanted to show someone’s tweet, you had to do a screen grab and then a little Photoshop work. It was arduous, time-consuming – even hellish. No more! Now you can embed a tweet (a phrase that would [...]
Death notices on digital billboards
I don’t like reading obituaries in the newspaper. I try to skip over the section altogether. Even though death is as unavoidable as taxes, I try to think about it as little as possible. I suppose I’m much like everyone else in this regard. Given my inclination to avoid thoughts of my life ticking away, [...]
