Socially (Media) Inept

Please, Mr. Postman vs. In the Year 2525

If you can’t see it, it isn’t there.

At least that’s what one of my recent experiences with a donor in Texas taught me.

I was meeting with this gentleman, only my second time to see him. He has been a generous contributor to our Annual Fund, which is comprised of Wichita State University alumni giving unrestricted annual gifts designated to the academic colleges from which they graduated. He had been giving at a level which qualifies him for the President’s Club giving level at Wichita State. During our conversation, he began to fill out a check for a larger amount than he had been giving, saying that he was increasing his gift because he wanted to see his name somewhere in print and hadn’t thus far.

He certainly had qualified for the second-to-highest giving level, so why had he not viewed his name in a donor listing?

Because WSU’s Honor Roll of Donors, the annual report of our donors, is solely on-line, and my donor is not an Internet user.

That lunch conversation inspired my future sector project for the “Media Transformation” class I am taking as part of my graduate studies, and the reason for this blog.

With more and more people becoming Internet users each month, institutions of higher education are faced with the dilemma of print vs. on-line communication. Moving exclusively to on-line communication for newsletter and annual reports is an effective budgetary advantage and, for some constituents, is preferred to the print versions. However, these entities run the risk of alienating their non-technology-minded clients (like my Texas friend) with the move to on-line offerings.

How are three Kansas university communications professionals dealing with this dilemma of print vs. on-line for traditional communications tools (newsletters, magazines and annual reports)? Is there a “happy medium” in print vs. on-line offerings? What are the advantages and drawbacks of converting to on-line communications? What are university communicators doing to reach donors who prefer print to digital, and vice versa? What do readers of these types of communications prefer – print or electronic?

To answer those questions, I conducted Internet research and interviewed three Kansas university communicators:

·        Belinda Venters, communications director, Wichita State University Foundation

·        Kelly Snedden, communications director, Newman University 

 ·        Dave Sparks, director of advancement communications, Emporia State University  

The strongest message that came through from these local professionals and from the research? Even though electronic distribution of promotional foundation and alumni communications pieces such as magazines, newsletters and annual reports is becoming more prevalent, for now, the best option is a mix of both print and digital in order to reach (and please) all audiences.

“In our world and in our approach, at least right now, on-line is not replacing print, but actually we’re doing both to compliment each other,” Snedden said in this regard.

In fact, it is these types of publications that communications practitioners say should be the last to be converted solely to an on-line delivery format.

An October 2010 study by Higher Ed Experts.com http://collegewebeditor.com/blog/index.php/archives/2010/12/16/the-state-of-print-and-electronic-publications-in-higher-ed-survey-results-highered/, described in an article, “The State of Print and Electronic Publications for Higher Ed,” polled 262 professionals working in marketing, communications and web services in higher education. Ninety-four percent of respondents said their institutions are relying more on electronic publications, but for varied reasons.

At the same time, only 25 percent of the respondents said fundraising materials can be replaced by electronic versions, and 30 percent said the same about magazines. The annual report figure was higher, with 74 percent saying it could be offered solely electronically (which it is at Wichita State and Emporia State).

The state of donor and alumni communications at three Kansas universities

Of the three universities polled, each handles its donor and alumni publications a bit differently, but all three have a combination of print and electronic delivery.

At Emporia State University, the alumni magazine, Spotlight, is published twice a year. An on-line version is available at http://www.emporia.edu/spotlight. The Annual Report and Honor Roll of Donors is on-line only, a cost-saving move made with the 2009 edition, Sparks said. For those who have requested it, staff prints pertinent sections of the Honor Roll of Donors and mails it to donors.

 The Wichita State University Foundation (the fund-raising arm of the university) mails three Horizon newsletters a year. An abbreviated Honor Roll of Donors appears there. Each print edition is also converted on-line. http://webs.wichita.edu/dt/newsletter/show/?u=foundation2&NID=9594&AI... In the off months, a digital-only issue is produced. http://webs.wichita.edu/dt/newsletter/show/?u=foundation2&NID=9624&AI... As with ESU, a list of no more than 50 donors have requested a print edition of the on-line newsletter, which is printed in-office, stapled and mailed, Venters said. The Annual Report is on-line only with the option to self-print a pdf from the site and is mailed to that same group of 50 that requests it.

The Challenge magazine is mailed twice a year from Newman University; the spring issue includes the Annual Report. http://challenge.newmanu.edu. Digital pieces have been added as time progresses. “Last year, we launched the on-line portal of the magazine and work to drive people to the on-line version by including links in the print piece,” Snedden explained. “Where the print piece limits the size of stories, the on-line piece includes more photos, the rest of interviews, etc.” (This is very similar to what The Wichita Eagle does with its longer news and feature stories.)

What do readers want?

The three communicators interviewed did not have a good handle on the preferences of their readers when it comes to print vs. on-line communications. None had conducted surveys that specifically asked that question. In lieu of that information, consider these facts and opinions:

·        A 2008 survey by Zogby Interactive reveals that 48 percent of all Americans now claim the Internet as their primary source of daily information, up nearly 10 percent from one year ago. This information was included in “Living in a Digital Age,” an article in Currents, the magazine of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). http://www.case.org/Publications_and_Products/CURRENTS/CURRENTS_Archive/2009/...

·        Alex Sachare, the editor of Columbia College Today, an alumni publication, surveyed readers in 2009, finding that 91 percent of the audience always or frequently read the magazine in print, while nearly 75 percent said they did not read the on-line edition. http://www.case.org/Publications_and_Products/CURRENTS/CURRENTS_Archive/2010/...

·        Greg Kawasaki, founding partner and entrepreneur-in-residence at the Silicon Valley venture capital fund Garage Technology Ventures, says, “Printed magazines will be around for a long time because paper has several fundamental advantages in terms of tactile feel, lower cost and battery life. However, the predominant way people will ‘read the newspaper’ will change to a Kindle/Plastic Logic type of device within 10 years.” He said this in a 2010 CASE Currents article, “Odds and Ends: Internet Innovator.” http://www.case.org/Publications_and_Products/CURRENTS/CURRENTS_Archive/2010/...

Despite what readers favor, many times the decision to go on-line comes down to budget.

Show me the (lack of) money

Two of the three Kansas editors mentioned that budgetary shortfalls of recent years contributed to the move to digital communication but was not the main reason for it. Snedden said, “Print and mailing cost savings were a consideration, but are more of a by-product of what might be able to happen down the road as people get used to the on-line version.” Sparks was not at ESU at the time the Honor Roll went exclusively on-line but knows that cost savings was a factor. “It was getting difficult to justify the expense of printing a report, when that money could have been better utilized in the area of scholarships,” Sparks said. “We’ve heard few, if any, comments about the loss of the print edition.”

Venters said lack of money, combined with the desire to “provide more touches” to donors, was the impetus for adding the four digital newsletters. At one time, donors received four printed Horizons, which dwindled to two and is now up to three. She hopes that the on-line editions can increase back up to four in fiscal year 2013 (July 1, 2012 to June 30, 2013).

The Higher Ed Experts study found a dire situation when it comes to budgets for higher education publications. According to the study, 69 percent of print budgets and 47 percent of electronic budgets are frozen. The same survey in 2009 found that 82 percent of publications staffers said their institutions are relying more on electronic publications to reduce the budget of print publications.

 http://collegewebeditor.com/blog/index.php/archives/2009/04/22/the-2009-state...

Advantages of converting to digital publications

Cost-saving ranks toward the top of the list, but I asked my editor friends for some other good things about having electronic communications. These are smart people! They said:

·        Another avenue to provide multiple touches to donors (WSU)

·        Timely (WSU)

·        Opportunity for immediate updates/corrections (ESU and WSU)

·        Shows that institution is “keeping up with the times” (WSU). Venters said, “It may leave the perception that if we are current with technology regarding communications, we are current in other areas of expertise and function.”

·        Ability to include multimedia and more depth to enhance the publication (ESU and Newman)

·        Expanding the print publication’s reach to “potentially the entire on-line world” (ESU)

·        Ability to measure if site was visited and how long the reader spent there (Newman)

And now, the bad news …

With every advantage comes disadvantage. Snedden, Venters and Sparks listed these:

·        Not knowing who wants on-line vs. print (Newman)

·        Possibility of losing audiences if they don’t prefer or don’t have access on-line (Newman and WSU) “Audiences just won’t automatically migrate over,” Snedden said.

·        More time, resources and knowledge of electronic publications required (Newman)

·        “Bad” addresses; people change e-mail addresses more often than mailing addresses (Newman)

·        Bad quality production due to lack of knowledge (ESU) “If on-line viewers don’t like what they see on the monitor, one click and you’re gone,” Sparks said.

·        Struggles to design for all electronic devices; computer, iPad, smart phones, etc. (WSU)

·        Unpredictability of electronics (WSU) According to Venters, “We cannot predict if and when a donor’s computer is going to crash when he or she is reading the heartfelt article on page 3 – a print piece doesn’t just disappear when it’s being read.”

·        Lack of the look and feel of a printed piece (everyone, including me – see next section)

How does it make you feel?

I’ve written in this blog before about how I remain loyal to the printed publication. See paragraph 4. http://lynettemurphy.posterous.com/for-me-wichita-eagle-is-still-a-pretty-paper. I am biased, I’ll admit. That’s why I was tickled to hear some of the sentimental reasons I love settling down with a newspaper or magazine or book (I don’t own a Kindle) echoed by my interviewees and research materials. This, to me, is key to the divide between those who prefer to read on-line (my husband Dan and my co-worker and classmate Mike Rishell, both who are close in age to me – who are we kidding – Rishell is OLDER) and those of us who prefer to read the printed copy (me!).

This concept was well described in the article I quoted earlier, “Living in a Digital Age.” http://www.case.org/Publications_and_Products/CURRENTS/CURRENTS_Archive/2009/... “The print magazine is not just a different format from the Web site; it provides a different reading experience altogether. ‘There is an experience that readers get when they sit on the couch, leisurely flipping through a glossy publication, moving from one story to another in order, taking in the text and the photos together in an artistic layout. That experience can’t yet be replicated in a digital format,’ says Andrea Phillips, director of university communications at John Brown University in Arkansas.”

I can’t say it better than Venters and Snedden, who are both in their 40s, did. First, Venters: “They (older people which apparently includes me!) still prefer to hold something in the mail, to be able to hold the piece in their hands, to have the opportunity to leave it on the end table to read at another time.” And, from Snedden: “A philosophical thought for me is when I’m on-line, I’m there for a reason. Seldom do I surf for content to read articles and ‘flip through magazines’ when I get to the link to an on-line publication. … For a print piece, I lay it on the sofa or table and can flip through while doing other things – cooking, watching the news, etc.”

Reflecting on what these communication directors had to say, for me, it’s about how the experience of reading makes you feel. For me, a 44-year-old “digital immigrant,” to borrow Rupert Murdoch’s phrase for those who weren’t “weaned on the Web nor coddled on a computer,” reading something I can turn the pages of literally, not just with the slide of a finger, brings back good memories. Memories of working summers in high school at the Blade-Empire newspaper in my hometown, hearing the whirr of the paste-up machine and feeling proud when my by-line and photo appeared on the front page. Memories of working into the night at The Bulletin newspaper at Emporia State, when desktop publishing was just beginning and we were working through the glitches. Memories of the little bank-drive-thru-type pneumatic tube system that we used at the newspaper office at the Xenia Daily Gazette in Ohio to transfer papers from the second-floor newsroom to the basement paste-up room.

Ok, enough of the sentimentality. Let’s get back to 2011.

Advice for those jumping into the world of the Web

Knowing that there will be good and bad combined when converting to on-line communications, whether totally, or partially, like WSU, ESU and Newman, what does a communications professional need to know before delving into that exercise? Charles E. Reineke and Craig J. Weiland at the University of Missouri-Columbia give excellent advice in their article, “From Page to Pixel: Don’t let your alumni magazine be consigned to pdf purgatory,” in a 2007 article in CASE Currents: http://www.case.org/Publications_and_Products/CURRENTS/CURRENTS_Archive/2007/...

·        Sell the right idea. At MU, the publications staff did not want to settle for simply putting a pdf of its magazine on-line and instead pushed administration to budget more funding so that a full-fledged digital staff could be created.

·        Target an audience. Consider both internal and external audiences.

·        Hire a full-time webmaster.

·        Build a true Web magazine. Use video, audio, animation, graphics. Link to areas on campus that readers might want to know more about: faculty pages, student organizations, academic programs.

·        Learn from your visitors. Use analytic software and usability testing.

·        Push content. Promote the piece on the university’s home page and home pages of faculty members, departments, etc.

Best of both worlds

When all is said and done, considering all of the information I’ve gathered, we are not yet ready to convert totally to on-line communications when it comes to university advancement publications. We’re getting there, but it is a slow process, and perhaps the beauty of the print publication will never go away. For now, the print and digital world will co-exist, kind of like Karine Joly, editor of blog collegewebeditor.com says:

“I don’t think digital magazines should or will replace their print counterparts – or even just mirror them,” Joly says. “There is an opportunity to provide an even better experience to readers in a more cost-efficient way by making both media work together.”

Having the two genres co-exist also ensures that, to re-introduce my Texas donor, “it is there” for everyone, no matter what their preference. And, in business of university alumni and foundation relations, seeing is believing.

Funny Facebook (My Whole World's Wrapped Up in You)

While meeting with a Wichita State University donor recently, the Power of Facebook was confirmed for me. He is the top local executive at a company that was recently acquired by a national giant. Not long after the switch happened, my donor got a call from the new owner asking if he was planning to leave the company. My donor was perplexed: Why did they think this? They had just negotiated for him to stay.

The mystery was solved when the source was revealed. Around the same as the acquisition was happening, he and his wife moved from the west side of town to the east side. His wife posted on her Facebook page, “Time to move on.”

This example shows the far-reaching (and often confusing) effect Facebook is having in society today, and cautions its users to not use cryptic messages, as I often see posted. It got my donor friend into some potential trouble with his new bosses, and his wife didn’t even consider that when she wrote what she did.

The far reach of Facebook is only going to grow, if the website lbazaar is accurate. http://lbazaar.com/2010/12/facebook-is-taking-over-the-world-world-map-of-soc... shows us that Facebook is market leader in 115 out of 132 countries. “In some time, Facebook may become the only social network in the world,” the website says. (I must add there that I edited and used only a portion of the sentence because it was poorly written, which makes me doubt the accuracy of the information. See for yourself.)

Perhaps a more accurate study is cited at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/30/AR20101230046..., where two Web tracking firms reported that Facebook has passed Google as the most popular site on the Internet. In the article, Lou Kerner, a social media analyst with Wedbush Securites, says, “We’re moving from a Google-centric Web to a people-centric Web.”

I agree that Facebook will continue to get bigger and better and play an even bigger role than it already does in social media. One indication of its popularity is the attention Facebook is receiving in the media. The recent influx of articles just in local media here in Wichita, is an indication of its appeal. Over the course of a month, without really searching it out, I noticed four different articles in two different publications about the power and usage of Facebook. Let me summarize.

http://www.kansas.com/2011/03/03/1744485/mean-girls-grow-up.html#storylink=mi...

March 3, The Wichita Eagle “wichitatalk” section: A story headlined “When Mean Girls Grow Up” talked about two girls who had been enemies as children reconnecting on Facebook. “She was perfectly nice,” one of the girls said about Facebook. I laughed when I read this article, because, for the most part, isn’t everyone on Facebook “nice”? Won’t most of us accept friend requests we get so we can boost our numbers? And don’t we wish most, if not all of them, “Happy Birthday” on their day, no matter how to close to them we are? The fact that Facebook is listed as a connecting vehicle is OK, but showing that it demonstrates a deep bond between these now grown women is preposterous.

March 2011, Womens Focus magazine: (I can’t find this on-line, and shouldn’t Women’s have an apostrophe in it? If it is for women, it could be women focus, but women is already plural, so putting an “s” on it indicates possessiveness, correct?) Ryan Cole, chief engagement officer of JuggleMedia, which serves the Wichita market, answers the question, How can I give my business more sales/exposure through Facebook? In his answer, he talks mainly about the importance of the interactive characteristic of Facebook, suggesting contests and photo posts as ways to attract people to business sites.

http://www.kansas.com/2011/03/10/1755586/watching-tv-turns-social.html#storyl...

March 10, The Wichita Eagle “wichitatalk” section: “Watching TV turns social” discussed the “second screen” approach that Mark Suster had introduced in an earlier reading for our Media Transformation class (http://www.fastcompany.com/1696925/the-future-of-television-and-the-digital-l..., one where people across town or across the world can share TV viewing experiences live through Facebook posts and comments.

http://www.kansas.com/2011/03/31/1786918/selling-yourself-tips-on-developing....

March 31, The Wichita Eagle “wichitatalk: section: “Selling yourself: Ten tips on how to use social media to develop your personal brand,” was perfect timing for me, having just heard Tanya Tandoc, Wichita restaurant owner and self-proclaimed Goddess of Facebook, address our class Tuesday evening, March 29. There was not much new here. Of note, however, is the point I made earlier in this blog: ALWAYS BE NICE is number 7. “I’ve heard so many stories about people who got fired because they badmouthed their boss on Facebook. I will never do that,” says a design store owner. Duh!   

Even though none of the Eagle stories were locally written, or even included a local angle (which they could have done on any of these!), Tandoc would have been the perfect localization for the branding article. While introducing her to the class, our instructor, former Wichita Eagle publisher Lou Heldman told us that “authenticity” is the key to branding yourself on Facebook, and Tandoc certainly spoke with honesty and real-ness that evening. She admitted that she has no filter, which was evident in her delivery (though she swears much less on her Facebook page than she does in person). “All I’ve really done is been absolutely myself,” she told the class.

Through her Facebook page, Tandoc has been able to keep her “dead restaurant alive,” she told us.
Popular Wichita restaurant Tanya’s Soup Kitchen closed several years ago when landlord Cox Communications wanted to expand its customer service center, and Tandoc has been searching for the right location ever since then. She recently announced she will opening a new Tanya’s Soup Kitchen at 725 E. Douglas, but up until that time, she’s been branding herself and her eatery through Facebook.

Tandoc posts primarily on her personal Facebook page, though she does have a fan page for the soup kitchen. She does this, she says, because she and her restaurant are one in the same: “If you put your name in big 4-foot letters on something, it is you,” she said. She’s always been aware that using media as a way to build a brand is important, which is one reason she chose the original location – right next to the Eagle. Eagle staffers were her best regular customers, and she embraced that. She used those contacts.

Originally, MySpace was the route Tandoc chose, but she abandoned it, calling it “too ghetto.” (I’m not sure I know what that means, coming from a lady with large tattoos down each of her arms.) She has been on Facebook at www.facebook.com/tanyatandoc for three years, and said she will friend anyone who requests her. She does keep many settings private, however.

On Tandoc’s page, under “Notes,” are many, many free recipes. I was delighted to find the one for her tomato bisque soup! She sells booklets of these recipes, but decided to post them for free to draw traffic to her site. (Ryan Cole and Paul Levinson would applaud her for that!)

For now, she posts almost daily teasers of work going on to prepare the restaurant. Once the business opens, after April 11, she plans to post the daily specials. She knows the best times to post are early morning and early evening, when people are checking in either at work or home, or both. She commented on how easy Facebook will make this, as it wasn’t existent in the first iteration of the restaurant.

Even though Levinson did not directly address this type of branding like Tandoc is doing in his Facebook chapter as part of his “New New Media” publication, the textbook for our class, he did talk about the other resources Facebook can provide, including tapping into knowledge bases. I can’t count the number of times I’ve counted on my Facebook friends to recommend a movie, or help with travel plans, and I’ve done the same in return.

The best example I have of putting Levinson’s ideas to proof is the success my son and I had with finishing his 50-state postcard collection in 2010. Suzanne Perez-Tobias wrote about it: http://www.kansas.com/2010/07/12/1400199/love-of-geography-inspires-boys.html.... Through several Facebook posts and some last-minute e-mails, we managed to secure at least one postcard from each state. Now we are working on international postcards, and several have come from people we don’t even know, who read about it on my page or on my friends’ pages.

I liken the postcard experience, and that of reconnecting with old friends, “friending” new acquaintances, or finding connections through interactions posted on other friends’ pages, to the quote Levinson borrows from Carl Sagan on page 130: “If we agree with Carl Sagan that we are the stuff of the cosmos examining itself, then the reunification of old, in-person acquaintances via social media is the cosmos sewing itself back together.”

I became active on Facebook myself when my long-time high school and junior college boyfriend, who was also my high school debate partner (with whom I won the state championship in 1985 – go Concordia High School!) passed away suddenly 2 years ago, at age 40. I had a profile for a few months before that but really didn’t use it much until this tragedy, which we could all share – even his widow, who began using his profile because she didn’t have her own – in virtuality. It helped in our healing process, I think, and we still post on his memorial page: http://www.facebook.com/inhonorofrickliby#!/group.php?gid=77550983475.

Facebook has “been there” for me and many others, and will continue to be a driving force in new, new media.

Not Just Another Face in the Crowd

Authentic.

Relevant.

Personal.

Isn’t that what we all hope to gain in our communication with others, whether it be to the masses (such as broadcast or newspaper), one-on-one (with our spouse, co-workers or clients) or a mix (such as this blog and other new, new media)? The folks at Sullivan Higdon and Sink, an advertising agency in downtown Wichita – with additional offices in Kansas City, Mo., and Washington, D.C. – attempt to apply these three tags to each of their professionally produced appeals.

A recent visit by Lou Heldman’s COMM 660M class at Wichita State University, “Media Transformation,” introduced us to Tom Bertels, managing partner; Lathi deSilva, vice president of brand reputation and Greg Standifer, manager of brand reputation. Through this panel discussion, armed with the agency’s mantra “WE HATE SHEEP,” we got a look into SHS and its original, sometimes risky, tactics to get people to listen to the messages they create for their clients

WE HATE SHEEP – which is also the agency’s website – doesn’t mean they are anti-meat or against the warm, fuzzy creatures. It simply means the staffers at SHS don’t just go along with the crowd. They want to stand out in one! The website says it all: “No matter who you are or what your ‘level’ is, when you come to work at SHS, you learn the seven ways to exterminate sheep. Seven practices that set the stage for the ideas that set our clients apart from the flock. Read them, and you'll have some insight into how our people will approach your business. This should also provide you with some insight into whether or not the SHS culture is a good fit with your own.”

The website continues with these “be’s”, which I liken to SHS’s values:

·        Be Collaborative

·        Be Curious

·        Be Odd

·        Be Passionate

·        Be Critical

·        Be Smart

·        Be Pure of Heart

SHS knows how to describe aptly what it does, and and what kind of client would be a good fit. But, what are they doing well in regards to new media?

Taking a step-by-step approach to its work. SHS employs a six-part process with each client, even if there is a rush job. Expectation – Exploration – Enlightenment – Elaboration – Experience – Evaluation occurs with each project. This is the way advertising and public relations has been done for years, and SHS integrates media into each of those steps. As mentioned in the Public Relations Society of America article, “11 Public Relations Trends for 2011:” (http://prsay.prsa.org/index.php/2010/12/22/2011-pr-trends/?utm_source=whatsne...) “PR is about identifying, developing and maintaining mutually-beneficial relationships between an organization and its stakeholders.” This is certainly happening at SHS.

Pinpointing specific audiences with specific messages. SHS’s “Citizens Against Government Waste” campaign aimed at members of Congress is a wonderful example of what Danielle Sacks describes in her article, “The Future of Advertising,” at Fastcompany.com. (See this article at http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/151/mayhem-on-madison-avenue.html.) Sacks says, “Thanks to the Internet and digital technology, agencies are finding that the realization of their clients’ ultimate fantasy – the ability to customize a specific message to a specific person at a specific moment – is within their grasp.” SHS’s example wasn’t a specific person, but a very small group. In order to expose $7.2 billion in wasteful spending, SHS launched a text campaign leading those who responded to a website. They placed the ads primarily on certain metro cars after researching which particular routes Congresspeople took into work each day.

Utilizing new media as an alternative to other, more traditional methods of engagement. When faced with the hurdle of being unable to use any special in-store display for a new line of all-natural meat under the Meyer brand, SHS put on the “Exploration” hat of its six-E process to learn more about natural food consumers. According to the article, “5 Predictions for the Public Relations Industry in 2011,” this was a good move: “In 2011, with news outlets hungry for visuals but short on resources, look for the presentation of this data to become more sophisticated, with PR teams working to develop infographics and other visuals to make their data pop.” (See article at http://mashable.com/2010/12/23/predictions-pr-industry.) According to Standifer, research found that natural food buyers are more inclined to have smart phones than others, and they also want to know about their food. So, SHS introduced QR codes into the meat case by placing the code on each package of meat, which linked potential buyers to a very short YouTube video about Meyer and its all-natural approach. The investment was small – the video can be used for other purposes. .

Reaching out to bloggers and their audiences. Again, one of the five predictions listed on mashable.com: “… it’s now easier than ever to promote blog content to a targeted audience through social media.” Meyer Natural Foods wanted to make leap into the consumer market but didn’t have much brand recognition and was just launching a new e-commerce site. Again, with research figuring into the equation, SHS first discovered which foodie bloggers have the highest ranking and the most engaged readers, and then sent them food samples. They even supplied free sampler packets for the bloggers (such as www.cookerati.com) to give away through contests to their followers. There was a risk inherent to this tactic: Some bloggers may not have liked the new products and therefore commented negatively, as well as their followers.

Measuring a client’s readiness for new, new media. As a way to “bring clients along,” according to deSilva, part of SHS’s consultation process is to give a social media readiness quiz. For example, one of the questions is: Do you have a long process for approval of Twitter posts? Once the company is on social media, SHS ensures that the person in charge of the Facebook or Twitter sites understands that their personal voice and the company’s voice are not one in the same. Unlike how Clay Shirky, technology observer, said earlier this year, that “complex societies collapse because, when some stress comes, those societies have become too inflexible to respond,” (www.fastcompany.com), I don’t think this is the case with SHS because of its flexibility, and education of clients in being flexible.

What could SHS do better in regards to new media?

Analyzing the success of its campaigns. Even though SHS puts much effort into research while the campaign is being developed, I didn’t get a strong sense of reporting back to clients after the fact, to report successes. In the PRSA article, the writer mentioned that these analytics are easier than ever with social media sites and applications, and that “this will be beneficial for public relations professionals to further communicate ROI (return on investment).” At our earlier visits with leaders at The Wichita Eagle and KWCH, analytics and the like are becoming more and more crucial to measuring successes and charting the course for the future.

Integrating more print media into its campaigns. This wasn’t covered in much detail during our visit, but I was curious to find out exactly how much print work SHS has abandoned over the past few years. While leading a tour of the building, Bertels told us that the print library, which used to store tearsheets of SHS’s placements, had been turned into a break/entertainment room with a great view of Old Town Square. I shudder to think that SHS hasn’t considered that a large portion of the population still reads a daily newspaper and will be touched by print piece instead of new media. It is a tricky, yet important, balance of traditional vs. new media.

In all, I can’t help but be impressed by SHS’s philosophies and unique methods. They have even gone so far as to trademark their “Borderless Branding” product, described as such at www.wehatesheep.com: “SHS’ Borderless Branding™ is a method of identifying new, engaging and relevant ways to connect with consumers. It may or may not involve traditional advertising. When you unshackle smart, passionate people from old assumptions, the thinking becomes free-range. That’s why we’ve turned milk bottles into branding ads. Used rubber snakes to introduce new products. Recorded podcasts with our clients. Mailed postcards to sell aircraft. And created widgets to help keep a client top of mind. There’s a new idea out there for you. We’d love to help you discover it.”

This philosophy, and the one voiced by Bertels the evening of our visit – that, even though many things have changed in the public relations and advertising world – good, solid writing is still a requirement to work in public relations and advertising is a saving grace for those of us English majors out in the workforce today, particularly those of us who think that excellent writing skills are the basis of any professional job. Hearing him utter those words brought a smile to my English major face.

Of course, being authentic, relevant and personal can’t hurt, either.

Traditional TV: You Can't Take That Away From Me

I don’t think it’s true that if you’ve seen one news medium, you’ve seen them all (I will always be a “print” gal myself), but I was struck by several similarities during recent visits to The Wichita Eagle and KWCH TV in regards to their opinions about new, new media.

1)      Both the Eagle and KWCH leadership didn’t really start including the Internet into their news, marketing and advertising plans until about five years ago, and the usage has ballooned since then.  Brian McDonough, general sales manager at KWCH, said, “We have all had websites, but we didn’t really pay attention to them until five years ago.” Sherry Chisenhall, executive editor of the Eagle, put the time frame at three to five years.

2)      Analytics are the gospel in both mediums. During both of our visits, a good amount of time was spent displaying these daily measurements of website use and sharing how they are used to gauge readers’ interest. Leaders at both entities described how stories that fare well online immediately are enhanced, and other elements (such as photos, video and related links) added so that visitors keep coming back – and stay longer. “We’ve got to make sure you are continually moving around on the website,” said Shawn Hilferty, director of marketing and media at KWCH.

3)      No matter the position, nearly everyone on staff at each company is involved in digital media to some extent. Chisenhall said “every position has changed in one way or another” while McDonough said, “Nearly everybody in the building now touches one of our websites each month.” Specifically, at KWCH, both advertising and news staff have involvement with digital media. Five years ago, a few ad reps were selling banner ads when the website became more crucial, and now a dedicated staff sells on-line. Likewise, each reporter has an iPhone and is expected to put broadcast stories on-line themselves. (I personally wonder who edits these, however, because I noticed several errors just as our presenters were scrolling through the website as part of the demonstration. This is one downfall of the immediate on-line presence: sloppiness!) In the same way, McDonough said videographers have had to change their techniques; instead of shooting enough video at a sporting event for a one minute spot, they now have to gather footage of the cheerleaders and the band and the spectators, so that Catch it Kansas can attract more page views.

4)      Digital media allows for interaction between the medium and the audience, and both the Eagle and KWCH are taking advantage of this. Chisenhall used the example of readers submitting the price they pay for trash service as a reaction to the city’s plan to municipalize that service. It turns out the city was wrong in its contention that most Wichita residents would pay less under the new plan, and the City Council has now gone back to the drawing board. Although not as helpful of an example, Hilferty talked about KWCH’s Facebook page posting a photo of Chief Meteorologist Merrill Terrell with his big hair and mustache from the 1970s, and 60 people commented on it.

Mark Suster described this phenomenon of social media’s interaction with digital media in his blog post, “The Future of Television and the Digital Living Room” (http://www.fastcompany.com/1696925/the-future-of-television-and-the-digital-l..., talking about how people Tweet or post Facebook comments about movies as they leave them. This was very evident to me during the recent Golden Globes telecast. I was on Facebook chatting with friends about the fashions and performances in real time, something I had not done before.

Suster says those older than 50 will complain that this act is “ruining the TV experience” and that those ages 15-30 will “feel like this is what TV was meant to be – social.” What does that mean for people like me, in their mid-40s? If I am representative of that group, it would be a thought of how far we’ve come but perhaps longing for the day when you had to walk across the room to change a channel.

Regardless of the similarities between how print and broadcast media outlets are dealing with the era of new, new media, there are truly some major differences, which McDonough pointed out in our discussion. His contention:

Why are television broadcasters in a unique position to be leaders in digital media?

His answers:

1)      The core product is still growing and profitable. Before visiting KWCH, I was not aware of the money-making side businesses KWCH has, such as Catch it Kansas and Fetch Toto. With McDonough’s statement that “page views are no good unless they are profitable,” it is clear the importance of these outlets.

2)      The growth rate of TV viewing in 2010 was the largest ever, and still exceeds watching videos on the web. I would have liked to have discussed this more with the KWCH executives. We didn’t learn what percentage of their advertising revenue comes from the TV stations in comparison to the on-line outlets.

3)      Local sales people have local relationships.

4)      TV has “big, intrusive microphones.”

5)      Broadcast media has the spectrum to launch mobile TV. Our experts lamented the fact that differing technologies make this difficult (Android vs. Apple, for instance), but that it is in the very near future. However, McDonough was right when he said Wichita likely won’t be a big mobile TV town, because people drive to work instead of taking public transportation.

What’s coming for KWCH and its partner projects? I was interested to learn what’s ahead and intrigued by the venture fund the parent company has, where employees can submit cost-saving or money-making ideas to the board. McDonough said that’s how CatchitKansas.com began, with, if I heard him right, a $10 million investment. Speaking of that entity, he said when it was first launched, one person was dedicated to it. Now they have five full-time people as well as another 20 contributors. Amazing!

Some of new ventures we will see in the future:

·        Univision to add newcast. In April, the first Hispanic newcast in the state of Kansas will launch. Univision is owned by KWCH’s parent company. According to McDonough, 50 percent of the population in Ford, Finney and Seward Counties are Hispanic, and with the station’s reach there, this should be a success.

·        More use of Mixpo video. This is a procedure where a 30-second commercial can be made into a banner ad. I’ve noticed Cox Communications using these on their webmail sign-in page (https://idm.east.cox.net/coxlogin/ui/webmail?TARGET=-SM-https%3A%2F%2Fwebmail...) and they are quite effective. At least that gets your attention because an image is moving.

·        Interactive map with storm chasers. Weather isn’t left behind in the whole digital age. Our hosts described a new technology where, during a severe storm, viewers can look at an interactive map while seeing exactly what the chasers are seeing out their windows.

·        Growth of KSCWtv.com. The key demographic for “the CW” is the 18-34 age group, so the company is correct in making this website a priority on-line.

Despite all of the talk of new, new media, it is interesting to note that KWCH hasn’t forgotten its core, and first, flagship entity – the TV station. McDonough noted that of the 100 top programs on television, 95 of them are on broadcast TV vs. cable.

This statistic, in part, answers the question: How do you think television will evolve in the digital age?

I believe that, like with the newspaper business, and despite of all of the developments and fancy technology we learned about at KWCH, television will continue to find its most successful and profitable element is its core business – its broadcast stations. Those of us TV junkies fell in love with the medium because it took us away in bigger-than-life ways, right in our own living rooms.

As a traditionalist, I’m glad to hear that the TV I have grown to adore is still at the core of the business. My children are horrified to hear this story, but I remember the time when my family’s TV set (and there was only one in the home!) could receive only the three major networks because we didn’t subscribe to cable. In fact, despite the few available channels, I was so addicted to TV as a kid that, for one of my tween birthday parties, I recorded the theme songs for many network TV shows as a competitive game. (I can still hum a portion of that cassette recording in order: “Barney Miller,” then “Starsky and Hutch,” then “Taxi.”) I was appalled that one of my guests didn’t know any of the songs because she wasn’t allowed to watch TV. The horrors! See these theme songs in order by going to , then , then .

To show my dedication to the tube, one of my most clear memories is the day when my parents surprised us with cable. It was during the World Series, which we never watched, and my parents told my sister and me to tune in the TV to watch it – and we discovered so many channels!

Don’t get me wrong; I use digital media just as much as anyone in my generation. My husband and I watch several network shows on-line for convenience sake, but the nostalgia of those CBS, NBC and ABC days take me back once in a while.

Fly like The Eagle into the Digital Age

Driving west on Kellogg last Saturday evening to catch a spontaneous movie at The Palace Theatre, my husband and I happened upon what appeared to be a very bad accident on the eastbound side. It snarled traffic, unheard of for Wichita, making us 10 minutes late to the movie (which wasn't worth the $2.50 anyway). We were curious about the accident, and just as I was about to reach for the radio knob to turn to KFDI -- "when news breaks out, we break in" -- my husband said, "Look it up on kansas.com."

I've had a smart phone now only for about six months, so I still often forget I have instant access to this kind of information. Sure enough, it was the top story on The Wichita Eagle's website and had sketchy details, at least one of which turned out to be wrong. (The web story listed the child hurt as age 2; she later died and was, indeed, 5.)

I thanked my husband for his idea, because not only did it give me the lead for my Posterous blog which you are now reading, but it provided up-to-the-moment details for us. He is certainly much more technologically saavy than I, working in the information technology division of Koch-Glitsch. He checks The Eagle's website at least twice a day at work; I rarely look at it.

However, both of us still look forward to the daily plunk on our driveway when The Eagle is delivered to our home. We are among the few people our age (44) who still subscribe, and avidly read, a daily local newspaper. Perhaps it harkens back to my days as a reporter and editor at small- to medium-sized daily newspapers and the smell of the ink, or the fact that we are traditionalists. We certainly are running against the trend of newspapers deeclining in circulation, as the Pew Project for Excellence in Journalism reported in its 2010 "The State of the News Media" at http://www.stateofthemedia.org/2010/newspapers_audience.php.

Top 15 Daily Newspapers Circulation
2008-2009

Can't Help Falling in Love with YouTube

As I was preparing to write this post, my 14-year-old daughter Mattie gave me a tour of a new on-line technology she is using as part of her history class at East High School. Prezi.com enables students to write and edit a digital poster-like report to share with the class. This technology is so totally evolved from my high school days, when a presentation meant trekking to Alco (no Walmart in my small town at the time!) to buy a big sheet of poster board and markers, and hand-writing the report, complete with pictures clipped from magazines with an ancient tool called scissors. Heck, we didn't even have glue sticks back then.

Prezi even puts PowerPoint to shame, with its spectacular interaction of information. Prezi's website describes it this way: "At Prezi, we're all about helping people understand each other better. Presentations have not evolved much in the 50 years since the slide was invented, but Prezi is changing that. Prezi lets you bring your ideas into one space and see how they relate, helping you and your audience connect. Zoom out to see the big picture and zoom in to see details — a bit like web-based maps that have changed how we navigate through map books."

Just like hand-made posters have become Prezi.com, so have the old photographs of my childhood transformed to YouTube. With the trademark of "Broadcast Yourself," YouTube publicly debuted in November 2005 (Paul Levinson, New New Media, 2009). It is Everyman's way of making a video impact in the digital world, and the parallels between YouTube and blogging are many:

1) Both allow nonprofessionals -- the Joe and Jane on the street -- to have a digital presence for the masses to read or see. (The word non-professional is used here in the old media definition, meaning people paid to produce news content. "Professional" needs to be defined here, because it is clear that more and more individuals are making money blogging and YouTubing.)

2) Both allow interaction with the reader/viewer, creating the possibility of instantaneous critique of the creator's work. This symbiotic relationship is indicative of new new media. As Levinson says, "Answer videos or video responses are a YouTube equivalent of text comments on blogs, and they give new producers a good way of attracting attention by literally appending the response video to a video that already enjoys a big audience, or large number of views."

3) Even though both allow much freedom and autonomy from the creator, there are still some regulations, depending on the website. For example, Examiner.com "approves" posts before they appear, and YouTube has copyright limitations that often eliminate videos after they are posted.

A Facebook friend of mine, Michael Carmody (pictured above), is a fitting example of this last point. He co-owns the Donut Whole in Wichita and is a musician, writer, and, with the assistance of his iPhone, now a videographer. He posted a lovely, poignant ride through Wichita in a snowstorm on YouTube  that was shot on his iPhone 3Gs using the 8mm Vintage Camera application and edited with Windows Movie Maker. It was promptly removed from YouTube because the soundtrack is music by Galaxie 500, and therefore, copyrighted. He did manage to post it to his Facebook page, however, and I'm hoping it becomes viral because it's amazing.

It's like Richard Dawkins said in his 1991 essay, "Virtues of the Mind," quoted by Levinson, as he describes humans becoming "hosts -- happy, unhappy, conscious or otherwise -- of ideas." Those of Carmody's friends who shared it on our Facebook pages are contributing to this virus.

(You can watch the video here: http://www.facebook.com/#!/video/video.php?v=10150096957908985. One comment posted encourages him to record a cover of the song so that he can YouTube it, and another (mine) suggests that he send it to the Chamber of Commerce to promote our fair city.)

The Catholic Diocese of Wichita has utilized YouTube effectively. As a practicing Catholic and recipient of the weekly Catholic Advance newspaper, I'm impressed with the way the local diocese promotes its weekly postings, a reflection on the weekend's readings by a well-respected local priest. Recently, a celebration of the diocese meeting its $16 million pledge goal was posted, with video "THANK YOUS" coming from everyone from the director of development to Catholic schoolchildren to the diocesan rector. Watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/user/dioceseofwichita#p/u/1/kZ21X0ASqVY.

Other fund-raising entities, such as the Wichita State University Foundation, could run with this example of engaging current and prospective donors through new media media. On the website of the WSU Foundation, where I am employed, we have only a few Vimeo videos of donors discussing their reasons for contributing to the university and a few events on video. We don't do enough to captivate our web visitors. We could do better. From the various conferences I've attended and publications I've read about YouTube and fundraising, these are the tips I've gathered and would recommend for fundraising entities to increase their public relations presence:

1) First-hand reports from the recipients of monies. There is nothing more cherished to donors than knowing that their funding made a difference, whether it's a child who learned to read, a college student who received a scholarship or a homeless person who received a meal. Let these people tell their stories via video, much like the Catholic Diocese of Wichita has done. Promote them through Facebook, e-newsletters and print pieces.

2) Videos of events such as groundbreakings, donor receptions and similar events. In traveling to other parts of the country visiting Wichita State alumni, I have realized that out-of-town WSU graduates are hungry for any information our university because they don't read it every day in The Wichita Eagle. They connect back to their alma mater on-line and through visits from WSU representatives. Even local people who aren't able to attend donor recognition events would delight in seeing people they know at these events. We do have an example of this on the WSU Foundation website at .

3) Updates from the CEO or other top-ranking officials. The fact that many Americans tune in to hear the President of the United States deliver the State of the Union shows that people like to hear from those "at the top." The heads of non-profits are sometimes hesitant to put themselves out as the face of their organizations, due to their often service-oriented and humble attitude. They should not hesitate to keep in touch with their constituencies through YouTube.

A wonderful local example of an organization that has had success in updating viewers via YouTube is the Kansas Dental Association. This organization's regular "KDA Video Minute" (the latest version can be seen at ) has been an effective way for the KDA to educate its constituents on legislative and philanthropic efforts. Kevin Robertson, executive director of the KDA, tells me that these segments are recorded in a makeshift studio in the basement of the KDA offices in Topeka, and edited by staff members. Kevin says the advantages of this kind of outreach far outweigh the time taken to produce it. Kevin and his colleague Greg Hill are both attorneys, and he jokes if they can do it, anyone can! He would agree that the fact that YouTube is not controlled by any government, as Levinson discusses in the end of the chapter, is helpful for an organization whose major role is to lobby the state legislature on regulatory issues regarding the dental profession.

Whatever the uses of YouTube, it's interesting to consider Levinson's contention that YouTube may well meld into something else in the future. Just as MySpace was all the rage until Facebook came along, time will tell what the next progression of YouTube will be. In September 2008, more than two full years ago, Chad Hurley, YouTube co-founder, blogged about the future of online video and YouTube specifically, as quoted on TechCrunch.com (http://techcrunch.com/2008/09/16/chad-hurley-on-the-future-of-youtube-we-will-conquer-every-screen/). He said, "Our goal is to allow every person on the planet to participate by making the upload process as simple as placing a phone call. This new video content will be available on any screen -- in your living room, or on your device in your pocket. YouTube and other sites will bring together all the diverse media which matters to you, from videos of family to news, music, sports, cooking and much, much more." While we are not to this point yet, it's this kind of transformational thinking that started YouTube to begin with.

If the popularity of the recent new single by Lady Gaga is any indication, it's not going away soon. On Friday, Feb. 11, audio only (no video included) of Gaga's new single, "Born This Way," was posted to YouTube. By 5 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 13, 6,202,294 views had been made. This was a very effective avenue by Gaga's producers to promote her single so that it could be purchased on iTunes and similar outlets. A 20-year-old friend of mine who is a sophomore at Wichita State says the first place he goes to listen to new music is YouTube -- and he's not even looking at video!

Like a Virgin (blogging for the very first time)

Madonna won’t sing about me (is she singing at all any more?), but I’m “Like a Virgin” when it comes to this blogging thing. At least two of my best girl friends blog, and I enjoy reading their words, but the exercise echoes of the columns I used to write back in ye olde newspaper days. At the time, I thought, “What can I, a just-out-of-college 20-something, write that will be relevant to readers?” And sometimes, for that reason, column writing then was intimidating.

Not so today. You posterous followers that I have at this point are here because you have to be, strong armed by our mean and quite intimidating professor Lou Heldman, as part of COMM 660M at Wichita State University, “Media Transformation.” Our first assignment: How we and our blogs fit into the changing communication worlds described in our assigned readings this week.

Here goes. You have to allow me a couple more old time newspaper stories in order to make my point.

In 1993, I was the features editor at the Xenia Daily Gazette in Xenia, Ohio, a town whose name may seem familiar. It was the site of a deadly tornado that destroyed much of the town in the 1970s, much like today’s Greensburg. This tragedy is far and above the most single defining moment for this 25,000-resident town. The destruction, and the town’s survival post-tornado, put it on the map, so to speak, at the same time it almost removed it completely. (The newspaper even won a Pulitzer prize for its coverage of the storm.)

Several of us were often chided by our managing editor for not living in the city proper. He contended that we could not understand the culture and emotion of Xenia if we didn’t live there instead of driving in from Dayton, which is what I did each day. And I hadn’t grown up in Ohio, either, which made me an “outsider.” Which is why the story I’m about to tell got me into so much trouble.

We were running a large-scale story about the aftereffects of the tornado, and I was charged with writing the short introductory piece. In it, I made reference to the year 1973, when the tornado hit.

Except for one small detail: The devastation happened in 1974.

For the only time in my life did I actually use the stereotypical term, “STOP THE PRESSES!”, as the news editor and I ran scrambling to the press room. We corrected the error after it was found in the first few issues off the press, and no readers actually saw it, but I got a severe verbal lashing from a managing editor who was already perennially grumpy. “How could you get the single most important date in our history wrong?”

As I was reflecting on the readings for this week, I thought: What if this mistake had happened in an on-line format, almost 20 years later, in the days of “instant availability,” as Levinson terms it? How many (angry) comments would I have had correcting my blasphemous error, which is made immediately in these days, unlike in the “old days,” when we would have run the correction in the next day’s issue, or someone would have had to have waited several days for his Letter to the Editor to be run, as Shirky describes in his article?

I may have been fired on the spot. The turtle’s crawl pace of ye olde newspaper saved me. Good thing I’m not in that business any more.

Twenty years ago in that newsroom, the idea that we would be using tools like Facebook and You Tube were unfathomable. Even a decade ago, these avenues were not in the landscape, as I realized recently while finishing the autobiography of Michael J. Fox, “Lucky Man,” at the same time the syllabus for this class arrived.

In the book, Fox wrote of the announcement of his Parkinson’s disease to the media in 2000. It was to happen a week later in an interview, but it was leaked Thanksgiving weekend. Not wanting to cope with the attention, Fox fled to his country home in Connecticut, avoiding all mass media outlets, shoring himself up for the frenzy. That was not the world of “anytime, anywhere” news awareness, as described in the Pew Internet Study. What would blogging and other new new media added to that experience? Fox’s avoidance of the news would be so much harder to pull off today!

Even today, the new new media is moving quickly for this 44-year-old. Just the other day, my 14-year-old daughter, after being encouraged to e-mail a babysitting client for details on her next gig, said, “Mom, only OLD people e-mail!” Even my 82-year-old disabled mother has recently learned to text.

All of the technology and openness in today’s world makes me feel a bit like my 8-year-old son, who, upon putting on his new eyeglasses, exclaimed, “Look! The numbers on the microwave aren’t fuzzy!” To me, it’s “Look! There’s a whole new wave of technology out there!”

I realized how “new new media unadept” I am the other day when I posted on Facebook about my joy in hearing two totally different 70s songs in the same afternoon on satellite radio (“Billy Don’t Be a Hero” and “Carry On Wayward Son”). I felt like an idiot when responses came back: “I heard those songs today on sky.fm on my computer” and “On my mp3 player.” I don’t listen to Internet radio or have an mp3 player. I can relate to William James’ quote in Levinson’s book, where he refers to the “great blooming, buzzing confusion of the world.”

I’m still one the few people my age to subscribe daily to The Wichita Eagle (according to the Pew Internet Study, I’m one of only 50 percent) and to watch local news (78 percent). Perhaps it’s the fresh smell of newsprint, harkening back to that “STOP THE PRESSES” day, the local news that is the bread and butter of small newspapers, where I spent the first few years of my career, or the fact that I refuse to give up on traditional journalism; I have a college degree in it, for heaven’s sake.

The term “traditional journalism,” and my good memories of it, introduces yet another question in my mind, reflective of Shirky’s “shock of inclusion” theory. When I first heard the term “community journalism” introduced at the Wichita Eagle not too long after arriving in Wichita in 1993, I was on board. Writing with the audience in mind was at the core of all of my English and journalism classes at Emporia State University. I remember the Eagle adding call-out boxes with helpful, applicable take-away information in them. Even though we had been using this same philosophy in Beatrice, Neb. where we weekly featured a local cook and published his or her recipes in the Daily Sun, or in Arkansas City, Kan. where we monthly featured one of the small communities in the Traveler’s coverage area, we didn’t know it, and we certainly didn’t have a name for it.

Still, the closest we came to new new media at those small community papers, and at the Daily Gazette in Xenia, were the irate readers who called when we (gasp!) made a mistake in the ingredient list on a recipe. Even though those newspapers of the early ‘90s focused on local people, the news was still created by professional journalists. Like Shirky says, the audience was passive (tell that to the lady whose cake recipe was misprinted!). The readers couldn’t do much to produce and distribute news on their own.

As a former journalist, the fact that I am now creating my own content and distributing it is, to say the least, redeeming. Although I don’t miss the low pay, the monotonous county government meetings and the weekend work, there is something about being proud to put your byline on a story you’ve created. After nearly a decade of not being a professional writer, I’m doing that now, albeit without the pay. Leave the paycheck to the WSU Foundation.

Perhaps I will prefer blogging to Facebook for this journalistic reason. I’ve tried Twitter, and its microblogging format, and didn’t like it. No photos, too short. While I agree with Levinson that Facebook, too, is microblogging, there’s something about it that allows more depth than Twitter. (Maybe we should call it macroblogging?) Perhaps it’s the ability to add notes and photos. I’ve always been wordy in my communication, as many a former editor will tell you. So will my boss, who reads the reports I write after meeting with donors. He calls me thorough, with a sly smile.

So, I hope I can keep up technology-wise, and not only get an “A” in Lou’s class with this blog, but use it as yet another personal avenue into the new new media.

There is a certain satisfaction I get when there are comments to my Facebook posts and disappointment when there are none. Now that I see Levinson referring to a commentless blog like a “flightless bird,” I understand how importance interaction with the audience is in regards to new new media. As Levinson says, “The blog may make important contributions or bring satisfaction to its writer, but it will be lacking one of the signature social characteristics of new new media, interaction with the audience.”

Start your comments here.