ASNE: Why newspaper editors should be blogging
This was my last column for the American Society of Newspaper Editors’ bi-monthly magazine, The American Editor. It’s running in April, I reckon, but I’m posting it here now. The audience, of course, is top newspaper editors.
The subject of this column is blogging. But the truth is, that’s just the beginning. You need to be using a smart-phone to pick up your e-mail from work, text with your kids and browse the web. You should have a Facebook page and spend time on social bookmarking sites such as NewsVine, del.icio.us and Digg.
But for now, let’s just stick with blogging. If you’re not blogging, you should be. Here’s why. Read more
Did ‘Quarterlife’ jump the shark before it aired?
I was in the “quarterlife” generation when thirtysomething was on the air. I was thirtysomething when Once and Again was on the air (my wife and I called it “Angst and Again”). Now, I’m in the once-and-again generation. So my opinion of Quarterlife might not be valid.
But wow, who cares what I think? Apparently, nobody liked it, based on what I’m seeing on my Twitter stream and the blogs I’m hitting.
Fascinating. This show as a phenomenon on YouTube, right? So much so, that NBC grabbed it for real-TV-show? At this moment, part one of the Quarterlife video on YouTube has 794,288 views and 1,319 comments, most of which date back three months. It was a hit online. Now, some of the comments I’m reading about the premiere last night:
“NBC should have hopped on this band wagon when it was actually hot.” — A comment on the Quarter Life Crisis blog. (She also Twittered, “My traffic definitely increased during the premiere of Quarterlife last night. Interesting.”)
Other Twitter comments:
“Good lord, Quarterlife is ridiculous. Who thought ‘The guys who brought you 30Something” 20 years ago would know anything about Gen Y today?” (here)
“I thought quarterlife was a paltry attempt at authenticity.” (here)
“This Quarterlife show is terrible. People actually watched this online?” (here)
What went wrong?
Why I think Starbucks just doesn’t get it
Starbucks has been getting a ton of press the last two days for its decision to close all its stores for three hours of barista training. Good for them.
I was more interested in their news from a couple of weeks ago, announcing that their 7,000 stores would offer up to two hours of free wi-fi access per customer per day. My opinion: It’s about time. But it doesn’t go far enough.
I typically avoided Starbucks because I just didn’t want to pay for wi-fi. That little thing just rubbed me the wrong way — so I would often drive past a Starbucks to find another place.
I’m blessed to live in a town with St. Louis Bread Co. (corporate parent Panera), which offers unlimited free wi-fi access. Their stores are neat and hip. Several near my house have been recently remodeled, making them warm and inviting — a place where people want to gather and hang out.
Bible study groups, teenagers reviewing for test, corporate meetings — I see them all when I visit a Bread Co. The Starbucks I’ve visited around here all have cold concrete floors, dark lighting and too-few chairs. Perhaps their strategy is to get’em in and get’em out.
But I’ve spent hours doing work at Bread Co. stores. They’ve gotten a morning cup of coffee, lunch and another cup in the afternoon out me — while welcoming me and allowing me to ride on their web access. I would love to know what Panera spends on its free wi-fi — but they must feel like they get their money’s worth out of it.
Trying out Utterz — thanks, social media club members
Got turned on to Utterz at the Social Media Club of St. Louis meeting on Saturday. I haven’t gotten very far yet, but it seems like there’s some application possibilities for the newsroom. Posting audio updates is the obvious one, but I’ve got a ways to go yet. Eager to hear if anyone else has experience with it.
Love the idea of being able to do so much more, easily, with a cell phone.
Not really liking how it works with Twitter, at least in my first attempt. Just left an [utterz] tag in the tweet, with a link to hear the audio.
And still trying to figure out how to get their widget in my sidebar.
What’s news? Donut hole in mainstream media vs. blogs?
When I moved to St. Louis, it didn’t take long to realize, “hey, where the heck are the doughnut shops — especially Dunkin’ Donuts?” They aren’t here. And when Dunkin’ Donuts put out a release on Valentine’s Day, that news was lost on me, too. I didn’t see the story in any mainstream media outlets.
(To be clear, alt-weekly Riverfront Times and the St. Louis Business Journal blogged about it. Maybe they’d be insulted to be referred to as “mainstream” media? I don’t know…)
A whole mess of bloggers were interested in the story, though. Stlbites.com said it was “thrilled to see that Dunkin’ Donuts is making they’re triumphant return to The Lou. Seriously.”
River City Professionals called it a “new threat to dieters.”
The Downtown St. Louis Business blog pleaded: “Please, please give us at least one new Dunkin’ Donuts in downtown St. Louis as part of your expansion efforts in the area.”
A reader on the Urban St. Louis forum notes, “that was one of many things we are missing out on.”
Someone thought it was news.
Kurt's Tweets- Bravo. RT @pwthornton: "Banning unsigned online comments undermines the media’s role as a forum for debate.” http://bit.ly/bmZsOn
- I would like to just take the two steps forward and skip the one step back. How about that? Would that be OK?
- Still seeking talented journalists to run #Patch sites in two south St. Louis County communities. Know anyone? http://ow.ly/2Axnv
- Waiting for a listings collector to give her more #Patch marketing cards. The work never stops.
- Realizing how woefully out of touch I have been with this part of the county. (@ Saint Louis Bread Company) http://4sq.com/5z5Bfh