The Future of Storytelling is Now

How interested would you be in a story about a rare fish that was found along the coast of North Carolina that scared some beach goers? 

How about now?

Courtesy: Leif Rasmussen

I bet this picture helps pique your interest further?

The truth is images have had an impact on story telling for hundreds of years. However, effective use of multimedia extends well beyond pictures. The use of multimedia is not just about creating a more interesting web post—it’s vital to attracting more eyeballs in the extremely competitive media world.  Telling a story with words is simply not enough with new media generations.  It’s about an experience—striking the most senses you can and helping people experience the story as if they were there.   People no longer want to just read about a story they want to experience it.

The multimedia definition alone specifically mentions several types of media. The advancement of technology makes it possible for professionals and every day Joes to use pictures, audio recordings, video, animation, motion graphics and beyond.  Recently Joe Witte, VP of Business Development and Marketing at ISEBOX talked about this issue related to the marketing world.  ISEBOX is a multimedia content distribution platform.  Witte said, 

 “Marketers have recognized that they can connect with their clients and prospects more effectively if they can communicate 1-to-1 with them (via social) and also connect on a deeper level that touches them emotionally.  A good way to do that is with a photo. A better way is with an infographic. And the best way, is with a video.  These tools help tell stories and hopefully create connections. And if timing is right, could go viral.”

 While some techniques might work better than others singularly, I think using a broad set of multimedia techniques regularly sets a higher standard and would likely result in more viewership.  If I'm a maestro with the best trumpet, violin, piano, and drummer in the world I want to utilize it all in one masterpiece. I don't want to hear each one singularly.   The same can be said about multimedia techniques.

Consider this New York Times piece by John Branch.  

 It’s what I like to call a perfect ensemble of multimedia.  Right off the bat, the animated blowing snow picture sets the tone for the story and creates images in your own mind.   The brilliance of how the story unfolds when you scroll down the page helps develop the story create a flow visually.  The videos, map, and slideshow all provide actual documents, a personal touch and comprehensive story. You read it, see it, hear it, and feel it.  In other words, it's a complete multimedia story.

This story from The Guardian may be the most ridiculously awesome example I have ever seen. 

As you scroll and stop  on the website, interviews begin to play and stop.  In a unique sense, the reader and the story interact.  It’s hard to explain in words but the boundaries of a website even change.  The talking heads are not in typical video players, they just appear on the page before you.  I have no inside knowledge about the work that went into this story but clearly it took time and a significant amount of resources. It points to the need for technical people to become more integrated in newsrooms and teams of people who help create stronger and more compelling content.  Not to mention, for the advertising staff and managers, it’s likely to keep audiences on web pages for a much longer duration. 

If you enjoy this kind of work check out Mediastorm.  Some of the work they do is remarkable use of multimedia.  The capabilities to do more are there and seem almost endless.  We just have to find a way in journalism to capture that ability and do it on a daily basis.  The news organizations that do will thrive and the others will choke on the digital exhaust of those racing past them in the ultra competitive media world.  It takes courage, risk and learning from mistakes.  Simply, we must change our ways to fully engage new media audiences.

Big Time Bloggin'

Got your attention?

I know, I know.  It's a cheap way to get your attention.  But I have a point.  Good or bad, first impressions are everything in the digital world and internet. What gets your attention can vary but that first impression plays a huge role in long term retention. In my opinion, the same is true in the world of blogging. 

I believe there are five or six punch list items that make a blog worth checking out and coming back week after week.  The specifics are always different depending on the type of blog but there are certain best practices that equal success regardless of genre.

• Uniqueness – provide content you can’t get anywhere else

• Find a niche – random musings can be funny but people want to read about similar interests and often follow someone writing about something specific (i.e. biking, writing, cooking, etc.)

• Know your audience – find your core audience and write to them.  If you’re writing about biking focus on biking and stick to that topic.  Use their terminology and know your subject. 

• Make sure it’s visually stimulating.  With the ability in this new digital age to easily add graphics, pictures, and video make sure to make the blog visually stimulating.

• Have something to say and be interesting.  This is probably the hardest aspect and finding your voice can take time but this is what makes people return to a blog day after day and week after week.  Readers love stories and personality and finding a way to weave all of this together creates a perfect blog in my view.

I think GovBeat is a great example of a blog that meets my personal criteria.  Many of you will probably find the content boring but that’s the point.  Not every blog is for everyone.  In this new media age, fragmented audiences create the need to find smaller but very loyal audiences. GovBeat is a blog by the Washington Post’s Reid Wilson with the help of fellow reporters.  It focuses on the stories happening in state and local governments. 

This blog clearly is not for everyone, but if you’re interested in politics on the state level it’s a must read.  It targets politicians, journalists, and public policy experts.  However, it’s written in a way that any citizen could understand if they are interested.  In short, it’s a way for anyone interested in public policy to see how other states are handling major issues for comparison to your own state.

The authors have found a niche that very few news organizations are producing on a national level.  They know their audience is people looking for information about policy in other states across the nationl. In other words, the content is focused.   The blog is visually easy to read and makes great use of charts and graphics to help understand the content.  Finally, the writers write in a manner that’s entertaining to read (at least to us policy nerds) but like to add in humorous comments and anecdotes to break up the monotony of serious politics and policy.

While it’s not for everyone, I think GovBeat has successfully found a way to become a very popular blog to a loyal base of readers.  In this world of fragmented media, it’s a success story on creating content in the blogging world.

Press Release assignment

Note: This is a fictitious press release created for COM-510 as part of the Master of Communications program at Southern New Hampshire University.  I wanted to do something different and not simply write an obituary type release, so I am writing it from the perspective of a potential release by the American Lung Association in the days following his death.  It would be sent in a timely fashion but a respectful distance from the death itself.  The last thing an organization would want is a perception of taking advantage of an individual's death.   However if done appropriately it could be very effective.  

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Football Legend Loses Battle with Lung Cancer

American Lung Association urges action to honor his memory

Interview and video opportunities available

January 24, 2012

In the coming days we will hear dramatic stories of football heroics and perhaps controversy about Joe Paterno’s departure at Penn state.  The American Lung Association respectfully asks to honor his memory by searching for a cure of the disease that took his life.

As reported by numerous news outlets, legendary Penn State Football Coach Joe Paterno passed away from lung cancer.  While his high profile death creates enormous attention, lung cancer sadly kills more than 150,000 people every year.  

Consider these alarming lung cancer stats:

*Leading cancer killer

*Nearly 160,000 people will die from it in 2014

*Nearly 225,000 new cases expected in 2014

Donate money or simply encourage a friend struggling to quit smoking.   There is no gesture or donation too small to help fight this deadly disease that claimed the life of football legend Joe Paterno and thousands of others.

American Lung Association President and CEO Harold Wimmer is available for satellite, radio, phone or Skype interviews.  We can also connect you with lung cancer patients willing to share their story.  In addition, we can assist setting up interviews at a local clinic for visual and video opportunities.

Click here for downloadable images and quotes

Contact:

Tim Boyum

Cell – 123-456-7890

Email – prdirector@americanlungassoc.org

Don't be old Tim. Don't be old.

     I remember it clearly.  I was sitting at my computer and listening to a handful of the 20-somethings complaining about our boss having no understanding of social media.  I nodded my head in agreement to prevent being grouped in with the "old guys" running the place.  Truth was I had no idea what they were talking about!  It was that exact moment that I began my quest in 2008 to get on Twitter and engage.

      The days of broad messages on mass media trying to reach a mass audience are essentially gone.  While television advertisements are still an important part of the portfolio, social media focuses on one key tactic—engagement.   

      The ability to interact directly with individual consumers and target messages for smaller groups of consumers has revolutionized mass marketing.  Three social media tools, in particular, grab my attention when it comes to recruiting and engaging viewers of my political show;  Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

       

     When I joined Twitter (see my work account here) in 2008, it was still gaining steam.  I was a complete idiot when it came to the actual engagement part.  I was concerned that no one was responding  to my tweets.  That was when I discovered this tab called “mentions” and I realized I had not responded to roughly 30 people who had asked me questions a month earlier!  You could term that one-way engagement and a one-way ticket out of the social media hall of fame!  Through the years, I have learned new tactics, learned from my mistakes and managed to gain more than 4000 followers.  I’m convinced it played a major role in the Washington Post naming me as one of the top state political reporters in the country.  Twitter allows you to follow and categorize the list of people you follow.  It’s instantaneous and allows a conversation back and forth in a matter of seconds.  People can favorite or retweet your 140 character messages.  In the eyes of consumers it appears as an endorsement, essentially.  In addition, it allows you to interact with people who have concerns directly.  I use it to float ideas for the show and find new guests.  Twitter now allows pictures and videos which can be very effective in reaching more people.  Using hashtags allows people to find your tweets through a simple search.

                Facebook is a different tool  but with a number of similarities in interacting with audiences.  In my experience, it seems the political world is much more attracted to interacting with reporters on Twitter.  Nonetheless, we created a Facebook page for our show.  We are not as good posting original content on Facebook as Twitter and only have 339 “subscribers” because of that fact.  It takes much more time to monitor the longer conversations on Facebook and we essentially produce a show with only two people.  You have to utilize your resources in a very efficient manner.  Facebook is very effective in reaching audiences simply because of its popularity and they are likely to spend more time conversing with fellow viewers.  It allows customers to view, comment, and share in a larger fashion than other social media sites. 

                For this exercise, I chose to pick a new social media tool I was not already using.  Despite my love for social media, I never signed up for Instagram until this week.  I never understood why I wanted a social media site that focused on pictures when I could post them on Facebook and Twitter.  I mean how many ways do I need to post a photograph, right?  However, it was interesting after inputting my information it automatically asked me if I wanted to connect with my contact list and within about a half hour I already had 38 followers and have five comments on the picture I posted of the television studio.  You can also cross post Instagram pictures on Facebook which helps get a better bang for your buck, sort of speak.   Social media audiences are attracted to images.  There’s plenty of evidence (see here and below) that adding photographs or links to your posts helps increase clicks and views, so this should be a great benefit to my social media portfolio. 

                It’s a brave new world of reaching audiences, and it takes a much broader approach.  Despite stretching my resources (time) over multiple platforms my engagement with viewers has never been so personal.  It’s fun for me and hopefully leads to more loyalty among my audience members as well.  Let’s be honest, as much as the news is the star in the mind of a journalist you still have to be liked by your audience!

Avoiding digital car crashes

      Last week my four-year-old son asked me what I do at work.  I told him I read the news.  He proceeded to ask me what I talk about and I told him politics.  He thought for a second and then looked up at me with his curious blue eyes and said “like car crashes?”  Yes, son, exactly!  Sometimes politics seems like a mess.

       Unrestricted web publishing can lead to a digital car crash as well if the credibility of the author, sources, and information collide to create a world wide wreck.  Anyone with internet access and typing skills can publish information and it requires a consumer with critical thinking skills to ensure they are reading reputable and factual information.

       Even reputable news organizations face credibility and source issues on a regular basis.  To illustrate this point, I evaluated this article from Time.  It’s a political piece from Monday that focuses on President Obama’s announcement related to illegal immigration and shifting more resources to border patrol.  The reporter, Zeke Miller, is a Yale graduate who has worked as a political reporter for three nationally recognized publications.   This clearly gives him authority and passes the qualification test cited by George Mason University as part of its criteria when evaluating WWW resources.

    

         Time Magazine has a longstanding tradition as a reputable news organization as well with a history dating back to 1923.  The web version of this story has links to extensive background on the magazine and author.    It does not appear Mr. Miller has any peer reviewed publications but there is significant material from prior work available online.  The story is from this week so it’s clearly timely and there is no blatant bias noticeable.  His style of writing is fairly straightforward and each declarative statement is sourced. 

          The author’s sources are quotes from a widely televised news conference by President Obama that is also available online.  His other sources are quotes from statements he acquired by the U.S. House Speaker and Senate Majority Leader.  In a brief search, none of the statements he uses are disputed.  Mr. Miller also uses quotes from the Republican National Committee Chairman and the head of a Hispanic organization.  It is unclear if those were statements or part of an interview conducted by the reporter.  The least reliable source is information used in a declarative manner and sourced to a “White House official”.   While it’s unfortunate, it’s not uncommon for White House reporters to get information on background from an unnamed official.  It’s also more about the process President Obama will use to implement his plan rather than any opinion on the issue. 

                This article clearly meets the criteria in evaluating credibility and is a great guideline for a consumer to see what constitutes a credible resource.    The internet is the new wild west of the information frontier and unrestricted web publishing is inevitable.  Our job as a consumer is to have the skills to ensure we are reading credible information to avoid digital car crashes!

How do I know what I know?

I’m pretty lucky I get to learn a lot every day as a journalist and social media addict.  In fact, I essentially get paid to learn.  Granted some of it is ridiculous, but some of it really racks my brain.   Due to my ambitious nature I am going to name two things I learned on social media today.  Now, I do understand this may come across as brown-nosing (are you reading Dr. T?), but no one gets ahead in life doing just enough, right?  I’m also hoping my snarkiness comes through in the digital text so you know I’m not being serious!  The truth is I see so much great stuff and so much ridiculous stuff on a daily basis that it's worth pointing out one of each.

  

Championship Branding

Let’s start with something I thought was a fake document, but turned out to be funny and brilliant.  Twitter was on fire last night and this morning with a “get out of work” letter from the U.S. soccer coach.  If you missed it, a picture was spreading quickly on Twitter Wednesday night.  It was a form letter supposedly from U.S. Soccer Coach Jurgen Klinsmann for you to give your boss and beg for time off to watch the critical game against Germany on Thursday.   

I admit it, I thought it was something created by some 15-year-old kid who knows significantly more about computers than I do or probably ever will.  After some searching and going directly to the U.S. Soccer website, I discovered it was created by U.S. Soccer.   In addition, they had posted some videos from comedian and actor Will Ferrell and went on a huge Twitter campaign to garner more than one million followers.  Someone in U.S. Soccer clearly deserves a raise.  Let’s be honest, soccer in the United States is still trying to become of one of the “cool” sports.  Sure, kids play it, but it is not on the same playing field (pun intended) as football, basketball or baseball.  However, with clever social media gimmicks and celebrity content, U.S. Soccer is clearly making the most of World Cup fever, and there’s a chance this branding effort on social media will lure in some long-term fans.

Denied Chicken? 

  

Now for something I learned that lends to the more ridiculous side.  I’ve had a number of friends on Facebook link, like, or share a post related to a girl with permanent facial scarring from a dog mauling who was supposedly denied service at a chain chicken restaurant.  Granted, several news reports covered the alleged incident but after poking around and snooping around, it appears it was never proven accurate.    Yet, I see people continue to post the story and make comments to the effect that the restaurant is “disgusting”, “hateful”, and “I will never eat there again”.  It’s possible it happened, but the problem is people spread the story as if it was a proven fact when it looks more like a he said, she said story.

The Moral of The Story

The moral of the story with these two examples is that new media creates the need in some cases to seek multiple confirmations that information is true.  It’s more and more difficult with social media users spreading misinformation and making judgments without investigating the truthfulness, but it’s the digital world we now live in.  However, social media is also a great way for obtaining credible information if you are getting it from trustworthy sources or are willing to check the reliability of it for yourself.  Basically, my rule is I trust nothing until I can confirm it with multiple trustworthy sources. 

Compact Discs Will Never Last, Sort Of

     When I was 12, my friends were buying this amazing new technology.  You could listen to music and skip to the next song without waiting for it to fast forward.  Compact discs were pretty neat, but I decided to stick with my cassette tapes and not waste my money on this expensive technology that wouldn't last.  Yes, I can hear you laughing at me as I write this post. 
     Needless to say I was wrong and that experience has always played a crucial role in my decision to keep up with the latest technology ever since.  Today, I use a number of new media tools and social media platforms on a daily basis, both personally and professionally
      I admit it, I’m a device junkie.  I own two smart phones, an iPad, a laptop, a smart TV and satellite radio.  Personally, I use cloud computing like ITunes to get my music and documents.  I use the internet to send and receive email.  I use Facebook to keep in touch with family and share my children’s daily lives with their grandparents.  I use apps like Candy Crush and Words with Friends to unwind at the end of the day.  I also use my iPad to read books. 
     Professionally, I use Twitter extensively to produce news, consume news, expand my professional brand, and interact with viewers of my political show.  We use an extensive cloud computing system as well to write and manipulate scripts, edit audio and video, and interact with co-workers. 
     In the “old days” I used to feel naked without my keys in my pocket.  Now, I feel that way without my iPad and smart phones.  It’s fantastic but it’s also created a need to not let it rule my life and take away precious time with my family.
     Social media has greatly changed my perspective of events.   With notifications and the instant nature of Twitter, I find out news faster than ever before.  Ironically, it has made my job tougher as well.  The evolution of social media has created a news consumer that wants accurate and updated news instantly.  Mischievous social media users have created the need for an even stronger system of verification.  Most of all, even with access to millions more around the globe, we are often still isolated in our own circles of contacts.  Instead of visiting dozens of news sites, I get most of my news from clicking on links within Twitter.  I have made it my mission in recent weeks to expand those circles and resources of knowledge.
     In the end, I think new media and social media offer more information and entertainment than ever before, but it also creates the need for strong media literacy skills for new media users, regardless of profession.  By the way, CD's are on their way out but they did survive for 25+ years, so I guess I am still wrong!