Now I understand why my music tastes and many attitudes are more like my daughter’s, hehe. Take Pew Research’s “How Millennial are You?” quiz. Find out, if like me, you were born into the wrong […]
Better Than Good Enough
I snapped this snail closeup using a Nokia N97 smartphone in June 2009. Could your Android or iPhone produce as much detail as this 5-megapixel shooter?
King Kongos
There’s something wrong if you’re not listening to this band of brothers. Album “Lunatic” is fantastic.
Michelle Collins melts the Ice
Link love: Olympic Skate Fight! World in Uproar Over Ladies’ Figure Skating Results; Sochi Bear Resigns I’m a big fan of crude-rude writing which wordplay bites your bum. Michelle Collins delivers in this Vanity Fair […]
Mob Journalism shouldn’t take away an Olympic Gold Medal
As I write, 1.7 million people have signed a Change.org petition to: “Open investigation into judging decisions of Women’s Figure Skating and demand rejudgement at the Sochi Olympics”. The signatories and the news media’s response to them is classic example of “Mob Journalism”, a term first used on this blog in April 2010.
I coined Mob Journalism, or thought so four years ago, to define a populist response that is a social media byproduct. Services like Change.org, Facebook, Twitter, and others with online reach, enable the mob (referring to the masses not the mafia) to have a much louder voice. That’s quickly, too, unlike letter-writing campaigns used by protesters of earlier eras. Rapid response benefits societies, as explained in June 2009 analysis “Iran and the Internet Democracy“. The news media’s response is another matter.
A Tale of Two Press Releases
As my Be a Better Blogger book crowfdunding campaign winds down, I will document steps taken to achieve the goal, which with eight days to go looks less likely by the hour.
On February 17, I hired a consultant, to offer guidance, do social media shoutouts, and reach out to bloggers and journalists, which includes distributing a press release. I rewrote the PR, nearly 80 percent. I present both versions for your review.
Be a Better Crowdfunder
To date, my Indiegogo campaign for book Be a Better Blogger is a money loser. Costs exceed the pittance of contributions, and I appreciate every one made. Make no mistake, if you contributed—thank you! But with 11 days to go, and the campaign about 1.8 percent funded, absolute failure looms large.
So with little to lose, but more money, I hired one of several crowdfunders that emailed or commented soon after the campaign’s launch. I don’t expect much from the $149 fee, which gets me one hour consultation, press release, PR distribution, journalist outreach, and feed submission (whatever that means). But I did receive important insight, which is more a lesson about interacting with others rather than working alone.
When the Story is Wrong, Fix it!
BGR does not responsibly handle news story “Apple design boss Jony Ive mysteriously vanishes from Apple’s online list of executives [updated]“. It’s rumor run amok, standing improperly corrected when shown to be inaccurate. Later, Apple refutes […]
Toxic Reporting
This exceptional report, about distorting Russia, appeared in my social shares last week, and I only had chance to read it today. Particularly looking at the Winter Olympics in Sochi, I agree: U.S. news coverage […]
The Sure Sign of Advocacy Journalism
AppleInsider story “Google has fooled the media and markets, but hasn’t bested Tim Cook’s Apple” is superb example of advocacy journalism. Writer Daniel Eran Dilger is an unabashed Apple apologist, one who has skewered me more than once at his site Roughly Drafted, and AI. As I expressed last week, using Apple as example, there absolutely is a place for this kind of journalism.
Because bias is inevitable. Objectivity is a myth. Point of view limits everyone. Your vantage point, whether visual, cultural, biological, logistical, or whatever other “ical” applied, shapes how and what you write about.
Kickstarter Hacked, Damnit!
In June I opened a Kickstarter account intending to crowdfund a book. I chose Indiegogo instead, and now regret considering the other. As you can see from the screen capture of the email I received […]
Darwin is More Evolved Than This
Ten days ago Bill Nye (yeah the Science Guy) debated Christian author Ken Ham about evolution vs creationism. Their live-streamed slugfest is a social media lovehug (for the sharing) and fistfight (for fierce debate). I see posts supporting one or the other, or neither, still several times a day.