Top 3 Twitter Tips
November 18, 2008 by Jonathan · 1 Comment
Whenever I tell someone that I work in social media (and explain to them that social media is things like blogs, wikis, Twitter, Facebook, etc) they almost always come back and ask me what Twitter is and why someone would use it.
I’ll save that post for another day (although I’ve written about it before, try searching my blog to find Twitter posts, there are a lot of them).
If you understand what Twitter is, here are my Top 3 Tips for better Twittering:
- Don’t try to read every single tweet — Twitter messages — that the people you follow send, it gets overwhelming very quickly.
- Reply to others early and often, it build good will and you’ll get more from the Twitter experience this way.
- Search for conversations you may be interested in and join-in! — use Twitter Search to search by topic.
If this wasn’t a “Top 3″ what tips would you share? There are a lot of different ways to Tweet, and this is only one way to do it.
Top 4 tips from Twitter Users to News Organizations
November 13, 2008 by Jonathan · Leave a Comment
A long while back I asked my Twitter following to tell me what advice they would give to a news organization (or any company really) thinking about getting started on this platform. Here’s what they had to say:
- @ddmcd - “Don’t Twitter anonymously — identify real people with specific addresses.”
- @shawnr - “Tell them to NOT add their RSS feed to their Twitter stream — That’s one of my big annoyances with the Tweet…”
- @RockinPRGirl - “The most important thing they need to do is listen and interact with others. Just broadcasting is not going to work.”
- @Stacybond - “(1) Promote streams on the air (2) Send something out at least 3 times a day per station/twice if you’re a show (3) Use hostnames.”
Daily Mugshot- Good for Babies, Bad for Ugly People
October 15, 2008 by Jonathan · Leave a Comment
(And their logo changes daily, which I LOVE)
I must admit, I usually hear about cool new web sites pretty quickly, and not always because I try. Usually someone else forwards me a link, or I see a blog post, or announcement, or a Tweet about a new service.
Almost instinctively anymore I visit these sites that people recommend to me and make a snap judgement about whether or not it’s worth it to me to actually sign up and try it. Daily Mugshot caught my eye this past weekend, mainly because it follows in the same lines as Twitter, 12seconds, and other such ‘blips’ in the social media sphere.
Twitter has a lot of value to me, 12 seconds I’m still trying to figure out, Daily Mugshot on the other hand is perfect not for smucks like me, but for BABIES! This site would truly be a grandmother’s dream come true. Imagine waking up everyday and seeing a new picture of your grandchild - taken that day.
I’m going to declare this web site as being the end to the age-old saying “he/she is growing like weeds” (what your family didn’t say that? hmmmm). Grandma’s everywhere rejoice because who doesn’t want to see a lovey image of the dear cute babies each and every day?
99% Of Incoming Students Connect on Facebook Prior to Class
October 13, 2008 by Jonathan · 2 Comments
Yesterday I ran across a fascinating article saying that 99% of Amherst College freshman had already connected on Facebook via an “Amherst College Class of 2012” Group. Out of the 438 registered freshman, 432 had joined that specific FB Group the week before classes even started.
Lately I’ve been hearing more and more about how Facebook’s traffic and users are trending older, and that is likely very true (as it becomes more mainstream) but the power and trend here is really that sheer number of college students who use Facebook as their primary method of communication with friends. Sure cell phone bills are at all time highs, but where the social web really meets Millennials - and younger - is on Facebook.
What I cannot figure out is why colleges and universities haven’t done more to embrace the social phenomenon by way of official groups, Fan pages of campus landmarks, buildings, or people. Certainly the Athletic departments at every major college and university has already setup Groups and Fan Pages on Facebook already (haven’t they?), why haven’t the admissions reps, professors, and support staff embraced it as a great opportunity to connect and share with people who are highly engaged and ready to learn?
Why Life Has Been Crazy: My Huge Job Announcement
May 23, 2008 by Jonathan · 3 Comments
Over the last few weeks I’ve been dropping hints on Twitter, but it’s about time I just came out with it. I’ve accepted a position at the Public Broadcasting Service. In case you’ve been wondering why the big move and road trip from Missouri to Washington DC was happening, that’s why.
I’m joining the ranks of those working full-time on social-media. Social media is such a huge part of the Internet now, and it’s not going anywhere and I’m here to make sure of that!
My title and job at PBS is Assistant Product Manager for PBS Engage. PBS Engage is the social media initiative funded by grants from the Ford Foundation and the Knight Foundation to get people to engage and connect with all of the great content that PBS distributes (like the awesome new series Carrier!).
The PBS Engage team is only a handful of people and the fate of social media is in our hands! 
Well ok, social media isn’t going anywhere regardless of whether or not we’re pushing for it, but I can dream right?
Feedback and response to Engage has been tremendous already with tons of comments on the Engage Blog, and lots of Twitter followers across PBS shows and communities.
At PBS I’ll be working with some really brilliant minds to come up with new ways of enabling participation, engagement, and conversation based around PBS content across the country. In addition to thinking of great ideas, we’re also building social tools to make things like social-networking even easier for PBS viewers regardless of the distribution channel used.
I’m really excited to be joining the PBS family here in the Washington DC area and am looking forward to seeing all of the progress we make in the next year.
With this new position I’ll be relying on YOU even more than before, so keep those @jdcoffman’s, dms, emails, and Facebook messages coming. Without YOU, there is no social-media.
Are Podcasts Dead?
April 7, 2008 by Jonathan · Leave a Comment
In case you didn’t know, I’ll be in Las Vegas Sunday-Wednesday for the NAB conference (National Association of Broadcasters). The Reynolds Journalism Institute at the Missouri School of Journalism is sponsoring my trip so that I can present Contributr to the masses. (Let’s hope Contributr is ready, more on that tomorrow!)
As I was looking through the available sessions trying to schedule myself into some I noticed a recurring theme, podcasting. Now I hate to rain on anybody’s parade but aren’t podcasts dead? Haven’t they been deemed not conversational enough?
I mean sure, we all are subscribed to a few in iTunes, but how often do you actually listen to one? Let alone actively look for more? I know I don’t. I’ve moved on, I’ve moved on to try to create and examine the semantic web. And podcasts just don’t fit into that strategy very well. They may not be static in location but they are certainly static in content. One you publish an episode to a podcast it just sits there… and people listen to it… but what else? What’s the extra step? … Well I just can’t seem to find it.
So you might imagine my disappointment when I am going through the NAB sessions schedule and see multiple sessions on podcasting each day, and only 2 or 3 sessions on ‘blogging’ total for the entire conference.
Is this where journalism is? Is this what the journalism folks think is hot? Haven’t they found Twitter, haven’t they found Facebook, haven’t they found that conversations are the latest and greatest things to hit the web?
Apparently not, and in my conversations with Jen Reeves it seems that the ‘industry’ is doomed to be 5-years behind as she puts it. Here I am creating wikis, blogging daily, coming up with user generated content solutions, enhancing new-media workflows, and creating conversations around my own life and here is the Journalism Industry just now trying to figure out podcasting.
There’s disconnect somewhere. That disconnect is what is holding back journalism and the news media in general, they’re not in touch with what consumers are using technology for.
As all of my recent blog posts do, I’ll link this one to my current job-search. There are quite a few journalism web content editor and producer jobs out there. Frankly, they’re almost a dime a dozen, news organizations realize they need to staff “the web” so staff “the web” they do. But where is the innovation? Where is the commitment?
Part of the struggle I have faced in my job search is that there’s plenty of work to be had out there, but very few newsrooms and very few news people “get it”. It takes more than just repurposing content from your printed newspaper or broadcast TV show onto the web anymore, that’s just not enough. People want to have conversations, they want to change, edit, manipulate, share, and copy your precious content. Are you willing to see what your public can do for you?
That’s the future of journalism. Don’t just talk to the public, let the public talk to you. If you “get it” email, call, IM, or @jdcoffman me. I’m listening, are you?
Personal Branding Knowledge Is Still Just Beginning…
March 16, 2008 by Jonathan · 1 Comment
UMass Students Are Sucked Into the World of Personal Branding « Personal Branding Blog - Dan Schawbel: “Blog About Dan Schawbel Publications Press
I often read Dan Schawbel’s Personal Branding Blog for insight and tips on how to improve my own personal branding. You did realize that I have a personal brand didn’t you?
I do in fact have a brand that is pretty apparent right here on JonathanCoffman.com. It’s one that encompasses my abilities to take new and in-the-pipe technologies and make them work in the real world, right now.
In the blog post that I’m linking to, Dan tells the story of a recent visit to the University of Massachusetts and how the student he talked to almost all were on Facebook, but very few had even heard of LinkedIn.
This really exemplifies the need for personal branding and social-media strategy to be a part of the final curriculum at our nation’s universities. These students know and understand how viral messages get spread, how to network online, and how to control how they look, but they don’t understand quite yet how to apply those skills to multiple outlets across the web.
For the last 2 years I’ve offered extremely cheap web hosting to my peers at the Missouri School of Journalism. What I offer them is 10 gigs of storage space, email, etc all for $20 per year. $28 if they want me to buy and manage their domain name as well.
It provides plenty of space and help for building a personal portfolio (which every grad needs) and it’s not going anywhere, I have too many personal and professional sites to just walk away from the web.
But here’s the real story: I’ve gotten several signups lately and I setup times to meet with each student who wants the deal to talk to them one-on-oine about how they want to use it and how I can help.
One actually emailed me last week saying she was going to have to wait to get a portfolio because ‘I’m saving up for Spring Break and I didn’t realize I could move my files around so easily.”
Well I’m sorry folks, but if you can spend $20 for a full year of online personal web presence, (2 or 3 drinks in Cancun for Spring Break of your senior year in college), you probably don’t need to be trying to get any job that would require an online portfolio or web presence.
Let’s just hope this particular person is smart enough to not post all of those crazy Cancun pictures to Facebook after the vacation.
This is just yet another example of why we need proactive education on social-networking and identity management. Firms like Google, Facebook, etc all have enormous amounts of data about US, and if you’re managing that information yourself, you’ve left yourself open to all kinds of abuse and inaccuracies.
What it Felt Like to Have No Blog for 8 Days | chrisbrogan.com
March 15, 2008 by Jonathan · Leave a Comment
What it Felt Like to Have No Blog for 8 Days | chrisbrogan.com: “”
I just thought I’d take a moment to let the people who follow my own blog know that fellow blogger and personal-branding and social media guru Chris Brogan is back online after 8 crazy nights of having no blog.
I think Chris handled the situation very well, he certainly had a lot of support from all of his tech-centric followers. I’m just glad to have him back up and running.
In no way was he out of touch with his community while his site was on hiatus. Chris kept on Tweeting away, and wrote a couple of times on his Tumblog which he mapped over to his own site.
It figures of course that something as major as having your site fail on you happens when you’re in the middle of conference season and with SxSW where I’m sure Chris was a big hit.
This incident just goes to show you however that keeping and maintaining backups of your data is VERY important. Especially when you have as much content floating around on the web as Chris does.
Microblogging: ‘the gateway drug to social media’ by The Bryper Blog
March 1, 2008 by Jonathan · 1 Comment
Microblogging: ‘the gateway drug to social media’ by The Bryper Blog
Alright, I admit, I’m addicted to blogging. I’m currently on a quest to blog 365 days straight, now not all of those posts will be here, on my personal blog, but across the web on the multiple sites that I contribute to.
The thing is, part what I love about blogging is getting other people to blog as well. Bryan Person hit the nail on the head in this recent post where he equates microblogging (a la Twitter) as the gateway drug to social media.
And he’s right, it is much easier to Tweet and Pownce, and Jaiku your way into blogging. Now if only we could figure out a good way to ‘explain Twitter to me’ to all those out there who haven’t tried it yet… hmmm… another blog post tomorrow?
Facebook Developers = Old Boys Club
February 10, 2008 by Jonathan · Leave a Comment
Facebook Platform Developer Forum / Need some quick adjustments made to my very basic app…: “”
Alright, I admit I was being a little facetious in my post, but I was genuinely wanting to hire someone on a fair wage to help with a couple Facebook Applications I’m launching. The responses I got were rude, inconsiderate and defensive. This certainly is a good example of how NOT to foster a community of inclusiveness.
Now I’m not a huge fan of Facebook anyway, it just takes too much time. But I recently launched some basic apps for some newsroom clients of mine that just displays items from their RSS feeds, pretty simple stuff.
There are a couple small features that I’d like to implement on those Facebook Applications so I read through the Facebook Developer Docs and wiki, to no avail, this stuff just isn’t documented well at all (they’ve had this problem for months!)… so I registered and got an account on the developers discussion board hoping to pay someone a little cash to write up these changes. From what I can tell by the docs, it’s not really a bid deal, most of the code is there already… I just don’t know how to implement it.
So, it doesn’t look like I’m going to get any bites from that forum thread, anyone know a Facebook Developer who’d be willing to help me out a little? I just want an ‘invite’ page (in php), and maybe a drop-down box to give the user a selective way to change the ‘feed’ in their profile.
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