Advances In Widget Distribution
October 21, 2008 by Jonathan · Leave a Comment
I’ve been working pretty hard recently on developing a local/national widget strategy and in doing so I’ve seen a lot of really cool widgets out and about the world. We all know by now that distributing your content widely is key to reaching eyeballs and advancing your message.
What is so cool now is that widgets are so easy to customize and deploy! Check out the YouTube widget below that pulls from the PBS YouTube feed, all it does it cycle through the latest videos uploaded to the account. This took me about 5 minutes to build and deploy, imagine if I were a designer and actually customized the look and feel of it…
Why I’d Make A Good Social Media Club Board Member
July 14, 2008 by Jonathan · Leave a Comment
—Please Vote For Me, Jonathan Coffman for Social Media Club Board Member by clicking here (voting is open until Thursday —
I’ll try to keep this post short and sweet, but I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself and my ideas for the SMC.
If you weren’t already aware, I am a candidate for the final open seat on the founding Board of Directors of the Social Media Club. The SMC is a national non-profit organization that is working toward standarization, simplication, and openness in social media.
Members include people like me who live, work, and breathe social media professionally as well as people who support the ideas of an open and inviting social media landscape. I’ve been a member since about a month after they opened their (online) doors.
As someone who understands and works in and with social media daily for a major media company, and as someone who supports and honestly believes in an open and safe Internet I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to assist this great organization in getting off the ground.
My current employer is PBS, also a non-profit with beliefs above and beyond most American media brands. While I work each and every day to spread and enhance social media adoption and usage across the system I also devote a large amount of my personal time to research and participate in conversations surrounding the best practices and most inclusive ways to foster online community building. Here at my personal website I publish and evangelize my own personal beliefs outside of my professional capacity.
Social media is more than a job for me, it’s a way to look at world. My vision is for a social media landscape that we don’t even have to call social-media. Social media should become as ubitquitous as the Internet itself.
My vision and passion for social-media and online communities is why I’d love to assist and be a part of the Social Media Club. I feel like I can bring a lot to the table for them and help to not only evangelize current and emerging standards, but also serve as a beacon to newcomers in this exciting time.
Please feel free to contact me via any method that’s efficient for you and I will gladly answer any questions or clarify any information.
What Working for PBS Engage Means
June 23, 2008 by Jonathan · Leave a Comment
As the product manager for PBS Engage, the social media initiative of the Public Broadcasting service, I get to work with magnificent people day in and day out to bring social-media to the masses. It’s a very exciting time to be working in social-media, and especially at such a stellar organization.
My one month-iversary at PBS is this week and here’s a sampling of what I’ve learned:
- Public Broadcasting loves you
- Public Broadcasting is relevant to your life
- Public Broadcasting is inexpensive to the everyday American
- Public Broadcasting wants to hear what you have to say
- Public Broadcasting depends on Viewers Like You for support
- Public Broadcasting hires and retains some of the awesomest people I’ve ever known
- Public Broadcasting has amazing online content that just wants to be found
- And so much more!
links for 2008-06-10
June 10, 2008 by Jonathan · Leave a Comment
links for 2008-06-03
June 3, 2008 by Jonathan · Leave a Comment
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.
Jonathan’s Twitter Updates for 2008-04-07
April 7, 2008 by Jonathan · Leave a Comment
- Trying to tame Apple Mail, let’s see if it can behave with Gmail IMAP, it gets one more chance. #
- retweeting from @acafourek http://www.twitterlocal.net - find "local" tweets #
- Trying out FontStruct, I’m not even sure where to start! #
- Have you imported all of your various email accounts into one Gmail account? I think I can consolidate a lot #
- Yikes! bloggers beware massive heart attacks: http://tinyurl.com/4zpfw2 #
- Good Morning Twitterville, I’m gearing up for a VERY busy week of meetings, projects, then heading to Vegas for the NAB Conference. #
- There were two doves eating the grass seed I put down in the yard yesterday, does that mean I’ll have a peaceful day or week? #
- @jowyang I remember seeing that "review" when it first posted, pretty darn funny, but not for those of us with such horrible allergies! #
- @newmediajim well thank goodness you made it in time! Are you using your fancy new HDcam all the time now? #
- @mufan96 Never heard of that issue before, interesting little problem. #
- @Adpuma @akelatal Hello! (why are we waving?) #
- Reading through the PBS Corp. web site about their BoDs and financials #
- @gapingvoid I’m sure they would, do you have a portfolio online anywhere of past work? #
- @robliberal I’ve used a WordPress plugin for several months to archive Tweets to my blog and am very happy with it #
- @mcompton I only have them for web access (got satellite about a year ago I dislike MediaCom so much) #
- Just finalized my job interview plans for next week while I’m Vegas. #
- ….Yeah even Social Media guys have to do laundry sometimes… #
- @jjprojects what shiny new things do you have now? #
Crossing The Skills Divide
April 3, 2008 by Jonathan · Leave a Comment
There is an almost constant drone of phone calls and emails in my life right now, I’m right in the thick of finding a job for when I become available in May. It hasn’t been an easy road, but I’ve made great strides in my approach, the types of jobs I apply for, and the way I manage my personal brand.
I couldn’t do it if I didn’t have the help of all you out there, my favorite bloggers, my Twitter followers, my family and my friends. I am very thankful for all of the support I’ve gotten so far in my search and am very thankful for the education I have and the life experiences that have prepared me for this experience.
I’ve been using my support network a lot lately. Part of the reason is that I have a very diverse skill set, not only am I good with producing and editing content, but I also hold technology skills that allow me to create things like this blog, Smart Decision, Contributr, and more. But even beyond that, I have an entrepreneurial spirit that lends me new ideas, new inspiration, and new ways of looking at old and new problems.
I feel like this variety of skills that I have is hard to explain and describe in the limited contact I’m given with potential employers. Doing my best to convey those thoughts, ideas, and skills is getting easier as I do it more of course, but it’s a different way of looking at the world that’s for sure!
Typically I think that people possess one side or the other, they’re either very good writers and thinkers, or they’re very good programmers and developers. Both are on an equal standing as far I’m concerned, it’s a mutually beneficial arrangement.
But then, where does that leave me? I’m someone who loves to think of new ideas, concepts, and products but I’m also aware of the technical abilities of current technology tools as well as their weaknesses. Taking that a step further, I also am able to clearly explain, teach, and lead developers to create technology tools that don’t exist yet.
The biggest problem I’m having during interviews these days is making sure that I convey my abilities and varied skill set while emphasizing that I do in fact prefer the idealization, and content side of the world.
Sure I can build web sites, blogs, Facebook applications, and other tools, but I recognize that there are people who can do those things much better than I can. It’s hard for people (including myself) to describe and explain how that works, yes I can DO those things, but no I’m not completely comfortable starting from nothing and building up on the programming and development side.
I feel like I have a good variety of skills and that I exert my leadership and entrepreneurship skills well, but I have to be careful not to pigeonhole myself into over-exerting my technology skills just because I think it’s cool that I can do both.
This post is a sort of stream of consciousness for me as I try to work out these details for myself. Be sure to visit again tomorrow as I look at the type of jobs and employers that I’m most interested in.
Jonathan’s Twitter Updates for 2008-04-02
April 2, 2008 by Jonathan · Leave a Comment
- This is the first time in a while that UPS has failed me, my Amazon package should have been here yesterday (Prime 2-day shipping) #
- VERY tired today, but need to make some progress on upcoming projects. #
- Writing up some recommendations for my web host, I’m not real happy with their support right now #
- @nbostic MediaTemple, I love them, phone support is great, but ticket support is extremely slow #
- What is the deal with all the "Podcasting" sessions scheduled at NAB? Is the News Biz that behind? #
- How do YOU support/design/develop for IE? do you follow all the ‘exceptions’ in your code? or say good riddance? #
- @rosscbrown not quite actually, it will after the June V.2 software update. It WILL work with Exchange over IMAP though #
- @rosscbrown As far as I know all of those will be operational when that new software comes out #
- Just off the phone with PBS Engage/Interactive, lots of exciting things happening. Hopefully I can help #
- I’ve been on the phone with MediaTemple for 27 minutes now, the "db server you site is on is ‘having issues’" #
Jonathan’s Twitter Updates for 2008-04-02
April 2, 2008 by Jonathan · Leave a Comment
- This is the first time in a while that UPS has failed me, my Amazon package should have been here yesterday (Prime 2-day shipping) #
- VERY tired today, but need to make some progress on upcoming projects. #
- Writing up some recommendations for my web host, I’m not real happy with their support right now #
- @nbostic MediaTemple, I love them, phone support is great, but ticket support is extremely slow #
- What is the deal with all the "Podcasting" sessions scheduled at NAB? Is the News Biz that behind? #
- How do YOU support/design/develop for IE? do you follow all the ‘exceptions’ in your code? or say good riddance? #
- @rosscbrown not quite actually, it will after the June V.2 software update. It WILL work with Exchange over IMAP though #
- @rosscbrown As far as I know all of those will be operational when that new software comes out #
- Just off the phone with PBS Engage/Interactive, lots of exciting things happening. Hopefully I can help #
- I’ve been on the phone with MediaTemple for 27 minutes now, the "db server you site is on is ‘having issues’" #
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