State of Media State of Mind

With a couple other blog posts in the works, I feel silly starting yet another one; however, I am struggling to get my ideas out on paper right now. So this will have to do.Writer's block? Maybe, but it's more that I am out of practice writing freely like this. I have been working in Communications, editing and perfecting messaging, for so long that I am finding it hard to put my raw ideas down on paper.

 

Last week, I finally finished reading the PEW Center for Research State of the New Media 2012 report. It's long and full of detail, looking at the media world from all different angles. Worth reading if you are interested in the topic and have a long bus ride ahead of you. It's not one of those reports that you can squeeze into the five minute time slot  that you have between morning meetings.So, what did I learn?

 

1. American consumers are relying more and more on technology for their news. Mobile apps, ipads, and laptops make news acquisition easy, mobile, and customizable. No longer do we have to stay chained to our desks to catch up on emails or the daily newscast on TV. Instead, we can decide what news is relevant to us and determine how often we want personal updates sent right to us. Now wherever we go, we are always informed.

 

2. TV has experienced an increase in viewers and revenue for 2012 - even though newspapers continue to decline. We have been hearing about the inevitable death of print journalism for the past decade. When I enterred college back in 2006, I remember wondering if I was exploring a dying industry. All fingers pointed towards the new digital world of news, thus condemning the old fashioned newspaper to an early grave. However, I am not sure that this will be the case. It is encouraging to see that broadcast journalism has found a way to harnass JO, perfect example being the New York Times.

 

The success of online newspapers will depend upon the effective monetization of the print news medium. This is a problem that print outlets have grappled with for some time. Although I have no perfect algorithm to offer up (I'll leave that to the computer programmers and mathematicians of the world), I do notice some of the more effective methods that the NYT has applied as it goes digital. I will only mention a few: slow transition to paying for online news, free articles per month to encourage subscriptions, offering a diversity of mobile app options to fit consumer's needs, and increasing newspaper SEO to better utilize their online platform. All of these things can lead to a smoother transition and integration to the digital world.

 

The young professionals from my generation are not against print news. I believe that quality content still reigns over sensationalist jargon. It's all about how you present the news; the more accessible you can make the interface, the better it is for readers/viewers. No one minds a makeover (one could argue our society is obsessed with them).

 

3. News remains very important to Americans; in order to stay informed, they are using mobile technology to access articles and stay informed 24-7. I check the NYT.com website at least three times a day (as often as I brush my teeth). I suppose that news checking would be a habbit for any PR/Communications professional, but my actions also stem from an innate desire to know what is going on in the world. If I was tweeting right now, I might link this directly to the #AmericanDream. We live in a society where we are free to ask questions and we have the right to know the truth about healthcare discoveries, our ruling government, and world events. This innate desire to self-educate will be the milk that keeps the news industry alive. Of course, trust factors into this equation as well (trust between the American public and the media), but I won't go into that now. My point is: as long as we are curious and demand news coverage, the media will have a role to play in our society.

 

4. Technology and News industries will have to either team up, or battle it out. The teaming up part does worry me - large conglomerates and all that jazz. This was another topic that I studied during my time at BU. As it happens, I have the perfect example of this from today's CNN Money headline news: "Facebook Acquires Instagram for $1 Billion." Twitter, Foursquare, Pinterest, MySpace, the Google+, and Facebook are some of the top 15 social media websites that are leading the online media industry at present. In many ways, these power houses have a huge influence on the future landscape of the media world. Without these online forums, newspapers' reach would be much smaller and the speed of global sharing would be impossible. Social media plays a key role in driving traffic to sites, after that it's up tothe site and the content as to how long the user's interest is held. For this reason, many predict that - not unlike big media buying small media- social media sites like Facebook will continue to buy out smaller successes, in order to consolidate power. It may be a stretch to say that these companies will go as far as buying out big media like the BBC and CNN, but this remains to be seen. Already, social media is teaming up with news orgs to host shows and newscasts.

 

Although I call myself a social media nerd, it is a bit scary to realize that someday my raw news could come from the same place that people post about their daily activities (i.e. GTL BRB)-  a place like Facebook or MySpace.

How to make Vacation "Work" for You

Let's face it: vacation is not everyone's cup of tea, especially for those Type-A personalities that are always checking items off "To-Do" lists (ahem, ME).

I recently I headed out of town for a week in the midst of an extremely busy spring schedule. If you work in PR and Marketing, you probably have a pretty good idea of the type of fast paced environment I was leaving (and shouldn't have been). I made myself sick with worry, finished as many projects as humanly possible, and then set my out of office message. Done deal - I was going, like it or not!

My boss told me not to check my email while away; my boyfriend told me I needed to have fun and "chill"; but my mind told me to stay on top of my game. How could I possibly do all three things, simultaneously, and still relax? I think I found a way. Instead of forcing myself to read only Glamour magazines and sit on the beach for hours on end bored out of my mind, I found small ways to "creatively" work and I discovered some new joys to my job and my outlook on life. I'd like to share a few...

- Enjoy making valuable connections, while relaxing by the pool. You never know who you are sitting next to and what insight they might have into your industry. Who knows- this type of networking could even lead to your next job, someday.

- Remove yourself from "Work Mode." My boss was right. Turn off your blackberry and put away your laptop. The whole point of vacation is to change your routine and do things differently. If you are checking your iPhone every three minutes for missed emails, that's not any different than sitting at your desk on a normal work day.

- Let nature inspire you. Wherever you are (Grand Canyon, British Virgin Islands, Paris), take in the view. Sit back, drink a cup of tea, and notice the world around you: the little things that you don't get to appreciate when in the midst of the hustle and bustle of life back home. Hear the sound of birds singing, breath in the fresh smell of clean laundry, or feel the smooth surface of a cold stone step under your bare feet. These are the things that make life seem luxurious - no matter where you are.

- Finally, take a quick peek at the fruits of your labor. Don't cheat and go back to sending work emails, but instead acknowledge the hard work that you have put into every aspect of your job. Pat yourself on the back, knowing that appreciating yourself will help ensure that this vacation is truly restful. You will return to the office with a whole new energy and drive!

Email thoughts/comments to Catherine at camorous@gmail.com.

Time for a Change

It is a new year and a new era for me. This blog has tracked my progress in the field of Journalism from the very beginning of my tenure. However, the time has come to take this platform (a rather holdge-podge of articles and memoirs) and turn it into something more targeted and mission driven. That being said, I am not abandoning my work...you will still be able to search back through the archives and find my early writings.

Now...the transition. Moving forward, I would like to dedicate this space as a canvas for reflection and sharing insights into the world of social media management. The key to successful social media campaigning (especially for a nonprofit) is the ability to stay abreast of the latest discoveries, and to make your own and to share them. This collaborative environment stems from Mark Zuckerberg, himself, and the Facebook philosophy of open information interaction. Instead of keeping his product a secret, Zuckerberg has attempted to make Facebook available to anyone who has an interest in exploring the network. The Facebook backend, templates, and profile fields are open to everyday users and developers, alike, to develop ideas and expand upon their platform as much as they desire. This democratic approach sets a precedent that allows for positive feedback, and sharing of information that leaves the user feeling valued and empowered. I believe that this cultural change does not discount the need for careful monitoring of social media sites and a continued effort for brand name protection, but it broadens our horizons in a world where a narrow perspective on life, limits opportunity. Well done, Mark.

Ten Things to Tell my Sister

I recently sent my littlest sister (at prep school) a long list of things that I recommended she learn BEFORE college. These are things that I wish I had known or at least picked up on quickly; it would have made my life a whole heck of a lot easier.

As I do not have the exact piece of notepaper in front of me now, I will recall what I can:

1.) Learn to love doing laundry. Nothing is better than a fresh, crisp bed of clean sheets to slip into at the end of a long day.

2.) Carefully choose your friends. This does not mean that you are rude to others, but be cautious as to whom you choose to share your heart.

3.) Throw aside reason now and again. Otherwise, you will forget what it is like to laugh at all things ridiculous.

She's an Original

My mother went back to school the same year that I headed off to Boston University to start my freshman year of college. I am embarrassed to say that I was not thrilled with the prospect of my mother walking around the UVM campus with so many of my high school friends; however, Mum was determined to get certified as a teacher and this was how she planned to do it. Aside from the occasional story that my mother would recall on the phone (about how she said, "Hi" to my friend Matt on the campus shuttle bus), I was proud of her.

Carbon Offsets: An Unearthed Treasure or Pain in the Asset?

It’s like driving a car, attempting to follow a complicated map with no straightforward directions: so frustrating! Then along comes the modern day GPS system that is easy to use; you enter data and it spits out your destination. Easy as pie.

This is the analogy that Tom Kineshanko gave, when describing his company’s carbon offset identification and monetization software platform, a tool called OffsetID. Habitat Carbon Assets, founded two years ago in Vancouver, British Columbia, is on a mission to help Cleantech sellers benefit from carbon offset revenue from the sale of their technology.

Like all of his life’s work– Kineshanko is also involved with several other clean energy nonprofits– Habitat’s overall mission is to decrease carbon emissions quickly, by encouraging more and more businesses to transition over to clean energy fuel.