Twitter meets YouTube

So how about a service that combines the microblogging and "following" nature of Twitter and the video capabilities of YouTube? Well, here you go. It only seems like a natural evolution in the realm of social Internet tools. Hopefully I'll get into the beta, so I can add my quality facial expressions to my random thoughts. Watching the continual uptick of Twitter use for journalism as well as social implications, I can see Seesmic doing just as well if not better. With a face to the content there may seem to be more of a notion of truth or validity than just words in a balloon.

A new visual way of doing a music video

Holy Mac ad, but there had to be lots of storyboarding and pre-planning for this gig.

Do you have faith?

A blog with prayers and news about the newspaper biz. I don't know if it will help pull us all up from this nosedive, but sure as heck can't hurt.

And for my next trick (trip)

This sounds like an absolute hoot. This could be done over a long weekend with four or five people. Might need to do it sooner rather than later given the rising cost of petrol.

One more potential future of journalism

The notion of a news outlet being based on a non-profit model could be one more way to keep the integrity of journalism alive and ditch the heroin-like greed of Wall Street's expectations. I believe there are a lot of folks watching MinnPost.com with a magnifying glass and microscope. Let's hope they continue to become a viable enterprise.

The cuts just keep on coming

So here's some scary ugly numbers about the number of media jobs lost this year and total jobs lost in the country this year. Absolutely astounding. Well, you might as well add nine more to the total of media jobs cut. The Camera laid off one in the newsroom and eight others yesterday. I knew it was going to be too hard to be positive in these posts.

Found via Journerdism

Future of news online?

Very simple idea by Josh Wolf using readily available and inexpensive online tools to disseminate news and info. They did a proof of concept during the Olympic torch protests in San Fransisco. More evidence that smaller groups of journalists coming together will be able to find a niche and find their place in on the Internet.

Found via Frontline's Twitter feed

Geeks gone violent

Here's a really interesting video on several levels. First, the style of videography is different for a news production. Second, it's a unique and interesting story. And finally, ESPN has been opening up the spigots on its content to the web. There's a reason they are called the "world wide leader in sports."

So, what's the next big idea?

The title of this LifeHacker post "Where You Find the Time" is one way to look at this video, but if you really watch it and are an open-minded media person some very interesting perspectives become very apparent. The trouble that television, newspapers and other MSM face is that they lost not only the monopoly of where info comes from but that consumers want to have more control to contribute, consume and share. So, what's the next big idea?

The power of a "renowned" photog

So it seems that Annie Leibowitz has become such a power in producing photographs of celebrity that even the celebrities feel they must do as she says. I've posted about Leibowitz's growing self-righteousness before. Here's just another chapter in the book. So much for the subject being the most important aspect of the photo. In the upper-echelon of magazine photogs it IS about the photog.

Getting out of that black hole of negativity

One of the hardest things to do in the business is to stay positive about the craft. I'm the first to admit that I can easily fall into the pull of the negative energy in the office. So here's a post to reinforce a new effort to get more positive about as many things as possible. There's lots of new opportunities out there....but print is nearly as dead as the trees used to make it. Couldn't help it.

Dead Man Walking?

This chart is as frightening as the title of the article – The Newspaper Death Watch

It's the first in a series by Advertising Age magazine. Fantastic, can't wait for the others with cheery titles like that. There are serious problems for newspapers, what most would call a perfect storm. The broken business model includes but not limited to: fracturing advertising clientèle, readers jumping online, skyrocketing production costs, increased competition and lots of missed opportunities. There are still some golden opportunities for newspapers, the only catch is that they won't look much like a newspaper when they do finally change.

I think I'll go find some kittens or something to cheer me up now....

Your paper is in the mail

So let me get this straight, the newspaper -which already has information that is hours old and been updated several times on the web- is going to be delivered via snail mail? I could see this working for a weekly paper, but doubtful it will help any other papers. The Time Herald is a five-day-a-week paper by the way. One more win for the bean counters' shortsightedness.

Rad office pranks

I could stand to to nearly all of these to folks in the office. Just don't know that many of the stiffs here would appreciate the level of caring it would take to pull off such a wonderful feat.

Found via Popurls Twitter feed

Journalism Mottos

Here's a contest that Poynter had to come up with a journalism motto using only six words. There's themes from all aspects of the biz. I think this is the best one:

It's how I change the world. -- Nick Escobar, The Elgin (Ill.) CourierNews

Stop and look around once in a while

Umm, looks like newspapers still face an uphill battle

Either newspapers are not giving their readers what they want to read and see or maybe people are just learning to be more effective in using the web. If I use a newspaper's RSS feed on each topic of my choosing, I don't have to spend as much time on the site. Let's take that one step further – if I use GoogleReader for that feed and the tease doesn't interest me I won't click on the story anyway.

Being a purist about journalism and what is important to the community is critical to creating quality journalism, but if the community doesn't care until something spirals out of control how do you maintain an effective audience? As media outlets drive 120mph with their hair on fire to the online realm -with an occasional brake check for no reason whatsoever- the online outlet really needs to have tons of forethought. Still a long way to go in the transition from a dinosaur to Optimus Prime.

Why is the ad model beginning to break?

Because online there is no middleman charging money to find eyeballs for a product or service. Newspapers and other MSM are suffocating in their over presumptuous egos of having the only gig in town that guaranteed eyeballs. The world is flat once again online. The only trick is creating something that generates momentum and utilizes the key element of the internet: word of mouth (or text really). What do you think this blog is in reality?

This is a post on VideoNuze about a Nike ad, that like other creative video ads should take off virally and share the brand in its own new way.

The next phase of convergence

Too bad it's taking place across the pond and not here in the states. Take critical note of this statement though:

“But in five years’ time there will still be people who will be working in the old way because if, for example, you’re doing breaking news, it’s going to slow you down if you’re working across more than one platform.”

There are still very difficult hurdles to overcome in the new realm of convergence. But when most of the content and tools used in the news business are all online-based in the not too distant future it will become much easier.

Found via Cyberjournalist.net

Jobs that pay over $20 per hour

This is interesting. Wonder if I take this into the boss he'll give me a raise? Take note of the growth outlook.

7. Multimedia artists and animators -- $27.90/hour

Multimedia artists and animators create special effects, animation or other visual images seen in movies, television programs and computer games.

Annual salary: $58,030

Growth through 2016: 26 percent

Industry: Arts, design, entertainment, sports and media

From CNN via popurls.com Twitter feed