New Years Rockin Eve on ABC

Happy New Year!

5 Best Examples of Citizen Reporting being Featured in Legacy Media

It was a great year for citizen reporting being featured in legacy media.

Well, relatively great, considering how hard it is to even work with the media. I made it my goal to try to get some of my citizen reports featured.

I did this in conjunction with the New Media Tools for Journalism class I taught at BU. I wanted to show the students that they should be producing meida NOW and working to get it out there. I tried video, photos, audio, and blog posts.

I had some exciting moments of success getting my reports featured in media outlets in 2008. I was also featured too. ;-)

I'm not sure why we look to be validated in this way. It's a love/hate relationship. In the end, lots of readers and viewers are still there, it's the interactivity that's lacking. You'll understand if you are ever featured, you don't really hear much about if afterwards.

The best feedback I got this year was on a Christmas card that had a note, "You were great on Chronicle!"

I've got to get those friends on Facebook. :-)

Here are my 5 favorite Examples of my citizen reporting and/or me being featured in legacy Media:

5. Boston Globe - Utterli and Flickr Reporting from Roche Bros.

Ric Kahn from the Globe wrote a great piece featuring how I use new media tools like Utteli and Flickr to report news of interest to a hyperlocal community.



The Boston Globe Covers My Audio Reports From Roche Bros.

4. Boston.com - Video Blogs Featured on the Front Page

Boston.com featured many of my video reports on their front page this year. Each time a report is featured, I get thousands of additional views. The Globe does it right on the front page, they put up a thumbnail image and link back to my video blog. That way people can watch the video on my site and leave comemnts if they choose.

I'd suggest that whoever is selecting the videos for the front page introduce themselves and start up a conversation with the viedo creator. I'd like to get notified when my videos a featured on the front page. Usually my sister-in-law calls after seeing it. There's an opportunity here for the Globe to reach out.





3. BBC - Have Your Say - The Election

The BBC did a great job of soliciting videos about the US election. They monitored a few different video sites, like Qik and Seesmic, and with the permission of the creators, highlighted US resident's thoughts on the campaign. Carol and I had a lot of fun making videos for them. They are improving by including identification of the producers.



Videos from the US: the debate

2. WCVB - Chronicle - Media Makers

Jason Potts produced a great segment on local media makers. He followed me as I shot video of Boston City Councillor John Tobin, seen here, and video of the band Freezepop, who I recorded for Next New Networks. I really love seeing the resulting video in HD on the big screen. Nice job.



Steve Garfield Featured on WCVB Boston's Chronicle

Media Makers as seen on Chronicle

1. CNN - Hurricane Kyle

I was in the right place at the right time when Hurricane Kyle hit the Maine Coast. I recorded a report with my MacBook Pro and Quicktime and sent it in to CNN's iReport. That report was picked up and shown on CNN. That's the biggest exposure I got all year. CNN could improve in the coming year by notifying producers when their content airs on CNN, and by providing an embeddable link to video of tehir content being aired. That would generate more links in to CNN.



Looking back on 2008 you can see the possibilities. I'm excited to see what takes place in 2009 and look forward to working with legacy media outlets to figure out how best to include citizen reports in their reporting.

Governor Patrick's Email - Unsubscribe

Governor Patrick's Email, originally uploaded by stevegarfield.

I just unsubscribed to Governor Patrick's email list.

This is what the emails look like from him in my Apple Mail app.

ALL HEADER and NO INFORMATION.

OK, I get it you are the Governor, you have a seal, and an address, and a header with titles, and a release date, but for me to read all your emails I need to scroll each of them down to see any content.

No one else emails me like this.

It's not a letter.

It's an email.

Tell me what you want to tell me in line ONE.

Not 5 1/2" down the page.

Thank you.

BTW, you need to provide an UNSUBSCRIBE option at the bottom ot your emails.

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles - Goodbye To That

"After a serious case of mistaken identity, John, Sarah and Derek work to protect a member of the Resistance."

Great episode!

If you haven't been watching Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, this is a good one to watch.

stevegarfield.rezpondr.com

stevegarfield.rezpondr.com, originally uploaded by stevegarfield.

Testing out stevegarfield.rezpondr.com as an aggregator for all my media.

This weekend my cousin gave me some feedback. He said he couldn't keep track of all the things I'm doing.

Understandable.

Prior to the growth in video sharing sites, you knew that all my videos would be one place, on my video blog. Now that there are more choices for video hosting, my media could be in any number of places.

I'm using the different sites for different types of content.

The video blog has more edited pieces, qik has live streams, vimeo has some HD footage, YouTube could have any number of types of content. I'm also testing out Facebook for HD hosting and using Seesmic for having video conversations. Testing 12 Seconds too.

But all that media doesn't end up on the video blog anymore.

There needs to be a place where my mom can go to easily see what media I'm creating.

So I took a look at my main site http://stevegarfield.com/ and had Carol give some suggestions.

Although I have menus for Video and Photo, she said she wanted to see the videos and photos right away when she visited the page. So I added a bip.tv video player and a flickr photo bar. I'm still working on the blip.tv player to enable it to play one video after another.

Update: The blip.tv player plays my videos, one ofter another.

That takes care of my main content. Qik is there too.

But it doesn't address the larger problem of my media being scttered all over the web.

I decided to try out my friend's aggregator at stevegarfield.rezpondr.com.

I don't have admin access yet, but think this is a great way to see all my media on one page.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.

Pretty Things Jack D'or

Pretty Things Jack D'or, originally uploaded by stevegarfield.

Lots going on in this beer. Enjoying it at VeeVee JP.

Pretty Things

The Beers: Jack D'Or, Saison Americain

Q and A with Dann Paquette, Brewer/President of the Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project Inc.

Twitter Means Business: How Microblogging Can Help

I just got a review copy of Julio Ojeda-Zapata's Twitter Means Business: How Microblogging Can Help in the mail.

Julio has me preview a part of it and write up a blurb for it. Here's what I wrote:

"In 'Twitter Means Business,' Julio Ojeda-Zapata profiles two of my Twitter friends, Comcast and JetBlue. Yes, these companies are now my friends because we talk, on Twitter. Thinking about using Twitter to connect with your customers and prospects? Ojeda-Zapata provides case studies to guide you. Really, really great stuff."
Steve Garfield (@stevegarfield), pioneering video blogger and Boston Media Makers founder

I was just skimming through it and found a very cool twitter account to follow during CES, @VegasConcierge.

MGM Mirage posts suggestions on things to do while you are in Vegas, and it's not exclusive to MGM properties.

I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the book.

Head Over Heels: Literal Video Version

Video by Dust Films.

This video is going on my Best of 2008 list.

Digital Cribs with Shira Lazar

This ia great segment showcasing Shira and everything she does.

Learn more at ShiraLazar.com!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!, originally uploaded by Brooklyn Hilary.

Deer Crashes Into Classroom, Kicks Boy

20081210, originally uploaded by Chris Piascik.

Watch the video interview on CNN.

14 yr old Jerry Levitan interviewed John Lennon in 1969

“In 1969, a 14-year-old Beatle fanatic named Jerry Levitan, armed with a reel-to-reel tape deck, snuck into John Lennon’s hotel room in Toronto and convinced John to do an interview. This was in the midst of Lennon’s ‘bed-in’ phase, during which John and Yoko were staying in hotel beds in an effort to promote peace. 38 years later, Jerry has produced a film about it.”

[ via SVN ] [ via Derek Sivers ]

John Lennon: "It's convenient to have the rooms and the machinery."

Listen.

On the web:

EXCLUSIVE: Producer Jerry Levitan and Director Josh Raskin Tell Us How They Met the Walrus.

One last question for you. How do you think John Lennon's message about peace from forty years ago then reflects and resonates on the world around us today?

Jerry Levitan: First of all, he was talking to a fourteen year old kid. So he is talking in very honest and simple terms. He wasn't talking lofty. He was just giving me some wise words and guidance for my life. He was also talking at a time of great turbulence. We were at the height of the Vietnam war. And starvation in Africa. Then there were all of these things going on in the Middle East. It was so similar to all of these things that are still going on today. When he talked, he wouldn't talk about Vietnam. He just talked about the duty and the respect, and the responsibility of every individual to change the world. If we are unhappy with war, and what our governments are doing about it, we can change things in a very peaceful way. That was his basic message to me. When you hear him talk in our film and in my interview, it is as if he is talking about the world today. It was just so striking. One of the first calls I got after I got the nomination was from a member of the Academy. We'd never met before, or spoken before. This guy was in his late fifties or early sixties. And he called to tell me that when he saw the film, it was as if our old friend was talking to us today. The guy had tears in his voice. He was basically crying on the phone. For people around the world that are so unhappy with what is going on, to hear our old friend John Lennon talk so hopefully and positively about how the world could be is breathtaking. It certainly resonates today.

Nominated for Best animated short film Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2007.

Didn't win.

I didn't have time to reflect on anything. I was ducking and dodging

20081217, originally uploaded by Chris Piascik.

Gawker: Shoe Attack Befuddles Our Dimwit President.

Lisa Nova's TOP 12!!! Holiday Contest Finalists

Lisa Nova explains her holiday video contest. She watched thousands of videos to bring you her favorites.

Update:
Watch them all in this playlist. Click PLAY ALL when you get there.

Lisa Nova's TOP 12!!! Holiday Contest Finalists

My Mom Would Like These:
3. Megan Dillon- On my Way
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tl6VSX...

5. ANDREA PAIS Supernatural High
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRA5ww...

9. Natalie Ann After You
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOzdFB...

My Mom Might Like These:
7. IMAGINE (Youtube human version) RUSSPUP
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgqHH6...

11. KOOLJEFF- The Many Voices of Jeff
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KnNH4...

Mom, Don't Watch These:
1. hi imRAWN Live w/Hannah Montana Live from RAWNs Basement
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IqCz3...

2. Jonas Brother Break up -BoYaPictures
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5GXs6...

4. BRETTTHEINTERN
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6y2C4H...

6. My Penis is Small- SIrWalskie
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugCtAc...

8. I AM THE EGGMAN- MUTEFISH
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LZLXv...

10. Neuroses in D- Writing Hannah
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfeX2M...

12. BRANGELINA- Max Lanman ft. James Lanman
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ruwJC...

Watch the videos and then vote at
http://www.lisanovalive.com

Video 3.0 is two way. Or many-way. It’s with, not just to.

Doc Searls Weblog- The Volcano of Video 3.0:

"Video 3.0 is two way. Or many-way. It’s with, not just to. And its “def” is truly high, and not compromised by current channel-defined bandwidth constraints. This is what will disrupt both telecom and cablecom in a huge way, unless they get on the side of all producers — including the people they now call consumers. The opportunities here are enormous. I think telcos are especially advantaged in this sense: telephony is naturally two-way, and has been ever since the 1880s. Now is the time to think about how we return to that in a big way. Telcos may be getting hammered flat right now, but there’s a groundswell underneath there. Just watch."

Ours vs. Theirs.

Carol reporting on the Snowstorm that wouldn't leave

Carol Shoveling

Geek News Central 24hr Podcast Marathon

This is a recording of hour #2.

Show: 12/20/2008 10:30 AM EST

I'm on with Todd at 30 minutes in.

The years 24hr Podcast is a charity event for Disabled American Veterans. 100% of the money raised will donated to www.dav.org our goal is to raise $3000.00 today.

That ad looked like an error to me. :-)

Tune in on Ustream.tv:
www.ustream.tv/channel/geek-news-central-24hr-podcast-mar...

www.geeknewscentral.com/

The Vineyard Scene Episode 4 - Ben Taylor - From Across Pond

I enjoyed watching this behind hte scenes.

BOSTON FRENCH TOAST ALERT LEVEL: HIGH

BOSTON FRENCH TOAST ALERT LEVEL: HIGH, originally uploaded by stevegarfield.

Get updates here:

www.universalhub.com/french-toast

12/18/08 Roche Bros West Roxbury Report
Eggs: OK
Milk: OK
Bread: OK

Parking Lot: Crazy

Barack Obama Dunkin Donuts Card

Barack Obama Dunkin Donuts Card, originally uploaded by stevegarfield.

My custom Dunkin Donuts card got some more responses at the Dunkin Donuts. One of the girls behind the counter was all excited when she saw my card. The cashier told her, "You can make them online at DunkinDonuts.com."

She remembered that I told her that last week.

Jimmy Fallon introduces the writing staff

DECEMBER 17TH - MEET OUR WRITERS!
Jimmy introduces the writing staff as he lets you sit in on a Late Night writers meeting.

I commented on his blog:

Hi Jimmy,
Brilliant. I tweeted a link to this.

http://twitter.com/stevegarfield/statuses/1064416513

Two years ago at SXSW I was at a panel with the writers from the Simpsons. They told how much fun it was in the writer's room. I suggested that they record and share what goes on.

They didn't.

You did.

Would love to see more.

Don't let those jokes die a lonely death.

Your writers should all be on twitter sharing those jokes.
--Steve

I think Jimmy can add value to his blog by providing links along with the video, in addition to the one line description that he currently has up there. In fact, he could even write more than just the one line. It's a good way for the blog post to be picked up by Google, by providing a textual description of what's in the video.

It is a blog, so here's how I would have added additional information to the post, if I was writing it.

The Writing Staff - Where I Found Them Online

Amy Ozols - The New Yorker, A Mass Email:

I’m writing because I’ve lost my cell phone, and I’d really appreciate it if each of you could reply to this message with your phone number, home address, and any other pertinent information I might need to get in touch with you. I kept all that information in the cell phone that I lost. I never wrote it down on a piece of paper or in a book, or backed it up on a computer, because cell phones are historically quite dependable, and not prone to getting lost or stolen—at least, not where I come from, a place where there is neither crime nor personal failure. I come from Iceland.

Bashir Salahuddin - On IMDb. Hey look: The Hebrew Hammer (2003) (title song vocalist) You've seen The Hebrew Hammer, right?

Mike DiCenzo - On Facebook!

Gerard Bradford - Facebook!

Diallo Riddle - On twitter!

Web Links:

Flame - A body spray by Burger King. That Burger King guy is sick.

Zimbabwean Air Force Commander Survives Assassination Attempt

Katy Perry eyes own fashion line

Spencer Elden, the Nirvana baby engages in some adult swim

Did Heidi Montag & Spencer Pratt Fake Their Wedding Scene?

And I can't forget a link to Lindow Man. Thanks to Jimmy's sister Gloria Fallon for that.

Lindow Manchester - A blog about Lindow Man.

There you go, links to all the people in the video and links to all the sites mentioned.

[Lapland children, possibly from Sweden.]

[Lapland children, possibly from Sweden.], originally uploaded by New York Public Library.

Found at [ flickr blog ] via [ waxy ].

It was George's last post.

Detroit Free Press and News Goes Digital But Doesn't Link

Detroit Free Press and News redirect staff, resources to digital delivery of news | Freep.com | Detroit Free Press.

The article

"The Detroit Free Press announced today a first-of-its-kind plan in the struggling U.S. newspaper industry — emphasizing more online delivery of news and information and cutting back home delivery days."

Hasn't the reporter heard about the Christian Science Monitor?

Monitor shifts from print to Web-based strategy. 10/28/08

The Christian Science Monitor plans major changes in April 2009 that are expected to make it the first newspaper with a national audience to shift from a daily print format to an online publication that is updated continuously each day.

If they are going to focus on the web, they need to learn how to link.

"The Detroit Media Partnership said two new Web sites, freep.com/transform and detnews.com/transform, have been launched to gather reaction to the coming changes and to keep the public up to date."

If you put a link to a website online, it's nice to help your reader by making it an active link.

That paragraph should look like this:

"The Detroit Media Partnership said two new Web sites, freep.com/transform and detnews.com/transform, have been launched to gather reaction to the coming changes and to keep the public up to date."

Links baby links! Please.

I'm tired of writing this over and over again. ;-)

COMMENTS
The article has 390 comments as of this posting, but the website only lets you look at 4-5 at a time. Probably wants the page views for advertising.

That's not making it easy for the readers to browse comments. If you are going to focus online you need to think about the reader and not the advertiser.

I can only imagine what the commenters are saying.

I'd comment, but "You must be logged in to leave a comment."

I'm not joining the Detroit Free Press just to leave a comment.

The Boston Whit Scott Seesmic Tweetup

Whit at Seesmic, originally uploaded by stevegarfield.

Join Seesmic editor Whit Scott and friends at Boston Beerworks for a Seesmic Tweetup!

When:

Monday December 29th at 7 PM

Where:




Boston Beerworks
61 Brookline Avenue
Boston, MA 02215
Opposite Fenway Park
PHONE: 617.536.BEER

RSVP on Upcoming

Media Makers as seen on Chronicle

Watch High Quality Version.

I was on Chronicle talking about making media and live streaming with the Nokia N95 over the AT&T 3G network via Qik, and using twitter to send out notifications to my over 6,000 followers.

You can see me interviewing Freezepop and John Tobin. Also seen is the Kodak Zi6.

"Bloggers like Garfield stand on the cusp of a broadcast breakthrough using tiny technolgies that talk directly to their online audience, anytime, anywhere."

Money quote: "Anyone can do this."

John Herman is also featured.

See previous post:
Steve Garfield Featured on WCVB Boston's Chronicle Tuesday, December 16: Media Makers

Disclosure:
Thanks to Qik for the N95, and AT&T for the cell service. I'm paid by John Tobin to produce videos and photos for his website. Next New Networks paid me to interview Freezepop. Thanks to the Middle East Upstairs for providing the venue for the interview.

I'll be Panasonic's guest at CES09

Greg Verdino writes What happens at CES, happens courtesy of Panasonic and explains that Panasonic "has invited five social media guests to document and share their CES experiences with their communities".

He goes on to explain:

Panasonic has invited a handful of guest content creators, culled from the social media rank and file, to join them at CES 2009. They're flying them out and giving them front row seats at press conferences, new product announcements, exhibit hall presentations and more. They're putting some of the latest and greatest Panasonic gear -- digital cameras, standard- and high definition camcorders, and more -- in their hands. They're setting them loose to document their CES experiences.

Check out his post for all the details.

Disclosure: I'll be Panasonic's guest at #CES09.

Off On A Tangent - Nominated: Best Educational Tech Support Edublog 2008

This blog was nominated for Best Educational Tech Support Edublog 2008 The Edublog Awards.

Thanks!

A Mashup of Conferences? June 24-27 at UMass Amherst

Campus pond by sonicscape2, on Flickr CC BY-NC-SA

Bill Densmore out at UMass has reserved the campus for June 24-27 for a conference.

'A Mashup of Conferences'
We were talking about calling it something like 'A Mashup of Conferences' and inviting lots of people to co-host their conferences there that weekend.

In 2006 he ran Media Giraffe conference on journalism, MGP2006.

TOPICS and GROUPS
I'd already thought of the possibility of having a Podcamp Amherst out there.

He's going to corral the media and education people.

What do you think about getting a bunch of Social Media people to join in?

I'd help in getting multi media/video production people...

Kind of like a pirate ship conference.

In addition to social media, video, podcasting I was also thinking about Etsy crafts people, moped riders, and photographers, like that... a wide range...

Also, it'd be fun to schedule hikes and social events around it too.

LOGISTICS

COSTS
Ballpark cost estimates are:

Meeting rooms: $6K
A/V: $2K

UMASS has tons of free WiFi

LODGING
Dorms would be available too for a very reasonable rate as well as hte Campus Center Hotel.

Campus Center Hotel

FOOD
Food would be available at campus center for people to buy.

TRAVEL
Traveling to UMass

BTW, AMTRAK runs to Amherst

DC - NY - HARTFORD - AMHERST - MONTREAL


LOOKING FOR IDEAS
I'm looking for what your ideas on this might be...

Interested in organizing, sponsoring, streaming?

Leave a comment.

New Hampshire Media Makers Jump Shots!

20081214-4692, originally uploaded by sskennel.

Look at the result: http://kmembrydesign.com/nhmediamakers

Make sure you click and drag the image around when you get there...

I think about the audio

Geoff Daily quotes me in Streamingmedia.com: The Ultimate Guide to Creating Online Video Content That Works, Part 2

Steve Garfield, one of the first and most well-respected video bloggers, agreed. “

No. 1, I think about the audio,” he says. “

No. 2, I think about framing.

No. 3, I have to hold the camera steady.”

Garfield has also put significant consideration into producing video with the camera on his mobile phone, as much of the video he makes happens as he goes about his day. “When I’m using the Nokia n95, the mic is on the side, so I’ve had to figure out how to rig this external mic for better sound. For holding it steady, I have a monopod I’ve rigged up to my cell phone that I use a lot,” he says.

Cool. Thanks Geoff.

Journey - Don't Stop Believin'

Reporter the Cat, what a wonderful wonderful cat!

Macintosh: So great, even your cat wants one. by rainspoo, on Flickr CC BY-NC-ND

Jeff Cutler writes: The one in which I turn blue trying to explain why I feel bloggers are not automatically journalists.. He says:

If it were up to me, I would introduce legislation that would require all journalists to be licensed. And a requirement of that licensing process would include at least two years of collegiate study and at least one year of full-time work as a reporter. Further, I would ask that the law require all prospective journalists to provide letters of reference from no fewer than three editors who would vouch for said reporter’s judgment and skill.

...If my cat wanders across my keyboard and creates a blog entry by pure happenstance, is she a journalist?

I responded:

Hi Jeff,

I have a song in my head now, sung to the tune of "Felix the Cat," "Reporter the Cat, what a wonderful wonderful cat!"

Ha!

You write,

"If you don’t present a balanced report of events from which an audience can make an informed opinion, you’ve done a poor job of reporting."

Sorry Jeff. This is wrong.

You can present a biased report from an event and do a good job of reporting.

All reporting is biased.

When I go out to an event, turn my camera on, and share the results online, that's reporting.

When 100's of people join me and do the same, that's reporting to.

It's eye witness acounts without the filter of media.

It's then up to the viewer to take in all those reports, or just a few selected reports from trusted sources, to make an opinion.

The idea that reports have to be balanced is flawed.

Rocketboom and MobLogic do not follow that rule and do a fine job of reporting.

http://rocketboom.com
http://moblogic.tv

--Steve

BTW, we need more CC licensed flickr photos of cats on keyboards.


Midge cat and computer by dougwoods, on Flickr CC BY


Got a cat?

Take a photo of it doing some reporting and post it to flickr.

Then leave a comemnt here.

You can make a lovely hat out of previously-used aluminum foil

As seen on GMail:

Recycling Tip: You can make a lovely hat out of previously-used aluminum foil.

Setting up Apple Mail to use GMail via IMAP

The Google help page for Apple Mail 2.0 is a little out of date, but it seems to be working.

What prompted me to do this is that the Mail app is not accessing my mailbox anymore. It just started having problems after I did a lot of offline work on the plane home from Florida yesterday. Now I'm getting a message in mail saying that some of the things I did offline are being reset AND mail can't seem to connect to my mailbox.

I forward all my emails to GMail anyway, so this seems like a good solution.

I've noticed that GMail has been more reliable at receiving emails faster than they usually appear in my Apple Mail mailbox. It also seems to have a great spam filter.

Steve Garfield Featured on WCVB Boston's Chronicle Tuesday, December 16: Media Makers

Tuesday, December 16: Media Makers - Chronicle HD News Story - WCVB Boston:

"It's an astounding menu of television and web programming, everything from heart tugging reality television, mini-documentaries and animated children's series, to fast breaking news and information. But this is no lineup for a national network. It's the variety of shows produced right here in New England by independent producers, work that is seen on local and cable outlets. Tonight, Chronicle takes you behind the scenes of some of the area's most intriguing homegrown programs."

The Chronicle team, Producer Jason Potts and videographer Bob Oliver, followed me for a day and got footage of me doing two projects.

Here's a video I shot of them when we first met at Boston's City Hall Plaza: Jason Potts from Chronicle says it IS all about me!. Videobloggers will think this is very funny because a joke we've shared over the years is how some people have the impression that videoblogging is all about the videoblogger and not the subject. So it was funny when Jason said that this story was all about me. ;-)

The first project they covered was me shooting video of Boston City Councillor John Tobin out side the ugliest building in the world, Boston's City Hall, where he talked about tearing it down.

Video on VoteJohnTobin.com: Plans for a New City Hall in Government Center, Boston

Video: John Tobin Talks about Videoblogging


The other was a shoot I did for Next New Networks, where I interviewed the Boston Band Freezepop.




Photos Courtesy Belen Bogado (c) All rights reserved

Rough Cut video: Interview with Freezepop

Final Video: I Want My MP3: Freezepop (Episode 3)

Also featured:

My friend John Herman and some of his projects: Odd Noggin, Energy Smackdown.

Plus: Powderhouse , Boston.TV , Shoetube, Iron Brides, Deos Animation, Ribert & Robert’s Wonderworld , BNN.

Update:
Watch the segment here.

Hello Ladies! Reporting from Florida.

These three ladies were just a few of the fun things we saw on our short trip to Florida to bring my mom down for the winter.

Check out these two reports on her blog:

Day 2 in Flordia: Amazing Breakfast and Some Shopping

Down in Florida, Getting Settled

Heading home this morning on jetBlue. Love it!

Not looking forward to the cold weather up in Boston though.

Video: A Day With Steve Garfield

Northeastern University Graduate Student Belen Bogado produced this video for her story, Steve Garfield, citizen journalism and the others. She spoke with Adam Gaffin:

Adam Gaffin also believes that Garfield’s future is full of possibilities, especially in the current context print media is facing. Gaffin says “Steve is something of a pathfinder, showing how to use relatively simple tools to do some amazing storytelling. I think you'll see more of that in mainstream media partly because they are looking for less expensive ways to tell stories (death spirals and all that), partly because people like Steve are turning out some stuff that's every bit as good as, if not better than, what fulltime reporters can do.”

She did a great job. Belen also got quotes from Dan Gillmor, Andrew Keen, and Tish Grier.

Stop over to her blog and leave her a comment.

Ask Jimmy Fallon: How are you going to include the audience in the show?

This is great. Jimmy did his first Ask Jimmy segment and answered my question.

Jimmy: The first one up is from Steve Garfield, our old pal.

Steve: It's great to see you videoblogging, I love the behind the scenes stuff and I'm excited about the possibility of you including content from the people formally known as the audience. What are you going to do with that, how are you going to include us?

Jimmy: Thanks, that's a good question Steve Garfield. We want to include the audience as much as we can... This willl carry over to our show... I think it's awesome. Whatever's coming out, however we can incorporate technology with the audience, and our show, you will be on the show. Good question.

FIRST!

Thanks for answering. I'm looking forward to contributing and being on the show. ;-)

Barry Pevner, MD

Arrow Ring!

Arrow Ring! Thanks Tricia!!, originally uploaded by Zadi Diaz.

The ring is by dresserjohnson.com.

Comcast Modem Installation Craziness

Mobile post sent by stevegarfield using Utterli.  Replies.  mp3

Bottom line, hook up modem, call Comcast.

Do not run install program.

Comcast has some problems.

We picked up my mom's modem and brought it to her condo.

I hooked it up and opened up Safari.

A Comcast Installation screen popped up in the browser.

I thought, hey, maybe they've streamlined the installation process where you don't have to call anyone anymore.

So I went through the installation program's steps and ended up with an error, that the connection could not be made.

I called Comcast on my cell phone and then entered my mom's Florida phone #.

After being on hold someone in the accounting department answered. They transfered me to the internet group.

I gave my mom's Florida phone #. They could not find her account.

I gave them her account #. They could not find her account.

I gave them her address. They could not find her account.

I gave them her zip code. They could not find her account.

They said, oh, you are in Florida. We are in Massachusetts and can not help you.

They transferred me to Florida.

I got connected with a Florida rep.

I gave my mom's Florida phone #. They could not find her account.

I gave them her account #. They could not find her account.

I gave them her address. They could not find her account.

I ended up reading them the MAC address off the modem. They found that.

They then reset the modem and got it working.

I exited and restarted the browser and we were online.

After all this I asked what I should do next year when I get a new modem.

The tech rep said, "Just call in, don't use hte install software, that hardly ever works. You need to physically install the modem in order for us to turn it on."

It would be nice if the people in the Florida Comcast office would just tell you that upfront.

Video Promo: Boston Media Makers

Join us at the next Boston Media Makers Meeting, Sunday January 4th, 2009 at Doyle's Cafe in Jamaica Plain, MA.

I was on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon last night!

Did you see that I was on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon last night?

Very cool.

Well, not really on, but he did read my comment.

Jimmy gets it.

I sent in a comment about the wording on his site that incorrectly stated that he was going to post a new video blog each night.

He isnt' posting a new video blog each night, he's posting a new video on a blog each night.

If you were posting a new video blog, you'd actually be making up a whole new site with a new URL, header, graphics, etc.

I thought the battle against the imporpoer use of the word video blog was lost with all the YouTube kids saying they were always posting new video blogs when all they were actualy doing was posting a new video. All is not lost.

Note to Jimmy's webmaster:

Change the title in the video player.

From:


Late Night with Jimmy Fallon - New Video Blog Weeknights 12:35/11:35c

To:
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon - New Video Weeknights 12:35/11:35c

Jimmy Fallon is listening.

I'm excited about the possibilities of collaboration.

Late Night With Jimmy Fallon could be ground breaking like Rick Sanchez on CNN with his use of Twitter, Facebook, etc.

Jimmy has embraced Social Media.

He's joined these social networks that I participate in:

Facebook * We're friends here * Friend Me!
Twitter * We're friends here * Friend Me!
flickr * We're friends here * Friend Me!
FriendFeed * We're friends here * Friend Me!
Yelp * We're friends here * Friend Me!
Last.fm * We're friends here * Friend Me!

Ning * We're friends here * Friend Me!
YouTube * We're friends here * Friend Me!
myNBC * We're friends here * Friend Me!

Jimmy joined these that I'm a member of:

Digg [ me ]
MySpace [ me ]
Mixx [ me ]
Reddit [ me ]

Jimmy also joined these others. Guess he wants friends anywhere he can find them:

Imeem
Hi5
Myyearbook.com
Friendster
Bebo

I like how Jimmy mentioned using Skype in the way Tom Green uses it on his live internet show that he broadcasts from his house.



We'll see what happens.

Maybe tonight he'll play the video I sent in? :-)

How much of an impact do you think Jimmy Fallon's embrace of Social Media will have on his new show?

What Does The Future Look Like?

Northeastern University Grad Student Belen Bogado interviewed me for a class project. We had a lot of fun and she just emailed me two follow up questions.

CC Chapman says in his blog post Reflecting Back, Aiming Forward:

Start thinking about what you want to accomplish in 2009. Figure out what you can accomplish before the end of the year and strive for that as well. If there are people who can help you reach those goals then share with them and talk to them about how you need their help.

Good idea. Like CC, I've always got a million ideas percolating. I usually make it a point to make one big New Years reolution.

In 2004 it was starting a video blog, in 2005 it was making one video each week for The Carol and Steve Show.

Note: Both of these projects were pre-YouTube!

Here are Belen's final two questions for me. I've answered them here.

What are my future projects?

I'm always looking to work with new technologies to tell stories, so I'll be on the lookout for those tools that will make telling stories with video easier and better.

That includes broadcasting live streams of HD video with mobile devices.

I'm going to be working with new and existing clients to help them tell their stories with video and get involved with social media.

I'll also be participating in Citizen Journalism projects and hope that I can work on both the local, national and worldwide level to encourage existing media outlets to see the value of work with viewers.

What do you think your future looks like?

The future is bright and full of possibilities.

I'm looking forward to:

- working with consumer electronics companies to evaluate new products help guide them in their future product plans

- get involved with Hollywood to produce some behind the scenes packages of shows that I love

- work closely with both local and national news organizations to help them include viewer content on their platforms with proper attribution

- expand my teaching and speaking

What are your future projects, what do you think the future looks like?

Can we help each other with our goals?

You Oughta Know Inbound Marketing

Hubspot: Inbound Marketing.

Somewhere Over the Rainbow Morgan, Age 10

Twitter Skeptics Turned into Believers

I was at a meeting this morning in Boston with a new client, The Strategy Group.

When the discussion turned to twitter, they asked the same questions that I asked before I started using it. Why would I care if Chris Brogan was getting on a train or what he ate for lunch?

I brought up the twitter main screen and told them we were going to ask my followers a question.

We decided on this:

I'm at a meeting with twitter skeptics... If you've got a sec, could you say hi and maybe point to twitter success stories?

Then we went over to twitter search and watched the responses pour in.

It was impressive, and exciting to see the power of the community in real time.

Here's a copy and paste of the responses that we saw, in reverse chronological order:

pwgruman: @stevegarfield can you share some of the stories folks sent you re: twitter skeptics?

susankitchens: Aaawww, idn't dat tweet? Searched Twitter for @stevegarfield: http://tinyurl.com/6akfpb (expand). he asked, "why's twitter cool?" read and be glad.

sblackburn: @stevegarfield Hi Steve -- twitter is great and a must use tool for connecting

clarkityclark: @stevegarfield Just curious. How many responses did you get? Thanks!

AugeoBenefits: @stevegarfield hey steve and everyone he's chatting with, here's a good one. Check out @comcastcares blog. www.timetobefrank.com

OrganicaDeluxe: @stevegarfield Found media leads thru twitter 4 new co. Organica Deluxe. @kabster728 @ WSJ recently wrote great article explaining twitter

vonwolffe: @stevegarfield Guten tag ... @rocketboom 4100+ followers, @kevinrose 70,000+ followers, @socialmediaclub 13,000 followers

geechee_girl: @stevegarfield any time :)

clarkityclark: @stevegarfield From Wired Magazine: Activists use Twitter to Manage Anti-War Protesters. http://tinyurl.com/2tyj5n (expand)

Michael_Hoffman: @stevegarfield Did you tell them about Tweetsgiving?

howardlindzon: @stevegarfield ping me with any questions about @stocktwits happy to help explain

hrheingold: @stevegarfield http://bit.ly/bWlH (expand) Crowdsourcing ideas about libraries in 2009: a Twitter story by @bryanalexander

mmpartee: @stevegarfield Hello twitter skeptics. Good place to start: Pistachio - http://twurl.nl/ih6h4p (expand)

GuidoS: @stevegarfield hi

howefitz: @stevegarfield Hi! Tweeting's helped me connect to people I'm interested in for advice/support. http://howefitz.com/blog/?p=47

clarkityclark: RT @stevegarfield I'm at a meeting with twitter skeptics. If you've got a sec, could you say hi and maybe point to twitter success stories?

dnsf: @stevegarfield http://tinyurl.com/4w9dmo (expand)

huffpost: @stevegarfield I'm skeptical of journalists who find diffidence toward social media a winning strategy. Do they have any success stories ...

jayrosen_nyu: @stevegarfield I'm skeptical of journalists who find diffidence toward social media a winning strategy. Do they have any success stories?

troutscout: @stevegarfield Howdy to you and the skeptics.

clarkityclark: @stevegarfield: @arunshanbhag was written about in the NYtimes re: the role of twitter during the attacks in India http://tinyurl.com/5bfx35 (expand)

ldlow: @stevegarfield Hi! Zappos is my fave SS http://is.gd/aHQr (expand)

johnwilpers: @stevegarfield Need any more, Steve?

johnbaloney: @stevegarfield remind the skeptics that when I go to your twitter page I see everything you posted while I wasn't looking at twitter

eric_guerin: @stevegarfield Hey Steve - I've used Twitter for the past 1½ years & have received several work projects from the relationships I've built

mattceni: @stevegarfield - we helped @alleyesonjenny . if there's anything i can do for you (FedEx wise), please let me know.

MHJohnston: @stevegarfield When immediate isn't fast enough. Twitter allows me to track the zeitgeist of NOW not an hour ago.

stales: @stevegarfield Twitter success story: Thanks for @amandamooney, Friday's $5 Twitter challenge $3,423 from 98 donors for my Foundation.

Genevangelist: @stevegarfield @stocktwits is a huge success in the financial arena & uses $ for stock symbol tags - try the Firefox ext - it's so cool

jtrentadams: @stevegarfield Twitter is a great way for a number of groups quickly and easily keeping each other on top of distributed conversations.

AllEyesOnJenny: @stevegarfield recently I got help/answers after an annoying issue with FedEx (people RT'd my problem & I got contacted by Media Relations!)

mjcarrasquillo: @stevegarfield Hello Steve, without twitter, I would miss live events and slices of life that all of my great twitter followers are posting.

karyhead: @stevegarfield I got a job and moved to NYC because of asking for job leads on twitter.

caff: @stevegarfield - comcast cares: http://tinyurl.com/5gfbbm (expand)

AllEyesOnJenny: @stevegarfield my Jetblue flight way delayed out of Boston, no one in the terminal could help me so I twittered @jetblue and got an answer!

janeporricelli: @stevegarfield Hi! And http://tinyurl.com/5venx4 (expand)

BrotherMagneto: @stevegarfield My favourite is UK-based @lastminute_com who use Twitter to run promotions, but also for 1:1 engagement, listening and ?s.

dcSportsGuy: @stevegarfield good morni Steve! Here's a real life example from the American Cancer Society ... hope this helps! http://hex.io/2np

adrums: @stevegarfield (more) Lee (Stranahan) & I first learned of the Universal Studios fires on twitter one Sunday AM (right in our own backyard)

geechee_girl: @stevegarfield raising money for @stales foundation and @tweetsgiving, finding me writing and consulting clients, meeting people in person

manifest_mag: @stevegarfield Hi Twitter skeptics... That's ok guys, it took my 6 months to understand how twitter could be at all useful.

motivationmama: @stevegarfield thanks for the follow back!

jmeserve: @stevegarfield got a great podcast out of a twitter exchange with @jtrentadams - http://is.gd/a37x (expand)

adrums: @stevegarfield Hey Steve- I'd say the best part about twitter is that I'm turned on to links almost daily that save me either time or money

jeffhibbard: @stevegarfield Most of my favorite blogs I read came from tweets or recommendations from twitterers :)

johnwilpers: @stevegarfield Or the LA fires: LAT reporters were twittering on the current status of the fire AT THAT MOMENT ("the fire has crossed...")

RyanDeschamps: @stevegarfield and you could look at #tweetsgiving . They raised $10,000 in 2 days for a school in Tanzania. Lots of business potential.

briandigital: @stevegarfield we at @UIE use Twitter for business as well as pleasure. We track how attendees are enjoying our conferences, in real time.

mainelife: @stevegarfield Hi Steve. Twitter was very effective in reporting on the violence in Kenya earlier this year.

johnherman: @stevegarfield I've made a bunch of valuable creative and business contacts through Twitter. Several job offers too.

jeffhibbard: @stevegarfield Hi Steve! Twitter is how I found out about YOU! How can you not love that? !

cksthree: @stevegarfield hi to all your twitter skeptics. twitter success stories... hmm. I can usually get questions answered quickly by asking here

GregoryLent: @stevegarfield ha, here is one .. @davidcushman put a piece of my art on the cover of his book, we only met here in the twitterverse

johnwilpers: @stevegarfield How about the RNC? Alternative papers were twittering & got tweets about a disturbance MSM papers did not. Beat'em badly!

RyanDeschamps: @stevegarfield I have found a local network for the library that I could not catch via blogging. They force me to learn their needs.

JustinKownacki: @stevegarfield Hi Steve. By "success stories," do you mean the way Twitter was used in Mumbai? Or any of the health-based donation drives?

jesseluna: @stevegarfield Hi, Twitter is a great way to point interested people to Web site resources, ...almost instantly! ~Macom mgr for tech co.

missleah26: @stevegarfield Hi to the skeptics! For company success stories, check out @zappos, @starbucks, @wholefoods, @jetblue, & @dunkindonuts!

StevenWillis: @stevegarfield take a look at MarkMayhew, using twitter to coordinate his efforts around huricane relief. Started in NOLA, now in TX.

MichaelTurk: @stevegarfield Hi! Take a look at @ComcastCares. Frank Eliason at Comcast has done huge things for their customer service reputation

RyanDeschamps: @stevegarfield Hey Twitter skeptics. Twitter looks different to the people inside than it does from the outside.

teensygreen: @stevegarfield Hi there! I'm a freelance copywriter who has landed two gigs through people I've met on Twitter! Try it, you'll like it!

DaveTitle: @stevegarfield Don't be skeptics, folks. Twitter is not a game-changer per se but ignoring or shunning it closes you off to possibility

lisajohnson: @stevegarfield Hi Steve! I brought in a new line of clothing through twitter to my biz and I've gotten 3 new clients & 2 writing gigs!

I told them that no matter where I go, I feel like I've always got my community with me.

Thanks to everyone who participated.

Want more?

Read Chris Brogan's 50 Ideas on Using Twitter for Business.

Free Webinar featuring Chris Brogan Covers the Basics of Using Twitter for Business 12/11

A "Model" Fenway Day

A "Model" Fenway Day, originally uploaded by B Tal.

Saw this cool tilt-shift photo of Fenway Park on the Viximo blog after the I Wear Your Shirt guy asked me if I knew the Viximo guys.

The I Wear Your Shirt guy is wearning Viximo's shirt on January 11th, 2009, and they are paying him $11 to do it.

April 9th is still available for $99.

Boston Media Makers Meeting Report

Read the Boston Media Makers 12/04/08 Meeting Report. It's got lots of photos, videos and links to interesting things.

Like Mr. Fries!

The Boston Globe Covers My Audio Reports From Roche Bros.

Ric Kahn writes in today's Boston Globe, Capturing a market. With its golden rules, Roche Bros. fosters faithful food shoppers:

At 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 30, the world as he knew it turned upside down.

Steve Garfield captured the momentous occasion with his iPhone, reporting in real time from the scene of the tumult: aisle 7 of the Roche Bros. supermarket in West Roxbury, where Garfield found himself in utter confusion while trying to make a routine shopping run.

As Garfield, an ace citizen journalist, spread his firsthand findings from the store to shoppers everywhere, he wondered: What in the name of Orville Redenbacher was the popcorn doing next to the pet food?

"Everything's changed!" he audiostreamed on one of his websites, www.offonatangent.com. "They moved the chips! They moved the juice! Everything's crazy! . . . I know the economy's bad. You've got a lot of issues that are bigger than figuring out where this stuff is in the supermarket. But why, when we're all concerned about if our banks are failing, do we have to go and relearn the whole format of the supermarket?"

Nice job capturing and reporting on that moment.

As a citizen journalist I like to experiment with lots of different technologies for reporting news. I also teach these new media tools at Boston University.

You can learn more at SteveGarfield.com

The technology behind recording and reporting with a cell phone is Utterli. It allows you to call into a phone number, record your message, and have that message posted both to Utterli and to your blog if you have one. If you email a photo in to Utterli, that photo gets associated with your audio post.

Here's the audio report Ric Kahn wrote about in the Globe article:



Here's another audio post about the nice looking fruit at Roche Bros.



Finally here's one more report from Roche Bros about the Olive Bar:

Boston Media Makers: This SUNDAY December 7, 2008

Meeting Reminder for This SUNDAY December 7, 2008



Boston Media Makers meet at:
Doyle's Cafe
3484 Washington Street
Jamaica Plain, Boston, MA, 02130
1-(617)-524-2345

Register at Upcoming.



Doyle's serves Sunday Brunch! ( Bring cash )

10:00 - 10:30
Mingling

10:30 - 12:00
Introductions
LIVE Twitter: We go around the table and talk about what we are doing, ask questions, present a show and tell.

Bring something to share with the group. Something you've learned, something new you've found, or some good news.

All within a 3 minute time limit. It's fun.

Open Discussion
If there's time, we'll have an open discussion at the end.

EVERYONE IS WELCOME!
If you are interested in the web, social media, advertising, PR, audio, video, photography... come by.

See you at our next meeting on December 7th, 2008.

It's always on the first Sunday at 10:00 AM.

Update:
Check out the Meeting Notes from the December 7th, 2008 Boston Media Makers Meeting with links, photos and some videos.

Christmas Time Is Here from A Charlie Brown Christmas by Graham English

Testing out Facebook video embed Firefox Greasemonkey script.

Head over to Facebook and leave Graham a comment.

DANCE OFF: DGENETICS vs. 123 Party!

Generation V by DGENETICS


Generation V from DGENETICS on Vimeo.

Info - Dgenetics Musics

123 Party! Dance Video #001 "Don't Doubt the Dance"



123 Party! on MySpace

They're dancing in the street