I’ve been following a local story about police shooting a couple of suspects when they surprised them in a car suspected of involvement in some robberies. Neighbors were angry at the cops, and broke out windows in several police cars. Big story, still under investigation. Too early to know exactly what happened. Many details yet to be made clear. I tracked the story on Twitter, where I follow a local TV station and two newspapers. But I wasn’t able to put the timeline together until late in the day when I read a full account, posted on the TV station’s…
Category: New Media and Tech
How to Really Cover Events, Social Media Style
Posted in Cocktails and Spirits, New Media and Tech, and Podcasting
I’m a big ol’ critic of the current frenzy for social media. That is, I’m critical of the “social media can do EVERYTHING, replace ALL mainstream media, CURE CANCER, etc. school of thought. But I am not critical of the tools that make it possible to exchange information, or add deeper meaning to the content of media. Platforms like Twitter, podcasting, uStream, and Facebook, to name just a few, can unleash not only creativity of content-makers, but the imagination and enthusiasm of content consumers. I’m thinking about this today because I’m working on a plan to cover a conference I’ll…
AccessCamp: From A Distance
Posted in Access and Disability, and New Media and Tech
A couple days ago, I saw a Twitter message advertising AccessCamp, an unconference focusing on digital accessibility. At first,my response was a bit sarcastic: camps seem to proliferate like weeds, I observed. But the more I thought about it, the more an AccessCamp seemed like a brilliant idea, and one I wish I had been aware of earlier. Having fought and defeated inaccessibility in various ways all my life, I have a few thoughts. The camp environment, where people choose the topics they want to address and learn about, and in which interaction is prized, is especially exciting in a…
Austin Social Media 100
Posted in Announcements, New Media and Tech, Podcasting, and Random Personal Nonsense
I just learned that I’m listed in the Austin Social Media 100, in the tech category. I can’t say that I know much about this set of rankings, but I’m flattered to be included. I’m also mining the rest of the list for fun and interesting people to follow on Twitter or elsewhere.
Tagged, Not Tethered
Posted in New Media and Tech
Over the weekend, I do something I rarely do: I got involved with a Facebook meme. It didn’t require an app install, nor did I receive “points” of any kind for inviting my friends. I simply played along when a friend tagged me in her LifePod post. Create a note, copy and paste, do some tagging, and you’re done. It was fun! The fact that it seems very natural for those who enjoy social networks to tag one another, share links, or make things for other people to look at online, is one of the more central reasons social media…
As promised, here’s part 2 of my prescription for the newly podcast-infused BlogWorld Expo. Check out part 1 here: Thriving in spite of Vegas. Opinions about Las Vegas vary. For many, the bright lights and myriad attractions confer bigness and importance on a trade show. More people will come, the theory goes, to combine work with pleasure, and more people from all over the country will be able to find discounted travel options. But Vegas is not conducive to community-building. From the awkward layout of the LV Hilton/convention center, to the sheer size of the venues, Vegas tends to swallow…
In a move that was first rumored back in 2007, Tim Bourquin has sold the trade show he created, New Media Expo, to BlogWorld, producers of BlogWorld Expo (link currently not working). The 2008 New Media Expo, the fourth annual event that was aimed primarily at podcasters, did not quite live up to expectations, and Bourquin had not announced a 2009 event, leading to speculation that the show would either disappear or be moved from Las Vegas to a more conducive venue. I’ll be honest with you here. I’m fighting the temptation to rain on the BlogWorld Expo parade, even…
Another new nano?
Posted in New Media and Tech
Am I really the only person who finds Apple’s frequent tinkering with the iPod nano design tedious? The first nano had physical problems (read, it got scratched a lot), the second was a thing of beauty, the third was chunky and awkward, and the fourth, well, I haven’t seen one, so I’m withholding judgment. Other than an altered menu system and the ability to play video (do y’all play video on your nanos?) it’s essentially the same device that was released in 2005. I love the nano. In all versions, the size was just about right, both physically, and in…
veepPhone
Posted in New Media and Tech, and Politics and Public Affairs
The collective press, and even my Twitter stream has been infected by veepstakes fever, mostly on the Obama side. It’s become a little annoying at this point, I’ll admit. And by the way, I haven’t given my cell number to the Obama campaign for this purpose, though I’ve been on his text message list in the past. What I realized this morning, as I read the Mashable story about fake iPhone lines in Poland, is how similar this week’s veep frenzy has been to the run-up to an Apple launch. Of course, the iPhone lines are not Apple’s doing, but…