Reinvention = Inspiration

I attended a seminar last night on social media. The course did cover much material I had heard before--blogging, SEO marketing--although it is never time poorly spent to hear a new take on these older concepts. What struck me most from this group was the demographic. Over half were recently laid off journalists on the print side. No surprising when you consider recent events. There were also quite a few recently laid off corporate types. The average age in the room was probably 50, which made me feel quite spry.

It got me thinking--reinvention is the buzz word of our times. If you are not out learning new skills, attending seminars, loading up on brain fuel, you will cease to be relevant. This has never been more true. I talked to one former newspaper reporter of a major market daily during a break who told me he isn't sure he wants to blog, but he now knows that if he wants to stay on top of the industry, he must. He's never had to before--he had his newspaper brand backing him up. Now, he has to establish his own brand. I wasn't sure if he was nervous or excited about what lies ahead--probably a little bit of both--but taking action of some kind is one certainty.

In a later post, Innovative Journalists is going to have it's Top 5 steps to reinvention. The first? Admitting you must and trusting you will be rewarded.

Rules of Engagement

Social media is a powerful force- breaking down barriers of discussion that were at one time insurmountable. Cruising the Cayman Islands and want to to share your pics with family? Post them on your blog. Or post them on your Facebook wall. Or now, share it almost instantly with a community of squid lovers as a TwitPic. Innovation has changed the rules of engagement. For the better.

What makes Twitter a different breed of social media cat is the instant, direct dialogue platform it creates. Take the Roger Clemens interview on ESPN yesterday. As soon as the disgraced former pitcher was on the air--continuing to deny he ever used steroids--reaction was flying all over in the form of Tweets. The dialogue was not what you would see in a discussion board or comment section of a blog posting. No, it was real time, Q & A back and forth just as if you were knocking back a few barley molds with your buddies at the tavern.

Even the media was engaged-- reporters were Tweeting with each other, commenting on the absurdity of Clemens continued non-mea culpa but also making suggestions about story angles/takes on the news.

Innovation is taking on many forms in this era of digital journalism. Be on the lookout as it may be under your nose. And if so, be sure you Tweet about it.

Tweet, Tweet, then beat

Who knows how long Twitter will be the hot social media currency. It continues its meteoric climb in usership, and you can check user statistics here. Whether you think it's relevant or not to obtain a Twitter account, one thing is for sure--someone you know is Twittering. That person is most likely a Facebook friend. And they just put the kids to bed. Just read their wall. The fascinating details are all there.

Now, if you want to read real news and stimulate your brain, it's possible to achieve both on Twitter. A grad student at DePaul Unversity started a website a few months ago called BreakingTweets.com. It is a news gathering site, where by using Twitter search engines, they report on international news, mostly breaking news. Something happens in the Middle East overnight in the US, traditional media can't, won't cover it. That doesn't mean there isn't a thirst and desire for this type of news.

Thanks to technology, BreakingTweets.com can learn about a story happening in real time, search for eyewitness accounts of a story while also aggregating reaction from those impacted by a news event. The site was sourced by Sky News in one of their online stories about an attempted shooting on the Queen of Holland. The site beat conventional news outlet BBC with the story. Read the riveting account of what happened here.

Technology+Social Media+Journalism=Innovation.

Have a Tweeterific day.

Success Leaves Clues

You've seen her on ESPN First Take, duking it out with the insufferable Skip Bayless. You've read her columns on ESPN.com, where she has distinguished herself as a no-nonsense reporter. Now you see Jemele Hill posing with me, your insufferable blog editor (I gave her no choice as I staked out the lobby like a crazed fan).

I attended a seminar this past weekend in St. Petersburg, Florida where Jemele spoke. She has quite a story--coming up from the streets of Detroit, moving up the newspaper ranks before landing at ESPN a few years ago. After listening to her speak and spending some time with her, one word keep creeping into my consciousness--genuine. As a journalist, I always admired her authenticity. Once you meet her and listen to her speak, that quality is no act--she's a real and down to earth in person as she comes across in her writing and on television. That's not an easy transistion, but it is a common thread amongst successful people.

The ability to not only be in touch with who you are--am I compassionate? Am I humble? Am I a fair?--but the talent to channel that sense of self outwardly is what attracts people to or away from you. In journalism it is essential to survival--being hated is preferred over indifference. So ask yourself this question- how well am I in touch with my own values? And how can I best share those values through my work?

If you are looking for a good example, just check out Jemele Hill's work on ESPN.

Brain Fuel

I'm writing from sunny, humid St. Petersburg, Florida where I am attending the Poynter Institute Sports Journalism Summit. Lots of heavy hitters down here--Jack McCallum, Pat Forde, Jamele Hill, Sally Jenkins, just to name a few. I'm excited about rubbing elbows with these stars of sports journalism. But I'm stoked (I apologize for the mid-90's slang reference, I'm writing in a hurry here) for another reason.

It's a concept known as "slight edge". It's why I flew in from Chicago and paid my own way to attend the seminar. The idea is that by spending 3 days absorbing the intellectual capital of those mentioned and others, I will pick up one or two innovative concepts I have never heard before. And those concepts--combined with implementation--will add a significant amount of revenue to my business. Successful people understand this. Unsuccessful people look at the "cost" and say they can't afford it.

I would encourage all of you to ask yourselves--what am I doing to fuel my brain? What seminars, conferences, speeches are you attending that will give you a "slight edge" over your competition?

You don't have to fly all the way to Florida to practice this.

Brain fuel is all around you.

3 Likes about ESPN Chicago

I turned on ESPN Radio 1000 here in Chicago Monday morning, excited to hear what the midday hosts, Tom Waddle and Marc Silverman had to say about the Cubs opener at Wrigley.

And while we got plenty of baseball chat, we also got a taste of the ESPN promotion machine.

ESPNChicago.com was live for its first day, and let me tell you, our fair city has never been exposed to anything as innovative. A breathless Silverman could barely contain his excitement--any why wouldn't you be? You can link directly to Adam Abdalla's blog!--while partner Waddle (or T-Wizzle as some callers like to refer to him as) was his typical indifferent self, passing the time until the show started its latest Jay Cutler conversation thread.

All of the things you love most about the world-wide leader, Sliverman shouted (the writing, the reporting, Scoop Jackson!), only now it's been compartmentalized into bite-sized, regionalized chunks.

And while it remains to be seen whether the new site will enlighten us consumers of the Chicago sports scene, one thing we do know--it's here to stay.

After a few days of surfing the site, here are 3 things we like about the site:

LIKES

1. It's local! I admit I'm a provincial snob. Although I like my San Diego Padres (being the son of a Navy seaman will do that to you) and my Washington Redskins (John Riggins my all-time favorite NFL player), I care mostly about Chicago sports. With the ESPN machine funding a site devoted to local teams, it's a slam-dunk win for the consumer

2. Deeper, contextual content. Here's a for instance--on the site today, you have a piece by Bears reporter Jeff Dickerson on the Bears 2009 schedule. A game-by-game breakdown of each opponent. About 1,000 words. That probably would have been published on the radio site before, but now with ESPN's synergistic promotion behind it, you can actually find it. This is what online journalism should be about--convergence. There are no space restraints in the internet.

3. Chicago SportsCenter. Now, if you don't want Stan Verrett bloviating into your computer screen like an uninvited relative over Easter, then turn the auto play off. Otherwise, you get about 4 minutes of local highlights, rolling as soon as you log in. If you're like me, I don't want to have to watch a full SportsCenter to get to what I want to watch. Now it's on demand--how I want it, when I want it.

A quick bonus--I am a big fan of the StubHub partnership. OK, this is a bit shamelessly selfish on my part, but as a Cubs season ticket holder, I appreciate the StubHub ad banners all over the site. You need 3 for the Cubs-Marlins on May 2nd? Plenty of options just one mouse click away.

Coming Later: 3 things we don't like about ESPN Chicago

Newton's Law

Covering a war is pretty heavy stuff. Not only must you dodge the noise--bullets, bombs and bust ups--you must also get the story.

This past weekend in Indianapolis, I sat in on a presentation by Jeff Newton (he's on the right), a producer with 60 minutes. Newton's primary job at CBS is covering wars--as a cameraman, reporter and producer. Since 1992, he has done stories in 66 countries, including Iraq and Afghanistan.

Newton works primarily with correspondent Lara Logan, although he has also worked on pieces with Scott Pelley, Bob Simon and Dan Rather.

He gave the nuts and bolts about equipment--always have plenty of batteries--but he also shared intriguing insights on how journalists or anyone in any industry should think about their craft. Whether you are a beat reporter covering city hall in Gary, Indiana, covering politics in Columbus or running a software company in Toronto, they are principles that are impactful, no matter what your business.

I wanted to share 3 of Newton's Laws:

1. Don't let resources keep you from the story. Jeff shared an anecdote where he was called away on Christmas for a breaking news event in the Middle East. He had nothing but the clothes on his back and an AMEX card. He hopped on a plane anyway. You can always get what you need on the way.

2. Less is more. Too many characters can make for a noisy story. Overloading a piece with too many interviews will drive away your audience. Learn the art of cutting.

3. It's always the story that matters. Don't get bogged down what you don't have. It doesn't matter. Great storytelling is often hatched from the jaws of limited resources. Find great people. They are your muse.

Anyone want to add to this?

Do you have a 'Newton's Law' of your own?