AR&D Reinventing Local Media

I’m writing this on the Tuesday night of the Democratic National Convention, and so I apologize if this advice comes a little late for some of you. But we still have two nights of the DNC and then the RNC to go. I thought I’d help you “listen” to the national conversation that goes on in real time during these events and throughout the year.

On Twitter: When people choose to write about a common event or person, they precede that noun with a # mark. For an event, someone usually comes up with an accepted shorthand, in this case #dnc08. (Sports fans take note – it’s proper etiquette to write “#red sox” or “#cubs” for this same reason.)

Go to search.twitter.com and put #dnc08 in the search field. (I’m guessing the tag for next week will be #rnc08, but check Twitter to be sure.) There you will find a stream of “tweets” which will run the range – but which are always indicative of the range of opinion that’s out there. (There are also some pretty funny observations.) You will also find mainstream reporters and others sending messages right from the floor. It’s not too overwhelming, and you only need to check in as you see fit.

For blogs: There’s no better tool than Technorati.com. This dedicated blog search tool scours the live Web to find out what people are talking about. You will see a tag cloud on the front page. Sure enough – the big tags right now are “barack obama,” “news” and “politics.” Want to find a local blogger talking about the DNC? Enter the search terms for your city name and “DNC” or “Obama” and see what you find. There may be local folks who are out there and are worth talking to when they get back (or before they head to the RNC). You’ll also find some great opinion pieces in your community.

Here’s an addictive tool, and it will make you feel a little like you’re eavesdropping on the world. Google Hot Trends gives you the top 100 search results in (more or less) real time. Yeah – there is some off color stuff here, but there are also some unexpected results. The tenth most-searched result term on Google right now is “7 wonders of the world?” Wild.

Listen to the audience and watch how they behave. Find out their interests. We often wonder “what’s on their mind?” We can find out.

Users of the new Apple iPhone 3G are reporting problems with reception. I can vouch for that: I'm one of them. Apple bragged about how this new phone would use the faster AT&T 3G network. One problem: we keep losing the signal.

This is not an isolated event. There may be a problem with a chip inside the phone itself. With Apple selling millions of iPhone 3Gs this summer, you'd think this would rate as a top story. After all, we saw plenty of pieces on how the lines were really long when the thing went on sale, right? There was lots of great PR for the iPhone 3G. So why the lack of reporting on this significant development?

My guess? The pictures aren't as good. Long lines of excited people = good pictures. Bad reception on a phone? No pictures.

Online, there are plenty of stories. I found out about this from a Twitter posting by Steve Rubel, who pointed me to an obscure site that was writing about the story. Other sites began to pick up on it. iLounge and CNet have it now. But still – only a handful of mainstream media outlets are reporting this. If it weren't for the Web, I wouldn't know about the story, and I'd think I was the only one having reception issues.

The Media Reinvention has to be about the stories that affect people personally. Accidents and fires? How do those compare to a story affecting, possibly, thousands of people in your area? Put out the call online – are any of you affected by this problem? Get a consumer reporter on this! We're dependent on our communications devices, and make no mistake – this is a local story.

Just don't try to call me and ask for advice. 

Please don't tell me you are waiting until the NBC broadcast is showing in your local time before posting the results on your Website. Via Lost Remote, the LA Times writes:

What gives, American media?

Report the news. Cover the Games. But give us a warning before ruining the evening’s entertainment.

Websites and newspapers handled “American Idol” eliminations with extreme delicacy, so why no tact when it comes to covering a race in a swimming pool?

OK, before we move any further – did the LA Times just compare the Olympics to American Idol?

Now, then… the Olympics is a worldwide event, and with the Web you can get live results anywhere, at any time. Thanks to MSNBC's truly remarkable online coverage, you can watch 3,600 hours of live coverage online. This is more coverage than all the previous summer Olympics combined, since they started televising them in 1960. So forget this business about keeping secrets online. How foolish will you look if you don't have the results – especially of your local athletes – on the front of your site?

“John Smith of our Hometown competed 12 hours ago in the 100m Freestyle! Just three more hours until it's shown on TV! Or click through here to click through to the page that clicks through to MSNBC's online spoiler coverage. Don't say we didn't warn you. Also – don't go anywhere near the Smith house on Main Street where our live truck is with the celebrating Smith family.”

Please.

I've seen the ratings numbers, and the Olympics are doing just fine. And if you're not an NBC affiliate, why do you really care? We're in the news business. We report the news. On TV, everyone says “if you don't want to hear the results, turn down the volume and look away for three minutes” or something like that. Good enough.

I missed the men's swim 400 meter relay, read about it the next day and watched the replay online. You know what? It was amazing and exciting. That I knew about the result, I suppose, took away a little of the thrill. But I still appreciated the stunning finish. And I was blown away by the athleticism and the joy the team felt (and felt not just a little pride that we beat the trash-talking French).

This past June, we lost the great American sportscaster Jim MacKay. Let's remember his words about the thrill of victory, the agony of defeat and the human drama of athletic competition. It's about the athletes first. There is nothing in Jim's words about “except on the West coast – don't tell them anything for a few hours.”

Way off topic, but funny for a Friday. A pest control guy showed up at my door this afternoon. He tells me he “just wants me to know” that he's in the area doing some work for my neighbors. (I know he's here to sell me, but fine.) He says my neighbors are concerned about the pests in the neighborhood. (My kids, I'm guessing.) They've seen – gasp – ants. Wasps, too. Silverfish. Earwigs, for heaven's sake! (Had to look that one up. Did you know they don't actually go in your ear?) He engages me in this conversation for a few minutes. Then he moves in for the sale. Normally, it's $280, but because my neighbors are all using him, it's $160.

“Thank you, that's a very generous offer,” I say. “But I have an insect control guy I use, and I don't have any ants or earwigs.”

“What's his name?” the salesman asks.

“That's a private matter,” I tell him, not seeing where that's his business.

“Well you could have told me that before!” he says, impertinently.

“You didn't ask,” I respond, as I thank him for his time and he walks away, steamed.

I can't think of a better example of how not to sell someone. Imagine – the onus was on me to interrupt him and tell him, before he asked, that I wasn't going to buy.

Now, about my damn neighbors and their earwigs…