Why are we using them? Are they fun? Are the cute? Are they just what we do…hashtag everything?
They were meant originally to help organize conversations, allowing like minded people to connect inside conversations. Now…there is a hashtag for everything…just because.
I am not sure what Payne Stewart has to do with #blogchat, but it was a part of a verbal spat during the Twitter chat on Sunday, June 15, 2015. I was sitting watching television while following the chat when this little verbal disagreement broke out. Nothing more than a few heated words, but still this raised a concern for me. Why, I have help clients build communities using hashtag chats. I would hate for something like this to unfold during one of my client’s Twitter chats…but it could happen.
Did you watch the keynote address from Apple’s #WWDC14 opening day? Did you happen to see the first video before anyone walked onto the stage? I did and I was inspired.
How many story-lines can you list while watching this video? Here is what I came up with…I was typing in real time as watched and listened this video.
More and more digital agencies are seeing the need for an added value proposition…digital storytellers. These are people that understand visual storytelling, video production, and content development and marketing.
They are selling these services as tactics. Yes…we are finding they are selling services in addition to their web strategies…they can create video, they can create a Facebook page, they can write copy. Pat them on the back and buy ’em a drink.
They have hired a video editor, a videographer, a social media consultant and sell it as an added offering. Yep…but execution is lack luster. They are selling tactics without meat to the strategy.
A friend sent me this video the other day and I was completely intrigued. His note to me…
Reed Smith says:
“I love cars… this is a great example of a really cool car. But they chose to talk about the car though the owners not just simple telling you about the car.”
The link he sent me included the video above and comeback ground information about this story and the Porsche 911 B59.
I was up late reading and stumbled across this article about a photoessay by Photographer Nancy Borowick sharing her story…both of her parents fighting cancer. No…this is not a story of one of her parents fighting cancer and the other standing along side as a support system. BOTH of her parents have cancer and BOTH are fighting cancer simultaneously.
Many wonder if storytelling is alive and well during primetime television especially with news organizations. I have been a huge fan of 60 minutes for years. One of the main reasons…their ability to tell a wonderful story combining so many story-lines into one final piece.
So my friend Dr. V has tackled a question I think many of us are trying to figure out: What is content?
He shares his thoughts (original blog post):
“Content is retrievable information that can be consumed. It’s stuff that can be heard, seen, shared, curated and commented upon.
Content is a human creation, something translated from the realm of the mind into some tangible form. This could be an idea shaped into a piece of writing or a scene uniquely captured as an image or video. The subjective process of translation is how the view of the mind’s eye becomes content.
The shift has happened and a brave new world is opening for the way I capture and tell stories. For years, I have been trying to find a new way that combines my love for digital images and motion into one platform for digital photojournalism.
I have always tried to purchase cameras that match the workflow where I was trained; ENG or electronic news gathering. The equipment I always purchased matched the tools in the television news realm of ENG. Remember, I used to be a television new photojournalist. Television news cameras, audio, and lighting workflows was one of efficiency regardless of the situation.
In today’s high stakes game of business and fundraising, this blog post from the Wharton Business School was completely inspiring and revealing.
I want to spend a few minutes sharing a few key points that truly resonated with me. Most importantly, this article Wharton blog post reinforces the notion that leadership not only must support digital initiatives as business strategy, but they must be deeply a part of the conversation.
The most important paragraph:
“Business model risk is today’s biggest strategic risk, and companies without boards that are digitally savvy could find themselves starved of investor capital, according to this opinion piece written by Deloitte & Touche partners William J. Ribaudo and Henry Ristuccia; Barry Libert, CEO of OpenMatters, and his associate Megan Beck Fenley.”