soapboxproject

Court twits

2010-05-01T22:15:00.000-07:00

I caught the tail end of Ron Sylvester's tweets the other day and decided to go back and fill in the gaps.

He was tweeting about a court case as it happened.

Ron is a court reporter for the Wichita Eagle (Kansas, USA) and a year or so ago I noticed was tweeting from court - and wrote an essay about it.

There's more about him here.

As one of the links above notes, Ron believes a journalist's role is to pass on information and while he's not new to the game he can see how new media platforms like twitter make doing that job easier and more effective.

As he says, "it puts print back in the game".

I'm not a court reporter so it's hard for me to conceive of how he can tweet so succinctly - and within the confines of media law - but he manages to put the objective facts across with a little subjective colour (so anyone could read the tweets and prick their ears, or eyes, up).

This is the story his tweets related to: a federal trial of a former physician and his wife.

The couple's charged with illegally prescribing painkillers that prosecutors say led to dozens of patient deaths.

I still wonder if NZ papers would be willing to try tweeting from a trial?

I think there would be so many conditions - an experienced and open minded reporter, a stable and reliable platform/internet connection, a Judge who allowed what's essentially texting in court, an editor or fact checker, a trial on a sub-page...

Also, would readers care enough to keep refreshing a page or keep an eye on a twitter feed?

And if the answer was probably going to be 'yes', would that present the media outlet with a problem: Put twitter to the test, tweet a big story and risk getting it wrong (but generate an audience). Or, play it safe and tweet about something that's not probably not going to be of much interest to the public (don't generate much of an audience).

Mmm....

London, 2007

2010-04-27T23:30:00.000-07:00

Today's multi media exercise: Justin Bieber's appearance at Strathallan College.

I was there for work, seeing as the school is in my suburban paper round, and while pen and paper would have sufficed for that, I decided to wake my iphone up from its slumber and try a few of my apps.

Unfortunately the school doesn't have great coverage so trying to send a tweet and a twitpic was a slow process... but, interestingly when I did get the tweet out (and keeping in mind only media were there) I didn't get any tweets back...

I also put the pic up on FB and again... not much.

Then the we the media had to move and I got so tangled in my iphone, camera, camera bag, note pad and handbag I fudged all the good shots - of fans in white singlets with his name across their chest, girls screaming, kids running, pushing... all sorts.

So not sure... some of the online reporters did listen, type and file so I guess they'd argue new media platform won today.

But I did file somethings... (flick through Stuff's gallery).

2010-04-27T02:59:00.000-07:00

I have to share this with you.

Best lunchtime reading EVER. I only wish I'd thought of it first.

Second thing I want to share today is this...

Nick Getley, who it must be said has been photographed from an unfortunate angle, says creating Facebook community 'like' pages is about fun, not money.

But do they lead to anything? Should soapboxproject have one so I can 'like' it? Will you?

Hopefully being profiled in the SMH means Master Getley is shoulder tapped by an ad agency looking for a fresh mind with slightly geeky ideas who can tap into what's about to be 'so hot right now'.

Curious how important the humble t-shirt is too - something these guys know about.

2010-04-21T01:11:00.000-07:00

This is how I'd like to leap out of bed in the morning:

It's not of course. I look more like this:

Why is that?

It could have something to do with sitting up till the am's reading the new Vanity Fair about Tiger's toys.

This always happens when the black-clad magazine arrives in my letterbox.

Last time it was Ms Nancy Jo Sales and the little blighters in Louboutins.

But for Ms Sales next day blinky-lids are 100% worth it.

2010-04-19T00:53:00.000-07:00

This is an exercise in curiosity.

One link on one billboard in one small box amongst many.

One idea by one writer trying to prove one idea amongst many.

The idea? That social media platforms can be more than cheap clothes, quick chats and LIKE buttons.

Paris, 2007.