Media Response to Boston Marathon

Image via Business Insider.  Photo taken by Chris Roan 

Many of us, especially those who were there, may still be making sense of the recent tragedy of the Boston Marathon bombings. While this post is not going to recount of what happened on April 15th, this is more so about the response to it, particularly in the community and media. As a marketing student, I was also really interested in the social media response and PR activities involved. 

Where were you when the Boston bombings unfolded? Or HOW did you find out about the Boston bombings? Me? It was early Tuesday morning (Australian Eastern-Standard Time) on my commute to uni when my Twitter timeline was bombarded with tweets mentioning "Boston", "Boston Marathon", #prayforboston and #bostonstrong. 

All of the information I was receiving came from no other than the micro-blogging platform, Twitter. I did come across a couple of posts on Facebook, but those were only a fraction to the continuous developing updates and action on Twitter. Whether it be links to articles from official news services or tweets from actual witnesses who were there at the time of the marathon. Pretty much, most of the tweets on the timeline had a mention about it. Perhaps, it had a lot to do with the majority of my "following" list being Americans, but Australian journalists were also tweeting about this as the news developed.

It's fair to say that Twitter was the preferred source for readily accessible information when it comes to developing and breaking news. According to Mashable, Michael Sippy (Twitter VP of Consumer Product) revealed that 'Boston' received an increase of 20,000% of mentions on Twitter in response to the tragedy.  

Twitter users quickly made re-tweets, but most of us don't stop to think before we hit the re-tweet button. We don't assess whether the information we're reading is correct or whether the source is valid and reliable, nor whether the charities that pop up in response are legitimate or scams. For this reason, comes lots of complications and challenges when it comes to utilising Twitter as a news platform.

There are many flaws and interesting things to think about in terms of journalism which are also well discussed in the following articles; Simon Rickets (The Guardian), Hank Stuever (SMH) and Mathew Ingram (Paid Content).

Ever since the FBI revealed blurry images for the public to help identify the suspects, I was following the coverage via Twitter up until the final capture of one of the two suspects. I was glued to Twitter, and noticed a lot of the mistakes that were being made by journalists and social media users, as the interplay between the two was intriguing but also very conflicting.

Journalists were competing with each other to be the first to report the news. Even mainstream tv news broadcasts seem to have failed to respond as quickly for news delivery in comparison to digital media. 

Of course, we all know that journalism is a business but reporting without verifying the information first can be damaging to the investigation and those affected. This was particularly evident in the case of Sunil Tripathi. An innocent Brown University student who had been missing for a whole month, was speculated as a bombing suspect on Reddit. Some journalists I was following also tweeted this information immediately without confirmation  because they heard the name on the police scanner. NBC's news reporter, Pete Williams was praised as the hero reporter for his careful and accurate reports and challenged the speculation that was already being reported such as the case of Tripathi. Unfortunately, Tripathi had recently been found deceased and had nothing to do with the Boston tragedy. My thoughts are with his friends and family. RIP.  

While digital news is on the rise, and many flaws that come with them, they are still valuable. It's not all bad news when it comes to social media and it can't entirely be dismissed. As shown in the case of a higher-resolution photo of one of the suspects was supplied to assist in the suspect's identification. And Watertown resident, Andrew Kitzenberg who captured photos of the shootout in his neighhourbood and documented them onto Twitter. His first hand account is available on his blog (Get On Hand), in which he kindly asked news and media outlets to make a contribution to The One Fund Boston upon using his images. 

Only mistakes that are continually made without acknowledging them will cause the journalist and news organisation's brand to lose credibility. 

Lots o' Love, Linda 

Set the World on Fire!

Alicia Keys and her team have integrated social media into the marketing of her fifth concert tour, 'Set the World on Fire' as a way of personally connecting with her fans. This included creative uses of Tumblr, crowd-sourcing, Twitter and Behind-the-Scenes clips. 

Tumblr: 

Tumblr users were selected to document her tour as it unfolded. This meant that users were encouraged to post content, take photos, create gifs and collages. As a bonus, a photo pass, two show tickets and two meet-and-greet tickets were given to the Tumblr users involved. Keys is also an active user (www.thekeysofalicia.tumblr.com) on Tumblr and is also able to connect with fans by 'liking' and 'reblogging' posts. 

Crowd-sourcing: 

Alicia Keys' "Illuminate Me" video that was played during each show used a crowd-sourcing component. This meant that attendees at each city were given the opportunity to feature in the video at the concert when they submit photos of themselves as part of a "Keep Moving - Your City, Your Video" initiative. 

Twitter: 

Using the hashtag #AliciaDedicates on Twitter, fans tweet their section, row and seat number for the opportunity to have a song personally dedicated to them by Keys. Click the link to view the campaign video since it's an unlisted video on YouTube. 

Behind-the-Scenes Clips: 

Videos were also released on YouTube prior to the tour to create anticipation of her tour. Eg: Rehearsals Part 1. 

I believe these ideas are clever and creative ways for a recording artist to collaborate with fans utilising social media to facilitate with the marketing of upcoming tours. For more information on the projects, click here. 

Lots o' Love, Linda 

Little Things



What wonderful things you may find as you go for a walk! I found my name literally in concrete! I guess I was bored enough to pay close attention to the ground I was walking on, but hey, I was pretty excited when I spotted this!

Lots o' Love, Linda



Zeitgeist 2012: Year In Review

This is for those curious to know what the world searched for on Google in 2012. Here's a Google Zeitgeist video that not only sums it up but also inspires us.

What is Google Zeitgeist?

zeit·geist

Pronunciation: 'tsIt-"gIst, 'zIt 

Function: noun 

Etymology: German, from Zeit (time) + Geist (spirit)

Date: 1884 

Meaning: the general intellectual, moral, and cultural climate of an era.

"Zeitgeist" means "the spirit of the times," and this spirit can be seen through the aggregation of millions of search queries Google receives every day. The annual Zeitgeist report reveals what captured the world's attention in the past year - out passions, interests and defining moments as seen through search.

Explore the most recent Year-End Zeitgeist, or take a trip back in time by looking through the archives.

 

2012 Zeitgeist - See what the world searched for in 2012.

(abstract taken from Google Zeitgeist)



Seizing the Moment

When was the last time you gave someone a compliment? Let it be for a loved one or even for a complete stranger, we all know that a compliment will always lift up someone's day. I think that in a world where everything seems to be fast paced and everyone's busy chasing their dreams, we forget to seize for a moment to let someone know how much they are appreciated. 

Actor, Rainn Wilson, created this video called "Street Compliments" for his Soul Pancake online project where by-passers took a moment to give their loved one a compliment. Hope this video inspires all of us to give compliments, especially when they are unexpected. 

 

Not to mention, another inspiring video that I've found from the Soul Pancake team is this one called "Take a Seat - Make a Friend?". Awesome is the word I can use to describe this whole concept! As I've mentioned, living in fast paced world, we don't often pay attention to strangers in public nor even feel that we need to. Technology has made everyone more attentive to the online world via their laptops, tablets and smart phones and to just keep to themselves. I don't blame them though, I'm also guilty of this. Talking to a complete stranger out of the blue can be pretty nerve racking because we are afraid of the response. 

However, if you take a moment to unplug and connect in the real world, who knows what kind of weird things you may find in common with a complete stranger (also a potential friend) as you will see in this video.

Someone bring these things to life in Sydney, please?  

Lots o' Love, Linda