Archive for October, 2009
San Francisco Pic of the Day
There is something about the crisp fall evenings in San Francisco that can just hit you the right way. The design director for SF Weekly was leaving so we all headed to the Hotel Utah on 4th and Bryant Streets for a goodbye party. Right as I was about to enter the bar there, I noticed that the eastern sky was turning the most lovely shade of pink. The 3.2 megapixel camera on my Blackberry doesn’t quite capture how cool it felt, with the noise of the traffic and the city, but I knew I wanted to document that moment. What a beautiful town I am lucky to work in! Please also click on my Flickr stream for a close look at all the photos I’ve been taking lately from my Blackberry. For the full size version of the photo click here.
How to Use Pictures with Tweets to Report on News
I have spoken recently about using pictures in your tweets to engage people and build followers. Including pics with your tweets keeps people up to date on your life, and actually adds value. It’s fine to say that - but why is it true? Over a long period of time, if people know they have pictures of your life to go with your words, they will be more likely to follow you and listen to what you have to say, because they have visual pictures in their head that are associated with your life. They may feel a little more like they know you as opposed to someone whose life they have not seen before in pictures.
If you are attending, or have been assigned by a news organization to cover, an event that people may care to know about, then consider live tweeting it. On many occasions I have learned from people that they appreciate the periodic or rapid updates that tweets provide. Many people say that they enjoy watching an event unfold through the lens of tweets. I feel that focusing the lens further by adding pictures to the scenario is a great way to further add value and interest to followers. As I have learned throughout my years as a journalist, added benefits like this add value that people do not soon forget.
Case Study: Exotic Erotic Expo 2009
I’m not really into the sexual bondage scene, but thousands of people who attend the Exotic Erotic Ball at San Francisco’s Cow Palace each year certainly are. The event is essentially a chance for exhibitionists, gawkers and the curious, to come together a week before Halloween to have fun. Tila Tequila and Coolio graced the stage this year. In year’s past Snoop Dog showed up and pleased all the half-dressed fans. Read more…
Using Pics with Tweets to Engage People and Attract Followers
I’m starting here what I would like to think would be an ongoing case study in how to build fans and followers on Twitter, through the use of pictures in one’s tweets.
It’s good enough to tweet compelling articles and other content from third-party sites through your tweetstream. It’s good to allow people to see pieces of your conversations. It’s great to speak with everyone you can. However, I am of the opinion that you need a little something more in order to truly give people that icing on the cake. Tweeting pictures from your smart phone is an excellent way to go.
Tweet Your Life
That thing on the right of this post is at least 75 years old. My grandmother, who is 88, said it was already a large tree when she moved into her Sonoma County house 40 years ago. Now, the tree is protruding into her house slightly, and none of us care. It is beautiful, and all I think of when I stand next to it is that I need to respect it by taking several pictures of it.
Top 3 Reasons Why Janine Kahn Kicks Butt
There has been a lot of talk all over the internet about the wonderful development at SF Weekly, the San Francisco alternative weekly newspaper, where Alexia Tsotsis is arriving Monday after her sojourn at LA Weekly to become a web editor in the City by the Bay. I am super excited to get to work with her regularly.
Numerous blogs have written about Tsotsis and just how much they would miss her in the LA Tech community and at the LA Weekly offices in Venice. Alexia brings a special presence and connectivity to her work. I have met few people who are truly there with you in almost every way during a conversation the way Alexia is. She has a natural talent for bridging differences and connecting people like few I have known.
