Whenever I mention the word “ombudsman” to anyone in terms of what it means for social media, there are always some who don’t know what it is, so I should get that out of the way: From Wikipedia: An ombudsman (conventional English plural: ombudsmen) is a person who acts as a trusted intermediary between an organization and some internal or external constituency… [...]
Hey Publisher: You’re an Ombudsman on Facebook: Grin and Bear It
by John Boitnott on September 4, 2011 in Facebook, Journalism, Social Media, Television
Now THIS is Good Facebook Engagement (Pic)
by John Boitnott on February 26, 2011 in Facebook, Fun Stuff, Media Stuff, Tech Culture, Television
Everybody and their mother want advice these days on how to “engage” their Facebook audience better. More and more people are realizing that Facebook has become a top unique visit referrer, so there’s a lot of motivation. Amazingly enough, even folks at TV stations are understanding what has to be done through outlets such as [...]
The Best U.S. Reporter in the Middle East is NBC’s Richard Engel
by John Boitnott on February 13, 2011 in Journalism, Television, Videos
It’s very easy to develop a man crush on the best American reporter in the Middle East. Richard Engel is nice, polite and has written two books. He’s also been churning out some of the best reporting on the Egypt revolution (and the soon to come other revolutions) this side of Al-Jazeera. His Wikipedia page [...]
Is Craig Ferguson the heir apparent to Bill Hicks?
by John Boitnott on September 5, 2010 in Entertainment, Media Stuff, Politics, Social Media, Tech Culture, Television
One of the interesting things about Craig Ferguson is that, not only does he semi ad-lib his way through extremely funny monologues most nights, he also periodically injects his humor with life or history lessons. He did this one night when he started the Late Late Show by explaining, in a very succinct manner, why [...]
3 Bosses Who “Get” Social Media
by John Boitnott on July 3, 2010 in California news, Journalism, Media Stuff, Social Media, Tech Culture, Television, Twitter
The following post first appeared on the site Focus.com at this link. It’s a great site and I am going to be an ongoing contributor. In all the years I have been involved with news organizations, whether they be radio, TV or print, most of my bosses haven’t been very internet savvy. In recent years [...]
John Boitnott KEYT Resume Tape from 2005
by John Boitnott on December 30, 2009 in Journalism, Media Stuff, Television
In the spirit of self-promotion that I sometimes engage in, let’s take a trip down memory lane with some of my on-air TV reporting work that I use to do for KEYT Channel 3 in Santa Barbara. For years I worked as a part-time reporter at the small-market TV station and ended up working on [...]
Is There a Reason Why Glenn Beck Cries All the Time?
by John Boitnott on August 15, 2009 in Environment, Television
Well maybe this is a reason. I can’t say I’m surprised and I can’t say I’m disappointed. After years of spilling vitriolic hate speech onto the nation’s radio airwaves as well as TV, Glenn Beck is finally getting what he deserves. Here’s a report I found on the TV newsletter called Shoptalk: “About a dozen [...]
IMAGES: US Olympians take over Oprah’s season premier
by John Boitnott on September 3, 2008 in Digg, Sports, Television
A cast of Olympic medalists join Oprah Winfrey in Chicago’s Millennium Park for the taping of her first show of the new season. read more | digg story
What HAPPENED to the Happy Days Cast? (PICS)
by John Boitnott on August 27, 2008 in Digg, Entertainment, Television
30 years ago they rocked around the clock. But the clock kept ticking. See what the cast of Happy Days is doing now. read more | digg story
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My 89-Year-Old Grandma Loves Playing Solitaire on iPad
July 31, 2010
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Two Main Reasons Empire Avenue is Worthwhile
May 28, 2011
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Wow, they only have 42 of ‘em? (pic)
July 2, 2010
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Journalists Wonder What’s Better on Twitter – “First” or “Correct”
June 19, 2009
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Using Pics with Tweets to Engage People and Attract Followers
October 11, 2009
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SEO Salary Guide [Infographic]
November 30, 2011
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Social Media And Why You Should Bother With Online Education
November 22, 2011
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Black Friday And Cyber Monday: Hacks And Scams [Infographic]
November 22, 2011
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Google vs. Facebook on Privacy and Security (Infographic)
November 8, 2011
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Best Education Sites, and the Schools that Rule the Web (Infographic)
October 27, 2011
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Carol Malabey: Thanks very much Cheryl, for your words of appreci...
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John Boitnott: Ack! I hate it when that happens. Fixed. :)...
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David Walker: Ack! The word "it's", when possessive (as in "its...
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John Boitnott: Thanks Casey for your comment. I couldn't agree mo...
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Casey Quinlan: You've nailed the new-media publisher dilemma - mo...

Hi I'm John Boitnott. Welcome to my blog! Here I talk about how old media is coping with the Web. I write for Soshable.com, build buzz for sites and advise writers on how to make their work more likely to be shared online. I have worked at Venturebeat, Village Voice Media and NBC. Before that I held several positions at various TV newsrooms in the state of California, from 1994 to 2009.