PubMediaChat

For the Valentine’s Day edition of our #pubmedia Twitter chat, we focused on how the public media community is responding to proposed funding cuts. Here are some selected excerpts from the discussion (I’ve edited slightly in places for clarity):

Q1:  Should public media organizations be journalists, advocates or both in the face of proposed funding cuts? Explain.

@eric_adler: I think this highly depends on the organization. Some organizations simply don’t do news. Others need to stay journalistic

@jdcoffman: Orgs should be orgs, & journalists should be journalists. We have a right to defend ourselves, but not to misrepresent

@pergam: The journalists at #pubmedia orgs should be journos; the fans should be advocates. Get them involved.

@amywoo: Why is it that we don’t know how to tell our story? Or that those who do are afraid to lest it come across as ‘political’?

@rbole: If you want to see how it is done in Canada, check out Friend of Canadian Broadcasting http://bit.ly/2rKxc

Q2: What tactics are you using, personally or professionally, to fight the proposed cuts? Which tactics seem to be working best?

@MrScottClark: We’re inviting regional legislators and major donors to discuss and get support for pubmedia

@beyondbroadcast: airing pro-con debates on the topic might actually be productive

@rbole: We need the Hal Varian of #pubmedia; Economic Impact of Google as example http://bit.ly/cC6iLu

@pergam: I propose an ironic twitter campaign like this –> #ihatenpr because they use facts so much.

In response to the advice that journalists should only express support for public media via home computers:

@annieshreff: You can’t have another face on a different IP. A journo is a journo is a journo….

Q3: If we were six times bolder, what would we do to fight the proposed cuts?

@pergam: Really bold? Stop broadcasting for a week

@gteresa: compare and contrast pubmedia news coverage to show sensationalist msm news.

@jdcoffman: If MySource, or something like it, were constantly maintained as a supportive faction, that’d be ideal.

@susanmeyer: We need someone to aggregate (our responses to the proposed cuts) like @acarvin aggregated Egypt coverage!

@amywoo: hire really awesome PR people to launch a campaign equal in size/impact to what’s happening out there against us & fight

@juliaschrenkler: is it even our story? or is it our community’s story? do we trust our communities to speak up?

Q4: Do you feel there’s been enough coordination within the system to respond to the proposed cuts? If not, what kind of coordination would you like to see?

@eric_adler: unified branding

@feraichideya: needed! RT @mrscottclark: more coordination with listeners (we’re) encouraging to help advocate for pubmedia

@prairieofprax: We need to ask our communities if they believe in pub media, and why. That’s where our real power is.

@radioanngal: this is a gut check moment for pubmedia to ask how engaged they are with communities, not just audiences

Q5: How can we be the change we wish to see? How can we help lead the public media system through this difficult time?

@gteresa: well that is the question isn’t it

@beyondbroadcast: How about a video contest? Cheekier and more viral than MySource, showcasing lots of different arguments for/about

@annieshreff: OR a video collaboration? RT @beyondbroadcast: How about a video contest? ..showcasing lots of different arguments for/about pubmedia

@juliaschrenkler: in some ways, we already are the change. if we achieved more post- chat, we’d be unstoppable.

P.S. Post a public media valentine to Twitter. “I love public media because…” (use #pubmedia hashtag)

@scoutiegirlblog: I love public media because it taught me how to tell stories. And still does everyday

@divadrummer: I love public media because it helps close the gap on what private media SHOULD cover, but doesn’t or can’t.

@sabster: I love public media cuz it reminds me of AM drives to school with my dad. in other words– sharing stories/info with community

@curt_m: I love public media because I’m basically nosy

@scottleadingham: I love public media because lifelong learning, not just consuming, is empowering and essential.

Follow #pubmedia on Twitter to see more valentines as they’re posted…and post your own!

Plus, join us every Monday at 8pm ET for our weekly chat.

June 21, 2010 PubMedia Chat Roundup
Host: Amanda Hirsch @publicmediagirl

Q1 Has your org ever collaborated w/ another org w/o grant support for collab? (Or do you know of examples?) If so, pls describe.

jdcoffman: @pubmedia I collaborate w/ stations and producers nearly everyday on a small scale, and with NPR more often on bigger projects

amsugar: our station does most of its collaboration w/o funding because neither org has funding to spare

ssgowans: @pubmedia Lots of times. For political debates, we provide the TV production while another group handles ticket sales.

WXXIinteractive: Q1 yes we have. Mostly on classical music projects – Br’casting from churches or temples. All we get is the happy music listeners!

KDStubblefield: we do work with our symphony and the performing art center at the University. Still is easier to do some stuff with our own folk

annieshreff: Q1b I think @WNYC and @propublica reporters have tackled stories together without any specific grant funding

Q1 (followup)– For those answering “yes” – does collaborating always mean increased staff time? If so, how do you justify internally?

ssgowans: @pubmedia does collaborating always mean increased staff time? More communication, but not necess. more staff time

amsugar: we don’t justify the extra staff time so much as just expect it. it’s kind of taking a toll on energy and morale

Q1 (followup) So it sounds like un-funded collab w/ community orgs is pretty common for those attending chat tonite. How about collab w/ #pubmedia orgs?

publicmic: @pubmedia stations in Texas share an FTP server and exchange content for on-air and sometimes online re: general Texas news

ssgowans: @pubmedia How about collab w/ #pubmedia orgs? Rarely without a grant attached.

SusanMeyer: We always make it a point to invite other Ohio pub orgs to workshops, pubcamp etc., but no, not a lot of collaboration.

Q2: What are the obstacles to collaboration within #pubmedia without grant support? Are they surmountable?

publicmic: Q2 @pubmedia xlems competition, ego, different editorial standards and focuses, sense that partners are pulling = weight.

publicmic: Q2 @pubmedia those xlems can be overcome. build trust, make it work for all partners, try something small then build on that

jdcoffman: @pubmedia Q2 biggest obstacle is probably that it’s hard to justify moving resources around without a clear ROI.

jdcoffman: @pubmedia Q2, there’s only so much ‘in-kind’ work that already stretched thin employees can devote to ‘green pasture’ collab work.

aschweig: @pubmedia i think there is some argument to be made for collaborating for the sake of efficiency, but incentives (mostly $$$)help

Q2 (followup) Hearing ego & unclear ROI as primary obstacles to collab w/in #pubmedia; why don’t these obstacles appear in collabs w/ community orgs?

SusanMeyer: @pubmedia I don’t always think ego/ROI. sometimes it’s lack of common priorities. A project may work one place but not another

WXXIinteractive: We had some trouble coll. w/ a local BIG museum partner, they insisted we give everything and they take it. And we lump it.

SusanMeyer: @pubmedia Yes, I do think it was worth it; we ended up reaching a ton of WWII vets/families. The goal was above our egos, etc.

publicmic: @pubmedia Great question! Maybe #pubmedia doesn’t view community orgs as competition, but more as a partner with clear roles.

annieshreff: efficiency is nice, but collabs have bigger rewards for producers if they look ahead–new contacts, help in a pinch, referrals…

SusanMeyer: Sometimes I think we are all jaded about collaboration and think it will be bad before it actually is.

_cb_: @pubmedia one obstacle to #pubmedia collabs is not having contacts at other orgs; much easier to start with indv collab before org.

Q3: How would you pitch the value of collaboration w/ #pubmedia partners to your org’s stakeholders? (assume there’s no grant attached)

aschweig: @publicmic i would kill to see a coherent SEO strategy for the whole #pubmedia system, we could outcompete so many sites if we got organized

jdcoffman: @pubmedia There seem to only be a handful of us altruistic folks who will collaborate w/o further incentive, not nearly enough.

aschweig: @jdcoffman that’s crazy, imagine all of the high pagerank .org and .edu sites we control + a smart interlinking strategy…damn.

publicmic: One prob with the SEO pitch is that all sites are not created =. Good content is important but so is the guts of the site

eric_adler: @jdcoffman There’s also this #pubmedia chat thing. Does that count?

jdcoffman: @pubmedia One good example of non-skunkworks/non-grant collab is the ‘social media lunches’ in DC monthlyish

Q4: Do you think the Public Media Platform will help increase collaboration in #pubmedia? and/or do see other technologies that could help?

jdcoffman: @pubmedia I don’t think the PMP will necessarily increase collaboration, but it will make it easier in the long-term.

aschweig: @pubmedia as with the NPR API, it will be great for large stations, for people who have coders on staff

jdcoffman: @pubmedia …Stations also need the apps that take advantage of the APIs, with a few exceptions of course.

annieshreff: Weird. I expected the opposite RT @jdcoffman I don’t think the PMP will necessarily increase collaboration but easier in long-term

jdcoffman: @annieshreff Of course the collaboration required to build the PMP will be a huge feat in and of itself

publicmic: PMP will allow for content collabs that let the technology do the lifting. I hope it will open more doors for deeper collabs

aschweig: @pubmedia i mean, they answer questions, etc. but how about NPR builds a wordpress plugin and/or a drupal module for the API?

WXXIinteractive: @pubmedia You betcha. btw we’re interested in the PMP – we use Drupal for our site. We’re a collaborator because Web chose it.



Highlights from our June 14 #pubmedia chat, which examined how different public broadcasting stations and projects are using Facebook:

Q1 Does your organization have a facebook page/group/profile? Are you using pages/groups/profiles differently?

@jackkelly48 Yes to all 3. We use FB to host live preview events of local programs #pubmedia

@ssgowans Q1. We learned the hard way not to do groups. We have a general WOSU page, plus several offshoot pages for ind. shows #pubmedia

@publicmic we have a page for @pubmediatexas, run one to two posts of ours through that per day #pubmedia

@amywoo Q1 we do and we’re currently exploring ways to build affiliation/interest groups via Facebook discussions #pubmedia

@jrstahl Currently fixing a mishmash of all 3 to make it more logical…IMO profile=reporter, page=official (org, program, personality) #pubmedia

@jonathanpb Q1 #pubmedia #VPR has an active Facebook page, almost 5,000 Fans, er, Likers. It’s the #1 referring traffic site to VPR.net (non-search).

@aschweig we have 14 pages, over 17,000 total fans #pubmedia, tried a group first (before pages existed) #pubmedia

@annieshreff Cool! What did you use? What program? RT @jackkelly48 We set up a live video stream of a program #pubmedia

@paschweig agree with @ssgowans, more targeted it better, our station page = less than 1,000 fans, some programs have over 5,000 #pubmedia

@acarvin q1 gave up on fb groups, moved NPR to just pages. Much more functionality. #pubmedia

Q2 What are some of your favorite #pubmedia facebook pages? what do you like about them?

@bckirchoff I feel like I click most on @AIRMQ2′s facebook posts … good mix of news / insight / conversational tone. #pubmedia

@MarkRyanWFWA NewsHour,TOH have great ones. Any suggestions for pages run by 1-man depts? #pubmedia

@annieshreff: Yes. Be real. It shd be a conversation rather than broadcast @MarkRyanWFWA Any suggestions for pages run by 1-man depts? #pubmedia

@headlamppics @kkemple Alumni page seems to be a fan page. They get together for outings, post photos of ancient pledge drives, pretty cool #pubmedia

@amywoo Q2 @KPBS’ page is A.Maz.ing. Engaging, well written/thought-out, content that’s not just recycled #pubmedia

@kkemple Shout out for @annieshreff ‘s Help Wanted FB page for the @BrianLehrer Show. http://bit.ly/bvkpmg #brilliant #pubmedia

Q3 Has your #pubmedia organization tried running facebook ads? how did they work out?

@amywoo: Q3 – former station did. felt like we spent too much money for no return. but when done right, could have potential. #pubmedia

@jackkelly48 Q3 – We ran a FB ad for the premiere of our doc. It actually worked quite well. #pubmedia

@bonitasarita we always see an uptick in FB friends when we run an ad #pubmedia

@aschweig Q3 yes, probably the best ROI on any marketing spend you could possibly make, especially if you target your ads well #pubmedia

@bckirchoff Q3: @mediaengage has. It was great to get some initial exposure. We’ve also run ads for certain webinars, with mixed results. #pubmedia

@headlamppics I used FB ads for a premiere of a documentary… fantastic targeting and tremendous analytics… a little scary. #pubmedia

@publicmic Q3 Yes!. We will use ads to promote scoops and posts that we think will help build our following. Hit-or-miss w/ results #pubmedia

@kkemple Q3: #pubmedia We ran ads for #EconomyStory and they worked really well. Low cost for high return on engagement.

Q4 Has your organization put facebook “like” buttons or boxes on your website(s)? how and where are you using them?

@keithneisler Q4: We have put the FB like box on our website and it has drawn people to our page. #pubmedia

@jrstahl We’ve been talking about like buttons and boxes, but I don’t know…I’m a little skeptical to be honest #pubmedia

@eric_adler Q4 I hope not, those are annoying, as is seeing everyone I know liking every webpage they visit. #pubmedia

Q5 Who manages your organization’s facebook page(s)? do you have a strategy?

@MarkRyanWFWA Trying to keep our FB, Twitter & soc. med presence really social, non-pressured to visitors. #pubmedia

@jackkelly48 Q5 – We have a dedicated social media person who manages FB main page. She coordinates with others. #pubmedia

@ssgowans Q5. Diff assignments spread through mark/comm/web dept. Strategy changes monthly, if not weekly. #pubmedia

@amywoo Q5 no strategy, lots & lots of people have admin privileges. working toward guidelines regarding FB posts but it’s hard #pubmedia

@aschweig Q5 owned partially by producers, some by web staff and interns, strategy in place, but implementation still hit and miss #pubmedia

@jonathanpb Q5 web + prgrmmng loosely manage & actively contribute, producers/reporters/hosts contribute and interact personally/independently #pubmedia

@jrstahl @ssgowans same here – strategy constantly evolving as we get more info (metrics, feedback, experience) #pubmedia

@fredvigeant Q5: Someone from each department posts, and responds to comments. Probably about 5 admins on the fb page #pubmedia

Q6 Does your organization have a policy regarding personal use of facebook (or other social media sites)?

@jrstahl re Q6 not yet, but we’re working on one. ppl sometimes need reminding that the same journalistic ethics apply on and off line #pubmedia

@ssgowans Q6. Use common sense. There’s not much space between personal and professional lives anymore. #pubmedia

@KarenOlstad Q6 : Intend to establish social media policy similar to NPR’s, just haven’t formalized it. #pubmedia

@kdando PBS is finalizing its employee social media policy. It will deal with personal use of social media. #pubmedia

@aschweig Q6 we have loose guidelines but people should be free to separate personal and professional #pubmedia

@jrstahl But you do need to guide them – it’s a new world and many need a map RT @aschweig dont think you need to pre-scold them #pubmedia

Here are the questions and selected comments from the #pubmedia Chat held on Monday, 17 May 2010.

Q1 How involved/aware are you of #pubmedia fundraising? What do you do to support the fundraising efforts of your organization?

AmyWoo Just for context – there’s been some discussion lately about giving habits of #pubmedia staff members.

eric_adler I try to ensure that we’re on-air at full tilt so that we reach the most of our audience.

jdcoffman @pubmedia As far as awareness goes, the only weeks I *don’t* watch PBS are during pledge drives. Radio-fundraising I can handle

SusanMeyer but we say at WOSU we’re all fundraisers, so I pitched a pal to support our online project for $60k and she did.

ssgowans @pubmedia #pubmedia Q1. Web works closely with mark/comm and pledge to make sure we’re all sending the same message to our users/listeners

aschweig @AmyWoo @kkemple i’ve always felt like giving money to my own station didn’t make a lot of sense, since they sign my paycheck

kkemple Q1: I receive tons of letters from my local station. I read them and I’m not inspired.

SusanMeyer i think a lot of people give to us because they believe in our mission…in spite of our fundraising efforts!

colinrhinesmith @jdcoffman @WGBH has a Green Membership option: http://bit.ly/dpAWxQ

aschweig @bonitasarita old-school fundraisers seem to want to force ppl into one mode of giving, why is it not ok to give time instead of $

SusanMeyer fndrsg is all engagement; why our pledge drives don’t always make it. noticed major gift officers get that more than pledge folks.

publicmediagirl @amywoo Seems like more “asks” from #pubmedia should be targeted to specific output (specific shows, services), a la MoveOn.org. Thoughts?

Monkeygrrl #pubmedia I think the most-successful fundraising relates on a level that sells the real worth of the product.

Q2 Why do you think there’s such a division in the perception of #pubmedia fundraising? How can we collaborate across the system to improve?

publicmediagirl #pubmedia Q2 Varying perceptions are due to varying experiences, due to disaggregate nature of fundraising across the system

jdcoffman @pubmedia Q2 However I can’t help but wonder if it’s professional development that’s needed, or something else entirely.

SusanMeyer Did everyone see that parody of the pledge drive from WBEZ? http://vimeo.com/11686165. That’s the perception of pub media fndrsng

aschweig @pubmedia so i think it’s necessarily going to be perceived differently by different constituencies

RalphGraves #pubmedia I like to think of fundraising as an opportunity. It can be a way for our audience to respond to what we do in a meaningful way.

AmyWoo @jmproffitt Q2 is about consistency. PubMedia is known for high quality programming but not for high quality fundraising.

jdcoffman @publicmediagirl At minimum though — there really *needs* to be a #pubmedia fundraising blog to showcase successes and failures

jmproffitt @jdcoffman You know it’s not the tech issue, it’s the content / people issue. Gotta get people that WILL blog. Evangelist needed!

Monkeygrrl #pubmedia My pubTV friends swear they can’t raise money without blowing apart viewing habits – drives me nuts as a viewer!

Q3 #PubMedia Legacy Giving (http://bit.ly/cZtaXo) targets a specific demographic. What efforts do you see similarly targeting other demos?

jmproffitt @pubmedia No one is answering Q3. I must admit I don’t have an answer myself. Don’t know planned giving practices too well.

aschweig @pubmedia Q3 we need to target new donors, work as hard for many small donations as we do for the few big donors

AmyWoo @jmproffitt Ha! Didn’t even see Q3 had been posted! for me, it’s less about legacy giving and more how are we targeting demos

AmyWoo Q3 We bemoan difficulty of reaching young demos, but forgotten about the need to educate on #pubmedia model. Not everyone grows up knowing.

FrisbyCamp @pubmedia Q3 legacy giving: create packets and distribute to the estate lawyers

–

jdcoffman @eric_adler I think people are finally realizing that online audiences are *new* audiences for #pubmedia — v. little overlap w/ on-air

RalphGraves @AmyWoo When I was w/Nimbus we had to go to all the conferences because PDS, MDs, & DDs didn’t talk to each other.

Q4 Recently @rbole wrote about the virtues of failure: http://bit.ly/9tCMwf Our convo focuses on the need for new thinking/fresh ideas in #pubmedia fundraising, but failure could be crippling, esp at smaller stations. How can we build a network of support/encouragement for new approaches/ideas in #pubmedia fundraising w/o shooting ourselves in the foot?

jmproffitt @pubmedia Q4: All public media areas must be better networked. Conferences are too fleeting. Support fickle. Ideas isolated.

SusanMeyer I have to say that having so many of you visit us for PubCampOhio was awesome because we were able to talk about a lot!

jdcoffman @pubmedia #pubcampohio was a great example — station folks just drove on in to Ohio to share and work together. Great model

jmproffitt @pubmedia Q4: Networking must begin online. Evangelist editorial function at center, no station/network controls it. 1/2

jmproffitt @pubmedia Q4: All practices are represented and promoted. We start with “digital practitioners,” find what works, expand. 2/2

jdcoffman I totally agree with @jmprofitt, no network or org can own this networking function. Must be supported from afar

aschweig @jdcoffman i’m concerned that even the #pubcamp model might be cost-prohibitive, online sharing of best-practices is important too

Monkeygrrl #pubmedia I actually think that there’s a lot of sharing of info – but staff is stretched and want the biggest bang for the effort.

kkemple Q4: To build a network of support, we must allow ourselves to be vulnerable. Ask for feedback. Listen. Take notes. Then try again.

publicmediagirl We need a central team of evangelists who facilitate sharing of lessons learned, best practices, opps to collab across all areas

aschweig @jmproffitt @jdcoffman or maybe we just need to have a #pubmedia fund-drive…

publicmediagirl I imagine a team of switchboard operators – folks who know ppl system-wide & can make smart, personal connections.

AmyWoo @pubmedia Q4 hard part abt failure in fundraising is if we fail there are DEVASTATING consequences. It can be scary in development

jdcoffman @jmproffitt @aschweig — Actually, I wonder if something like http://thirdtribemarketing.com/ for #pubmedia folks could work? indie $$

ssikes Don’t worry about shooting urself in the foot.Try everything, across platforms. Fundraising is special and should be celebrated.

Q5 What fundraising methods/approaches/ideas have you seen recently that you would like to see tested/used in the #pubmedia world?

AmyWoo @pubmedia Q5 – I still think the “team fundraising” a la Relay4Life, etc could be amazing. we may try mini-golf tournament next yr

publicmediagirl #pubmedia Q5 MoveOn.org model: “We want to make film/launch program/hire someone” – pls help.” Incremental asks, demo’ing progress.

AmyWoo Yes. Just make sure we stay mission driven & don’t get kitschy RT @aschweig: like competitive fundraising and cause-driven models

publicmediagirl #pubmedia Kind of random, but – what can we learn re: fundraising from Obama campaign? Any strategies, tactics that map well to our work?

jmproffitt @pubmedia Q5: I want to see results from stations trying “microdonations” with little buttons plans alongside web content.

On Monday, our host Jessica Clark asked several questions from the FCC Future of Media survey. We received insightful responses and commentary from participants. If you missed the chat but would like to respond, please feel free to post answers here.

You can see the full chat (via Cover It Live) in our previous post or review the highlights below. Thanks for participating! We look forward to having you join us next week for a discussion about engaging youth in public service media.

Q1: The FCC’s examining the future of media and information needs of communities. Where do you get *your* local news & what’s missing?
@jdcoffman: I read quite a few hyper-local blogs from my neighborhood, which is my primary source of local news #pubmedia
@alexschmidt: ugh, LA’s local/hyper-local news is laughably terrible. NPR every morning, but donno what’s up in my immediate ‘hood. #pubmedia
@tomwhiteindc: I read our community listserv in #silverspring #pubmedia

Q2: Do you think that people are now less likely to seek out general news, preferring to find more niche or partisan media? So what?
@tskaggs: ..niches can help monetize news medias and sell ads better and possibly cover larger problems or ideas in greater detail monetize #pubmedia
@tomwhiteindc: I think local news still dominates middle America’s interests #pubmedia

Q3: If there is indeed a crisis in local news, how is your #pubmedia outlet or organization addressing it?
@aschweig: by doing nothing because we have no $$$, this is the main issue the FCC needs to address… #pubmedia
@KarenOlstad: I think the FCC may address the $$ issue by incentivizing (?) pubTV to sell spectrum to generate trust funds.#pubmedia
@publicmediagirl: I think crisis in local news means opportunity for #pubmedia – credibility as competitive advantage. Be trustworthy + promote it.
@jdcoffman: What if WikiLeaks was tossed a couple mil to expose everything they can for a period of 1-year and see what comes of it? #pubmedia

Q4: What’s the role of the government in supporting journalism? What new laws and policies would you suggest?
@kkemple: Not as concerned w/ how local media get gov’t funds (CPB/other) so much as they get funds to stay viable. #pubmedia

Q5: What role are the following playing as local news producers or #pubmedia partners? cable access/PEG stations, libraries, universities.

Bonus question: If you could tell the FCC one thing about the future of media, what would it be?
@SusanMeyer: we’re here for the long haul…not going anywhere! #pubmedia
@beyondbroadcast: Give me free ubiquitous wireless now and we’ll figure out the rest #pubmedia
@KarenOlstad: The FCC will have less and less to do with media in the future. #pubmedia

This week we’re going to test Cover It Live as a way to help people follow the chat more easily and also participate via the website if they don’t have a twitter account. @aschweig will be your host, hope to see you this evening at 8pm ET.

Monday, March 8th marked our 4th #Pubmedia chat. Our host was Katie Kemple (@kkemple). We received some great comments. Our highlights below.

Q1: If you could collaborate with a pubmedia team on one topic what would it be? Why?

• @laurahertzfeld: I’ve always thought there was a missed opp on arts/music – there’s so much cross-org video & audio content #pubmedia
• @sandentotten: #pubmedia Q1) I’d love to see collab on developing news operations- helping smaller stations grow their team using exp. of big stations.
• @tskaggs #pubmedia 1) @mediatwit @johntynan How about the collab of new Social Media apps like @Twitpay to get more donations & funding?
• @pubmedia Q1 I’d love to see collaborations helping #Pubmedia stations go green – eRenewals, eProgramGuides, ecofriendly workplaces, etc
• @mediatwit: @pubmedia Q1: I’d want to collaborate on a survey of which local stations are doing what in social media. #pubmedia
• @annieshreff: Q1 #pubmedia: I want to get an interactive team to bring reporting from underserved communities to listening audiences. Food/school all good

Q2: Who does #pubmedia need to listen to? If you could bring one visionary to your station/org who would it be? Why?

• @jdcoffman: Q2 #pubmedia needs the passion of @garyvee, with the entrepreneurship of @guykawasaki, and the evangelism of @scobleizer
• @eric_adler: @pubmedia Q2 #pubmedia needs to listen to the public.
• @juliaschrenkler: Q2 #pubmedia could benefit from listening to both upstarts and print – often we’re between them, with startup challenges + legacy issues

Q3: What was the last great #pubmedia program you watched or listened to? Why was it memorable?

• @MelanieCJ: @pubmedia Q3 it gets back to collaboration. My fav stuff local & nat has been colaborative. i.e Radio lab/ TAL piece on Lucy #pubmedia
• @ssgowans: Q3: What was the last great #pubmedia program you watched? Why was it memorable? The War, because it wasn’t about celebrities
• @jdcoffman: Q3 #pubmedia – Some of the best programs are ‘user generated’ even if filtered/edited… TAL, RL, etc. What’s that tell you?
• @sandentotten: Q3 – does it worry anyone else how narrow the field of awesome #pubmedia shows is? #TAL #Radiolab #FreshAir What happens when they retire?

Q4: Who would you like to see as a guest interview (host) on #pubmedia chat?

• (summary of all suggestions) @BillMoyers @conanobrien @mediatwit @neiltyson Kinsey Wilson @rbole, Paula Kerger, Vivian Schiller, clay shirky

Did we miss something great? Want to add to the dialogue? Post it in the comments. We hope to see you back next Monday, 8pm ET.

The  third  #pubmedia chat was hosted by @beyondbroadcast on Monday, March 1, 2010, and tied into a series of “Impact Summits” that she’s hosting with @tracyvs around the country. Here are some of our favorite tweets from the evening:

Q1: How do you define the impact of your media outlet or project?

@annieshreff Q1: we *want* to measure our crowdsourcing projects by how much they help. That’s key: help connect, help inform, etc.

@arlton Q1: #’s are thrown around way too often when it comes to SM. Social Media demands us to focus more on qualitative measurement

Q2: What tools or approaches do you use to measure these elements of impact: reach, relevance, inclusion, engagement, influence? (Q2, Part 2: Tell us your best story of impact)

@AIRMQ2 #pubmedia MQ2 projects tracked metrics, but the most lasting impact may be the spirit of community they seemed to create around content

@eric_adler Q2-2: Not just one, but I’ve had many viewers/listeners tell me “I don’t know what I’d do without my [station brand or PBS/NPR]” #pubmedia

@annieshreff I report impact to team combining numbers (G analytics and responses) with stories of my interactions w/public #pubmedia

@kkemple Want! RT @jdcoffman #pubmedia PBS created an “engagement dashboard” combining stats from multiple sources #pubmedia

@johntynan #pubmedia Q2 I met a listener who listened to KBAQ w their blind grandfather & read him the artists from our playlists online

Q3: What do you wish you could assess if you had time/money/staff?

@arlton#pubmedia Q3: Personally, if I had the money I would hire more staff to engage our community more effectively. Screw numbers.

Q4: How can we work together to create/standardize tools and approaches for impact assessment?

@yangie So important – process! 1. Define impact 2. measure 3.agree on how to read measurement 4.Evaluate results 5. Improve! #pubmedia

@AIRMQ2 #pubmedia Thanks to organizer and all y’all. I think we can measure the impact of these twitter chats in neurons, sparks, ideas, connections

The second #pubmedia chat was hosted by @aschweig on Monday, February 22, 2009. Here are some of our favorite tweets from the evening:

Q1: Why do you work in public service media, what brought you here?

@AmyWoo: I wanted to make an impact, do my part to make the world a better place. Everyone said Print was dying. #PubMedia made sense.

@alexschmidt: got into [public media] b/c it was the opposite of academia – doing stuff rather than talking about stuff

@keithneisler: I came to public media because it is THE outlet for telling the story of the human condition and it can engage communities

Q2: What free or cheap online tools are you using to effectively reach and mobilize audiences?

@aschweig: shout out to @themirofolks, been working some with Miro Community and it’s great for rapid deployment video aggregation sites

Q3: We’d all like to collaborate more, but barely have enough time to do our jobs as it is. How can we change this?

@kkemple: We need people in the system to facilitate collaboration (as a job). Help make connections and create infrastructure to share info.

@bryanmoffett: If people had free time to work on personally directed projects, they could link up, collaborate, bubble good ones up

@arlton: I also feel that organizations need to utilize collaboration tools more often like online project management software.

@publicmediagirl: “Collaboration” sounds scary; but exchanging info w/ people you know + trust (e.g. collaboration) is not scary at all

@kkemple: Sometimes collaboration is about feeling supported. Having someone else to bounce ideas around with. #pubmedia

@ericampeterson @kkemple :YES. Also, orgs need to get behind all of the new social media/collaborations out there, encourage employees to use them

Q4: What investments are public service media orgs making in social media and audience engagement? Is it enough?

@keithneisler @annieshreff: there is a potential problem with some #pubmedia stations. They are better at looking inward instead of reaching outward.

@beyondbroadcast @eric_adler: The core audience of the future is moving online, so you had better be there and ready to engage them smartly

@jmproffitt: ”Core audience” is a mass media measurement term. I’m not sure it helps when context is more important than content.

@jmproffitt: Future seems to me to be made up of smaller audiences that are more engaged, more devoted.

@beyondbroadcast @jmproffitt: We call ‘em publics

@kkemple: Maybe we need to do more to help #pubmedia stations transition from “broadcasting” on social media to “engaging”

@acarvin: FB and Twitter drive huge amounts of traffic to our [NPR's] site. In a good month, 3 mil pageviews.

Next Week

The next #pubmedia chat will be Monday, March 1 at 8 p.m. Eastern. Jessica Clark (@beyondbroadcast) will be hosting, focusing on impact measurement. Be sure to follow @pubmedia and hope to see you all then!