Pioneers in a bold new world

All Blog Posts (13)

Podcast: 10 tips for starting and growing an online community

Just thought I'd share an interview I did with former TV anchor turned social media evangelist Tom Tucker for his new Talk Social Media podcast series. I was his first interviewee and he is actively looking for others, so I would encourage you to contact him if you're interested. Here it is: 10 tips for starting and growing an online community:

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Added by Angela Connor on March 2, 2009 at 1:06pm — No Comments

What's your biggest workplace challenge at the moment?

I have a very thick skin. Anyone who knows me, knows that I do not fall apart easily. This is a good thing, given the fact that I am now in the depths of user-generated content and in a position that brings on a new kind of stress. The cloak of anonymity donned by the sea of users out i… Continue

Added by Angela Connor on October 13, 2008 at 11:00am — No Comments

User Feedback...in all its Glory!

If you're in need of a Friday laugh, you need to read this. It's the content of a blog I posted in my online community GOLO today showing users what kind of complaints I receive. The empathy came in droves. Here it is: Have you ever wondered what kind of e-mails I receive about GOLO? Some of you actively send those e-mails so you may already have a clue. But if you're interested...read on. Some are good, some aren't but it… Continue

Added by Angela Connor on July 11, 2008 at 12:00pm — No Comments

The key to integrating traditional and social media is finding cross-promotional opportunities

I've mentioned the importance of finding cross-promotional opportunities between traditional and social media, integrating the two and illustrating how the two work together, to win allies in the newsroom. Here's my latest: WRAL TV is producing a series called "Bad Dog" which corresponds with CBS's new series "The Great American Dog Challenge" To promote this segment, I created a Bad Dog GOLO Group informing users about the segment and lett… Continue

Added by Angela Connor on June 29, 2008 at 3:00pm — No Comments

Are you listening to The Knight Commission streaming right now?

Here's the link. They are talking about Web 2.0 and technologies for information in communities. KNIGHT COMMISSION ON THE INFORMATION NEEDS OF COMMUNITIES IN A DEMOCRACY Continue

Added by Angela Connor on June 24, 2008 at 11:14am — No Comments

Have you heard about the Beat Blogging Project?

It's a collaboration between 13 news organizations from around the country and NewAssignment.Net, to figure out how journalists can use social networks to improve beat reporting. You can read more about it here. It sounds like an awesome idea. But what I really wanted to share here is a comment I left on a blog about this particular project. After I read it, I thought it would make interesting fodder for discussion. Have a read, and tell me whether you… Continue

Added by Angela Connor on June 22, 2008 at 10:30pm — No Comments

Google: "600 Years Worth of Content on YouTube This Year Alone"

Yep, you read that right. I just got back from an event sponsored by the Triangle Marketing Association, in downtown Raleigh and one of the presenters, Google's Hetal Gordon, threw out that tidbit of information for everyone to take in. I wonder how you quantify 600 years worth of content. Is that 12 hours of content per day? Is it 24 hours of content per day for 600 years given that we are immersed in a 24 hour loop of endless news, information… Continue

Added by Angela Connor on June 18, 2008 at 2:38pm — No Comments

Cultivate a Relationship With Your Users

One of the most important aspects of my job as Managing Editor of GOLO.com is cultivating a relationship with users. I've learned that it's only as tough as you make it and that you can connect with people online in many ways. Often it's just by sharing a blurb about your own life or even asking a simple question about theirs. On Father's Day, I posted a blog titled: "I'll never forget the time my dad...___… Continue

Added by Angela Connor on June 15, 2008 at 9:31pm — No Comments

What do you "really" know about the "user experience?"

Everyone wants to add social networking components to their sites and create these areas for people to communicate and connect. But do they actually do any of this interacting themselves? I know that a great majority of us, the evangelists have LinkedIn and Facebook accounts. Some have MySpace and others are active twitterers and the list goes on. But we are likely involved in the lesser known communities as well. i feel as though it is my job to know how this media operates and to master the va… Continue

Added by Angela Connor on June 10, 2008 at 2:48pm — No Comments

Getting News Talent to Join Our Communities

What are your thoughts on pulling in the reporters, anchors and other news staffers into our online communites? So far, I've been successful getting two main anchors to create a GOLO profile and I am quite pleased. The traffic reporter actively engages and just last week I set up our crime reporter Amande Lamb, who is also promoting her new book. (Great opportunity right??) I was able to call on the persuasiveness I used at the Sun-Sentinel for six years,… Continue

Added by Angela Connor on June 9, 2008 at 11:30am — 1 Comment

Citizen Journalist, or an Act of Journalism?

This concept was brought up during the Society of Professional Journalists' Citizen Journalism Academy in Greensboro on Saturday, where I sat on a panel. I must say that it was pretty enlightening to hear what non-journalists find so glamorous and compelling about the craft. I know that many of our colleagues are somewhat perturbed by regular citizens deeming themselves "journalists" without having the educational background and experience to rightfully… Continue

Added by Angela Connor on June 8, 2008 at 11:30pm — 2 Comments

When the Community is "Up in Arms"

If you’re a community manager or hope to become one, please understand that you will deal with disgruntled members. Depending on your level of involvement in the community, you could potentially be looked upon as a referee. That happens to me and I am working hard to figure out the best way to deal with it. After all, I don’t want to lose members due to a few troublemakers or users intent on hiding behind the mask of anonymity to wreak havoc on upstanding members who contribute often and are se… Continue

Added by Angela Connor on June 8, 2008 at 1:53pm — 2 Comments

Seminar Success - The Furniture Industry and YOU

The topic was: Understanding Online Communities: Getting YOUR Message to the Masses. The audience consisted of furniture retailers, independent owners and other industry professionals and all were quite interested in online communities once I began to share the value of participation. It was the High Point Furniture Seminars in High Point, NC and I did not know what to expect, considering the fact that I knew nothing about the furniture industry and very little about it's current struggles. I c… Continue

Added by Angela Connor on June 8, 2008 at 1:49pm — No Comments