Author: Carl Setzer

For years I’ve pondered the nature of work in our society. The way our sense of self is intrinsically tied, how one of the first things we ask new acquaintances is “what do you?” Work provides us social status, links within our communities and, of course, critical economic resources: survival.

Additionally, I’ve seen so misery surrounding work. Hatred for their work, disdain for certain crafts and, thus, isolation. Dignity and social acceptance play out in this space. And, let’s not forget the pain surrounding job losses.

I’m committed to exploring this deeper, so there will be more soon.

May you all find peace on this journey through the cosmos.

Matthew Keys, the deputy social media editor for Reuters, has been let go (Mr. Keys’ description of that event is here). As with all things like this, discerning the truth will take some time. We don’t have Reuters side, and most likely won’t until the union grievance is resolved.

The details listed on his Tumblr post give me pause, though. It seems Reuters’ beefs centered around his Twitter postings surrounding the Boston Marathon bombings. Each item seems to have a logical rebuttal, which always raises my eyebrows. I can sense there are gaps here, but there’s not enough detail yet to read between the proverbial lines.

One thing, though, I wonder about is how this affects Twitter’s relationship with journalism. It seems that Mr. Keys mostly aggregated information from police scanners, as well as other tweets. This is an endeavor that makes accuracy tough. Yet, I’d argue, there’s deep value. Yes, we, as citizens and media consumers, need to recognize the spurious nature of these moments. But the barrage of data helps ensure that the truth comes forth. Yes, it needs to be sorted through. Yes, there will be disinformation and misinformation. Activities like aggregation helps in that sifting process. Plus, it gives us a place to verify the accuracy of past reporting when looking at the next event. Someone with a history of mis/disinformation should, theoretically, immediately be suspect the next round.

I just read a Tweet about “Twitter being the future of journalism“. Well, it’s really the “now” of journalism. Right now. Perhaps it’s a great time for one of my favorite Wil Wheaton quips, “I love living in the future”.

Crowdsourcing is one of the greatest pieces of the Internet age. Whether we’re talking about open source software, raising funds, or news, the power of the collective amazes me. The downside stems from volume, and the ability of malevolent players to perform mischief. Yet those voices tend towards discovery with amazing speed.

Hard to gauge how all this will evolve. But the journalistic game changed, radically and permanently. I label this whole phenomena “digitized democracy”. Voices become equalized.

So, just a few random thoughts which I intend to flesh out further. I hope you have wonderful Fridays.

Some things to meditate on if you market towards the teen crowd.

Or if you’re a creepy stalker type.

Either way, read and get learned. Whatever feelings you have towards youth, their feelings reflect the direction culture is migrating towards.

I found this over at Social Media Today.

I like to listen to podcasts on my commute. This got me thinking about how many of NPR’s weekly shows would lend themselves nicely to the podcast format. The first show I thought of, though, is Fiona Ritchie’s Thistle & Shamrock. It’s not carried locally and, unless I find a live stream, I’m out of luck.

Providing the whole show via podcast would work nicely. Broadcast the show intact. You can increase your viewership significantly with minimal increased coast. There’s great power in allowing timeshifting.

I think it’d be a great win for NPR. You?

I noticed this gem trending on Reddit today:Zales Fires Top Earning Saleswoman Because She Needs Surgery. Basics: Zales fires one of their best performing sales staff right after being informed she will need to take a disability leave. However one feels about this, the most crucial piece is that this is from 2009. 4 years later, this is rising on Reddit. You can guarantee that Zales will get hate messaging about this. Reminds me of one of the recurring issues I saw at Starbucks: Starbucks Hates The Military Rumor. This guy kept recycling, often at the most random times. Lesson: be very careful with your PR. Even false accusations will cycle through cyberspace and provide you regular aggravation. True ones will continuously rise up and bite, teeth sharper with each retelling.