Starting Thursday at 10 p.m. online, and at 10:30 p.m. on TV and online, we’ll be airing Connect with Jenni Hogan, a TV special about how people can get the most use out of social media, and we’ll be making the audience at home a huge part of our show.

You may recognize Jenni from a couple posts here on Lost Remote, as well as from our Twitter leaderboard. She’s the most-followed local TV personality in the country and our resident social media aficionado here at KIRO 7, so she’s a natural to host Connect.

We have a definite vision for the show — we have great guests and contributors lined up, and they’ll be weighing in on a lot of interesting topics (more on that below) — but the part I’m most excited about is how much control the audience will have in deciding what the show becomes. What will set Connect apart from traditional local news specials is that a fair bit of what we do and talk about will be determined by what our audience is talking about on the second screen — in this case, mostly Twitter and Facebook. I don’t mean that we’ll just pop up tweets from time to time, either. The audience will have a legitimate voice in the content and direction of the show, and they’ll be able to help shape that direction in real time.

That’s where I come in, as a matter of fact. Throughout the show, I’ll be keeping an eye on our social media channels (use #KIROConnect on Twitter if you’re watching) to see what people are talking about and reacting to. For example, we may start a discussion about the best lifehacking apps, and then want to know what users’ favorites are. I’ll keep an eye out for that, and when I find that have-to-share app, I’ll interrupt Jenni on TV and turn the discussion toward, “Check out this cool iPhone app that @username found.” It’s a very huge responsibility, and I’m really excited to be the guy who will channel our followers’ voices.

Jenni Hogan on set at Banyan Branch's offices, during a run-through for Thursday's show.

I’ll be right next to our two panelists; Ben Huh, CEO of the Cheezburger Network, and Josie Bissett, who starred on the original Melrose Place (she’s a fellow tweeting Seattleite who wants to learn more about social media). We have a lot of other great guests on hand, too, who will be lending their voices to the conversation, including Blake Cahill, President of Banyan Branch; Porter Gale, Chief Evangelist of Kred; James Sun, CEO of Pirq and former contestant on The Apprentice; and Jean-Sun Hannah Ahn, Miss Seattle 2012.

The entire show will be livestreamed at kirotv.com, so you can watch even if you’re not in Seattle. We’ll begin a pre-show livestream at 10 p.m., go on TV from 10:30-11 p.m., and then wrap things up on the livestream sometime after 11. You can follow along there, and on Twitter with the aforementioned #KIROConnect hashtag. Jenni’s Twitter account and the KIRO 7 Twitter account will be driving a lot of conversation from our filming location, at the offices of Banyan Branch. We’ll be taking feedback on Facebook as well via the KIRO 7 Eyewitness News page and Jenni’s personal account.

All of us involved in the show are really excited about it, and I’m really happy to help KIRO 7 take this next step in its on-air social media presence. Up until now, we’ve been steadily increasing the amount of social interaction in our newscasts and specials. Last year for Seafair, Seattle’s big summer festival, we paired all-day TV coverage with on-the-air tweets and Facebook posts, which helped drive our anchors’ and reporters’ conversations with the athletes and organizers involved. In January, when snow and ice storms crippled parts of Western Washington, social media played a huge role in figuring out where the hardest-hit areas were and where we sent our news crews. We also brought a lot of user-generated content — whether it was photos, videos or status updates — on air to help us tell the story of how the storms affected people.

Connect is the next logical step for us in the sense that, we’ve always built our programming around what our viewers say is important to them, and now we have the ability to know what’s important to them right now. Our hope for Connect is that it sets a new standard for our brand of social TV engagement, and that we’ll be able to see it in practice on a more regular basis.

I hope to be able to chat with some of you and bring your feedback into the show on Thursday night. See you then.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

1. Welcome back Egypt #Jan25 – @ghonim
2. Helicopter hovering above Abbottabad at 1AM (is a rare event) – @ReallyVirtual
3. my daughter her name is sarah m. rivera – @putodanny

In a post on ABCNews.com yesterday, co-founder Jack Dorsey offered some insight into how some of the tweets were chosen. For instance, he had this to say about the massive volley of Tweets during and after the Japanese earthquake in March:

“You want to feel like you’re not alone in this massive, massive experience that is potentially very scary. To me it’s about being able to reach out instantly and know that others are with you and others are experiencing the same thing and others are out there supporting and that’s what you saw in Japan. You saw people reach out and say we’re in an earthquake right now and then all around the world you have all these replies coming in to these Japanese people saying we’re watching…it’s OK…are you there?”

Incidentally, here’s a visualization of Tweets, @ replies and retweets during and after the quake:

Since the list is ranked by “impact, resonance and relevance,” it’s sure to provide a lot of fodder for debate, and for tweeting.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Credit: LA Dodgers

The Los Angeles Dodgers just wrapped up what may be one of the more ambitious social media projects by a professional sports team in 2011. Social September was a full month of events and promotions geared toward giving back to the team’s fan base via social media.

“Social September was a month-long initiative designed to engage our fans online, in-stadium and at home,” said Joe Jareck, the Dodgers assistant director of public relations, in an e-mail exchange with Lost Remote.

That meant the promotion spanned TV, the web, radio and Dodger Stadium.

The plan came together earlier this season, when it became apparent that a playoff run was not in the cards for the team.

“We knew that September home games would be devoid of a pennant race and really wanted to give something back to our loyal fans that follow so closely via social media, particularly the ones at the stadium and watching on TV,” Jareck said. “All season long, we’re always trying to think of ways to enhance our fan experience and that’s not just limited to the ballpark.”

Among the ways the Dodgers engaged their fans:

• During a Sept. 1-8 road trip, fans were able to ask questions through the Dodgers’ Twitter account and have them answered during broadcasts.
• On multiple dates, fans were able to vote, via Facebook poll, for the songs that would play when Dodger players came to the plate.
• Tweets that included the #SocialSept hashtag were featured on the big screen at Dodger Stadium during the Sept. 12-22 homestand.
• Dodger pitcher Clayton Kershaw took over @Dodgers and guest tweeted one day.
• Twitter fans had chances to win prizes, such as an on-field introduction before a game, a game of catch on the field during the offseason, announcing the start of a ballgame and a lunch with Hall of Fame manager Tommy Lasorda.
• Some fans had Dodger PA Announcer Eric Smith record their outgoing voicemail messages.
• Pitcher Javy Guerra helped the team engage its Latino and bilingual fan base by giving away tickets to a special section during one of September’s home games.

The result, from the team’s perspective, was a huge success. Fans from 19 different countries showed up in one form or another for the first day of Social September and the Dodgers’ social accounts saw steady growth throughout the month.

“On the statistical side, we gained over 21,000 ‘likes’ on Facebook. The hashtag #SocialSept was used in more than 11,000 tweets and we were one of the only non-contending teams to actually gain steam in September as our club had the second most new Twitter followers during the month (among the 18 non-contending teams),” Jareck said.

Jareck added, though, that the Dodgers didn’t go fishing for new Facebook and Twitter fans when they set out to create Social September. Rather, the Dodgers wanted to offer multiple platforms where fans could engage.

“The goal … really was to just give our fans more voice … another way to follow the Dodgers closely and be rewarded for it,” Jareck said. “The goals of additional likes on Facebook or more followers on Twitter were secondary.”

When we brought up the idea of a repeat of Social September, Jareck said that wasn’t exactly in the cards — “hopefully, next September we are wrapping up a division title and we can let that be our sole focus,” he said — but that elements of the promotion could easily pop up throughout the regular season.

“I think it’s safe to say that at some point next season or perhaps even in Spring Training, we will look to do something similar for our True Blue fans,” he said. “As I’m writing this, we’re having an extended brainstorm session about how cool it would be to do something for Spring Training and the excitement it could build leading Opening Day. [...] The Dodger brand is strong and our fans are some of the most loyal in the game. We definitely need to continue doing more and more with social media. It’s absolutely a part of the Dodger fan experience.”

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

To give you a feel of what Jenni’s all about, and to avoid the appearance that I’m completely biased, here’s something I wrote about her nearly two years ago, long before I ever knew I’d be working with her:

I think Jenni Hogan might secretly be a robot. The volume and speed of her Tweets are so great that it’s hard to tell when she stops working or sleeps. Nearly everything she does on camera, behind the scenes, on location or socially among other Seattleites is documented on Twitter. Hypersocial is how I’d explain it, and I’d almost go so far as to say follow her example to an extent (if you can keep up the same pace, go for it).

That’s all still true, but one of the things I’d add, which I’ve learned while working with her and which I think may be the key to her success, is that she’s intensely dedicated to using her influence for the benefit of her fans and friends (“Best Twitter Friends” or “BTFs” is how she’d probably put it).

I asked her about her success with social media recently and how she manages to keep it all going. Here’s how she answered:

When did you first start integrating social media into your work, and how did that happen?
I remember the exact moment seven years ago. I was a few weeks into my first on-air job in Lewiston, Idaho. I was at a Starbucks and a viewer walked up to me and started talking to me. This viewer knew everything about me, and I had nothing to add to the conversation about their life. This moment changed me forever. I didn’t like the fact that being on TV was a one-way relationship. I was determined to make my job a two-way relationship. After that day, I started recording everything about my interaction with viewers on an Excel spreadsheet. Anytime a viewer emailed, sent a message or called, I’d write their name, contact info and a little nugget about them.

By the time Twitter came along, I was in Seattle and this Excel spreadsheet had a few thousand people on it. I’d spend a few hours a day writing back and forth to these people, reaching out to them randomly, to just say hi. I loved knowing that if I saw them out in public, I could ask about their daughter, or congratulate them on their new job. It made my job so much more meaningful knowing that these people who welcomed me into their lives knew I cared about them, too. The difference with Twitter and my old Excel spreadsheet is that Twitter made this communication public. My bosses knew how many emails I got, but no one else saw them. With Twitter, it’s all out in the open; everyone sees my relationships and communications with viewers. People think I’m on Twitter all the time, but Twitter has actually saved me time. I no longer have to go through an Excel spreadsheet and update it — Twitter does that job for me. I can just look at my feed to catch up with all of my viewers and see what’s going on in their lives.

Did you have to “sell” any of your bosses early on, with regard to engaging fans online and using social media on TV?
My boss was the one who sold me. He suggested I get on Twitter and give it a try. We both decided it I should try it on my personal account before I did it for work. The next day, I woke up and had a few hundred followers. We realized pretty quickly I wasn’t just trying it anymore; that this was a new, powerful way to connect with viewers. I was one of the first in our market to dabble with Twitter, so there were no rules or examples of how to use it as an on-air talent. The only rule my boss gave me was to be myself. This is still the best piece of advice I’ve ever received in regard to using social media and I tell everyone I can to follow his advice.

Do you have a specific strategy or focus for your social engagement?
My social strategy is to community-build. I tell people I mentor that you can either talk on social media, listen, or community-build and do both. I love the community-building model and really encourage you to try this strategy for two weeks if you haven’t already. I know you’ll feel the power of the community you have built. It does take time to do this strategy but it’ll be such an asset to your journalism tool kit. Here are the five rules I live by:

1. Impact my community in a positive way with every interaction or post. I want to influence people to have a great day. It’s my goal to bring a smile to the face of my community when they read what I have to say. This means “no posting while grumpy” is a big rule of mine.
2. Reply to everyone who writes to me at least once. I started out with a rule that I would reply to every single Tweet. This has been really hard for me to let go of as my Twitter following has grown and I still try to get a reply to everyone.
3. Follow everyone who follows me. I love this rule and I will go to bat for it to everyone who tells me otherwise. I believe everyone has a story. As journalists, we to choose who those people are who have a story. I’m honored for people to care enough to want to have me in their feed that I want to return that relationship and follow them back.
4. Share moments in my life. If there is a moment that gives me an emotion, I’ll share it on my Twitter feed. It could be something I’m excited about, a piece of clothing I love, a story I’ve read, something someone said to me. If I get jazzed over it, I’ll share it.
5. Treat my Tweets as a job shadow. I don’t Tweet teases to watch our show, I tweet what it’s like to do my job. If I am watching an accident on our chopper feed and it’s hard to look at, I’ll Tweet that. If I get starstruck by someone who is in our studio, I’ll let my followers know. It’s more of a behind-the-scenes. I know they can get the news by following our news Tweets, so my feed is all about what it’s like to be me. If I’m covering a story, then they’re going to get information on that story, but it’ll be through my eyes and emotions.

Talk about some of the projects you have outside of KIRO 7 and how those came to be.
I launched MissionHotMama.com in May. It’s an online magazine/blog that covers fashion, fitness and all things fun to inspire mothers to focus on themselves and kick booty in life. The idea of Mission Hot Mama was born right after my baby girl was born. I was on maternity leave and struggling to get back into TV shape. I Tweeted that I needed help and opened up my personal training session to anyone who wanted to come. Twelve mothers showed up the next day and I can’t put in to words how amazing it was to have that support at that time in my life. We called our work out sessions “mission hot mama.” This made such an impact on my life that I launched MissionHotMama.com as a place for this community to call home and help inspire other mothers to know they’re not alone and it’s time to release your inner hotness and shine.

I’m also co-founder of GoGirl Academy, a career acceleration program for women. There are more than 50 graduates of GoGirl Academy since it launched last year and we’re now expanding the company to also help men. Expect a big announcement on that and a name change coming up in September.

You’re already the No. 1 local TV personality on Twitter (by Lost Remote’s count) — where do you go from here? What’s next?
I am so honored to have that title and work hard everyday to give it meaning. I’m passionate about doing online campaigns that help link up my community to help a cause. I’d love all of you to try take the title from me, though. The more of us in influential positions that can be online, building a community, the more good we can do in the world. I am such a believer in the power of social media and the influence it can have on your community. People may read this and think I’m not genuine, but it’s my passion. It found me, and now I just want to share my experiences with others.

I am all about helping people in my industry kick booty online, so please ask if you ever have any questions. That’s probably the reason why I have so many followers, too. I’d say half of them are people I’ve met and given a Twitter-101 to, and made them get online. I can’t help myself. If you aren’t online, you will be after spending five minutes with me. I’ve gotten my lactation consultant, trainer, co-workers, barista… everyone I come into contact with, I am a walking advertisement for Twitter and how powerful it can be.

As for my personal goals online, I want to keep experimenting with the latest technology and stay on the forefront of mixing social media and television. I’m excited about how our industry will look in five-to-10 years. I can’t say what that will be, but I do know the online world will be a big part of shaping our industry’s future.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Case in point, this impromptu United Nations of News meeting that happened yesterday to establish a hashtag for an election on Tuesday:

[View the story "Media cooperation and the #waelex hashtag" on Storify]

(Thanks to Amanda Emily for gathering all those Tweets and Storify-ing them.)

We’re probably quite a way away from collaborating like this on air, which is fine. Online, though, this kind of collaboration serves us all very well because it consolidates our reach.

We don’t do this every day, but in the name of public service, or during a crisis, we’ve got a pretty well oiled machine set up.

Full disclosure: I’m the Web Editor for KIRO 7 Eyewitness News in Seattle and I run @KIRO7Seattle during large swaths of the day.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

CoCo and crew hauled in a total 223,968 combined Tweets, status updates and check-ins on Twitter, Facebook, Miso and GetGlue, which was miles ahead of runner-up Jimmy Fall0n, who totaled just over 89,000.

Joining Conan on the list was TBS lead-in George Lopez, whose Lopez Tonight posted 73,965 interactions.

GigaOM points out that the TV ratings aren’t really there yet for Conan, but Conan knew when he signed his TBS contract that he wouldn’t be competing with NBC and CBS — his chief competitors in Trendrr’s report — right away. More likely, Conan and TBS are gunning for a portion of the audience occupied by The Daily Show and The Colbert Report.

Conan’s post-NBC career has hinged on his ability to engage his audience on social networks, and by that measure and the numbers above, he’s doing pretty well. Consider, for instance, the comparison between his numbers and Fallon’s: Fallon basically doubles Conan’s TV ratings, but Conan drew two-and-a-half times as many social interactions in Trendrr’s June chart (and keep in mind, Jimmy’s no slouch when it comes to integrating social media with Late Night). (Also note: Conan airs at 11 p.m., while Late Night comes on at 12:35 a.m.)

Conan’s is still chiefly a TV show, however, so it will be interesting to see how he or TBS might start trying to influence that large network of followers and checker-inners they’ve established.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

PetroleumJelliffe / Flickr

NBC is still trying to shake off negative press dogging it after it cut out the “under God, indivisible” part of the Pledge Of Allegiance during a video package aired during its U.S. Open coverage Sunday. TBD.com notes that “the backlash on social media was quick and harsh,” and as of Thursday, NBC was still taking some flak on the issue.

NBC has issued two apologies since the incident, saying the omission “was not done to upset anyone” and that the decision to do so “was made by a small group of people.”

From a social standpoint, NBC appears to be staying quiet about the ordeal — they haven’t mentioned anything about the incident, and haven’t posted the apology, to the NBC Sports Facebook or Twitter pages. At the same time, it appears that they’re not deleting comments about the incident made by other people.

The strategy can be read two ways: NBC is either perpetuating the story in the social sphere by not apologizing directly to its fans, or it’s making a smart move by publicly apologizing (twice), hunkering down and letting the story peter out.

Which route would you take?

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

We talked with Teresa Gorman, the social media production assistant for Newshour, about how the team responded.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

When you go to the aforementioned site (or TheDarkKnightRises.WarnerBros.com), you hear a muffled chant that loops continuously. What are they saying? Some early speculation had the crowds shouting something about The League of Shadows, but over at SuperHeroHype, they apparently have the answer.

One of the site’s forum members used an audio editing program to determine that the audio says (in spectrum) “#thefirerises” – which eventually led people to Twitter due to the hashtag-looking text.

That led to a Twitter account called @thefirerises, which for every person who follows it, adds the person’s avatar to a mosaic of Tom Hardy as Bane, one of the film’s villains:

Click to see full-screen. Some people were able to extract the source code for the image; a sharper version is available over at MTV’s site.

The idea of looping a mystery into a marketing campaign for a Batman movie may seem obvious — Nolan is known for spinning mysteries and Batman is known for solving them — but it’s also really smart. The nature of the director and the characters involved has made it such that even seemingly obvious reveals about the plot have been questioned. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the marketing crew take advantage of the speculation and use it to keep people guessing.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

ario_ / Flickr

Someone at the Secret Service apparently accidentally bashed Fox News from the Secret Service’s official Twitter account earlier today.

“Had to monitor Fox for a story. Can’t. Deal. With. The. Blathering.” the account briefly read, before the Tweet was deleted.

Why was the Secret Service monitoring Fox News? Reports ABC News’ Jake Tapper:

Asked why the employee was monitoring Fox News Channel, Donovan said, “Our public affairs employees monitor all the news channels throughout the day for stories that effect the Secret Service.”

Asked which story this employee was focused on, Donovan said “I don’t know.”

Chalk it up to another Twitter blooper, many of which we’ve collected here.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Couric has made social media a major part of her tenure at the Evening News and has used it to stay connected with her audience — something that was harder to do on a hard news program than when she hosted the Today Show. Pelley, on the other hand, just started his Twitter account last week and has yet to say anything. (Note/Update: Pelley’s account isn’t verified, but CBS confirmed to Lost Remote that it’s the real thing.) He also still doesn’t have a proper Facebook page.

Pelley comes from 60 Minutes, which, while it has established itself socially, could improve its cache in the social sphere.

CBS apparently is concerned enough about its social presence to open a Twitter account for Pelley, but what will be interesting to see is how much the man himself embraces it. Arguably, social media has come far enough that Pelley needs a Facebook and Twitter account (if only to absorb news tips and squat on the name), though maybe not to the point that he necessarily needs to do anything with it on his own. We hope his Twitter account will be more than teases for the newscast and an automated RSS feed.

What’s also worth considering is whether there’s even any point in reaching out to an audience that may not be there. If social users are getting their news all day long and don’t have any reason to tune into the Evening News — and CBS’ goal is clearly to raise the show’s ratings — CBS may not have much of a reason to put an extraordinary amount of focus on its social presence.

What do you think: Will the Evening News become less social? Does it matter? Will you watch either way? Let us know below.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

AudioBoo

What it does: Takes short (3 minutes max) audio recordings and posts them to a Twitter-like feed (you can also hook it up to Twitter seamlessly). You can record via the AudioBoo app from your computer. You can then take the embed code and post it on your site.

Why it’s useful: If you’re in a disaster zone, it may be challenging to write or blog (in the sense that typing on a mobile device isn’t ideal). AudioBoo is a lot faster: just talk and post. It may even be preferable, particularly if you’re a TV or radio journalist who’s used to using his voice to tell a story.

Cost: Free signup/free iPhone or Android app.

Posterous/Tumblr

What they do: Lightweight blogging — highlight text or embed images and video, and post from your desktop via a bookmarklet. The real power of these two services is their ability to be shared between several people and the ease with which they can be embedded into another site.

Why they’re useful: Imagine having a dozen reporters in the field, all of whom are able to post text, audio, video and still images directly to your website in just a few clicks or swipes. (Granted, some trust and self-editing is required here.)

Cost: Free, apps and all.

Instagram

What it does: Imagine if Twitter was just photos — that’s Instagram.

Why it’s useful: Instagram really took off during the blizzards that blew through Chicago last winter. People from all overthe city were using the service to chronicle one of the worst storms in years and the opportunity for anyone who bothered to sign up for the service was a treasure trove of curation. Traditional journalists might balk at Instagram because of the fact that it relies heavily (though not necessarily) on image filters to doctor up the pics. But once you’ve accepted that as part of the charm of the service, you’ll find that it’s quite captivating.

Cost: Free (only for iPhone)

Do you have any favorite apps for quick reporting from the field? Let us know in the comments below.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

The president kicked off his re-election bid earlier this month with an announcement via e-mail, Facebook and Twitter, and hosted a Facebook Town Hall (above) on Wednesday. The focus of the 2012 campaign, however, looks to be squarely on more traditional TV ads.

“The 2012 re-election team will run through its war chest mostly by buying massive amounts of advertising on radio and TV,” Reuters reported, amid speculation that the Obama team would raise a record $1 billion on campaign spending.

Juxtaposed, those posts almost make the president’s social efforts seem like window dressings. And as Nancy Scola of TechPresident.com told AFP, “the Obama presidency has been one run without the sort of grassroots collaboration implied by the ’08 campaign.”

President Obama looking at an iPad. Photo from White House Flickr page

The variables this time are entirely different. For one thing, the “change” theme is completely reversed, since asking to be re-elected is literally the exact opposite of change. That’s somewhat problematic from a social media standpoint because it takes away a huge call to action. So the Obama campaign will have to craft a message that basically says “the same, but, you know, better” — not exactly jump-out-of-your-seat-and-Like-it.

For another, as Scola pointed out, the president has had more than two years to engage his crowdsourced/grassroots community, which is something he’s struggled with. The 2008 Obama campaign got that social media was important, but the Obama administration thus far has been somewhat confused over how to return the favor (unless you count various pieces of legislation that have been passed and an awesome Flickr account as returning the favor).

Granted, the 2008 campaign didn’t run entirely on social media, but Pres. Obama has always positioned himself as a man of the people and his social savvy in 2008 definitely helped cement that image. The decision to pump most of the 2012 campaign’s funds into TV ads isn’t entirely surprising, but it does raise the question of how Obama’s social media supporters will react and how many of those from 2008 will return.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Photo: Jay Westcott

Mandy Jenkins, formerly the social media editor of TBD, and soon-to-be social media manager for Huffington Post Politics, has been busy blogging away about social media best-practices for news brands over at her blog, Zombie Journalism.

“The key to communicating as a news brand – especially when many people are behind the curtain – is to have a set persona in mind,” Mandy says in one of her posts. “If the brand were a person, who would they be?”

Mandy has managed the social presences of TBD and the Cincinnati Enquirer, and we shot her a few questions over the weekend asking her about her experiences with both.

Lost Remote: Was there a different plan of attack, social media-wise, when you were at the Cincinnati Enquirer (print legacy) vs. TBD (TV legacy)?

Mandy: There was a different plan of attack between TBD and The Enquirer, but it wasn’t rooted in the type of media. When I developed the first social media policy for The Enquirer, I was on my own and flying blind. It was all about experimentation with our most popular features, training reporters on social media, developing new social tools and, essentially, winning over the staff. Keep in mind, that was 2008, before even the NYT was on Twitter. Any social media projects undertaken had to be done by me, along with the rest of my work, which limited the scope a little.

At TBD, we had a few years of experimentation coming in, a full community engagement staff to work with and a staff hired with a social vision in mind. The plans were more free-flowing and experimental, as we had more people contributing ideas and able to carry out those plans.

This difference is most likely due to the fact that the legacy product was in no way involved with planning social strategy. That said, WJLA (the TV station affiliated with TBD) did end up being a very valuable asset to breaking news on Twitter by contributing their assignment desk resources to the process, something a newspaper just isn’t built to do.

LR: How engaged in social media have the newsrooms you’ve worked in been? In each case, how has that affected your planning for a social media strategy?

Mandy: The difference in staff participation was different, but not so much in quantity. At the Enquirer, I had gotten quite a few reporters into social media (mostly Twitter) and had a rotation of online editors to keep the brand account manned days, nights and weekends. What we didn’t have, though, was a social-first news process.

At TBD, every staff member had a role in social and it was foremost in our daily news coverage (due in part to the contributions from WJLA’s assignment desk). In terms of the branded accounts, however, we didn’t have the available personnel to staff it as often and as thoroughly as I would have liked. It was a constant struggle to know when to walk away each day.

The commitment to social was definitely stronger with the TBD staff, I think because it was such a key part of our original mission. Even after loads of training and strategic talk at the Enquirer, the commitment to the legacy product was still very strong, making it so some reporters would routinely withhold news from social channels. It was a constant process. I’m not sure how it is now, but I hope it’s become more routine.

LR: What is the most essential skill (or skills) you’ve picked up in order to become an effective social media editor/manager?

Mandy: I believe there’s only one skill that is absolutely required in a good social media manager — and that’s a willingness to experiment without fear of failure. I can’t tell you how many tools I’ve tried and sites I’ve signed up for over the years just to see how they might work for my newsroom. I consider none of it a waste.

• Interacting With The Audience As A News Brand
• Channeling The News Brand On Twitter And Facebook
• Channeling The News Brand: Persona And Strategy

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

That video followed a series of “action movie”-themed teasers that Pawlenty has been posting to his YouTube channel for the last several months, hinting (strongly) at a 2012 bid. It’s the first big social media splash from any of those who figure to contend for the Republican nomination.

As much as the 2008 election was touted as a social media game changer at the time, it was really only the preseason. Then Senator Obama was really the only candidate doing anything with social networking; the others mostly jumped on the bandwagon when they realized it was necessary to compete for the youth vote.

The 2012 election will be different. Youth voters may not be as likely to play a big role, but social media has become deeply intertwined with big media and culture in general.

This won’t as big of an issue for Pres. Obama as it will be for the Republican contenders, who first have to beat each other and then the president himself, who is no stranger to social campaigns.

*It’s entirely possible that a fellow Democrat will challenge the president for the Democratic nomination, but for obvious reasons, it’s not very probable.

Ben Smith and Maggie Haberman write for Politico:

[Republicans are] preparing for a presidential run in the social media era, where current videos are instantly available, and a two-hour discourse will most likely be boiled down to its most embarrassing 12 seconds before spreading like a virus across Twitter and YouTube.

The challenge isn’t just what is said in in the current campaign. Everything that a candidate has ever said on video can be made new again, at the least opportune moment….

If all that’s not enough, the voting public has a little more experience with social media now than it did three years ago. Smart phones have proliferated and driven video uploads through the roof (or maybe just pushed the roof higher). Facebook is the size of a (the) country. And how many fledgling political blogs are probably already salivating at the chance to become the WikiLeaks of the 2012 election?

All candidates will have to sharpen their social acumen to make it to the finish line in this one. Even more interesting perhaps is that while 2012 could be seen as the first big election to involve social networking, it may also be the last. By the time 2016 rolls around, this will all be business as usual.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.