Our digital shadows

After spending the last couple of days learning about the benefits of social media I've spent the afternoon listening to what problems could occur if you use social media in the wrong way or if you create an account and then don't use it at all. "Our digital shadows " by great trainer Marie K Shanahan (@mariekshan) was an eye opener an provided me with some interesting new tools.

Another great guy

This man has spent most of his life constructing missiles. Not very violent in person though. He took part in the Titan programme and even made parts that went to the moon.

Imagine that, folks!

Use social media to cover breaking news

Somewhere down there at the front is @kellyfincham assistant professor and journalist who was in the news room that first found out about the death of colleague  Veronica Guerin. They didn't publish for 1,5 hours to allow the police time to contact her family. The situation is completely different today, says Kelly.

@kimbui talks about how to use storify and rebelmouse. "I'm a storyteller, social media is just a tool for me to tell a story". 

Future journalism and drones

Matt Waite demonstrates  bulletproof drone. 70 bucks and you can put a camera on it and get video nobody else can. Question is: is it legal?

Willian Avila, Social media producer, NBC,

This is a great guy!

Instagram & Facebook

Today is going to be a social media day. I've already been to great seminars about Facebook and Instagram. Even though there weren't to many news it's always exciting to listen to people representing those companies and to my fellow journalists and their interests and questions.

After lunch I might go to a seminar about drones (!!!) used in news journalism.

Best advice this far. Photomaps from Instagram embedded on website.

Networking US style

After spending 6 hours being amazed by Tom Hallman (yes his verbal storytelling skills are as good as his written) I've spent one hour networking US style. That basically means walking around talking to people you don't know about whatever you come up with, and the strangest thing is that nobody feels wierd about it.

Now I'm at the poolside bar enjoying a Writer's block, a bright purple drink that tastes like salsa with a ginger sprinkle. At the bar I met Brandon McDonald who, opposed to most Americans didn't know where he decended from. I guessed Scotland. He'd been to a "celebrity event" since he works with "beauty products". That's LA"

Tom Hallman on narrative storytelling

All day today is dedicated to how to be a better journalist by using yourself and your feelings. At least that's what Pulitzer Prize winner Tom Hallman tries to teach us, me and my fellow 50 journalist attending the workshop "Dump the inverted pyramid".

He's recipe for success is to always go to yourself to test if a story is good, does it make me feel? React? Is there something unexpected in an otherwise ordinary story that is worth telling?

We have just had a lunch break and now entering another two hour session.

At the hotel

We're finally at the hotel. But there were quite a few mishaps on the way. 

Firstly, my dad thought that bringing cheese and cloudberry jam as a gift to Don and Mary Jo (his Salt lake-buddies) was a good idea. Not very much so when we got stuck in customs though. Eventually it worked out fine since my dad is such a great people person :-)

However, we still didn't make the O'Hare-LAX flight. Fortunately there were empty seats on a 1,5 h later flight. On that plane they showed Ironman 3, not such a great movie. Arriving in LA the car rental place had released our car and we had to wait to get one. When it eventually arrives it's a great car, a camaro convertible, and it's not until halfway up the freeway that I realize that my dad has no idea how the GPS works. After touring the airport a couple of times, he gets the advice stuck to the windscreen to allow me to take an occasional peak. 

Well anyways, getting off the car at the hotel the top of the car will neither come up or down. I sorted it out with violence and swearing.

Now my body tells me it's 6 am even though the clock says 10, anyhow it's time to go to bed. Goodnight everyone! (Oh yeah they are shooting fireworks behind the Hilton.)

Hotel view

@Arlanda

I should have gotten the business class ticket...

Countdown

It's less than 24 hours to take off. The taxi is picking me up at 6 am tomorrow morning. Than we'll have an hour flight to Stockholm and many many hours from Stockholm to Chicago. Sometime in the morning local time we'll get on the final flight to LAX. Pick up rental car and 30 min drive to the hotel. We'll check in to the Anaheim Marriott in the afternoon but it will be around midnight swedish time.

I think everything is packed and planned. I downloaded the EIJ-app that has a great scheduling function to keep track of everything I don't want to miss out on.

I also confirmed with some swedish-americans from Salt Lake City to meet up. The poor folks are going to drive for 10 hours to meet up. Good people!

The inverted pyramid

I've just registered for a full day of training in narrative storytelling. It's a six hour brainwash on how to command and hold the audience's attention and reaching people on an emotional level. The goal is to get away from the inverted pyramid, the way that most journalists tell a story, starting with the most important facts.

Since I'm also an aspiring author ;-) I think this workshop is going to gain not only my professional writing and storytelling but also the writing that I do in private.

It feels fab! In my opinion most TV journalists should try to improve their storytelling skills. There is too much bad TV on TV.

(pic from Wikipedia)