The Weekly Debrief: 29 June 2012

By Josie Keller, PBS Interactive 

Welcome to the Weekly PBS Interactive Station Products & Innovation Debrief, designed to give PBS stations a rundown of Interactive updates and opportunities announced this week on our blog.

Engagement can be a way to improve customer service, inspire action on your site, make users think about your content, and improve cross-platform digital experiences: quick, actionable advice you can use now.

Are my tweets staying true to my original purpose? Am I using the best language and tone for Twitter? How can I better engage my followers and grow my network? Find out how to address some of Twitter's most challenging questions.

The PBS Interactive Station Advisory Council (SAC) is made up of a group of leaders within public media. As PBS Interactive delivers new products and services, these members collaborate and advocate for stations every step of the way. Meet Libby Peterek, SAC chair and Director of Web Services at KLRU in Austin, Texas.

It's not too late to learn about #CookForJulia, a multi-platform content and promotional initiative celebrating the life and influence of PBS chef and pioneer Julia Child, who would be celebrating her 100th birthday on August 15, 2012. Monday's webinar outlined the digital, broadcast and communication elements of the initiative and how your station can participate and potentially integrate into your August pledge plans.

This week PBS Interactive danced through lunch as part of PBS's "Be Active. Be Healthy. Be More." event.

Follow the Links Below to Keep Reading:

• FYI Friday: Engaging Your Digital Ecosystem
• Twitter Tips and Tricks
• SAC Member Profiles: Libby Peterek
• #CookForJulia: Pledge and Digital Celebration of Julia Child's 100th Birthday
• Wordless Wednesday: Zumba

At-a-Glance: PBS Interactive Product and Services Updates

• Happy Independence Day! PBS headquarters will close at 12:00 PM on Tuesday through the July 4th for the holiday.
• Save the Date: PBS Localization Webinar, July 24, 2:00 - 3:00 PM. More information to come.
• No hassle, no logins. It's the new PBS Interactive Station Guide. Have you checked it out yet?
• Need to update your local station content information on PBS.org? Take a peek at the new home for your Local Content Forms #localpbs

FYI Friday: Engaging Your Digital Ecosystem

Hello PBS stations! My name is Ida Rosenthal, and like Barry, Brionne, and Paul, I am happy to be joining the PBS Interactive team this summer as an intern. Every week this summer, the four of us will be sharing articles and tips on ways to drive more traffic to your website, to better understand your visitors and their needs, and keep you up to date on the latest best practices. Our goal is to give you quick, actionable advice you can use right now.

This week, we’ll be looking at engagement as a way to improve customer service, inspire concrete actions on your website, make users think about your content, and improve their digital experience across many platforms.

Top Tips on Posting and Responding to Comments by Kerry Bridge 
Compiled by Brionne Griffin 

One of the best things about social media marketing is that there are virtually no barriers to entry, but the risks of negative engagement run very high. While most communication professionals are guided by their own discretion, a tangible tool can help you navigate the gray areas of customer service on social media websites.

As part of their Social Media Toolkit, Dell created an infographic with tips on commenting, like “be human,” “get to know the community,” and “don’t speak out of turn.” The infographic also includes a flowchart that walks you through the best way to respond to different types comments, whether they are positive, aggressive, or spammy self-promotions. So next time Misguided Mindy posts a comment on your wall that isn’t 100 percent true, you can look to your social media infographic to determine the best way to respond.
 

8 Attributes of Content That Inspire Action by Daniel Tynski 
Compiled by Ida Rosenthal 

When users come to your website, you want them to do something. But having weak calls-to-action like “Watch this” or “Donate today” will not inspire deep engagement because it doesn’t offer value to the user. To tackle this problem, Daniel Tynski highlights 8 attributes of content that inspires action, and luckily, PBS stations have the potential to incorporate many of them.

For example, content should demonstrate mastery, offering readers insight about topics that aren’t being discussed by other sources. It’s also important that content offers a narrative that allows the user to take an “exciting journey” with your website. For all the attributes, check out the full article! Tynski also offers a rubric that allows content producers to quantifiably evaluate if their content is incorporating each of these elements.

Using Cognitive Content to Captivate Your Audience by Tracy Spetka 
Compiled by Paul Lopez 

Engagement is a key measure for any station using social media. However, if you’re having difficulties engaging with your audience, creating “cognitive content” might be the answer. Tracy Spetka describes cognitive content as something that elicits an immediate response in the brain, whether the person is aware or not. She adds that “while there is no such thing as automatic engagement on a post, there is automatic engagement in your mind when you’re exposed to certain types of content.”

For example, you can prompt users to interact in the digital space by offering fill-in-the-blank style questions. Read Spetka’s article for more details about how to increase engagement through cognitive content.

How Multi Screen Consumers Are Changing Media Dynamics by comScore
Compiled by Barry Blitch

Picture yourself checking a social networking site on your phone while watching online videos with the TV on in the background. That scenario is becoming increasingly normal for many Americans. These “digital omnivores” are consuming media on multiple platforms at the same time.

This comScore report highlights some important findings, including that multi-screen (17%) and digital-only (11%) usage is growing, especially with younger demographics. Consumers are using multiple platforms, including tablets and smartphones, to supplement their “digital diet.”

The good news for PBS stations is that, according to comScore’s findings, consumers who watched content via online video and TV consumed 25% more minutes on the TV platform than the TV audience overall. This is an important reason to bolster content on all platforms, “ensuring a connection with the loyal ‘core constituency’ of the digital ecosystem.”

Twitter Tips and Tricks

By Brionne Griffin, PBS Interactive Intern

There comes a time in the life of every Twitter account when the user must ask themselves the hard questions. Are my tweets staying true to my original purpose? Am I using the best language and tone for Twitter? How can I better engage my followers and grow my network? While nobody knows the absolute best answers to these questions, the important thing is that you’re asking. To keep your account in pristine condition, perform a simple audit every few months to see what’s working, what isn’t and what could be better. Here are a few questions and tips to get you started:

1. How do I write tweets people want to read?

It’s about quality not quantity. Science has entered the Twitterverse, folks. Scientists at UCLA and Hewlett-Packard teamed up to dissect the elements of a tweet and predict popularity based on four distinct components: the source of the article, the category, subjectivity in the language and the named entities mentioned. They found that people respond most to straightforward tweets from a reliable news organization (much like PBS and #localPBS stations) about something new and unique another respectable company is doing. People want the facts in a pithy 140-character blurb. So keep your comments about the company picnic on your personal twitter, and use your station account to cultivate interesting knowledge and engage users.

2. Should I use hashtags and trending topics?

The hash sign is no longer restricted to the confines of the telephone. When used in Twitter’s microblogging sphere, the sign denotes specific keywords or topics in a Tweet. The hashtag trend erupted into a worldwide phenomenon and now there are specific hashtags for each day of the week:

When the alarm goes off Monday morning, you can leap out of bed, knowing that it’s #musicmonday and you can tell people about great music (or an ACL show). Tuesday offers up #tumblrtuesday, so all of you with a station Tumblr account can remind your followers how great it is. On Wednesday, er I mean, #wonderwednesday, you can ask your audience professional questions, like “What is one thing PBS could do to serve you better?” or fun questions, like “Would you rather be an extra on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood or Downton Abbey?” Try to reply or retweet any answers you receive because it will encourage followers to continue interacting with you. On Thursday, you have the option of #throwbackthursday to tweet about something from the days of yore (like an old PBS show you once loved dearly), or #thankfulthursday to just give thanks for something wonderful.

So what makes the “#” so powerful? If used well, hashtags can be a great way to expand the reach of your tweet. When your tweet includes a related and popular hashtag, anyone who searches that hashtag will see your tweet in a live feed. To find out what is trending at the moment, or to look up the meaning of an ambiguous hashtag, click on over to tagdef.com.

3. What’s a good way to shorten my tweets?

So you’ve crafted a tweet and the tone is flawless, the wording is sublime and your message comes across exactly how you want. Then your eyes make their way down the page to find angry red text blaring ‘-5 characters’?! Well never fear, you no longer have to fight the character limit war alone with Thsrs, the newest addition to your Twitter toolbelt. This simple online service (also available as a Firefox plug-in), takes whatever long word you enter in and spits back a list of shorter synonyms.  And viola, you never have to abbrev8 again!

4. What are some new topics to tweet about?

You tweeted links to your latest blog posts, updates about your latest and greatest television programs, then sent a few tweets about a local event, but now what? You can always look to these staple subjects if you’re stumped for fresh new tweet ideas:

    - Website Updates & Changes
    - Staff News & Additions
    - Answer messages, respond to mentions, thank others for any promotion of your
       business or Twitter account.
    - Tweet behind-the-scenes photos that give your followers exclusive info they couldn’t
       get anywhere else.

5. Twitterature? Is this for real?

Most everyone in the media industry will agree there is so much untapped potential in social media. But what does that look like in practical, quantifiable terms? Well in the spirit of always looking for what’s new, what’s popular and what’s next in the digital media world, PBS Digital Studios created a video entitled, Is Twitter the Newest Form of Literature? The video throws a few creative, thought-provoking arguments on the table and will definitely spark your imagination. Maybe even inspire you to create the next big thing in social media.

Give these tips a try and let us know how it goes. Is there anything innovative your station is doing to better cultivate a community around your Twitter account(s)?

Wordless Wednesday: Zumba

Shannon Case of the PBS Kids Interactive team leads a lunchtime Zumba class as part of PBS's "Be Active. Be Healthy. Be More" event.

SAC Member Profiles: Libby Peterek

By Brionne Griffin, PBS Interactive Intern

The PBS Interactive Station Advisory Council (SAC) is made up of a group of leaders within the public television system. As PBS Interactive unveils and distributes new products and services to the system, these members collaborate with PBS Interactive and advocate for stations every step of the way.

In an effort to give stations a better idea of the talented and varied leaders who comprise the SAC, we are doing a series of member profiles, asking them to share their expertise, experiences and ideas for the future.

Last week's post featured David Dickinson of WPT. Check it out to learn more about his expertise.

Libby Peterek is SAC chair and Director of Web Services at KLRU in Austin, Texas. Libby joined the SAC a year and a half ago and has served as chair of the council for five months.



1. In your words, what is the SAC?
The SAC is a group of leaders from PBS member stations around the country—diverse in station type, geography, and size. A more long-winded description might be…through leadership, collaboration and thoughtful innovation, the Interactive SAC is the source for new media knowledge for the PBS system. In short, we help PBS serve stations the best they can.

2. What role does the SAC play in the world of public media?

I think we play several roles, though I think our most important ones are as counselor, collaborator, and promoter. I believe we help make PBS better, strategically and with the type and quality of the tech tools they provide the system; we collaborate with stations around the nation, almost like an open source network; and we also help let other stations know what is available to them through PBS.

3. As chair, what are your goals for the SAC in the upcoming months/year?

One of our goals is to help PBS in the development, promotion and training of their initiatives. Right now, Bento, COVE 2.0 and mobile COVE come to mind. Additionally, we are hoping to raise our visibility in the system to aid in collaboration among stations and to serve as a communication point for stations.

4. What, specifically, do you do to help stations—both as an individual and collectively with the SAC?
We (I'm part of the Libby/Jesse team at KLRU) will share anything we’ve created. If you want something you see on our website(s), we’ll package it up and send it over. I just finished a phone call with another Texas station that is in the beginning stages of a redevelopment. I empathized, explained some of what we are currently doing—as well as projects we have mapped out in the future—and discussed Merlin, COVE and Bento options and uses. I know what it feels like to start as a one-woman web team in a large and unexplored PBS system, so if there is anything I can do to help people save time and find connections, I am more than happy to help. As part of the SAC, we’re trying to figure out our national collaboration strategy. I think we get bogged down in the planning phase. How do you pull together the PBS system when we already have so many methods to communicate? It’s not a new Facebook group, it could be a database, or it might be as simple as making the SPI Blog more visible so stations know where to find us. I welcome any and all advice in the comments.

6. What unique perspective and skill set do you bring to the SAC?

That is a question better answered by my colleagues on the SAC…but I will give it a whirl. I love a challenge, I love our content and I love helping people. I went to the School of Information (formerly the School of Library and Information Science) at the University of Texas at Austin, and I studied Human Factors, Information Architecture and User-Centered Design. I think these skills make me especially suited for my job, but also for the communication and project management that make the SAC so exciting.

7. Describe your experience in public media.
It was slightly overwhelming stepping into my position as the solo Web person at a small non-profit. Everything changed when I realized I had hundreds of Web colleagues within the PBS system who were dealing with many of the same issues. I relied on my supervisor’s input as to which stations would be the best contacts; it was difficult to wade through the various PBS portals to find others who were asking the same questions as me. Since then, I have talked to several PBS stations about our online fundraising strategy and success; our innovative use of free tools to make our website fresh and engaging; and helped them find tools and decide on timelines for redesign. I know there are challenges. We’re asked to turn hay into gold, and that can be frustrating at times. But I believe in our content and I believe in our mission. I have met so many bright and driven people across the system that make me think that we, as public media professionals, are the exact ones to lead during these times of great change. Future’s so bright, I gotta wear shades.

8. In what ways do you think the SAC could improve?
It’s very hard because the SAC is a volunteer position for people who are already incredibly busy in their full-time jobs creating, innovating and engaging their constituencies. This being said, I hate excuses. I wish the SAC could be more visible. It would allow for greater collaboration and hopefully prevent different stations from developing the same things. I think the SAC could improve by helping the PBS system work more efficiently with each other.

9. If you could cure one ailment of digital public media, what would it be and why?
I want us to move faster and be more nimble. I don’t think it’s an ailment specific to public media and I think our station numbers and diversity add complexity to it.

10. What PBS show do you never miss?

The PBS show that I will always miss is Egg the arts show. But there are so many PBS shows that I never miss…Independent Lens, Nature, Masterpiece, and Austin City Limits to name a few.

11. Fill in the Blank. Public Media is    essential   .

Want to know more about Libby? Check out her Mobile Station Story!

#CookforJulia-- Celebrating Julia Child's 100th Birthday

by Matt Schoch, PBS Food

 

Julia Child is perhaps the quintessential PBS icon: She pioneered an entire genre while appearing on public television. This spy-turned-chef-turned-television star taught a generation of food lovers that cooking can be easy and enjoyable.  

This August, Julia would have celebrated her 100^th birthday, and PBS is ready to throw a party in her honor.

We’re hosting a webinar on Wednesday, June 27 at 2pm ET, to summarize our plans for #CookForJulia – a celebration of the life and legacy of America’s first woman of cooking.

Register Now: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/293630626

Learn how stations can participate in the #CookForJulia interactive social media promotion, what broadcast (and COVE streaming) specials will be airing, and how to leverage the resources PBS will make available for locally-themed celebrations.

In honoring Julia’s legacy, we reinforce the PBS story with media and consumers as an organization committed to providing American viewers with broader perspectives and educational media content that expand the minds of adults and children alike.

Bon Appetit!

The Weekly Debrief: 22 June 2012

By Josie Keller, PBS Interactive

Welcome to the Weekly PBS Interactive Station Products & Innovation Debrief, designed to give PBS stations a rundown of Interactive updates and opportunities announced this week on our blog.

The lo-fi, 1960s influenced, indie band Dr. Dog will be performing for KLRU’s Austin City Limits on Monday, June 25th at 9/8c.  In partnership with ACL, PBS will be live streaming the concert on the PBS Facebook Fan Page.

On May 31, Melody Kramer, web producer for NPR's Fresh Air, discussed her social media strategy for the show. See our #localpbs takeaways from Melody’s webinar

In an effort to better communicate the experience of being an intern at PBS, the PBS Interactive interns have launched the @PBSinterns Twitter account. Please RT.

The PBS Interactive Station Advisory Council (SAC) is made up of a group of leaders within the public television system. As PBS Interactive delivers new products and services, these members collaborate with PBS Interactive and advocate for stations every step of the way. Meet David Dickinson, Online Manager at Wisconsin Public Television and SAC member since December 2011.

See photos from last week's @PBSInterns field trip to WETA and the @NewsHour desk room. 

Follow the Links Below to Keep Reading:

• Preview-- Dr. Dog Facebook Live Event
• Webinar Takeaways: Melody Kramer of Fresh Air on the Digital Life of Shows
• @PBSinterns Twitter Page Goes Live
• Wordless Wednesday: PBS NewsHour Dodgeball
• SAC Member Profiles: David Dickinson

#CookForJulia: Pledge and Digital Celebration of Julia Child's 100th Birthday
Learn about #CookForJulia, a multi-platform content and promotional initiative that will celebrate the life and influence of PBS chef and pioneer Julia Child, who would be celebrating her 100th birthday on August 15, 2012. This webinar will outline the digital, broadcast and communication elements of the initiative and how your station can participate and potentially integrate into their August pledge plans.

• Registration Link: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/293630626
• Wednesday, June 27, 2012
• 2-3pm EST

Call Out for July 4th Holiday ContentGetting your fireworks and picnic baskets ready for the 4th? Well before you head to the parades or out to the beaches, why not send PBS your #localpbs content to feature nationally. The editorial content team will be creating a special page for just the occasion and wants to include as much local content as possible. So share what your community is planning, and any content you are airing around the holiday, to help paint a picture of the celebrations from sea-to-shining-sea. Email to pbsi_stationservices@pbs.org.

At-a-Glance: PBS Interactive Product and Services Updates

• PBS iOS App v1.6 just released. Now search for #localpbs programs.
• Need to update your local station content information on PBS.org? Take a peek at the new home for your Local Content Forms #localpbs
• Out with the old SRC, in with the new PBS Interactive Station Guide. Have you checked it out yet?

SAC Member Profiles: David Dickinson

By Brionne Griffin, PBS Interactive Intern


The PBS Interactive Station Advisory Council (SAC) is made up of a group of leaders within the public television system. As PBS Interactive unveils and distributes new products and services to the system, these members collaborate with PBS Interactive and advocate for stations every step of the way.

In an effort to give stations a better idea of the talented and varied leaders who comprise the SAC, we are doing a series of member profiles, asking them to share their expertise, experiences and ideas for the future.

David Dickinson is the Online Manager at Wisconsin Public Television and had been a member of the SAC since December 2011.

1. In your own words, what is the SAC?

 I look at it as an opportunity for stations to provide feedback to PBS on the interactive products PBS  develops.

2. What role does the SAC play in the world of public media?I don’t know how many interactive folks at stations know about the council. I would love to hear from other stations about things they think are or are not working, and bring that back to SAC. I do honestly believe PBS is looking for feedback, and this is a great opportunity for folks to chime in.

3. What, specifically, do you do to help stations—both as an individual and collectively with the SAC?
I believe it’s important for us to act as strong advocates for stations to PBS. While Kristin, Max, and the gang may not always agree with us, they are always willing to listen. SAC has been a great experience because there are some incredibly talented people on the council. We’ve shared code we’ve developed with several other stations, and are always looking to give (or take) with other station partners. There’s no reason for us all to re-create the wheel. 

 
4. What unique perspective and skill set do you bring to the SAC?
Working at ad agencies for over a decade has helped me develop the ability to look at things from a customer POV. I believe that’s critical in successful projects. Public media isn’t inevitable, we need to provide a great product to our audience.

5. Describe your experience in public media.
Fantastic. Most of us are here because there’s a sense of fulfillment you just don’t have when your time goes to helping the company owner buy a new BMW. 

6. In what ways do you think the SAC could improve?
Not sure? I’m still just learning about the role SAC plays with PBS. 

7. If you could cure one ailment of digital public media, what would it be and why?
It seems like change is a very, very gradual process. We need to become more comfortable with rapid change, from how organizations are structured to how our audience is consuming content. 

8. What PBS show do you never miss?
The new Sherlock is incredible television.

9. Fill in the blank: Public media is important. 

Want more info on David? Check out his SPI File!

Preview-- Dr. Dog Facebook Live Event

by Kelsey Savage, PBS Interactive

The lo-fi, 1960s influenced, indie band Dr. Dog will be performing for KLRU’s Austin City Limits on Monday, June 25^th at 9/8c.  In partnership with ACL, PBS will be live streaming the concert on the PBS Facebook Fan Page.

Just minutes after posting this news on Facebook, people began commenting about how excited they were about the event. Eric Freeland, PBS Interactive Director of Online Programming & Promotion, says that these types of “experimental stunts” have the potential to grow our collective online audience and turn into an ongoing series of web-based programming. Furthermore, he explains that online events like these are a great way to showcase and create buzz around “the innovative content distribution methods being implemented across national and local platforms.”

PBS Interactive and Marketing departments, in collaboration with Austin City Limits, held a similar event last fall when they live streamed Lykke Li’s ACL performance. Just like for that concert, PBS Facebook has a special 'Dr. Dog Event' page that includes details about the live stream. During the Dr. Dog live feed on the 25th, the PBS Facebook experience will include direct cues for users to engage with their local station, Austin City Limits and PBS, including tune-in and station support links. We also wanted to experiment with promoting existing local content that complements the live stream. Dr. Dog's hometown is Philadelphia, PA and was featured on WHYY’s On Canvas program. Facebook users will be able to watch this WHYY content, which gives an in-depth profile of the band and their music-making techniques, as a preview to the live concert. Freeland explained that PBS Interactive is "looking at potential ways to have more local integration within the experience as future streaming opportunities arise." We’re hoping that this event will allow us to fine tune the technical and logistical operations needed to Facebook live stream for future events, as well as experiment with the best way to promote local content and stations.

Feel free to comment below with any suggestions or questions. As always, we are available through email as well. We can’t wait to see the results!

Wordless Wednesday: PBS NewsHour Dodgeball

By Josie Keller, PBS Interactive

Last week the @PBSInterns went on a field trip to WETA and toured the @NewsHour desk room, where they played dodgeball with Hari Sreenivasan and Gwen Ifill (Team Hari won!).

Webinar Takeaways: Melody Kramer of Fresh Air on the Digital Life of Shows

By Josie Keller, PBS Interactive

On May 31, Melody Kramer, web producer for NPR's Fresh Air, discussed her social media strategy for the show. While the webinar was for public radio stations, much of Melody’s strategy can be applied to #localPBS stations as well. Here are my takeaways from Melody’s webinar:

Don’t be afraid to experiment

While Melody claims a lack of strategy behind her web success, she’s clearly doing something right. NPR Fresh Air’s web metrics have increased steadily under her direction. A trial and error approach can be incredibly useful in social media, given the real-time nature of posts and responses. Shares, replies, likes, and re-tweets provide instant affirmation that your audience is engaged in your content. If your audience doesn’t engage, don’t over-think it or get stuck in inaction, just try a different approach. Always be willing to adjust your strategy, and have some fun while you’re doing it.

Ask Yourself: What kind of audience is using each platform and what would they like to see?

Not all social media platforms are created equal and each will help you engage with a different segment of your audience. NPR's Fresh Air engages on Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and Google+ daily in that order of importance. Each station should evaluate their own areas of greatest engagement and spend the most time on platforms that provide the most ROI. Melody suggests visualizing one person in the target audience for each platform and basing your content on what that person would want to see.

Here’s what works for NPR's Fresh Air:

• Tumblr: Visual blog platform used to promote the show (upcoming guests and quotes from interviews) with a fun twist (easy to re-blog GIFs and photos). Targets other journalists who also use Tumblr, 20-40 year olds with desk jobs, & students.
• Twitter: Used to get immediate feedback, correct errors in time for the second broadcast, ask questions, and goof off. Helpful as a search field to see when people are mentioning topics related to the show or find the people who are tuning in and connect with them. Largely a younger audience.
• Facebook: Good platforms for polls, questions, & behind the scenes photos. Slightly older audience than Tumblr and Twitter.
• Pinterest and Google+: Melody describes these platforms as niche audiences and largely ignores them besides one daily post. PBS, on the other hand, has had huge success engaging on Pinterest.

Give your social media accounts a voice

Melody writes her web content from the personal perspective of a 27 year old working in public radio. This exact approach won’t work for everyone, but my main takeaway from this portion of the webinar was the importance of giving your social media accounts a coherent voice, especially if you have multiple people contributing to them. For this, it is imperative to not only clearly identify your intended audience, but also decide what you want to tell them and how you want to convey it. Whether that voice is goofy, informative, heartwarming, or personal is completely up to each individual station.

We'd love to hear about your station's successes (and failures) in social media land. Please post comments and questions below.

@PBSinterns Twitter Page Goes Live

From Left to Right: Paul Lopez, Brionne Griffin, Barry Blitch of SPI team

By Paul Lopez, PBS Interactive Intern

In an effort to better communicate the experience of being an intern at PBS, the PBS Interactive interns have launched the @PBSinterns Twitter account. 

Through this account we will share our experiences, create interesting conversations around unique links and video content, and share a little behind-the-scenes info with our followers.

We want to promote this account throughout #localPBS. The benefit of being an intern is that you get to work on many different projects over a short period of time, and we want to document and share that process. In an attempt to grow our audience, we would like interns from all over #localPBS to check us out, maybe follow and tweet us (using #PBSinterns) with interesting photos, share events at stations from an intern's prospective.

A person’s time as an intern goes so quickly but we want to share the fun and excitement of working in public media, while also countering it with the not so fun days.

Looking forward to tweeting you.

The Weekly Debrief, 15 June 2012

By Josie Keller, PBS Interactive

Welcome to the Weekly PBS Interactive Station Products & Innovation Debrief, designed to give PBS stations a rundown of product updates and opportunities announced this week on our blog.

Last month, PBS Interactive kicked off the first phase of a two-part Prosper research project, an audience-facing research initiative designed to determine the motivations of online donors. Learn more about the overall research goals and preliminary findings of the project.

Natalie Benson, Marketing & Social Media Manager at Colorado Public Television walks us through the facts and features of Storify.

Digital Future Scholar, Kathy Smith, describes her main takeaways from PBS Annual Meeting including the digital evolution of public education.

Wordless Wednesday: Station Products & Innovation Director, Kristin Calhoun, spoke at Carl Sandburg Middle School's Career Day this week.

Follow the Links Below to Keep Reading:

• Prosper Research
• The Skinny on Storify
• Digital Future Scholars Annual Meeting Takeaways: Kathy Smith (WGTE)
• Wordless Wednesday: SPIs Versus Astronauts

At-a-Glance: PBS Interactive Product and Services Updates

• PBS iOS App v1.6 just released. Now search for #localpbs programs.
• "Garden of Your Mind," PBS Digital Studios' first viral hit, is now available to embed on your station site or blog and to link in your station's COVE portal. Email us for more information. #GoodToBeCurious
• Need to update your local station content information on PBS.org? Take a peek at the new home for your Local Content Forms #localpbs
• Out with the old SRC, in with the new PBS Interactive Station Guide. Have you checked it out yet?

Upcoming Webinars

• June 22: NTen Webinar Series: Nonprofits & Data: Putting Your Visualizations to Work

Wordless Wednesday Call Out
The SPI team is looking for station input for our Wordless Wednesday blog posts. You’ve seen what’s happening at PBS headquarters -- now show us what the world looks like from the #localPBS perspective. Send images via email or Twitter using hashtag #WordlessWednesday, and we’ll choose one for the blog each week.

Prosper Research

 

by Josie Keller, Station Products and Innovation

Last month, PBS Interactive kicked off the first phase of a two-part Prosper research project, an audience-facing research initiative designed to determine the motivations of online donors.  This post talks about the overall research goals and preliminary findings of the project.  Later this summer, after the second part of the project is complete, we’ll have a full report to share with you.

The Research Process

Amy Sample, PBS Interactive’s Director of Web Analytics, is spearheading the two-phase Prosper research project with the assistance of a third party research group.

Amy Sample and her two daughters.

“We are investigating communication preferences, where online fits in the decision-making process when making donations, barriers to giving and alternative ways PBS.org could support stations, like premium digital membership benefits,” Amy explains. 

Phase I, which took place during the first week of May, enlisted focus groups consisting of existing and prospective donors in Baltimore and Chicago.  Participants were men and women aged 25 – 64, who regularly watch PBS and included people who had (and had not) visited PBS.org.

Phase II of the project, set to begin in July, will survey existing station donors, existing Prosper donors, and prospective donors.  The nation-wide survey is aimed at verifying whether the various motivations and preferences are representative of the larger population and whether there are geographic or demographic differences in user behavior and intent.

Preliminary Findings

Amy believes Phase I of this project was successful and was excited to share the following preliminary findings:

Preference to Give Online

The majority of respondents (both donors and prospects) had a preference to give online. They see online as more convenient, easier, and allow[ing] them to give on their own time. For several people, a specific program inspired them to donate and they said they immediately went online. Not only that, but there was a general preference to receive e-mail communication from PBS and stations. Respondents generally felt that monthly e-mail communication was acceptable, whereas postal mail communication was only acceptable quarterly.

Expectation of Appeals for Donations

The focus group participants were comfortable with us being much more overt in our appeal for donations on our sites (on both station sites and PBS.org).  The donors and prospective donors that participated understood that PBS and its stations need donations to exist. They expect that there will be appeals for donations on the sites.  But, universally, respondents felt that both PBS.org and the station sites they looked at were too subtle in the donation placement. That said, there is a limit to how overt the appeal can be. We still have to respect the essence of the brand.  Clearly there is room for experimentation and testing of donation appeals.

Next Steps

Amy anticipates having a final report on the Prosper research project findings by the end of summer, which will help to shape Prosper as if moves forward and will be shared with all stations.

If your station is interested in conducting their own audience-facing research, Amy suggests low-cost usability testing services to test key functionality on your site, such as UserTesting.com and Uzabilla.com or conducting free surveys on your site using SurveyMonkey.com. Additionally, she has already designed a template for station use that will collect demographics and user satisfaction data in a short online survey.

To request Amy’s online survey template or more information on conducting research, send us an email. Comments or questions? Please post below.

Wordless Wednesday: SPIs Versus Astronauts

By Josie Keller, PBS Interactive

Yesterday PBS Interactive's Station Products & Innovation Director, Kristin Calhoun, spoke at Carl Sandburg Middle School's Career Day. The kids told her she was "legit!" even after hearing from an astronaut. Score one for the SPIs!

The Skinny on Storify

By Natalie Benson, Marketing & Social Media Manager, Colorado Public Television

As we have all come to learn, ordinary people from around the world have become an integral part of breaking news and event coverage. Today it isn't just about creating content; it’s about curating content.

Storify is a unique tool, similar to a blogging platform, that gives you the tools to tell your story, and then makes it easy for you to weed through other people’s stories, posts, tweets, pictures, or videos, in order to pull in authentic sources offering different perspectives, thus making your story more credible.

Not only does Storify allow for more robust coverage of an event than you could accomplish on your own, it affords you the opportunity to give your story that magic social touch. Your friends get quoted, you get quoted, letting your story become the public’s story, and giving it momentum to go viral.

The Facts and Features:

When you create a story, Storify provides formatting tools (bold, italic, hyperlink) for customization. Hashtags work the same as they do on Twitter or Pinterest. If you want something to be searchable, just hashtag it!

The key differentiator in this platform lies in the ability to pull in content from a host of social media sources. Storify lets you search topics/people/stories from Storify itself, PLUS from Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, Instagram, Google, Tumblr, Breaking News, Chute, SoundCloud, Disqus, GetGlue, StockTwits, RSS, and Embed URL (which lets you link to any site). You can then add that content to your story by pasting text or images into your “Storypad”, using a “Bookmarklet” that is easy to install in your browser’s Bookmarks Menu.

Once you are done with your story, publish it, then share, share, share!

With whom, you might ask? Great question! Storify gives you a number of options for sharing your story directly from the site: Notifications of quotation, email, direct links to other social media sites, embed code, etc...

It’s worth noting that you are able to “Unpublish” or EDIT a story at any time. If you are covering breaking news, get your story published right away with what you know, and then update it as more information and facts become available.

As hinted above, Storify is its own social network. You not only create an account to write your stories, but you can also get involved in the Storify community - subscribe to other people’s accounts, read their stories, comment, and network, to your heart’s content!

Another important feature is that Storify tallies how many people have read each story, including those who “Like” it, giving you specific data on the reach of your story.

Finally, if Storify raises concerns for you about authorship or rights, it does a fairly good job of covering its bases. Two factors worth highlighting -

1. Storify automatically sends any person quoted in your story a notification that they were included. In that notification, they are given the opportunity to remove themselves if they choose.
2. Any publicly available information used in your story is always clickable back to its original source.

Room for Improvement?

There are only a couple of places that I think need attention.

First, and what seems obvious, is the fact that there is no direct upload option - you can’t include pictures that have not been published on the Web. But this shouldn’t deter you from using Storify, because you can work around this in many ways.For the Brand Masters session at the PBS Annual Meeting, I created an album on my station’s Facebook page, uploaded the pictures I wanted to use, and pulled them into Storify.

Secondly, there is a little awkwardness with finding people you might want to subscribe to in the Storify community. After doing some research, it seems the best way to find the Storify Superstars is to start on the homepage with the “Featured Users” and “Popular Now” stories. Subscribe to those authors, and then check what authors they follow, as well as who follows them.

As Storify grows and gets more traction and users, it is only natural that they will address any current issues or ones unforeseen and make the necessary improvements, but in the meantime, now that you have the skinny on Storify, get to Storifying! 

Has your #localPBS station used Storify? Tell us about your experience. Please post questions or comments below.

Digital Future Scholars Annual Meeting Takeaways: Kathy Smith (WGTE)

By Josie Keller, PBS Interactive
 
Kathy Smith, Director of Early Learning and Outreach for WGTE, attended this year's PBS Annual Meeting in Denver, CO as one of four PBS Interactive Digital Future Scholarship winners. See her takeaways from the conference in this video blog. 

...While this was not my first Annual Meeting, it certainly was a memorable one, and I’d like to extend my gratitude to PBS Interactive and to Amazon for making my trip to Denver possible. My station has experienced some recent cutbacks, and without my sponsors, I wouldn’t have been able to make the trip... - Kathy Smith

What were Kathy's Takeaways...?

PBS Kids: It's a New Day in the Neighborhood (1:22)

…Seeing a show like Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood that really looks at those stressors that young children have, maybe related to separation anxiety, or disappointment, or whatever that is, and being able to handle that in a socially acceptable way, and being able to teach children the kinds of ways that help them grow socially and emotionally. When you give that gift, it’s a gift that lasts a lifetime…

Create, Prevail and Thrive: PBS in Tomorrow’s Media Landscape with Jim Collins (4:05)

...My two year old granddaughter, Merin, has 3 favorite things: they are her binky, her doggie, and her iPad, and much of her learning and the learning of her generation is going to take place digitally. So to those new educators in Public Media, my wish for you is that you bring this same passion for making a difference in a child’s life as you have for the technology. It’s our solid, educational content that sets us apart from everyone else. The device, the platforms may change, but our ability to connect with our audience, however, should never change...

Questions or comments for Kathy? We'd love to hear from you! Please post below.

The Weekly Debrief, 8 June 2012

By Josie Keller, PBS Interactive

Welcome to the Weekly PBS Interactive Station Products & Innovation Debrief, designed to give PBS stations a rundown of product updates and opportunities announced this week on our blog.

One of the main goals of the Prosper initiative is to increase the number of PBS.org visitors localized to their favorite PBS station. We tell you how and why.

WBEZ and WITF found a creative way to inspire their online audiences to give. See what your station can do to spice up your pledge drive.

The interns are here! The interns are here! Meet Paul, Brionne, and Barry, the SPI Team's summer 2012 interns. 

Wordless Wednesday: The interns are soaking up knowledge!

Follow the links below to keep reading:  

• Prosper Experimentation: MoLo On PBS.org
• The Internet is Weird: Online Donation Videos
• Getting to Know…Paul Lopez
• Getting to Know...Brionne Griffin 
• Getting to Know…Barry Blitch 
• Wordless Wednesday: Summer 2012 Interns 

At-a-Glance: PBS Interactive Product and Services Updates

• PBS has its first viral hit. "Garden of Your Mind" was posted on YouTube at 9 a.m. Thursday and promoted via social media. It's a remix of Mr. Rogers, using the auto-tune technique. Here’s a #Storify of the first day #GoodToBeCurious.
• We need beta testers for the Facebook Like Drive App. The station Like Drive app is intended to be a simple, turnkey Facebook app that you will be able to use to customize and run your own local Like Drive campaigns. You will not need to do an actual live campaign, only play around with the app and provide your feedback. If your station is interested in testing, please contact Chris Walz (cwalz@pbs.org) by Monday, COB.
• Need to update your local station content information on PBS.org? Take a peek at the new home for your Local Content Forms #localPBS
• Out with the old SRC, in with the new PBS Interactive Station Guide. Have you checked it out yet? #localPBS

Upcoming Webinars

• June 13: Google Analytics Training: What does it really take for an online consumer to make a donation?
• June 14: NTen Webinar Series: Nonprofits & Data: How to Visualize Your Data
• June 22: NTen Webinar Series: Nonprofits & Data: Putting Your Visualizations to Work

Wordless Wednesday Call Out
The SPI team is looking for station input for our Wordless Wednesday blog posts. You’ve seen what’s happening at PBS headquarters -- now show us what the world looks like from the #localPBS perspective. Send images via email or Twitter using hashtag #WordlessWednesday, and we’ll choose one for the blog each week.

Getting to Know…Barry Blitch

1. What do you do at PBS Interactive?

I’m the business development intern this summer for the SPI team. That means I’ll be researching and sharing new opportunities, trends, and digital/online products for our member stations.  

2. How did you get involved with Public Media?
I’m currently in grad school in the interdisciplinary Communication, Culture, and Technology program at Georgetown University. I’m fascinated by the ways culture shapes our media and technology, and in turn, how those two are shaping our culture. What better combination of those subjects than PBS? I have an associated memory with public media programming, be it PBS show or radio, for every life stage so far, from Sesame Street onward. When I found myself in D.C., the SPI team at PBS was the perfect fit. And I think they already filled the role of Big Bird.   

3. How will the interactive landscape change over the next few years?
I think three big trends in are location, personalization, and sensors (or sensation, for the sake of continuing the theme). Location-based services are important to an increasingly mobile device-enabled audience. Let’s face it, there’s an overwhelming amount of content in the digital world. No one has time to wade through all of it (how many baby videos on YouTube can we watch?). People want the content and even the interactive structure to be personalized to their niche interests and communities. They want to digitally document their experience and share their preferences and with others.  The sensors may be further off, but haptic technology (think of the moving Wii controllers) and augmented reality will make digital experiences truly interactive. 

4. If the Internet didn’t exist, what job would you have?
I’d want to take on one of those little known but creative roles, like food stylist or font designer or color specialist. In fact, I once saw a Wishbone episode that explained the work of Foley artists who create the everyday sounds you don’t think about in TV and films. If my job was to be in the PBS World, I’d love to curate and run a PBS Programming Memorabilia Museum, where all the artifacts from the great national and #localPBS shows could live! 

5. What is your favorite gadget and why?
I’d most want to be stranded on a deserted island with an iPhone. It’s elegantly designed and apps make it all things at all times. I do, however, appreciate the ingenuity and craftiness of one-function, never-knew-you-needed-them gadgets. For instance: handheld milk-frother. Sounds silly, but wait till you see how impressed people are when you serve coffee at home with foam! 

6. If you could have dinner with any three people from history, who would they be and why?Sigmund Freud – While I would not want to be a patient on his couch, I would like to get the inside story of where a huge part of our self-knowledge (and pop psychology knowledge) originates. 

Charles Darwin – I love zoology. I’d like to pick his brain about the origins of animal life forms out there and our current evolutionary track.

Elizabeth Taylor – She would have some grand Hollywood stories. We’d need another strong woman presence at the table, too.

Getting to Know...Paul Lopez

1. What do you do at PBS Interactive?

I am a PBS Interactive Marketing and Communications Intern working on the SPI team for the summer.

2. How did you get involved with Public Media?

Like many kids I grew up on PBS shows. I watched Sesame Street and Barney, but who didn’t? This past spring I was fortunate enough to intern at KTTZ, a #localPBS Member Station in Lubbock, TX. I really enjoyed how each PBS station has the ability to make it their own by producing their own content, and getting the community involved. I enjoyed my experience at KTTZ and look forward to working here at PBS for the SPI team.

3. How will the interactive landscape change over the next few years?

I think over the next few years the interactive landscape will expand dramatically. I think right now it has come pretty far, but it is still really only on the Internet and other mobile platforms. In the future, I can see television becoming more interactive. I think interactive commercials might be where it starts. Much like some online video systems, I think we will be allowed, or forced, to choose which commercial we “want” to see.  From there I think it’ll spill into the actual shows to try and increase audience interaction. I don’t know if all that will work or not, but I think that’s where we are headed and what we might see.

4. If the Internet didn't exist, what job would you have?

I would be the inventor of the Internet!

5. What is your favorite gadget and why?

So far I would have to say it’s my fully-loaded, James Bond style, Aston Martin DBS, complete with changeable license plates, front-firing rockets, hood-mounted target-seeking guns, spike-producing tires and a passenger ejector seat...But...in reality...it’s my phone. 

This little piece of technology keeps me in touch with all the people I love and care about, and that’s important when your thousands of miles away from them like I am. It really amazes me how awesome, and necessary, cell phones have become. Don’t believe me? Leave yours at home and count how many times you reach in your pocket for it...Don’t worry I’ll wait...  

6. If you could have dinner with any three people from history, who would they be and why

Like my wise my fellow intern-in-crime Brionne told me, “History is made every day.” So with that in mind:

Kevin Hart- He is hilarious! I probably wouldn’t eat much, for fear of choking on my food because I was laughing so much.

Phil Jackson – I think this guy is awesome. He is so laid back and just always seems to be in control. I’d love to pick his brain and learn some of his tools and tricks.

Christopher Lloyd and Steve Levitan – (I count them as one) These guys are the producers of Modern Family. I love that show! I want to be a producer one day, so I think they would be an awesome resource to learn from. Plus they would probably be hilarious.