Posts tagged Stories
The Best Non-Tech Stories of the Year, c/o Ira Glass and the New York Times
Dec 23rd
One thing that I have learned from decades of writing is always find and tell a great story. And this is why Ira Glass is one of my heroes, one of my mentors. You wouldn’t think that a guy who writes about tech day in and day out could be so moved from listening to him on public radio, or seeing one of his live shows. It isn’t like he uses some new-fangled streaming audio gear or USB microphone setup. (Well, maybe he does, but that isn’t the point.) Hearing his show is always a moving experience, a moment when he finishes the story and you just go, “Wow, that was something.” Some stories are funny, some sad, some have morals or points to them, others just are what they are.
In any case, Glass sets a very high bar when it comes to his craft.
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Today you have a chance to read his work in a very unusual but wonderful experiment. Every year, the New York Times publishes in its last December Magazine section a recap of those who have died over the past year. Most are people that you remember from the announcement contemporaneously, some you have missed (no matter how carefully you read the obits or pay attention to the news) and surprise or shock you. This year’s installment combines the usual journalism of the famous deaths with Glass’s special section, where he has picked the deaths of ordinary folks. His are the extraordinary stories of the year and deserve mention. For those of us who write for a living, he continues to inspire us.
There is the story of the couple, both diagnosed with HIV, that are both in hospice care. He buys a motorcycle and surprises her with a last ride, while she is carrying her bag of Morphine and riding with her paper gown fluttering in the slipstream. Of the soldiers that died on one random day this summer, one of whom has to call in an air strike for the first time and realizes that his fourth grade teacher’s instruction of lattitude and longitude was what saved his men that day, and gets to tell her class in person when he returns home.
Another is the last speech a brilliant math teacher gave that is peppered with prime numbers, and contains the love he has for both his students and learning. A woman who fought for the rights of her kids to have proper shelter and won a long-standing lawsuit that has helped thousands of other at-risk kids as a result.How the founder of the cryonics movement was embalmed at his own death.
These quick summaries are not doing the stories justice. But you get the idea.
There is some tie-in to tech. The Times has collected, via Storify, a selection of inadvertent last Tweets from some prominent people here as part of its interactive collection. And the way the newspaper has arranged its coverage is also well thought out and something noteworthy for those of us that try to present lots of information online. (It even does a nice job with Helvetica type too.) But it is really the stories that make up this issue that are worthwhile. Go take a look.
So I realize that writing about Hedy Lamarr and Wifi, or how a group of security researchers uncovered a piece of malware, or how two bloggers fighting a troll isn’t going to be close to the level of the Times/Glass stories: not even in the same league. But they still are great stories for our time, and I hope to write many more for you. Here is to another wonderful year.
You can buy the newspaper on Sunday, or read it today online. If you are looking at ways to tell better stories, it is a must read. Thanks for the collection. You can also listen to Glass’ radio show online here too if you want more inspiration.
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Sponsored Stories Will Start Popping Up In Your Facebook News Feed
Dec 20th
Facebook has confirmed that in early 2012 users will start seeing sponsored stories in the news feed. A Facebook spokesperson tells us that these sponsored stories, which are essentially ads that a company or organization pays to feature, will roll out slowly. It hopes to show users no more than one clearly labeled sponsored story in the news feed per day.
Facebook recently added sponsored stories to its news ticker, the sometimes-useful though mostly annoying constant stream of news in the upper right-hand corner of the user’s homepage.
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This new type of advertising is 46% more effective than standard Facebook ads. Like most things on the social Web, the “sponsored stories” ad format takes socially focused content and transforms it into a marketing message. Sponsored stories ride the line between content and advertising, and usually do so with rich photos and engaging questions that make it feel less invasive than traditional advertising.
How do you feel about sponsored stories in the news feed?
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Facebook Sponsored Stories Coming to the News Feed
Dec 20th
Facebook is preparing to roll out Sponsored Stories in the news feed. The ads will roll out gradually beginning in January, allowing brands to reach users whose friends have interacted with their pages – for instance with a like, a comment, or ano…
View full post on Search Engine Watch – Latest
Google Won’t Erase Links to Max Mosley Hooker Orgy Stories, So He Sues
Dec 15th
In his epic battle for privacy for rich and famous people, Max Mosley has taken aim at a new target: The Intrawebz and their evil “search machine” kingpin, Google. The search engine giant has refused to manipulate results in order to r…
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Top 10 Most Significant Search & Social Marketing Stories of 2011
Dec 15th
2011 has been the year of revolutions and webolutions. Here’s a list of the 10 most significant, earth-shattering digital trends to have rocked the online marketing world this past year.
10. Death of Digg
While the site hasn’t been…
View full post on Search Engine Watch – Latest
Help Me Search the World for the Next Big Tech Stories
Dec 14th
Hello, ReadWriteWeb readers! As Richard noted earlier, I am joining ReadWriteWeb as its new Editor-at-Large, and I am very excited about it. I’ll start writing for the site in January, but in the meantime, I have some planning to do. And I’d love your help.
First, a brief introduction: For the past six years, I’ve been writing about the tech industry every day. Most recently, I launched SplatF, a one-man tech analysis and commentary site, which I’ll continue to write. Prior to that, I helped create Business Insider in 2007, when it was a small tech blog. And before that, I was a tech reporter at Forbes.
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My interest has been – and will continue to be – to find and tell interesting tech and business stories, with an eye for the unusual. Only now, I’ll be doing it for ReadWriteWeb, with a more global point-of-view.
That is, I’ll be traveling around the world regularly, looking for the next big stories and ideas in technology. Some themes I’ll be looking for include:
- The rise of mobile computing, smartphones and tablets, and how they’re changing the tech industry and society.
- The promise of the digital living room and the changing balance of power in media.
- How entrepreneurs are reinventing every facet of life, from the way we communicate to our thermostats. And how new technology and business models are making it easier for entrepreneurs to do this.
- How governments and companies are investing in game-changing technology and infrastructure projects around the world, and what it means.
- The people who are making this all happen.
One of the things that attracted me to ReadWriteWeb is its global perspective, staff, and readership. So let me know: What’s going on in your city, country, or industry that’s fascinating right now? What’s worth visiting and learning about? What interesting stories aren’t being told properly? Which conferences and gatherings should I aim to speak at?
The last thing I want, I assure you, is to be the 10th person to write the same story that you’ve already read. So I’d love your help looking for new and important ideas.
In the meantime, feel free to get in touch in the comments below, and please follow me on Twitter at @fromedome for the latest.
Globe photo by Andy Beatty
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Google News Spotlight Now Spotlights Your Friends & Stories They +1
Nov 22nd
The Google News Blog announced that the Spotlight section on Google News may contain stories that your Google + friends and Gmail contacts have +1′ed. If you are logged in while using Google News and your friends or contacts have used the Google +1 button to like the stories in your Spotlight…
Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article.
View full post on Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing
Black Friday Ads & Small Business Saturday Stories & Cyber Monday Deals, Oh My! – ReelSEO Online Video News
Nov 21st
 New York Daily News |
Black Friday Ads & Small Business Saturday Stories & Cyber Monday Deals, Oh My!
ReelSEO Online Video News Rebecca Black's "Friday" May Have Been Viral Video Marketing At Its Best Greg Jarboe is president and co-founder of SEO-PR, which provides search engine optimization, online public relations, online video marketing, and social media marketing services. … Show the Right Hustle on Small Business Saturday |
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5 Cool Twitter Marketing Stories
Nov 3rd
Twitter has launched a collection of user-contributed stories that showcase just how small the world can become through social media. Five of the currently published Twitter Stories are particularly inspirational for marketers looking for new and …
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