Archives for Chris Duffy
Skype gaining prevalence in television news interviews
April 11, 2012
Television news stations are increasingly turning to Skype and other online video software when conducting off-site interviews. Although I have only been out of the television news business for four years, this is something I never even considered doing as a reporter. Back then, when interviewee accessibility was an issue, we recorded a phone interview [...]
The definition of a social media expert
March 27, 2012
You see the title everywhere, in job postings, resumes, in news stories, and online. “We are looking for a social media expert who can [INSERT JOB DESCRIPTION]”… “We interviewed social media expert [NAME]”…. “I am a social media expert who can [INSERT RESUME SUMMARY]” But how does one earn this title? Did they pass a [...]
The stories behind the stories: January 2012
January 31, 2012
January 2012 will go down in the books as one of the mildest Minnesota Januarys in recent memory. But around the water cooler, people in the Twin Cities were buzzing about much more than just the weather. From a half-submerged Target semi-truck to Red Bull Crashed Ice, below are some of the stories behind the [...]
Tips for tweeting in real time
January 16, 2012
Whether you’re at a business event with a keynote speaker, a sporting event, or a public hearing, there’s a good chance that someone in the audience is tweeting about that event in real time. Thanks to Twitter, audiences can now receive news and information faster than ever. I enjoy following journalists and bloggers who tweet [...]
40 Under Forty: A Minnesota legacy
December 15, 2011
What do Goff Public’s Chris Georgacas and Mike Zipko have in common with Senator Amy Klobuchar, Twins President Dave St. Peter, former Governor Tim Pawlenty, Erik the Bike Man, and local musician Tim Mahoney (as seen on NBC’s The Voice)? They are all past honorees of arguably the most prestigious honor for young professionals in [...]
Will Facebook save newspaper comment sections?
December 7, 2011
A growing number of online news outlets (most recently the St. Cloud Times) have started using the Facebook platform in their reader comment sections. This could be a huge breakthrough, as it could signal the end of anonymous postings. Under this new platform, readers must have a Facebook account in order to post a comment. [...]
PR Rock Head Award: Loose-lipped reporter
October 17, 2011
It’s okay for reporters to have opinions. But to voice them while covering a story is a big no-no. While covering Occupy Portland, KPTV reporter Jamie Wilson told a group of demonstrators that she empathizes with their ideas about economic injustice. Even worse, Wilson shared her beliefs while the camera was rolling, and the video [...]
Saint Mary’s students generate media attention with groundbreaking study
October 14, 2011
Congratulations to the 13 graduate students in the public safety administration program at the Minneapolis campus of Saint Mary’s University who released a study that’s generating tons of interest. The students spent more than 700 hours compiling data to conclude that technology inside police squad cars has contributed to a growing number of car crashes [...]
Ushering in a new era of presentation development with Prezi
September 28, 2011
I still remember seeing my first PowerPoint presentation. It was in the mid-1990s, and it was the best presentation I had ever seen in my life. My mind, which was accustomed to chalkboards and overhead projectors, was astounded by the visual stimuli. The colors, images, and transitions made me gaze at the screen like a [...]
Miss E. Manners: The business meeting
September 15, 2011
Between e-mails, texts, tweets, status updates, old-fashioned phone calls, and words printed on paper, the manner in which we communicate with one another has changed drastically in recent years. Some business professionals are having a difficult time keeping up with the new rules that help us understand what is acceptable, unacceptable, and grammatically incorrect. That’s [...]