Social Media Tag

#ORShow, #ORWinter, Business, Social Media / 19.01.2014

You gotta love it when “have fun” is written into your job description. Once again the Joy Trip Project has been tapped to manage the social media streams coming out of the Outdoor Retailer Winter Market. After 22 years of attending the largest backcountry recreation trade show in the world it’s kind of nice to dedicate my skills and talents in storytelling toward encouraging and documenting the exciting business of playing outside! I'll be kind of the Social Media Master of Ceremonies.In addition to the content you’ll find through...

Adventure Media Review, Commentary, Sustainable Living / 05.07.2011

I put off buying an iPad until I could answer a simple question. What the hell am I going to do with it? With an Apple desktop, a wireless card equipped laptop and an iPhone, I’ve pretty much got the global/mobile thing nailed. But in my line of work as journalist a fourth devise in small package with an easy-to-read screen could come in handy while gathering and sharing stories online. After fighting every single early adopter impulse in my body I resisted the urge. But finally I decided to make the purchase in a mid-year resolution of sorts.  I want to use this tablet device in order read and support the work of high caliber journalists, spend less idle time on the Internet watching crap and consuming a healthier diet of online content that supports the highest aspirations of my active lifestyle. So like millions of people around the world I bought an iPad too.
Commentary, Influencers / 12.01.2010

The Joy Trip Project and Channel Signal want to connect with the connectors

The social media mainstream is a force to recon with. In a crashing wave of millions individuals are making their opinions known around the world.  Using Internet-ready smartphones, laptops and other web surfing devices Bloggers, Tweeters, Facebookers, Flickrphiles, Podcasters and YouTubers set the course of the info-stream even while they’re navigating it. With clever ideas expressed in less than140 characters or lengthy web log commentaries these jacked-in data hawks are moving the flow of conversation to new and exciting places. The best and brightest among them are the influencers, those individuals whose content is thoughtful, compelling and worth passing along to others.

It’s these influencers that I follow to keep up to speed on what’s going on in the world outdoors. Even though they’re fully wired, outdoor influencers can put their gizmos down long enough to get outside for a long trail run, a mountain bike ride, a few telemark turns or even just a dogwalk to the local farmer’s market. When they come back they post their experiences to share with others and fuel the conversation. And now as a new media analyst for Channel Signal I’m looking to connect with as many outdoor influencers as I can. I know quite a few, but I aim to find more, many, many more.

Commentary / 07.06.2009

I’d been feeling inadequate. In my wanderings through the twitterverse it had become clear to me that I just didn’t measure up.  Out there were tweeters far more potent than I am with big followings. I had twitter envy. Tweeters with followings of 22,000 or more were making time with huge audiences of twitterotti. And all those tweetile enhancement posts just made me feel all the more self-conscious and insecure. “Want to grow your following? We can help.” “Grow your following and extend your reach. It’s easy.” “Like to have a bigger following every morning when you get up? Let us show you the way.” They say the first step in finding a solution is realizing that you have a problem. “My name is James. And I have a small following.” Hey, tweetile dysfunction is nothing to laugh at. Your ability to tweet effectively defines who you are in the world of online media. Earlier this week I approached a major product manufacturer in the hopes that they might sponsor my blog. When the director of public relations asked, “So how big is your following?” I immediately changed the subject too embarrassed to answer. “It’s OK,” she said. “It happens to everyone.” The size of your following ultimately determines whether or not people will take you seriously. Your following is crucial if you expect more people to view and pass along your messages. It was obvious to me that if I was going be an engaging and compelling producer of new media I had to invest in tweetile augmentation.