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Dream Job: Social Media Intern for Phnom Penh Post
Southeast Asia’s most awarded newspaper this year by the Society of Publishers in Asia, The Phnom Penh Post, needs a Social Media intern to start as soon as possible.
This job is not for everyone. It will be hard work, does not pay and life in Cambodia can be an adventure (The Internet can also be quite slow). You will, however, be joining a team working to build an independent media in a country in need of independent voices and reporting.
Similar to the Ogilvy internship I posted earlier, the requirements are based around social media skills, so you must have:
- At least 150 followers on Twitter
- At least 200 Facebook friends
- Administrator or creator of at least one Facebook group
- A blog with a Google Page Rank of 2 or higher
You must be self-motivated, self-organized, creative, entrepreneurial and have a burning desire to bring a prestigious traditional media brand into Social Media.
If selected, you will be working with a great deal of autonomy, but in close coordination with the publisher, editor and some of the world’s leading thinkers in Social Media (and also me).
Please send over your CV with a cover letter ASAP to thomas at crampton dot com.
Please share this posting with anyone who may be interested.
Disclosure: I am a minor shareholder in the PPP.
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New editor-in-chief for The South China Morning Post
The South China Morning Post just announced a long rumored shift in editorial lineup. Below is the internal memo released a short while ago. Congrats to Reg and David! (Both are friends and David a former IHT colleague.)
To: All Staff
From: Kuok Hui Kwong
Date: 2 July 2009
To all my colleagues,
It is with regret that I announce Mr. C.K. Lau’s decision to resign from his position as Editor of the South China Morning Post, after a long and distinguished career with us. C.K. discussed with me a couple of months ago regarding his plan to pursue his personal interests. We have mutually agreed that his last day with us will be 10 July 2009. During his tenure at the Post, C.K. has played a key role in strengthening and improving our editorial operations. A committed and well-respected professional, he has contributed significantly to the Post and to the overall media community in Hong Kong.
Effective from 13 July 2009, Mr. Reginald Chua will join us as Editor-in-Chief. On top of managing the day-to-day editorial operations of the Post, Reg will work with me on the long-term strategies for our editorial coverage. Reg has enjoyed a successful career at the Wall Street Journal spanning the past 16 years. He was most recently Deputy Managing Editor at The Wall Street Journal based in New York, where he led, amongst other responsibilities, the development of the Journal’s computer-assisted reporting capabilities and oversaw the paper’s graphics. Prior to moving to New York, he was the Editor of the Journal’s Hong Kong-based Asian edition. Reg graduated with a Master’s Degree in Journalism from Columbia University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics from the University of Chicago.
Effective the same date, Mr. David Lague will be appointed as Managing Editor. As a member of the newsroom’s senior management team, David will oversee editorial quality and standards, training and projects. He will also be involved in daily news operations. A news and features writer with the South China Morning Post in 1987-88, David returns to the paper after more than two decades as a reporter and editor in the Asia-Pacific region. Most recently, he was a correspondent for the International Herald Tribune and the New York Times in Beijing. Before joining New York Times Company, he was managing editor of the Far Eastern Economic Review. David was also China correspondent for the Sydney Morning Herald and The Australian. David graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in science from Murdoch University.
David will work closely with Wang Xiangwei and Cliff Buddle, the Post’s deputies, to help manage the newsroom, steer its coverage, and continue to build on the paper’s strong position. Xiangwei, Cliff and David will report to Reg.
On behalf of the Board of Directors and the Management of SCMP Group, we express our deep appreciation to C.K. for his contribution and persevering dedication, and wish him the very best in his new endeavours. Please also join me in welcoming Reg and extending your full support to him, and in welcoming David back to Post.
Hui Kuok
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer
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Social Media Monitoring Tools for Asia
I recently answered a few questions about Social Media monitoring in Asia for Arun Sudhaman of Media magazine. Arun’s article was an excellent synthesis of many views (I cannot find the link!).
Here are my views:
Which are the key social media tracking tools (paid and unpaid) that you use, and why? How do they compare in terms of (a) price, (b) functionality and (c) ease of use.
Many claims are made, but I have looked at more than a dozen providers and not yet seen a satisfactory regional solution for social media monitoring in Asia, paid or unpaid. For now, the best solutions in many markets remains manual mapping of online conversations using free tools such as Google blog search, Yahoo or locally dominant sites such as Baidu in China, Naver in Korea, etc. We have gathered the best free social media search tools for easy reference at the website http://thedailyinfluence.com/.
What are the challenges and pitfalls involved in using tools to track social media?
Anyone trying to track social media across Asia faces numerous of issues starting at the simple and obvious level of language and culture, but then moving on to the wide range and variety of digital eco-systems across the region. In addition, geo-targeting can be highly misleading. A Singapore blogger user Wordpress.com will look like a US blogger to an unrefined geo-tracking system.
To what extent can you really automated tools? How important is the human element and can you provide any examples of this?
The ideal scenario is not built around any specific tool, but rather a rational approach that may or may not include specific tools. You want to obtain as clear a snapshot of online conversations about your brand and then measure the impact of tactics moving forward.
The most clear shortcoming in automated social monitoring comes with sentiment monitoring. This is not just about machines confusing a blogger’s use of “bad” to mean “cool”, but with many postings reasonable people could disagree about some sentiments expressed in posting.
Recent research shows that Asian CEOs are considerably less concerned about their online reputations. Why is this finding of concern - and why is social media monitoring important in this context? Do you have any specific examples?
Reputation monitoring for senior executives will only get more important over time. I would be curious to know how many of those CEOs who are unconcerned about their online reputations do Google searches after meeting someone new. For the vast majority of executives, Google search will affect an executives reputation far more than traditional media.
What are the key things for a client to remember when:
(a) selecting social media monitoring tools?
The tool is not the answer, it is the approach and strategies that matter most. Some of the best tools are free, so it comes down to how you use them.
(b) determining how best to put a monitoring plan into action?
You need to have a full understanding of your purpose for engagement. There is a great deal of danger in leaping to engagement tactics before seeing what conversations are out there about your brand.
Perhaps you should start a Facebook Group or Twitter feed, but before doing so, it is better to take a strategic look at how you are deploying your resources. Everybody has limited time and money.
What are the most common mistakes made when attempting to protect your online reputation?
Leaping to engage with bloggers and the blogosphere without understanding how to behave or join the conversation. Social media is like a global cocktail party and you don’t want to be the bore of the party, talking loudly about things nobody wants to hear.
How can social media help a brand’s reputation - do you have any specific examples?
So many examples! In the United States, some classic examples include Microsoft allowing Robert Scoble to become a corporate blogger, but many come as the result of a bad experiences online. Both ComCast and Dell built state-of-the-art social media teams following disasters they faced online.
We are helping brands putting together social media campaigns in countries across Asia all the time. A few weeks ago, for example, we completed a very interesting blind trial of facial creams with more
than 100 bloggers in China.
The bloggers, all influential voices within the target demographic for the facial cream, matched up their favored brand with a mystery sample sent to them. The results were stunningly positive throughout the process and by the time Ponds (Our client) was unveiled as the mystery brand, the bloggers had embraced the product they would switch to use.
Any other comments to add?
Brands need to understand that not having a social media strategy is equivalent to not having a media strategy. Many companies could not imagine failing to monitor what publications are saying about their
brands, but today consumers spend more time online than reading publications.
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Facebook After You Die
With the rise of the Silver Surfer, death and digital assets will be an increasingly important issue. (Sorry, this is inevitable!)
A few new websites have started addressing the death:
Legacy Locker offers an encrypted password storage service that can be accessed by your loved ones in the event of your death, without going through the courts. (Favorite site feature: The “Report a Passing” button on the homepage)
Dead Man’s Switch sends over a series of emails to which you must respond within 60 days or it will release all your passwords (in the presumption that you are dead).
But most online services pay little heed to the interests of the dead or those surviving them, a point highlighted by Lilian Edwards of the University of Sheffield in a recent talk at Hong Kong University’s Digital Convergence conference.
As you can see from the notes below, Edwards found little information and occasionally even hostility when approaching Internet services about the issue.
User Agreements Go Beyond Death
One underlying issue is that many Web 2.0 assets have ironclad user agreements that may make it difficult for loved ones to get access to the content after death. One example she gave was the refusal of Yahoo! to hand over emails to the loved ones of a 20-year old US soldier killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq. The family took Yahoo! to court where the judge ordered the company to give the family of Justin Ellsworth all his emails. To avoid breaching their privacy policy of not handing over passwords, Yahoo! delivered the emails on CD and in printed form.
Is an online service part of your estate?
Part of the problem is that courts have not clearly established what exactly an online service is in relation to a dead person’s estate.
Can you inherit preferences?
Another interesting issue is what happens to user preferences on a shared music site like Last.fm, where users share their preferences and tastes. It turns out that the site considers their user’s music preferences as a community property so that they will not delete it when someone dies. In other words, we can pass on our tastes to future generations.
Online Assets raise a range of concerns
Facebook profiles - offer access to deceased person’s network (often get “memorialised”)
Blog site posts - can hold literary/cultural value
Online photos on Flickr - can have financial value and sentimental appeal
Ebay - Seller IDs, transactions in progress and reputations
Emails - Same issues as eBay plus access to deceased person’s network
Last.fm – User’s listening preference profile (cf Amazon, etc)
MMORPGS such as World of Warcraft – Virtual currency, assets of real value and an avatar’s identity
Death Policies of Social Networks:
Facebook: The most sophisticated – specifies proof of death information is needed to memorialize a site, restricts to FO, removes sensitive information; An account can be deleted but not modified or login passed over.
MySpace: deletion or preservation, no transfer of login.
Bebo: allows next of kin to make profile private & amend slightly.
Email:
Gmail: Allows access on proof of death and power of attorney (cf probate, confirmation etc).
Yahoo!: As part of privacy policy in US, account is terminated on proof of death, with all emails deleted and login not transferable. (Exception was the US Marine case from above)
Hotmail: used to expire a/c after 30 days disuse; not clear if still the case. Forbids transfer of password.
Other Sites:
eBay: hard to find information on either site or via enquiry, yet has most economic value attached to death. Accounts can have unfinished transactions and reputation of a seller can have high value. Disclosure of the password is “not recommended”.
Last.fm: Policy is to never disable accounts after death. The site sees music tastes as community effort to produce best service possible. If no password, would have to be “very convincing towards the support people”.
Flickr: (As with Yahoo.co.uk) Almost no information. “You acknowledge that Yahoo! reserves the right to log off accounts that are inactive for an extended period of time.” Reportedly sites can be closed and occasionally transferred on proof of death.
World of Warcraft: “All rights and title in and to the Service .. Are owned by Blizzard” – “user accounts”, avatars, swords etc, (paras 4,7,11) and non-saleable (para 11) Para 13 – termination – no mention death – no refunds!
Conclusions:
- Most platforms insist they have total control of user information, with the rights of family considered only at the provider’s discretion. Grounds for action and procedures are vague, inconsistent and ad hoc.
- Deletion on proof of death is the most common procedure.
- From the user perspective, Social Network memorialisation seems the most common practice, but there are few no opportunities for heirs to take on and alter/run site.
- Creators of sites themselves have little opportunity to indicate their preferred option upon death. This could be added to privacy settings. In most cases, the transfer of passwords nearly always banned.
One simple suggestion Edwards offered: Put passwords in an envelope to be opened upon death!
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Digital Storytelling (Hong Kong University courses)
For anyone interested in going digital, Hong Kong University is offering a series on workshops this summer. The HKU program has uber-blogger Rebecca MacKinnon on staff and offers some excellent digital classes.
Diane Stormont will be teaching the online skills training and Rob McBride will be teaching the course on digital storytelling.
Here’s the summer’s upcoming programs:
Digital Storytelling (Video Editing) - 3-5 & 10-12 July 2009
This is a hands-on 5-day course in digital video shooting and editing. Participants will learn to engage in the digital age of multi-skilled storytelling. Weekday or weekend modes of study available.
Online Skills Training for Working Journalists – 3-5 August & 10-12 August 2009
This is a practical course aimed at helping working journalists make the transition into the digital age. They will be introduced to the technologies and the skills that are revolutionizing the news media. Participants will learn the process of digital news gathering (audio, stills, video) and preparation for web distribution. Modular classes and morning sessions will accommodate those who are working.
Media Presentation Skills – 19 August 2009
This highly interactive one-day course is designed for anyone whose role requires them to communicate through broadcast and video media.
For details and enrollment form, please go to http://jmsc.hku.hk/map/shortcourses or contact Kylie Chan at +852 2219 4416 / kyliec at hku.hk. To learn more about the Journalism and Media Studies Centre, please visit our website at http://jmsc.hku.hk
(h/t to Doreen Weisenhaus)
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Meet Marko Ahtisaari: Dopplr co-founder and Internet visionary
It gives me great pleasure to announce that Marko Ahtisaari will be in Hong Kong tomorrow appearing at an event to discuss Dopplr, his start-up Web 2.0 travel service.
Well beyond Dopplr, the philosophy professor-turned Web 2.0-er has long been at the leading edge of thinking about digital.
Marko Ahtisaari has worked previously as Director of Design Strategy at Nokia and serves on the board of directors of F-Secure and Artek. Most recently Ahtisaari has been Head of Brand & Design at Blyk, the free mobile network for young people funded by advertising, and will continue in a role supporting Blyk in its partnering and expansion strategy.
The event - which is free - will take place from 6:30 - 8:30 PM on Tuesday 23 June at Mozart Stub’n, just above Lan Kwai Fung at 8 Glenealy Street
“How Digital Influencers Travel”
Dopplr research finds travellers share plans before making them
You are invited to a presentation of fresh data, insight and conversation on the travel patterns of the world’s digital influencers. The speaker is Marko Ahtisaari, CEO of Dopplr, the leading international online service for smarter travel. Dopplr is backed by an premier group of international investors including Tyler Brûlé (Moncole), Thomas Glocer (Thomson Reuters), Esther Dyson, Joi Ito, Reid Hoffman (LinkedIn and Facebook) and Martin Varsavsky.
For a taster please see:
http://blog.dopplr.com/2009/05/11/data-how-the-dopplr-community-travels/
About Dopplr
Dopplr is a service for smart travellers. Dopplr members share personal and business travel plans privately with their networks, and exchange tips on places to stay, eat and explore in cities around the world. Dopplr presents this collective intelligence - the travel patterns, tips and advice of the world’s most frequent travellers - as a Social Atlas - available on your PC or mobile.
Founded in 2007, Dopplr has offices on London’s Silicon Roundabout and the Helsinki seaside. Dopplr is backed by a premier international group of investors including Tyler Brûlé, Reid Hoffman (LinkedIn, Facebook)), Esther Dyson, Thomas Glocer, Martin Varsavsky, Lars Hinrichs (Xing), Joichi Ito and Saul Klein.
Further info on Marko:
http://ahtisaari.typepad.com/about.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marko_Ahtisaari
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dopplr
Further on Dopplr:
http://www.dopplr.com/socialatlas
http://blog.dopplr.com
PHOTO BY JOI ITO
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My Life: Journalism to Digital Strategy
I was asked to address an OECD gathering in Paris about my transition from journalism to digital strategy, focusing on my experiences within a traditional media company and the way it dealt with the transition to digital. I could not make the trip, so will share this video with them when they meet later this week.
Comments and thoughts very welcome!
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Phnom Penh Post Sweeps SOPA Editorial Awards!
Congratulations to Seth Meixner and the editorial team of the Phnom Penh Post!
Seth (pictured here with the PPP publisher Ross Dunkley to the left) and his team at the Post won awards of excellence for news photography and human right reporting.
There was only one publication in the same category (Local newspapers and small magazines published in English) that won more prizes than the Phnom Penh Post: The South China Morning Post.
Needless to say, The South China Morning Post is a newspaper with a much longer history and considerably greater resources.
The PPP team won these awards even as they cranked the newspaper up from publishing twice monthly to five days per week in a country where freedom of expression is still a daily battle.
Congratulations!!! (Disclosure: I am a minor - but very proud - investor in the PPP.)
The awards were for:
Excellence in News Photography: Boeung Kak Lake Land Evictions by Vandy Rattana, Chhay Channyda and Rick Valenzuela. The judges described the photographs as “striking, heartbreaking images that are also visually complex”.
Excellence in Human Rights Reporting: “Escape From Hell On The High Sea: Nine Trafficked Men Return Home” by Christopher Shay, May Titthara. The judges described the work as “Enterprising work from a small publication.”
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Wanted: Tech Pioneers from Asia for the World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum (Disclosure: Ogilvy client) is keen to find exciting Asian tech start-ups or companies in their early stages that should be considered for the WEF Technology Pioneer Award.
As someone who has been fortunate enough to have been invited to attend the WEF annual meeting in Davos for many years, I can say it would be a tremendously powerful platform for any startup to be present.
Criteria:
1. Innovation
2. Sustainablity (in terms of business model, funding)
3. Proof of concept (more than just an idea)
4. Quality of management team (we bring one of them to Davos!)
5. Impact (not something too niche)
The advantages, as detailed on the WEF site:
Technology Pioneers are invited to participate in the activities of the World Economic Forum, including the Annual Meeting of New Champions and potentially the Annual Meeting in Davos-Klosters. These Meetings are the two premier international events bringing together leaders of business and government from around the world, providing an opportunity for Technology Pioneers to interact with the World’s foremost thought leaders and trend .For this reason, the Technology Pioneers will definitely be invited to the Annual Meeting of New Champions for two consecutive years, and they will be potentially invited to the Annual Meeting in Davos should the Forum consider that the programme reflects the interests of the company.
Recipients of this distinction get worldwide media coverage at the time of recipient list publication. In past years, Time, BusinessWeek and Forbes have regularly profiled all or a selected group of Technology Pioneers.
Post your pitch here or send me an email: thomas at crampton dot com. (I do not make the selection, but have been asked to forward names of possible candidates)
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Is Tianjin REALLY China’s most liveable city?
UPDATE: I just learned (via ChinaHopeLive) that BusinessWeek declared Tianjin the 2nd worst place in China for an expatriate to live (and 13th worst in the world). Clearly BusinessWeek and The Economist were not working together on this!
The Economist today released their annual list of world city liveability. As someone who has lived in more than 8 cities and spent substantial amounts of time in many more, I always enjoy seeing how regions and cities stack up in The Economist’s view.
Number 1: Vancouver
Number 140: Harare, Zimbabwe
A few highlights:
Hong Kong: Tied for 39.
Dublin: 49
The World’s Capital (New York): 56
Bangkok: 100
This year, I disagree with their placing Asia so low on the list of live-ability. Bangkok, one of my favorite places to live, must have been punished in the rankings by the political instability.
I also take issue with Beijing (76) not being the best city in mainland China, beaten by Tianjin (72) and Suzhou(74). Sorry, Shanghai they ranked you 84.
For those interested in such lists, like me, please note that Munich, which topped the Monocle liveability index, ranks 28 according to The Economist
Some points highlighted by The Economist:
- Vancouver remains top with a rating of 98%. Only petty crime and the availability of good-quality housing present any challenges.
- There is little real difference within the top ten. Sydney and Zurich, in joint ninth, each have a score only around 2% lower than that for Vancouver.
- 64 cities achieve scores of more than 80%, while 13 cities occupy the very bottom tier of liveability, where ratings fall below 50%.
Any further thoughts?
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Thomas Crampton was a correspondent for the International Herald Tribune and The New York Times for more than a decade, reporting from five continents, writing a column on Asia and covering Asian politics, economics and culture. Currently based in Hong Kong, he writes here about China, the Internet and New Media seen from Asia, while also advising companies on digital communication strategies. For more information click here...
