Middle Age Bulge: Running for Council?

Posted on July 26, 2013 by ruthseeley

See on Scoop.it – Municipal politics

ruthseeley‘s insight:

This is Kennedy-esque rhetoric for the 21st Century and I wholeheartedly approve of – and agree – with the points Councillor Thomas makes here. All his points are compelling – but especially number 5 – “Seek first to understand” and number 6 – “If you are visibly absent from an engagement opportunity, it will get noticed and conclusions may get made that you won’t like.” In 2013, this means: do not set up a Twitter account unless you are prepared to actually use it and engage with people via that medium. Don’t set up a blog that doesn’t permit comments (although you’d better be prepared to moderate them). Ditto a YouTube account. Nothing enrages people more than not being listened to. And when you run for office, you are asking people to listen to you. A one-way conversation is called a monologue. Or a lecture. Or propaganda. Is that who you – seeking office as someone who represents others – really think you should be? If it is, you shouldn’t be running for office.

See on www.middleagebulge.com

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Twitter and politicians – a Toronto/Lethbridge comparison

Posted on June 14, 2013 by ruthseeley

As my local municipal election kicks off (vote will be in October 2013, but two candidates have already announced they’re entering the mayoral race) and the Toronto Ford Bros. fiasco continues to dominate mainstream and social media, I got curious about whether – and how – municipal politicians are using Twitter and whether there’s a difference in adoption rates based on size of city. I’ve seen some quite small communities do amazing things with Twitter. And I of course track what the elected municipal officials in my current small city, Lethbridge, AB, do. Continue reading →

Posted in political accountability, politics in a social media era | 2 Comments

‘Social reading’ the next phase of e-book revolution – Canada – CBC News

Posted on February 25, 2013 by ruthseeley

See on Scoop.it – Avid readers

Some digital pioneers think that the online sharing of books via social media — social reading — may become the dominant way of both consuming and producing stories.

ruthseeley‘s insight:

Looking forward to hearing this documentary and waiting to be convinced. Given the number of avid readers I know and how few of them can even bring themselves to join book clubs, I’m not so sure reading IS a social activity. But I’ll keep an open mind till after I’ve listened to the documentary.

See on www.cbc.ca

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How Much Should E-Books Cost?

Posted on January 29, 2013 by ruthseeley

See on Scoop.it – Avid readers

TW Column by David Biddle
It’s way too easy for us indie authors to devalue what we’re selling.”

ruthseeley‘s insight:

Sweet spot for ebook pricing is still where I said it was ~$4-$6.

See on talkingwriting.com

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Hope for democracy from the open source movement

Posted on January 4, 2013 by ruthseeley

Thank you, Twitter, for bringing this amazing presentation to my attention. I’m a fan of Clay Shirky although you might not know it from my not-exactly-a-rave review of Cognitive Surplus (interesting to see the subtitle changed from “Creativity And Generosity In A Connected Age” to “How Technology Makes Consumers Into Collaborators” between the hardcover and paperback release – not sure I’ve ever seen that happen before). But after watching this TED Talk presentation, I understand the reason for the subtitle change, as it’s very much the theme of this talk.

If you care about democracy, if you’re currently a politician, and perhaps if you’re one of those people who don’t vote because you’ve been around long enough to see that those one helps elect don’t always fulfill their campaign promises  – hell – I don’t care who you are really – I think you need to watch this video. In other words, only the world’s would-be megalomaniacs should NOT watch it (and hopefully I’m flying under their radar anyway). For those who, like me, have an easier time taking in information via words on a page or a screen, there’s a very brief summary below.

Continue reading →

Posted in community and stakeholder consultations, issues management, politics in a social media era, public relations | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Media tips from Michael Ignatieff

Posted on November 20, 2012 by ruthseeley

An unlikely source, I know, but he sounds incredibly relaxed talking to old friend Michael Enright on The Sunday Edition. I like what he has to say about feeding the beast of the 24-hour news cycle as opposed to ‘laying track.’

In order to ‘lay track’ as Ignatieff calls it, you really have to take control of the conversation. Bridging techniques don’t have to be subtle – they can be as blatant as saying, ‘Interesting question. But what I really need to talk to you and your viewers about is free trade/national security/our failing civic infrastructure.’ And then you just start talking about free trade/national security/our failing civic infrastructure. And hopefully some of what you say will be interesting enough to prompt a follow-up question. At which point you’ll be in charge of the interview you’re giving.

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Virtually attending a literary salon

Posted on November 30, 2011 by ruthseeley

I’m thrilled to have been invited to attend the first #yycsalon via Skype tonight and will be live tweeting it since I couldn’t actually make it to Calgary. Continue reading →

Posted in book marketing, marketing, public relations, working with authors | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Revisionist journalism in a social media age

Posted on October 6, 2011 by ruthseeley

I feel compelled to blog about an experience I recently had with the online (self-described) blog of a local radio station. I, am however, going to blog about it without naming names, because I hope to inspire a bit of a discussion rather than point the finger at one mainstream media outlet that employs several practises I consider misguided, uninformed, and downright egregious (or at one reporter). I’d prefer to see what other journalists and consumers of news think about the points I’m raising. Continue reading →

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Program enhancement via live blogging and live tweeting

Posted on August 28, 2011 by ruthseeley

This week I was reminded by Melissa Sweet that the Banff Science Communications 2011 program was in progress. I had noticed it a few weeks ago, but had forgotten about it. Using the hashtag #banffscience, Melissa has almost single-handedly collated and curated information from talks, classes, and blog posts about this program for two weeks. The only reason I discovered she was doing so was because I follow enough scientists and science journalists on Twitter to see retweets and start following her and the hashtag, occasionally contributing an article or two I’d discovered (testimony that Canadian scientists are being muzzled by the Privy Council Office in Ottawa was something I thought these science communications people might want to discuss, for instance, so I contributed breaking news on the silencing of Department of Fisheries and Oceans’ Dr. Kristi Miller – here’s a roundup of that coverage). When you’re attending a program as intensive as this one, you’re not always able to follow the news. Continue reading →

Posted in marketing, media relations, public relations, science communications, Social media, Twitter | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment