If you've been following me on Twitter, @MistyMontano, you know how I've been using Twitter as a journalist. I function between my account and the station's, @cbs4denver, to engage in conversations about stories, to share what it's like to work on the news desk, to provide openess by tweeting during the editorial meetings. The station started tweeting the editorial meetings weeks ago and daily more tweople are joining in the conversation. Soon I will help coach social media sessions for station employees who want to learn and/or get involved. I'm sure the station will continue to evolve.
In my efforts to learn I've talked on the phone with or met with tweople in real life to discuss what I'm doing and to see how they're using social media, mainly Twitter. Rob McNealy, @RobMcNealy, told me he doesn't trust people who don't use their names or those who use nicknames. He advised me I should change my Twitter handle, which was @MsMistyJ at the time. He then told me if I blog, I should have my own domain name. We discussed quite a bit that left me thinking for days. (Thanks Rob!)
I thought about what he said about not trusting those who don't use their full names. Within hours of our meeting I changed my Twitter handle to @MistyMontano. My journalistic goal in using social media is to bring transparency, openess to the media. What Rob said made perfect sense. If I'm going to ask those whom I interact with on any social media platform to trust me, I should use my full name. Shakespeare had this figured out long ago when Juliet said,
"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."
Then I meandered through what Rob said about having my own domain where I could share my blog(s). My thoughts often run in tangents, so from thinking of our conversation I moved to bios of reporters and anchors on the station's website. I"m not a public figure like my coworkers, but I now have a voice I didn't have before. It then made sense for me to have my own domain where I could post a bio and host blogs, or anything else I want.
I created www.MistyMontano.com a few days later. Soon after I was contacted by the Mile High Social Media Club and asked if I would be a panelist in an upcoming seminar on social media in PR and the Media. I was asked for a bio. What do you know? I had my own domain sitting empty, so I posted a bio for the organization to use.
Then I looked at my blog, On the News Desk, and decided to move it to my domain. Boy was that disasterous and I'm sure I've lost most, if not all, my followers! Eventually I gave up the fight in trying to make my own blog roll in my website and just linked On the News Desk to my website. In verifying the website and setting up tracking, I also decided to change the domain name of On the News Desk to incorporate my name as well. Now I'm sure if I had any followers left, they've all left running in frustraion!
Next I looked at my blog and saw two distinct topics, adventure stories from the news desk and posts on social media/twitter. I decided to create a second blog, Where mainstream media and social media combine, where I will post my thoughts on social media in mainstream media.
My website is simple. (Mainly because I'm not a website designer! HA!) I'm viewing it as my own watering hole; a place where people who want to know more about me can find it. Why? In trying to achieve openess as a journalist, if I'm going to have this new found voice, people should be able to easily find out who is sharing news adventures with them.
In the end, I guess I'm branding myself, but as what? I can't name it. How about evolving journalist?
And, I admit there's a little vanity and excitement in this for me too.
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At least your name's domain was available. I'm waiting and hoping the registration for my name (held by someone else) expires soon enough so that I have one (1) page to direct people to my Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and other accounts (as well as my Picasa galleries, etc.). If using your real name as your Twitter handle adds to your credibility, consolidating everything onto one site adds to your navigability for the average user. It only becomes vanity when the name becomes bigger than what you originally set out to do.
ReplyDeleteWow - you have a lot of accounts! I was beginning to feel overwhelmed with the few I have, now I'm not!
ReplyDeleteGood advice "It only becomes vanity when the name becomes bigger than what you originally set out to do." Thanks.
Trusting only people who use their real names as a handle is... dumb. Sorry. That just means a person is too lazy to actually do some legwork - and even if someone uses their "real" name, how do you know that person is real? It's seems quite easy for someone to start a new handle - @ MistyMuntano, say - and then where are you? :-)
ReplyDeleteGoogle my Twitter handle - randomsubu - and you will see my website, blog, Twitter feed etc. If that consistency across platforms doesn't tell you I am a real person... Good luck on the Inter-tubes.
Thanks @randomsubu. Why say sorry? I appreciate your input. As for a person being too lazy to do some legwork... well... I've honestly spoken with many viewers on the phone who fall into that category! Perhaps those using social media, who are blogging, interacting, are willing to do some research and it's my bad for lumping everyone together! tehe! :)
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