Lansing Breakfast Club

How do you put the social in social networking? When I think about that question I'm reminded of this Daily Show video. It's an old one but I've always remembered it because there's a good point... How well do you know the people you friend or follow on the internet? Do you even know them at all?

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Trendspotting - Social Networking
http://www.thedailyshow.com/
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Enter the Lansing Breakfast Club. It's a way to bring people together who met over the internet. Basically the club is a weekly tweet-up with a theme. Two co-workers started it because they wanted to meet more people in the Lansing community. They got the word out through Twitter and Facebook. The idea was to meet for breakfast every Wednesday at 7am. The first week 6 people showed up, 16 weeks later they've had as many as 60 at one breakfast. Not only does the club bring local professionals together, it also supports local businesses. I found out about the club through twitter and as a reporter I wanted to see what it was all about. I went to a breakfast to check it out and knew I had to do a story. Next week I showed up with a camera and turned this piece for our "Tell Me Something Good" segment. The funny thing is I'm still going to the Lansing Breakfast Club. After we shot the story one of our videographers said wow that's really cool we should go next week. A few weeks later I'm happy to report we've been regulars ever since.

You can find the club on Twitter just search #LansingBreakfast or become a fan on their Facebook page.

Big Three: Blogging and Tweeting a New Image

Last week GM CEO Fritz Henderson made a big announcement, but before he held a press conference information was already out via social media.

Henderson announced the gas mileage of the highly anticipated Chevrolet Volt. Even without an official announcement there was already a buzz on the internet. It started with “what it 230” – a viral marketing campaign that made its rounds on Youtube, Flickr, Facebook and Twitter. If you want to see what I mean, search for it on Google, or type in #whatis230 on Twitter.

My point: the Big 3 are blogging, tweeting and interacting. Of course they aren’t the only companies taking advantage of social media but I think it’s worth taking a look at them specifically.

As a journalist and a Michiganian I was both excited and interested in this topic. I wanted to follow the actions of these American automakers through social media, especially during this unprecedented time for them. I think the Big 3's use of social media is another way to revamp their images. In addition, it creates new opportunities to connect with customers and try to gain future customers. So, the point of this entry is to take a closer look at the ways General Motors, Chrysler and Ford have embraced this new medium. I’ll probably talk about Twitter the most since these companies are using the site to promote other ways they're communicating.

From what I can tell, GM and Ford have the most visible presence on Twitter. The companies use the site to talk about new products but they also direct followers their site and blogs. GM hosts webchats and tweetups. Staff also blog and tweet. And when they tweet they also reply to their followers. You’ll see that Ford has more followers than GM; this could be because GM has more groups on twitter. Ford is also good about replying to followers and staff also host livewebchats.

Chrysler has the smallest amount of followers and the least groups, but they also promote their blog through twitter.

I think the most surprising thing to me is how social media makes these big corporations somewhat accessable. It really creates a new level of transparency to know the Big 3 on a more personal level. I also want to point out this blog post is made up of my observations. In the end it’s hard to measure social media usage. I hope you’ll use this post as an opportunity to follow these companies and make some comparisons for yourself.

Breaking the News and Following it Up

Just finished up a six day work week. I spent three of those days covering a drowning. Here's a day by day breakdown.

Sunday: We first learned that someone may be in the water Sunday evening. I had just wrapped up the shoot for a story I was working on when I got a call from our producer. It was one of those situations where we didn't have much info so I quickly headed to the site to figure out what was going on. Ended up turning a package about the basics - someone is in the water, rescue turned into recovery, calling off recovery for tonight because it's too dangerous.

Monday: I got to the station early to follow up with the sargent I spoke with on Sunday. Their plan was debrief at 9 and head out to the water at 10. I met them at the site as they continued their recovery effort. It really helped that I was there the day before, actually we were the only media there on Sunday. I knew who to talk to and where to go. I also had another advantage, the victim's friends had seen me there too. Understandably, they didn't want to talk, or at least do a formal interview. Luckily, they were able to share their story with me and let me get sound off the shot gun mic. Divers located the body by mid-afternoon. My story for the day was reaction from friends, the same friends that were swimming when their friend went under and didn't come back up.

Tuesday: The day after they found the body there were still more questions. The teen who drowned was swimming in an area called Cedar Lake or some simply called it the old gravel pit. I wanted to check on the number of drownings, the history of the lake and if anyone should swim there in the first place. The story I ended up with was a little different. I interviewed the sheriff's department for the basics and I also set up an interview with the drain commissioner because he knew a lot about the area. Seems straightforward until the sheriff's deparment said the area was dangerous, then the drain commissioner said people should swim there. If conflict makes a good story I would say this piece had it.

Show and Tell: Clunkers

I haven't blogged since GM filed for bankruptcy, how appropriate that I decided to blog today since I just did another story about cars. Although, this story was about potentially good news for the auto industry. The "Cash for Clunkers Program" would give incentives to turn in a car that is bad on gas and not worth a whole lot - hence the name clunker. I had pitched this story idea three weeks ago before the bill had passed in the House or Senate. Now it just needs a signature from President Obama.

The obvious angle would be to find someone with a clunker they wanted to turn in. I ended up doing the story as more of an explainer with the dealer's perspective. Really, I didn't have a lot to work with so it was important to make it interesting. I knew it would be tiring listening to one guy from the dealer promote the program. I wanted to break up his bites with an explanation of what makes a clunker. To do this I did a multi-part stand up with a grease maker. I needed multiple shots to keep it visual. I also needed to sequence, sequence, sequence. I wrote the four points I wanted to get across on different parts of a van so I could keep moving.

When I edited all the pieces together the stand up was 26 seconds. Seems long but I'm pretty happy with how it came out. I also think it fit well into the overall story.

GM Files for Bankruptcy

GM, one of the Big Three American auto makers filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. If you're from Michigan you probably know it is a day many thought to be unthinkable. Not because it is painful but because it just couldn't happen... until today. People here live and breathe cars. It seems like everyone knows someone who knows someone who has something to do with the auto industry. To say it's a big deal wouldn't do it justice.

As a reporter I feel honored to do my little part in covering this historic story - a story that doesn't have an ending yet. The scary thing for Michiganians is not knowing what this exactly means. What does it mean for auto dealers or suppliers? What about employees and retirees? What does it mean for the state budget deficit or an unemployment rate that's already greater than 12%?

Chrysler filed for bankruptcy on April 30th and look where GM is just over one month later. The Chrysler bankruptcy proceedings are said to be going smoothly. Today the court granted approval to let Chrysler sell assets to Fiat. On the other hand a GM bankruptcy could be seen as more complicated because it is a larger company with more overseas operations.

For me this entire process will be about watching it unfold. I think there are a lot of questions to be answered today and in the next few days. I also think because of the scale and magnitude of this event we might not yet know the full ramifications.

Lastly I wanted to list some notes & numbers I wrote down throughout the day.
Previous GM break even point 16 million, new break even point 10 million (car sales)
MI Facilities - GM closing 5 plants and idling 2 more causing the state to lose 8,646 jobs
82 billion in assets, 172 billion in debt
Fed lending could total 50 billion
New ownership percentages: government 60%, Canada 12.5%, UAW 17.5%, Bondholders 10%

My Thoughts on Leaving Missouri

I'm leaving Missouri on Saturday but it hasn't exactly sunk in yet. I've called this state home for the past three years, now I'm leaving. I'm moving back to Michigan to begin the next chapter of my career.

But lets get back to Missouri.... when I decided to come to the "Show-Me State" I had one thing to go off of. I'll warn you that this is a funny story yet bad stereotype. Anyways, when I was a kid I had a puzzle map of all 50 states. I distinctly remember Missouri because it was the state with a pig pictured on it. Little did I know I'd end up in the pig state and little did I know how much I'd come to love the pig state. From my time in Missouri I can tell you that there is a lot more to this state than pigs. Infact, I've never personally ran into a pig my entire time here but I have seen my fair share of cows.

I not only lived in Missouri but I reported here. My entire experience here has really been a learning process. I can say I've learned much about the state, its people and about myself. The great thing that I had the chance to experience firsthand is the midwest attitude. For the most part everyone is very friendly and easy to relate to. I say for the most part because I don't want to risk sounding like a millennial. (thanks Woelfel) I hope I was able to give something back through my reporting. I learned a lot covering severe weather, something there is no shortage of in Missouri. I also hope I was able to take the Michiganian in me and do some enterprising reporting about the auto industry.

Another place I will miss is KOMU. When I moved to Missouri and didn't know anyone the people at the station were some of the first to ask me what I was doing on a Friday night. I've made so many wonderful and lasting friends at the station. I'm thankful to all of them who took the time to help me along the way.

The Show-Me State has truly shown me a lot. I just wish I still had that map with the pig on it!

What do I tweet about?

Read my Wordle to find out.