I have been brainstorming about possible research articles to write.
1. I really want to do one on Orangebloods.com. They recently broke the story on the Big 12 realignment and for two weeks “out-scooped” the big dogs of the sports industry including ESPN. I don’t necessary want to know how they got the scoop, but I want to know the process that was put in place to keep out-doing the competition.
Research Question: What was the process put in place to keep up with the changing information in the Big 12 Missile Crisis? and What was the thought process behind the heavy use of Twitter and opening up the website for everyone?
I am currently trying to lock down interviews with Geoff Ketchum, publisher of Orangebloods, and Chip Brown, the man behind the story. I want to ask them the same questions and get an idea of how the whole thing happened. I think I will use the diffusion of innovation theory to help frame the paper.
2. There is a new company called Spredfast in Austin that is basically developing a one-stop-shop for all social media posting needs. It is incredibly intriguing to me.
Research Question: What are you hoping to accomplish with this platform in terms of social media use?
I understand they are in their infancy, but they obviously have a bigger view of social media. That just really intrigues me. Diffusion of innovation is the obvious choice for this one as well. I would turn this into a case study and interview the founders and get their views on this new platform and how it will interact with the social media landscape.
3. As a former “real” journalist and now citizen journalist, the effects of technology on journalism are amazing to me. I think television stations are not necessarily taking advantage of what is available. I would love to get opinions on new media from News Directors and those hired to be the interactive/new media/ web producers.
Research Question: How have you incorporated new technology into your news product beyond that of the actual broadcast?
I would send separate survey questionnaires to the News Directors and to the people in charge of the web/new media for the stations. I want to see how close they are in their opinions of what the station is doing, could be doing and the overall concept of working towards something beyond that of the broadcast channel.
4. Twitter is my friend. I don’t mean like we hang out and get beers, but Twitter gives me the info I care about, when I care about it. I don’t think that news organizations really grasp on to it, until they see a definite benefit.
Research Question: When and how did you decide Twitter was relevant for your news organization?
This would be a survey question I would send to numerous news organizations and see what their responses were. I am interested to see who has real reasons for using it and who just says that the consultant told them to use it. I would then compare their answers to their actual usage. My guess is that news orgs that saw a definite benefit to Twitter use actually use Twitter to its fullest. The Statesman is one org that uses Twitter in a fantastic way. K-EYE, on the other hand, is terrible.
