Tips for using Storify

I’ve been using Storify quite a bit at the Star Tribune and had a chance to share some tips at a get-together last week for the Minnesota Society of Professional Journalists. It was great to learn about favorite apps, hacks and tricks from other like-minded journalists. Other presenters included tech columnist Julio Ojeda-Zapata (Pioneer Press), Dan Haugen (freelance journalist — and one of the organizers — who introduced us to the wonders of Boomerang), and mobile/social media editor Jon Gordon (Minnesota Public Radio).

Other apps/interfaces discussed included: iCloud, Google Docs, Evernote, Typewriter, Boomerang, ScribbleLive, JoinMe, and Document Cloud.

(Note: Slides 3 and 4 come directly from the Storify tutorial found at the Storify online tutorial.)

journalism, newspapers

,

March 18, 2012

Leave a comment

iPhone 101 for journalists

I’m going to do some quick iPhone classes for journalists at the Star Tribune. I’m thinking half of a class would focus on iPhone basics, half on must-have apps. Let me know what I’m missing. The app list is pretty solid, I think, since that list exists in various forms pretty much everywhere. I’m more concerned about iPhone basics, particularly for people who might be new to smartphones completely, or iPhones in particular. (This class is not meant to cover video, audio or twitter in-depth but is more to help new users adapt to the technology.)

iphone101 (click for pdf)

journalism, Uncategorized

, , ,

January 6, 2012

Leave a comment

Quite an introduction to Storify

I’ve been meaning to dive into Storify for a while, mostly because I’d like to see the Star Tribune using it more, whether for breaking news or features that invite readers to share with us. While working my regular Saturday online shift (mostly for the iPad), I decided to try Storify using the best breaking news I could find. Today, that meant the massive election protests in Moscow.

I quickly sorted through some images and tweets, digging in the New York Times’ Lede Blog to check out who they had in Moscow and to read through some of their featured Twitter streams. Then I ran some image searches. Voila. In less than 45 minutes, I had created a decent stream with some very nice photos, a couple of which were take by aerial drone flights. Very cool.

I almost didn’t publish the story – and I didn’t send out a tweet or alert the people whose tweets I quoted – so I was super surprised about an hour later when I started getting pinged all over Twitter. Storify had pulled my story into its featured spot and tweeted to its 18,000 followers with this tease: “Absolutely stunning photos from social media as tens of thousands protest in #Russia – from @onecolleen: http://storify.com/onecolleen/tens-of-thousands-protest-russian-election.” (In the image above, you can see how the story is featured on their home page.)

Based on the Storify tweet, that link was shared all over the place, including by some social media heavyweights such as Anthony De Rosa (@antderosa), Reuters social media editor.

Very, very cool!

I know I’ve just scratched the surface with Storify, and I can’t wait to dig deeper.

My goal for the week: Storify at least one thing for the Star Tribune.

journalism, technology

, , ,

December 10, 2011

Leave a comment

Our new bathroom*

I say this is “our” new bathroom, but really it will be the girls’ bathroom. Yes, I’m jealous. At about 10 feet by 10 feet, it is far larger than our main floor bathroom. In a nutshell:

- No, I wouldn’t really recommend the people we used. (The construction took twice as long as they said it would, and the communication about what was going on was awful.) At one point, I thought we had been scammed and the job just wasn’t going to get done.

- The price was fair, and it did not change except for modifications we requested. (For example, we decided to pay extra to have the more expensive foam insulation put into the eaves, bathroom and roof slats.)

- I ended touching up a fair amount of finish work. The bathroom also initially failed a framing inspection.

- It was estimated as a five to six week job, and it took about 11 weeks. We’re still waiting on a tiny bit of exterior work, since they mis-estimated the amount of siding needed.

Also, these are iPhone photos. Sorry!

In keeping with our "nice," but "not too nice" mantra for this room, the bathroom has a granite counter (but stock off the shelf from Menards); a pricey Kohler faucet that I love (we now have it in both bathrooms); and a $40 light fixture from Home Depot

The door on the left is the bathroom, which was added as a dormer. This photo was taken from the back of the house. The girls' room is at the far end of the hall. The walls will be a creamy beige. They are only primed in this picture.

This view is to the left when you walk through the door. There’s a nice, deep closet and a 36″ by 48″ one-piece shower (no grout!) that the guys brought in through the open wall of the house. The electric wall heater runs off a thermostat.

The floor is inexpensive (faux tumbled stone) porcelain tile from home depot (less than $2 sq/ft)

What can I say? It’s a toilet. Kohler, I think.

This vanity and mirror are from Home Depot. I would have preferred a slightly lighter, Shaker look, but we were only doing stock items… And country oak is not in the cards.

Fuzzy photo, but there’s lots of space in here. I cannot wait to get half of our towels and all the kids extra bedding into this.

Off to take a shower!

Uncategorized

November 7, 2011

Leave a comment

CenturyLink: How not to do customer service

Today I opened a piece of mail from CenturyLink (recently Qwest) and found a “disconnect notice” for our land-line, which is surprising because I’ve had auto-payment on that account for years and years. The amount due looked like several months worth of service.

No problem, I’m sure a quick phone call will clear this up…. Except, CenturyLink has no weekend billing customer service at all, not even shortened hours on Saturday.

How odd. How 1950s. How unhelpful, considering this whole thing is their fault. Also, since I have phone service with CenturyLink, and online access to my account, you’d think that an e-mail alert or automated phone call would have been placed at any point during the past three months BEFORE sending me a disconnect notice.

Well… not wanting to have this hanging over my head, and knowing how chaotic the work week can be, I gamely went to the website to take part in the dreaded online chat.

What follows is the verbatim transcript. I’ve edited out personal information, but left in typos, etc. The agent was fine, given what she had to work with. CenturyLink, on the other hand: Inexcusable.

—-

Thank you for contacting CenturyLink. My name is Lxxx x. (xxxxx). How may I help you today?

Colleen : Well, Century Link seems to have un-enrolled mine automatic payment, which I’ve had for years. I got not phone call or email, but now have a disconnect notice. In addition, I can’t even access my full bill online due to web site fail. Obviously, I want to know what — if any — fees I’ve been assessed before I pay the bill.

Colleen : I also am stunned to discover that your phone customer service only runs Monday through Friday. I would like:

Colleen : 1. an explanation of current charges

Colleen : 2. to re-enroll in auto-payment

Lxxx x. (xxxxx): Hello Colleen!

Lxxx x. (xxxxx): I would be happy to assist you with this today!

Lxxx x. (xxxxx): Is xxx-xxx-xxxx the correct account number for you today?

Colleen : Yes

Lxxx x. (xxxxx): Just one moment.

<<< a couple minutes pass>>>

Colleen : Hello?

Lxxx x. (xxxxx): I am still here.

Lxxx x. (xxxxx): I am accessing the account now.

Lxxx x. (xxxxx): Do you know the answer to the security question of what is my atm

Colleen : I don’t remember creating that as a security question. If it’s a number code, i sometimes use xxxx

Lxxx x. (xxxxx): Thank you!  That is correct.

Lxxx x. (xxxxx): Try xxxxxxx as the password and the username xxxxxxxx to get into your MyAccount now.

Colleen : I’m not sure you’re understanding. I am logged into my account right now online. It will not show me my full bill. I want to know what, if any, charges I”ve been assessed for my inexplicable un-enrollment; I want any late charges waived; and I want to be re-enrolled in automated payments.

Lxxx x. (xxxxx): By using the new information I provided for you, it will load the full bill now.

Lxxx x. (xxxxx): Logout of your current session, and refresh the page and after that it will work.

Colleen : I’m looking for actual customer service here by a customer service agent. We’ve been chatting for 10 minutes now, and you’re saying I have to log out and look for myself?

Lxxx x. (xxxxx): It will be the easiest way for you to see each detail.

Lxxx x. (xxxxx): I can tell them to you, but you looking at it will be the best way.  After you login with this information it will work.

Colleen : Can you not tell me if i’ve been assessed fees? Or why I was un-enrolled. My automated payments have been being done for nearly a decade.

Lxxx x. (xxxxx): I understand, with the merge from Qwest to CenturyLink it must have taken you off of this, that is the only reason that I can think of at this time, but if you think you were charged to much for the bill.  I can give you the number to billing to see what they can do about that.

Colleen : Fine. I’m in now. All it shows is “previous charges” of xx.xx and current charges of $xx.xx. There is now way to see where the “previous charges” come from.

Lxxx x. (xxxxx): Just to verify that I am speaking with the responsible party on this account, please provide me with your entire billing address, along with either the last four digits of your SSN or three digit account code.

Colleen : I cannot believe that after 15 minutes of chatting, I’m not going to be given a phone number that I cannot call until Monday to get this looked at. This is unbelievable….

Colleen : I already gave you the correct code on the account, and I am currently logged into the account online. How much more verification do you need

Lxxx x. (xxxxx): Just one moment.

Lxxx x. (xxxxx): I can see what the details are of the bill so you can know what the previous charges are.

Colleen : But the address is on the account, which you’ve just given me access to online. Fine: xxxx xxrd Ave. S., Minneapolis. SSN: xxxx

Lxxx x. (xxxxx): Thank you.

Lxxx x. (xxxxx): $xx.xx is the bill at this time, that is for the last 3 months of service.

Colleen : Um, I can see that. What I wanted to know was if that amount includes any fees for non-payment?

Lxxx x. (xxxxx): There is not any at this time.

Colleen : OK. So basically where we’re at is this: I was inexplicably un-enrolled from automatic payments, perhaps due to the merge from Qwest to CenturyLink. There’s no customer service available by phone other than Monday through Friday. I have spent almost 25 minutes chatting online to be told how to accesss my own account, and I probably have to re-enroll myself for automatic payments again?

Lxxx x. (xxxxx): Yes, you are the only one that can do that on your MyAccount.  We are not allowed to do this.

Colleen : Fabulous

Lxxx x. (xxxxx):I will stay on chat to make sure you find that okay if you would like me to.

Colleen : I can handle it. You’ve been fine, but this system is awful, awful, awful

Lxxx x. (xxxxx):: I do apologize for this, I know how inconvenient it is for billing to not be open on weekends.

Colleen : Thanks anyway

<<< there was a little more back and forth about how to enroll online, and whether I needed to make an immediate payment for the past due amount in addition to enrolling in auto-pay for future months>>>

Total elapsed time online: More than 30 minutes.

Next on my agenda: Re-thinking our need for a landline.

Uncategorized

, , , ,

September 24, 2011

Leave a comment

I work at a newspaper. I don’t write*

*Except when I do.

When people find out I work at a newspaper, pretty much the first question I’m asked is “What do you write?” Sometimes, even people I know really well ask it. Sometimes they do it again and again even after they know I’m not a writer. (Hi, Dad!)

But newspapers are filled with people who don’t write, or at least people who don’t write bylined stories. Researchers. Graphic artists. Copy editors. Web developers. News assistants. And, yes, designers, too.

Ah, but sometimes I do write, about family travel, children’s authors, etc. Recently, I reviewed “Wonder Girl,” Don Van Natta Jr.‘s biography of Babe Didrikson Zaharias for the Star Tribune. Although she’s faded from pop culture, I’d always been fascinated by Babe, probably because I was a tomboy growing up, often playing baseball shirtless as a young child, much to my mother’s dismay. I read a sanitized children’s bio of Babe when I was young and was happy to devour this book and gain a more complete understanding of the woman behind the outsize accomplishments.

“Which U.S. athlete earned three Olympic medals in track and field, barnstormed the country as an all-American basketball player and won more consecutive LPGA golf tournaments than anyone since? It’s not a trick question. There is such a person, and her name — yes, it’s a woman — is Babe Didrikson Zaharias.

That Babe (born almost 100 years ago in Port Arthur, Texas) has faded so completely from our collective memory is a shame. She was a trailblazing athlete and fierce competitor who withstood withering attacks to become one of the greatest athletes the world has ever known.”

Find the complete review of “Wonder Girl” here.

journalism, newspapers, popculture

, , , ,

July 11, 2011

Leave a comment

Lake Atitlan, Guatemala

IT’S PHOTO FRIDAY, FROM THE ARCHIVES:

Lake Atitlan, Guatemala

There’s nothing I love to do more than travel. Nothing. In the early 1990s, I spent more nearly two years in South America (part of it working in Lima, Peru, as a newspaper designer) but mostly taking way too many bus rides across way too many dangerous roads, usually solo, across Ecuador, Peru and Chile.

I shot these photos during a 2005 trip to Lake Atitlan in Guatemala, where I traveled with a friend and her very adventurous mother. We stayed at Posada Schumann in San Marcos La Laguna, and had a wonderful time. The lake itself, considered the deepest in Central America, is flanked by three spectacular volcanoes. It was an awesome trip, and every morning I rushed down to the lake to get a new picture of the volcanoes. The photo above is one of my favorites. The photo below shows a lone fisherman paddling across the lake (while standing) as a storm was just coming up.

Lake Atitlan, Guatemala

travel

, , ,

July 1, 2011

Leave a comment

« Older posts
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

%d bloggers like this: