My time as an Assignment Editor provided many stories on which I shared in my first blog.  While I'm no longer On the News Desk, the stories and lessons shouldn't be forgotten. 

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Musings and thoughts

Showing Tag: " "social media"" (Show all posts)

Honored to win Heartland Emmy for Interactivity

Posted by Misty Montano on Sunday, July 14, 2013, In : SocialTV 

It is such an honor to receive this Heartland Emmy for the SafeKids Twitter chat I produced for 9NEWS. I thank Denver Police Department, Children’s Hospital Colorado, Marie Hayes Folmar, Lucretia Madden Pruitt, Rajean Campbell Blomquist, Shawn Montano and all who participated in the chat. I wish with all my heart the chat hadn't been needed and that Jessica was home with her family. 



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Follow the debate hashtags and social conversation

Posted by Misty Montano on Wednesday, October 3, 2012, In : Integrating Social Media 
"What is the hashtag?" This is one of the 1st questions event planners should ask, decide and push. It takes effort to make a hashtag stick. The only exception I've seen to this is the occasional big, breaking news story. In the end the users, specifically social influencers on Twitter, decide what the tag will be.

Tonight, and all of the debates, will be user-powered. The hashtag with the most use may or may not be the official tag determined by @UofDenver or @Gov.

I'm monitoring at least 1/2 ...

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Twitter: I'm following even if you've blocked me

Posted by Misty Montano on Wednesday, June 27, 2012, In : Twitter 

 
It still surprises me that individual journalists block each other, block me, on Twitter. It shocks me that a TV station blocks me from it's station account. Shocking and surprising, but not stopping me. 

If I care about what you have to say on Twitter, I am following you even if you've blocked me.

There is no reason we journalists should be blocking each other. It just feels petty to me that efforts are taken to block journalists. Your effort of blocking me isn't even slowing me down from see...

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How to keep your email, not Facebook's

Posted by Misty Montano on Tuesday, June 26, 2012, In : Integrating Social Media 
I believe it was in 2010 when Facebook rolled out emails to all of us Facebook users. The email is based on our Facebook username. Anyone who actually knew that email address could use it from any non-Facebook email account, like gmail, yahoo, official work email, etc.

Facebook has now made the Facebook email assigned to each of us the email that shows in our Contact Information area on our Facebook profiles. Oh, how exciting that Facebook yet again makes a change without telling us about it. ...
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Interactive maps give understanding to breaking news

Posted by Misty Montano on Tuesday, June 19, 2012, In : Integrating Social Media 

During wildfires one of the most requested items is a map. A map is sometimes the only line residents have to their homes during a wildfire. Infrared photos of the fire are taken from the air to give the most precise mapping of fire movement.

Infrared mapping isn't the only mapping option, though. Interactive maps can give people a deeper understanding of what's happening.

Based off of geographic information systems (GIS) sets of data can be layered on a map to help understand and visualize ...


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Twitter: the journalist tool

Posted by Misty Montano on Tuesday, June 19, 2012, In : Twitter 

"Why traditional media should be afraid of twitter" is a good article to read for several reasons – to see what twitter is doing to really attach itself to journalism and news, to see how users use twitter, and to see how you –the journalist – can use twitter.

And, of course after reading it, I’m left questing “is my job (mine only) in jeopardy?” An analyst with Reuters seems to think so.   

To answer my own question: no, my job is not in jeopardy. Twitter will continue to come u...


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How to use Facebook scheduling

Posted by Misty Montano on Wednesday, June 6, 2012, In : Integrating Social Media 

You may have heard that last week Facebook started allowing posts on pages to be scheduled through Facebook itself, instead of a 3rd party app like Hootsuite. Here's a quick look at how, and why to use Facebook instead of a 3rd party app.

1. Create your post - status update or photo/video like you normally would. Instead of clicking "Post" click on the clock icon in the lower left hand corner of the post. This is the same procedure as if you've adding milestones or posts to your Timeline. Inst...
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TEDxPoynter reminds me to never stop learning

Posted by Misty Montano on Friday, June 1, 2012, In : Integrating Social Media 
I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know Lorraine Smith at TEDxPoynter. She’s a 75 year old woman who came to the event at the Poynter Institute because she thinks journalism today should be better. “Well, I feel I’m not getting all the facts and am surprised at the lack of reporting, so I thought I should start writing and so I did. I’m here to learn. I have to start a blog and a twitter,” she said.

I admire her gumption! She is writing columns for local newspapers. She knows ...
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Do more then share comments during the news

Posted by Misty Montano on Tuesday, August 30, 2011, In : Integrating Social Media 


Each day I try to find social aspects of our stories.  The easiest thing to do is just post a question or comment about a story on Facebook and/or Twitter and let conversation ensue.  When I can or have the opportunity I’ll jump into the conversation and add responses either as myself or commenting as the station.

Those conversations are necessary to create relationships with people who will tu...


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Journalists: social media is about moments

Posted by Misty Montano on Friday, July 29, 2011, In : Integrating Social Media 



To understand how to use social media you might want to forget you’re a journalist.  Then when you do use social media you need to remember you’re a journalist.  Make sense?

Here’s the deal.  We are trained to not share the story process or personal details of life.  We are trained not to give away the story until it’s on the web or on the air. 

Holding to this training while trying to do social media will just cause you to fail, and even resent it. 

Social media is not about the fina...

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90-day review of myself

Posted by Misty Montano on Monday, June 20, 2011, In : Integrating Social Media 


I’m taking a very serious, critical look at my time thus far as Digital Content Manager at 9NEWS. 

Only seconds have passed and the truth is hitting me upside the head: I haven’t spent enough time, nor have proper planning to actually have moved the station more than an inch in effectively utilizing social media.  This truth is quickly followed with a smack to the other side of my head: I haven’t lived what I’ve been preaching.

I wrote a 10-page Social Media Action Plan before I steppe...

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Stalk the competition

Posted by Misty Montano on Saturday, April 3, 2010, In : Integrating Social Media 
Hand in hand with my previous blog goes this post. Just as you need to be aware of what’s being said about you/your name/brand/company, you should know what’s being said about your competition and what your competition is saying. At the very least you should know how your competition is using the same social networks as you are so you can improve your own use, or expand to another network.

I’m a journalist so my competition is other journalists, traditional and citizen, and media outlets...
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If you're willing collaborative journalism is easy and rewarding

Posted by Misty Montano on Friday, January 8, 2010, In : Integrating Social Media 
Media organizations have partnered for as long as I can remember. CBS4 News used to partner with The Rocky Mountain News before it closed. Now the station partners with The Denver Business Journal. KUSA and KMGH also partner with local print organizations. There are various partnerships with local radio stations as well. These partnerships will continue but need to go beyond media organization to media organization.

Collaboration is a term being used more these days to describe a wide variety ...
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I am using Google Wave, the mess that it is, for news

Posted by Misty Montano on Tuesday, December 8, 2009, In : Integrating Social Media 
I’ve spent the last two weeks playing around in Google Wave. I see its potential as a collaborative tool to share information during news events, such as a snow storm. I see it being used as a comment tool much like people comment on facebook or retweet with a comment on Twitter.

I’ve joined waves that were created to discuss the use of social media and/or Google Wave in journalism and in news. I’ve reviewed other media outlets use of Google Wave. I’ve read articles on using Google W...

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I got all my news from the Internet, not TV

Posted by Misty Montano on Saturday, October 24, 2009, In : Integrating Social Media 
I was sick and at home for almost a full week. Watching the news was one of the last things I wanted to do. I wanted to watch chick flicks, reruns of my favorite shows, and catch up on all the shows episodes that sat for months on the DVR. Yet, I am a bit addicted to the news. I couldn’t stay away from it, but I rarely turned the TV to it. I got almost all the news from Twitter and facebook.

No, I didn’t just read tweets or status updates and take those posts for truths. I let those posts ...
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I used to hate the Internet. Facebook? never for me! Wait...

Posted by Misty Montano on Saturday, October 10, 2009, In : Integrating Social Media 

I don’t really remember not being on facebook or not being on Twitter or not emphatically promoting the use of social media in traditional media.  So it’s very surprising to me to realize I’ve only been at this social media thing for just over a year.  That’s right I only started my personal facebook page just over a year ago, and only joined Twitter 10 months ago.

I do remember years ago my younger friends who had just graduated from college talking about facebook.  I thought, “oh ...


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Creating relationships on Twitter is not bad; it's good

Posted by Misty Montano on Thursday, September 24, 2009, In : Twitter 
I am often asked how a journalist can use Twitter, facebook or other social media networks while walking the line of being unbiased, yet personable. To me the answer is simple. Be smart when you use these networks

When I share my experiences on the news desk I always make the source of the information clear. I never give an opinion on a story or hot button issues like politics and religion. However I am always me. I let my personality come out and I share some aspects of my personal life, like...
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Efforts to advance journalism hit resistance; but news is changing

Posted by Misty Montano on Thursday, August 6, 2009, In : Integrating Social Media 
Recently I was referred to as "oh, the twitter girl" by another journalist.  I was not present during the conversation but a friend who was thought the comment was so funny that I was called right up and told about it.  The conversation was apparently one of those, "hey, how's it going in your shop?" and my name was brought up.  While my friend found the references amusing, I found it disturbing.

I believe in using all tools possible to advance journalism.  The tools at my hands at all times o...
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PR plea: help me help you. Please.

Posted by Misty Montano on Thursday, July 30, 2009, In : Integrating Social Media 

In this fast viral world we now live in due to so many social media platforms, I have found it bothersome that I can’t share all I want to with those who follow @CBS4Denver and/or @MistyMontano on Twitter or facebook.  Rather, instead of saying can’t, I should say, I don’t have the time to re-write and share the information I receive from press releases.

 

One of my responsibilities as an assignment editor on the news desk for CBS4 News is to sort through, distribute, and file all of th...


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If for no other reason, public safety should be why media uses social media

Posted by Misty Montano on Wednesday, July 29, 2009, In : Integrating Social Media 

Last week I posted "To my surprise the crazy caller made my day normal" because it had been a nice, easy transition for me back on the news desk after being on medical leave.  Boy, did I speak way too soon, and may have even jinxed the metro area with that post because around 10:20 p.m. a major storm ripped through the metro area.  CBS4 News stayed live on the air until after midnight covering the storm.  This meant I stayed and with a very minimal crew, we covered the second costliest storm ...


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The interview from Tehran that will never be aired

Posted by Misty Montano on Wednesday, June 24, 2009, In : Integrating Social Media 

When the station did the first local reporter packages on the protests and clashes after the Iran election, a reporter asked me to see if I could reach anyone in Iran on Twitter that would be willing to do an interview using Twitter or email, or whatever platform necessary to accomplish the interview.  I was asked to do this around 8:30pm. 

Of course I said I would do it and then asked the reporter and producer how we would verify the source if I got the interview?  Pause.  I'm asked if I thi...


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Iran election coverage develops at a local station level

Posted by Misty Montano on Tuesday, June 23, 2009, In : Integrating Social Media 

It’s been over a week since I spoke at NPPA Convergence on using social media in the newsroom.  So much happened I needed time to organize my thoughts before writing out my thoughts.  Sometime before I started speaking on a panel Saturday, June 13 I saw a post on Twitter regarding the Iran Electionsand the protests that were just beginning.  Honestly, my first instinct was that of a journalist, “this is going to be a big story.” 

 

To be even more honest, after the conferenc...


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What do you want from a journalist using Twitter?

Posted by Misty Montano on Saturday, June 20, 2009, In : Integrating Social Media 
UPDATE Friday, May 29th:

It's official I will be speaking at a social media seminar during the NPPA Convergence in Las Vegas in a couple of weeks. Then I will moderate a panel discussion on social media. So I need help/advice. Those who attend are journalists wanting to know how to use social media. Some may already utilize social media, but others may not.

I'm asking you: what do you want from your local journalist or news organization using social media?

This is a whole new field for many of u...
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After thoughts on PR & Media in a New Media World

Posted by Misty Montano on Saturday, June 20, 2009, In : Integrating Social Media 
This week I was a panel speaker at a seminar on PR & Media in a New Media World hosted by Mile High Social Media Club. The panel guests also included Elaine Ellis of Metzger Associates and Jason Kintzler founder and CEO of PitchEngine. The seminar was attended by mostly PR professionals and bloggers who submitted questions for the panel to answer.

I was honestly surprised to hear the public relation field is working to figure out the purpose and uses for social media just as media outlets are ...
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Future of news/media & how Twitter is moving me there

Posted by Misty Montano on Saturday, June 20, 2009, In : Twitter 
I started this blog over a week ago and every time I sit down to write it, I can't seem to get out what I want to say. This block has left me feeling like there's nothing else I can blog about until I get this out. So please, if ramble and take tangents, remember it's my way of trying to connect the dots. I'd love your feedback and ideas.

I agree Lacey, it's been too long since I blogged.

Last week was a horrible week for journalism in Denver. The Rocky Mountain News closed. There were lay offs...
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About Me


Misty Montano I am a Journalist using Social Technologies and Interactive Media to connect with news consumers. I am the Digital Content Manager at 9News in Denver, CO. Previously I was an Assignment Editor at CBS4 News in Denver where I won my first Regional Emmy for my work and spent the first 10 years of my career. I truly grew up On the News Desk.