SreeTips

It's time once again for #Kristofize, a global salute to Nicholas Kristof (@NickKristof), the crusading New York Times columnist and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner. It's his birthday today, and all this week you can help pay tribute to him and do a little bit of what he does so well: bring attention to important causes around the world. 

All you have to do is add an "of" to your last name on any social-media site you like (on Twitter, don't change your handle, just your name; further instructions below for Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Google+).… Read more

Like the medium they honor -- social media -- the Shorty Awards are whimsical, fun, and irreverent, with a pinch of seriousness, activism, and social good thrown into the mix.

I've been a judge for the Shorty Awards for several years (with such folks as David Pogue (@Pogue), Esther Dyson (@edyson), Craig Newmark (@CraigNewmark), and Steve Wozniak (@stevewoz).

Along with the judging, I've also played the Shorty version of Joan Rivers. Earlier this month, at the ceremony in New York's Times Center, instead of asking about their clothes or nuggets of gossip, I used interviews to probe … Read more

It's appropriate that I learned on Twitter of the passing of Roger Ebert -- not only because that's the place I get most of my breaking news, but also because Ebert helped me understand the power of social media and helped me teach it to others.

Here's what I posted in December 2009 when I started following Ebert on a regular basis:

Not a reader of @ebertchicago's feed, but will be after seeing electic, hilarious 12 Gifts for Christmas: http://ow.ly/LS2L

For years, I've told people … Read more

When you write about something called "social media one-night stand, the temptation, so to speak, is to fill it with bad puns and jokes about its name. But this is a post where that's the last double entendre.

Instead, I wanted to bring you social media tips and lessons from my most recent session, which is nothing more than a fancy name for an advanced social-media workshop.

I am just wrapping up a week in the Pacific Northwest. I spent time in digital offices as different as MSN News and Big Fish Games in Seattle, and the Oregonian … Read more

There are lots of Twitter presentations on the web, but the one below is one of the best I've ever seen. It's by Steve Buttry (@stevebuttry), who has the cool title of digital transformation editor at Digital First Media (I last wrote about him in my blog when he shared very useful Facebook tips: "Figuring out what kind of content works on Facebook").

Here's how I shared his slides the first time, during my Social Media Weekend/#smwknd conference yesterday.

USEFUL: Twitter for journos (and others) - awesome, #mustread presentation by @stevebuttry - bit.ly/YpUzrw … Read more

It's awards season in the U.S., with the focus primarily on the upcoming Oscars and Sunday night's Grammys.

Last year, I wrote about how the Oscars missed an opportunity to use hashtags the right way on TV, and I look forward to seeing if the organizers learned anything from this year's Grammys. (Note: CNET parent company CBS owns the broadcasting rights to the Grammys, but I am writing this unprompted and on my own).

Here are six things the Grammys did right on social this year -- plus one they didn't -- and what folks … Read more

Last time I discussed Pinterest in-depth was in March 2012, when I wrote "Six things I learned from six days on Pinterest."

I've since joked that I should have added, "...as the only man on Pinterest," considering how much of the platform is dominated by women.

It turns out there are men having success with the platform, and one of them shared his tips with me.

Robert Anthony is a veteran tech journalist and former PC Magazine writer who now contributes to the New York Daily News, PC World, Black Enterprise, and other publications and … Read more

I am writing this post sitting in New Delhi, India, as I wind up a trip that included several social-media talks to mark the centennial of Columbia Journalism School.

Thanks to apps like Apple's FaceTime and the free texting-and-calling service Viber, I was able to connect in better ways with my wife and kids than on any international trip I've ever been on.

But I also was deeply disappointed by one aspect of technology on this trip. And it was the fact that some services that I use regularly in the U.S. don't work overseas.

Here'… Read more

As the father of 9-year-old twins, I often find myself telling them about tech products and innovations that I didn't have growing up. All parents do it: trying to get their kids to understand how much tougher life was in the old days.

In my case, the old days were in the 1980s -- not that long ago. But the range of change in our lives continues to impress me and make my children roll their eyes.

Yesterday, I posted a photo on Instagram (see above and on my Sreenet account), saying the NYC subway's next-train arrival guides … Read more