Wednesday, July 30, 2008

July Lunch Recap: Podcasting and Vodcasting at the NIH

First of all, if you didn't come, boy did you miss out. Not only was the talk good -- and more on that later -- but the NIH meeting rooms are pretty swanky. Comfy chairs. A mic at every seat. Four flat panel TVs spaced throughout the room so you can see the presentation no matter where you sit... Seriously, it was our most upscale (and official) location yet.

But, of course, what people really care about is the talk. Joe Balintfy, our esteemed CCG VP and a public affairs officer at NIH, was great. His talk was concise and informative. We learned about what NIH is doing in terms of audio reports, podcasts, and vodcasts. We heard samples of his work. And he provided some of his "lessons learned."

Some tips:
  • Be consistent. If you're going to start distributing podcasts and vodcasts, set a schedule and stick to it.
  • Be realistic. Realize how much of a time commitment this form of social media takes and don't tackle it unless you can make the commitment.
  • Be smart. Vodcasts and podcasts don't have to tackle new material. Use can use these outlets to repurpose content you've written for other media.
  • Set goals. One of the more interesting conversations revolved around setting standards for success. NIH is still doing this. Right now, they're measuring success in terms of growth of viewers and listeners, but Joe will be evaluating success metrics in the coming weeks.
Want more details about NIH's activities? We're happy to share. Just email us and we'll send you Joe's PowerPoint presentation.

For those who attended, what did you learn? What information did you find particularly useful? Let us know!

-- Robin

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

NON-CCG Event on Social Media

Let me just make one thing clear: The event I'm about to write about is NOT a CCG lunch.

However, the keynote speaker is a CCG member, and the topic is relevant, so I wanted to give everyone a head's up.

On Thursday, August 14, Denise Graveline, president of Don't Get Caught Communications, will be presenting for the DC chapter of IABC on "The (Social) Medium is the Message." Denise is going to talk at how social media is shaping communications today. Read the full description of the presentation at her blog.

Personally, I'd go myself, but I'm going to be out of town. If any of you do go, I'd love to hear how it went and what Denise had to say.

-- Robin

Monday, July 14, 2008

Read More About the June Lunch...

... at the Capital Buzz blog. One of our members gave us some much-appreciated attention over there.

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

July Lunch: Podcasting and Vodcasting at NIH

Topic: Podcasting and Vodcasting at the National Institutes of Health
When: Wednesday, July 30, 2008 from noon - 1:30 p.m.

Speaker: Joe Balintfy, Public Affairs Specialist, Office of Communications and Public Liaison, Office of the Director. He is currently responsible for NIH Radio News Service content, a bi-weekly audio podcast and a monthly video podcast, I on NIH.

More details forthcoming.

RSVP required: CapitalCommunicator (at) gmail (dot) com