Sporty storyteller, Skype, Holograms next?

Mike Sherman's twitter page

@okieprof
Ask Mike Sherman a question about twitter and @MikeSherman answers by telling stories, stories about people and sports.
Mike, a graduate of our UCO journalism program in the 1980s is now sports editor of the Tampa Bay Times, after holding the same position at our student newspaper, The Vista, and The Oklahoman.
He's an earlier adopter of twitter and considers it essential to covering sports, or anything else for that matter, for a newspaper.

Class member Ryan Dunn's pix and tweet and question.
I bet it won't be 10 years.

He's also an earlier adopter of the twitter for media class when it was first offered in December, 2014...12 versions ago.
Technology met technology as we "Skyped" him in for the second time. He in his newsroom, while watching people in flip flops and shorts outside in Florida, while we shivered with freezing temperatures outside.
The stories he tells are punctuated with specific dates and people of games that long ago, so as a journalist he's a model of how to use twitter professionally.
After the session, we debriefed, and her are some student comments, including a few from four years ago, dutifully recorded by @MadisonSturgill.

• He’s hired people he found on twitter, checking their work
• A storyteller, one for every point
• Talked about “Mr. Unreliable”
• Worked for The Oklahoman for almost 30 years
• He’s not going to hire someone without a twitter presence
• Twitter isn’t the only place to use but it’s a heck of a start
• Can’t live without twitter
• All news is “breaking” these days
• Views himself as a friend of the readers
• Our classes have changed the curriculum at UCO
• Even though everyone wants to get paid it’s a compliment when someone is interested in your work
• Goes to different writers to increase his traffic
• How you conduct yourself on twitter shows how you are as a person
• Try not to use absolutes on twitter
• He uses twitter as a phonebook (found a vet for his old yellow lab)
• Finding out what’s important. That’s how you use twitter
• Watches the game while using twitter at work
• Cautioned us about the negative side of twitter and to be careful
• Be an early adopter. It opens up new ideas
• Twitter can be “all bad and a bag of chips” but it can also be good
•  You have to distribute your own content
• You're your own paperboy
• Liked the “What’s the Headline” and the use of reader involvement
• Staying connected and getting connected is important
• Conversation is the most important technological medium
• Twitter is one of the greatest listening devices of all time and one of the greatest search engines
• After "Mr. Unreliable," he went on twitter and asked the public what ideas were for headlines, admitting they were wrong to lighten the mood about the situation
• The paper is a way of answering questions for the people that can’t ask them themselves

My students' role model

Jill Castilla and her UCO fan club

@Okieprof 
 There's not much you can write about Jill Castilla, @JillCastilla,  CEO of Edmond's Citizens Bank that hasn't already been written. 

I'm thankful she takes time from her busy schedule to speak to my unique in Oklahoma twitter for media students at the UCO Mass Comm Department, time and again. 
 She is such a role model in many ways, not just in the use of social media, but in a time of much negativity, of positive living and influence and character. 
Jill and our other guests have made this class into something I never imagined...it's not really about twitter and social media...it's about life. Thank you, Jill. 

She shares how she's overcome numerous obstacles throughout life and business to become a national figure of leadership in success in business, and in life. Google her and you'll find the articles and awards. 
 For me and my students, she brings inspiration and advice illustrated with a contagious smile, personal stories about herself and the bank, and a vibrant, dynamic personality.After she left, we debrief, and my students' reactions show how important she is to them, dutifully recorded by @MadisonSturgill 

• I want Jill Castilla and Scott Williams as my mentors. 
• Be an early adopter.
•  GAP--Stay genuine accurate and positive, quoting @ScottWilliams as a mentor. 
• The great thing about social media is you have everyone at your fingertips. 
• You can find anything you want through social media. 
•  It's not about the numbers, it's about the engagements. 
• She took 33 hours in one semester! I'll not complain about my 12 hours ever again. 
• I was inspired that no matter how many obstacles came her way she embraced them and moved forward, not letting those things stop her. I relate to that personally because I have had some obstacles throughout my life and I have managed to get through some of them and am still working on others. 
• I think she has an amazing way of speaking and changing things for the better.
•  How Jill used Twitter to create a better bond with people. She saw Twitter as a place where people would be able to see her as a different version of herself. A mother, a wife, etc. not just Jill from Citizens Bank(the scary lady). 
• She was able to network with others through this and in a way also helped Citizens Bank improve.
•  Never deviate from who you are.
•   Take trips and opportunities while you’re still young. It only gets harder the older you get.
• When you change something, you will always have haters. 
• GAP...Stay genuine, accurate and positive.
•  Surround yourself with people who can elevate you to another level. 
• Also I didn’t know the best way to estimate how many portapottys to put out there was to count the trash lmao. 
•  One thing that resonated with me and gave me insight was when she began to talk about McGiver, “He has so little resources that’s why he’s so creative.” WOW! something we should all follow. 
•  Always be able to adjust to your circumstances.
•  Started Heard on Hurd, turned Citizens Bank around..

Light from darkness

Light from Darkness, today's #watercolor, 5 x 7

"Light from darkness."

This is for those who fought against tyranny and hatred and lies in this week's election, and who won, and especially those who lost--but you did not fail.

You bring light into the world when it is needed most. Thank you for your courage and hope and integrity, against all odds. Light always defeats darkness.

From Rumi-

• "In a night full of pain and darkness, be a candle spreading light until dawn."
• "Life's waters flow from darkness, Search the darkness, don't run from it."
• "The wound is the place where light enters you."

Living lessons in staying up to date in rapid change

From twitter for media class, #clarkclass, at UCO Mass Comm Dept.

Ok, funny photo of #clarkclass, suggested by Dr. Desiree Hill. Humor helps you stay up to date

by @okieprof
How to you stay up to date?
It takes work, curiosity, and associating with those colleagues who set the example.
In rapidly changing times, one of the easiest pitfalls for professionals who become professors is to be stuck in the past, or not adapt to the present and future, even though we urge our students to be able to adapt, to always learn. Do do that negates our valuable experience.
That's one of the joys for me in teaching the twitter for media class, in bringing in colleagues and professionals who are living sermons in living change, from many different fields.

"...this class isn't about twitter, it's about the future and life."

And for me, an old newspaper guy, one person who sets that example for our students is our broadcast professor Dr. Desiree Hill @dezhill.
It's apparent to me from these guests, and my students, that the class is not about twitter...its about the future and life. 
Dr. Hill's quote sums it up for me, "Twitter isn't what it will be."

Dr. Hill brings a wealth of information to our students, with research, with effective teaching methods, with questions, with hands on passion to involve our students in journalism, and life.

So here are student comments from our debriefing, after she left, dutifully recorded by my student@MadisonSturgill.

• Social Media is like a relationship (dating, learning, breakup?)
• For journalists, tweet about everything at least 20 times a day
• Follow opinion leaders, they will often follow you back
• Figure out what that specific social media platform needs from you
• Always protect your credibility
• Hashtags on twitter – see what others are talking about
• Journalists are always in the spotlight when it comes to social media
• Humor is subjective
• The rules of good writing apply to Twitter
• Don’t write anything you wouldn’t say in public
• Journalism is like trying to catch a greased pig
• You are representing yourself and your employer at all times when using social media
• Twitter opens a chance for people to get to know each other
• What is our generation going to look like in 20 years?
• Twitter isn’t what it will be
• You can still be a college student and use proper grammar
• Twitter is a place where you can be a reporter, even if you aren’t one yet
• YouTube keeps going and growing

And, yes, there is a serious side to the class.

OKC communication pro-from dead raccoons and beyond

@zachnash with #clarkclass, twitter for media, at UCO Mass Comm this week with @okieprof

Former student and friend Zach Nash @zachnash brought stories, details and humor on Oklahoma City's extensive communication efforts to #clarkclass this week.

A former editor of The Vista, student newspaper for UCO, under the auspices of the Journalism/Mass Comm Department, he traced his background from embarrassing headlines to newspaper work before becoming   communications and marketing manager for the city.

The city has about 71 different social media accounts in various departments, thousands of potholes, and Nash believes social media has helped the city stay in touch with its citizens. But analytics show that most city customers get their information from the monthly water bill newsletter.

(Hint, if you're in an organization and want a comprehensive look at the city's communication efforts, contact Nash.)

You can tell he's still a journalist, inserting comments about government transparency, the first amendment, and serving citizens.

He started his presentation about a viral social media event in Toronto about a dead raccoon that the city took a long time to pick up.

After he left, we debriefed as usual. Here are some of each student's comments, dutifully recorded by @madisonsturgill

• Have thick skin and be able to take criticism
• Don’t let people use your photos without paying
• Don’t forget your first amendment rights
• Local government touches so many people’s lives
• Put a face to bureaucracy
• Be consistent with the voice of what you’re portraying
• make sure you put your initials after you reply to people
• Kill them with kindness
• Water newsletter was important
• High percentage of crime tips come from social media
• Respond to negative feedback / don’t delete it
• Dead raccoon – one post can take off
• Be aware of what you put online
• Think about who we're impacting through the decisions we make over the next 20 years
• Monitor your posts after you post them
• We turn to social media when regular customer service fails
• Plan in advance
• "Pubic" doesn’t auto correct to "public"-spell check
• Sometimes people just want their voices to be heard
• Show your followers you’re accessible
• He would rather talk to someone who is angry with him than talk to someone who is happy with him

Zach at my retirement last year with the Steve Hill @sportstoons caricature he arranged