Special Note: AMI began almost a decade ago as a film studies program. Many students still visit looking mainly for film resources. If that’s you, please see the box in the lower right corner. There you can either log in to the AMI online campus or just click “Log In As Guest” to view our old ..err, “classic” film studies materials. Thanks.
And now, on with the shew:
About AMI
It’s the Age of Now Media.
Everybody has a voice.
And everything is happening NOW.
Instant updates. Citizen journalism. Information overload.
Greatest. Opportunity. Ever.
We like to help people participate in the Now Media. We especially like to help people get started and make a living in the Now Media.
Can you make a living – build a great career – in the Now Media?
It’s not always easy. But it’s certainly no tougher than going to journalism school, learning a bunch of stuff that was true in the 50′s and then standing in line for a pittance of a job.
That’s how Jack Donaghy did it!
Sort of.
That’s how people did it back when big newspapers, big TV networks and big radio stations controlled the message.
Who controls the message now?
Seriously. Who?
Give it some thought. We’ll wait.
…[Insert "Jeopardy" Music]…
“What is, ‘the audience,’ Alex?”
RIGHT!
The audience now controls the message. What gets seen. What gets heard. What action gets taken. Or not.
As important as any of that: What gets shared.
The audience controls what gets shared. In turn “what gets shared” plays a huge part in what gets attention.
Think about it this way: Your friend sends you something very complimentaryabout the president and his family. You turn on the TV and some pundit is ripping the president to shreds.
Which gets your attention? Which do you believe?
Yeah, it’s probably extreme and unfair to use a polarizing figure like a(ny) president in an example.
But the theme remains true: In the Now Media, it’s all about connection and it’s all about now.
We believe there are 3 major components of the Now Media, and great ways to participate in each:
1.) Storytelling. Whether in writing, images or sounds, stories grab us by the heart. The ones we care about do. And the ones that are done well.
What’s your favorite story?
What happened this morning that would make a great story?
What’s the scariest scenario you can imagine for a suburban family?
What if the family members are all secretly aliens? Or hillbillies?
Think you can tell those stories?
In writing?
In images?
In sounds?
Check out our storytelling resources, tutorials and courses.
2.) Engagement
Sharing is a direct example of a common idea in the Now Media: “Engagement.”
In the old days, media creators didn’t care all that much about “engagement.” Other than writing letters to the editor or answering an occaional call to action, there really wasn’t any way to “engage” the newspaper, television or radio.
They talked. We listened. (Editor’s note: That should say “they talkedandtalkedandtalkedandtalkedandtalkedand zzzz…”)
Now?
Whoo hoopy, do we have engagement.
See something you like? Or don’t? Get busy!
Post about it on Facebook.
Tweet, for heaven’s sake.
Make a comment on a blog.
Send an email. Copy all your friends.
Text about it.
Send out a podcast.
REALLY mad? Make a YouTube video.
REALLYREALLYREALLY mad? Create an app!
We have an amazing variety of ways to generate and extend engagement.
Can you get an audience engaged?
Here’s a little secret: Most people can’t.
Either they’re too busy. Or they’re too famous. Or they THINK they’re too busy and too famous.
Or they just don’t like hearing anybody else’s opinion. Even when they need to. (I’m lookin’ at you Joan Rivers!)
They need people who can vibe with the conversation.
People who can write.
People who can respond.
People who can elicit.
People who can critique cat videos.
If you think you can engage an audience, check out our resources, tutorials and courses around engagement.
3.) Curation
This one is just getting started. And it’s going to be huge.
Think about what a news director does, or a newspaper publisher. Of all the incredible, amazing, moving and/or disgusting things going on in their town (or in the world), they choose what is newsworthy and pass it on to the audience.
That’s big power!
That’s curation.
Sifting through the events of the day, focusing on things they want to share with their audience, and creating stories around them.
It’s “big power” for a news director or publisher because we suppose they have a big audience.
It may be “tiny power” for somebody who only has an audience of six Twitter followers. (Get some more followers, already! It’s easy. Even Newt Gingrich had like 8 million! Oh, wait…)
But in a world of information overload, sorting, sifting and focusing on particular subjects is big business.
And it’s going to be a great, growing area for the Internet, apps and whatever comes next.
The key with curation? Sift, sort and present things people find interesting.
So you have to know what people find interesting before … well, before they do!
Tricky business. But if you think about it, it’s all about knowing your audience.
And testing.
And honing a nose for the “next big thing.”
And figuring out what people are searching for.
Think you can sift, sort and present information in ways people will love?
Check out our resources, tutorials and courses dedicated to curation.
Resources, Tutorials and Courses
Sounds like the “lions and tigers and bears” of the Now Media, no? We share insight, information and opportunity through:
- Resources. We share great ideas and information about the Now Media through posts, interviews, analysis and whatever else we encounter (sort of like curation, you might say).
- Tutorials. The Web is simply aflood with tutorials about the Now Media. Some of them are teeeerific. Others, um, not so much. We sift through the mass of YouTube, Vimeo, Slideshare and much, much more to bring you great, useful tutorial content.
Our standards for tutorials: They have to be understandable (a surprisingly high bar) and either provide foundation-level knowledge (concepts) or useful skils that you can apply right away.
- Courses. Sometimes there’s nothing like “taking a course” to really make you miss high school! Or not. Even in the disconnected, distributed and scattered Information (EVERYWHERE) Age, the course format still serves as a great way to learn certain things.
Those things: Skills and transformational ideas.
So we offer courses of our own (some free and some for fees) and also share courses made by affiliate partners (we’ll always let you know if we’re making money if you buy a course we recommend).
Our standard for courses is simple: You must either gain skills you can apply or knowledge that has the mystical power to turn your cell phone into a unicorn.
That’s a high standard!
Thanks for joining the new Ames Media Institute.
We want you! To be part of the Now Media.
ps, Don’t be a fraidycatt! Sign up for MediaMaker Daily. It’s fun. Almost every day.