Whether it’s the historic 2008 presidential election, the Miracle on the Hudson captured by Janis Krum,  or any other major event – social media has been there. While you won’t see immediate reporting by media companies like CNN, FOX News or MSNBC because they’ll need to vet their stories and get all the information first (which is a good practice to have), social media has enabled some trinkets of information to leak out and let the public know what’s going on.

But, what is the fine line between being discerned as a citizen journalist and being considered, well…papparazi’ish?

Let’s look at a recent tragic example and see if a line can be distinguished between the two:

On Saturday, former UK Guardian reporter and now regular columnist for TechCrunch, Paul Carr, wrote an interesting piece about how, in my mind, citizen journalism went horribly awry on a variety of levels. The event that centered around this was the tragic attack on Fort Hood this past week that left 12 dead and dozens more wounded. Carr writes:

…the first news and analysis out of the base didn’t come from the experts. Nor did it come from the 24-hour news media, or even from dedicated military blogs – but rather from the Twitter account of one Tearah Moore, a soldier from Linden, Michigan who is based at Fort Hood, having recently returned from Iraq.

By this time, the base had been placed on lockdown and authorities were swarming the base looking for at least one shooter. The general public had no idea what was going on until apparently someone – Tearah Moore – decided to take out her cell phone and start tweeting. At this point, I’m thinking that her tweeting and giving information from what she is observing could still be considered citizen journalism: she’s reporting on what she’s seeing and giving factual information…or so you think.

Unsurprisingly, Moore’s – coverage was quickly picked up by bloggers and mainstream media outlets alike, something that she actively encouraged by tweeting to friends that they should pass her phone number to the press so she could tell them the truth, rather than the speculative bullshit that was hitting the wires.

And then it all hits the fan. Carr writes in his TechCrunch article that it all turned out to be “bullshit”. The facts that Moore tweeted out turned out to be completely false and subsequent tweets made it seem way more unethical and less innocent – truly unbecoming of an eyewitness than a color commentator on the scene. How do you figure? Here are a few of the tweets that we can examine:

Just by looking at this series of tweets by Moore pulled from Twitter Search, you can see how this described “soldier girl” is offering more bias than that of a journalist. Out of the seven listed tweets during the tragic attack, perhaps only one would be considered to be newsworthy & journalistic. What perhaps proved why this wasn’t citizen journalism was the fact that (1) according to Carr, she “actively encouraged” in tweets to friends that they should “pass her phone number to the press so she could tell them the truth” and (2) violated ethical guidelines and privacy by posting photos of people in hospitals – mainly HIPAA laws – and human decency.

I believe that if you’re truly interested in being a citizen journalist, then look at the “success” of those relaying information at events during the Mumbai terrorist attacks and even during the Iranian elections. In those instances, these citizen journalists were not seeking out fame and notoriety. Rather, they were posting information about hotels being set ablaze, Revolutionary Guards arresting protesters, etc. and were giving accurate information. Granted, not all citizen journalists are citizen journalists. Not everyone who tweets, posts video or photos about an event or story are journalists…they may have an opinion. Social media has allowed us to tell stories, but in order to consider yourself a journalist, you must also adhere to those standards – even if you’re a blogger or simply a twitterer. Basic decency, ethics and morals would be great starting points to discover who really understands what it takes to tell the world what’s going on & proving you’re the real eyes on the ground.

As Carr wrote in his TechCrunch post: for all the sound and fury, citizen journalism once again did nothing but spread misinformation at a time when thousands [of] people with family at the base would have been freaking out already, and breach the privacy of those who had been killed or wounded. We learned not a single new fact, nor was a single life saved.

Don’t mistake the fact that because you’re trying to be the first to have that killer photo, exclusive video, first interview or twitter that great sound byte, that you’re also a journalist. Think and understand what you’re writing. Just like in all forms of communication – show us the value, not the money you want to make because of your glamor shots & misinformation.

Editors Note: Photo above taken from @missTearah’s Twitpic account blurred to ensure privacy for all. To see the original photo, please click here.

Internet- (”cloud-”) based development and use of computer technology (”computing”). The term cloud is used as a metaphor for the Internet, based on how the Internet is depicted in computer network diagrams and is an abstraction of the underlying infrastructure it conceals.[5] Typical cloud computing services provide common business applications online that are accessed from a web browser, while the software and data are stored on the servers.

Deep down this all makes sense. Could Microsoft and Apple be in trouble with this new form of software development? Has the web taken over all aspects that it is forcing us to rely on the web as our means of computing? Apparently so. Just look at what Google is doing now. With their announcement a while back about introducing Google Chrome OS, the search engine giant has infiltrated into most areas of our computing lives and it’s all available through downloads, not via CDs. From Google Docs to Reader, practically everything is given to us from the cloud. Now that’s not to say that it should be monopolized by Google or any one company alone. But, what this does indicate is that all aspects of software as we’re known is traditionally no longer is applicable.

It’s becoming inferior.

Yes, that’s right. I said inferior.

Why? It’s because of the power of the cloud. Something that Tim O’Reilly said during his keynote helped prove this point. When you’re using your phone or a laptop and need additional software to do some work, then the Internet shall provide for you. The phrase “There’s an app for that” holds real meaning here. If you’re interested in doing business on the road, you’re no longer going to need to travel with a laptop loaded with tons of software that will require you to share data with others simply via email or through a jump drive. Data is stored on the cloud and becomes truly portable.

For marketers, what could this mean? Perhaps that as you’re taking your message to the entire community and to your consumers, you might want to leverage the cloud? Don’t make people have to use a CD to access your software, but instead make sure that whatever software that is needed is readily available through any portable device. Whether that’s a netbook, laptop or mobile phone, there’s going to be a great need for people.

Interestingly, after looking at O’Reilly’s slides from the keynote once again, it seems that the movement has already begun. With Amazon web services, Windows Azure platform and even Google apps, users are instantly getting the information that they want. The point here is that instead of accessing the information from stationary computers like we are currently, we’re allowed data accessibility from any location using any device. The Internet Operating System has freed us from any obstacle or confinement to which we have been accustomed to. By putting your data in the cloud, you’re going to free people to use your product from any location using any of the latest forms of technology.

Perhaps PayPal has done something remarkable by opening up their system for developers to take advantage and integrate the services to their applications. Is the Internet Operating System that O’Reilly is talking about focused on integration amongst various web services as well? I’d like to think so. The Internet is one giant operating system…and why wouldn’t it? Seeing that I’m a Windows user, let’s take a look and see whether all the applications & functionality you have in Windows is available online:

• Windows has Microsoft Office. The Internet offers you Google Docs which is housed in the cloud and allows you to create spreadsheets, presentations and documents to easily share with whomever you wish.
• Windows has Microsoft Outlook. The Internet has email platforms like Gmail that will allow you to not only receive email, but also monitor tasks and has Google Calendar attached to let you keep track of your schedule.
• Games can be played in Windows. But look online and you’ll be able to find plenty of things to entertain you.
• There’s software in Windows that will allow you to touch up your photos and tweak graphics. The same is available to you via the Internet as well.

The idea here is that not everything has to be operated in a silo. Could it be that the world is now operating in the Internet and not on the computer? Is the only thing you’re really going to need at work is an Internet browser? Isn’t that what your phone is right now? A smartphone (and the iPhone) are already patched into the Internet operating system…so you just need to synch that in with whatever device you may have wherever you go. Or, just take the mobile device wherever you are and hook it up to a monitor and that’ll be your computer on the go.

Would love to hear your thoughts on the Internet Operating System. Are we at that point now or are we still a while away? You can view O’Reilly’s keynote presentation from the PayPal X conference here.

Public Relations and marketing have always been a part of the communication structure. They’re “brothers” in trade, so to speak, and what I’ve discovered while being focused on social media is that you’re going to be able to do both marketing AND public relations.

Take a recent case where I’m helping to choose some influencers to reach out to in order to garner some feedback. As I’m looking through my Twitter stream to find these people and perhaps looking at other magazines or publications to reach out to, I’m reminded that I’m now doing public relations and that I’ve got to be strategic about my communication. And this is all possible by constantly being exposed to the tips and insights from books like Putting the Public Back in Public Relations by Brian Solis, Personality Not Included by Rohit Bhargava, Now Is Gone by Geoff Livingston and Trust Agent by Chris Brogan & Julian Smith.

So what are some good points to keep in mind as you’re reaching out to influencers or bloggers that will help strengthen your return?

Remember what you’re marketing. Don’t forget that you’re trying to sell something. Learn what it is first before you try and figure out who you want to market it to. If you can’t understand what your product does, how will you explain it to bloggers and the media during pitch time?

Ask yourself if these contacts really care about your product. Another way to put this would be to make sure that you’re reaching the right contacts. As I was trying to look at people who might be interested in an unnamed gadget, I thought about reaching out to folks at TechCrunch like MG Seigler and Michael Arrington. This probably would be a bad move because TechCrunch doesn’t necessarily cover product reviews/demos. Instead I recalled that there was a CrunchGear website and sought out the right editor to potentially liaise with, which will get me the results I potentially desire.

Read what bloggers are writing. This is one of the most important things. Sure, you can try and get folks like Pete Cashmore, Guy Kawasaki, Veronica Belmont, or Loren Feldman to read your pitch, but wouldn’t it be more prudent to see if they actually wrote anything related to your product to see if it’s anything interesting for them? Take a minute to look through some of their work and while you might want the editor of a publication to pay attention, it may have more weight to have the associate editor or reporter writing about it – because it’s their area of expertise and it’ll lend to more credibility.

Don’t discount people just because they don’t have as many Twitter followers or a high amount of web traffic. This may seem to be the opposite of what you should do, but if you suspect someone to be an influencer in your industry you’re trying to reach, don’t discount them just because they may only have 1,000 followers on Twitter or perhaps a few thousand unique visits per month. They may be more willing to provide feedback and evangelize your product in real life than online. Sure they can write a post and may very well reference that over time, but there are other offline ways to be influential as well. Don’t discount it.

Take advantage of Twitter lists to keep track of influencers. One thing that I’ve noticed is that often times I’m looking for people who may be tech influencers or are community managers on Twitter and can never remember. To remedy this, I used to have to click and view their profiles and read their biography. Not anymore. With the invention of Twitter lists, I’m able to immediately go to those who fit the profile that I want to reach out to and check to see what they’re saying. From there, I can filter additionally and get the people who I suspect may be interested in my product.

These are just five tips that I’ve encountered over my brief foray into blogger outreach, but I suspect that there’s some weight in these thoughts. What are your suggestions to getting the right people to pay attention to your message?

So I played around with Twitter lists and got them set up and explored it a little bit. It has some value to it. And then it struck me: Twitter lists can definitely help in getting things organized.

No, I’m not talking about organizing your lists. Rather, if you’re trying to reach out to influencers, what better way for you to keep track of who you might lump into this category by adding him or her to that list. You can either publicize it or keep it private, but you’ll be able to monitor what they tweet about – almost like it’s a separate Twitter timeline. Moreover, if you’re working in an agency or as a service provider, you might want to keep a tab of people such as those who may have iPhones or perhaps are part of the media or startup founders – it’s almost like Twitter’s letting you “tag” select people that you can monitor without seeing the noise of all your other Twitter folks.

Twitter lists can have a lot of power in getting yourself access to information. I’m starting to use Twitter lists more as a means to segment people who I’d like to reach out to if I need any help with anything. For example, I’ve created a photographer list to show me the folks who I follow or know are photographers – that way if I have any questions about camera equipment or how to shoot a specific subject, I can reach out to one of them. The same can go for if I want to find out who in my group I consider to be technology influencers – that way I can easily recall names without having to individually recall names for people.

Interestingly enough, there are some people who think Twitter lists are nothing but a popularity feature on Twitter. I’m not saying their wrong, nor am I saying they’re right…but they raise some good points – possibly about the ego and narcissism of social media? Take this excerpt from marketing thought-leader and my friend, Chris Brogan:

I just took a look into creating my first ever Twitter list. I’m listed on over 1500 at this writing, so I figured I’d give it a go. Immediately, I realized what I’m not going to like about them: they will exclude people…In talking with friends about it on Twitter, people immediately started DM-ing me, telling me that they felt left out or even LESS important because they weren’t on any lists.

So Brogan’s point here is that Twitter lists create a class system in social media that pretty much erases any thought about that all people are equal in the realm of the Internet.  I think he has a point…it does. But this is not about exclusion. It’s about the fact that you shouldn’t be all about the status when it comes to social media. Do something amazing and people will recognize you for it. Not everyone in the world can be put on lists. If you were put on a list, what are the odds that you’d appreciate the list that you’re on? There’s a list for the “cool people” and there’s a list of the “common people” that a majority of the world will be on. Or, would you rather be in the “poor people” list? You’re on a list…so it’s not exclusionary. Forcing your way onto a list called “social media thought leaders” or something to which you may or may not be, isn’t the smart way to do things.

I think technology & Rackspace hosting evangelist, Robert Scoble, puts it best in:

I can’t STAND this attitude that everyone should be included in everything.

I should NOT be on a list of golfing greats. Heck, I’ve never even played the game, but let’s say I played. Are you KIDDING ME by saying I should be mentioned in the same breath as Tiger Woods?

I’m not on my Venture Capitalists list either. Should I be included in that list? NOOOOO! First, I don’t have the money. Second of all, I don’t invest in companies. I SHOULD BE EXCLUDED from such a list and being excluded from such a list does NOT make me feel bad.

Oh, I didn’t make my Web Innovators list either. Come, now, is writing about the web innovative? No. I don’t deserve to be on that list. Damn it.

Sorry Chris, but life isn’t fair. Steve Gillmor tells me all the time I’m not in control of how people view me. That’s why I don’t feel bad about lists I’m not on.

Marketers should realize that while getting on a list created by an influencer or perhaps by the majority of Twitter users can be a big boost, but what you also have to realize it that this strategy may backfire. Please don’t engage in Twitter outreach to get your brand, company or client on people’s lists. Instead, focus on using social media to conversate with your audience and if people think you’re doing a great job, then you’ll eventually start making lists and your “popularity” in social media will start to take off. It takes time.

Scoble makes a great point in that life isn’t fair. Do you complain that your list doesn’t make the Business Journal’s book of lists or perhaps if your book doesn’t make the New York Times Bestseller’s list? I’m angry that my blog hasn’t made the AdAge Power 150, but then again, I don’t really care because there are a lot of thought leaders and until I truly “make my bones” and do something truly outstanding and get more readers here to my blog, I won’t be there. Things don’t happen overnight and I appreciate the readers that I have now and am in a good spot.

Brogan also makes a great point: it’s all exclusionary. You can’t be friends with everyone – nor should you be. We all need to be exclusionary when it comes to who we converse with in social media. Otherwise there’s going to be a lot of noise that we’re never going to overcome. Oh, and I’m extremely grateful that I’m considered a rockstar by Brogan, to which I have a banner on this blog. But if I weren’t on that list, I don’t think I’d be that upset…

Instead of paying attention to your status online – number of followers, what lists you’re on, how many subscribers you have, number of diggs, etc – focus on your brand, messaging, conversations and relationships with your customers. That should be the most important thing for you to judge your status on.

I’ve been fortunate enough thus far to have networked with a lot of people. Whether that’s through attending numerous conferences, events, meetups, tweetups or through social media, I’ve amassed a pretty good network of friends and acquaintances.

To be honest, I think that was the point of me doing all this networking. When I was beginning the process of looking for a job once again, I felt the most prudent use of my time was to start going to conferences and events to network with people and become known. Sure, people knew me on Twitter and other social networks, but what harm was there to go out and do it again but this time in real life? None…so I bought a ticket and headed to Austin, Texas for my first tech conference at South by Southwest. From there, I built up a rapport with some people who I consider my dear friends and it’s only snowballed from there – all in a good way!

Enter today…this has all come to a climactic conclusion with me proudly announcing that starting today, I’m the new (social media) strategist with a GREAT marketing and media relations company known as Stage Two Consulting!

What is Stage Two Consulting? To me, I believe it’s a firm that truly believes in helping companies get from an idea to profit/sales. They’re concerned with helping their clients focus on how to truly improve their product and get it out there to the right people and have successfully done this over their short lifetime. They believe in relationships and fostering the people connection – something that I love to do…so it must be a right fit, right?? YES!

But here’s the best part…Stage Two, lead by some incredible people including Jeremy Toeman, has decided that they want me to continue with my outgoing activities! So I’m still going to be continuing to do everything that I’ve been doing before and still have a great job helping clients figure out how to enhance their online presence! My heartfelt gratitude goes out to the great folks at Stage Two Consulting for believing in me and trusting that I’ll do the company proud – that faith is really inspiring…

So what will happen to all my other bloggings here at TheLetterTwo.com or perhaps on one of my other blogs, including Network Solutions and Bub.blicio.us? That won’t change. I’m looking forward to continuing to write for them and to promote what I see and experience in the Internet and tech scenes here in the San Francisco Bay Area. Oh, and my photography won’t diminish either. I’ll be continuing to do that for sure!

Extended thanks go out to all of you for your support during this time. You have my deepest gratitude, admiration and respect.

Now off to the races!