Please!

My 2026 prediction was inspired by something I heard from the very first keynote at the @newsproduct.org Summit. I discuss how product teams will lead the way to unlocking the value of AI for media organizations in three areas: agents, archives and vibe coding.

Impressed by the digital products the grad students in my Digital Issues course created this semester. It is not a skills course, but I wanted them to get the feel for being a product manager, while further exploring a digital media issue.

I loved using Washington Post’s TikTok in class as a great example of social media innovation. Will miss @davejorgenson.bsky.social there, but I know he will have great success in this new endeavor.

Shocked and disappointed by this news of Hugh Forrest (and other leadership) being laid off by SXSW. Hugh was the heart of the event, making it a premier and unparalleled technology experience. He has been a good friend to our program. End of an era, for sure. www.austinchronicle.com/daily/sxsw/2...

I provide a review summary of a recent, enlightening article in @digitaljournalism.bsky.social, Digital Turn Without Digital Methods? Mapping the Journey of Journalism Studies. Interesting insight into the evolution of digital topics in journalism and media journals. sjmc.txst.edu/innovative-i...

“Skills are the new data, but the shelf life for skills is collapsing.” Need to use Al to augment skill acquisition. Will transform education. “Goes from I am what I know, to I am how I adapt” - Ian Beacraft #sxsw #sxsw2025

I am all for the re-weirding of the digital, @rushkoff.com. Hearing a lot of calls to return to roots of #sxsw #sxsw2025 schedule.sxsw.com/2025/events/...

Legendary TV and Film director Paul Feig! He’s been a part of so many of my favorite shows/movies #sxsw #sxsw2025

Mozi is a new, private social network. Founders are Evan Williams (Blogger, Twitter, Medium) and Molly DeWolf Swenson. Interesting look at the timeline/history of web posting and social, moderated by @baratunde.com #sxsw #sxsw2025

Reclaim, Reframe, Reimagine: AI Design for Human Agency. “These disruptive, move-fast-and-break-things tech companies don’t like it when someone disrupts them” - Cory Doctorow of EFF this chat with Google’s Rida Qadri #sxsw #sxsw2025

Glad I decided to watch Anora last night. #oscars2025

#SNL50 An impressionable teen when SNL started, I adored Gilda, fell in love w Bill Murray, still laugh at oddball sketches from Martin Short, Norm Macdonald, Mike Myers, Tracy Morgan, Bill Hader, Cecily Strong. Tina Fey is my life coach. Hard to imagine who I’d be without this cultural touchstone.

Watching this 50 Years of SNL Music special is like watching my life flash before my eyes. I can remember where I was and how I felt the first time I saw all these performances. Thank you @questlove.bsky.social for this truly amazing record of music history.

Product. “CNN plans to hire at least 100 new jobs in the coming months to build out a broader digital presence, investing in product and tech as well as ‘new high-quality journalism and storytelling.’” www.cnbc.com/amp/2025/01/...

Circa 1976. Been waiting a long, long time. But today’s pronouncement is unlikely to be more than symbolic. www.npr.org/2025/01/17/n...

Go ahead. Fight me. www.wired.com/story/html-i...

"The future of news is moving beyond the written word. With AI at its core, it’s conversational, spoken, interactive, responsive, and deeply personal — the very essence of meaningful human communication," predicts @nikitaroy.bsky.social

"While many lament the possibilities for AI to replace both journalists and educators, I feel that there are approaches to AI that can achieve improved outcomes for both teachers and learners," @cindyroyal.bsky.social writes.

In which I predict that journalism education will experience a new era of innovation due to the continued adoption of and experimentation with artificial intelligence applications. What do you think? www.niemanlab.org/2024/12/ai-i...

Thrilled to see this published. It is a case study of using AI in my Mobile App Development class, Prompting, Patience, and Perspective: Applying Transformational Teaching Theory to Using AI in a Coding Course. journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

Remembering ten years ago in Sydney at Bondi Beach when Thanksgiving was fish n chips and beer overlooking the Pacific Ocean. It seems like a dream. I hope I can go back someday. 🇦🇺

In a week, I’ve gone from a handful of @bsky.app followers to almost 1000, due to some lovely starter packs and great old friends getting settled in here. All seemingly real people and legit accounts, no bots or spam. Happy days. Let’s enjoy it while we can 😀

Been watching old SNLs on TBD on YouTubeTV. A 1991 sketch was about Clarence Thomas hearings. Kevin Nealon was Biden. Phil Hartman was Ted Kennedy. Dana Carvey was Strom Thurmond. Even Al Franken was “playing” a senator then. Sad how little has changed in DC, topics/senators/cast/family members🙁 1/3

I spent all day learning Capacitor to port a simple Vue app into both iOS and Android. Lots of issues with versions, pods, paths. But got both to work! I was not defeated! Not sure I’ll be able to recreate easily on lab computers. Anyone using Vue like another mobile option better?

Tonight in my DMI Capstone, our guests were DMI grads Anne Cox and Nina Gloria of SXSW. They both have accumulated loads of experience in the few years since they graduated. Great to hear them enthusiastically discuss their roles at SXSW and what it is like to work for such a large-scale event.

Happy to see people moving here. Hello to old and new friends!

Another AI exercise. I had students in my DMI Capstone course do an exercise in which they created a Lean Canvas for the idea they are researching. After they turned in their own canvases, I showed them GoZigZag.com, a site that uses AI to generate a lean canvas, based on a simple prompt. 1/3

Students in my graduate Digital Issues class each have a website in which they do weekly posts about the topics and readings, things like Digital Media Theory, Cyberculture, Social Media, Product Management, Online Journalism, AI, etc.

Welcome to all the new folks incoming. I hope this means people are cutting The Bad Place loose. I've got a starter pack for folks either in journalism/mass comm academia or who are adjacent to it. Some great folks here, and if you'd like to be included please @ me!

@jeremylittau.bsky.social Good seeing you in Philly this summer. Thanks for setting up the Academic list. Can you add me?

Always happy to be included in the annual predictions for @niemanlab.org. Guess what I talk about? Is anyone thinking about anything other than AI these days? www.niemanlab.org/2023/12/ai-c...

I beg you to watch American Symphony on Netflix. Jon Batiste exemplifies exceptionalism in every way, performing at the highest level through challenges of success, personal struggle and adversity. Life has thrown a lot at him and Suleika. They are together an inspiration❤️

It was a pleasure to work with @allkost.bsky.social on “Institutional Arbitrageurs: The Role of Product Managers as a Locus of Change in Journalism.” It appears open-access on Media & Communication, will be part of thematic issue on media innovation and change www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcomm...

If you need some joy, wrapped in nostalgia and topped with smooth vibes, I highly recommend checking out Yacht Rock Review on their PBS special. Here is a preview, but check local listings and get ready to sail! youtu.be/tH3ODpd0IxQ?...

@NBCNews: In a new push, landmark net neutrality rules rescinded under former President Trump could return, reclassifying broadband access as an essential service on par with other utilities like water or power. https://t.co/T0m3gtEsCo

I review the practical implications of a new article in Digital Journalism by Haiyan Jia and Shyam Sundar, Vivid and Engaging: Effects of Interactive Data Visualization on Perceptions and Attitudes about Social Issues. The tl;dr - interactives are good! www.masscomm.txst.edu/media-innova...

So, we’re here now?