Using social media, innovative technology and apps can create a strong community.
PHOTO BY BRYAN TERRY, THE OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE
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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Yvette Walker
WHAT’S TRENDING, OKC? T
his photograph is me staring at my computer screen, looking at The Oklahoman’s various media accounts: NewsOK.com, Facebook, Twitter, Oklahoman.com. It’s not an unfamilar pose for me, and when it came time to choose a theme for the annual Outlook section, social media and innovative digital technology came to mind. It’s uppermost on America’s mind. Think about it: America’s iconic television show, “The Tonight Show,” this year selected as its new host a man who is totally into social media. Jimmy Fallon is making social media lingo a common parlance in late night TV. #youknowit #Jimmyistrending #doyouknowwhatahashtagis? Don’t worry if those hashtags — pound signs (#) with words pushed together — confused you. It will all become clear as we explore how Oklahoma is doing some pretty innovative things when it comes to social media and digital technology in areas ranging from lifestyles to business to medicine to education. Oklahoma City is known for being an upand-coming city in an up-and-coming state. We’re on lists of fittest cities, best cities to start a business, and best cities for young adults. Our metro area must be plugged in. We must be cool. We must be trending ... OKC, which turns 125 years old this month, is drawing people who understand what social media is all about. LillieBeth Brinkman is one, and her column appears on this page. Brinkman, a content marketing manager for the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce, uses a word to describe social media that is my favorite definition. I won’t steal her thunder, just look to your right and you can read it yourself. Her definition also means community, and that’s certainly what Oklahoma City has a lot of. The best use of social media, apps and other communication software plugs into a community, and if it doesn’t, all the hashtags, shares and retweets in the world won’t make a difference. Fortunately, we’ve got some pretty smart people here who understand this. One works at my office. David Christopher realized that Oklahoma has some great “influencers” here. He was so passionate about this that he organized and hosted a conference last fall, the Confluence Conference. Confluence 2014 will be back at The Lyric Theatre in The Plaza District on Saturday, September 6th, 2014. Meanwhile, Outlook will help you get ready for that conference by spotlighting metro-area peo-
ple and businesses that are using social media, apps and technology in the most innovative ways:
THE DIGITAL 50, AND 25 One of the coolest features this year are our digital lists. We asked our own “influencers” — our reporters and editors — to tell us who they follow on Twitter. We developed four lists of amazing people and agencies in the areas of news, sports, business and health for you to consider. Maybe you’ll become a follower. Maybe not. It’s up to you.
WEATHER TECH Did you know that the National Weather Service in Norman is using social media platforms to have discussions with people who live in our own tornado alley?
CHARITIES The Norman United Way, thanks to an app developer, now has a way to get closer to patrons, supporters and to people who need their help. Other charities also are using new media to make it easier for people to donate.
SPORTS AND RELIGION These two seemingly dissimilar areas have something in common. They are using new technology to reach out to their fans and followers.
HEALTH AND MEDICINE When you see how hospitals, fitness centers and researchers are using technology and social media to connect, diagnose and follow trends, you’ll wonder “what will they think of next?”
FUN! And, it wouldn’t be Outlook without a little fun — old-school. Check out our Oklahomathemed crossword puzzle in the second section of The Way We Live. There is so much more, but you’ll just have to page through the 2014 issue of Outlook. And don’t forget to go online to newsok.com/outlook for more photos and video that accompany these stories. Thanks for reading, and enjoy!
The hashtag, #treecultokc, spotlights a collection of photos on Instagram, all showing the same tree in northwest Oklahoma City. BY LILLIE-BETH BRINKMAN
From the Internet to COMMUNITY BY LILLIE-BETH BRINKMAN For The Oklahoman
I`t only takes one word to describe Oklahoma City’s social media scene, no matter what site you’re talking about: Connection. Ever since the early days of social media just a few years ago, Oklahomans who find each other online also have sought connection offline, too. When Twitter became popular here five or six years ago, almost instantly so did “tweetups,” or meetups of Twitter users in the real world. Some gatherings had themes, like moms on Twitter, and many of those friendships have lasted, both online and offline. “All the people who we know in Oklahoma City know each other in real life,” said Tracey Zeeck, founder and owner of Bumbershoot PR in Oklahoma City who regularly leads conversations on Twitter and other sites as @tzeeck. Twitter “is where my funny people are,” Zeeck said, referring to it as the “watercooler.” “It’s the most hilarious place on the Internet.” And when you “meet” someone online, the transition to offline friends is easier. “You already feel like you know them,” she added.
northwest Oklahoma City. This lone tree has been photographed for Instagram nearly 1,700 times and featured in an art showing at a local tea house. It has also fostered deeper connections among Instagram users, who have worn tire tracks on the road outside a barbed wire fence where the tree is.
Not boxed in The other project involves a box of photos that originated in Oklahoma City on Jan. 1, 2013, when Instagram users met at a Starbucks downtown to put their favorite photos in the box. The box then spent 2013 traveling the country and world, where other users added their own favorite photos during instameets. Launched by Darren Johnson, known as @darrenisreal online, and Angela Cordes, or @simplyayj, the #connected_365 box has returned to Oklahoma City, where local Instagram users are waiting to see what kind of showing Johnson and Cordes have planned for it. Facebook usually works in reverse, where you connect with real friends online and keep up with them that way. For Zeeck, however, Facebook has brought an even deeper layer of online friendships – she’s part of a closed group of Oklahoma moms who have adopted children. “We have a special language that we speak that not everyone needs to hear all the time,” said Zeeck, adding that they also share resources and support each other , as in group therapy. “It’s a great place to go vent.”
“Social media is my megaphone. I cheerlead as a linchpin for good in the community.”
Finding resources Some might consider this desire to connect in the real world from a virtual one part of Oklahomans’ friendly nature. Others might attribute it to the fact that Oklahoma’s population is smaller, so it’s easier and safer to get to know who people really are by the friends they hang out with online. “Basically, social media is my megaphone,” said Lori
Outlook Editor Yvette Walker
Art Director
Todd Pendleton
Designer Yvette Walker Outlook Editor
Ford, an Edmond resident who is active on several social media sites and has made a lot of local connections through social media. “I cheerlead as a linchpin for good in the community.” She said she has discovered everything from professional resources to new restaurants via social media and made contacts across the country. Twitter is not the only service that has spawned deep friendships locally. Instagram has an active Oklahoma community. Local people who use the popular photo-sharing site often tag their photos #igersokc to indicate their location, and they often use that hashtag to announce local “instameets” throughout the area.
Caroline Duke Suzanne Green
Instameeting agenda The instameets, where people meet on a certain day and time at a photographically interesting location, lately have brought more than 50 people together who share a love of photography and Oklahoma. They go on photo walks, taking pictures and sharing photography tips. They then add a hashtag common to that location and instameet so others can see what photos they took. And two projects have brought the group even closer together – one involves the hashtag #treecultokc, which is a collection of photos on Instagram all of the same tree in
Photo Director Doug Hoke
Assignment Editors Clytie Bunyan Kimberly Burk Don Mecoy Scott Munn Matthew Price Nick Trougakos Ryan Sharp
Lillie-Beth Brinkman is a content marketing manager for the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce
Video Editors Grayson Cook Paige Dillard
Advertising
Jerry Wagner Audience Sponsorship Manager 475-3475
OUTLOOK COVERS The Way We Live, Business & Technology, Advancements in Health, Education & Careers: Design by Todd Pendleton and Suzanne Green; photography by Nate Billings and Doug Hoke, and from the Oklahoman Archive
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THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COM
News The Digital 25 Below are some of the people and institutions our news staff follow on Twitter. Log on to: https://twitter.com/
Recommendations by news staff
Sam Anderson @shamblanderson
Andrew Rice @AMRice44
The New York Times magazine writer issues one Tweet a day. It contains the best sentence that he’s read that day.
Former state senator and civic leader.
Joe Dorman @Dorman2014
Plan OKC @planokc The City of Oklahoma City’s comprehensive plan.
Oklahoma state representative for District 65; a Democrat.
Plaza District @plazadistrict Sara Cowan @DeluxeOK
Oklahoma City art district on NW 16 Street.
Creativity enthusiast and co-founder of Deluxe, an arts and crafts show.
Ed Shadid @EdShadid Spinal surgeon and Ward 2 City councilor.
Ziva Branstetter @ZivaBranstetter Tulsa World enterprise editor and president of FOI Oklahoma.
City of OKC @cityofokc The Twitter account of the City of Oklahoma City.
Nathaniel Harding @nat_harding Energy executive, MAPS 3 advisor, transit advocate.
NewsOK @NewsOK C. Renzi Stone @renzistone33
Tweets about breaking news, weather, sports, Oklahoma culture and trending topics. All brought to you by the team at www.NewsOK.com and The Oklahoman.
CEO of Saxum.
Bryan Painter @BryanPainter1 William Crum @williamcrum Staff writer for The Oklahoman. He covers city council, city hall and the mayor.
Weather blogger and columnist for @Newsok and @ TheOklahoman. Tweets about Oklahoma weather.
Al Gore @algore ACOG Air Quality @CleanAirOKC
Former vice president, environmentalist.
Campaign for alternate and active modes of transportation for community, clean air and quality of life in central Oklahoma.
David Pogue @Pogue Tech columnist, Yahoo; PBS NOVA host.
Quality Communities @OUIQC Institute within the College of Architecture at the University of Oklahoma, working to enhance Oklahoma communities.
Carla Hinton @OKRelig The Oklahoman's Religion Editor.
Mick Cornett @MickCornett Recently re-elected mayor of Oklahoma City.
David Holt @davidfholt Oklahoma state senator.
FOI Oklahoma @FOIoklahoma An organization founded to educate the public and officials about rights guaranteed by the state’s open government laws.
eCapitol @eCapitol
Jarrett Walker @humantransit
Jaclyn Cosgrove @jaclyncosgrove
Public transit policy consultant, author of the book “Human Transit.”
A view inside Oklahoma politics.
Health reporter at The Oklahoman and @NewsOK.
NORMAN POLICE EMBRACE DATA-DRIVEN TECHNOLOGY FROM STAFF REPORTS
NORMAN — Norman police are using a new technology called Data-Driven Approaches To Crime and Traffic Safety. Police are looking at data to focus resources in areas where officers can potentially have the most effect. Capt. Tom Easley, of Norman police, explained, “The concept is really quite simple ... by working areas where your data have indicated both crime and collisions are high (relatively speaking), traffic enforcement can lead to reductions in both.” For example, Easley said, most crime is committed by people who drive. “By working proactively, we can affect traffic and crime.” The data-driven program allows police to look at data that shows where they've responded to the most car accidents and crimes in the past three months and back as far as five years. In 2013, police focused on two areas that are each a square mile: The west zone is northwest of Lindsey Street and North Berry Road. The east zone is northeast of Lindsey Street and 12th Avenue SE. This year, they are increasing the size of the areas, primarily due to construction. “One issue we are trying to account for is the increase in collisions, which are probably due to changing traffic patterns associated with the detours tied to the construction around I-35 and Main,” Easley said. “This has basically resulted in more traffic along 24th SW and NW, which has
driven collisions in the west zone higher. The detours are an anomaly from the five-year averages we are still analyzing. “But, as you can see, we have expanded the zones for 2014, which we
believe will normalize when the construction along the interstate and west Lindsey are completed.” Officers said they have been using this new technology since the beginning of 2013 now and have seen good
results. “What our data indicate, thus far, is we have affected reductions in crime in both zones, and, to a certain extent, declines in collisions,” Easley said.
“The concept is really quite simple ... by working areas where your data have indicated both crime and collisions are high (relatively speaking), traffic enforcement can lead to reductions in both.” CAPT. TOM EASLEY OF NORMAN POLICE
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Want to help map out OKC’s future? Oklahoma City’s comprehensive plan, planOKC, shown above in a screen capture, includes interactive online tools to receive public input on how Oklahoma City residents can secure a healthy environment, community and economy. Learn more and interact by going to planokc.org.
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“We knew that people liked to talk about the weather, so we thought that Facebook and Twitter were natural avenues to have those discussions. ... What’s surprising is the passion that some people have for weather and how many amateur forecasters are out there providing their own versions of weather information on social media.” Rick Smith is warning coordination meteorologist for the National Weather Service, Norman Forecast Office. Above, he leads a storm spotter training session March 6. PHOTO BY STEVE SISNEY, THE OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE
WEATHERING THE STORMS ON NEW PLATFORMS information about tornadoes in their area during and right after the big tornado went through Newcastle, Oklahoma City and Moore. “For some, that was their only source for warnings. And more than one person shared stories of how one of the Facebook posts early in the day on May 20th caused them to pick up kids from school or otherwise change their plans that day. Any one of those stories shows me how important social media can be when the weather turns dangerous.” Statistically, the National Weather Service, Norman’s Facebook page gained 5,484 likes on May 20 and 8,092 likes May 28-31. On Twitter, that office gained 2,731 followers on May 20 and 4,844 followers on May 31. The follower count went from 14,156 on May 15 to 25,841 on June 2.
Bryan Painter
bpainter@ opubco.com
STAFF WRITER NORMAN — A storm might start with a dot on the radar in western Oklahoma or somewhere else in the state. But it can rapidly gain strength. In a way, that also has occurred with the use of social media by the National Weather Service, Norman Forecast Office. Meteorologists there had been dabbling in social media for a while before being given their official National Weather Service accounts on Facebook and Twitter. They received their official Facebook page in early 2011, and the Norman office activated its official Twitter account right before the May 24, 2011, tornado outbreak.
Talking directly to people
New standards In January 2013, the National Weather Service, Norman, added YouTube to its social media toolbox. “We had an idea that weather would be a hot topic on social media, but I don’t think we could have predicted how popular it would be,” said Rick Smith, warning coordination meteorologist. “Facebook, Twitter and YouTube have become standard and very important parts of our operations to the point where we actually schedule someone to be the social media person during a big event. “Social media isn’t just a do-it-if-you-have-time thing anymore. It is an important part of information flow during bad weather.” Smith said the initial response was interesting. He had personal Facebook and Twitter accounts where he would unofficially talk about the weather and share information from the office. Looking back, Smith thinks some people liked the personal touch of getting weather information from a person. “So when we transitioned to providing most of the information from our office accounts, I think some people missed that personal touch,” Smith said. “But I also think that people appreciate having an official source of weather information they can go to, a source that’s at work 24 hours a day, every day of the year.”
A screen capture from the Twitter account of the National Weather Service, Norman Forecast Office.
New fans The Norman Forecast Office has seen a slow and steady increase in the number of followers and likes since the first day it started on social media. But it’s the big weather events that really drive up the numbers, Smith said. “When we have a stretch of active weather like we saw last May, the number of people liking our Facebook page and following us on Twitter can climb dramatically in a very short period of time,” he said. “Some of them leave us after the weather quiets down, but most stay year-round. “We knew that people liked to talk about the weather, so we thought that Facebook and Twitter were natural avenues to have those discussions. And we were not disappointed. People like to talk about, ask questions about and complain about the
weather and the weather forecasts. What’s surprising is the passion that some people have for weather and how many amateur forecasters are out there providing their own versions of weather information on social media.”
New audiences While the information the National Weather Service, Norman shares on Facebook and Twitter usually is almost identical, the audiences for each is a little different in how they use the information, Smith said. “We've had a lot of success when we ask people to help us get the word out about an upcoming weather event,” he said. “If we say ‘please share this’ or ‘please retweet it’ our fans and followers really help us spread the word. It's almost like they become part of the National Weather Service when they help us reach people with
sometimes life-saving messages. “There’s no telling how many people we've been able to reach who might not even know there is a National Weather Service just because one of their friends, family or someone they trust told them it was important information.” Statewide, there were 63 tornadoes in May alone in 2013. “We heard from lots of people after the May tornadoes who said that our social media posts on Twitter and Facebook made a difference for them or their families,” Smith said. “For some, their Facebook news feed or Twitter feed became their life line for weather information and warnings after they lost power, couldn't watch TV or couldn't get information from other sources. We had people who live down near Marlow and Pauls Valley who praised social media for providing them with
“With Twitter and Facebook and some of these other technologies, we’re able to talk to people more directly, more simply,” Smith said. “And it's not just talking to people. Social media lets us have conversations with the people we serve. We try to interact, answer questions and have twoway communications as much as we can. “It’s always great to see the positive and often surprised response when someone asks a question on our Facebook page and they get a timely answer from a real person. We really want to use social media to emphasize the service part of our name.” Smith added that they don’t routinely post actual warnings on social media, but on days like May 19, 20, and 31, they tried to share as much detailed information as they could to help people stay informed and safe. Being equipped with multiple ways to receive information is best, he said. “We know people rely on social media when the weather turns bad, and we’ll do everything we can to be there with updates and critical information,” Smith said. “But Facebook and Twitter both have limitations, and neither of them should be your primary warning source, or your sole warning source. “Everyone in Oklahoma needs at least three different ways to get life-saving warnings.”
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Q&A: TYLER ROBERTS
Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett works side-by-side with campaign staffers and volunteers at a work day event Jan. 25 for his re-election campaign. Cornett is the first Oklahoma City mayor to be re-elected to four terms. PHOTO BY JIM BECKEL, THE OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE
SOCIAL MEDIA PLAYS A ROLE IN LATEST MAYORAL RACE Tyler Roberts was a staffer on Mayor Mick Cornett’s recent successful re-election campaign. He agreed to field some questions about the campaign’s social media strategy.
Q. WHAT WERE PRIMARY GOALS OF THE CAMPAIGN’S SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY? A. The campaign’s social media strategy was to build a strong network of volunteers and supporters, to spread positive messages about the mayor’s vision, and to engage with supporters to keep them updated on the mayor’s activities.
Q. WHAT SOCIAL MEDIA AND NEW MEDIA SITES, PLATFORMS OR TACTICS DID THE CAMPAIGN LEVERAGE TO REACH VOTERS? A. The campaign’s social media efforts largely focused on utilizing Facebook and Twitter to maximize engagement.
Q. WHICH WERE MOST EFFECTIVE AND WHY? A. Facebook and Twitter have unique
audiences, but both serve as effective platforms for spreading the mayor’s message. Over the course of the campaign, we experienced the most growth and engagement on Facebook, where we increased the mayor’s “likes” four-fold.
way to encourage involvement.
Q. DID SOCIAL MEDIA INTERACTION WITH VOTERS GROW AS THE CAMPAIGN PROGRESSED?
A. That the mayor’s priorities remain public safety, streets and quality jobs.
A. We spent the early part of the campaign growing our followers and “likes” so that there would be maximum interaction when it mattered the most.
Q. WHAT WERE KEY MESSAGES THE CAMPAIGN SOUGHT TO CONVEY TO VOTERS?
Q. HOW DID THE CAMPAIGN USE SOCIAL MEDIA TO PUSH THOSE MESSAGES OUT TO VOTERS? A. Through highlighting his current actions in those areas, or past accomplishments.
Q. DID THE CAMPAIGN USE SOCIAL MEDIA TO ORGAQ. DID YOU FIND SOCIAL NIZE EVENTS AND/OR VOLMEDIA WAS MORE EFFIUNTEERS? CIENT THAN OTHER COMA. Yes. We spread the message of our MUNICATION METHODS IN events and volunteer activities through REACHING VOTERS? HOW Facebook and Twitter. It was a valuable SO? IF NOT, WHY NOT?
A. Roughly half of likely Oklahoma City voters do not have a social media account, so it has its limits, but for those who are engaged, it is very efficient. Social media is cost-effective, it promotes interaction with a wider audience and encourages communication. Although a successful campaign should supplement its activity with paid advertising, social media is essentially a free medium. Q. WHAT’S THE FUTURE OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS? A. Social media will continue to be an integral element of successful campaigns. Voters receive messages through many mediums. A successful candidate has to compete in all of those mediums. It remains imperative for future campaigns to continue focusing on engagement. WILLIAM CRUM, STAFF WRITER
TOP TWEETS
Here are suggestions for the best of Twitter from Mayor Mick Cornett and Steve Hill, who serves as the mayor’s chief of staff. Their comments are in quotes.
From Mayor Cornett: •@JeffSpeckAICP — Jeff Speck: “new urbanist, author” •@NewsOK — “news from The Oklahoman and from around the world” •@KDTrey5 — “Thunder basketball star Kevin Durant”
From Steve Hill: •@JeffSpeckAICP — Jeff Speck “New urbanist, author of ‘Walkability’ ” •@RealStevenAdams — Steven Adams: “Unusually happy Thunder rookie” •@tomtomorrow — Tom Tomorrow: “Political cartoonist” •@Nick_Anderson_ — Nick Anderson: “Political cartoonist” •@dmasonart — Desmond Mason: “Always interested in what Desmond is up to with his art” •@McMurphyESPN — Brett McMurphy, ESPN college football writer: “Tried to maim me once, so I like to know his whereabouts.” Mayor Mick Cornett talks with supporters after winning the mayoral race March 4. PHOTO BY SARAH PHIPPS, THE OKLAHOMAN
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Q&A: STEVE HILL
OKC mayor’s office sees opportunities with online connections Steve Hill, who is Mayor Mick Cornett’s chief of staff, took some questions from The Oklahoman on the way the mayor’s office leverages social media to reach and serve citizens. Q: WHAT SOCIAL MEDIA DOES THE MAYOR’S OFFICE USE ON A REGULAR BASIS? A. Facebook, Google Plus, Instagram and Twitter. Q: WHO MANAGES THE MAYOR’S SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE? A. The mayor manages his Instagram and Twitter accounts. Staff manages Facebook when it is a cityrelated issue or event.
Q: WHAT ARE THE METRICS FOR THESE SERVICES (TWITTER FOLLOWERS, FACEBOOK “LIKES,” ETC.)? A. As of mid-April, the mayor has 10,276 “likes” on Facebook. Twitter followers: 9,980. Q: HOW LONG HAS THE MAYOR’S OFFICE BEEN USING SOCIAL MEDIA? A. The mayor has been active on all platforms of social media since 2009.
Q: HOW’S THE RESPONSE BEEN? A. The response to social media has been tremendous. It’s been a great way for the mayor to share information with citizens. We use social media primarily as a push tool — but we do get questions from time to time on Facebook that we do our best to answer in a timely fashion. The best — and easiest — way to ask a question of the mayor’s office is through the mayor@okc.gov e-mail address.
Q: ARE THERE PLANS TO LEVERAGE SOCIAL MEDIA EVEN MORE IN THE COMING YEAR? A. We do have plans to expand our social media mix in the coming year. We are actively looking at crowdsourcing apps, cell-based apps, and other social media tools to empower our citizens, enable easier access to city services and information, and help our residents be a more active part of what we’re doing throughout the city. Q: DOES THE MAYOR’S OFFICE SEE SOCIAL MEDIA INCREASINGLY MOVING TO MOBILE AND, IF SO, IS THE STRATEGY FOR CONNECTING WITH MOBILE USERS DIFFERENT OR EVOLVING? A. We do see an opportunity in cell-based communications. In many ways, it lowers the barrier of access – you may not have high-speed Internet service at your home, but you probably have a cell phone. We see an opportunity to better connect with our residents through smartphone apps and texts and are looking into a number of different ways to do this. We want to be sure that we are offering a useful tool that helps streamline our processes, provides necessary information or makes citizen involvement easier. At the same time, we’re looking at our city website to determine how it can better serve our residents. We have a lot of information online and we are always looking at ways that we can make that data easier to access and more useful. WILLIAM CRUM, STAFF WRITER
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Connect with Mayor Cornett FACEBOOK
www.facebook.com/ mickcornett
@MickCornett
INSTAGRAM MickCornett
GOOGLE PLUS Mick Cornett
mayor@okc.gov
The downtown Oklahoma City skyline is seen as the sun sets Jan. 7. PHOTO BY BRYAN TERRY, THE OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE
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Bryan and Allison Timberlake discuss their daughter, who was bullied via social media in October 2013.
PHOTO BY DAVID MCDANIEL, THE OKLAHOMAN
SCHOOLS CREATE SOCIAL MEDIA POLICIES TO COMBAT BULLYING Allison Timthe behavior. Tim berlake had no “Cyberbullying Willert clue that her is everywhere,” twillert@ then-11-year-old said Melissa opubco.com daughter was the White, executive subject of a Facedirector of counbook page dediseling for the state STAFF WRITER cated to trashing Education Deher reputation. partment. “ObviA fellow parent broke the news ously, there is a whole lot more to the Edmond mother of three, technology today. Ten years ago whose middle child did not have you didn’t have Facebook and a cellphone or access to social most kids didn't have cellphones media on her home computer. by the third grade.” “She said, ‘Not only does the Next-generation applications page exist, but your child was such as Twitter, Instagram, added as a member,’ ” Timber- Ask.fm, Snapchat and Kik lake recalled. “My daughter, of Messenger that let users text, course, was devastated.” video chat, shop and share their When a video of five girls pictures and video are attracting dancing suggestively at a slum- kids and teens in droves. “We don’t have firm data on ber party made the rounds at Quail Creek Elementary School whether cyberbullying is on the in Oklahoma City, some of the rise, but our principals say that the use of social media is often a participants were ridiculed. “Two of the girls in the video factor in the bullying incidents came to me the following morn- that do get reported and investiing and were upset because some gated,” said Susan Parksof the kids were making fun of Schlepp, a spokeswoman for Edthem because of the way they mond Public Schools. were dancing in the video,” said Heather Clark, a school counsel- Teaching appropriate behavior or. One of those principals, CiOn the upswing marron Middle School’s Cordell Though not as common as Ehrich, helps teach students face-to-face bullying, the prac- about appropriate online behavtice of using a smartphone or ior. He also educates parents computer to harass, threaten or about the dangers associated embarrass another student — with social media. often anonymously — is on the “What I’m seeing is a lot more upswing across the state and has kids using devices,” Ehrich said. “A local school officials considering lot more students are engaged in social media policies to curtail social media. Our goal is to create
What apps and sites are your children using? So now that all of the adults have shown up on Facebook, parents might need to look elsewhere to find their children on social media. Think of bees buzzing around a hive as a good metaphor to describe teens’ relationship with social media and other sites where they connect online, away from parents' eyes. But it’s not impossible to know where they are. By asking questions, understanding the sites and joining them, parents can figure out ways to protect their children from cyberbullying, inappropriate and suggestive behavior, etc. “You don’t need to know the ins and outs of every app and site that's ‘hot’ right now,” writes Kelly Schryver, senior content specialist for Common Sense Media, in her blog post “11 Sites and Apps Kids Are Heading to After Facebook” at commonsensemedia.org. “But knowing the basics — what they are, why they're popular and the problems that can crop up when they're not used responsibly — can make the difference between a positive and negative experience for your kids.”
responsible digital citizens.” Posting something explicit online, he said, is akin to having a tattoo on your face that never completely goes away, even if removed. Tracking a child's behavior is difficult, if not impossible, for parents often unaware of their child’s online relationships, Ehrich said. “A lot of my parents are just figuring out Facebook,” he said. “By the time that happens, the kids have moved on to something else because it’s not cool.”
Asking questions Some parents, though, are getting wise to sites like Kik Messenger and starting to ask questions, Ehrich said. He added that parents should have their child’s login information so they can monitor their social media activity. “If parents just make random checks, it helps their child,” he said. “It reinforces that expectation of responsibility.” School districts in Oklahoma City, Edmond and Moore have bullying policies and prevention programs in place, including those to educate students and parents on the pitfalls of the Internet. Students also are prohibited from using cellphones while on campus during school hours. The Oklahoma City and Edmond school districts have systems to report bullying and other safety issues; callers can remain
anonymous. Moore Public Schools is planning a similar phone line to report offensive or threatening behavior, said Brad Fernberg, the district's assistant superintendent of secondary education. “We definitely have issues with Facebook, Instagram and texting,” said Fernberg, whose district investigated 425 bullying reports in the 2011-12 and 2012-13 school years. Westmoore High School Principal Mark Hunt said he’s seeing more and more cyberbullying, particularly among his younger students. Most of the behavior, he added, takes place outside of school but affects a student's ability to focus in the classroom. “It is taking a whole lot of time away from what we’re supposed to be about, which is teaching and learning,” he said. Hunt has disciplined students for texting and tweeting disparaging remarks about other students and posting threatening statements on Facebook. In one case, a Westmoore student was suspended for posting “absolutely false” information online about a fellow student or students that Hunt said “was very disruptive and created a lot of anxiety for people.” “It's just one of the worst things that can happen in a young person’s life,” he said of bullying. Since the start of the 2012-13 school year, Oklahoma City Public Schools has received nine
reports of cyberbullying through the district's Safe School hotline, compared to 98 reports of traditional bullying since Aug. 5. “I'm sure that it exists,” said Tracy Alvarez, who oversees the district hotline. “But (students and parents) are not reporting it. They may think if it’s initiated off campus then there’s no relevance to the school.”
Imbalance of power Alvarez said the majority of bullying reports in the school district turn out to be nothing more than normal conflict between children. For an act to be considered bullying, it must happen more than once and the perpetrator must have something to gain and show an imbalance of power. The effects of bullying are profound and can last a lifetime. White said depression and anxiety are common among victims, with some turning to drugs and alcohol or self-harm. Others, she said, consider suicide. Allison Timberlake said her daughter is older and wiser now that she has access to social media, and was there to support her best friend when she was bullied last year. “People are a little more brazen when they don’t have to do this face-to-face,” Timberlake said. “Everything that seems to be coming out of their mouths seems to be heightened because they’re not having a face-to-face conversation.”
Here’s a quick primer on where the teens and preteens have gone beyond Facebook: For starters, they’re using Instagram, a photo-sharing app. Many of today's teens use Instagram to link to their ask.fm profile, a website and mobile app that lets people pose anonymous questions to them. At its best, they're answering questions on this site about latest crushes or activities; at its worst, the site features mean comments, suggestive language and horrible gossip. Think of the worst anonymous Internet trolls and imagine their hateful comments directed at a specific teen at your child’s school. Another popular current mobile app includes Snapchat, used to send texted photos that self-destruct in seconds when the recipient opens it. The assumption is that these photos are gone forever, but people have found ways around this process. There are many stories about teens using this app for sexting, but they should know that nothing posted via the Internet ever truly disappears.
Teens are also “kiking” each other, or sending texts, via the Kik Messenger textmessaging service that welcomes group texts and isn’t tied to a phone number but a user name. The text messages don't live on the phone but inside the app. There also are ways to connect to strangers from within it, as Schryver notes. Schryver mentions more sites where the teens are, including Wanelo, Oovoo, Pheed, Vine, Tumblr, Twitter and Google Plus. Using some of these sites together keeps parents and children talking about the good ones and which ones to avoid. Those conversations and standards will be different for each family, but it can help parents understand what their children are actually doing on their smartphones and computers. “The bottom line for all of these tools? If teens are using them respectively, appropriately and with a little parental guidance, they should be fine,” Schryver writes. “Take inventory of your kid's apps and review the best practices.” LILLIE-BETH BRINKMAN, THE OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE
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MOBILIZING RESPONDERS
OKC SIXTH-GRADER, DAD CREATE APP TO HELP SCHOOLS DURING INCIDENTS BY SARAH HUSSAIN Staff Writer shussain@opubco.com
What started as a 10year-old’s dream to end violence on school grounds has led to the development of a smartphone app called Qwick Response, which is in the testing stages for Apple and Android phones. The app, developed by Belle Isle Enterprise School sixth-grader Genesis Franks, is a notification system for many situations in the school, from bullying to a shooting on campus. Genesis said she was motivated to make the app after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. She won first place and the grand prize for the idea at last year’s Oklahoma Student Inventors Exposition, but she and her father, Leonard, had a dream to make the app accessible to the world. After a year of researching, seeking funding and finding the right people to help, Genesis and Leonard Franks have created an app they say will empower people to become better first-responders in any scenario, whether emergency or non-emergency. Leonard Franks asked Al Posadas, a software developer with Expresso Web, for help with the app. Posadas put Franks in
Above and at left: Application inventors Leonard Franks and his daughter Genesis, 11, demonstrate the use of a first responder application called Qwick Response at the Moore-Norman Business Development Center. The app is developed to allow the public and public officials to be better first responders during an emergency situation. PHOTO BY CHRIS LANDSBERGER, THE OKLAHOMAN
contact with Greg Kieson and Jay Watson, of the Moore-Norman Technology Center, who became consultants and mentors to Franks and Posadas. Kieson said he worked with them on strategic planning, developing a business plan, marketing the product and finding finances. “I just like working with passionate entrepreneurs who have great ideas,” Kieson said. “I smile when I say that because Leonard is very aggressive. “Every moment with Leonard, in terms of planning, really is a high point because we continue to develop the model and work together on strategies.” Franks and Posadas are
working with Millwood Public Schools staff members to do beta testing to help work out any kinks with the app. Athletic and Information Technology Director Shannon Hayes thinks the app will help keep them connected with parents, staff and students. “Being at a sporting event and having a situation maybe with thunderstorms or even a possible shooting, being able to communicate with all my administration and staff and coaches to where they can be able to do certain things is good,” Hayes said. “I’m really kind of excited about it, and I think it is a wonderful app.” While describing how
the app works, Franks used the example of the Arapahoe High School shooting in Denver in December, where a janitor saw Karl Pierson walk into the school with suspicious items, which were the items used in the attack. “If the witness would have had the Qwick Response app, he could have pushed the alert that includes his exact location, which would then send a notification to everyone on
those school grounds and the local precinct. “Everyone would be trained to go into lockdown mode, and the campus security and police could immediately find Pierson,” Franks said. The app comes with many different modes to choose from, including superintendent, principal, assistant principal, staff, student and parent. Franks and Posadas are developing an athletic director and substitute teacher mode, as well. The difference between Qwick Response and apps already on the market is that Qwick Response sends “push notifications as opposed to texts,” Posadas said. Push notifications are sent through the smartphone carrier, whereas texts are sent to the distinct phone numbers, making notifications the
fastest communication method available. “Everyone who has the app is empowered to be a better first responder and have the 911 capability in their hands,” Franks said. “The app does not replace 911; it gives you the power of 911 in your hands and more.” Franks addressed the issue of false alarms saying that each industry will have a database of each phone that has the app downloaded onto it. “Administrators will be able to track whose phone the false alarm came from,” Franks said. Because this is the beginning of this app, they have only bounced around the idea of costs, but they have considered selling it to individual school districts. “We want to make this thing very affordable for every school in the United States,” Franks said.
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TRIBAL APP HELPS IN MAKING CHICKASAW WORLD ‘BIGGER’ BY SILAS ALLEN Staff Writer sallen@opubco.com
ADA — Last fall, for the first time in her life, Traci Morris did something that was equal parts mundane and remarkable: She introduced herself. She didn’t quite get it right at first, she said. But being able to do it at all was an emotional experience. Morris, a member of the Chickasaw Nation, has spent the past few months learning the tribe’s language. Until recently, the possibility of learning the language from her home in Phoenix would have been difficult, if not impossible, she said. But a collection of language resources the tribe has started making available online in recent years has helped her and other Chickasaws connect with the Ada-based tribe from afar. A few months ago, Morris, 48, helped establish a group in Phoenix for Chickasaws who wanted to learn the language. The group uses several of the tribe’s online resources, including videos and an iPhone language app the tribe developed.
Cultural connection Morris, who works as a consultant for tribal entities and businesses, said learning the language will be a long-term project. But her skills are improving. Last fall, during a presentation at East Central University in Ada, Morris was able to introduce herself for the first time to tribal officials in the Chickasaw language. Her pronunciation was not perfect, she said — one of the tribal members corrected her. But she still felt a connection to her culture
Apps for other American Indian tribes Not Chickasaw? Other American Indian tribes have launched apps to augment their reach and ability to community with tribal members including the following:
that she didn’t have before. “It’s mine,” she said. “It’s my history. It’s not someone else’s.” In January, the tribe announced Emily Johnson Dickerson, the last monolingual Chickasaw speaker, had died at 93. At the time, tribal officials estimated Dickerson was one of only about 70 remaining fluent speakers of the Chickasaw language. Morris said Dickerson’s death motivated several of the people in her group to try to learn the language.
Stigma is gone Many people in her generation feel disconnected from their tribes because their parents and grandparents broke those ties, Morris said. Previous generations lost connection with their tribes because of the social stigma asso-
CHEROKEE NATION Explore the history and culture of the Cherokee Nation with the Osiyo app. Interact with Cherokee events, historic sites, museums, casinos, restaurants, shops and attractions. Learn basic Cherokee words and take video and audio tours of Cherokee country. Free. Available on Android and iPhone.
ciated with being American Indian, she said. Now that the stigma is largely gone, many younger American Indians are trying to re-establish those ties, she said. Joshua Hinson, director of the tribe’s language department, said Chickasaw officials are using technology to re-establish those connections with members who live outside the tribe’s service area. The tribe released an iPhone app in 2011 to help members and others who want to learn the language. The app, called Anompa, includes recordings of Chickasaw speakers. Anompa, which means “language” in Chickasaw, was released as a website last year. That app, along with a collection of online videos and other resources, allows the tribe to work with
CHOCTAW NATION The Choctaw Nation serves more than 200,000 tribal members worldwide. This app features news and information on the Choctaw Nation's history and traditions along with current initiatives for better lifestyles. Free. Available on Android and iPhone.
Chickasaws who, years ago, would have been out of reach. “It makes the Chickasaw world bigger,” Hinson said. Morris said she hopes her group in Phoenix will
NAVAJO NATION This one-stop Navajo Nation Tribal directory provides information about government members and offices in the Navajo Tribal Government. The tribe also has a separate app — Speak Navajo — broken into four volumes, devoted solely to learning the Navajo language. The Navajo tribal director is free but the Speak Navajo app is $0.99 per volume. Available on Android and iPhone.
be able to continue that relationship. Eventually, she’d like to be able to set up video chats and webinars with native speakers in Oklahoma. Video chats and other interactive offerings would help stu-
dents in Phoenix speak more naturally with native speakers, she said. “We miss the day-today,” she said. “Of course we miss that interaction. But we’ve got more interaction than most people.”
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“Apps are used more than websites. For a business, it’s like having a phone number in the phone book in 1982. That’s the key for us, he said. Three of four people look at their smartphone before making a purchase. For a charity, it’s vital. If I have to wait to get home to my computer, its too late.” BRAD MCMULLIN APP DEVELOPER
United Way of Norman President Kristin Collins displays the United Way of Norman’s app. PHOTO BY STEVE GOOCH, THE OKLAHOMAN
United Way of Norman gets close to patrons, community via new app BY MELISSA HOWELL Staff Writer mhowell@opubco.com
NORMAN — People who
use the services of United Way of Norman or donate to the organization will have an easier way of getting information thanks to a newly launched app. The app, one of only a handful of United Way apps available in the App Store, was made possible by Mississippi businessman Brad McMullin and his firm BFAC.com, which developed the app for the Norman group at no charge. McMullin, a native Oklahoman and a graduate of the University of Oklahoma, said it was something he wanted to do because United Way holds such a special place in his heart. “The United way does so much for so many people. A lot of people don’t realize when they donate to United Way how many people it actually helps,” he said. “My father was survivor of the Oklahoma City bombing and United Way was there to help my father right after the bombing. We (thought) United Way would be a great partner to begin with.” For a charity, having an app is vital, said McMullin, who is CEO and founder of BFAC.com. “Apps are used more than websites. For a business, it’s like having a phone number in the phone book in 1982. That’s the key for us, he said. Three of four people look at their smartphone before making a purchase. For a charity, it’s vital. If I have to wait to get home to my computer, its too late. “We wanted first and foremost for supporters of the United Way to get instant information. People who support United Way all have their phones with them. They can instantly find ways to help,” he said. “It was almost completely a donation — it was something we could never afford,” said Kristin Collins, president of United Way of Norman. “The company put a lot of resources into it. It was something we’ve dreamed about. We’re a small United Way. We have limited resources. Everything we bring in we want to put toward services.” The free app, which is available for iPhone and Android, was designed specifically to meet the needs of the Norman organization. Patrons may get updates via
SAVVY CHARITIES EMBRACE NEW MEDIA Savvy charities are moving from 20th-century marketing techniques — direct mail and telemarketing — to new media with push notifications, crowdfunding capabilities and motivational social networking to communicate more efficiently with potential volunteers and donors. For those who are looking for a way to make a difference, mobile technology developers are providing a solution with apps that provide curated options for volunteering, donating and challenging others to do so, as well. The following are just a few apps that make giving back fun and easy. ONE TODAY
CHARITY MILES
Last year, Google launched the One Today app that features a different charity each day and gives its users the opportunity to support it by donating $1. Once a donation is made through the user’s Google Wallet or Apple account, One Today provides the option to notify the user’s Google contacts, soliciting others to match. The app is free and available for both Android and iOS.
Charity Miles is a free app that allows you to earn money for charities while walking, running or biking. Choose a charity such as Autism Speaks, Wounded Warrior Project or Stand Up to Cancer and as you walk, run or bike, the app will track your distance and you'll earn money for your charity: 10¢ per mile for bikers; 25¢ per mile for walkers and runners. The app will continue to donate until it exceeds $1 million donated from corporate sponsors.
FEEDIE For those who love to photograph their food and post it on social media, Feedie makes it possible to transform that post into providing food for those in need. When a Feedie user visits a participating restaurant and posts a photo of his or her favorite dish on Instagram, Facebook or other social media, the restaurant will make a donation to The Lunchbox Fund — a nonprofit organization that provides meals to schoolchildren in South Africa. Feedie is free and available for iOS devices.
push notifications, view upcoming events, post to the United Way wall, connect through social media, volunteer through the app and watch the organization’s YouTube videos. One of the functions of the app is the push notification feature that can target a specific geographic area via GPS. “If we want to send a notification to everyone at Owen Field, we can do that,” Collins said. “It’s relatively simple as far as its design. People can contact us, learn about events or donate,” Collins said. “The thing that I’m excited about is that it puts information from our funded partners in the hands of someone with a smart-
INSTEAD Instead provides an opportunity for users to support a charity by making costeffective choices such as brewing your coffee at home instead of dropping by the coffee house, or packing a lunch instead of grabbing a hamburger. Each day the savings ($3 or $5) may be donated to a cause supported by an instead non-profit partner. Instead is free and available on iOS devices.
CHECK-IN FOR GOOD Check-in for Good is a crowdfunding app that allows businesses to offer a $1 donation for every customer that comes in and uses the app to “check in” using smartphone GPS. Check-In for Good is free and available on Android devices. MELISSA HOWELL, STAFF WRITER
phone. It’s going to make it so much easier for us to interact with people who donate to United Way. Just being able to get information out as to where the needs are and where to meet to volunteer is wonderful. This is going to be so much fun.” Collins said that since the app went live in March, she has had calls from other local United Way organizations around the country asking about it. United Way of Norman funds 45 programs at 29 agencies in the Norman area. It also provides services to the community through programs like Success By 6, Teen Advisors of Norman, FamilyWize discount drug cards and the ABC School Supply Program.
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‘British Sooner’ stays connected to his favorite team online Ryan Aber raber@ opubco.com
OU FOOTBALL NORMAN — Sam Deakin doesn’t know where he’d be without the help of Twitter and Facebook. The Briton fell in love with University of Oklahoma football in 2004 on a vacation to Florida. “I put on one of the many sports channels showing college football. I had no idea what college football was as I had only ever heard of the NFL,” Deakin said. That game wound up being the Red River Rivalry, and Deakin decided when the game started to pull for the Sooners. He watched as Adrian Peterson ran for 225 yards and the Sooners’ defense shut out Texas in a 12-0 win. Deakin was hooked, but it was difficult to follow OU when he returned to England. He followed as best he could through the Internet and joined his university’s American football team. The addition of ESPN to the television lineup in Great Britain helped, though Deakin still needed more.
An exchange Deakin eventually sought out message boards to feed his hunger for OU news. That’s where he started talking to Scott Mossman, an OU fan and son of then-OU sports information director Kenny Mossman. The two eventually made plans for a sports exchange. Mossman wanted to visit Deakin to take in an Arsenal soccer game in London and Deakin planned to make a return visit to the United States to see the Sooners in person. Mossman made the trip over first, with Deakin visiting Norman for the OUMissouri game in 2011. “Having someone that you knew there made a big difference,” Deakin said. “Just the local knowledge, not having to worry about getting lost and knowing the best places to go.” It wasn’t just Mossman and his family, though, that helped Deakin out. Through Twitter, Deakin (@British_Sooner) made plenty of friends over their love of OU football. “It really got my story out there and got a few people interested in some guy who travels a long way for Sooners football, and opened up opportunities that I wouldn’t have had without it.” On his trip, Deakin was able to meet OU coach Bob Stoops, tour the Sooners’ locker room and sit in on Stoops’ postgame news conference. None of it, Deakin said, would have been possible without social media. The next year, Deakin returned to take in the OUTexas game and the Sooners’ first meeting with Notre Dame since 1999, with a game against Kansas in between. Once again, Deakin’s plans revolved around people he’s met through Twitter and Facebook. On a blog he posted after his return from that trip, Deakin listed about 20 people — with their Twitter handles — that had helped him during his visit. Some were set up beforehand. Others came about as Deakin tweeted about his trip. “It would’ve been a really hard trip to plan without friends gained by social media,” Deakin said. “It meant I could enjoy the whole experience more. “If it weren’t for the people on social media, who start off
Sam Deakin, the “British Sooner,” right, met OU linebacker Tom Wort, who is also from England, on a trip to Norman. PHOTO PROVIDED
“If it weren’t for the people on social media, who start off as strangers but now many I call good friends, the trips would not be anywhere near the same. Knowing I can now come over and have places to stay, friends to visit and be able to get tickets, it takes the weight off my mind and all I need to do is literally buy a ticket. After that, social media does the rest.”
A few tweets by Sam Deakin, @British_Sooner, on Twitter.
as strangers but now many I call good friends, the trips would not be anywhere near the same. Knowing I can now come over and have places to stay, friends to visit and be able to get tickets, it takes the weight off my mind and all I
need to do is literally buy a ticket. After that, social media does the rest.” And between trips, Deakin leans on the sites to keep him informed. “I would say 95 percent of my Twitter is Sooner-
related, so news is never far away,” Deakin said. “If I miss anything, I just have to put a tweet out and usually get plenty of responses.” He reads as much news as he can on his favorite team but prefers the feeling of
community that Twitter offers. “Twitter gets the information out now just as quick, and then I can have a discussion about it, rather than just read an article and be done with it,” Deakin said.
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TULSA COMPANY’S APP AIDS SPORTS CONCUSSION TESTS TULSA WORLD ARCHIVES
After a quarterback takes a massive hit, determining whether he has a concussion can be a matter of life or death. It’s been hard for team officials to accurately make the decision on whether the player can safely reenter the game, said Chase Curtiss, founder of Tulsa-based Sway Medical LLC. “Coaches conduct balance tests, but there’s not an objective way to measure their results,” he said. “They just have to observe and use their judgment.” Curtiss hopes to remedy that with the new Sway Balance app. It allows battered players to have their balance measured precisely using the accelerometers in an iPhone, and officials can compare the results with pregame measurements to more accurately make the call. Sway Medical launched the app last year, and it’s available in the iTunes app store. The app is available for free, though it requires a $200 subscription. Lovell said he feels the price is more than fair. “It’s an inexpensive tool,” he said. “The alternative is a $30,000 machine.” Curtiss got the idea while getting his master’s degree in education, with a concentration in exercise science and human performance, at Wichita State University. “We were using this very expensive equipment for balance and cognitive testing on machines that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars,” he said.
FDA approval Eventually Curtiss hit on the idea of using motion sensors in common smartphones. Although the technology worked, he said he wanted people to know this was a genuine medical application and not just an app like “Angry Birds.” For that, Sway would need the approval of the Food and Drug Administration. Curtiss submitted the app for approval in May and was able to obtain it less than a month later with minor modifications, chief of which is a calibration feature. “We can validate that the device is working properly before it’s used for a medical decision,” he said. Curtiss said Sway is now the first app to get FDA approval that’s only software and doesn’t require a physical attachment. Although Sway’s big push will be in sports medicine, Curtiss said he hopes to get other fields to use it, such as physical therapy and senior care.
A look at the Sway Balance app, which measures the balance of a battered athlete.
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Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy talks with his players April 5 after the Cowboys’ Orange Blitz football practice at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater. PHOTO BY BRYAN TERRY, THE OKLAHOMAN
For OSU athletics, Twitter has become part of the game plan BY GINA MIZELL Staff Writer gmizell@opubco.com
STILLWATER — Click on Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy’s Twitter account — @CoachGundy — and scan through the past several months of tweets. The following will pop up: • The catchphrases “Pistols Firing!” and “#BeACowboy,” which have become a sort of secret code used to alert the viewing public that a recruit has just committed to OSU. • Congratulations for other Oklahoma State athletics teams — be it the OSU wrestling team’s good showing at nationals or the Cowgirl basketball team’s run to the Sweet 16. • Going back to the summer, you’ll see a day-by-day countdown to the Cowboys’ season opener, complete with a photo of a notable Cowboy who wore the corresponding number. • Answers to multiple fan questions, including the revelation that “Law & Order: SVU” actress Mariska Hargitay is the celebrity he would most like to take a cross-country road trip with.
A ‘nightmare’ Twitter is no longer a shiny new tool or an innovative form of technology. It’s a full-fledged part of our society. And various members of the OSU football program are utilizing and embracing the social media platform, even if Gundy says it’s still a “nightmare” to try to monitor players on the popular site. “It’s the ‘in’ thing to do,” Gundy said. “And they try to do it, and we try to not take it away from them. You try to strong-arm them, and it will backlash on you. We try to manage it the best we can.” This is nothing unique to OSU, as programs across the country have become increasingly savvy on Twitter. LSU coach Les Miles has more than 129,000 followers. Arizona State has launched a “Social Media Command Center” in the athletic department to allow coaches, players and administration to engage with fans. And these same schools are trying to educate their athletes on how to properly conduct themselves in front of, well, anyone with an Internet connection.
As more and more players embrace Twitter and other social media platforms, coach Mike Gundy says trying to monitor his team’s players can be difficult. PHOTO BY BRYAN TERRY, THE OKLAHOMAN
across college football in recent years.
“It’s the ‘in’ thing to do. And they try to do it, and we try to not take it away from them. You try to strong-arm them, and it will backlash on you. We try to manage it the best we can.”
Think before hitting ‘send’ At OSU, players went through a social media training session on the day they reported for fall camp. The gist of the message? Being active is fine. Engaging is fine. But think before hitting “send.” “I’ve had to pull them in and read something they wrote,” defensive coordinator Glenn Spencer said, “and (say), ‘All right, would you like your mom to read this?’ (They say), ‘Well, no not really.’ Well guess what? Her and a thousand other moms maybe have read this. “How about your niece? Or your daughter someday? Would you want her to read this? And they go, ‘No.’ Well, guess what? You just put that out to the world.” The OSU coaches have become more experienced with the platform, too. Every assistant has an account. Some, like running backs coach Jemal Singleton and cornerbacks coach Van Malone, are quite active. Defensive line coach Joe
Bob Clements is a self-proclaimed “excellent retweeter.” Offensive line coach Joe Wickline isn’t a huge fan of any of it. New offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich admits his wife helped him set up his account when he came to OSU and that he’s still a bit “intimidated” by the whole thing. “It’s a necessary thing that we do, and it’s a great resource for us,” Yurcich said. “At the same time, you’ve got to use caution. ... I’m still a little cautious toward hitting that send (button).”
Recruiting The coaches’ primary use for Twitter is recruiting, where private messages can be sent to prospects, and jubilation can be expressed when landing a big commitment. OSU has followed several other schools in using those coded mess-
ages to announce a new pledge, including Texas A&M’s Kevin Sumlin tweeting “YESSIR!”, Texas Tech staffers tweeting “Boooooooom!!!!!” and Miami recruiting coordinator Brennan Carroll tweeting “#WelcomeToTheU.” But Spencer also admits the main reason he got on Twitter in the first place was to monitor his players. He encourages them all to follow him, and vice versa, in hopes that they get a peek into the coach’s life away from practice and meetings. “I want you to kind of know what’s on my mind during the day,” Spencer tells his players. “If I can say something that might lift you up and challenge you, I want you to read that. And it’s the same thing with the recruits.” Of course, there have been some famous Twitter mishaps and missteps
Some avoid Twitter Oklahoma wide receivers coach Jay Norvell’s account publicly tweeted at recruits last year, rather than connecting with them using the direct message feature. Former OSU running back Herschel Sims was reprimanded with a week on the StairMaster for complaining about a lack of playing time following a game in 2011. Heisman winner Johnny Manziel famously bashed College Station last summer. That’s perhaps why some notable Cowboys no longer want to be a part of Twitter. Daytawion Lowe and Josh Stewart said it’s simply too time-consuming. “(People are) throwing different stuff at you, and I don’t need to be involved in all that,” said Stewart, who previously was a consistent tweeter. “Instagram is a cool little site for the fans to see pictures and my everyday life. I think that’s just the perfect amount of social media.” But many others see the benefits — or, at least, the fun — of Twitter. As long as it’s navigated properly. “You don’t have to stay on it all day long, posting and trying to get attention,” running back Jeremy Smith said. “You don’t ask for followers or nothing like that. You might get on and see what people are talking about, but you’ve just got to use it in a smart way. “Don’t bring attention to yourself. Be on it (and) kind of have a little fun. Don’t be (using) cuss words and smart words like that.”
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A SportVu camera, which is used for data tracking during NBA games, is seen March 28 looking onto the court of Oklahoma City’s Chesapeake Energy Arena. PHOTO BY BRYAN TERRY, THE OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE
A NEW ‘VU’
INNOVATIVE CAMERAS CHANGING STATISTICAL ANALYSIS IN THE NBA
BY ANTHONY SLATER Staff Writer aslater@opubco.com
Stat-keeping has long been an intrinsic part of sports. You can scan the Internet today and find box scores from baseball games in the ’40s, basketball scoring records that date back to the ’50s and the numerical history of Super Bowls, which started in the late ’60s. But as with nearly everything, time has produced advancement. And that’s particularly true in the NBA, where arguably the most innovative professional league has taken its most monumental datagathering step during this 2013-14 season. The NBA has experimented with SportVU cameras the past couple of seasons with a number of teams, including the Thunder, installing six of the hightech devices in the catwalks of their arena. The cameras track the movements of the basketball and every player on the court 25 times per second, streamlining that information back to computers that filter through the data and produce useful stats. But starting this year, with the trial run receiving rave reviews from the franchises that used it, the NBA has installed those same cameras in every arena across the league. And now, with every single game under its tracking, the SportVU data has gone public with its compiled data. The results have been nothing but interesting. It can tell you how far Kevin Durant has traveled this season (177.8 miles, seventh most in the NBA), the average court speed of Andre Roberson (4.6 miles per hour, fourth most in the NBA) and the average amount of time Russell Westbrook controls the ball (6.3 minutes per game, 18th most in the NBA). “Some of that stuff is really fun to look at,” Scott Brooks said. “Kevin running (that many) miles already. That’s pretty cool. Never thought that would even be the number.” But beyond the ‘fun to look at’ numbers, the data has provided new statistical categories that can truly help quantify the value of certain players. Kendrick Perkins is one of the league’s best examples. Long criticized for his ineptitude on the offensive end, the best argument for Perkins’ spot in the OKC rotation has been his impact on the defensive side. His ability to lock down opposing bigs in the post, never needing a double-team. His interior defense. With these new SportVU stats, it has been revealed just how good Perkins can be down there. Among NBA players who face at least three shots per game at the rim – which the player tracking defines as a defender within five feet of the basket and within five feet of the offensive player – Perkins holds opponents to 40.2 percent shooting, the third-lowest number in the league. “Now that’s value,” Brooks said. Brooks and the Thunder organization decline to reveal the exact stats in which they utilize the most, considering it a competitive disadvantage if they reveal their formula. But they have long been on the fore-
New York’s Carmelo Anthony shoots against Oklahoma City's Kendrick Perkins during a Feb. 9 game at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Long criticized for his ineptitude on the offensive end, the best argument for Perkins’ spot on the Thunder is the impact on the team’s defense. PHOTO BY NATE BILLINGS, THE OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE
“Some of the things are useful, some of the things are just fun things to read. You have to decipher between the two.” SCOTT BROOKS THUNDER COACH
front of intertwining these advanced numbers into their scouting and decision-making. “I think it’s important,” Brooks said. “We have a good mix. We have to understand the advanced stats and the analytics.” But, Brooks said: “You also have to un-
derstand what’s inside your belly, in your gut, your heart, your determination.” The stuff stats can’t reveal. But it’d be a mistake to ignore a statistical movement that has really shaped the future of the NBA. You just have to sift through the mountain of piling numbers to find the nuggets of telling data.
“Some of the things are useful, some of the things are just fun things to read,” Brooks said. “You have to decipher between the two.” And now more than ever, those who follow, cover, play and coach in the NBA have all the information at their hands. It’s up to them what to do with it.
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THUNDER BREAKDOWN Here’s a look at 10 of the most interesting Thunder-related statistics provided by the SportVU player-tracking data. BY ANTHONY SLATER, STAFF WRITER
75.2
1. Kevin Durant, left, corrals 75.2 percent of the rebounds in which he’s in the vicinity (within 3.5 feet). That’s the highest percentage in the NBA among 20-plus minutes per game players. LeBron James is second at 73.3 percent. Russell Westbrook is ninth at 70.3 percent.
451
2. Reggie Jackson, left, has attempted 451 drives this season (18th), defined as a touch that starts at least 20 feet from the basket and ends up with a shot within at least 10 feet of it. Of the 30 players to have attempted at least 400 drives, Jackson’s 48.4 field goal percentage is 17th-best. Not horrible, but not great.
3.7
3. Andre Roberson, left, travels 3.7 miles per 48 minutes, tying him for 10th most in the league. His averages speed on the court is 4.6 miles per hour. Among players who have appeared in 20 games, that’s the seventh fastest average speed.
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7. Nearly 50 percent of Steven Adams, above, rebounds are contested, meaning an opponent was within 3.5 feet of him when it was gathered. Among players who have appeared in at least 20 games, the 49.8 percent clip is the 10th-best percentage. Nick Collison, above right, is 11th at 49.2 percent.
8.7
8. Russell Westbrook takes 8.7 pull-up shots per game and Kevin Durant takes 8.1, both among the top 10 in that category. But among players who take at least four pull-ups per game, Durant’s 44.4 percent conversion rate is fourth best and Westbrook’s 38.3 percent isn’t in the top 25. Dirk Nowitzki’s 46.8 percent conversion rate is the best.
177.8
9. Kevin Durant has traveled a total of 177.8 miles this season, seventh most in the NBA. Of the six guys ahead of Durant, five have played at least two more games. Portland’s Nicolas Batum (195.7) and Damian Lillard (187.7) are first and second.
6.3
10. Russell Westbrook controls the ball for 6.3 minutes per game, the 15th most in the NBA. Because Westbrook has been limited to a career-low 30.9 minutes per game, that means he has control of the ball for more than 20 percent of the time he is in the game.
ONLINE Find more Oklahoma City Thunder coverage online at NewsOK.com. NEWSOK.COM/SPORTS/THUNDER
388
4. Serge Ibaka, left, has 388 points this season off catchand-shoot opportunities. That’s the most on the Thunder and 18th most in the NBA. Among big men, that is the fifth most. Only Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Love, Chris Bosh and Channing Frye have more points in catch-and-shoot opportunities.
25.7
5. Russell Westbrook, left, creates 25.7 points per 48 minutes on his assists. Among players who have appeared in 20 games, that’s the eighth most in the NBA. The guys ahead of him: Jrue Holiday, John Wall, Ty Lawson, Kendall Marshall, Ricky Rubio, Rajon Rondo and Chris Paul. Paul is first, creating 34.1 per 48 minutes.
40.2
6. Kendrick Perkins, left, allows only 40.2 percent of the shots attempted on him at the rim to be converted. Among players who see at least three of those attempts per game, that’s the third-lowest conversion rate. Defended shots at the rim are defined as a player being within five feet of the basket and five feet of the offensive player.
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Sports The Digital 50 Below are some of the must-follow Twitter accounts for Oklahoma sports fans. Log on to: https://twitter.com/
Recommendations by sports staff
Anthony Slater @anthonyvslater
Johny Hendricks @JohnyHendricks
One half of the primary Thunder coverage team, beat writer Anthony Slater provides thoughtful analysis through podcasts, in-depth blogs, video and daily team coverage.
MMA star and former OSU wrestler. The UFC welterweight champion is a prolific tweeter.
Jim Ross @JRsBBQ Brett Anderson @BAnderson_30 Former Stillwater High standout Brett Anderson. Current Colorado pitcher. Hilarious.
Barry Switzer @barry_switzer Former Sooners coach Barry Switzer really heats up on Twitter during football season. Candid and colorful.
Legendary wrestling announcer tweets plenty about wrestling and his line of BBQ products, but there is also plenty of commentary on his beloved Sooners.
J.D. Runnels @Just_JD38 While plenty of current and former players are either boring or boorish, the former OU fullback is neither. You might not always like what he has to say but he’s constantly thoughtful and thought-provoking.
Bob Barry Jr. @bbjsports Channel 4 sports anchor Bob Barry Jr. Comes across as a fun guy to watch a game with, which he is.
Kevin Durant @KDTrey5 The Thunder's lovable superstar. When he talks — or tweets — people typically listen.
Ben Johnson @BenJohnsonTDP The Tahlequah Daily Press sports editor, Johnson provides informative coverage from Northeast Oklahoma, not just Tahlequah.
Kendrick Perkins @KendrickPerkins Similar to his on-court personality, the Thunder’s starting center can be a bit irritable online. But he's a must follow because you never know what he’s going to say.
Berry Tramel @berrytramel A Twitter stream of content from one of America’s most prolific journalists and veteran columnist at The Oklahoman.
Carson Cunningham @KOCOCarson Channel 5’s sports reporter says “Twitter is my favorite sports bar.” Contributor to The Oklahoman’s #WriteYourOwnHeadline.
Big 12 Conference @big12conference Daily updates from the conference including press releases and weekly league honors.
Chris Lambert @martzmimic Resembles ex-Rams coach Mike Martz. Tweets from avid & informed OU/Thunder fan perspective.
T. Boone Pickens @boonepickens OSU super-booster. Once schooled musician Drake on Twitter. ’Nuff said.
Larry Reece @CowboyVoice OSU announcer. Lots of Cowboy stuff, some from behind the scenes.
Brett McMurphy @McMurphyESPN ESPN college football writer. Oklahoma native is a mustfollow for college football fans.
Michael Swisher @michaelswisher A resident of Kingfisher, Swisher heads up Coachesaid.com and is a valuable resource for small-school sports. He's also humorous and entertaining.
Chuck Carlton @ChuckCarltonDMN Dallas Morning News writer offers an interesting perspective on the Big 12 as a whole, including plenty of OU and OSU material.
Nick Collison @NickCollison4 An Oklahoma City folk hero. He’s the Thunder’s long-time reserve forward who tweets about once a month during the season and more often in the down months. But it's usually funny.
Darnell Mayberry @darnellmayberry— The Oklahoman’s senior Thunder reporter, who has covered the team every season since its arrival in Oklahoma City. The authoritative source on all things Thunder.
Oklahoma City Thunder @OKCThunder The official Twitter account of the city's professional basketball team. Some in-game updates, some pregame video, some cool pictures.
Dean Blevins @deanblevins Ex-OU quarterback/current sports director at KWTV (9). Takes sometimes unique. Beware of reactionary Thunder posts.
Desmond Mason @dmasonart Former Thunder player. Honest basketball talk sprinkled with his art.
Erik Horne @erikhorneok
Oklahoma Sports Express @oksportsexpress Host Van Shea Iven provides footage of numerous games and events each week. Often times he tweets video clips and interviews of high school athletes.
Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association @OSSAAonline The state’s governing body for high school sports often provides links to playoff brackets and live streaming of events.
(Shamless plug alert) NewsOK Sports web editor, blogging daily on sports in Oklahoma and around the country.
Cale Gundy @OU_CoachGundy
Gabe Ikard @GabeIkard
Running backs coach Cale Gundy isn’t lacking in confidence, as evidenced by his not-so-subtle tweet about Nick Saban following the 10-second proposal’s defeat.
The former Oklahoma center confessed his role in Pastagate on Twitter, and usually provides funny — and often refreshing — commentary on the sports world.
Bob Stoops @OU_CoachStoops
George Schroeder @georgeschroeder USA Today college sports writer, President of The Oklahoman Sports Alumni Assoc., Norman resident.
The official Twitter account of the OU coach. His most valuable tweets are after he receives a commitment. He can’t publicly say any of their names, but he has taken to saying “BOOM” followed by the prospect's area code.
OU Compliance Department @OUCompliance Glenn Spencer @GlennSpencer OSU defensive coordinator Glenn Spencer often tweets pictures of motivational passages given to his players. If you need to get fired up, a boost in your day, Spencer is there to provide it.
OU’s official compliance department Twitter delivers entertaining and informative takes that relate to NCAA compliance.
OU equipments staff @ouequipment University of Oklahoma athletics equipment staff. Fun behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to outfit a Division-I athletics program.
Guthrie Athletics @GuthrieSports One of the better accounts dedicated to a sports community. You can often find any news about the Bluejays, videos and more here.
Doug Gottlieb @gottliebshow Former OSU point guard-turned college basketball analyst/ radio host, Doug Gottlieb speaks his mind and interacts with followers daily.
Jake Trotter @jaketrotter ESPN Big 12 blogger, VP of The Oklahoman Sports Alumni Assoc., fantasy sports devotee. Reactionary Thunder posts.
Jeffrey Carroll @JeffCarroll30 Carroll redshirted as an OSU freshman this season, but drew raves as a perimeter shooter. And he fires away on Twitter, too.
Kyle Porter @pistolsfiring An informed OSU fan’s perspective – loaded with “Daily Bullets” and sprinkled with humor.
Steven Adams @RealStevenAdams The Thunder’s quirky rookie. He's big and goofy New Zealander, with a dry sense of humor that surfaces on the Interwebs.
Rickie Fowler @RickieFowlerPGA PGA golfer. Former OSU golfer. Inside look at life on the PGA Tour from one of its most popular superstars.
Royce Young @royceyoung The man behind DailyThunder.com, go-to fan’s perspective. Nudge for midnight airport trips to meet OKC’s NBA team.
Trent Ratterree @trent_ratterree Jenni Carlson @jennicarlson_ok The Oklahoman columnist is great on game day and interacts with fans during live game coverage on a regular basis.
The former walk-on OU tight end who eventually earned a scholarship is thoughtful and provocative on a wide range of issues— Sports, politics and otherwise.
Jim Abbott @jimabbott33
Vanity Perkins @VanityHearts5
Small-college insight from Oklahoma City University A.D. Helpful to those trying to break into the biz.
Kendrick Perkins’ wife. Because you just never know what she might say. She took OKC radio personality Jim Traber to task weeks ago for criticism of her husband.
Jimmie Tramel @jimmietramel
Wes Welker @WesWelker
The Tulsa World OSU football writer offers excellent insight with a light take on sports anyone can appreciate.
Former Heritage Hall standout. Current Denver receiver. Often funny. Almost always interesting.
John Helsley @jjhelsley
Michael Cobbins @YoungCobbo20
Oklahoma State writer for The Oklahoman has extensive knowledge of the going-ons in Stillwater throughout the year.
OSU basketball big man Cobbins is very active and has a lot of fun, while adding some faith to his daily messages.
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THE OKLAHOMAN
GAME PLAN The goal of The Oklahoman sports department is to use the latest and greatest in technology to keep our readers informed and entertained. From live articles on NewsOK.com to live Google Hangouts, we try to engage readers when and where it works for them — be it their mobile device, computer or tablet. Here is a look at some of the things we’ve been working on.
Live articles Live articles have become a staple of event coverage for The Oklahoman’s staff. As our crew covers games, press conferences or breaking news, we aggregate live updates via Twitter and live chats. The updates are funneled in real time into an article online at NewsOK.com that can be viewed on the mobile or full sites. There are pictures via Instagram and TwitPic; videos from our videographers and Vine; and of course live updates as the news happens.
Live chats The sports department at The Oklahoman has been doing Power Lunch live chats for several years now. Each weekday throughout the year, our experts answer readers’ questions from 11 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on NewsOK. Think Berry Tramel’s latest column was way off base? Log on and let him know. Have a question about Trevor Knight’s latest game as OU’s quarterback? Log on and ask one of our OU beat writers.
Varsity stats Varsity Stats, NewsOK.com's high school statistics database that debuted in September 2013, is revolutionizing fans' access to football and basketball stats. The site is optimized for smart phone and tablet use, though it remains easy to use on a desktop computer. During football season, the site allows coaches to input scores and statistics immediately after the game, and for our staff writers to update scores throughout the night, making the information immediately available. As it did before, the site still allows for coaches to update cumulative statistics for the current season in football and basketball, but it also connects the present to the past. Past statistics and team records entered by coaches are available for view in the searchable database, showing year-by-year performances and cumulative career totals dating back to 2003. The Oklahoman staff will continue to work to add football results from our archives, which date back to the 1950s and beyond.
Google hangouts Are you a big-time college football fan? Football Friday is for you. Are you an avid Thunder fan? Thunder Thursday is for you. Each Friday during football season, our college football coverage staff holds a live Google Hangout to discuss the upcoming games for Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. The Hangout is essentially a live broadcast of our team breaking down the game. Similarly, each Thursday during the Thunder’s season, our beat writers, a columnist and our sports editor break down what’s happened and what’s ahead for Oklahoma City. As these live broadcasts take place, there is also a live chat running concurrently where you can ask our crew questions they’ll answer on the live broadcast. Football Fridays are at 11 a.m. in the fall, and Thunder Thursdays are at 2 p.m. during the Thunder’s season.
Video What would a good website be without good video? We have some of the best sports videographers in the business and we have the experts to provide great analysis of games and other newsworthy events. We strive to provide video highlights, analysis and features off every event we cover.
Scan the QR code to watch videos on NewsOK.com.
Below: A screen capture from NewsOK.com shows Berry Tramel and Jenni Carlson, of The Oklahoman’s sports department, in a video.
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Security firms watch social media for feisty fans BY LUKE MEREDITH Associated Press
As Minnesota Vikings fans were getting ready for the final game at the Metrodome last December, officials at Whelan Security noticed social media chatter suggesting some of the faithful might rush the field and try to steal a piece of history. So the firm that provides security for the Vikings boosted the number of guards present that day to maintain calm during the team’s 14-13 win against Detroit. They checked online chatter in part because there was a precedent for chaos: When the team had its final game in Metropolitan Stadium in 1981, fans rushed the field and nabbed anything and everything that wasn’t bolted down. “It allowed us to have an idea of what was going on in the mindset of the people in the building so we could counteract that,” said Jeff Spoerndle, Whelan’s director of special services. Turns out Big Brother is watching what fans are doing before they ever even scan a ticket to get inside a game. Security firms tasked with monitoring fan behavior to stop them from rushing the court, threatening a coach or player, or getting rowdy during a big game are increasingly turning to social media as a predictor of whether fans will get feisty.
Closer to home Dan Mahoney, VP of communications and community relations for the Thunder, told The Oklahoman they do monitor social media, and if they ever saw worrisome messages they would inform their security staff. However, Mahoney added that they haven’t had an issue like the one that happened in Minnesota.
Keeping players safe The firms are taking their lead from police, who’ve long used Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other sites to monitor chatter that could tip them off to potential criminal activity in their communities. A few weeks ago, when the
Thunder fans cheer May 5 during an NBA game at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City. Thunder officials say they monitor social media for signs of security threats. PHOTO BY SARAH PHIPPS, THE OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE
NCAA tournament was in full swing, companies hired to provide security at venues from Spokane, Wash., to Orlando, Fla., have an added option in watching for fans who might take things too far. As the popularity of sites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram continues to grow, apparently so has their use by those protecting college and pro sporting events. None of the security companies that worked the second and third-round sites for the NCAA tournament would discuss specific protocols with The Associated Press or disclose specifically what they’re looking for, saying it would defeat their efforts to keep the tournament safe. But Mark Williams, the security manager for the NCAA tournament host Spokane Arena, did acknowledge that monitoring social media is a common prac-
tice in the industry. “What it does for us is that it gives us a heads up. It’s not our first line of defense and we don’t fall back on it. It’s information that helps us in our planning and in our preparation,” said David Yorio, managing director of New Yorkbased Citadel Security Agency.
On the court, field Court security has been an issue for college basketball all season. A student was accused of spitting on two Oregon staff members, fans charged the court during an altercation after a game between New Mexico State and Utah Valley, and a fan sprinted onto the court at UC Santa Barbara to confront the Hawaii coach before dashing back into the stands. Some police departments and security firms have used social media as a way to control inci-
dents popping up during games, too. Toronto police have long been proactive in the use of social media, and the department uses its official Twitter account to both monitor and listen to sports fans. Constable and social media officer Scott Mills noted that social media also can instantly affect fan behavior. While staffing a Toronto FC game, he noticed that the soccer team’s supporters were throwing debris on the field specifically to get the attention of an attractive woman whose job included running out to clean up the mess. Mills called out the fans on Twitter, and they soon stopped. “For the police and the security firm, if you have a communications strategy, using social media ... you can get your message out for orderly conduct or for in the event of an emergency, to actually communicate with the
fans,” he said. Citadel, which handles promotional events for the NFL, NHL and Major League Soccer, considers social media an indispensable tool. Yorio said that Citadel will first look through the followers of a player or team on Twitter and Instagram and monitor hashtags and other communication for either a potential or a direct threat. If anything suspicious pops up, Citadel will do a background check and see if they had applied for a media credential or bought a ticket. Citadel will then alert staffers on the ground to be aware of what they found. “It’s just mind-blowing that you can, in a 10- or 15-minute search, follow some hashtags, you follow a trail and you can uncover all kinds of information,” Yorio said.
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MAKING A STATEMENT FIRST PLACE
Nate Gomez, 35, from Oklahoma City Photo taken in downtown Oklahoma City “Last December, Oklahoma lost an amazing photographer Abigail Smith. I never got to tell her how much her photos inspired me and gave me the courage to begin sharing mine.”
@nategomez
Editor’s note: In our second annual Outlook photography contest, we asked the Oklahoma City photography community to send us a photo that represents themselves and Oklahoma. Thanks to Ellen Degeneres, the famous Academy Awards Twittercrashing tweet and the national trend, we just had to use selfies this year. Submissions came through Twitter, Instagram and Facebook with the hashtag of #OKCSelfie, and on our NewsOK.com/ OKCSelfie page. Bedford Camera and Video gave a Sony DSLR Camera Package as a grand prize. Four other finalists will receive a $250 gift certificate to Bedford. The #OKCSelfie contest is part of our annual Outlook section. Last year, we received 122 entries that showed #OKC20yearslater. This year, we received 300 entries. Thank you to everyone who participated. Here are the grand prize winner and four runners-up.
RUNNERS-UP You can see the top 10 entries online at the Outlook website, NewsOK.com/outlook.
@ss_nowplaying
@darrenisreal
Sarah Simer, 37, from Oklahoma City Photo taken in “My Backyard”
Darren Johnson, 39, from Oklahoma City Photo taken at home
“The weather is what comes to my mind when I think of Oklahoma City. It seems like Mother Nature is always trying to rid this place of humans, but we're still here 125 years later building this city. The day I took this photo, the wind was gusting to 33 mph. I call this photo ‘A.B.H.D. (Another Bad Hair Day).’”
“The selfie was inspired by the first beard trim in over 5 months. As with most every part of my life I document most of it through photography so I was doing a before-and-after photo. The photo is the after the beard trim merged with one of my favorite skylines in downtown Oklahoma City in a double exposure feel.”
@le_ciudad
@grandlifephoto
Bo Apitz, 27, from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Photo taken at NW 9 Street in Oklahoma City
Jason Pierce, 36, from Oklahoma City Photo taken in front of the Devon Tower
“Traditionally I tend to keep my photos underexposed with bright colours and since it was OKC themed I was inspired to use a ‘stylized bokeh cutout’ that I made. I have several different ones that I rarely use but I call it bOKeh, hence they all are Okie themed.”
“I shoot skylines of OKC. The Devon Energy Center is the most prominent and visible part of our skyline and it is one of my favorite buildings to photograph. It was an easy decision to make it a part of my selfie. Figuring out how to incorporate this amazing feature of OKC in the shot was so much fun.”
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How well do you know Oklahoma? “OKLAHOMA — THEN AND NOW” by Patrick Jordan (Ponca City) ACROSS 1. ___ of the Unknown Soldier 5. Buddy, in Barcelona 10. Pawhuska's county 15. Flat-topped plateau 19. One of Donald Duck's nephews 20. Plastic wrap brand 21. Distribute by portion 22. Former spouses 23. ___ Square USA (former OKC attraction) 25. OKC turnpike 27. Hockey rink surface 28. Rainbow shapes 29. Like a pretzel's taste 31. Takes a breather 32. River that forms Oklahoma's southern border 33. Animal-based OKC or Tulsa attraction 34. Pig farm dwellings 35. Prepares peanuts or coffee beans 37. Name for 12 Popes 38. "Gone With the Wind" plantation 39. Taxpayer's dread 40. Mountain climber Sir ___ Hillary 43. Current Oklahoma governor (2 wds.) 45. Headgear for an OKC RedHawk 48. Carry along 49. Actor Mineo of "Exodus" 50. 1997 title role for Peter Fonda 51. Seat of Woods County 52. White ___ (Oklahoma's state fish) 53. Hometown of the Cowboys 57. Chisholm ___ (historic path partly located in Oklahoma) 58. Army rank above Corp. 59. Jay Leno's prominent feature 60. "That's so exciting!" (2 wds.) 61. Wooden planks 62. Birthing process 64. Forest plants 65. Oklahoma's Caddo or Choctaw, e.g.
NEED A HINT?
66 Gushed, as lava 68. ___ Dane (canine breed) 69. Material for Frosty's eyes 70. Big ___ (fast-food choice) 73. Parking ___ (item first installed in OKC) 74. Wichita range peak near Lawton (2 wds.) 76. Oklahoma State Capitol topper completed in 2002 77. ___-Missouria (Oklahoma 65-Across) 78. Golfer's warning shout 79. Raw mineral 80. The Red ___ (Snoopy's imaginary foe) 81. Word before "whiz" 82. Former Sallisaw racetrack ___ Downs (2 wds.) 86. Most achy 87. Butcher's offerings 88. ___ and cranny 89. Champagne bottle stopper 90. "Anchors ___!" ("Let's begin this boat trip!") 92. Edinburgh residents 93. Duncan native ___ Howard who played Opie 94. OSU's Gallagher-___ Arena 97. Flying saucer occupant 98. "This is ___ of the Emergency Broadcast System ..." (2 wds.) 99. Lavish party 100. Space station brought down in 2001 101. Oklahoma military outpost established in 1824 (2 wds.) 104. State residents also called Sooners 107. Throat-clearing sound 108. Macy's competitor 109. Walt Disney’s Mickey 110. Frozen waffle from Kellogg's 111. Seldom seen 112. Traditional dwelling displayed at Bartlesville's Woolaroc 113. Drive too fast 114. Gas in many Las Vegas signs
DOWN 1. Belonging to those folks 2. Sixteenth of a pound 3. Doled (out)
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4. "See ya later!" 5. Comparable to a peacock, proverbially speaking (2 wds.) 6. Former Philippine leader Ferdinand 7. Colored eye part 8. Filling station purchase 9. Reviewer's rating for a bad movie (2 wds.) 10. "Cluster" on some military ribbons (2 wds.) 11. Narrow cuts 12. Friendly nation 13. Republicans' org. 14. Greek vowel 15. Slightest 16. Barely survive 17. Religious factions 18. Poses a question to 24. Demolishing completely 26. "The Polar Express" vehicle 30. Allowing for breezes to blow through 34. Division in a stable 35. Twelve-inch measurer 36. "Garfield" dog
37. Jokes based on wordplay 39. Bowling lane 40. Slips back, as the tide 41. Knock-down, ___-out fight 42. Oklahoma's state floral emblem 43. Street or squeeze preceder 44. Cars, briefly 45. Site of a Will Rogers Memorial Museum 46. Ardent, as a collector 47. Chums 49. Swirl a spoon in 51. United ___ Emirates 53. Wearing footwear 54. Sophia of the silver screen 55. Oklahoma's largest cash crop 56. Assists feloniously 57. Work very hard 59. Trucker who says "10-4, good buddy" 61. Badly behaved child
63. "Just ___ bit" ("Not much": 2 wds.) 64. More loyal 65. Canvas bag 66. Los Angeles pollution problem 67. Baseballer Rose, aka "Charlie Hustle" 68. Vice-presidential family of the 1990s 69. Vegetable on a cob 71. Bible book after Joel 72. Penny 74. Tongue's locale 75. Culinary creators 76. Dimly lit 78. There are seven eagle feathers on the Oklahoma ___ 80. Asia's largest island 82. Human ___ (person) 83. It produces fragrance when burned 84. Yells directed at poor performers 85. Undersides 86. Offered reassurance to
87. Brief request for a get-together (2 wds.) 89. Line created by folding 90. Hawaiian greeting 91. Electrician, at times 92. Retail business 94. Mirror's reflection 95. Five-in-a-row game 96. Criminal firesetting 97. From a long distance away 98. At the next opportunity (abbr.) 99. Chimney vent 102. Occupational suffix for art or novel 103. Nectar collector 105. Keystone ___ (silly policeman of silent films) 106. All of America's presidents, thus far
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Maybe these photos will jog your memory. Then check your answers on Page 22S.
NOTICE TO FREELANCE WRITERS, DON GAMMILL PHOTOGRAPHERS AND VIDEOGRAPHERS:
MR. KNOW IT
The Oklahoman, in partnership with Ebyline, is seeking YOU! He’s serious. He’sTofun. in your community. signHe’s up, visit Ebyline.com
http://blog.newsok.com/knowit/
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A crowd walks past the booth of artist Ty A. Kelly during the annual Plaza District Festival on Sept. 28 in Oklahoma City.
Q&A: CAYLA LEWIS
Q. HOW IS SOCIAL/NEW MEDIA REDEFINING THE OKC METRO? A. Relationships. I moved from Norman to OKC about a year ago and was not really settled in OKC besides my job. Being active in the social media world, especially Twitter, has allowed me to make and keep a lot of new friends here. While still in Norman, I could interact with people I vaguely knew or wanted to get to know and then spend my time in OKC with these new friends in person. It’s funny, sometimes you’ll talk to someone and maybe they mention a person you're not familiar with, their response — “Oh, they're @soandso on Twitter!” And suddenly a connection is made. Honestly, I have made a lot of new friends, thanks solely to social media. Interpersonal relationships are created and made stronger through social media, but I think businesses and organizations that are active on social media and actively involved in their following can gain a lot of trust, and therefore a lot more business or growth of their organization. The more you know, the more you can participate in. Just today, someone asked about a local nonprofit because they’ve seen their information floating around the social media world, and now they want to be involved in the organization. It works!
Q. DO YOU SEE BENEFITS IN BUSINESSES AND OTHERS WORKING TOGETHER TO LEVERAGE SOCIAL MEDIA TO PROMOTE THE PLAZA DISTRICT? A. Definitely. Cross-promoting, crosspromoting, cross-promoting. It always warms my heart when I see other businesses retweeting other Plaza businesses or cross-promoting with their own, and our little Plaza family tends to be really good about this. For instance, celebrating brunch at The Mule means someone likely will also walk across the street into their shop if they’re already here. Help get someone to the area and
they will likely become a patron of your business as well. The Plaza District does a lot of extra promotion for LIVE on the Plaza and Plaza Sunday as well and can often see businesses promoting these events rather than just us. It’s really helpful if we have some kind of online promotion or hashtag and a business owner can jump on board with that and help promote as well. Our #PiDayonthePlaza in March was one of our more successful LIVEs, likely because everyone was more involved and active, sharing in our promotional efforts.
Q. WHAT’S YOUR ADVICE REGARDING HOW BUSINESSES CAN INTEGRATE THEIR SOCIAL MEDIA EFFORTS WITH THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD/DISTRICT EFFORTS? A. Most importantly, I think you have to be involved first. If you’re just scheduling tweets and Facebook posts and not actually being interactive and involved, then you miss out on a lot of what’s going on. Simply by knowing what the Plaza District and the surrounding communities are doing, you’re a lot more likely to share in the efforts. Actively trying to be involved also gives you the chance to retweet that post or share on Facebook and help another business or the Plaza's efforts grow. Q. WHAT ARE PRIMARY GOALS OF THE PLAZA DISTRICT’S SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY? A. 1. Bring more business to the district. We want the businesses here to thrive and to be able to sustain themselves. They are, after all, what make us who we are. Promote events like LIVE on the Plaza and Plaza Sunday that bring a bigger crowd to the district. Promote sales or new items that show that there is a reason to keep coming back. 2. Show the Plaza District’s unique personality. SEE LEWIS, PAGE 5S
PHOTO BY BRYAN TERRY, THE OKLAHOMAN
WHO TO FOLLOW Can’t miss Twitter accounts, courtesy of Cayla Lewis of the Plaza District:
Media strategy benefits OKC’s Plaza District Cayla Lewis coordinates social and new media strategies for Oklahoma City’s Plaza District. She fielded some questions from The Oklahoman about how she’s leveraging the changing media landscape to promote the Plaza District and surrounding neighborhoods.
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@stevelackmeyer: “The ins and outs of all things OKC” @ovac: “Artist opportunities and support” @FowlerVW: “District sponsor but also really involved in several aspects of the community” @fowwow: “Will always keep you up to date on arts and music news”
PHOTO BY BRYAN TERRY, THE OKLAHOMAN
... and any of Greg Elwell’s accounts: @PleaseStopGreg: “Funniest person on Twitter” @ElwellEats: “Food food food”
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Lewis From left, Kate McCoy, Sutton Fraley, Asher Watson and Carly Farnell try their hand at belly dancing with dancers from Aalim Bellydance Academy during the annual Plaza District Festival Sept. 28 in Oklahoma City.
FROM PAGE 4S
We can all be a little weird here in the Plaza District, but that makes us who we are, and gosh darnit, people like us! We have artists, performers, actors, chefs, entrepreneurs, and even a lawyer who does Burlesque ... why would we not want to show that off? Customers and patrons can find something special and unique in every square inch of this district. 3. Improve the community around us. If we can help Positively Paseo’s cause or Regional Food Bank or Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition, just by sharing their tweets and information, then we should. These are groups not only helping the Plaza District but also all around OKC. We want the area around us to improve because that will, in turn, help us improve. One of the main goals of our social media strategy is to shine a light on the progress of the district, community, and our great city and state!
Q. WHAT SOCIAL MEDIA AND NEW MEDIA SITES PERFORM BEST FOR YOU? WHY ARE THESE WORKING WELL FOR YOU? A. We love love love Twitter here. It’s easy to use and several of our businesses are very active. Twitter is also a great place for us to connect with stakeholders and other nonprofits working towards the same goals. Most importantly, it gives us a chance to really connect with people that frequent the district or our patron support program, Friends of the Plaza, on a more personal basis. We’ve
PHOTO BY BRYAN TERRY, THE OKLAHOMAN
been able to determine where our crowd is in each sector of social media and base our strategies on that. Facebook really works for a broader and more serious audience while Twitter lets us let loose a little ... and show our weirdness occasionally. We’ve also taken to Pinterest to share new ideas for the district. We’ve found a lot of people create blogs and lists of things that are happening around OKC and this is a really good place to find those and share them. Instagram is always fun, especially for LIVE nights or when we happen to be munching on a really good grilled cheese.
Q. WHAT TACTICS WORK BEST TO ENGAGE POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS AND BUILD INTEREST IN THE BUSINESSES AND SERVICES AVAILABLE IN THE PLAZA DISTRICT?
A. We have used a crowdsourcing website called Popularise to encourage and initiate responses on what people in the community would like to see in the Plaza. This website really empowers people to be involved and show what they want to see in the community. From our first huge push of Popularise, Empire Slice House was created and is now a flourishing business here in the Plaza. Like I mentioned before, I think the best thing we could do to build interest around here is to highlight the personality of the district. I have begun creating a monthly newsletter with featured artists from around the district or Lyric shows, new businesses, volunteers of the month and much more. The newsletter has really given us an opportunity to showcase individuals that really create the culture of the district in a more in-depth way that isn't always possible on social media. Highlight the weird. The interesting. The new. The special.
We’ve got all of that, so why not show it off?!
Q. HOW DO YOU MEASURE SUCCESS? A. This is a good question. I’d say we could measure success by the number of people coming to events in the district but I think the most important thing is how well the businesses are doing. If we get 3,500 people to the district for LIVE, but sales don’t go up for the businesses ... then have we really done a good job? Helping the businesses and the neighborhood surrounding us thrive is really what our goal is, so if property value is going up in Classen Ten Penn or Collected Thread made record sales that month, I’d call that a success. If we can help a brand-new business sustain itself and bring light to a blighted community, then we’ve done a great job. It's always fun reading posts from people who haven’t been to the district in awhile, they’re al-
ways so surprised and proud of the progress that has been made here in the last five years or so.
Q. WHAT’S THE FUTURE OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN FURTHERING THE GOAL OF PROMOTING THE PLAZA DISTRICT? A. Figure out (and keep up with) Facebook’s ever-changing algorithms? We have tried to expand our reach on a majority of the social media outlets such as Google+ and Pinterest but you just come to realize what works for you and what doesn’t. I’d love to have a really successful Twitter or Facebook campaign, honestly. I love what Koch Communications has done with their #Hashouts and would love to get the same response and interaction with a promotion effort for LIVE or Plaza Sunday. WILLIAM CRUM, STAFF WRITER
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ENTER WAYNE’S WORLD ON SOCIAL MEDIA
The Flaming Lips’ Wayne Coyne rolls down the street in a giant inflatable ball Oct. 24, 2009, during a Halloween parade in Oklahoma City. PHOTO BY BRYAN TERRY, THE OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE
THE FLAMING LIPS FRONTMAN’S ONLINE PRESENCE IS FANTASTICAL VIEW OF MUSIC, ART IN OKLAHOMA Nathan Poppe npoppe@ opubco.com
ENTERTAINMENT WRITER
Wayne won’t post pics of naked women. That’s Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne’s Instagram handle and social media mission statement of sorts. Coyne’s Instagram account was deleted twice this year after he brazenly broke the photo sharing service’s terms of service. I’ll let you guess why. He has since created a new account and continues to offer a glimpse into a world that doesn’t operate with quite as many rules and limitations as the average Instagram user. It doesn’t take more than a few minutes of staring at Coyne’s Instagram and Twitter feed to get a feel for his thoughts and interests. It’s a stream of consciousness of all things weird. Coyne turns his lens to surprise recording sessions with Miley Cyrus, painting exhibits where his friends turn willing participants into human canvases and chocolate skull after chocolate skull. I’ve heard fans and foes alike say Coyne has taken a dramatic turn for the strange. But honestly, it’s not any weirder than the imagery Coyne and co. made in the ’90s. In the music video for “She Don’t Use Jelly,” the band meanders through fields with balloons and a women eats tangerines in a bathtub. In “Everyone Wants To Live Forever,” a shirtless, oddly musclebound man helps Coyne sing backing vocals while extras roll on the floor in fake blood. That actually sounds more freaky than hanging out with Cyrus. If you see something trippy, visually arresting or teetering on the edge of taste, then I’d remind you that it’s only a brief glimpse into the vast mythology that surrounds the Flaming Lips. Coyne has been at the forefront of making things just because he can for his entire life. That logic hasn’t changed a bit. Sit down and watch Bradley Beasley’s intimate “The Fearless Freaks” documentary. The film is excellent, and also a reminder that Coyne’s mindset has always been geared toward shaking things up. His tastes haven’t changed nearly as much as the way information is shared and the amount of technology we have at our disposal today. You should unfollow Coyne on all social media platforms if you don’t want to see something out of the ordinary, because he’s showing no signs of stopping.
Left: Wayne Coyne is shown backstage Oct. 26 at the Zoo Ampitheater in Oklahoma City. PHOTO PROVIDED
Below: Coyne performs July 12, 2008, at the VH1 Rock Honors The Who in Los Angeles. AP PHOTO
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ACM@UCO hosted a master class with Ben Lovett and Ted Dwane of Mumford & Sons at Byron Berline’s Music Hall in Guthrie on Sept. 6. Pictured from left to right are Ben Lovett and Ted Dwane of Mumford and Sons with Scott Booker, CEO of ACM@UCO. PHOTO PROVIDED
ACM@UCO uses social media to brand themselves, stay informed BY NATHAN POPPE Entertainment Writer npoppe@opubco.com
Market yourself before someone else markets you. That’s the sort of social media advice ACM@UCO passes along to its students during the school’s freelance advice class. ACM@UCO Chief Executive Officer Scott Booker discussed how difficult it would be to have a class only about social media. “Right now it’s Instagram,” Booker said. “Actually that’s probably yesterday’s news — I’m just getting to it. The year before it was Twitter. These things change so quickly.” Liz Johnson, director of public relations and marketing at ACM@UCO,
said the school has embraced Facebook, Instagram and Twitter in an effort to reach out to students at the music-based university. She said the school keeps to just a handful of platforms in order to not confuse people. Facebook is the preferred form of communication for students. “We do a lot of communication not only to our Facebook fans but we also use it as a communication method for our students because a lot of them follow Facebook probably more than any other platform,” she said, adding at least more than they do their email accounts. Facebook is also used to help push news releases for ACM@UCO events such as the ACM@UCO
Rocks Bricktown festival or master classes with artists such as Jackson Browne, Ben Folds and Mumford & Sons. ACM@UCO Business Development Center Manager Derek Brown said the greatest benefit of social media at ACM@UCO is when it gets students both excited and informed. He used Moby as an example when the electronic singer/songwriter visited the school for a master class and DJ performance in April. “A good chunk of our students might not know who he is,” Brown said. “But if they see this excitement from other students, it might make them investigate who he is and go, ‘What am I missing here?’ ”
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Scott Booker
“Right now it’s Instagram. Actually that’s probably yesterday’s news — I’m just getting to it. The year before it was Twitter. These things change so quickly.”
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Festival of the Arts visitors line up and eat in the festival’s food court last year.
PHOTO BY DOUG HOKE, THE OKLAHOMAN
ARTS FESTIVAL OFFICIAL HAS
TASTE FOR TECHNOLOGY Brandy McDonnell bmcdonnell@ opubco.com
STAFF WRITER
Every year, Peter Dolese eats his way through the Festival of the Arts. As the executive director of festival organizers for the Arts Council of Oklahoma City, indulging in the event’s well-loved International Food Row isn’t just a pleasure. It’s also business — and part of the social media outreach for downtown’s “rite of spring.” A few years ago, he and his staff launched the “Peter, Peter, Festival Eater” video series to help spread the word about the array of menu items at the popular festival, which began Tuesday. “Every day, I go around and I’ll eat something. But while I’m eating it, I talk to the people who are cooking it. And then I put a little one-minute-long video of it online,” Dolese said. “It doesn’t have to be long; as a matter of fact, 20 or 30 seconds or 50 seconds is all you really need to capture someone ... and it can be a decision-maker on what they do with their day.”
‘Tourist of life’ Since his son Roger was in college when Facebook got started, Dolese was an early adopter of the popular social media site. “I am a tourist of life, essentially, and I enjoy feeling connected,” he said. “The goal, the mission, of the Arts Council of Oklahoma City is to bring the arts and the community together. And I feel like I’m kind of a poster child for that. I just love the whole concept of including people in what I do ... and I get the opportunity because of the position I’m in a lot of times to do some pretty interesting things.” He maintains a personal page and also contributes to the official Arts Council of Oklahoma City page. “When it comes to the Arts Council’s page, there are so many of us on staff that have interesting things they might want to post that we go through the communications director to post them. You don’t want to pepper a page with too much stuff. You want it to be selectively managed so that you’ll get the most impact out of the message,” he said. “With my personal page information, it’s very spontaneous.”
“But if you can just tell the story of one piece of it, then that makes the whole picture more approachable. I think that’s one of the beauties of social media is that it gives you little vignettes of a story that then allow you to embrace the big picture.” Along with official Arts Council of OKC Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts, the nonprofit also maintains a Twitter feed for its Art Moves program, which offers free lunchtime art demonstrations and live music on weekdays. Since the widely varied performances are staged at different downtown venues, Twitter helps fans track the program on a day-to-day basis.
Storytelling tool For big events like the Festival of the Arts and the Opening Night New Year’s Eve celebration, which feature hundreds of performers and entertainment offerings at several different venues, social media can help unpeel the layers, Dolese said. “That’s where social media can be really helpful because you can take just one little piece,” he said. “It can be kind of over-
whelming to an individual to try to look at the whole picture. But if you can just tell the story of one piece of it, then that makes the whole picture more approachable. I think that’s one of the beauties of social media is that it gives you little vignettes of a story that then allow you to embrace the big picture.” Often, the organization begins the storytelling before the event even begins. “People love production aspects. They love the build-up. It’s part of the anticipation. Once again, it’s the little story, like when we’re putting the crane together or we’re hauling the ball out (for Opening Night),” Dolese said. An avid photographer, he said one recent behind-the-scenes setup shot actually may lead to a new attraction at Opening Night. Last year, Dolese took and
Peter Dolese is executive director of festival organizers for the Arts Council of Oklahoma City. PHOTO PROVIDED
posted on Facebook a photo of the CEO of Allied Steel, which provides the crane the giant lighted ball is hoisted on for the New Year’s Eve countdown, and his family peering through the framework of the ball. “People went nuts ... and I came back and said, ‘Wouldn’t it be fun if during the day and during the evening we set up a situation where people could line up and get their picture taken looking through the ball?’ We just think that’s a great idea, so we’re going to work with somebody who can make that happen,” he said. “That wouldn’t have happened if it hadn’t been for social media.”
Influencing decisions Although he was doubtful a few years back when a staffer proposed the “Peter, Peter, Festival Eater” concept, Dolese gamely tried it and has come to embrace the video series. “We had so much fun with it that it’s become kind of a tradition now. I do it every year. Last year, I got a little more high-tech and bought a Go Pro camera and I put it on a monopod which has an extender. So it goes right up over the top (of the food booth’s
cooking area) and then I can turn it one way or another and bring it back ... and it gives you a really nice, clean image,” he said. He edits the clips in iMovie and staffers quickly post them online. The entire process takes less than an hour — so they can get the video out while lunch is still being served. “It’s not just going to the event, it’s getting a man-onthe-street or a woman-on-astreet instantaneous response to a very specific thing. It’s a little story and it’s those little stories that you can completely embrace,” he said. “You might think, ‘Oh, I don’t know if I want to go down there. I’m going to figure out how to park my car and then I’m gonna have to walk in.’ ... But then if you can get one picture of a kid looking with wonder up at somebody who’s getting ready to hand them an ice cream cone, and you see the smile on their face and the sunlight coming in, you think, ‘That is so cool. I can’t wait to get to the festival.’ You forget about everything else and you think of that one connection point. “And that’s the power of social media.”
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“The goal, the mission, of the Arts Council of Oklahoma City is to bring the arts and the community together. And I feel like I’m kind of a poster child for that. I just love the whole concept of including people in what I do ... and I get the opportunity because of the position I’m in a lot of times to do some pretty interesting things.” PETER DOLESE
ON TWITTER Follow Peter Dolese at @PeterDolese and the Arts Council of Oklahoma City at @artscouncilokc ON FACEBOOK Peter Dolese: Peter.Dolese Arts Council: ArtsCouncilOKC Top: Works by artist Josh Cote hang above the crowd at his sculpture booth during the 2013 Festival of the Arts. PHOTO BY STEVE SISNEY, THE OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE
Right: Cindy Le, left, and Tammy Nguyen enjoy gyros during the 2013 Festival of the Arts in downtown Oklahoma City. PHOTO BY PAUL HELLSTERN, THE OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE
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Oklahoma City Philharmonic musicians rehearse in this Sept. 22, 2011, file photo. The philharmonic uses social media to help foster relationships with its fans. PHOTO BY BRYAN TERRY, THE OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE
Technology brings new complications to performances BY BRANDY MCDONNELL Features Writer bmcdonnell@opubco.com
Joel Levine, music director of the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, walks onto the Civic Center stage to conduct the orchestra’s 2013-14 season opener Sept. 28. Chris Stinchcomb, who handles the philharmonic’s official social media accounts, snapped the photo and shared it on Twitter to celebrate the beginning of the OKC Phil’s 25th anniversary season. PHOTO PROVIDED
“Some performance groups are experimenting with the blue zones or the blue sections where it is OK to just do whatever you want. And we’ve talked about it, but we’re not there yet. Everyone’s still kind of beEddie Walker ing respectful of the Oklahoma City Philharmonic performance moexecutive director ment, but at intermission and then after a concert — Classics, Pops, both of them — phones are out. ... And it’s just not the 30-year-olds who are there. It’s 50-year-olds and 60-year-olds.”
From reminding people of the homey elegance of Aaron Copland’s popular “Appalachian Spring” to sharing a mash-up of Vivaldi with the Oscar-winning smash “Let It Go” from the movie “Frozen,” the Oklahoma City Philharmonic is using social media to foster a love of music — and get people to come hear it live. “Ultimately, it really is about bringing people to concerts, because that’s really where the relationship starts.” said Executive Director Eddie Walker. “If someone starts attending even semiregularly, that’s where we can build a relationship. That’s where they can become a volunteer most easily; that’s where they can find their way into the leadership circles that we have. … That’s the best way to build donors, is through people who love to attend your concerts. “So information, yes; affinity, yes; but really, it’s about, ‘Come hear our music.’ That’s where we have to kind of focus everything because it all starts with the music.”
Musical communication The philharmonic maintains active Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts, where Hospitality and Operations Associate Chris Stinchcomb promotes events and engages followers with an array of musical offerings. “We try to have a playful mix of things serious – moments in time, historical, recognizing ‘on this date, such and such …’ – and then some contemporary things that people find interesting, amazing, enlightening or whatever. We try to shake it up and keep it fresh and keep it new,” Walker said. “We try to have a regular presence with people. We try not to be overly aggressive. Clearly, we try to build a personality for the Phil. Right now, we’re really focused on being fun and enjoyable.” The philharmonic also is planning to launch a mobile version of its website for smartphone users. “I don’t know that I’d consider us, the Phil, to be early
adopters of new stuff, but we certainly know it’s important. We have such a wide range of audience, and we are spending a lot of time and a lot of resources to try to diversify that audience. When you do that … you have to diversify the ways that you communicate,” he said. “What we do we try to do well.”
Complicated issues On the philharmonic’s official YouTube channel, patrons will find promotional videos and even a clip of the Philharmonic Pops Chorale singing the national anthem at a Thunder game — but not videos of the orchestra’s concerts. “The YouTube stuff, it’s a very interesting component to our industry, and it gets very complicated because on one hand, you have a very wellestablished mindset in terms of the (intellectual) property. And that involves the composers, that involves the performers, that involves the institutions,” Walker said. “But you’ve almost got our industry talking out of both sides of their head: We respect the intellectual property, but on the other hand, everybody recognizes that if you’re not out there on YouTube, it’s the most valuable advertising, in many ways, that you can have.” While YouTube videos often pop up on the OKC Phil’s Facebook and Twitter pages and music director Joel Levine often uses the site for research, Walker said patrons shouldn’t expect official videos of its concerts to appear anytime soon. But fan videos are a different matter. “We can’t do it at this point. I hope the industry can get there. … I think they’re gonna have to. But at the same time, we know we need to be out there. So if others do it, most people aren’t policing it,” Walker said. “It’s changing so fast. It’s going to be very interesting to see what happens in the next 15, 20 years.”
Online escape With people’s social media experiences so tied into their cellphones, Walker said the philharmonic faces specific challenges, especially when it
comes to its Pops concert like the recent “Music of Queen.” “People were just having a ball, on their feet, rocking out, and naturally people want to start taking their videos. And there’s some moment when the vibe and the crowd crosses over. There are moments where it’s, ‘No, you don’t want anyone recording this right now’ … because it disrupts the mood if somebody is taping. There are those moments at a Queen concert when it’s part of the mood. It’s like, ‘This is what everybody wants right now,’ so when an usher comes up and says, ‘I’m sorry, sir, please put up your camera phone. Please don’t record,’ you’re letting air out the balloon. You’re killing the vibe,” Walker said. “Those people are going to go home and they’re gonna upload it (the video) to their Facebook and to their YouTube and they’re going to say, ‘Oh my God, I just had the best time at the Phil!’ That’s what we want. So the industry knows that, but they’re not that into the new mindset of, ‘How do we all just exhale and agree that this is good for us?’ It’s just where we are. And we as a staff are trying to figure out how do you tell a team of volunteer ushers who are on five levels of the house, ‘It’s OK now. It’s all cool now. Let it happen.’” Although tweeting, texting and taking video during Pops concerts is bothersome to some patrons, it’s hard to discourage it when “Music of Queen” singer Brody Dolyniuk and the Midtown Men take selfies during their OKC shows and then post them from the stage. For the orchestra, the official approach is to post backstage photos before shows and during intermission but not during the actual concerts. “Some performance groups are experimenting with the blue zones or the blue sections where it is OK to just do whatever you want. And we’ve talked about it, but we’re not there yet,” Walker said. “Everyone’s still kind of being respectful of the performance moment, but at intermission and then after a SEE PHILHARMONIC, PAGE 11S
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Philharmonic: Chance for escape is ‘pretty cool’ FROM PAGE 10S
concert — Classics, Pops, both of them — phones are out. ... And it’s just not the 30-year-olds who are there. It’s 50-yearolds and 60-year-olds.” While some orchestras have experimented with high-tech trappings like interactive handheld concert companions and large video screens with live closeups, Walker said most have been rejected by concertgoers. For many music lovers, an afternoon or evening of orchestral music often comes with the side benefit of allowing them to disconnect from their phones, their technology and their worries for a few hours. “I think that’s something that we can still offer communities. Actually, one of the oldest things feels like one of the freshest and most different things in 2014,” Walker said. “One of the great things about most orchestral music is that there’s no narrative. So no one’s telling you, ‘You have to think this’ or ‘you have to feel this.’ So you can escape and you can relax and it’s whatever you need it to be. And that’s pretty cool.”
Philharmonic director Joel Levine leads the orchestra in rehearsal in this Sept. 22, 2011, file photo.
PHOTO BY BRYAN TERRY, THE OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE
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‘THE GOAL OF TECHNOLOGY’ VATICAN CREATES ‘DIGITAL PLATFORM’ FOR HISTORIC DOUBLE CANONIZATION BY JOSEPHINE MCKENNA Associated Press
VATICAN CITY — While millions of pilgrims are expected to attend the Catholic Church’s first-ever double canonization at the end of April, the Vatican is preparing its most ambitious TV and social media campaign for the millions who don't make it to Rome. City officials are expecting more than 5 million people to attend the ceremony when Pope Francis declares his predecessors Pope John Paul II and Pope John XXIII saints today in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday. For the first time, viewers will be able to watch the historic event live in 3-D movie theaters in 20 countries across North and South America and Europe through a deal between Vatican TV and Rupert Murdoch's Sky TV network, Sony and other partners. CTV, the Vatican's television unit, will produce the event in 3-D, and it will be screened in more than 600 movie theaters worldwide. Admission will be free. Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, president of the Pontifical
Council for Social Communications, said the technology being used offers a “great opportunity for relationship, knowledge, participation, an opportunity to live history.” But the Vatican’s approach to this major event is more comprehensive than simply TV or 3-D cinema screens as it prepares for an influx of the world’s media and also creates a multifaceted “digital platform” in several languages. A website — 2popesaints.org — is under construction and will be available in five languages, and the Vatican also is setting up Twitter accounts, offering a smartphone app, Facebook page and a YouTube channel. Other social media sites, including Instagram and Storify, also will be used to communicate the event to young people around the world. David Bush, marketing director of Sony Europe, described the TV deal as a “natural evolution” of the company's longstanding partnership with CTV. “Our wish is that it helps to bring the emotion of the event to all of those many millions of
Pope Francis takes a “selfie” with youths Aug. 28 at the Vatican. The Catholic Church continues to embrace digital platforms as it prepares its most ambitious social media campaign yet, ahead of the historic double canonization of Pope John Paul II and Pope John XXIII. AP PHOTO
people and the world who want to physically be there,” he said.
“That is the goal of technology — to try and replicate the experi-
ence of being in St. Peter's Square.”
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‘TWITTER 3-D’ LINKS CHURCH LEADER AND HIS FOLLOWERS Carla Hinton chinton@ opubco.com
RELIGION EDITOR
Most Sundays, the Rev. Scott Williams of Edmond knows where many of his friends, colleagues and even some strangers are attending church around the country. Williams, who also manages a church leadership-consulting firm, sends out his customary greeting via a tweet: “#Fistbump and Good Morning.” In the next tweet he asks his followers to tell him when and where they will worship by tweeting using the #ChurchRollCall hashtag he made popular several years ago. And the tweets start rolling in. The Sunday morning connecting point is one of the ways Twitter helps bring people together — though they may be miles apart, Williams said recently. His approach to the Twittersphere may be one of the reasons he was one of several Oklahomans included in Churchleaders.com’s “Top 100 Christian Leaders to Follow on Twitter.” Williams, 40, was No. 5 on the list. Also in the Top 10 were:
1. Joel Osteen; 2. Rick Warren; 3. T.D. Jakes; 4. Joyce Meyer; 6. Michael Hyatt; 7. Jon Acuff; 8. Terry Storch; 9. Ron Edmondson; and 10. Bill Hybels.
Other Oklahomans included in the list were Storch, who, like Williams, made it into the Top 10. Storch, No. 8, is Digerati Team leader at Edmond-based LifeChurch.tv. Others were the Rev. Craig Groeschel, founder and senior pastor of LifeChurch.tv, No. 33; and Bobby Gruenewald, pastor-innovation leader of LifeChurch.tv, No. 58. Williams said his inclusion may be because he considers himself among the first to adopt Twitter as a way to merge social media and religion. And he said he’s excited to see that it has become so popular and is seen as another way for the faith community to engage with one another. “It’s cool to see that you’re connecting with people and that those are people engaged with what you’re are saying,” Williams said.
‘Twitter 3-D’ He said he operates under what he calls “Twitter 3-D” or the “Three Dimensions of Twitter.” The first dimension is made up of personal tweets in which one shares family life and other tidbits from one’s personal life. “Your personality really pops” in these tweets, Williams said. He said the second dimension is professional. These are tweets that relate to an individual’s workplace and career. “In this way, I’m able to share expertise on a professional level,” Williams said. The third dimension is what Williams called the “thought dimension.” “This is where Twitter and other social media have evolved,” he said. “This is where you basically release the thoughts that are going on in your head and you allow people to get to know who you are, what you do and how you think.”
An information source Williams, a former LifeChurch.tv northwest Oklahoma City campus pastor, said Twitter is now known as an information source, though people said it would never take off as a viable social media platform when it first began. “People said it would never stick, it would never work, but with Twitter, it’s streaming information and you can go and engage with the stream.”
The Rev. Scott Williams is a former campus pastor of a LifeChurch.tv campus. He now manages a church leadershipconsulting firm. PHOTO BY DOUG HOKE, THE OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE
Williams said he offers several reasons pastors and other church leaders should consider joining the Twittersphere: • To be part of a relational community with other pastors, sharing what they are thinking and doing with other spiritual leaders. • To be part of a relational community with their congregation. • To fulfill the Great Commission. “When Jesus said go into all the world and preach the gospel, we can take Him literally — all the world includes the social media world,” Williams said. • To unleash the power of prayer at the “drop of a tweet.” “I know of a real-life miracle of a guy whose heart stopped beating several times. People all around the world were tweeting their prayers and he survived,” Williams said. “The potential reach is just crazy. I just think there’s power in that.” • To reach the lost: “Just sharing daily inspiration, whatever that is, can be very inspirational.”
“It’s cool to see that you’re connecting with people and that those are people engaged with what you’re are saying.”
Top Christian leaders on Twitter Churchleaders.com’s “Top 100 Christian Leaders to Follow on Twitter” was compiled in 2013. At the time, the website stated that the churchleaders.com’s editoral team put the list together using a combination of metrics including Tweetgrader.com, their own personal algorithm and “a little edtorial energy.” “In general, the rating system we used took into account the number of followers, the power of followers and the number of updates — with a little common sense added in for good measure,” the editoral team said in a statement included with the listing.
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Q&A: THE REV. BOBBY GRUENEWALD
Edmond-based LifeChurch.tv uses social media to share, live Gospel BY CARLA HINTON Religion Editor chinton@opubco.com
LifeChurch.tv, the Edmond-based multisite megachurch, has made a name for itself with many technologically savvy approaches to spreading God’s Word. The church, headed by founder and senior pastor the Rev. Craig Groeschel, has been at the forefront of connecting to people through the Internet — from its early forays like the “My Secret” website in 2006 to its phenomonally popular YouVersion Bible app launched in 2008 and its partnership with “The Bible” cable TV series in 2013. In a brief question-and-answer format, Bobby Gruenewald, the church’s pastorinnovation leader, recently shared his thoughts about the church connecting with the people around the community and across the globe through social media. Q. HOW HAS SOCIAL MEDIA CHANGED THE WAY YOU ENGAGE WITH MEMBERS OF YOUR CONGREGATION AND THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE? A. Social media allows us to extend our connection with people beyond the times when they are physically in church. As they post their struggles, victories, and what’s happening in their life, we have more opportunities to come alongside them to pray, celebrate, and get to know them better.
Q. WHEN DID YOU KNOW THAT SOCIAL MEDIA MIGHT BE AN IMPORTANT WAY TO COMMUNICATE WITHIN YOUR CONGREGATION, THE COMMUNITY AND PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD? A. We’ve been leveraging technology to reach people for years, which really ramped up with the launch of Church Online in 2006 and YouVersion in 2007. Those efforts confirmed that technology offers our generation powerful tools to connect people like never before. So when social media sites like Facebook and Twitter became available, we knew our presence there could be a valuable extension of our ministry.
Q. AS A CHURCH LEADER, WHAT ARE THE REWARDS OF USING SOCIAL MEDIA? A. In person, sometimes people are hesitant to be transparent and let us know about the real issues they are dealing with. But oddly enough, with social media, people might be more open and vulnerable than they are face-to-face. We’re granted access to people’s deep and innermost thoughts, and can respond in a loving and compassionate way. Q. IF THERE ARE ANY DRAWBACKS TO USING SOCIAL MEDIA, WHAT ARE THEY AND HOW DO YOU KEEP THEM FROM DERAILING YOUR BEST EFFORTS? A. At LifeChurch.tv, our mission is to lead people to become fully devoted followers of Christ, and social media is one more environment where we can do that — both in our ministries and in our personal presence. But for me and for many others, it’s easy to lose sight of the big picture. If we do a quick audit of our social media timelines, what do we see? Are we complaining about things that don’t really matter? Are we scrolling past genuine cries for help? Are we using it as a broadcast platform and ignoring the relational aspect? Ideally, social media will be a place where we are not only sharing the Gospel, but living the Gospel.
In this archive photo, Bobby Gruenewald, LifeChurch.tv pastor-innovation leader, poses for a picture with an iPhone, one of the many ways in which the Edmond-based megachurch spreads the Gospel through its YouVersion Bible app, Church Online and other social media. PHOTO BY PAUL B. SOUTHERLAND, THE OKLAHOMAN
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OUTLOOK: THE WAY WE LIVE
SUNDAY, APRIL 27, 2014
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Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant shoots against the Heat’s LeBron James on Jan. 29 in Miami, Fla. Comments made about religion by the Thunder’s Durant in a postgame interview led to discussion on the social media platforms Twitter and Facebook. AP PHOTO
KD’S COMMENTS ON GOD SPARK DISCUSSION ONLINE BY CARLA HINTON AND DARNELL MAYBERRY
Support from faith community
Staff Writers
It was the faith declaration heard all around Thunder Nation. In the afterglow of thumping back-to-back NBA champions the Miami Heat on Jan. 29, Oklahoma City Thunder star forward Kevin Durant, during a postgame interview with an ESPN reporter, attributed his remarkable success on the court to the Lord. It wasn’t the first time the hoops star’s Christian faith has drawn interest (remember the Bible in his book bag?), but this time his fervent words drew widespread attention, due, in part, to the reporter’s response and the millions of TV viewers who tuned in to see the Thunder battle the Heat. Here’s the interview conversation that drew extensive interest: ESPN reporter Doris Burke: “What goes into a streak like this to get you to the level that you’ve been at these last 12 games? What goes into that, Kevin?” Durant: “God — that’s all I can say. Jesus Christ.” Burke: (laughter) “OK, thank you — and you didn’t have nothing to do with it?” Durant: “Nothing. It’s all Him.”
A look at some tweets made after the Jan. 29 postgame interview with the Thunder’s Kevin Durant.
Social media abuzz Many Thunder fans took to social media to discuss the interview. Twitter, in particular, was abuzz with tweets on the topic, with some individuals expressing their admiration for the NBA star’s humility and others criticizing Burke for laughing after Durant’s answer. Two days later, Durant was asked what he thought of Burke’s reaction to his declaration. “Nothing at all. Nothing, really. I really have nothing to say,” he said during an interview before the Jan. 31 game against the Brooklyn Nets. “I answered the question. She answered. Her reaction was nothing more than that.”
“Life’s about evolution, and I think I’m growing as a man and growing spiritually, of course. Just figuring things out a little bit more. That’s all it is — just growing as a man and giving credit where it’s due. It’s not about me.” KEVIN DURANT
The superstar attributed his humble response to Burke’s question to his growth as a believer. “Life’s about evolution, and I think I’m growing as a man and growing spiritually, of course,” he said. “Just figuring things out a little bit more. That’s all it is — just growing as a man and giving credit where it’s due. It’s not about me.” Several Oklahoma ministers said Durant’s comments to Burke were encouraging. “I will say that I definitely wasn’t surprised by Kevin Durant’s comments, particularly when he specifically mentioned Jesus Christ,” said the Rev. Scott Williams, an Edmond author and former LifeChurch.tv Northwest Oklahoma City campus pastor. “Anyone who has followed Kevin Durant this season and in previous seasons knows that he’s growing in his relationship with Christ. It’s evident in how he carries himself. You just see that, definitely, God is all over KD.” Williams, 40, who frequently tweets about court action during Thunder games, said he is not aware of any other NBA player of Durant’s caliber who has been as publicly emphatic about his Christian faith as Durant after the Heat game. “I think it was a defining moment,” Williams said. “It’s really cool to see.” Another Thunder fan, the Rev. Cameron Whaley, senior pastor of Canadian Valley Baptist Church in Yukon, said he saw the exchange between Durant and Burke and instantly thought about another athlete, NFL cornerback Richard Sherman. Sherman boasted about his talent and went on a negative rant about one of his opponents during a postgame interview after Sherman’s Seattle Seahawks defeated the San Francisco 49ers for a Super Bowl berth. (Sherman later apologized for his negative comments about one of his opponents and for taking attention away from his team’s victory.)
“I immediately thought about Richard Sherman’s interview, and the difference between the two (Durant’s and Sherman’s) was striking,” Whaley said. “Durant’s statement definitely showed his humility given the atmosphere we see in sports these days. Not to take anything from Richard Sherman, but it definitely contrasts quite significantly to what Kevin said and how he said it. Both are huge moments.” Whaley, 33, said he has given the invocation at three Thunder games over the last three seasons. Like Williams, he said he wasn’t surprised by Durant’s comments. Rather, the star athlete’s remarks seemed to add more credence to his reputation as one of the more humble leaders in the sports world.
Reactions to Burke Whaley said he wasn’t offended by Burke’s response to Durant, though he heard that others were upset. On Jan. 30, ESPN issued a statement from Burke, in which she explained her response to Durant. “He just took me by surprise with his reaction — not because he’s a believer, I’m a believer,” Burke said in her prepared statement. “It was an incredible demonstration of humility in the context of what has been a truly spectacular stretch.” Like Whaley, another Thunder fan, the Rev. Richard Stillwell, senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Walters, said he didn’t think Burke slighted Durant or Christianity in general. “My perception on that was that maybe she was a little surprised by his answer, but she gave him an opportunity to say more. I think people are too critical,” Stillwell said. Stillwell, 45, said he posted some comments about the interview on his Facebook page because he was encouraged by Durant’s faith declaration. “I just think he’s been a tremendous ambassador for Christ.” CONTRIBUTING:
STAFF WRITER MEL BRACHT
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OUTLOOK: THE WAY WE LIVE
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#BLACKTWITTER IN OKLAHOMA “It does not mean it is a separate thing, or that only black people are tweeting about something. What makes it ethnically marked is the use of the language and the topics that are of African American interest.” Meta Carstarphen discusses the phenomenon of Black Twitter in her office at the Gaylord College of Journalism at the University of Oklahoma. PHOTO BY STEVE SISNEY, THE OKLAHOMAN
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ETA CARSTARPHEN, graduate director of the Gaylord College of Journalism & Mass Communication, wants people to know what Black Twitter isn’t. “It does not mean it is a separate thing, or that only black people are tweeting about something,” she said, “What makes it ethnically marked is the use of the language and the topics that are of African American interest.” Carstarphen came to know Black Twitter about the same time academia learned about it. “We talked about it in academic meetings. This has been in academic publications, and on ethnically oriented web sites like The Root.com. Now, she said, students, in-
tellectuals and TV fans (especially the drama, “Scandal”) embrace it. Carstarphen explained the campus origins, “Nationally, African American students at Harvard began a Twitter conversation that explored living in a predominantly white environment and not really having a forum to a talk about black issues. “They created the hashtag (#blackharvard) — from there it mushroomed organically into universities all around the country. Here, at the University of Oklahoma, we have #BBOU.” The Twitter account @trendinalia announced that on Feb 10, the hashtag #BBOU took 12th place in the Top 20 of Oklahoma's Trends. The dis-
cussions can range from anger to pride to social issues. Some examples: @BoNINEfide:I stroll/ party BUT I have a 3.7gpa, PLC alum, graduate in May, Start OUHSC accelerated program in June & I WORK! no excuses to fail #BBOU @daniellee___m: At the end of the day,I'm blessed to be able to attend OU and see everyone trying to get better! When they tell you no, tell them yes! #BBOU @BishopHarry: if you woke up with White skin tomorrow wld your life change? #BBOU “I think people who don’t understand it would mistake it for
something it is not,” Carstarphen said, adding that members in the discussion can be diverse. “What forges it in the twitterverse is the conversation. That is the powerful thing ... .” Carstarphen explained that the conversation features a set of distinctive language patterns that are evident in speech that many African Americans use: for example, the use of irony. Also, there is a community of like-minded people — such as fans of “Scandal,” featuring African-American producer Shonda Rhimes, and AfricanAmerican actress Kerry Washington, who plays a high-powered “fixer” in Washington, DC. On Thursday nights, the black twitterverse literally goes all
atwitter about the show’s rollercoaster plot twists. “ ‘Scandal’ has done amazing things using Twitter,” Carstarphen said. “Part of what (it) has done has been to create these spaces during the show for fans and even some of the stars to talk about it.” You’ll find Black Twitter surrounding this and and other trending topics, and it’s not just blacks talking. Another example leading this kind of discourse are fans of Michael Jackson. “(Black Twitter ) is marked by a focus on a black theme and use of idiom and distinct African-American terms, and that is the phenomenom of Black Twitter — it’s not exclusionary.” YVETTE WALKER, OUTLOOK EDITOR
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Kimberly C. Ellis, @drgoddess on Twitter, tweets Aug. 11 at Freedom Corner in the Hill District of Pittsburgh. Ellis, who has a doctorate in American and Africana Studies, is studying Black Twitter for an upcoming book. AP PHOTOS
BLACK COMMUNITY FLEXES MUSCLE ON AND OFFLINE BY JESSE J. HOLLAND Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Michael Dunn’s conviction of attempted murder — but not actual murder — in the shooting death of black teenager Jordan Davis prompted the creation of hashtag #dangerousblackkids on Twitter. Users posted photos of black babies and toddlers, spoofing the fear that Dunn testified he felt before opening fire on a car full of teens at a convenience store. That was the calling card of Black Twitter, a small corner of the social media giant where an unabashedly black spin on life gets served up 140 characters at a time. Black Twitter holds court on pretty much everything from President Barack Obama to the latest TV reality show antics. But Black Twitter can also turn activist quickly. When it does, things happen — like the cancellation of a book deal for a juror in the George Zimmerman trial, or the demise of Zimmerman’s subsequent attempt to star at celebrity boxing. Catchy hashtags give clues that the tweeting in question is a Black Twitter thing.
Like the lunchroom “It’s kind of like the black table in the lunchroom, sort of, where people with like interests and experiences, and ways of talking and communication, lump together and talk among themselves,” said Tracy Clayton, a blogger and editor at Buzzfeed known on Twitter as @brokeymcpoverty. “Black Twitter brings the fullness of black humanity into the social network and that is why it has become so fascinating,” said Kimberly C. Ellis, who has a doctorate in American and Africana Studies, tweets as @drgoddess and is studying Black Twitter for her upcoming book, “The Bombastic Brilliance of Black Twitter.” According to a Pew Research Center report, despite fewer blacks being on the Internet than whites — 80 percent and 87 percent, respectively — more blacks use Twitter: 22 percent of those blacks who were online used Twitter in 2013, compared with 16 percent of online whites.
‘Plead our own cause’ Meredith Clark, a doctoral candidate at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who is writing her dissertation on Black Twitter, likened it to “Freedom’s Journal,” the first
African-American newspaper in the United States. On that publication’s first front page in 1827, it declared: “We wish to plead our own cause. Too long have others spoken for us.” “If you are from a particularly marginalized community or one where others have spoken for you, but you have not had the agency to really speak for yourself or make your truth known, then it is absolutely necessary that in any instance you can take on that agency that you do so,” said Clark, who tweets from @meredithclark. “And so that is what you see happening in Black Twitter.” Mainstream U.S. media first took serious notice of Black Twitter last year, when it abruptly rose up to scuttle a book deal for a juror in the trial of Zimmerman, who was acquitted of murder in the death of Trayvon Martin. That was the first time that blacks used Twitter “in a very powerful and political way,” said Houston black social media consultant Crystal Washington. Most recently, Black Twitter reared its head through hashtags like #stopthefight, to protest a proposed celebrity boxing match supposedly between Zimmerman and rapper DMX. The pro-
“Black Twitter brings the fullness of black humanity into the social network and that is why it has become so fascinating.” moter quickly canceled after a flood of Twitter complaints. Such death-by-Twitter activism could very well be the harbinger of a new civil rights strategy, Ellis said. She noted that a short amount of time elapsed between the moment Black Twitter noticed the juror’s book deal and the moment it was called off. The same was true of the Zimmerman boxing match. “Ask the NAACP how long it would have taken had that been one of their initiatives,” Ellis said. The NAACP employed the hashtag #TooMuchDoubt for its unsuccessful attempt to halt the execution of Georgia death row inmate Troy Davis, and the hashtag #OscarGrant on tweets about its activism over the police killing of Oscar Grant, whose life was later documented in the movie “Fruitvale Station.” “We realized more than any-
ONLINE What’s being talked about? Scan the QR code to read what’s going on with #BlackTwitter.
one that we had to go in that direction and we’ve done it,” NAACP interim President Lorraine Miller said of the NAACP’s social media use during a recent appearance on C-SPAN’s “Newsmakers” program. Black Twitter arguably had its biggest field day last year with embattled celebrity cook Paula Deen, whose admission that she used racial slurs in the past inspired the #paulasbestdishes hashtag, featuring recipe titles such as “Massa-Roni and Cheese” and “We Shall OverCrumb Cake.” Washington said Black Twitter’s playful take on the Deen controversy may have been a dry run to the Zimmerman juror takedown. “I’m not sure that Twitter users, especially African-Americans, would have zeroed in on the juror’s book deal had it not been for the aftermath of #pau-
lasbestdishes just weeks before,” Washington said.
More than politics Black Twitter is not only political commentary. “Can’t really explain #BlackTwitter other than 2 say, it’s one big barbershop/beautysalon with a mix of church & the black table at HS lunch,” tweeted blogger and actress Reagan Gomez. What’s next for Black Twitter? No one is sure, although Clayton argues that it’s not likely to vanish as soon as mainstream America finds something else to obsess over. “I don’t think we can know what’s next for Black Twitter any more than we can know what’s next for black people,” Clayton said. “We’ll just go with it, roll with it and see what the trends of the day are. It’s a crazy ride and we’re all on it together.”
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#TrendinginOklahoma Ever wonder what people in Oklahoma are tweeting about on any given day at any given time? @trendinaliaOKC will tell you, if you can wait a day. This Twitter account grabs statistics from cities all over the world, and Oklahoma cities are included. They look at how long a trending topic (a name, place name or issue) lasts, and chart it by the length of time it stays trending. Trending means a popular topic or event that is being discussed online. Twitter uses the term but other social media platforms are beginning to borrow it. For example, the stats on this page and the next are
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from Thursday, April 17, and according to @trendinaliaOKC, we know that Peyton Manning remained a trending topic in Oklahoma for 22 hours and 40 minutes across the state. @trendinaliaOKC captured the top 139 topics. We’re showing you the top 18. How does @trendinaliaOKC know this? Through software and algorithms that capture this information. Don’t think about it too much. It will just make your head hurt. — OKLAHOMAN STAFF REPORTS — OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVES PHOTOS
PEYTON MANNING 22 HOURS, 40 MINUTES
4 2
TACO BELL 19 HOURS, FIVE MINUTES
OKLAHOMA 17 HOURS, 45 MINUTES
3 5
TEXAS 18 HOURS, 40 MINUTES
#THUNDERUP 16 HOURS, 35 MINUTES
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MEMPHIS 16 HOURS, 35 MINUTES
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ALSO TRENDING...
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11. EASTER 6 hours, 35 minutes 12. #GabrielGarciaMarquez 3 hours, 55 minutes 13. Tulsa 3 hours, 35 minutes 14. Walmart 3 hours, 25 minutes 15. Throwback Thursday 2 hours, 15 minutes 16. #ScandalFinale 2 hours, 55 minutes 17. #MovieTitlesWithThot 2 hours, 35 minutes 18. Miley Cyrus 2 hours, 30 minutes
STARBUCKS 16 HOURS, 25 MINUTES
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NETFLIX 15 HOURS, 45 MINUTES
9
SCOTT BROOKS 13 HOURS, 45 MINUTES
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STILLWATER 10 HOURS, 10 MINUTES
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MAKING THE MOST OF BIG OPPORTUNITIES BY RICK ROGERS For The Oklahoman
With her petite frame and high-pitched voice, Kristin Chenoweth could easily have fallen prey to typecasting, the entertainment industry’s fallback position for a performer whose outward appearance would seem to suggest limited opportunities. But the Broken Arrow native proved everyone wrong, having landed such far-flung roles as Sally Brown (“You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown”), Fran Kubelik (“Promises, Promises”), Annabeth Schott (“The West Wing”) and Olive Snook (“Pushing Daisies”). Her latest role is yet another departure and is one in which she is heard rather than seen: a poison dart frog named Gabi in Blue Sky Studio’s “Rio 2.” In this 2014 animated feature, Chenoweth joins a star-studded cast that includes Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, Bruno Mars, George Lopez, Andy Garcia, Rita Moreno and Jamie Foxx. When we spoke in early March, Chenoweth talked about looking forward to a long overdue vacation, something the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame inductee rarely has an opportunity to take. There’s always another project scheduled that places demands on her time. In the upcoming months, Chenoweth will present a solo concert at New York’s Carnegie Hall, travel to London for a concert tour, and, if the stars align in just the right fashion, a return to Broadway in a revival of “On the Twentieth Century.” Thanks to social media, her legions of fans can find out where Chenoweth will perform next, which coast she’ll be visiting and whose talk show she’s been invited to appear on. Chenoweth’s postings can regularly be found on Twitter. “I rejected it for a long time,” Chenoweth said about the ever-changing world of social media. “But I’ve come to understand we live in a time where you have to (participate) in order to stay relevant. “For me, Twitter is a way to interact with fans
Oklahoma native Kristin Chenoweth arrives March 2 at the Oscars in Los Angeles. AP PHOTO
“For me, Twitter is a way to interact with fans in a way I wouldn’t ordinarily have a chance to do. ... But social media has haters too. I've learned in this business that you have to take the good with the bad.” in a way I wouldn’t ordinarily have a chance to do. So I do enjoy that aspect of it. But social media has haters too. I've learned in this business that you have to take the good with the bad.” Chenoweth’s much anticipated Carnegie Hall concert, which is scheduled May 3, will trace the evolution of the soprano. The classically trained performer will have a wealth of music from which to choose in this concert that will draw from the musical theater, film and pop music. “I want to revisit how the soprano came to be and from where,” Chenoweth said. “What we think of the soprano today and what that means. I love to take older material and make it relevant for today’s time. There’s still a lot of education left when it comes to that
“Oklahoma — Then and Now” Crossword puzzle answers Puzzle on Page 2S
music.” More recently, Chenoweth conducted a master class for 10 young singers as part of the Broken Arrow Performing Arts Center Foundation. For this March event, Chenoweth worked with performers in finding their unique voice. “I really want the tone to be focused on the right material for young kids,” Chenoweth said prior to the event. “So many times, people try to imitate some singer they like instead of trying to find their own voice. “Proceeds from the master class will go to the foundation, which will raise awareness about the arts in my hometown. It will help kids who want to take voice but may not be able to afford that. This opportunity feels right and it’s how I want to leave my mark.”
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PO Box 96528, OKC OK 73143
or apply online at
oklahomaroofing.com/ or apply in person at
EOE
NEW Salon/Med Spa opening soon in Moore on River Walk
Call Sharon at 255-7306 for appointment.
Seminole State College seeks applications for the following positions
• Administrative Assistant for Vice President for Fiscal Affairs • Maintenance Coordinator
NURSE
Are you looking for a career where you make a meaningful contribution to the lives of others? We are currently seeking both
Roofers
1708 S. Lowry Ave., OKC.
REGISTERED
for an adolescent group home for boys. Experience &/or education is preferred. Please email your resume to deanna.durbin@att.net or fax to 405-310-2027
Get a great full-time job! Good pay, full benefits, 30 days vacation/yr, reg. raises. No exp needed, will train. ages 17-38. Call M-F 800-492-4841
Needs People To: •Set up and operate automatic saws •Operate manual lathes and mills •Debur and hand finish parts •Hand polish metal parts •Ship, Receive and Package •Inventory •Sweep, clean and do miscellaneous jobs Apply between 1-4 PM at 535 SE 82nd.
Salary commensurate with education and experience. Excellent benefits. For a detailed job descriptions, application procedure, visit www.sscok.edu Submit application packets to: Seminole State College Attn: Human Resources P.O. Box 351 Seminole, OK 74818.
Managers Wanted. $30-70K DOE, multiple stores and expanding. Promotions available. Call Adam at (405) 604-1331 for interview.
FIREFIGHTERS WANTED
MACHINE SHOP
Open floor or private rooms available. CERTIFIED HOME HEALTH AIDES & 24 HOUR LIVE-IN CAREGIVERS
Needed. Must have Mazatrol or Fanuc experience. 5 years minimum experience. Lathe experience preferred. Apply at 535 SE 82nd St from 1PM-4PM.
Commercial
Professional Stylists, Nail Techs, Massage Therapists, Aestheticians
Monday–Saturday Shifts
FIREFIGHTER
Security Personnel
needed for construction zone on the Kilpatrick Turnpike. Contact 918-744-6787.
Now taking applications for:
Qualified applicants may appear in person at 401 W. Main Street, Norman, OK 73070 or apply online at www.rbt.com.
No exp needed. Training, travel, great pay/benefits/ vacation & regular raises. HS grads ages 1738. Call Mon-Fri 1-800-492-4841
CNC Machinist/Operator
Hunt Oil Company
A privately held exploration and production company, Hunt Oil has successfully conducted worldwide petroleum operations for over 75 years, and is one of the world’s leading independent energy companies. We are currently seeking a Compressor Operator in our Knox City, TX office. •Operate & maintain surface facilities including CO2 recompression, water injection pumps, dehydration and associated equipment •Monitor equipment via SCADA •Ensure compliance with safety and environmental policies and initiatives •Experience with facility operations, maintenance and repair; CO2 experience preferred •Experience with SCADA systems, oil field reporting software, and facility control systems •High school diploma or equivalent •Competitive salary •Comprehensive benefits that start day one of employment Interested parties; please visit our website at www.huntoil.com and select the Career Opportunities link to find the appropriate position. You can “Apply for this Position” or if you are already registered use your email and password and select “Add to my Jobs” to be considered for this opportunity. Equal Opportunity Employer, M/F/V/D
Tellers
Republic is an EOE.
6604 NW 38th, 789-8102 Buy, Sell & Trade. Pistols, Rifles, Shotguns, Ammo, Ammo Cans, Holsters, Law Enforcement & Security Equipment. Survival Foods & Gear.
Pizza Restaurant in Ardmore: Asking $95,000
Kirkpatrick Bank
available at our Edmond locations. If you are a professional with previous exp. in cash handling and customer service, excellent communications skills and looking for a new career opportunity, it is time to join the Kirkpatrick Bank team. Candidates with previous bank exp. are eligible for a $500.00 hiring bonus. Kirkpatrick Bank offers a competitive salary program, comprehensive benefits package and a professional work environment. EEO/M/F/Disability/Vet Apply online at www.kirkpatrickbank.com
C&J Sporting Goods
APRIL 26-27 SAT 9-5 & SUN. 9-4 OKLAHOMA CITY STATE FAIRGROUNDS T&T BUILDING BUY-SELL-TRADE RK Shows Info: (563) 927-8176
Financing Available MID AMERICA CYCLE ¡¡¡ 282-0086 ¡¡¡
Teller Positions
Here's what's moving!!
JD L100 JD LT170 Auto, JD F725, JD LX188, JD LX173, JD 318 w/xtras, JD LT155, JD STX38 38-48' cuts 15-20hp $700-$1850 ‚• 4 0 5 - 6 4 1 - 9 9 3 2 •‚
GUN SHOW
NEW Artic Cat Wildcat Trails
is seeking professional, outgoing individuals to join our fast paced, rewarding organization. We are actively searching to hire FT & PT
Deer Season • Aim Straight
4-EVERGREEN Lawn Care Residential/Commercial, Sr. Discount, Best Rates. Free Estimates ¡ Call Jeff, 443-6653
PLUMBERS
with repair experience. 401k and insurance. Lots of work. 627-6072 or 619-7900.
QC INSPECTOR
LOVELY 3bed 2bath 3car gar, in the beautifully gated community of Bergamo! Large open kitchen w/center island for entertaining. SS appliances, large walk in pantry & closets, new Moore Schls $1600mo 1 year lse. Metro Brokers of OK 405-503-5742
Machine shop needs Inspector. Must have a minimum 5 years experience. Apply at 535 SE 82nd St between 1-4 PM.
¡¡ A-1 PLUMBING ¡¡ HEATING & AIR ¡‘¡ 406-5008 ¡‘¡
DEDICATED HAUL
FULL TIME CDL-A DRIVERS
for pneumatic carrier. Assigned trucks and sign on bonus available. Good home time. Benefits. McCorkle Truck Line, Inc., 2132 SE 18th, OKC, 800-727-2855.
Drivers WANTED FT & PT
Buffalo Wild Wings
We are hiring New Management Members who are looking to be part of a Great Team and a fast growing company. Earn up to $40,000 as an Assistant and get bonused in AGM and GM positions with higher salaries. We always try to promote from within for AGM and GM positions, and are currently looking for team players wanting a better balanced lifestyle while we update our schedules to be more family friendly.
$40,000
okbwwresumes@aol.com
$8.-10 hr. DOE Position perfect for retirees. eoe. Must be flexible, dependable, personable and clean record/UA. Email for Application gcaldwell@futuresfortomorrow.net
OTR CDL HM Drivers
Excellent pay. Home weekends, often 1-2 weeknights. Pay for loading and unloading + miles. Typically $1300-$1600 per week. Late model, low mileage, well maintained trucks, step deck trailers. Paper logs. Drug Screen, physical, background/CSA checks. 405-375-4189. BLTTanks.com.
Lawns $40, lots $80, mow edge weedeat blow irrigate, sod, trees, weeds, $15/hr; Hauling 882-2814
Inventory Reduction
20-50% OFF
Antique House 4413 N Meridian Mon-Sat 9-5
antiquehouseokc.com 495-2221
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THE OKLAHOMAN
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As businesses continue to search for ways to connect with their audience — and gain new customers — the latest media and technologies help bridge the gap.
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THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COM
AN INTEGRAL PART OF BUSINESS BY PAULA BURKES Business Writer pburkes@opubco.com
Think social media is just a silly pastime reserved for celebrities and sports figures? Think again. Internet marketing is an integral part of business today — offering companies the opportunity for greater visibility, to brand themselves as resources, build a customer base, close sales faster and find new projects, clients and employees. Just ask chef Ryan Parrott, physician Keith Smith, author and information technology professional Scott Klososky or David Maloney, owner of a startup technology firm. All four Oklahoma professionals have businesses that hinge on, or have exploded from, social media. Parrott five years ago traveled to Mexico with a friend who every few hours sent “tweets” from his iPhone about the vacation. “I thought it was stupid, that nobody would care about what he was writing, until we returned and he uploaded a picture of the lunch I made him at the Iguana Mexican Grill with the Hatch green chiles we brought back,” Parrott said. Within the next several hours, four more tables of customers came in Iguana, saying they were there for the chiles. Today, Parrott (@chefrp) has more than 4,800 followers on the Twitter microblogging site, which he said he uses regularly to strengthen his relationships with customers. Meanwhile, Smith’s business at the Surgery Center of Oklahoma took off five years ago, after he opened a Facebook page and decided to post prices — which he said can be onefourth of those industrywide — for hernia, orthopedic, earnose-and-throat, pediatric and other popular procedures to the center’s website, surgerycenter ok.com. Simultaneously, Smith started blogging regularly about
Above: Dr. Keith Smith. PHOTO BY JIM BECKEL, THE OKLAHOMAN
Left: In a 2009 file photo, chef Ryan Parrott holds the Hatch green chiles that gained notoriety through tweeting. PHOTO PROVIDED
health care and economics, how free markets apply and about patients who are abused by big hospital systems and insurance companies. “Many a follower has read my blogs, which were tweeted and then retweeted,” Smith said. Today, he credits social media for 10 percent of the some 650 surgeries his center performs monthly. He said about 12 percent of patients hail from out of state or across the globe, including Canada, Nigeria and Turkey. “A growing segment of our patients have health insurance,” Smith said, “but find it cheaper to pay us outright, for say a $3,000 procedure versus paying their $5,000 deductible and co-payment.” Edmond author and speaker Scott Klososky, who heads the Edmond-based global information technology (IT) consulting firm Future Point of View, used crowd scribing — an IT phenomenon behind his most recent tech company startup crowdscribed.com, to publish
his third book, “Enterprise Social Technology: Helping Organizations Harness the Power of Social Media, Social Networking, Social Relevance.” Klososky wrote the first and last chapters and held contests among writers to pen the other chapters he’d outlined. Crowdsourced technology, he said, allows authors to connect with readers before and while they’re writing books. Meanwhile, entrepreneur Danny Maloney, chief executive of Oklahoma City-based Tailwind (tailwindapp.com, formerly PinLeague), is all about the Web, leveraging the analytics of users of Pinterest.com, who collect recipes, home decor and other ideas, to help retailers better market and run their businesses. Customers of the company include 100 advertising agencies and represent 800 brands, Maloney said. Powered by tiered monthly subscriptions, his company’s revenue is “more than doubling every quarter,” he told The Oklahoman in June.
Author Scott Klososky holds his book “Enterprise Social Technology: Helping Organizations Harness the Power of Social Media, Social Networking, Social Relevance.” PHOTO BY DAVID MCDANIEL, THE OKLAHOMAN
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Business & Technology The Digital 50 Below are some of the people and institutions our business news staff follow on Twitter. Log on to: https://twitter.com/
Recommendations by business news staff
Don Mecoy @mecoy
Oklahoma Bankers @OklahomaBankers
Business editor at The Oklahoman/NewsOK.com.
“Helping Oklahomans catch their dreams!”
Steve's OKC Central @stevelackmeyer
i2E, Inc. @i2E_Inc
Oklahoma City reporter, columnist and history author.
Provides venture advisory, access-to-capital and entrepreneurial development services to Oklahoma's high-growth entrepreneurs.
NewsOK Energy @NewsOKEnergy The energy team for @TheOklahoman/@NewsOK.
NYT Business @nytimesbusiness Business news from The New York Times.
Adam Wilmoth @awilmoth Energy editor at The Oklahoman.
Bloomberg LP @Bloomberg Connecting business, finance & government decision makers to a broad, dynamic network of information, news, people & ideas for faster, more effective decisions.
Paul Monies @pmonies Energy reporter at The Oklahoman.
Reuters Business @ReutersBiz Top business news around the world.
Jay F. Marks @OKenergybeat Energy reporter for The Oklahoman/NewsOK.com.
Businessweek @BW The official Twitter of Bloomberg Businessweek.
Brianna Bailey @briannabailey80 Business reporter for The Oklahoman.
WSJ Business News @WSJbusiness Business news coverage from The Wall Street Journal.
Richard Mize @RichardMize Real estate editor, The Oklahoman/NewsOK.com.
Downtown OKC Inc. @DowntownOKCInc “We're more than just a district - we're a community. Follow us to stay up-to-date on all the cool things happening in downtown #OKC.”
Paula Burkes @pburkes Business writer at The Oklahoman/NewsOK.com.
SEC_News @SEC_News Securities and Exchange Commission news
Hobby Lobby Case @HobbyLobbyCase Hobby Lobby's official Twitter account for information and updates on the Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby United States Supreme Court case.
T. Boone Pickens @boonepickens T. Boone Pickens' official Twitter account, updated by Boone himself and members of his team.
David Christopher @davidmchris Bloggerdigital media specialist, data nut & organizer of @ confluencecon, OKC's digital influencer conference.
FuelFix @fuelfixblog Fuelfix.com is your daily must-read source for news and analysis on the energy business.
Warren Buffett @WarrenBuffett Chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway.
Jennifer A. Dlouhy @jendlouhyhc Washington, D.C.-based reporter who covers energy, oil, Congress & other issues for @HoustonChron and other @HearstCorp newspapers.
Tulsa World Business @TulsaWorldBiz The latest news on aerospace, energy, manufacturing, real estate, retail, agriculture, consumer affairs and technology.
U.S. Energy Information Administration @EIAgov Personal Finance @AP_PersonalFin
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) provides energy statistics and analyses for sound policy making, efficient markets and public education.
Trevor Delaney, personal finance editor for The Associated Press.
E2Wire @E2Wire OK 529 Savings Plan @OCSP529 Oklahoma's official college savings plan. Follow them for tips and tools about saving for college.
The Hill newspaper’s energy and environment blog, based in Washington, D.C.
Oklahoma Oil and Gas Association @OKOGA1919 OK Dept. of Commerce @OKcommerce
Oil and gas news and updates.
The primary economic development entity in the state. Their mission is to “increase the quantity and quality of jobs.”
Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association @OIPA The voice of companies from the petroleum industry.
Oklahoma Watch @OklahomaWatch Nonprofit investigative reporting team covering public policy issues that affect Oklahomans.
Moore Liquor Marquee @Mooreliquormarq Little booze, big booze, booze of all sizes!
KansasCityFed @KansasCityFed Regional connection to the U.S. central bank.
Climate Communication @ClimateComms Dedicated to improving public understanding of climate change.
Chris Helman @chrishelman Southwest correspondent for Forbes Magazine.
Bloomberg News Sustainability @BNSustain News about energy, environment and global business from Bloomberg.com’s THE GRID.
ContinentalResources @ContinentalOil Continental Resources (NYSE CLR) is a Top 10 petroleum liquids producer in the United States.
Energy Roundup @energyroundup “The web’s best source for news on energy.”
Chesapeake Energy @Chesapeake Chesapeake Energy (NYSE:CHK) is an oil and natural gas company headquartered in OKC.
CNGnow @CNGnow Exploring the news, views and virtues of compressed natural gas in the age of alternative energy.
SandRidge Energy @SandRidgeEnergy SandRidge Energy Inc. is an oil and natural gas company headquartered in OKC.
Jonathan Fahey @JonathanFahey AP reporter covering energy.
OG&E @OGandE OG&E is Oklahoma's largest utility, serving more than 800,000 customers in a service territory spanning 30,000 square miles in Oklahoma and western Arkansas.
Oklahoma Facts @OklahomaFacts Tweeting facts about Oklahoma.
Oklahoma Jumpstart @OklaJumpstart A group of individuals, businesses, financial institutions, and government and non-profit agencies that believe in the importance of financial education.
LOYAL @LOYAL_OKC
OK Money Matters @OKMoneyMatters
Oklahoma Bioscience Association @OKBio
Oklahoma Money Matters offers free #financialliteracy materials and workshops for campus and community partners.
Future leaders and current rookies of OKC business world.
Statewide membership organization advancing the growth of Oklahoma bioscience.
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Q&A: DAVID CHRISTOPHER
Good Internet marketing investments can quickly grow sales for companies THE INTERNET MARKETING GURU TALKS ABOUT OPUBCO’S DIGITAL MARKETING SERVICES. Q. I'M SURE THAT MANY OF OUR READERS DON’T KNOW THE OKLAHOMA PUBLISHING GROUP (OPUBCO) OFFERS DIGITAL MARKETING SERVICES. A. OPUBCO Digital Marketing Services offers web design and development services, social media management, blogging, content marketing, paid search advertising, search engine optimization and more. Only about half of our clients are here in Oklahoma, since our services are white-labeled and re-sold by other newspapers, marketing agencies and public relations firms across the country. Q: I UNDERSTAND THAT THE FIRST DIGITAL MARKETING SERVICE YOU SOLD WAS SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION, OR SEO FOR SHORT? A. That’s right. My boss, Marilyn Hoeffner, and I were both doing SEO work for NewsOK.com and we realized it was something many of the businesses that advertised with us needed too. SEO is the practice of researching what keywords your customers use to search for your products online and making sure that your website uses those keywords appropriately. SEO maximizes the chances that search engines like Google and Bing will rank you high on search results pages, and the higher you rank the more traffic comes to your website. You’d be amazed how poorly some websites market themselves on search engines, sometimes it’s something as simple as the business not using the same words to talk about itself that its customers use, but it can be more serious. I’ve seen websites that were inadvertently invisible to search engines. Q. WHY IS SEO IMPORTANT? A. Search engines are the gateway to the wealth of content on the Internet, they’re how we find what we’re looking for online. We’ve found that a business that ranks high in search engines benefits from more traffic to their website and that translates into more sales. Traffic from search engines is often highly qualified. People searching for a product online do so with their phones and their credit cards close to hand. If you repair air conditioners in Oklahoma City, you can’t get a much better lead than someone who types “air conditioning repair OKC” into Google. They’ve expressed a need and are very close to the point of purchase. Ranking high in search engines also acts as an endorsement of your business. The search engine is effectively saying, “We believe this business is the most important car dealership, Chinese restaurant, landscaper or whatever in your area.”
Q. HOW BIG IS OPUBCO'S DIGITAL MARKETING SERVICES TEAM? A. Today we have 30 employees, and we’re always hiring. One of the indus-
David Christopher, senior inbound marketing manager for OPUBCO, right, moderates a question-and-answer session with Tim Cooper, left, and Erin Cooper, of CooperHouse Creative, during the Confluence conference Oct. 26 at Lyric Theatre in the Plaza District. The conference, organized by OPUBCO Communications Group, focused on ways to build digital influence including social media, search engine optimization and community building. PHOTO BY NATE BILLINGS, THE OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE
“Ranking high in search engines also acts as an endorsement of your business. The search engine is effectively saying, ‘We believe this business is the most important car dealership, Chinese restaurant, landscaper or whatever in your area.’ ” try’s biggest struggles is finding people to hire who have digital marketing experience. They’re in very short supply. We’ve overcome this problem by onboarding very smart people with complementary skills and then training them. Last year we started a digital creativity conference called Confluence conference to create a community around the proliferation of these skills. I think it’s really going to help us and Oklahoma City to grow and keep digital talent.
have moved the goal posts so many times that even the industry’s best have gotten caught on the back foot. Make sure you work with people you trust, hold them accountable to the numbers, and understand that it’s a relationship — be prepared to tackle good times and bad together.
Q. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE MOST COMMON INTERNET MARKETING MISTAKES COMPANIES MAKE? A. The biggest mistake is ignoring In-
A. One of the wonders of Internet mar-
ternet marketing all together. Not only has it arrived, it’s got its feet up by the fire. Once a business gets engaged in Internet marketing the next pitfall is getting involved with the wrong kind of “expert.” SEO in particular has changed almost beyond recognition over the past four years. If your expert hasn’t adapted fast throughout, then they’re likely to do more harm than good. Search engines
Q. HOW MUCH SHOULD BUSINESSES BE PREPARED TO INVEST IN INTERNET MARKETING? keting is that when done right it generates a lot of data. You should be able to see exactly what your budget is bringing in, how much traffic, how much engagement on your social media channels, and ultimately how many conversions (sales). It’s actually a lot more transparent than traditional forms of advertising. I recommend investing a moderate amount at first, maybe $600 a month if you’re a small business; $1,200 or more if you’re larger. Invest it in the right way and watch what happens to your sales. Not all businesses are a good fit for Internet marketing, and there are other
things that work, so don’t put all your eggs in one basket. When you buy Internet marketing you’re paying for the time of experts. There are expensive solutions that are bad, but there are very few cheap solutions that are good. We see a lot of cookie cutter website, SEO and paid search products that try to eliminate the need for people and just don’t work very well.
Q. YOU'RE A NATIVE OF THE UNITED KINGDOM. WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO THE STATES AND, SPECIFICALLY, TO OKLAHOMA AND OPUBCO? A. The short answer is love. I came to Dallas to visit my brother and decided to drive up to Oklahoma on a whim. I met a woman in Tulsa and it was love at first sight. We had a three-and-ahalf year long-distance relationship and then I moved out here to marry her. Now we have two beautiful kids. That trip to Oklahoma was the best decision I ever made. PAULA BURKES, BUSINESS WRITER
WHAT IS CONFLUENCE? The 2013 conference, organized by OPUBCO Communications Group, featured “digital influencers,” bloggers and brand builders, and focused on topics related to social media, marketing and branding. Many of the participants also have been featured at national and international social media conferences, such as Pubcon, SMX and Altitude Summit. Speakers for the 2013 Confluence event, held in October, included Ruth Burr from Moz and Ferris O’Brien from The Spy FM, as well as bloggers Kelly Beall from Design Crush and Royce Young with Daily Thunder. The 2014 event is scheduled for Sept. 6. For more information, go to confluenceconference.org. PAUL MONIES, STAFF WRITER
Left: Adam Croom, director of digital courses for the University of Oklahoma, speaks during the 2013 Confluence conference Oct. 26 at Lyric Theatre in Oklahoma City. PHOTO BY NATE BILLINGS, THE OKLAHOMAN
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FOR STATE TOURISM DEPARTMENT, ONLINE TOOLS ARE
VIRTUAL CONCIERGE Left: In this tweet by Jordan Attebury of the Oklahoma Tourism & Recreation Department, she responds at 7:11 a.m. on a Sunday to a Twitter user looking for good places to eat in Norman.
Paula Burkes pburkes@ opubco.com
AT A GLANCE
BUSINESS WRITER
DISCONNECTED? Thanks to Twitter, the Oklahoma Tourism & Recreation Department serves as a virtual concierge service for travelers seeking advice and onthe-spot information. “There’ve been times that someone was standing in Bricktown and asked where to catch a water taxi, and we’ve responded,” said Jennifer Kalkman, director of digital marketing. Other times, residents, business travelers and others have asked for timely restaurant suggestions, which also were provided, she said. Several Oklahoma companies report social media similarly has fostered their pursuits. Mike Crandall, of Oklahoma City-based Sandler Training, said he’s found his company’s social media presence greatly shortens sales cycles. “It’s very frequent for us to hear from someone ‘We’ve been following you on social media for some time — we need to talk,’ Crandall said. “Because we provide services, not products, clients need a high level of trust and confidence to work with us,” he said. “For example, we recently signed a multi-year consulting agreement with a CEO to do leadership/ management development, sales training, consulting for hiring process, and consulting for marketing messaging. When he reached out to me, he shared that our blog that week was like an arrow through his heart in what was going wrong with his company,” he said. “Once he was comfortable with who we were, what we do and how we do it, he called,” Crandall said. In another example, Sandler recently had several people sign up for the company’s all-day, $600 Referral Growth Bootcamp, based on Twitter conversations, he said. Sarah Johnston, who works in corporate communications for Integris Health, said social media helps the medical center fulfill its mission to improve the health of the communities it serves. “We want to know what people are talking
MENLO PARK, Calif. — Despite the explosion in the
use of social media, 28 percent of companies have no mobile technology strategy, according to a recent survey by Robert Half Technology staffing firm of 2,300 chief information officers at major metropolitan-based U.S. companies with 100 or more employees. Moreover, 58 percent of CIOs polled said their company hasn’t developed a mobile application for customers and clients, and has no plans to offer one in the next 12 months. Seventy percent of respondents report using some type of mobile technology strategy, with 56 percent using a blend of applications and mobilefriendly web pages. The business services and retail industries are leading the way, with 65 percent and 63 percent, respectively. FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS
about and what health issues are on their minds, so we in turn can bring knowledge from our experts to the community,” Johnston said. “We also value feedback from the public,” she said. “If people talk about their experiences with our staff, we want to hear that feedback. We like to share with our clinical staff how much they impact the lives of our patients.” Meanwhile, Midlands, which specializes in excess workers’ compensation program administration, has an Instagram account tied to its Facebook page, said Ashley Courtney, marketing communications specialist. “This year, we decided we wanted to be more of a presence in our communities and established our ‘Beyond Midlands’ initiative,” she said. The company, she said, recently completed its “Souper Bowl” campaign, in which employees collected canned food items for The Oklahoma Regional Food Bank. “Our Instagram account was the perfect outlet to document these activities,” she said. The Myriad Botanical Gardens depends on Facebook for events registration and attendance, publicist Leslie Spears said. “There’s not as much engagement on Twitter,” she said, “but the platform is great for check-ins via the application 4Square,” she said. “We have good relationships with our neighbors Vast and the Colcord Hotel, who will randomly take photos of the Gardens, tag us and share.”
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FUELING INTERACTION, RECRUITING ENERGY COMPANIES RELY ON SOCIAL MEDIA TOOLS TO SPREAD INFORMATION ABOUT THEIR OPERATIONS AND HIRING BY JAY F. MARKS Business Writer jmarks@opubco.com
It’s not hard to find Oklahoma City’s largest oil and natural gas companies on social media sites, even though some are not as social as they used to be. Chesapeake Energy Corp. was among the first companies to embrace social media, although peers Devon Energy Corp., Continental Resources Inc. and SandRidge Energy Corp. have presences online as well. After natural gas prices peaked in 2008 and made Chesapeake one of the most visible compa-
nies in the country, company representatives often spoke out via Twitter to defend Chesapeake or the drilling industry. They even live Tweeted the premiere of the anti-fracking documentary “Gasland” in June 2010 to rebut the film’s claims against the industry. Now the company’s updates and posts are mostly about its business and employees. Chesapeake has the greatest reach of any Oklahoma City energy company, with more than 51,000 followers on Twitter. Many of its subsidiaries are active online as well. Even the Chesapeake chopper, a compressed
natural gas-powered motorcycle built by Orange County Choppers, has its own Twitter account, but company representatives declined to discuss its social media strategy. SandRidge is looking at the possibility of increasing its use of social media. “Historically, we’ve used social media primarily in a community relations and human resources capacity,” said David Kimmel, the company’s director of communications. “We have presences on LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, and we are starting to explore the possibilities these channels hold for investor relations and operations updates. “For example, we live-tweeted our Analyst Day earlier this month. We’re still exploring how
it makes sense for SandRidge.”
Finding employees Devon was the first Oklahoma City company to sign on to Twitter, in February 2009, but it did not become active on the microblogging site until it established an account for its recruiting efforts in January. The company also relies on LinkedIn to help find new employees. “Increasingly, the stakeholders we talk with are using these digital channels, so it only makes sense that we would use them, too,” said Jamie Russell, supervisor of digital communications for Devon. “Of course, anything we do must meet a business need, and as always, one of our more important needs is recruiting high-quality talent. “We’ve found that we can ef-
fectively reach certain demographics and disciplines with Twitter and LinkedIn. We’ve seen a good bit of activity through these platforms — especially LinkedIn, which we have been using for quite a while.” Russell said Devon officials frequently study how social media can benefit the company. “We are constantly evaluating appropriate uses of social media,” he said. “And as new social media resources emerge, we will continue to embrace innovative technologies and channels that align with the needs of our business.” Continental Resources also uses LinkedIn to help its recruiters identify candidates for open positions, officials said. Job openings are posted there as well.
This screen capture shows tweets by OG&E after storms hit the Oklahoma City area April 13. The utility company shares not only storm updates, but tips, advice and contests for customers with its Twitter account and other online platforms. A member of an OG&E crew works to fix broken poles and wires July 18, nearly two months after a tornado destroyed homes in Moore and southwest Oklahoma City. PHOTO BY JIM BECKEL, THE OKLAHOMAN
Utility sparks up conversation with customers online BY PAUL MONIES Business Writer pmonies@opubco.com
When the first tweet went out before a January 2010 ice storm, Oklahoma Gas and Electric Co. representatives weren’t exactly sure what they wanted out of social media. “Activating Incident Command System to respond to a winter storm. Outage information available at http://public.oge .com/systemwatch. #okice,” said the Jan. 27, 2010, tweet. Behind the scenes, utility officials wrestled with the proper approach. Should they use Twitter only for emergency situations? Facebook for publicizing job openings from the human resources department? Who should get permission to post? “As time went on, we wanted to get more into social media, but we wanted to have a strategy to do it,” said Kathleen O’Shea, OG&E spokeswoman. In the four years since that first tweet, the electric utility’s social media presence — including Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn — has grown to include not just storm and outage updates but consumer tips, safety advice and contests. Posts and tweets engage directly with customers about their concerns — and sometimes their frustrations — with electric service. Through it all, the communications specialists at OG&E try to keep the conversations respectful. “You don’t want to get in an argument, and sometimes those issues are complex,”
said Karen Kurtz, a senior corporate communications specialist who works primarily on social media matters. “We understand. We’ve all been without power.” Kurtz said OG&E monitors consumer sentiment across several different social media platforms. “A lot of times people will think during an outage or a situation like that we would have all negative sentiment, but a lot of times it’s really positive,” she said. “We really try to get people’s questions answered quickly. A lot of times it just takes investigation and we don’t know right away what the problem is, but we’ll let people know when crews are there and what is going on.” The utility’s reach on social media stretches outside its service territory, too, Kurtz said. After storm restoration crews help other utilities in the wake of severe weather, local residents sometimes post pictures and comments thanking the OG&E workers. “We get a lot of posts during storm situations thanking our crews,” Kurtz said. “We have some great crews and great people who work in our communities, and that gets us a lot of traction from their friendliness and helpfulness. They see the trucks and call us Big Orange.” O’Shea said OG&E reviews its social media strategy each year. The utility has looked at expanding its social media presence to applications such as Pinterest or adding Facebook accounts for jobs and human resources. “A lot of it comes down to feeding the puppy,” O’Shea said. “We don’t want to do anything we can’t maintain well.”
“You don’t want to get in an argument, and sometimes those issues are complex. We understand. We’ve all been without power.”
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NETWORKS TREND TOWARD MORE VISUAL-HEAVY POSTS BY PAULA BURKES Business Writer pburkes@opubco.com
Though Facebook — with some 1.3 billion users worldwide — remains the granddaddy of social networks, today’s social media users are migrating away from such big online communities and toward more stripped down, visual-heavy platforms like the photo-sharing site of Instagram, experts say. One emerging social media application called Jelly allows users to upload a picture of something, say a flower, and ask a question, such as “What species is this?” Jelly was mentioned at the recent South by Southwest conference in Austin by its developer, Biz Stone, who cofounded Twitter and also developed Square, the application that accepts credit card payments over smart phones. A crowd-sourced search engine, Jelly was released in January 2014 by Stone and Ben Finkel and uses a Jellyfish for its icon (like the blue bird for Twitter). Jelly’s blog explains, “We chose the jellyfish to represent our product because it has a loose network of nerves that act as a ‘brain’ similar to the way we envision loosely distributed networks of people coordinating via Jelly to help each other.” Stone says, “Our aspiration is to create a new way to search and to make it easy for people to help one another.” Jelly describes itself as changing “how we find answers because it uses pictures and people in our social networks.”
Playing up visual content Photos are key. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google all are reworking their respective sites to give more preference to visual content, said
Using social media in emergencies
Sarah Hoffman Marketing and social media specialist at OPUBCO
Sarah Hoffman, marketing and social media specialist at Oklahoma Publishing Co. “Attractive content captures the most attention, in the same way your social media platforms are representative of your business,” she said. Facebook recently acquired Instagram, along with WhatsApp Messenger, a global, crossplatform multimedia messaging service, popular in developing countries, that allows users to send texts, photos and video globally over wi-fi. Hoffman defines social media as an opportunity for a business to engage with its community and convey a strong voice about the brand. “It is the foundation that allows people to see a glimpse inside your business. Especially with Instagram, they can see the behind-the-scenes of your business.” As many have observed, it takes the place of yesterday’s front porch, backyard barbecue or office water cooler for exchanging the latest information. Hoffman calls it a “two-
Cyndy Hoenig Senior partner at Pure PR
way interaction” online. “Social media opens the commmunication between you, your brand and your customers.” The interchange encourages consumers to interact with brands. As an example, Hoffman said she tagged a photo of herself at a restaurant and got a free appetizer in return. Cyndy Hoenig, a communications expert with Pure PR, cautions clients that social media is far from free. “It requires time, energy and effort,” she said. “It’s a neverending commitment to create interesting content, listen to conversations and respond.” “Instead of rushing to join any and every social media community out there, choose the slow and steady approach,” Hoenig said. “Pick one or two communities that are important in your market; determine your key goals; and define who will be responsible for keeping activity going day-in and dayout.”
More than a frivolous pastime, social media can be a lifesaver in emergencies, several Oklahoma organizations have found. AT&T Oklahoma’s Yes Okay disaster communications structure automatically contacts employees by text and email in locations that have been struck by a disaster. Employees respond to messages with their own unique, internal user ID to confirm the message was received and that they’re unharmed. “It allows us to quickly account for the safety of our employees after a disaster, which allows us to more quickly focus our efforts on responding to our customers’ needs,” President Bryan Gonterman said. After the May 20 storms, AT&T identified more than 2,000 employees who work or live in the tornado-impacted area, and accounted for 70 percent within six hours; 100 percent within 25 hours. American Fidelity Assurance Co.’s instant messaging service connects to the company’s phone system, so if a employee calls 911, on-site responders can pinpoint the employee’s exact location through the IM system, spokeswoman Lindsey Sparks said. Twitter has become an important communication tool when disasters affect Oklahoma City, said Zach Nash, creative manager for the City of Oklahoma City. “We turn to Twitter and our other social media accounts to make sure information is getting to as many people as possible,” Nash said. A list of Oklahoma City’s 15 Twitter accounts can be found at www.okc.gov/engage. The city also maintains accounts on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. PAULA BURKES, BUSINESS WRITER
CONTRIBUTING:
OKLAHOMAN STAFF GETTY IMAGES
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OUTLOOK: BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY
#HASHTAGS ADD DIMENSION AND PERSPECTIVE TO 140-CHARACTER TWEETS
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TOWN HALL MEETS TWITTER, ITS 21ST-CENTURY COUNTERPART
BY JIM STAFFORD For The Oklahoman
BY JIM STAFFORD For The Oklahoman
Let me tell you what we’re doing here. #gettingmywritingon As long-time users of the Twitter social media network know, one thing has become abundantly clear: Twitter users love to flavor their conversation with hashtags. That’s a word or phrase at the end of a tweet that is preceded by a “#” symbol. #getit? Hashtags are used to add perspective to the conversation, as punch lines for jokes and as ways for Twitter users to search for news or topics of interest. Twitter users can see what topics are trending around the world by checking the trending hashtags listed on its front page. For instance, #oklahomaweather. Use of hashtags has become so prevalent on Twitter that they have been lampooned by comedian Jimmy Fallon in a series of hilarious skits on his late night television show. #hessofunny The origin of the hashtag as a common Twitter communications tool is the subject of speculation, but its popularity began to soar when Twitter began to hyperlink hashtags, said Bill Handy, senior vice president at the Schnake Turnbo Frank public relations firm in Tulsa and a former assistant visiting professor at Oklahoma State University. That allowed users to find tweets on topics using the same hashtag. #youcangoogleit “Those who proactively seek out key words on Twitter can really benefit from the information shared,” Handy said. “In my world, it isn’t who to follow, but what to follow.” #trendingtopics Breaking news and hashtags were made for each other. Hashtags have played a role in letting the world know of revolutions,
The business world has embraced the use of Twitter by using keywords or phrases as hashtags to draw attention to and build awareness of their brands. AP PHOTO
plane crashes and celebrity deaths. #syriaanyone? “As far as hashtags go, just about any breaking news story or ongoing effort fits that criteria,” Handy said. “Look to the Obama campaign or the raid on Osama Bin Laden as great examples, but also examples of how multiple hashtags come into play and the necessity of a contextualized Internet.” #focus Hashtags are also a way to add perspective to your 140 character Tweets, said Kym Koch Thompson, founder and principal of Oklahoma City-based public relations and social media strategy firm Koch Communications. “So, you’re saying something funny and you can use the hashtag to give that flavor,” Thompson said. “It’s very similar to using an exclamation point or an emoticon to just give a little more flavor about that message you are trying to get across.” Koch Communications takes advantage of the hashtag phenomenon to host and moderate a
topical Twitter conversation every couple of weeks that uses the term #hashout for a #townhallmeeting. Of course, the business world has embraced hashtags in a big way. The corporate world uses key words or phrases turned into hashtags to attract attention, build awareness for a product and conduct contests. #bigbusiness “I always remind people that the greatest benefactor of hashtags is the marketing industry,” Handy said. “Every hashtag that a person uses cues the rest of the world that this is an important topic and the language around the hashtag is a clear indicator of the person’s position.” #amarketingdream Handy said that his research shows that use of hashtags is on the rise, whether it’s used for searching for news, products or just adding perspective to 140 characters about nothing. # yadayadayada
The conversation started out with a question about crime on the Internet. It evolved into a discussion of the “Dark Web,” and then landed on the topic of Bitcoin, where it never left. Welcome to the #hashout, a regularly scheduled topical conversation on Twitter organized and moderated by Oklahoma City-based Koch Communications, a public relations and social media strategy firm. The #hashout takes advantage of the popular use of hashtags — tagging a word or phrase with the “#” symbol — to make it easy for Twitter users to follow or join the conversation. Koch Communications founder Kym Koch Thompson said the #hashout puts a 21st-century twist on the old “town square” conversation of another era. “I guess the ancestor to the #hashout is the barbershop or coffee shop conversation,” Thompson said. “We are using the #hashout hashtag so that anyone, anywhere that is interested can participate or watch.” #Hashouts have been conducted roughly every two weeks since the first one debuted in August 2013. Topics have ranged from coffee shops to cycling to earthquakes to Super Bowl commercials. Koch’s staff brainstorms up a topic — usually related to a timely issue — and then invites experts or businesses that can add knowledge to participate. The first #hash-
out revolved around the topic of coffee shops and local roasters. “The idea is to create conversations and create a community around those conversations,” said Jenny Herzberger, Koch’s vice president for digital media. Other topics have centered on the benefits of shopping local and food trucks. “We try to keep it topical,” Thompson said. “We are not paid to do this and we aren’t doing this for clients. We are just using Twitter, using this platform that we are very familiar with and work in all the time to have a conversation that’s just interesting, period.” Key points made during the #hashout conversations are posted on the Koch Communications blog for follow-up reading by those who missed the first go-round. The Oklahoma City Police Department and Oklahoma County sheriff’s office participated at Koch’s invitation in the early March #hashout. Similar to a conversation between patrons biding their time at the barbershop, the #hashout topic flowed from cyber crime to the so-called Dark Internet and then to bitcoin, where it attracted enthusiastic bitcoin advocates who made sure the topic didn’t stray for the rest of the hour. It might be a high-tech lesson in civil discourse. “Really, there’s no other point to this than to have a conversation that we think is interesting and that we hope that other people around Oklahoma City think is interesting,” Thompson said. Town square, meet your 21st-century counterpart.
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STORES KEEP TABS ON SHOPPERS BY JENNIFER C. KERR Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Should shoppers turn off their smartphones when they hit the mall? Or does having them on lead to better sales or shorter lines at the cash register? Retailers are using mobile-based technology to track shoppers’ movements at some malls and stores. The companies collecting the information say it’s anonymous, can’t be traced to a specific person and no one should worry about invasion of privacy. But consumer advocates say it’s spying, and shoppers should be informed their phones are being observed and be able to choose whether to allow it. The Federal Trade Commission held a workshop recently on the issue, part of a series of privacy seminars looking at emerging technologies and the impact on consumers. FTC attorney Amanda Koulousias says the commission wants to better understand how companies are using phone-location technology, how robust privacy controls are and whether shoppers are notified in advance.
How it works
• UNIQUE ID: Your smartphone has a unique identifier code — a MAC address — for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. It’s a 12-character string of letters and numbers. Think of it like a Social Security or vehicle identification number, but this address is not linked to personal information, like your name, email address or phone number. The numbers and letters link only to a specific phone. • SIGNALS: When your smartphone is turned on, it sends out signals with that MAC address (for media access control) as it searches for Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. Those signals can also be captured by sensors in stores that could tell a department store
how often shoppers visit, how long they stay, whether they spend more time in the shoe department, children’s clothing section or sporting goods, or whether they stop for the window display. • ‘HASHING’: Companies that provide “mobile location analytics” to retailers, grocery stores, airports and others say they capture the MAC addresses of shoppers’ phones but then scramble them to conceal the original addresses — a process called “hashing.” This is how they make the data they collect anonymous, they say. • ANALYTICS: The companies then analyze all the information those hashed numbers provide as shoppers move from store to store in a mall, or department to department in a store. Mall managers could learn which stores are popular and which ones aren’t. A retailer could learn how long the lines are at a certain cash register or whether more people visit on “sale” days at a store.
Customers’ trust “We’re in the business of helping brick and mortar retailers compete” with online retailers, said Jim Riesenbach, CEO of California-based iInside, a mobile location analytics company. “The retailers want to do the right thing because they know that if they violate the trust of consumers, there will be a backlash.” Privacy advocates, though, argue that the scrambled or “hashed” MAC addresses aren’t completely secure. They can be cracked, says Seth Schoen, senior staff technologist at the Electronic Frontier Foundation. And that could reveal data people may not want to share. Nordstrom tried a small pilot test in stores in September 2012, but ended the trial in May 2013 after customers complained, spokeswoman Brooke White said.
AT A GLANCE SHOULD TECHNOLOGY BE ALLOWED? AMERICANS WEIGH IN An AP-GfK poll in January found half of Americans were extremely or very concerned about the ability of retailers to keep their personal information secure. Older Americans were far more concerned about the safety of that information than younger ones — 59 percent of those age 50 or over said they were extremely or very concerned about it, compared with 46 percent age 30 to 49 and 32 percent of people under age 30.
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FOR OKC, FOOD TRUCK MOVEMENT DOESN’T SHOW SIGNS OF SLOWING
Big Truck Tacos co-owner Kathryn Mathis stands in the restaurant at 530 NW 23. The restaurant recently paid $300 to Facebook to reach more fans — a price co-owner Chris Lower called “a bargain.” PHOTO BY DAVID MCDANIEL, THE OKLAHOMAN
Food industry capitalizes on social media BY DAVE CATHEY Food Editor dcathey@opubco.com
Perhaps no industry has been better boosted by the social media phenomenon than dining. Restaurants, especially those owned by small to midsize independent operators found that social media offered the chance to connect with potential customers, present specials and brand at little to no cost other than the time it took to type a few clever sentences or post a photograph aimed at the public’s salivary glands. Today, it’s much easier to count the restaurants not using some form of social media for promotion than those that do. One of Oklahoma City’s first and most successful social media pioneers is dual-threat concept Big Truck Tacos, which owners Chris Lower, Kathryn Mathis and Cally Johnson originally thought would be driven by truck success but has been an even bigger a hit at its bricks-and-mortar headquarters at 530 NW 23. Big Truck boasts nearly 33,000 Facebook fans, but now all those fans will never see all the gourmet taqueria’s posts unless the owners pay for it. Lower and company are honest about the accidental social media superstardom of Big Truck Tacos, which was built on pictures of the concept’s journey to opening day. The evolutionary photos drew hundreds of fans before a single taco was ever sold. Once the store opened, the restaurant fed its page with food porn photos, specials and intimate back-and-forth with fans. That auspicious opening led to exponential growth and even a $10,000 pay day from a contest on Food Network’s “Great Food Truck Race.” But in early spring Lower noticed a change in response. “Our typical posts the past few months are seen by between a range of 500 and 1,000 among our 32,000 fans,” Lower said in a March interview with The Oklahoman. Lower found a March 18 post on the ValleyWag blog on gawker.com that led to
a dramatic response. The post indicated Facebook was in the process of reducing the the reach of businesses’ pages down to one or two percent of its fans to balance the kind of content appearing on users’ news feeds and make a little money in the offing. “It's pretty apparent how the spigot has been turned off by Facebook,” Lower said. “After going public, they had to figure out how to monetize their user base. ... From a business point, I guess it makes sense — they’re not a charity. But it’s not what the fans signed up for, nor are they getting what they signed up for.” So Lower posted the following on the Big Truck Tacos Facebook page: “Facebook continues to throttle our posts to reach only a small number of people. Most of our posts show up in about 5 percent of our followers’ time lines. That means you are missing out on a lot of good information and fun stuff. We suggest that you follow us on Twitter also, if you want to see everything that we are putting out to our fans.” To ensure all of Big Truck’s fans saw the post, Lower paid Facebook $300. “About 60,000 people saw the post, which is interesting because we have 32,000 fans,” Lower said. That made Lower wonder if the money wasn’t well-spent. “It ended up being a bargain — I hate to say that,” Lower said. “There are so many different platforms popping up. ... I think at some point people might get worn out with it as each site tries to make money, which makes it more difficult for people to do what they want to do. So five years from now we might be doing great on Facebook or we might not even be on Facebook.” As always, Big Truck is at the forefront of social media’s frontier, and other operators will doubtlessly be watching what they do to inform their own social media use. Stay tuned, but perhaps on Twitter rather than Facebook. CONTRIBUTING:
STAFF WRITER STEVE LACKMEYER
The Big Truck Tacos mobile stand serves a customer in front of the Oklahoma County Courthouse in downtown Oklahoma City. THE OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE PHOTO
A customer orders lunch from the Off the Hook food truck at Dunlap Codding on Film Row.. PHOTO BY CHRIS LANDSBERGER, THE OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE
The crowd at H&8th Night Market is seen looking north on Hudson from NW 6. The food truck market recently reopened for the season.
BY DAVE CATHEY, FOOD EDITOR
Hunter Wheat stands in a vacant lot March 19 on the northwest corner of NW 10 and Harvey, where he is planning the city's first food truck court, Bleu Garten. Plans for two other food truck courts also in the works. PHOTO BY
T
A customer gets her food while another orders at Cafe Bella's truck during H&8th on Hudson between NW 7 and 8. PHOTO BY DOUG HOKE, THE OKLAHOMAN
Phylesa Early, of Pop's, hands a drink to a customer in Oklahoma City. PHOTO BY CHRIS LANDSBERGER, THE OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE
he history of mobile kitchens has a long history in Oklahoma, but it’s taken more than a century for them to develop into something more than third cousins twice removed to full-service and fast-casual dining concepts. The arrival of the mobile kitchen as destination dining can be traced to technology. And the technology most associated with the food truck boom is social media. However, the biggest technological leap fueling the ongoing food truck craze has to do with what these trucks are packing: state-of-the art kitchen equipment capable of operating in tight, unstable conditions. Nowadays, there is practically nothing a food truck can’t produce, from pizza to crepes. Quite a change from the old days of chuckwagons, chili wagons, “roach-coaches,” hot dog carts, and ice cream trucks announcing their presence with tinkling kiddie music. Social media, one of the Internet’s many virtual brood, allows the modern mobile kitchen to brand, communicate and schedule stops nonstop and thus grow its market. The H&8th Night Market, a monthly gathering of local food trucks in Midtown, began its fourth season in March by drawing a crowd that doubled its previous high of 8,500. That’s right, somewhere between 15,000 and 20,000 showed up for an event centered around local food vendors without the promise of Thunder basketball, Sooner or
PHOTO BY DOUG HOKE, THE OKLAHOMAN
JIM BECKEL, THE OKLAHOMAN
Cowboy football or even a surprise appearance by Toby Keith, Wayne Coyne or Kristin Chenoweth. The event didn’t even have the advantage of particularly good weather, but the throng of hungry patrons came faster and more furiously than a bad movie franchise and never hit the brakes. Elemental Coffee co-owner Laura Massenat is one of the co-founders of the event, which she never
envisioned would grow to this size. “I was not expecting this to become a huge event and change the neighborhood,” she said. “I wasn't expecting eco-
nomic impact and wasn't expecting development to result from it.” The success of H&8th is undoubtedly at the root of Oklahoma City’s first food truck court, which will be called Bleu Garten and occupy one of the largest undeveloped blocks in Midtown. Hunter Wheat, who has a three-year lease for the block at NW 10 and Harvey Avenue, plans Bleu Garten to include covered seating areas, a fire pit, a bar area, restrooms and parking for six food trucks. Wheat hopes to open by August and accommodate about 350. “We're limiting it to six food trucks to keep it relevant and provide a good rotation of what’s out there,” Wheat said. But Larry Starns, owner of Smokin’ Okies BBQ truck, said plans for two other food truck courts — one downtown, the other in northwest Oklahoma City — are currently in the works. “It’s hard to believe all this is happening,” he said. What’s hard to believe is that the growth trend will slow any time soon now that Oklahoma City’s collective appetite has been whetted for gourmet food trucks. But changing policy at Facebook and the inevitable agitation of those who pay rent to offer full-service and fast-casual dining could stem the tide in the days and weeks ahead.
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Mike Carter, of the Loaves and Fishes food pantry, picks up food donations from the Homeland store at 11241 W Reno in Yukon. Homeland is among the state’s grocery stores that use technology to make grocery shopping more efficient. PHOTO BY CHRIS LANDSBERGER, THE OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE
Grocery shopping goes high-tech BY DAVE CATHEY Food Editor dcathey@opubco.com
Technology continues to assault traditional retail outlets, leaving in its wake a mix of consumer conveniences and employment redundancies. Online shopping’s assault on mainstream retailers dates to the turn of the 21st century, but up until recently hadn’t found much traction in the grocery industry. While customers haven’t been afraid to special order delicacies or one-of-a-kind ingredients, the only feasible way to do basic grocery shopping was the oldfashioned way: go to the store, fill up a cart and wait in line to check out. But digital products designed to hasten or bring efficiency to the grocery shopping experience have finally emerged. From virtual online grocery aisles to apps that eliminate the need to wait in line, the digital age has arrived in the grocery industry. Homeland
The Homeland at 24 E 33rd in Edmond. PHOTO BY JIM BECKEL, THE OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE
Homeland stores recently rolled out a fleet of digital products aimed at enhancing the grocery experience. Homeland’s SwiftScan allows shoppers to shop advertised deals, build and organize a shopping list and pay for groceries using a smartphone. Homeland also has partnered with Ibotta and Aisle50, which allows shoppers to earn cash using with Homeland’s One Card and free apps. New scan stations in stores allows customers to receive personalized coupons based on your purchasing tendencies. (That’s why you’ve been scanning that Homeland One Card all this time.)
Uptown Grocery
Uptown Grocery Co., 1230 W Covell Road, in Edmond. PHOTO BY DAVID MCDANIEL, THE OKLAHOMAN
Uptown Grocery Co., 1230 W Covell Road, in Edmond, is a member of the Binkowski family of grocers, best known for the local chain of Buy For Less markets. Uptown, which will open a second store on May Avenue just north of Britton Road in 2015, not only offers online shopping but curbside delivery. “We are considering adding the service to two more stores,” Marketing Director Denise Hawkins said. Homeland stores also are dipping their toes into this section of the digital pool. The location at 9225 N May Ave., offers a similar service.
Whole Foods Market
Whole Foods, 6001 N Western, in Oklahoma City. PHOTO BY PAUL B. SOUTHERLAND, THE OKLAHOMAN
Whole Foods Market offers full online shopping services at some of its stores across the country, but the Oklahoma City stores is currently limited to catering orders and special orders for holidays. Lindsey Liebscher, marketing and community relations of Oklahoma City’s Whole Foods Market, said they hope to offer online shopping yearround in the near future.
Crest
Crest, 2550 Mt. Williams Drive, in Norman. PHOTO BY STEVE SISNEY, THE OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE
The only online services currently available at Crest stores are digital coupons, but the long-time local grocer has expanded its brand into Norman and now offers a variety of services at stores, including banking, dentistry, nail salon services and even a Subway deli at its flagship store at 10601 S May Ave.
Crest’s online services include digital grocery coupons. PHOTO BY PAUL B. SOUTHERLAND, THE OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE
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Q&A:EMILY MATHEWS
Young Realtor is old hand at adding a personal touch on social media THE REAL ESTATE AGENT USES NETWORKS TO CONNECT WITH CIRCLE OF HER INFLUENCE. BY RICHARD MIZE Real Estate Editor richardmize@opubco.com
Emily Mathews, 29, grew up online, so asking her how she uses social media as a Realtor is just about like asking a 49year-old how she uses the telephone. But ask we did, and Mathews, an associate with RE/MAX Associates Realtors in Edmond, explained how her personal world and business life merge in the real world and online.
“I stick to the 80/20 rule: 80 percent of your social media interactions should be personal, 20 percent can be business related.”
Q: HOW DO YOU USE SOCIAL MEDIA? A: As a real estate agent, I use social media to connect with my circle of influence. In this digital age, having an online presence is important. However, as working professionals, we have to be mindful that nobody wants to be bombarded with a bunch of real estate posts at every turn. By occasionally incorporating a helpful article, or sharing a certain listing that my friends might like, it helps to keep my reputation as a Realtor fresh in people’s minds, without inundating them with information that they’re not interested in. I am open about my life with my social media friends, and I’ve found that this allows people to feel like they know and trust me on a personal level. Q: IN MARKETING? A: Using social media as a marketing tool is a very delicate balancing act. On one hand, you want to share helpful information with people and brand yourself as a professional. But on the other hand, you have to be careful about over-promoting yourself in a way that comes off as pushy or bragging. I stick to the 80/20 rule: 80 percent of your social media interactions should be personal, 20 percent can be business related. One thing I like to do is create a single image to highlight multiple photos of a house, and link it to that MLS listing. This is a simple way to share information with potential clients. I have also shared homes listed by other agents, if I feel like that particular home might appeal to several of my people. Another way I engage with my circle of influence is by sharing
EMILY MATHEWS
information about different loan programs, or giving quick tips on how to boost your credit score. About half of my demographic are people in their 20s and 30s, who might be buying their first home or need to upgrade due to family growth. They want to learn about building credit and how to get qualified. If I can help my community learn the benefits of owning a home, whether they choose me as their Realtor or not, then I see it as a benefit to the community as a whole.
Q: IN CUSTOMER RELATIONS? A: At 29 years old, I’ve grown up in the age of MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc. I’m very familiar with the newest technology, much like most people of my generation. Staying up-to-date with the latest social media trends is vital to staying connected with my community. I make a point to stay active on Facebook, interacting with my local circle of influence so that I can build relationships
with people that I might not see on an everyday basis. In the game of real estate, it’s all about building relationships. With all that being said, there’s nothing that outweighs the impact of a good old-fashioned phone call. Social media, websites, texts, emails… these are all great tools that make communication easy and efficient. But face-to-face interaction will always be a timeless principle when it comes to building strong customer relations.
Q: IN GETTING OR DISTRIBUTING INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS? A: I do follow other industry professionals on social media, but I tend to engage with those who post quality information without blowing up my news feed. I think a lot of consumers feel the same way about the businesses that they follow. This is why I’m selective about the information that I share. I like to talk about specific topics that I believe my circle of people would be in-
terested to learn about. I try to keep it short and sweet, and encourage others to contact me if they want to know more.
Q: WHY WOULDN’T SOMEONE USE SOCIAL MEDIA? A: There are some people who prefer not to utilize social media as a way to engage their potential clients, and that’s OK. For some, social media is reserved for personal interactions. It may have to do with keeping their work separate from their regular life. That’s cool. Using social media for business is not ideal for everyone. But for me, I’ve found it to be an excellent source of referrals.
Q: WHICH PLATFORM DO YOU USE THE MOST? A: I mostly use Facebook and Instagram. Facebook allows me to have in-depth conversations with people, while Instagram is a great way to share a quick snapshot of my life. I like all that Facebook has to offer, as well as the simplicity of In-
stagram, which is basically Twitter made for pictures.
Q: WHAT ARE THE PROS AND CONS OF EACH? A: The pros about Facebook is that EVERYONE is on it. I like the private message feature, and the ability to highlight particular pages that you want to follow. The downside is now that Facebook is becoming convoluted with advertisements and has changed their algorithms to make it harder for friends to see each other’s news feed, the average Facebook user has to sort through a lot more unwanted junk to find what they’re looking for. The pros about Instagram are its easy user interface and the simplicity of it all. It’s just pictures, “likes” and comments. However, Instagram has started to integrate sponsored advertisements of accounts that I am not actively following. These ads aren’t as bothersome as Facebook because it doesn’t happen as frequently.
TULSA STARTUP’S APP HELPS APARTMENT LANDLORDS, TENANTS BY BRIANNA BAILEY Business Writer bbailey@opubco.com
A Tulsa-based startup has developed an app that allows property managers to communicate with tenants via real-time messages sent to mobile phones. PHOTO BY PAUL HELLSTERN, THE OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE
The Tulsa-based startup company ReTenant wants apartment complexes to abandon fliers shoved under tenants’ doors in favor of a new mobile application it has developed for rental properties. “Everyone has their phone with them all the time — but apartment complexes haven’t figured that out yet,” said Rania Nasreddine, one of the co-founders of ReTenant. The company is close to securing a round of $300,000 in seed funding, but is looking for more investors, Nasreddine said. The ReTenant platform allows property managers to communicate with apartment dwellers by posting real-time messages that are sent out to tenants’ mobile phones. The application also keeps track of service requests and has a tenant feedback system, as well as a clickto-call function that can route calls to apartment staff. ReTenant is in the process of pitching the product to property managers in the state, said Scott Ayres, who handles business development for the company. At least one apartment complex in Lawton has signed up to use the ReTenant system. “Our potential market is huge — there are apartment complexes everywhere,” Ayers said
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OUTLOOK: BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY
THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COM
FACEBOOK, OTHER TOOLS HELP HOUSING GO ROUND Richard Mize Richardmize @opubco.com
REAL REALESTATE ESTATE EDMOND — Maybe it was the promise of the house itself that attracted almost 70 brokers to Realtor Karen Blevins’ open house, and the spread put out for the lunchtime event probably didn’t hurt — but social media is what got most of them there. Residential real estate seems wired — OK, wireless — for social media. After all, good data and good networking are what make the housing market go round. More than ever, information and contacts go around Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and any number of sites that blend the online and real world. It all came to together well for promoting Blevins’ brokers open, an open house for a house new to the Multiple Listing Service — just for fellow real estate brokers. “We use social media to showcase all our listings to our clients, to our buyers and our sellers,” said Blevins, an agent with Churchill-Brown & Associates Realtors. “We also have an app that we use to promote their listings — when they’re out with their friends — and to show their home online and in the MLS. Also, our buyers are using it to search homes immediately. We also have everything on Facebook. It’s a great way to announce all of our listings. And buyers can keep up with mortgage rates. And new trends.” Linzy Nealis, an agent who works with Blevins, said they use various media to create their own niches and online communities. “We use Houzz and Pinterest to find houses to showcase on Facebook and on Instagram and Twitter. It just sort of keeps all our clients up to date,” Nealis said. Some people in business keep sharp lines between business and personal interaction online, but Realtors who “live and breathe” real estate often combine their work and the rest of their lives for one online persona. “From the first time I meet someone in the real estate market, I connect with them via Facebook social media. I then am able to share my real estate life and personal life with them,” said Chad Neathery, an agent with Paradigm AdvantEdge Real Estate. “Eventually they are able to learn more about me professionally and personally and hopefully I gain their trust to help them purchase or sell a home. “I choose to have one page on Facebook for personal and business. Some people disagree that I should post personal and business on the same page. To me, real estate is my life and I do not want to dissimulate my page.”
Brokers Karen Blevins and Linzy Nealis of ChurchillBrown & Associates Realtors demonstrate how residential real estate brokers can use social media in business during an open house in Edmond.
Brokers Linzy Nealis, left, and Karen Blevins of Churchill-Brown & Associates Realtors, use social media extensively, including a brokers’ open — an open house just for brokers — at this home in Edmond. PHOTOS BY PAUL HELLSTERN, THE OKLAHOMAN
Ryan Hukill, another agent with Paradigm AdvantEdge, said his ShowMeOKC Team uses social media for marketing and to get information out, but mainly “for building new relationships and nurturing existing ones.” “We use Facebook most, simply because that’s where everyone is, but we also rely heavily on Twitter. Google+ and YouTube are also useful, but not as much on a daily basis,” Hukill said. “Each of these networks has its own pros and cons, and each serves a different, unique purpose. The best app we have for managing all of the information coming in and going out is Hootsuite. Think of it as a dashboard for all of those networks, allowing us to sort the thousands of contacts we have.” Kimmi Houston, an agent with Keller Williams Elite, said social media helps her leverage her longtime reputation as a homebuilder into her more recent work as a real estate agent. She said it helped her “recreate” herself. “I am a social butterfly, so I love Facebook — a little less, Twitter. LinkedIn is just a maintenance thing,” she said via private Facebook message. “Houzz and Pinterest are time wasters for me, but I’m getting better to just get in and out with what I need to do! Otherwise, you can spend hours just wasting time! And I’m good at that! lol!” Social media is about much more than being sociable for Verbode, a real estate office in downtown Oklahoma City, said managing broker Sarah Bytyqi. “First, our primary focus for social media is to understand our clients on a personal level. The homebuying process is more than just buying a
house. It’s about connecting people with the right house in the right neighborhood. The best way to understand how our clients live is to connect with them on various social media platforms,” she said. “We can build upon conversations with their friends and family and relate to their lifestyle quickly. This knowledge is invaluable to bridge the information gap which enables us to be fast and effective in our approach. “Lifestyle is so important when buying or selling a home. For instance, if you go to the gym every day, you probably don’t want to live in a remote location without a workout facility within five or 10 minutes. That information might not come to fruition when we first start the sales process, but with social media we can learn quickly about habits, hobbies and style. If a client is always posting articles about gardening, we know we should find a house with space for a garden.” Bytyqi said agents can learn information from social media that applies to all facets of home buying and selling. Social online networks also foster collaboration, she said. “We communicate with other brokers and share resources on topics like stand-out contractors or problem solving complicated transactions,” Bytyqi said. “Today, for example, another Realtor from a competing firm needed a recommendation for a local roofer who could give a roof estimate today. She posted the need on a Facebook Group that I belong to and within an hour, she had 10 names of roofing contractors from other agents around town. That kind of collaboration wouldn’t have been possible without social media facilitating.”
OUTLOOK: BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY
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A MODERN ROLODEX FOR BROKERS?
SUNDAY, APRIL 27, 2014
City Place, left of center, 204 N Robinson Ave., seen across the street and north of First National Center, is the new home of Newmark Grubb Levy Strange Beffort commercial realty. Commercial brokers, such as Newmark Grubb Levy Strange Beffort, have increasingly incorporated social media into their business. PHOTO PROVIDED BY NEWMARK GRUBB LEVY STRANGE BEFFORT
COMMERCIAL PROPERTY PROS FIND SPECIAL USES FOR SOCIAL MEDIA BY RICHARD MIZE Real Estate Editor richardmize@opubco.com
One way to think of social media is as a neverending, interactive Rolodex. That’s according to Phil Jackson, chief information officer for Price Edwards & Co., the largest local commercial realty firm in Oklahoma City — who is old enough to remember the Rolodex. OK, the Rolodex, a rotating desktop file of index cards, is still manufactured. And it surely supplements social media for commercial real estate brokers — although it could be the other way around, depending on a broker’s age. It also depends on what a commercial broker thinks social media are for, Jackson said. A shortcut to sales? Not so much in commercial property, unlike for residential brokers. Think about the Rolodex again: Contact, contacts and more contacts.
Relationships matter “It’s a mistake to think of social media so much as a new sales channel. It’s much more of a place to leverage existing relationships. I view it as ‘fuel’ to the existing relationship fire,” Jackson said. “You meet a new peer, broker, tenant or client and you make a connection with them on the platform you’re most comfortable with. That could be LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter. Once that connection is made they then become part of a permanent Rolodex for you. Not only can you contact them when there’s an opportunity, but you can stay up to date in what’s going on in their lives.” Examples? “If they are a tenant, maybe they might say something like ‘Excited to be expanding our stores’ — there’s an opportunity to leverage a relationship you already have,” Jackson said. “In addition, just as if you have coffee or lunch with a contact in the physical world, you spend a fair amount of time with ‘chitchat,’ where you are catching up on what is going on in their nonbusiness life, how their kids are, did they watch the Thunder game last night and where they went for spring break.” And it can be ongoing, he said. “Social media lets you keep up with them all year, not just the two
or three times a year you get to sit down with them. In that way you have much more to talk about — for instance, how was the ski trip last month? — than you would otherwise,” Jackson said. “All this results in stronger social ties, which help you leverage your time and relationships. You can maintain more relationships and that’s where social media is its strongest. It’s how I see our brokers using it the most.” Social media are just not happening for commercial property sales, said Samantha Guerpo, marketing coordinator for Newmark Grubb Levy Strange Beffort. “We know the majority of our clients do not look to social media when searching for properties to purchase or lease,” Guerpo said. But Facebook even has commercial brokers enthralled, she said. “As a company, we use Facebook to highlight our community involvement and to promote companywide information that would be topics of interest to our clients, such as our merger with (a former) Sperry (Van Ness office), our recent move downtown, or when we hire a new broker or support staff. We also post current research documents. We also might post information about our corporate office if we feel it is relevant,” Guerpo said.
Not for everyone Individual brokers mostly use what is surely the standard for button-down business people — as well as others desiring more formal business networking online: LinkedIn.
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A few queries of metro-area commercial brokers drew social media blanks: LinkedIn, definitely. Twitter, sometimes. Will Lightfoot, a broker with CB Richard EllisOklahoma, said he uses LinkedIn to communicate with specific buyer-broker groups, as well as for professional contacts and leads. “Facebook and Instagram are purely personal for me,” he said. “I don’t use Twitter.” Others swore by it. “If you’re not in tune to social media then you probably are also on a modem and no email account,” said Bob Sullivan, president and chief executive of NAI Sullivan Group. “NAI Sullivan Group uses a company blog, Twitter account, and Youtube to market our properties. With YouTube, we primarily have a QR reader that you can scan and take a tour of the property. That has been very successful.”
Diving deeper The firm’s marketing and information-technology director, Sarah Hendricks, said she sees no downside to use of online networking platforms in commercial real estate: “It gets our name out there.” Sullivan said NAI Sullivan Group, in fact, is diving deeper into social media with its own company app. Jackson, with Price Edwards, said that the personal informs and guides the social in the use of social media. “I’m not sure the social media tool is as important as using what’s most comfortable,” he said. “We have all types of users in our office, Twitter for gathering realtime info, Facebook for keeping that constant list of contacts and LinkedIn for discovering connections who can get you to the right person — all can have their place.” Caution is always the byword, Jackson said. “I think much has already been said about what you say out there having a permanence and how you have to be careful, and I think you can spend too much time reading and sharing, but like everything, in moderation, it has its place,” he said. “In short, I’m excited how it can bring our company more exposure and leverage existing and create new relationships.”
“It’s a mistake to think of social media so much as a new sales channel. It’s much more of a place to leverage existing relationships. I view it as ‘fuel’ to the existing relationship fire.”
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OUTLOOK: BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY
BEFORE YOU TWEET ...
GETTY IMAGES
Q&A: TONY PUCKETT
Attorney advises workers to think before posting Q: A PUBLIC RELATIONS EXECUTIVE MADE THE NEWS WHEN SHE POSTED AN INAPPROPRIATE, RACIST “JOKE” ON TWITTER JUST BEFORE BOARDING A FLIGHT TO AFRICA. BY THE TIME THE PLANE LANDED 12 HOURS LATER, THE POST HAD GONE VIRAL, AND SHE WAS SOON OUT OF A JOB. WHAT SHOULD EMPLOYERS AND EMPLOYEES TAKE AWAY FROM THIS INCIDENT?
Q: ASIDE FROM HURTING ONE’S OWN PROFESSIONAL STANDING IN THE WORKPLACE, WHAT OTHER HARM CAN BE CAUSED BY AN EMPLOYEE’S ILL-CONCEIVED SOCIAL MEDIA POST? A: The employer can be harmed as well.
Posts that insult customers, libel or disparage competitors, incite harassment or violence within the workplace, or disclose confidential company information can cause serious harm to an employer’s reputation and business.
Q: WHAT SHOULD EMPLOYERS INCLUDE IN A WORKPLACE MEDIA POLICY? A: A social media policy should specifically spell out what is permitted and what isn’t in social media posts that relate to the employer or co-workers. It also should identify the consequences of inappropriate posts and remind employees that their social media posts may be viewable by the public in general or reposted or printed by others even if their personal social media sites are private or restricted to specific individuals.
Q: IS HAVING A SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY IN PLACE ENOUGH?
Q&A: ROBERT D. NELON
Messages — and even hashtags — could become Exhibit A in suit Q. WHO’S LEGALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CONTENT POSTED ON TWITTER OR OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA? A. You are legally responsible for anything you post on Twitter or other social media. Under federal law, Robert D. Nelon is a a social media host such as shareholder with the Hall Estill law firm. Twitter has no liability for damaging or offensive content posted by a user. If a post is defamatory or invades someone’s privacy or violates some other legally protected interest, it is the person who made the post who can be held responsible.
Q. ARE YOU PROTECTED FROM LIABILITY IF YOU DELETE A TWEET? A. No. In most circumstances, old or deleted tweets
A: It’s a good reminder of how “social” social media really is. Although the PR exec had a fairly small following on Twitter, her short 64-character comment was quickly retweeted thousands of times before being picked up by media outlets around the world. It just goes to show that even the briefest of comments or photos shared on social media can have serious consequences.
SUNDAY, APRIL 27, 2014
Tony Puckett is a labor and employment attorney with McAfee & Taft.
“It just goes to show that even the briefest of comments or photos shared on social media can have serious consequences.” A: No. With social media platforms ever evolving, it’s important to provide updated training to your entire workforce. Such training should provide specific examples of the types of social media posts you consider to be inappropriate. Examples might include: comments or photos of employees who are in various stages of undress, inebriated or drinking alcohol, or engaged in any sort of illegal activity (including pranks and vandalism); disclosure of confidential information about the company, its products, or customers; negative or derogatory comments about the company’s customers or competitors; and comments about co-workers that could be viewed as insensitive, bullying or harassing. PAULA BURKES, BUSINESS WRITER
are still archived on Twitter’ servers (and may still be accessible on the user’s smartphone, computer, or other device which was used to post the tweet). Twitter itself can be subpoenaed to give up the content of a tweet and to identify the user. Last year, a French court ordered Twitter to identify the persons who had posted anti–Semitic tweets; a retired British politician has gone after Twitter users who tweeted and retweeted false speculation that he was involved in child sex abuse. U.S. courts have been a little more reluctant than those in Europe to require Twitter to divulge information about its users, but there is no assurance you can remain anonymous if your tweet has offended someone, even if you deleted the tweet some time after it was posted. A user should assume everything he or she posts on Twitter will be available to law enforcement, prosecutors or civil litigants. Don’t think of a post as a tweet; think of it as Exhibit A.
Q. CAN YOU BE LEGALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR A HASHTAG IN A TWEET? A. Yes. Hashtags have become a vital part of tweeting (and are used in other social media as well). They can group tweets on a particular topic, and allow those tweeting about the topic to spread their posts quickly to millions of users interested in the same subject. They can be a powerful tool to bring attention to, or create social pressure about, an issue. Last year, an Oklahoma City family whose daughter had been denied insurance coverage for cancer treatments used a hashtag based on the daughter’s name to rally support for her situation. The hashtag went viral, resulting in hundreds of tweets supporting the family and criticizing the insurance company. The insurance company quickly reversed its decision to deny coverage. Hashtags can be an effective way companies can brand their business. But hashtags also can result in legal liability. It was an anti–Semitic hashtag that got the attention of that French court. In some circumstances, a hashtag based on the name of a business could be trademark infringement. A tweet using a “cute” hashtag can result in not-so-funny litigation. For example, an unhappy restaurant customer describing his eating experience with a critical tweet followed by “#FoodIs Poison” might find himself defending a lawsuit. Hashtags are just as much a part of the tweet as the text itself. #BeSmart. PAULA BURKES,
BUSINESS WRITER
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Q&A: COURTNEY K. WARMINGTON
Social media in the workplace THE ATTORNEY WITH CROWE & DUNLEVY DISCUSSES WORKPLACE LAWS AND SOCIAL MEDIA. Q. WHAT ASPECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA SHOULD A COMPANY POLICY ADDRESS? A. Any social media policy should clearly state the company respects employees’ ability to express personal opinions in social networking sites and doesn’t retaliate or discriminate against employees who use their blogs or other social networking sites for lawful purposes, including activity that would be protected by state or federal law. However, because of the potential for disclosure of confidential information and/or violation of other policies, the company also should explicitly establish some ground rules for communicating via social networking sites. The policy should explain to employees that it applies regardless of when, where or on what device such sites are accessed. The rules should cover topics such as employees’ duty to protect certain confidential information, as well as their duty not to use social networking sites to communicate in a way that is vulgar, obscene, threatening, intimidating, harassing, defamatory or discriminatory on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability, genetic information or any other category protected by law. Policies also should address whether or not social media sites can be accessed from company computers or other company-owned devices, and the importance of complying with copyright laws. Employees should be told to use good judgment and to always be honest and accurate. It’s also important to remind employees the company can and will monitor any such activity on its own network and equipment, and discipline will be imposed for anyone who is found to have violated the policy.
Courtney K. Warmington is a labor and employment attorney with Crowe & Dunlevy.
Q. WHAT KINDS OF SPEECH ARE PROTECTED ON SOCIAL MEDIA? A. The primary law that provides protection for social media speech is the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), which applies to both union and nonunion workplaces in many instances. According to the National Labor Relations Board, which oversees the NLRA, conduct is considered “protected” and “concerted” where an employee: acts together with or on the authority of other employees; seeks to initiate, induce or prepare for group action; or brings “group complaints” to management. The NLRA also protects an employee’s activities if they are the logical outgrowth of work-related concerns expressed by employees collectively. A sole employee “merely griping” or acting on behalf of himself isn’t protected. The key is always context. No matter how inappropriate the comments may seem to the employer, the board will look to see what the employee was complaining about. The board will protect conduct, if the employee was raising issues related to terms and conditions of employment, such as job performance, compensation, benefits, staffing levels, supervisory actions and criticisms of an employer’s policies, if there’s an element
of “group” activity. Such comments by just one employee may be protected, if he is raising an issue that could be considered a “logical outgrowth” of a collective concern.
Q. EXPLAIN THE CURRENT STATE OF THE LAW REGARDING EMPLOYERS ACCESS TO EMPLOYEES SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS AND OKLAHOMA’S PROPOSED LEGISLATION. A. The federal Stored Communications Act (SCA) already makes it unlawful for anyone to access an electronic account without being an authorized user. In fact, a number of cases successfully have been brought against employers under the SCA for unauthorized access to all kinds of electronic communications from text messages to private, password-protected blogs. Nevertheless, 10 states have passed similar legislation with respect to employees, applicants or students, and legislation this year has been introduced or is pending in 26 additional states, including in Oklahoma. House Bill 2372, authored by Rep. John Trebilcock and Sen. Kyle Loveless passed in the House and is up for consideration in the Senate. Various amendments still are being proposed and considered, and therefore the
full effect of the proposed legislation is still unknown. Generally speaking, however, this law would provide new privacy protections under Oklahoma’s law for employees and applicants who want to keep their social media accounts private. Specifically, employers would be prohibited from requiring disclosure of user name and password information for personal online accounts of employees or applicants. The law also would make it unlawful for an employer to require an employee or applicant to access their account in an employer’s presence. Additional provisions would prohibit employers from retaliating against employees who refuse to provide such access or refusing to hire applicants who do the same. The law wouldn’t apply to personal online accounts that are publicly available, but only to those personal online accounts that an employee or applicant has taken steps to keep private. Industry leaders have been working with the Senate to attempt to provide helpful input on the need for legitimate business exceptions, such as the ability to ask employees about their online accounts during an investigation or exceptions for inadvertent access to password or account information through normal monitoring of the employers’ computer systems. PAULA BURKES, BUSINESS WRITER
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When it comes to taking care of our bodies and our minds, mom’s sage advice comes to mind: Eat your vegetables and go out and play. But we’re getting some help these days from new technology, apps, and even a community of social media that helps us keep our eye on the prize: fitness, health and wellness. If it’s fun to use, all the better — especially for the kid in us! But we need to be mindful of how far we can stretch the limits of using this new tech.
PHOTO BY NATE BILLINGS, THE OKLAHOMAN
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OUTLOOK: ADVANCEMENTS IN HEALTH
THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COM
Agencies join social media, within limits BY JACLYN COSGROVE Staff Writer jcosgrove@opubco.com
Douglas Doe has a growing list of almost 200 social media platforms that state and health agencies have requested over the years. Agencies are allowed, or strongly recommended, to use only a handful of platforms, namely Facebook and Twitter. But Doe, the communications director at the Office of Management and Enterprise Services, said neither he nor his agency is out to be the “social media police.” Rather, they try to educate agencies on the legal concerns and security risks they might take when signing up for an unapproved social media platform. “We realize government needs to be present in these spaces,” Doe said. “We realize there is a great marketing value to these spaces, but the challenge we've got to work with is that the state's got to be able to work and be present in these spaces while also being conscious of the potential legal and information security pitfalls.”
Policy concerns Beyond Facebook and Twitter, agencies are allowed to use YouTube, a popular video sharing website; QRStuff.com, a QR code generator website that creates a type of bar codes that a user can scan with a cellphone and be directed, for example, to a website; and Go.USA.Gov, a link shortener service that someone uses when they have a website URL that’s particularly long. Doe dubs the issue of social media platforms and state agencies “near and dear” to his heart. For more than five years, he has worked with other states and national state advocacy groups, attempting to persuade social media companies to change the wording in their policies. They’ve had some success, Doe said. For example, Facebook wrote a policy that applies solely to state or local governments or
Facebook is among a handful of social media platforms permitted for use by Oklahoma state agencies, including the state Department of Health, whose Facebook is shown above in a screen capture.
government agencies in the United States. And Instagram actually might be approved in March or April if all goes well, Doe said. “The way that most of these terms of service tend to read, ... the language runs counter to what a state agency can actually accept and enter into a contract or agreement with them,” Doe said. “It basically prevents us from clicking that little check box that most people, when they're signing up for a personal account say ‘I agree to these terms’ and don't even read them.”
Leslea Bennett-Webb, spokesman at the state Health Department, said the agency would love to use Pinterest and Instagram, for example, but they haven’t quite made it to the list, and the agency isn’t ready to deviate from the approved list. “We've played by the rules,” Bennett-Webb said. Bennett-Webb said the agency has used Facebook and Twitter during public health emergencies to target a certain area with specific information. However, the agency recognizes the need to reach a range of demographics — which is some-
times easier on other unapproved platforms, she said. The Pew Research Internet Project found that while Facebook is popular across a diverse mix of demographic groups, other sites have developed their own unique demographic user profiles. For example, women are four times as likely as men to be Pinterest users, and LinkedIn is especially popular among college graduates and Internet users in higher income households, according to the Pew Research Center’s project. Additionally, Twitter and In-
stagram have particular appeal to younger adults, urban dwellers and non-whites, the center reports. “This is the way of the future,” Bennett-Webb said. “...We recognize that people still get their news from traditional media opportunities, but those opportunities are diminishing, all due respect, and the wave of the future is likely going to be electronic, and people trust their family and friends sometimes more than they do a government agency, and we just need to be able to be on their radar screen when they're sharing information.”
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THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COM
Health & Fitness The Digital 25 Below are some of the health, fitness and medical-related people and institutions our staff members follow on Twitter. Log on to: https://twitter.com/
Jaclyn Cosgrove @jaclyncosgrove
Oklahoma Hospital Association @ohaconnect
Health reporter at The Oklahoman and @NewsOK.
A trade association representing more than 129 hospitals and health care entities across the state of Oklahoma.
Mental Health Association of Oklahoma @MHAOKLA
Julie Lovegrove @JulieKLovegrove
Advocates for all Oklahomans impacted by mental illness & homelessness.
Oklahoma Policy Institute @OKPolicy A non-partisan independent policy think-tank that promotes funding of public services and expanded opportunity for all Oklahomans.
Executive director/RAIN OK. Advocate for medically underserved.
Rain Oklahoma @RAINOklahoma Provides HIV/AIDS services in Oklahoma. Coordinates inhome services to the elderly and/or disabled with chronic diseases.
Steven Buck @okcbuck Shape Your Future @ShapeFutureOK Encourages Oklahomans to eat better, move more and be tobacco free.
Deputy commissioner of communications and prevention for Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.
Nico Gomez @Nico405 Oklahoma Health Care Authority @OKHCAorg
CEO of health care authority.
Administers SoonerCare (Oklahoma Medicaid).
Andy Moore @andyokc Oklahoma City-County Health Department @okchealth
HIV/AIDS director, psychotherapist.
One of the first public health departments in the nation to be awarded accreditation status.
Emily Taylor @DrEmilyTaylor Edmond chiropractor.
OKC Tobacco Free @OKCTobaccoFree Oklahoma County Tobacco Use Prevention Coalition.
Open Streets OKC @OpenStreetsOKC An open-air event along the NW 23 corridor in March. Future events may be scheduled.
Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust @OklahomaTSET Its mission is to improve the health of every Oklahoman.
EMSA Oklahoma @EMSAOK Mercy Oklahoma @MercyOklahoma
Oklahoma’s largest provider of ambulance service, serving 16 communities, including the Oklahoma City and Tulsa metro areas.
14 hospitals and 65 clinics statewide to serve Oklahomans.
State Department of Health @HealthyOklahoma Oklahoma State Department of Health Twitter feed.
OU Medicine @OUMedicine A hospital, a physicians network, a medical school and a community — all working together to keep Oklahoma City alive and well.
Oklahoma Health Careers Education @OkHCE A division of Oklahoma Department of Career Tech teachers, students and administration.
Oklahoma Public Health Association @OPHA_Health An affiliate of the American Public Health Association; provides a forum for the professional enrichment of public health practitioners.
American Heart Association (Oklahoma) @YoureTheCureOK Tweets about #HeartDisease and #Stroke.
RACE TRACKING
This device and software by US Fleet Tracking will be used during the marathon in Oklahoma City. PHOTO BY PAUL HELLSTERN, THE OKLAHOMAN
BY TRENT SHADID For The Oklahoman
Runners are able to track their race in this year’s Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon thanks to US Fleet Tracking. (See race coverage on NewsOK .com and Oklahoman. com) The GPS tracking manufacturer has offered all race participants the chance to run with a tracking device. “The Oklahoma City Marathon is something we’ve always supported along with other fitness events like it,” said US Fleet Tracking founder and CEO Jerry Hunter. “There are all kinds of different applications for it. ... For the marathon, it’ll be up to date every 10 seconds. At this point, it’s also for children, a spouse, parents and people like that just wanting to know how someone is doing. Also, being able to go back and
look at your own performance has value with this.” The trackers can be rented for $25 when participants register for the marathon at okcmarathon.com. Included with the tracker is a belt that holds the device and is free of charge. “As (far as) we know of, our marathon seems to be the only one where anyone can be able to get a tracker like this,” said Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon running liaison Mark Bravo. “We may approach somewhere around 100 people who chose to use it this year.” The trackers are an advancement from technology typically used in marathons. Pads on the course and tracking chips worn around the ankle or on shoes have been used to show when a runner has crossed a certain point in the event. “ ... because (the GPS is) live, you can get on the Web and see it as it moves,“ Hunter said.
Integris @integrishealth Largest Oklahoma-owned health care system.
St. Anthony Hospital @saintsok Oklahoma hospital.
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OUTLOOK: ADVANCEMENTS IN HEALTH
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SIMILAR TO SKYPE, APP LINKS DOCTORS, HOTEL GUESTS BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Skype logo is reflected in the eye of a reader using a smartphone. An Oklahoma doctor was disciplined last year for using Skype to treat patients under his care. Medical board documents in the case showed that Skype is not approved as a telemedicine communication system. AP PHOTO
Oklahoma physician who used Skype to treat patients remains on probation BY ANDREW KNITTLE Staff Writer aknittle@opubco.com
While hospitals and treatment centers are looking into the feasibility of remote care, there remains a cautionary tale of what not to do: A doctor living in far eastern Oklahoma was disciplined last September for prescribing violations and using Skype to treat patients under his care. Dr. Thomas Trow, of Park Hill, was using the online service to treat patients with mental health issues. The doctor claimed he thought Skype was a suitable communication system for the practice of telemedicine, records show. Skype is a technology that allows users to communicate over the Internet using a webcam, microphone or a text message. Medical board documents show that Skype is not approved as a telemedicine communication system. Some hospitals, including the Mercy hospital network and the University of Maryland’s program, eCare — a project providing tele-ICU support to six rural hospitals in Maryland — do use approved and
monitored telemedicine communication systems. In March 2013, a representative of the Oklahoma Health Care Authority alleged that Trow was “practicing telemedicine via Skype on SoonerCare members and prescribing (controlled dangerous drugs) without ever seeing the patients in person for an initial evaluation,” according to a June 14 complaint filed by a medical board investigator. The investigator’s complaint also showed that one of Trow’s patients, identified only as R.C., was treated three times for drug overdoses in less than six months. Trow was prescribing the patient Xanax and other powerful narcotic drugs at the time of the overdoses. The patient known as R.C. died while under Trow’s care — as did two other patients during the same time — but investigators said that those deaths were not attributable to Trow. After board members reviewed his case last fall, Trow was placed on probation for two years and ordered to complete a course on prescribing practices.
He will not be able to prescribe dangerous narcotics until the course is complete.
Stay-at-home doc Trow said he began using Skype because of his own failing health. He told investigators he had problems with his back and hip, so “telemedicine appealed to him so he could stay home,” board records show. At the time he drew the attention of board investigators, Trow worked for Hartsell Psychological Services, which provides mental health services to residents of rural communities in southern Oklahoma and northern Texas. “He said his (registered nurse) traveled to the various satellite clinics and presented the patients to him via Skype,” a board investigator wrote in the complaint against Trow. “He stated that he did not think he had to see patients in person since they were psychiatric patients.” The doctor also told investigators that he used Skype to treat some patients “for pain management issues.” CONTRIBUTING: OKLAHOMAN STAFF REPORTS
MIAMI, Fla. — Some Miami hotels are teaming up with a program to offer out-of-town guests who are feeling under the weather a convenient way to hook up with a doctor. If travelers are suffering from anything from an earache to the flu, they can contact the hotel concierge or front desk to coordinate a new medical technology platform. SKYdoc enables a doctor to receive vitals, such as blood pressure, pulse, and EKG reads for non-life threatening illnesses. The technology allows a doctor to communicate in a way that’s similar to Skype one-onone with their patients 24-hours a day. The service will be available in all of the nearly 200 South Florida hotels of the Greater Miami and the Beaches Hotel Association. Creator Dr. Ramsey Saffouri is launching the program in South Florida ahead of a worldwide release. Saffouri demonstrated the broad, multilingual medical technology, which he said also has wide diagnostic capabilities, at a press conference at the iconic Delano Hotel. SKYdoc was developed in South Florida with the cooperation of its tourism partners. “We’re extremely proud not only that SKYdoc was created here, but that it will be unveiled here and introduced in our beautiful and significant tourism destination,” said Wendy Kallergis, president of the Greater Miami and the Beaches Hotel Association.
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HEALTHCARE NETWORKS USE ‘TELEHEALTH’ TOOLS
Nurse Donnyel Cowsert monitors patients’ health from the eICU at Mercy Hospital in St. Louis.
BY MELISSA HOWELL Staff Writer mhowell@opubco.com
Healthcare networks have found ways to utilize new communications technologies to improve patient care. Mercy’s healthcare network — with facilities throughout Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri and Kansas — has launched a number of telemedicine initiatives to expand its reach and services beyond the walls of doctors’ offices and hospital campuses. One such program is Mercy’s eICU, which is used in both the Oklahoma City and Ardmore hospitals, that remotely augments the number of healthcare specialists available to an intensive care unit. “In 2006, recognizing an increasing shortage of critical care medicine specialists, Mercy established a teleICU program,” said Wendy Deibert, vice president of Mercy Telehealth Services. “Today, Mercy SafeWatch is one of the single largest eICUs in the nation, and serves as a second set of eyes for the critically ill. Using inroom audio, video and computer connections, Mercy specialists in St. Louis remotely monitor 450 beds in 25 intensive care units over a four-state region. “The results: mortality rates down 20 percent below expected rates; costs reduced by 30 per-
cent; and an annual savings of $25 million by reducing the length of stay in the ICU,” she said. Mercy also has used its telehealth resources to better serve rural communities within its network. Nationwide, only 9 percent of the nation’s doctors practice in rural areas, but nearly 30 percent of Americans live in these rural areas or small cities, including aging baby boomers with chronic conditions. This creates additional stress on the shortage of primary care physicians and exacerbates an already serious shortage of specialists. With grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Mercy has hardwired school districts, medical clinics and one community hospital with telemedicine technology to provide round-theclock emergency coverage, access to hundreds of Mercy medical specialists and even greater access to primary care. The most recent grant also will provide funding for a pilot concept in Geary, called Mercy Healthspot Clinic. The new “Healthspot” concept will provide a walk-in medical kiosk that reinvents a visit to the doctor. A medical assistant will help patients interact with a board-certified physician via two-way high-definition audio/ video equipment and a variety of
medical devices that will stream biomedical information in real time. “Realizing the current care delivery model can’t meet demand, Mercy is determined to use telemedicine to deliver what our patients need, regardless of where they live. Mercy has more than 70 telemedicine projects underway, providing specialized care in areas where specific expertise is scarce — and we consider it an obligation to pursue this new model of care that protects the health of all our patients, in all our communities,” Diebert said.
Integris NICU Integris healthcare network launched a program recently using an Internet connection and high-definition camera to help new parents bond with their babies who are in Integris’ neonatal intensive care unit at Baptist Medical Center. Named Tiny TeleTalk, the camera is placed on a baby’s crib so that parents may watch their newborn in real time. “You will be able to see your baby online and watch their progress until they are able to come home to you,” the center’s website reports. “This innovative program will allow you to have scheduled visitation with your baby when you are not able to physically be in our NICU nursery.”
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Mayo Clinic pairs with tech firm to launch ‘Better’ app PALO ALTO, Calif. — Better, a consumer health start-up, and Mayo Clinic last week launched a new way for people to navigate the complexity of the health care system. Through a mobile device, Better provides tailored Mayo Clinic health information, 24/7 access to the clinic’s skilled nurses and a Better personal health assistant who helps simplify and manage people's care. “People consistently tell us they want more convenient access to Mayo Clinic knowledge. We collaborated with and invested in Better to create a powerful way for people to connect with Mayo Clinic in their homes and communities, wherever they are,” said Dr. Paul Limburg, medical director of Mayo Clinic Global Business Solutions.
HOW BETTER WORKS Download the app and enter individual and family health information to start a Better membership. This information is used to deliver personalized health information from Mayo Clinic — for free — based on the member's health-related interests and medical history. Built upon Mayo Clinic knowledge, a “symptom checker” feature is integrated into the service so a member can quickly gain a deeper understanding of a specific issue and get suggestions on what to do to get better. Members also can connect with a Better personal health assistant should a situation arise where they need involved — or more immediate — attention.
PRICING The core membership, which provides tailored health information from Mayo Clinic, is free. The premium membership, which pairs a member and their family with a Better personal health assistant, is $49.99 per month. The app is available for iOS devices. FROM STAFF REPORTS
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The Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation tower is shown in a July 1, 2012, archive photo.
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PHOTO BY STEVE SISNEY, THE OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE
Q&A: DR. STEPHEN PRESCOTT
OMRF advances science through the latest medical technology BY JACLYN COSGROVE Staff Writer jcosgrove@opubco.com
In 30 years, scientists will likely look back and say, “And that took you how long?” That’s what many scientists are doing today, looking back at processes that used to take days that now only take a few hours and cost a fraction of the money. Dr. Stephen Prescott, president of the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, answered a few questions about how OMRF continues to advance science and medicine in Oklahoma, using some of the latest technologies available.
HOW DOES THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY DISCUSS THE SPEED OF TODAY’S DISCOVERIES? Prescott said people who study the philosophy of science often ask the question — How does science advance? “And of course, the general perception is, people come up with new ideas, and they figure out how something works or how you fix it,” Prescott said. However, there’s a contrary point of view that asks are scientific advances made because people have new ideas on how things work, or how a disease is treated? Or is it because those questions have been around a long time, but the available technology was insufficient? “I don’t think that’s a resolved issue, but I think it’s an interesting point,” Prescott said. “The technologists have a very interesting point.”
WHAT’S AN EXAMPLE OF SOMETHING THAT DATES BACK TO WHEN YOU FIRST BECAME A RESEARCHER? Prescott said one of the most dramatic examples dates back to the early 1980s.
Dr. Stephen Prescott
In the early 1980s, if a young scientist could create a monoclonal antibody, which is used to treat a variety of diseases, he or she could get a job just about anywhere in the country, he said. And if you could clone a gene, you were in an even smaller pool of people. “If you could do that, you were something else,” Prescott said. That’s changed — drastically. “The last time somebody in one of my labs made a monoclonal antibody was back in the early ’90s because we just order them,” he said. “It’s such a commodity now. It’s not a scientific type of project — it’s an ‘order a part for your washing machine’ type project.”
HOW ARE OMRF SCIENTISTS USING THE LATEST TECHNOLOGIES FOR RESEARCH? Prescott said OMRF researchers, like Pat Gaffney, are using what was learned from
“Instead of costing several billions of dollars (to map a human genome), it costs $1,000. So we’ve got 12 years and several billion dollars to one day and a thousand dollars.”
the Human Genome Project to learn more in a day than was ever thought possible. The Human Genome Project was the international, collaborative research program whose goal was the complete mapping and understanding of all the genes of human beings, according to the National Institutes of Health’s National Human Genome Research Institute. All our genes together are known as our “genome,” according to the institute. “When the Human Genome Project was completed and
published in 2003, it was hailed as a ‘detailed blueprint for building every human cell,’ ” according to OMRF. “Scientists finally had a sort of operating manual for the more than 20,000 genes that determine every characteristic present in a human being.” Because of that project’s research, Gaffney can do a human genome from one person in less than a day. “And instead of costing several billions of dollars, it costs $1,000,” Prescott said. “So we’ve got 12 years and several
billion dollars to one day and a thousand dollars.” This advancement has allowed Gaffney and other OMRF researchers to better understand cancer genes and tumors, among other things, Prescott said. Before the Human Genome Project, it would have cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to study a range of people and their cancerous tumors. However, because of the work of the genome project, researchers were able to find out more about tumors, including that tumors can mutate 30 or 40 times. Researchers had thought tumors mutated about three or four times, he said. This discovery led researchers to think further about how cancer treatment should work, paving the way for a more personalized approach in the future, he said. “It’s revolutionized how people think about cancer and cancer treatment,” Prescott said.
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Kevin Short, Ph.D.
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PHOTO BY AARON SNOW PHOTOGRAPHY
‘EXER-GAMING’ RESEARCHERS ENCOURAGE WELLNESS WITH ACTIVITY AND SPECIALIZED DATA
BY MELISSA HOWELL Staff Writer mhowell@opubco.com
Researchers are integrating highly technical monitoring equipment with not-so-technical gaming devices to encourage wellness in children and adolescents, especially those at risk for diabetes, says Kevin Short, Ph.D., a metabolic researcher at the Harold Hamm Diabetes Center and associate professor at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. Short, an exercise physiologist, works with children and youths to manage diabetes or reduce their risk of developing the disease through physical activity.
Exercise to prevent diabetes “Our biggest concern is diabetes and the ability to control blood sugar. Physical activity is the best way to prevent development of diabetes,” he said. “We know that when we get sedentary kids — within a day (of
starting an exercise program), we can see improvement in blood sugar control. That’s hopeful.” To aid in that effort, Short uses a piece of technology they use at the diabetes center: a heart-rate monitor that children and adolescents who are not habitually active can wear to give them feedback on whether they are being active enough or not. “(They) can go to the local fitness center, log into the system, and the monitor beeps to tell them they are in the right intensity zone,” Short said. “They get this nice feedback on intensity levels, calories burned and an encouraging message.” It’s a helpful motivator, Short said, but with kids it has to be fun too. That’s where “exergaming,” or interactive gaming, comes in. “I think you have to have a fun component. The younger they are, the more game-like activities they want,” Short said. “I wanted to find some fun things for them to do so we gave them the treadmill, then (they) do Dance, Dance Revolution or Wii
boxing.” But Short cautions that while kids’ fitness games and apps are good, they should be used in conjunction with traditional diet and exercise programs. “For some people, (they) can be pretty useful. But a lot are incomplete. Sometimes they ignore diet, or the guidelines are not up to date. There’s no one app that really hones in and meets all the needs,” he said. But that doesn’t mean fitness games and apps won’t improve over time. “Lots of people are working on apps and video games (for fitness),” Short said. “There are federal grants for (developing) programs applicable to kids. Every kid under the age of 18 has a cell phone. There’s a market for it.”
High-tech devices for babies Another way researchers are working to prevent diabetes is to gauge the propensity for the disease at a very early age. David A. Fields, Ph.D., a re-
A participant in a Harold Hamm Diabetes Center fitness program exercises on a stationary bike with a VO2 mask. PHOTO COURTESY OF HAROLD HAMM DIABETES CENTER
searcher with the Harold Hamm Diabetes Center and an associate professor at Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, is researching the relationship between mothers who have diabetes or are obese, with the risk of developing either condition in their babies. With new technology, Fields says he has established a significant association between the location and type of fat a mother has compared to that of her baby. One way he determines this is with the use of a “Pea Pod” that can measure the amount of a baby’s fat and muscle. When the diabetes center purchased the Pea Pod five years ago, it was the third facility in the world to have it. “What we have shown is that even at two weeks of age, babies with moms who are obese are actually much fatter. Babies with
“Babies with moms that had diabetes (are at risk) straight from the get-go. If the mom has diabetes, the fetuses have more fat than the ones who don’t. ... If you connect the dots, it shows that these kids are already behind the eight-ball.”
moms that had diabetes (are at risk) straight from the get-go,” he said. “If the mom has diabetes, the fetuses have more fat than the ones who don’t. To my knowledge, that’s a new finding. If you connect the dots, it shows that these kids are already behind the eight-ball.” Fields also uses a dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry or DXA, to measure body fat in infants. “The DXA’s original application was to determine osteoporosis. The new application is that you can modify it and it will measure your body fat. We’re one of the few (facilities) in the country that uses it,” he said. “What’s so powerful is that it will tell us how much total fat and, how much total muscle (a person has). But it also tells you where it is. We know babies from diabetic mothers have more fat in their trunk.”
David A. Fields determines the amount of an infant’s body fat and muscle with the Harold Hamm Diabetes Center’s “Pea Pod.” PHOTO PROVIDED BY THOMAS WHITE
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OUTLOOK: THE WAY WE LIVE
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ONE TEXT AT A TIME, FREE PROGRAM COMBATS INFANT MORTALITY RATE Jaclyn Cosgrove jcosgrove@ opubco.com
STAFF WRITER
A few times a week, Canielle Preston would get a text message for herself and her unborn child. Preston was in her third trimester and expected to give birth to a daughter. In 2012, she was one of about 5,400 pregnant and new mothers in Oklahoma who used a free text message service called text4baby. Text4baby is a nationwide initiative that provides pregnant women and new mothers with health information in the form of text messages. After signing up for the program, mothers receive a few text messages a week about caring for their health and their babies. Regardless of a woman's cellphone provider, the text messages are free. Over the past few years, the program has continued to thrive. The federal government’s Centers of Medicare & Medicaid Services recently announced Oklahoma was one of four states selected to participate in a text4baby pilot project. Daryn Kirkpatrick, health promotion manager at the Oklahoma Health Care Authority, said as part of the pilot project, there will be increased efforts to enroll Medicaid beneficiaries. Also, Oklahomans signed up for text4baby will start to see Oklahoma-specific text messages, rather than general messages with 1-800 numbers that aren’t specific to the state’s available resources. The hope is that this more specific approach will improve a program that’s already doing
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well, she said. “We're trying to improve the health of Oklahomans, and it starts with helping pregnant women and then that trickles down to the health of their baby,” Kirkpatrick said. “And improving overall health outcomes is the overall goal — getting these women the access to the resources they need and the health of their babies.” In 2010, Oklahoma ranked No. 43 in the U.S. for its infant mortality rate, defined as the number of deaths to infants less than one year of age per 1,000 live births, according to the state Health Department. The state’s infant mortality rate was almost eight babies who died at less than one year of age per 1,000 live births, according to the National Cen-
“We're trying to improve the health of Oklahomans, and it starts with helping pregnant women and then that trickles down to the health of their baby.”
ter for Health Statistics. Since 1992, Oklahoma's infant mortality rate has consistently remained above the national rate, according to analysis from the state Health De-
partment. State officials have said by reducing the rate to 6.15, the national rate recorded in 2010, about 90 fewer Oklahoma babies would die each year.
In 2009, Preston's fourth child, Tyrese JaMarcus, died from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. He was eight days old. “He was part of the statistic,” she said. Preston said one of the biggest stressors during her pregnancy was making sure she did everything right. And it was intimidating at times to ask a doctor a question for fear of asking a “dumb question,” she said. Preston said text4baby has helped ease that fear, as the program stresses the importance of building an open and honest relationship with a doctor. “That's what it's trying to do, empower mothers to not go online and Google things, but to ask your doctor,” Preston said.
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Sara Tytle shows the Lose It! app during a cardio drumming class at DO Fitness in Oklahoma City.
PHOTO BY NATE BILLINGS, THE OKLAHOMAN
GET FIT WITH TECH BY MELISSA HOWELL Staff Writer mhowell@opubco.com
Technology has changed the way we manage our fitness. From providing motivation to measuring progress, social media, wearable tech and hightech workout devices help keep fitness goals within reach. Don Oliver, owner of DO Fitness in Oklahoma City, says he integrates different types of technology to foster a comprehensive result. “I use a metabolic tester that allows me to tailor peoples’ eating habits for them. I also use an electrical impedance body tester to keep track of (a client’s) body fat scale,” he said. “Most of my clients use the LoseIt app on their cellphones. It’s a food-logging system (that) allows them to log food, see how many calories they’re eating ... and then it gives them the contents broken down into proteins, fats and carbs. They send me their food logs over the Internet.” Many trainers also use an electronic weight lifting system that is fed an individual’s information via USB port and automatically adjusts weights and repetitions in accordance with that person’s progress. “You put in a thumb drive and it has all the information,” Oliver said. “Weights are automatically set according to the information on the thumb drive.”
THE JAWBONE UP HELPS USERS UNDERSTAND HOW THEY SLEEP, MOVE AND EAT SO THEY CAN MAKE SMARTER CHOICES.
NIKEFUEL IS A UNIVERSAL WAY TO MEASURE MOVEMENT FOR ALL KINDS OF ACTIVITIES BY TRACKING THE INTENSITY OF WORKOUTS, AND SLEEP TRACKING, COUNTING STEPS AND MORE.
Social networking Studies show that exercise routines are far more successful when friends or supporters are along for the ride. Fitness seekers of all levels have embraced social media as a means of motivation, accountability and camaraderie. Here is a list of some of the most popular fitness networking sites. Most have accompanying apps for Android and iOS devices and Facebook and Twitter accounts. Sweat Sync: Utilize the buddy system. Sweat Sync was designed to help friends organize workouts and rate facilities. Users can see each other’s fitness activities, schedule workout meet-ups, compare progress and find others with similar fitness goals and interests. Fitocracy: Put fun into working out. Dailymile: Share routes and motivation.
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Dailymile allows primarily runners, cyclists and swimmers to map routes and share motivation with others. The website keeps a running total of the number of miles its community of 1 million users has logged in a given day. Strava: Compete with runners and cyclists worldwide. Strava lets you track your rides and runs via your iPhone, Android or dedicated GPS device and helps you analyze and quantify your performance. More competitive in nature than Dailymile and less social.
Athlinks: Track and compare race times. Athlinks focuses on marathoners and triathletes, providing a vast database of public race results. Athletes in training can compare others’ race times with their own. GymPact: Earn money while you sweat. GymPact is about commitment. Individuals pit their determination against other gymgoers. The user chooses how much money he or she will forfeit for missing a day and at
the end of the week, money for those who missed a workout is divided between those who didn’t.
Wearable activity trackers Another trend in fitness tech is in wearable devices that track activity and other fitness data. Popular devices that let you track your fitness and diet include the Jawbone UP, Fitbit Flex and Nike FuelBand. Jawbone UP: Like Fitbit did just in time for the holidays, Jawbone recently introduced its latest version — Jawbone UP 24 and a new corresponding UP
THE FITBIT FLEX AND OTHER FITBIT PRODUCTS TRACK STEPS TAKEN, CALORIES BURNED, DISTANCE TRAVELED AND MORE.
3.0 app. The Jawbone UP 24 band is $149.99; the older version UP is $129.99. The device tracks how you sleep, move and eat — calories, food and drink, workouts that you log, etc. The app also has an “insight engine” that reveals patterns in your day-to-day activities. Connected apps include RunKeeper, MyFitnessPal and more, all listed on the website. Nike Fuelband: Nike recently improved its Fuelband with firmware and hardware upgrades and improved water resistance and renamed it the Nike Fuelband SE. It starts at $149, but has a sleek rose gold edition for $169. The wristband tracks your whole-body movement and offers motivational tools to keep athletes of all levels moving. It counts steps, displays progress and tracks sleep and workout intensity. Fitbit: This company makes these devices in several versions, the newest being the Fitbit Force, a wireless activity and sleep wristband which retails for $129. However, these recently have been removed from the market due to rashes in some wearers. Fitbit does offer the slightly older version, the Fitbit Flex, at $99. Both track steps taken, distance traveled, calories burned if you enter what you eat, and sleep quality. Fitbit also offers Zip, a clip-on wireless activity tracker and others. CONTRIBUTING: OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVES
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IT landscape changing for sharing Oklahoma patient medical records Paula Burkes pburkes@ opubco.com
BUSINESS WRITER
Editor’s note: This story originally was published April 13. A new Web-based platform to which state health care providers can connect to share medical records of patients and provide better transitional care was scheduled to go live April 22 with the business of most Oklahoma City-based hospitals and their affiliates statewide. Meanwhile, Tulsabased MyHealth Access Network reports it soon will complete a transfer of assets from Tahlequahbased Secure Medical Records Transfer Network (SMRTNet), which MyHealth has managed since late 2012 and to which the Oklahoma City hospitals are connected. Their contracts expire May 1. The new Normanbased network, Coordinated Care Oklahoma, and MyHealth — both nonprofit organizations — will compete for the business of hospitals, doctors’ offices, pharmacies and health care providers statewide, who, based on the number of providers, pay monthly subscriptions for connectivity, much like Internet companies compete for market share. Fees range from $20 a month for a one-physician practice to hundreds of thousands of dollars annually for large medical systems. Coordinated Care Oklahoma Chief Administrative Officer Brian Yeaman, whose consulting company manages Coordinated Care Oklahoma, believes two networks will be good for the state, driving competitive pricing and improved service. David Kendrick, chief executive of MyHealth, disagrees. “Think of the exchange like a public utility,” said Kendrick, who believes one network would lower operating costs. “You don’t need two exchanges any more than you need two water supply companies.” What Yeaman and Kendrick, who are both physicians, passionately agree upon is the benefit and need to electronically share records. Since 2008, both have helped build Oklahoma’s connectivity, which includes some 70 percent of health care providers, compared
David Kendrick
Dr. Robert H. Roswell, senior associate dean of the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, left, and MedEncentive President Jeff Green were part of a panel on April 1 discussing the challenges facing the implementation of electronic medical records in the state. PHOTOS BY PAUL HELLSTERN, THE OKLAHOMAN
with only 20 percent nationally. All providers are required to connect to an exchange by fiscal year 2016, or face reduced Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements. Yeaman, a Norman family physician who built and runs the information exchange of Norman Regional Health System, recently saw a patient who had received care at the Oklahoma Heart Hospital a few days prior. “She was acting confused, and I asked her if she was sure she didn’t have a stroke,” Yeaman said. “She said she didn’t think so, but that she was put on three new meds.” Yeaman logged onto SMRTNet to check his patient’s medications, and instantly realized a common side effect of one of the drugs she was prescribed is confusion. He was close to sending her back to the hospital, but instead simply changed her medication, he said. Similarly, Kendrick, an internist and pediatrician at the University of Oklahoma’s School of Community Medicine in Tulsa, said the exchange regularly keeps him from sending patients to the emergency room. “I can check their records and see that their cholesterol is normal, or their EKG (electrocardiogram) hasn’t changed,” he said.
Some not connected “Patients choose their doctors, not their hospitals, and shouldn’t have to worry that their medical records won’t follow them across the street to different providers,” Kendrick said. Studies show sharing electronic health records reduces duplicated orders, harmful drug interactions and missed diagnostic opportunities, while
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boosting better health care, lower health care costs and better health outcomes. But despite the far-reaching benefits, some Oklahoma providers — including Variety Care — haven’t yet connected to a health information exchange. Variety Care Chief Executive Lou Carmichael said her organization, which operates 17 community health centers across Oklahoma County and in three western Oklahoma towns, had been waiting to decide between MyHealth and SMRTNet and, since their pending merger was announced early last year, has been waiting on the merger. “Now that the Oklahoma City hospitals have determined that they will have their own exchange, we’re back in the same position of trying to decide between two,” said Carmichael, who wishes the state had implemented one network, as the state of Virginia has. “Our patients go to all of these ERs, but we cannot afford to pay the subscription fees to both exchanges.” Meanwhile, Duncan Regional Hospital soon plans to migrate from SMRTNet to Coordinated Care Oklahoma because most of its patients traveling outside Stephens County for care go to Oklahoma City or Lawton, Chief Information Officer Roger Neal said. So far, Duncan Regional Hospital, with the help of $3.8 million in federal incentives, has invested
$4.2 million in its electronic records infrastructure, Neal said. Both Kendrick and Yeaman said they discussed a statewide merger, but couldn’t agree on technology or governance, including board representation. Still, Yeaman promises seamless, transparent service. “We’ll have agreements in place, much like Verizon and AT&T, to ensure sharing of one another’s networks,” he said.
Rural connections As private competition is heating up, the Oklahoma Health Information Exchange Trust (OHIET) last month spent the last of the $10.6 million in federal stimulus grant money it was given to help providers, especially rural ones, connect to a network. The trust used the grant
“Patients choose their doctors, not their hospitals, and shouldn’t have to worry that their medical records won’t follow them across the street to different providers.” money, matched with some $1 million in in-kind state donations, to help 74 rural hospitals, 27 behavioral health centers, 445 physicians and other providers, and 47 optometrists connect to an exchange, reported trust Chairman Robert Roswell, endocrinologist and OU public health professor, at a recent Crowe & Dunlevy law seminar. Roswell said the trust also developed an affiliation agreement that ensures information can be shared across state exchanges, and established a certification process for exchanges to ensure secure sharing of patient health information. Under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, patients at any time may
opt out of electronic sharing, he said. Trustees of the Oklahoma Health Information Exchange Trust continue to meet monthly, Roswell said, though the trust has no funds, for months has operated with five versus seven trustees, and survived an unsuccessful attempt by Rep. Lewis Moore, R-Edmond, to kill it. Moore said the trust used federal funds to support a better alignment with the Affordable Care Act, which he strongly opposes. The lawmaker said he also worries about the privacy of sharing electronic medical records. “Truly, is there really any secure information any more?” Moore said.
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Today’s students and young adult workforce have grown up with computers and Web access. Why not leverage that ability through educational technology? Experts say it helps them learn and prepares them to grab a foothold into their first jobs.
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OUTLOOK: EDUCATION & CAREERS
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VIRTUAL MENTALITY
Tori Hlad, a former high school dropout, decided to return to school by enrolling in the Oklahoma City Public Schools’ online courses program. PHOTO BY NATE BILLINGS, THE OKLAHOMAN
ONLINE SCHOOL GIVES STUDENTS ANOTHER OPTION BY TIM WILLERT Staff Writer twillert@opubco.com
Victoria Hlad, it turns out, has what it takes to go to virtual school. A former high school dropout, Hlad, 20, is among the 100 or so students taking online courses offered by Oklahoma City Public Schools. “I love it because I finished a year of school in almost eight months,” she said. “It’s way more convenient with me having to work.” The program’s flexibility is attractive to students who work or have health or behavior issues, said Jahree Herzer, innovative programs coordinator for Oklahoma City Public Schools. “Students can work at their own pace. They can work on their own schedule,” she said. “It’s great for high school students who have jobs because they can still hold down a job and then structure their time around the job to (go to school).” Online school, however, is not for everybody, Herzer said. “A lot of students and parents think that this is an easy way to go to school,” she said. “I think they think that because of the flexibility, when in fact they don’t stop to think about the self-motivation and the self-discipline that it really takes to be successful in the program.” The virtual program, now in its second year, is open to students of all ages and offers some courses — sign language and computer programming among them — that are not available in every school. The district contracts with a company that provides curriculum and statecertified teachers who interact with students via Skype and web mail. Unlike traditional schools, where the teacher is the primary source of instruction, the online teacher serves a secondary role and the curriculum is the primary source of instruction, Herzer said. “If you are successful as an online student then you have become an independent learner,” she said. “You know how to find information that you need; you know how to use the Internet as a resource.” Humiliation was a factor in Hlad’s decision to go back to school. She was set to leave her job at Sonic for a better-paying job in the health industry, but the plan backfired when her new employer asked for a high school diploma. “I was so embarrassed I never showed up,” she recalled. “I didn’t want to tell them I lied.” Hlad, who was living with her parents, returned to work at Sonic and pondered her future. I always thought that I never really needed (a diploma), but that kind of
Jahree Herzer, innovative programs coordinator for Oklahoma City Public Schools said online courses are “great for high school students who have jobs because they can still hold down a job and then structure their time around the job to (go to school).” PHOTO BY DAVID MCDANIEL, THE OKLAHOMAN
A lot of students and parents think that this is an easy way to go to school. I think they think that because of the flexibility, when in fact they don’t stop to think about the self-motivation and the selfdiscipline that it really takes to be successful in the program.” JAHREE HERZER INNOVATIVE PROGRAMS COORDINATOR FOR OKLAHOMA CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS This pamphlet gives information on the Innovative K-12 Virtual Institute program. PHOTO BY DAVID MCDANIEL, THE OKLAHOMAN
opened my eyes,” she said. “I realized I would need it to go anywhere.” After a slow start, Hlad has mastered the art of self-discipline, and is set to graduate in May. Working eight hours a
day and going to school eight hours a day, often into the early morning hours, hasn’t been easy. “It’s kind of like second nature now,” she said. “I’m so ready to graduate that I just come home and do it.” Hlad, who struggles with Algebra 2,
meets regularly with Herzer, a math teacher, for additional help. “Victoria has been extremely motivated,” Herzer said. “She found out what the world is really all about. She understands how important (a diploma) is and it’s evident by how hard she works.”
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LEARNING EXPERIENCE
Carrie Renfro-Snyder retired from a career in the culinary business and now teaches at Centennial Mid-High School in northeast Oklahoma City, where she is known as “Chef” Carrie. Here, she shows junior student Jay Green how to hold a “hi-tech” baby that can record the level of care a student gives it. Renfro-Snyder is one of a number of teachers at the school who use Edmodo as a teaching resource. PHOTO BY JIM BECKEL, THE OKLAHOMAN
Teacher of the year finalist turns to Edmodo to collaborate with students Keeping up with Carrie thing you can ask for help Tim Renfro-Snyder is no easy by posting questions.” Willert task. “Chef Carrie” as she Between March 1 and twillert@ is known to students at April 11, the Edmodo site at opubco.com Oklahoma Centennial Centennial received a Mid-High School, tends to whopping 4,150 hits. Centalk as fast as a short-order tennial and Northwest STAFF WRITER cook works. Classen High use the webWhich is why it’s a good site more than any other thing her students don’t school in the district, offihave to write down everything she says. cials said. That’s where Edmodo comes in. “We want to use all of the resources Edmodo, an educational website that around us, whether it’s modern technolbears a resemblance to Facebook in ap- ogy or or technology that already exists, pearance, is a free and safe way for teach- like pencils and pens,” Renfro-Snyder ers and students to connect and collab- said. “One of my goals and focuses is to orate without all the excess paperwork. get them to be able to use technology all On Edmodo, teachers can continue the time in a lot of different ways and preclassroom discussions online, give polls to pare them for a career or college.” check for student understanding, and While most of her students have had a award badges to individual students based cell phone “since they were born,” some on performance or behavior. show up with no technology training. “An advantage of this technology is to “You have to be using a skill or knowlcreate a virtual classroom for students to edge over and over to get proficient and be able to problem-solve and use critical- develop mastery over it, and I want my thinking skills to not only do the assign- students to be able to develop mastery ments but to try to figure out the tech- and to be able to be prepared as a much as nology,” said Renfro-Snyder, 50, a certi- possible for college.” fied chef and teacher who is a finalist for When her husband was hospitalized, district Teacher of the Year. Renfro-Snyder communicated with her Since being introduced to Oklahoma students through the website, posting City Public Schools in 2012, Edmodo has lesson plans and answering questions grown exponentially at Centennial, where from struggling students. Renfro-Snyder teaches several subjects, “I could tell who was turning in work including culinary arts, global health nu- and who wasn’t,” she said with a smile. trition, and career and technology educa- “They really liked it because it made it tion. seem like I wasn’t so far away. There’s “It makes it easier to access informa- nothing worse than having a substitute tion,” said Diana Martinez, 15, a ninth- because then you feel like you were left grader in Renfro-Snyder’s global health with a babysitter instead of your family nutrition class. “If you get stuck on some- and that just makes you want to cry.”
Carrie Renfro-Snyder retired from a career in the culinary business and now teaches at Centennial Mid-High School in northeast Oklahoma City, where she is known as “Chef” Carrie. PHOTO BY JIM BECKEL, THE OKLAHOMAN
“We want to use all of the resources around us, whether it’s modern technology or technology that already exists, like pencils and pens.”
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AT MOUNT ST. MARY, YEAR OF THE LAPTOP
Program at high school provides every student Chromebooks for studying, homework, organization BY SARAH LOBBAN For The Oklahoman
Built in 1903, Mount St. Mary is one of the oldest high schools in Oklahoma. The red brick building resembles a cathedral or a castle rather than a typical school, and from the outside, Mount St. Mary gives off an air of palatial antiquity. But appearances are deceiving, and one look inside the school’s classrooms reveals that Mount St. Mary is on the forefront of modernity. “Today’s digital age requires kids to process information, not just memorize facts,” said Christina Wipfli, director of digital curriculum and instruction, and science teacher at the Oklahoma City school. “They need to learn how to be adept researchers, how to decipher information and how to present it.” To that end, the school introduced a program at the start of the school year that provided every student a Chromebook personal computer for classroom and at-home use. The idea was to give students an insight in to the practical applications of technology to prepare them for college and work in the future. The program is reaching the end of its first year, and Wipfli and the other teachers have seen encouraging results. The students use their Chromebooks for everything from studying, to submitting homework, to using digital calendars to keep track of projects. Teachers, too, find the Chromebooks useful when it comes to assigning reading material or contacting their students. “Computers are an integral part of the world today,” Wipfli said. “It’s time for schools to move the way that our society is moving.” Cole Cowan is a senior at Mount St. Mary. He and his fellow students were excited at the prospect of getting to use laptops as a daily learning tool. According to Cowan, many of them feel better prepared and organized thanks to the Chromebooks. “We use them for a lot of in-class work, like taking notes,” Cowan said. “Outside of class, they’re used just as much for homework.” Cowan said that the year with the laptop has also made him feel more ready for life at college, where having a computer and the skills to use it are becoming a necessity. “One thing that I’ve noticed when I’ve visited colleges is how often I see someone using a laptop in a classroom or library,” he said. “It seems like after high school, having been around all this is going to benefit me greatly.”
“So much of kids’ lives these days revolves around social media. They have to have an understanding of where we are, where we came from and where we’re going, and they have to know how to use it properly.” GREG SPENCER
HE IS A MOUNT ST. MARY TEACHER AND ALSO RUNS THE MOUNT ST. MARY SPORTS NETWORK Although the Chromebooks are a significant step forward, they are actually just the latest component in Mount St. Mary’s efforts to promote computer literacy in the age of social and digital media. For the past four years, the high school has offered courses in multimedia studies, TV and webcast productions, documentary film and computer applications. Greg Spencer teaches and played a large part in creating all four of these classes. In addition, he runs the Mount St. Mary Sports Network, which webcasts all the school’s sports events, and produces the school show, Mount Life. Both the webcasts and the show are made by students in Spencer’s classes. There, kids learn editing on different kinds of software, as well as production techniques, videography, and how to use and analyze social media. Spencer, who graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a degree in film and video studies, said that until college, he didn’t know about many of the jobs in the media field. He wanted to make sure his students were exposed to the potential career choices early enough to give them a solid foundation before they go on to university. “So much of kids’ lives these days revolves around social media,” said Spencer. “They have to have an understanding of where we are, where we came from and where we’re going, and they have to know how to use it properly.”
A program at Mount St. Mary to provide every student a Chromebook is part of the school’s ongoing efforts to promote computer literacy in the age of social and digital media. For the past four years, the high school has offered courses in multimedia studies, TV and webcast productions, documentary film, and computer applications. Above, Greg Spencer and his students do a webcast during a high school football game between Mount St. Mary and Crooked Oak in 2012. OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVES PHOTO
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OSU USES MULTIPLE MEDIA
TO GET THE WORD OUT
BY K.S. MCNUTT Staff Writer kmcnutt@opubco.com
STILLWATER — To get a message out, you’ve got to know your audience. The communications office at Oklahoma State University must keep a number of audiences in mind — current students, alumni, OSU fans, future students, taxpayers and employees. They don’t all interact the same way. Ten years ago, the communications office used print media and emails to get the word out, said Gary Shutt, communications director. Then video was added to the mix. Of course, many people today prefer to communicate via digital screens and devices. “We recognized early on that that’s how students wanted to connect,” Shutt said. “It’s always a challenge. We use all the different tools to reach our audiences.” The trick is to keep the message consistent. “We have a very integrated approach to communications,” said Megan Horton, associate communications director overseeing digital media. Her job requires keeping up to date on the many layers of social media. As students change, so does the university. “We’re always evaluating when to change tools or add new tools,” Horton said. Facebook now is less important as students move to Twitter and Instagram, she said.
Two-way street “We need to be attentive while we’re pushing out messages,” Horton said. “We don’t want to miss things we need to respond to.” By listening to what others are saying on digital media, officials have found students in distress and learned about problems on campus. “It’s just like a face-to-face conversation,” Shutt said. “If you’re not listening, the person will go talk to someone else.” Officials established the hashtag “OKStateprobs” for people to use on Twitter. When the communications staffers learn about a big pothole in a
Kaitlin Loyd, a junior from Bartlesville, checks out Oklahoma State University’s main Twitter account while taking a break in the Student Union. PHOTO PROVIDED BY OSU
parking lot, they can alert the appropriate department. In case of an emergency on campus, the communications office uses the Rave Alert system to notify students, faculty and staff via text, voice mail and email, Shutt said. OSU implemented the system a little more than a year ago because the previous system wasn’t effective, he said.
Socially Orange “Having a consistent message with higher education is very hard because the resources didn’t increase with the technology,” Horton said. Messages go out from the social administrators for the various colleges and departments, the wellness center, athletics, campus organizations and others. To coordinate their efforts, officials
“We recognized early on that that’s how students wanted to connect. It’s always a challenge. We use all the different tools to reach our audiences.” GARY SHUTT OSU COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR
formed a group called Socially Orange. “We communicate with them weekly and provide quarterly training,” Horton said. “We offer one-on-one strategy sessions if they need help.” The communications office has used
student interns to help share the load and is looking to expand those positions, Shutt said. “It’s a great way for us to stay connected with them and what they’re thinking.”
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UCO PRESIDENT SAYS EDUCATION IS CENTRAL TO CITIZENS, SOCIETIES BY K.S. MCNUTT Staff Writer kmcnutt@opubco.com
EDMOND — As the University of Central Oklahoma prepares for its 125th anniversary next year, the UCO community can look to the past to help focus on the future, President Don Betz said. When people came here in 1890 to create a new life, one of the first things they did was establish the school and build Old North — a 114-foot sandstone “cathedral on the plains” with nothing else around it. “They built education,” Betz said. The goal was “to grow the future” by developing teachers who could train the next generation of citizens to read, write, think and work together, he said. That teachers’ college evolved into an institution that has more than 17,000 students today who are preparing for careers in areas as diverse as the music industry and forensic science. And it still educates people to teach others to be good citizens through the College of Education and Professional Studies. “We pride ourselves on that,” Betz said. “There are certain fundamentals that haven’t changed.”
Always Central Old North was closed in 2002 due to safety concerns, but it won’t remain shuttered. One of the goals of the Always Central campaign is to bring it back to a fully functional building with a room that will show what it was like to go to school in 1910. The Always Central campaign, which kicked off in 2011, is the university’s first comprehensive fundraising drive. “We made it a comprehensive campaign because the needs are quite broad,” Betz said. The goal is to raise $40 million for scholarships, faculty, programs and facilities by 2015. University leaders are establishing new patterns of fundraising and new relationships with alumni and supporters in the community, the metro and the state, Betz said. “They’ve never been asked to give in this way before,” he said. “Institutions of higher education in the state are going to need multiple ways of funding their work in the future. None of us are reliant on solely, or even close to solely, on state resources.” State funds make up about 30 percent of UCO’s budget, Betz said.
Metropolitan university “Education has been at the center of every successful society in history,” Betz said. In America, it’s not just for the privileged few, but for everyone who has the ability, the persistence and the passion to learn, he said. That makes access and affordability important. Regional universities
“Education has been at the center of every successful society in history.” DON BETZ UCO PRESIDENT
were placed in various parts of the state to give access to people. Oklahoma established them at Ada, Alva, Durant, Tahlequah, Weatherford and Edmond. “This particular regional institution ended up being smack in the largest metro in the state,” Betz said. “We are a metropolitan university.” UCO is surrounded by partners in education, including five two-year colleges, that are collaborating to help students in the metro area succeed, Betz said. UCO recently entered into a partnership with Oklahoma City Community College and Oklahoma City Public Schools to vertically integrate the education process from prekindergarten through college. “Think of it as a system,” Betz said, with each institution sharing the challenge to create the future of Oklahoma. “No one of us is smarter than all of us, and to get this done we must collaborate,” he said. “Education is too important to be left to chance. “We are really embracing this notion of what a metro university needs to be.”
Don Betz, president of the University of Central Oklahoma, says the UCO community can look to the past to help focus on the future. PHOTO BY PAUL HELLSTERN, THE OKLAHOMAN
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NORMAN’S SCHOOLCONNECT RANKS AMONG TOP APPS FOR SCHOOLS BY MELISSA HOWELL Staff Writer
NORMAN — SchoolConnect, a mobile school informationbased app developed in 2011 for the Norman school district, has become one of the top 25 apps of its kind in North America. “We have 342 (school districts) live and 138 that are in a contract phase. Actually, we’ve been working 1,011 districts across the country,” said SchoolConnect founder and CEO Nick Migliorino. “It’s one of those things that’s pretty cool. It’s beyond my wildest dreams. We hover in the top 25 on Apple. We’re a top player. There is no one like us.”
The Moore school district used SchoolConnect during deadly tornadoes last year to let parents, teachers and students know what measures the district was taking during the event and to establish meeting locations where parents could pick up their children, said Nick Migliorino, founder of the application.
‘A dashboard for everything ... ’ In addition to receiving push messages from the district, users can choose to receive messages from individual schools. Among other features, the app includes school lunch menus, achievement reports, direct access to Parent Portal to check students’ grades, Google calendars for the district and individual schools, social media channels, athletic and activities information and “tap” screens to email staff and email or call district administrators and school board members. The app also includes translation to Spanish and other languages. And it’s all at no cost to the user. “The whole premise was a communication tool for schools in a medium … where they’re expecting to get their information,” said Migliorino, who holds a Ph.D. in educational technology from the University of Oklahoma. “This is a communication app that has evolved into a dashboard for everything happening in the school.” The Moore school district used SchoolConnect during last year’s deadly tornadoes to let
TO LEARN MORE For more information about SchoolConnect, go online to www.schoolconnectservices.com. SchoolConnect is one of the top 25 apps of its kind in North America.
parents, teachers and students know what measures the district was taking during the event and to establish meeting locations where parents could pick up their children, Migliorino said.
Born out of informal talks The SchoolConnect project originally was the brainchild of Migliorino, who, then, was the director of secondary schools for the Norman School District, and
Shelly Hickman, director of communications for the district. “When I joined district in July 2011 ... I said I wanted to be the first district with a mobile app,” Hickman said. “Nick Migliorino, who was the director of secondary education, was very technologyoriented. He had been working on a mobile website. “We got together with a group of people and formulated a platform that would work for us.
Through community partnerships, we developed SchoolConnect. What started as an informal discussion ended up in a venture that we worked on outside the school day,” she said. The day after the app was released, it had made the Apple app store’s top 25 list for free education apps. In the two years that we’ve had the mobile app, parents and students both find it very valuable,”
Hickman said. “Parents really appreciate the instant messaging. We can send emergency and nonemergency messages straight to their cell phone. They like to be able to have the ready access to group messaging.” Although the company was purchased by Minneapolisbased Jostens in 2012, Migliorino continues to operate an eightperson office in Norman.
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FROM STRUGGLES TO SUCCESS
Oklahoma State University looks to continue moving forward BY K.S. MCNUTT Staff Writer kmcnutt@opubco.com
STILLWATER — When Burns Hargis came on board as president March 10, 2008, Oklahoma State University faced serious funding challenges. That was no surprise to Hargis, who had served on the university’s board of regents for five years. OSU was struggling with declining enrollment, cuts in state funding, and problems attracting and keeping strong faculty. University leaders also had to find a way to fund the many capital projects needed on campus. “So we had a big job ahead of us and it was up to us to solve it. That was the reason for the Branding Success campaign,� Hargis said. The ambitious fundraising campaign challenged donors to raise $1 billion in seven years — half of it for scholarships, $200 million each for faculty and facilities, and $100 million for programs. Last April, OSU officials announced they had reached the goal more than a year ahead of schedule. “The university has gotten a new lease on life,� Hargis said. “I give Boone Pickens a lot of credit for that.� Pickens is well known for his donations to OSU athletics, but the energy executive and OSU alumnus has given even more to academics, Hargis said. One way was to leverage state funding for endowed chairs before a moratorium on the state’s dollar-fordollar match went into effect July 1, 2008. Pickens issued a $100 million challenge to match other donors gifts. The net result was those gifts were quadrupled by the time his match and the state match were applied. “That really got us off to a jet-like start in the Branding Success campaign,� Hargis said. “It really energized and inspired others to pitch in.� To date, more than 95,000 donors have given to the campaign. Now the job is to nurture those relationships to ensure support for OSU for a long time to come, Hargis said. A new emphasis on the arts attracted other donors who were inspired by plans for the Oklahoma State University Museum of Art — which opened the Postal Plaza Gallery this year — and for a future performing arts center, Hargis said. “We actually have extraordinary departments of art and music at Oklahoma State. They have not had the facilities to reach their full potential,� he said. “One of the things Ann and I want to accom-
Oklahoma State University President Burns Hargis, left, congratulates a graduate as he walks across the stage after receiving his diploma at the school’s commencement ceremonies in May 2013. Hargis says OSU has “gotten a new lease on life.� PHOTO BY JIM BECKEL, THE OKLAHOMAN
plish before we leave is to see that they have those facilities.�
Increasing enrollment The enrollment ship has been righted, but now officials face a new challenge. “We have been gaining enrollment pretty dramatically over these past few years,� said Hargis, noting OSU had the largest freshman class in state history two years ago. “We’re getting them in the front door. We’re not getting enough of them across the goal line to receive their degrees,� he said. Only 31 percent of OSU students graduate in four years, and about 60 percent finish in six years. University officials are intent on designing a plan for students to get their degrees and get them more quickly, Hargis said. The strategy includes a new block tuition plan starting next fall. Undergraduate students taking anywhere from 12 to 18 hours will pay the same flat rate (based on 15 hours) to encourage them to take more hours. Hargis said schools that use the block tuition model
tend to have higher graduation rates than OSU. For some students, earning a degree will depend on the amount of financial help they can get. “To reach our full potential ... we’re going to have to have far more needs-based scholarships so students that can’t afford to go to college will be able to and without taking on crushing debt,� he said.
Moving forward As OSU moves ahead, Hargis wants to make progress in three areas. The first is to develop the school’s research facilities to do much more corporate research. The second is to develop people who have not just learned their discipline skills, but have learned leadership skills. “They are going to be leaders in their communities ... People who actually make a difference in their environment,� he said. And lastly, is to expand diversity on campus. “We’re going to be dealing with a lot of people from a lot of different backgrounds, from different races, different cultures, different religions. And
we’re going to be doing it not just here, but all over the world. “I want to attract more
diverse students, not only because it serves our state better, but also it serves everybody better by having
the opportunity to meet and learn how to relate to people that may not look exactly like them.�
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Oklahoma House Bill 2372 would prohibit employers from requesting or requiring current or potential employees to give them access to personal social media accounts, such as Facebook and Twitter. JUPITERIMAGES
MEASURE WOULD BLOCK EMPLOYER ACCESS TO PERSONAL SOCIAL MEDIA BY RANDY KREHBIEL Tulsa World randy.krehbiel@tulsaworld.com
Employers who would never dream of demanding to tap an employee's home phone or read his personal mail sometimes have a completely different idea when it comes to social media. They want account names. They want passwords. It is unclear how many employers actually demand access to private social media accounts, but apparently it is enough to cause more than half the states to at least consider banning the practice. At least 10 states, including Arkansas, have enacted laws making it illegal to request user names and passwords of private accounts. Oklahoma could be among the next states to do so. House Bill 2372, by Rep. John Trebilcock, R-Broken Arrow, passed the state House of Representatives 93-0 in February. Last week, the Senate approved the measure, which would prohibit employers from requesting or requiring current or potential employees to give them access to personal social media accounts, such as Facebook and Twitter. The bill, also co-authored by
“As far as I am concerned, that’s like an employer telling you if you want to work here or stay employed here, you have to let us go through your personal mail and the contents of your home. That would be a huge breach of your personal privacy.” SEN. KYLE LOVELESS, R-OKLAHOMA CITY
LOVELESS IS A CO-AUTHOR ON A BILL THAT WOULD PROHIBIT EMPLOYERS FROM REQUIRING CURRENT OR POTENTIAL EMPLOYEES TO GIVE THEM ACCESS TO PERSONAL SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS.
Sen. Kyle Loveless, R-Oklahoma City, moves back to the House for consideration. “As far as I am concerned, that’s like an employer telling you if you want to work here or stay employed here, you have to let us go through your personal mail and the contents of your home,” Loveless said. “That would be a huge breach of your
personal privacy.” “I was a little surprised the State Chamber of Commerce didn’t rise up and say something about it,” said Minority Leader Scott Inman, D-Del City. “On the whole, the State Chamber of Commerce likes to have as much control over whom they hire as possible. And so that was the biggest surprise.”
But according to a 2013 Bloomberg Law article, even some employers support initiatives such as Trebilcock’s. “Most employers ... cringe at the thought of demanding access to job applicants’ and employees’ private social media accounts, and welcome laws that reduce the risk of negligent hiring suits based on employees’ private social media postings,” wrote David Glockner. To be clear, the discussion is not about social media accounts maintained for business purposes or about accounts available to the public. It is about accounts with privacy settings activated so their owners can control who sees the content. Carey Baker, president of Part-Time Pros in Tulsa, said her firm places workers with about 300 companies. She said PartTime Pros doesn’t ask for information about private accounts but does tell workers to enable privacy settings. “It’s just being smart,” she said. “Every person a company hires might be an ambassador for that employer.” When investigating a prospect, Baker said, she checks their social media accounts for privacy settings.
“I understand people have a life outside of the office,” she said. “But I’m looking for employees who are not so obnoxious they are going to cause a problem.” With a heightened awareness of government surveillance drawing most of the attention, Trebilcock said private employers also should be restrained. “The right of individuals to a certain level of privacy is a value we all hold,” he said. Glockner, in his article, says laws such as the one Trebilcock is proposing could interfere with legitimate internal investigations of such things as medical privacy, intellectual property theft, and network security. Those problems, however, were around long before the Internet. “I think most people, when they go apply for a job, don’t want to have an employer look at them and say, ‘Give me your Facebook or Twitter password so I can go and look and see exactly what you have done,’ ” Inman said. “Most of us believe that there are certain levels of privacy that an individual should be able to expect and that is one of them.” CONTRIBUTING: BARBARA HOBEROCK
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University of Oklahoma President David Boren teaches an American government class each semester. Boren says being with students and seeing them grow and develop brings great joy. PHOTO PROVIDED
IT’S A SMALL WORLD AFTER ALL
University of Oklahoma stresses international studies K.S. McNutt
kmcnutt@ opubco.com
STAFF WRITER NORMAN — A lot has changed at the University of Oklahoma in the 20 years since David Boren became the institution’s president. The graduation rate has gone from 39 percent to 68 percent, the highest rate at a public university in the state. Academic standards have risen. OU is the only university in the nation to have Rhodes, Marshall, Mitchell, Goldwater, Truman and Fulbright scholars all in the same year. And the OU Health Sciences Center offers top-notch treatment for cancer and diabetes patients here at home. Those are a few of the achievements Boren is quick to mention. He credits many talent people with moving the university forward. “We’ve been able to recruit not only great students but also recruit and keep great faculty,” he said. One important area of change is the development of international studies, Boren said. When he became OU’s 13th president, 1 percent of the students studied abroad. Today, that number is one in three.
“We have become a leader among public universities in preparing our students to live and work in the global environment,” Boren said. Based on Boren’s vision of advancing a global prospective in all aspects of OU education, the College of International Studies was created in spring 2011. “Study abroad is fun, but also very challenging,” said Suzette Grillot, dean of the college. “Seeing different parts of the world that are very different from how you live enriches your life. It has an impact on you that will last forever.” Students experience both personal growth — gaining new perspectives, learning to overcome barriers, becoming more tolerant — and professional benefits when they learn about the historical, cultural and political aspects of another country, Grillot said. “In today’s global workplace, all international experience is marketable, regardless of what you’re studying,” she said.
Making study abroad accessible Advances in technology have increased students’ desire to learn more about other countries and made them more comfortable with traveling overseas, Grillot said. “You don’t even have to
“Study abroad is fun, but also very challenging. Seeing different parts of the world that are very different from how you live enriches your life. It has an impact on you that will last forever. In today’s global workplace, all international experience is marketable, regardless of what you’re studying.” SUZETTE GRILLOT Dean of OU’s College of International Studies leave home to be engaged with people around the world,” she said. Students feel more connected to their destination before leaving because they can do research and see images online. It increases their sense of curiosity about the place, she said. OU offers programs in more than 50 countries and 100 cities on six continents. “We’re having another record year this year,” Grillot said, adding university officials work to remove obstacles that could keep students from participating. They integrate classes abroad into every major possible so the classes count toward a student’s degree and aren’t simply extra classes. And they try to make the cost of taking a class overseas the same as tak-
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ing it on the Norman campus, she said. The newly established OU Fellowship for Global Engagement is one way. The fellowship is open to all incoming freshmen admitted to OU. Fellows will receive a $5,000 cash scholarship, which can be used during their undergraduate education for up to three international trips, two short-term and one long-term, with their first study abroad experience taking place during the summer after their freshman year.
Bringing the world here The international experience is a two-way
street. Students from 120 countries are enrolled at OU. To help them feel at home on campus, the OU Cousins program was established to match each international student with an American student. “We know it’s a success because families here and families over in other countries invite students back and forth to visit,” Boren said. “We’ve had eight marriages between Cousins, which I think is legal.” Building international relationships is critical, he said, because more than half of the next generation will live overseas,
work overseas or be involved with American companies that sell their products overseas.
‘I’m an optimist’ As a young man, Boren experienced the benefits of an international education as a Rhodes Scholar at the University of Oxford in England. He said the Scottish poet Robert Burns put it best when he said such experiences allow us “to see ourselves as others see us.” Today, Boren says he enjoys seeing the world through the eyes of the students in the American government class he teaches each semester. Boren said seeing students grow and develop brings him joy. “I love teaching,” he said. “I’m an optimist. It’s because I’m in contact with our students all day long. They want to give back; they are patriotic; they have high ideals and high standards.” The man who served Oklahoma as governor and U.S. senator before becoming OU’s president said, “Oklahoma has given me virtually everything in my life ... so much. This is the best job of all.”
OUTLOOK: EDUCATION & CAREERS
THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COM
SUNDAY, APRIL 27, 2014
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OKLAHOMA CITY SCHOOLS PLAN TECHNOLOGY UPGRADE English language arts teacher Karen Mann prepares a Chromebook for an eighth-grade student April 4 in her classroom at Jefferson Middle School. Students in the English reading skills class use Chromebooks. PHOTOS BY PAUL B. SOUTHERLAND, THE OKLAHOMAN
BY TIM WILLERT Staff Writer twillert@opubco.com
Oklahoma City Public Schools is moving forward with a districtwide modernization plan to prepare students for the 21st century workforce. By the start of the 2014-2015 school year, every student in the state’s largest district will have access to online collaboration and email through Google Apps for Education. Eventually, the district will provide wireless access for students who bring their own laptops, tablets and cellphones to school. For students without personal devices, the district is purchasing 500 Google Chromebooks for academic purposes. The laptops will complement the district’s existing 20,000 computers, laptops and other devices. About 200 new laptops will be used in a pilot program at Jefferson Middle School that was scheduled for implementation this spring. “I think right now we’re looking at whatever can help us, and technology is one of those tools that we have underutilized,” said Interim Superintendent
Dave Lopez. “For our district, I think technology can be an accelerator for student achievement.” While academic improvement is the district’s primary goal, technology by itself is not the answer, said Eric Hileman, the district’s executive director of information services. “Technology is a hook. It engages kids. Actually, teachers engage kids,” he said. “It’s what you do with the technology — creating, adapting, modifying assignments — that you couldn’t do in the analog world. That’s what technology has the power to do.” With the $2 million upgrade, students will be able to create text documents without the need for Microsoft Word, spreadsheets without the need for Microsoft Excel, and presentations without the need for Microsoft Powerpoint, Hileman said. “Not only can they create those document types, they can share those document types with classmates and submit homework assignments all online, to their teacher,” he said. “Not only can they share, but they can publish to the global community if given permission to do so.” The improvements will be paid for with remaining MAPS for Kids money intend-
OCU, OU degree programs focus on energy industry BY ADAM WILMOTH Energy Editor awilmoth@opubco.com
Editor’s note: This story originally was published on Friday, April 18, 2014. The growing oil and natural gas industry has spawned a unique challenge, and the state’s universities have created programs to address the need. For about 15 years, people fled the oil patch and few students pursued oiland-gas-related degrees. Today, however, the industry is booming and the 15-year gap is becoming more of an issue. Many of the older, experienced leaders are nearing retirement, and the next generation of leaders, in many cases, have little more than a decade of experience. Oklahoma City University’s Meinders School of Business about two years ago began its Master of Business Administration in Energy program. The offering was created at the request and with the help of executives from Devon Energy Corp. and Chesapeake Energy Corp. The executives said they had quality employees who knew their areas of study, but were not prepared to lead larger parts of the companies. “They are petroleum engineers or geologists or geophysicists, but they don’t know about business,” Meinders School
Dean Steve Agee said. “They don’t know how to read financial statements, and they don’t know about balance sheets or energy economics.” In response, Agee and his team created two programs tailored to work in energy industry: a Master of Science in Energy Management and a Master of Science in Energy Legal Studies. The programs mostly are taught in person, although online and distance learning are available. The program costs about $28,000. The first two cohorts have graduated from the two-year program, and the school is recruiting for its sixth group of students, which will begin in August.
Meeting needs At least two other universities in the state have developed programs to meet the same industry need. In January, the University of Oklahoma’s Price College of Business began its first Master of Business Administration in Energy program. OU’s program focuses on top-level executives or those on track to reach such positions. The program requires participants to have eight years of experience in the industry. OU’s program targets top executives and is a hybrid program in that most classes are taught online, except for three weeks of
in-person work, including one week in London. The total cost is $77,400. The three programs each are designed to help the oil and natural gas industry meet a specific need and prepare younger leaders to take over the companies and industry. But the three programs also are unique, addressing the needs of different students and different situations. The differences allow a greater number of Oklahomans and industry leaders throughout the country to pursue higher education and gain the skills they need to lead their companies. The University of Tulsa’s Collins College of Business is in its third year of offering a Master of Energy Business. To participate, students must be working in the energy industry and have at least two years of experience in the field. Tulsa’s two-year program is taught entirely online at a total cost of about $38,000. “We have students all over the world, in the Middle East, Alaska, Canada and all over Texas and Oklahoma,” program director Tim Coburn said. “These are up-and-coming, rising stars who are aspiring to be managers and leaders. They’re already working and have busy schedules. They can enjoy the benefit of going to school, even if they’re on a rig or flying to Saudi Arabia.”
“I think right now we’re looking at whatever can help us, and technology is one of those tools that we have underutilized. For our district, I think technology can be an accelerator for student achievement.” INTERIM SUPERINTENDENT DAVE LOPEZ
ed for information technology plus additional funding from federal and local grant programs. At less than 50 cents per student, the modernization plan is a cost-effective
way to prepare kids for the challenges ahead, Hileman said. “That’s why we need this kind of environment, so students are college, career and citizen ready,” he said.
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