Seattle television star makes TV social
Mar 21, 2012, 5:38 PM | Updated: Mar 22, 2012, 3:09 pm
For all the people who are into social media – Facebook with 845 million users, Twitter with about 460 million – there are just as many people who want nothing to do with it. They think it’s stupid, risky, or a waste of time. I get that. But if you’re curious about how social media could help you, a local TV special might inspire you.
“Connect” is an experiment from KIRO 7 Seattle to blend traditional television news with online live-stream broadcasts and social media.
KIRO 7 Eyewitness News morning traffic anchor and social media star Jenni Hogan’s boss is giving her an opportunity to fill some time after the NCAA March Madness games with a show she’s always dreamed of. She was part of the team that could create any kind of social media TV show they wanted, with no rules.
“I’m the type of person that has 100 ideas and you have to bring me back in,” says Hogan. “I’m totally comfortable online. I’ve done mobile tweetups, livestream, that’s my family, but now it’s mixing my hobby with my passion and my job on TV.”
It makes her a little nervous. She wonders what if no one responds?
Hogan has over 41,000 Twitter followers and close to 100,000 Facebook subscribers. She’ll be fine. She’s a big deal in the social media world, and that’s why it’s perfect for her to host the show “Connect with Jenni Hogan” Thursday night beginning online with KIROTV.com at 10:00, then joining the television audience at 10:30. Her goal is to inspire and educate viewers about the benefits of connecting online.
It’s for beginners, like her husband who is not involved with social media. She’s going to challenge him to do something online, whether it’s leaving a comment on someone’s page or downloading an app that could really help his life. For people who are already online, Hogan will help them organize their social connections. And for the pros, she’ll highlight some new tools they could use to save time.
Those of us who actively use social media know how it can change a life. Through Twitter and Facebook, I’ve met people who I otherwise would never have encountered. My life is better because of them. You know who you are.
Social media can also trip you up, as Miss Seattle learned when I called her out for a series of negative comments on Twitter about the weather and people who live here. Miss Seattle will be on Hogan’s show.
“She’s actually coming to be in our viewing room. We’re going to let her tweet along to the show and see how she’s doing now after having her little misstep there for awhile,” says Hogan.
As more people get pulled into Facebook and Twitter, and now the new social kid on the block, Pinterest, they need to learn an online life is more public than you think.
“You can be in a Starbucks talking to someone and people could hear that too, so you just need to treat social media like you’re out in public talking,” she says.
Although it’s public, Hogan says social media users should still be authentic. That’s one thing she has learned through several years of television, and watching TV news anchors who were “always perfect.”
“They had their bouffy hair and everything like that. I think it’s the differences that you may want to change about yourself that actually make you so special and loveable,” says Hogan. “So just be you.”
