This morning I was made aware of a beta offering from Twin Cities Public Television (TPT) called, “MN Video Vault.”  They’re hosting a focus group session in downtown St. Paul on June 8th, but since I don’t think focus groups are meaningful in a day when one simply has to connect with a savvy, connected and worthy audience (ahh….like Minnov8 readers?) I figured you all would be happy to give them feedback on what they’ve delivered in this first iteration.

For anyone who knows me, it’s obvious that I’m a huge fan of curated, meaningful and historical content so I was very pleased to see this archive of TPT videos launching and immediately went to view it when I got the email. I care deeply about TPT, Minnesota Public Radio, the Minnesota Historical Society and many other resources in our state, but I feel I’m qualified to provide feedback to them while the Vault is in beta and you, our savvy and connected internet and web technologists, are equally (or more) qualified to let them know what they need to do to make this wildly successful.

I’m confident I’m right smack-dab-in-the-middle of their target market for MN Video Vault but in its current form, I won’t be using it. Here’s why…  …  [Read More…]

You’ll see much on this site about the development of new applications, software, products and systems. We’d also like you to see how Minnesota companies are using them to accomplish their goals.

Minnesota Public Radio has always endeavored to be a leader in employing new technology in the daily business of radio broadcasting. One look around their beautiful facility in St. Paul will tell you that. From state of the art broadcast equipment to the video presentations throughout the building it’s apparent that MPR embraces technology and innovation.

However, MPR isn’t just using new technology to make the lobby look great. There is genuine dedication to improving the listener’s experience whether they are music fans, news junkies or would be residents of Lake Wobegon. In fact, according to Michael Bettison, Director, New Media at MPR, “Our audience is where the power of our medium is going.”

Bettison joined MPR in 2001 after stints with a web development company in New York and worked with the likes of Time Magazine and PBS. His first of order of business was to properly position the information MPR was providing on air, what he terms “legacy content”, on line. Additional attention needed to be paid to correctly orienting the staff to use the assets given to them by broadcast to focus the content online. This also led to web getting “a seat at the editorial table” at MPR,” a place that some companies are still trying to sort out in their overall strategy. In fact, some still see web as a competitor to traditional media. Bettison noted no such trepidation at MPR. “The only concern was that of workload. However, we were able to take advantage of the enthusiasm shown by the staff to address those concerns.”…  [Read More…]