Aside from the show itself being a new take on the singing competition genre, The Voice is poised to break some social media ground, in my opinion.

Although it’s been done before, the idea of promoting a hashtag during a show is quickly gaining popularity among the networks. #TheVoice was prominent from the top of show last night, and the promotion seemed to pay off. The hashtag was a top trending topic on Twitter.

Although the show was pre-taped, the judges (@AdamLevine @CeeLoGreen @TheRealXtina @BlakeShelten) and host (@CarsonJDaly) were tweeting during the east/central airing last night and a few of the tweets were shown at the bottom of the screen during the show.

The real potential for breaking new ground? I’m hoping it will be the show’s V-Correspondent, Alison Haislip. Alison actively blogs, tweets and Facebooks pictures, videos and tidbits as both herself and on the official show accounts. It’s similar to what Sarah Haines does for The Today Show…I’m sensing a theme here with NBC and social media. Of course, I’m completely biased on this topic since my current station and previous station are both NBC affiliates (KWWL and KOMU).

Alison only made a quick plug during the premiere show. But I’m hoping that after the auditions when the show moves into a live format, she’ll take on a more prominent and interactive role. At the same time, I’m glad that initially her presence is primarily on the Web and not on-air. There are plenty of shows where correspondents and hosts tweet and Facebook, but I think there’s an opportunity to take things to the next level here.

Typically for TV shows, there’s a team of marketing folks behind all those videos, pictures and comments you see on social networking sites. And I’m sure that Alison still has a team of people backing her up. She obviously had a camera person for her backstage interviews. But I love that they’re giving a face, name and personality to the person who is really driving a lot of this content. And I’m excited to see her role grow throughout the season.

Posted under Twitter, Web/Tech

Last year, airplanes flew over Cedar Falls at night taking special thermal images of the town. Over the last five months, the images have been compiled into an interactive online map to help CFU customers identify heat loss from their home or property.

You can look up your address and see how much heat is escaping compared to properties around you. If your home is losing a lot of heat, CFU has tips to help insulate your home that will help save energy and money.

Click here to see the map.

The project is especially timely as this is Earth Week and many of us are especially eco-conscious. Since I live in Waterloo, this map doesn’t help me save energy, but I did buy sulfate-free shampoo yesterday and dropped off my recyclables – so I’m doing my part!

Posted under Web/Tech

Since I posted the nativity version around Christmas, I thought I should share the Passover story as told through social media.

Posted under Holiday, Twitter, Web/Tech

I can’t believe it’s been a year already!

Here’s a link to my post the day we made the switch: http://addins.kwwl.com/blogs/download/2010/04/hd-is-here

Posted under Web/Tech

Me and some #CVTweetup friends at the Northeast Iowa Food Bank

Everyone in the newsroom knows when it’s a “food bank day,” because I change into jeans and a t-shirt before leaving work so I can go and pack boxes of food and stock the pantry at the Northeast Iowa Food Bank. It’s one of my favorite parts of my week!

I think most people would agree that access to food is a basic human right. It’s not optional. We need food to not only survive, but to thrive. The quality and quantity of the food we eat can impact our physical, mental and emotional well-being.

Growing up in east Africa, it was impossible to leave home without seeing hunger. And since moving back to the U.S., I’ve found that hunger is still a serious problem in this community, but it may not always be as visible.

It breaks my heart that something so basic is still such a concern for so many families. And it amazes me how many people fail to realize that we are all just a few missed paychecks away from needing help.

Yesterday, Feeding America released a study and an interactive map documenting hunger in America, called Map the Meal Gap. You can break the statistics down by state, county or areas served by a specific food bank. For example, in the 16 counties served by the Northeast Iowa Food Bank, more than 50,000 people are considered food insecure. And in Black Hawk County alone, it’s estimated that an additional $6.8 million was needed to meet food needs in 2009.

They’re also using the hashtag #mealgap if you want to join the conversation on Twitter.

Posted under Economy, Health, Twitter, Web/Tech