The Elevator Pitch for CyberSweat

CyberSweat is an online gathering place for health conscious women of all ages to get workout tips, nutrition advice, and to share ideas about living healthier lifestyles. Cybersweat offers tiered communities based on age and interests. There are three networking tiers: 21-to-35; 35-to-50; 50 and over. Women in these communities share their latest exercise and nutrition challenges and triumphs. A fun feature is the weekly Skype-based "mass exercise" led by a personal trainer. Members also set-up their own interaction via Skype. CyberSweat is developing a Nintendo Wii Fit connection and a mobile application. For those members who want to 'do good' while getting in shape, "Crunches for Cash" and "Sweating for Dollars" raise money for worthy causes such as Women to Women International and disaster relief. CyberSweat is a non-profit site that charges a small membership fee. The site relies on volunteers and donations to cover the remaining costs.

Revised Project Proposal

Katherine and Jen, thank you for your questions and suggestions. They were on point and helped me to focus on some 'squishy' parts of my project proposal.

A personal trainer would lead the Skype-based workout sessions. The times and days would be set and would be structured.
On the other hand, members of communities could arrange to have their own interaction via skype. These would be more free-wheeling and spontaneous.

Cybersweat would be different from other commercial sites because its primary goal would not be to sell something. Its objective would be to build communities of women based on exercising and developing healthier lifestyles and to connect on other levels as well.

Cybersweat would reach the next level of multimedia by connecting with Nintendo Wii Fit and potential mobile applications. (Good idea, Katherine.)

As Jen pointed out, there are a lot of different ideas and claims about nutrition and exercise. We would have professional nutritionists and trainers who would sift through all the garbage and select sites that offer solid advice based on scientific evidence. This could be done by two or three people and would be paid positions.

The site could be paid for by a nominal registration fee and/or selected advertising. If it's run as a non-profit we would try to keep overhead costs low and rely more on volunteers. Incentives would include creating communities, promoting healthier lives, and raising money for worthy causes.

The target audience would remain active, socially responsible women of all ages. There would be tiered communities. The main page would appeal to the entire group. Sub-categories would be tailored to meet the specific interests of each age group (as outlined above).

I would sign-up for Cybersweat. I've presented the idea to a few savvy women of various ages who said they'd participate.

I'd like to get some more input. What do you think?

Project Pitch

CONCEPT:

CyberSweat.com (or org) would be a place for women to visit for the latest workout tips, nutrition advice, resource for sports medicine, workout apparel, to share ideas and information, to contribute to carefully selected causes and to have fun.

PITCH:

The importance of exercise and healthy nutrition is well established. Putting a healthy lifestyle into practice can be a daunting task or boring -- you need motivation.

I have developed a social network out of my twice a week TNT (group weight-training & cardio at the gym) and once a week NIA (dance, martial arts, meditation). We are lawyers, psychologists, professors, bankers, policy wonks, journalists and massage therapists and have taken our friendships outside the gym. We meet for "coffee talk" once a week and share the trials and tribulations of our personal and work lives -- as well as our latest workout/diet challenges. These relationships have become an integral part of my life and are what get me to the gym or the workout studio.

What if we took this approach to the cybersphere and expanded it to build a national or international community? How about taking it a step further and using the community to raise money for worthy causes? CyberSweat.com (org) would be a one-stop exercise, nutrition, sports medicine, apparel, networking website targeting socially responsible women who are interested in building an international community of like-minded people while doing good and getting in shape.

CyberSweat would feature the best links in each of the above categories and we'd create some of our own.

FUN FEATURES:

Members would register and choose an avatar (Superwoman, Wonder Woman, Minnie Mouse, GI Jane or your favorite "Golden Girl").

There would be opportunities for spontaneous Skype-based workout sessions within a community.

CyberSweat merchandise (t-shirts, etc.)

Videos featuring members and fitness experts

TARGET AUDIENCE:

Active, socially responsible women of all ages. That is a broad category but could be managed by offering tiered communities. The main page of the website would appeal to the entire group. Sub-categories would be tailored to meet the specific interests and needs of each age group.

For example, Tier 1 -- women 21-to-35. This community would build a community around their interests. The website would feature information, stories and ideas for that age group -- and advertising.

Tier 2 -- women 35-to-50

Tier 3 -- women over 50

DOING GOOD:

CyberSweat's communities could spring into action for good causes. "Sweating for Dollars" or "Crunches for Cash" as a way to funnel contributions to organizations such as Women to Women International, Suited for Change, etc. or to raise money for disaster relief.

GETTING WOMEN TO CYBERSWEAT

--Hire an SEO consultant to develop a strategy
--Use Facebook and other social media

MAKING $$$

Google AdSense

Community Building Websites

Here are a few non news websites that I think are good examples of interactive community building.

http://www.wallstreetsurvivor.com -- This is a game where you create a portfolio based on the stock market data from every day. This fantasy stock trading game boasts a large community of players who message, compare data and buddy up. "The mission is to make Wall Street Survivor the closest thing to trading a real brokerage account without risking your own money. And you have the opportunity to learn through your interactions with other fantasy stock traders, just like you."

http://www.y8.com -- This site has interactive flash based games. It has advertising to keep it going.

http://www.lissaexplains.com -- This is a website with help for novices who want to build their own websites. It's very helpful with basic information and fun stuff. There's a forum section for members to share information and ask questions. There's also a free e-mail account option. "We have over 33,000 users and growing. You'll get a free e-mail address, yourname@lissamail.com, and all the features of the larger e-mail services without the ads. Big kids are welcome too!"

http://www.surfthechannel.com -- This is a website where you can stream video -- from movies to TV shows. Some of the content is pirated but it's a very popular website. According to my nephew who introduced me to this site, some of the streamed movies are hosted on servers outside of the country to avoid legal issues.

These sites appeal to a diverse demographic.

Social Media Guidelines for Journalists

Should a journalist "friend" sources on Facebook? Is it appropriate for a journalist to mix personal and professional information? Do traditional standards and guidelines apply to blogging and online discourse? Should Facebook and other social media sites be treated as purely social or do they serve a legitimate professional function?

Newspapers and broadcast news media are beginning to confront these issues by coming up with guidelines to preserve traditional standards and protect journalistic credibility. The Washington Post laid down the law on tweeting and online socializing. Ombudsman Andrew Alexander wrote in September about the Post's new rules:

“When using these networks, nothing we do must call into question the impartiality of our news judgment. We never abandon the guidelines that govern the separation of news from opinion, the importance of fact and objectivity, the appropriate use of language and tone, and other hallmarks of our brand of journalism.”

Another section reads: “What you do on social networks should be presumed to be publicly available to anyone, even if you have created a private account. It is possible to use privacy controls online to limit access to sensitive information. But such controls are only a deterrent, not an absolute insulator. Reality is simple: If you don’t want something to be found online, don’t put it there.”

It continues: “Post journalists must refrain from writing, tweeting or posting anything – including photographs or video – that could be perceived as reflecting political racial, sexist, religious or other bias or favoritism that could be used to tarnish our journalistic credibility.”

The Radio Television Digital Association (RTDNA) completed an exhaustive study with the Poynter Institute and last week released its guidelines for journalists.

Here's the link:

http://www.rtdna.org/pages/posts/rtdna-releases-social-media-blogging-guidelines-for-journalists831.php

Here's some food for thought (or bytes to chew on): If you're going to "friend" a source accept the reality that everything you say or is written on your site could be read by law enforcement and government officials trying to smoke out your sources or adversaries of your "friend".

The traditional ways for cultivating a source -- drinks, doughnuts, coffee, dinner, etc. is one-on-one. There is no online trail, less opportunity for big brother snooping.

When it comes to Facebook, I'm more of a lurker than a poster.

Social media etiquette for journalists -- let the debate begin.

Story & Topic Coverage of Toyota Recall

HEADLINE:

TOYOTA SAYS THE FIX IS IN -- PARTS TO DEALERS THIS WEEK
Class Action Lawsuit Filed in Texas

STORY:

• Animated graphic of "the fix" (illustrate accelerator pedal & parts -- show the old & then reveal the new. Highlight "the fix" -- a steel bar under the pedal. Zoom into new part and link to explanation.)

• Go to a Toyota dealership. Shoot video and edit natural sound of employees being inundated with phone calls from concerned Toyota owners. Include sound with customers.
  

• Interactive chart of all Toyotas affected by the recall. Include photos of recalled vehicles. Place the cursor over each photo to reveal detailed information about year, make & model; number of incidents; where the incidents occurred; how serious. See the total number of vehicles recalled and deaths & injuries at the top of the chart.

• Link to Facebook page of the U.S. Toyota President & link to mainstream media interviews

• Federal Class-Action lawsuit against Toyota was filed late Friday in Corpus Christi, Texas. Bullet point the main complaints of the lawsuit. Interview plaintiffs Sylvia and Albert Pena. Show pics of Pena's 2008 Avalon that crashed last month after it "unexpectedly accelerated through a stop sign."

TOPIC:

I. History of Recalls

• List the 10 largest auto recalls of all time. Make a pie chart. Each slice would include photo of vehicle and how many were recalled with brief explanation for each case. (The Toyota recall would be somewhere in the middle.) Link to detailed cost data for each incident.

• List the largest recalls in history -- all categories. This would include data about massive meat recalls; tainted lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, peanut butter, etc. Link to data and stories. Put human face on each one by including interviews with victims or family members.

II. Damaged Reputations

• Tell the stories of companies who survived devastating blows to their reputations, e.g. the Tylenol tampering case. (Link to media accounts) Tell stories of industries severely damaged by a crisis, e.g. Washington State apple growers after the Alar scare of 1989.
  

• Interview crisis management expert(s) about restoring public confidence.

III. Lawsuits

• At least 10 lawsuits have been filed against Toyota since November. Show map of U.S. and pinpoint where each lawsuit was filed. Link to information, photos and interviews for each incident.

• Compile data about lawsuits following other major recalls. What were their outcomes? Show map of U.S. Link to statistics about lawsuits.

Show and Tell -- Haiti Earthquake

Here is an amazing Haiti interactive map.

"This Crisis Map of Haiti represents the most comprehensive and up-to-date crisis map available to the humanitarian community. The information here is mapped in near real time and gathered from reports coming from inside Haiti via:

SMS, Web, Email, Radio, Phone, Twitter, Facebook, Television, List-serves, Live streams, Situation Reports"

With a click of the mouse, you can pinpoint where emergency help is needed; where collapsed buildings are located; where contaminated water is an issue; where there are security threats, etc. A graph shows the progress or lack of it in each category. At the bottom of the page are twitter comments and up-to-date links to stories, pictures and video. I think this is one of the easiest to maneuver and most comprehensive sites for information on almost every aspect of the Haiti earthquake story.

This interactive graphic created by AFP highlights the troubled history of the Caribbean nation.

The L.A. Times produced a simple, smart overview of earthquakes -- what causes them and why -- in this interactive earthquake primer.

I'm a fan of Lens. It's a mainstream media site that features great examples of creative multimedia storytelling.

"Lens is the photography blog of The New York Times, presenting the finest and most interesting visual and multimedia reporting — photographs, videos and slide shows. A showcase for Times photographers, it also seeks to highlight the best work of other newspapers, magazines and news and picture agencies; in print, in books, in galleries, in museums and on the Web."

Haitifeed features the latest pictures, video and information from dozens of blogs, international news sites, and mainstream media.

"Haitifeed is a website that gathers news, blog posts, videos and pictures relating to Haiti. On the site you’ll be able to get fresh up to date information on Haiti as it flows on the web. To better experience the site we recommend that you follow us on twitter ”@haitifeed” and retweet all our tweets that you would like to see on the site."

I'll end this post with a touching story by NBC News correspondent Kerry Sanders blogging from Haiti.