My Favorite Twitter Feeds, Plus Live-Tweeting the Bruins-Rangers Game

Feel free to follow me on Twitter this afternoon as I live-tweet the Bruins-Rangers game, a contest that is crucial to both teams as the NHL approaches the stretch run of the regular season. Also, check out this list of my favorite Twitter feeds, most of which are related to my beat (which the Bruins game, unfortunately, is not):

1. GuardianMusic: The feed for acclaimed British publication The Guardian. They keep me up-to-date on most of the bands I like to follow, as well as provide me with potential new music to get into. I am always looking to consume new music, and The Guardian is one of the first places I go to for that.
2. GuitarWorld: The best guitar magazine in the world, in my opinion. They are always up-to-date with equipment news, which I am always interested in, and always highlight the hottest new guitar-driven bands, which I love. Their Q&As are always good reads.
3. RollingStone: The most comprehensive music news organization on the planet. They are a legendary magazine and they’ve truly earned it. They always have the best sources on their stories, are often the first to break big news, and always write great reviews. I don’t know what I’d do without Rolling Stone in my life.
4. The Onion: They aren’t devoted entirely to music, and by no means are they a serious news organization…But their “A/V Club” is one of the few legitimate areas of coverage for their site, and I always count on them for quality music reviews.
5. Metallica.com: I am still a big fan of Metallica, despite them growing into old men. their website is usually good with updates, and I’m always interested to know if they’re working on new material.
6. Guitar Center: This is the only legit music store we can find. The little privately-owned shops might be good to look for hidden gems, but if you want real-deal merchandise and any kind of accessory you need, you go here. And they always have great sales, which I frequently take advantage of.
7. Total Guitar: The British equivalent of Guitar World, Total Guitar is another strong guitar-driven publication. They tend to give their two cents on news stories in the feed as well, which is usually entertaining to read.
8. Digital Music News: Just like I like to keep up-to-date with news of the music itself, I also like to know the latest stories and trends in the realm of digital music. Since the industry is likely headed toward becoming a purely digital medium, I like to stay as far ahead of the curve as I can.
9. Pitchfork Media: This is likely one of the most polarizing music news organizations in the World. They deserve credit for having critics that are very well-educated in music and have heard a myriad of different styles from which to draw their opinions. But their reviews border on snobbery, and they tend to favor electro pop and indie rock more than any form of mainstream music, which may leave them appearing biased. But I love reading their reviews for the depth to which their reviewers go in analyzing pieces of work.
10. The Huffington Post: Sure, they cover WAY more than just music, but I love their music-related video posts. Always entertaining to read and follow.

WBZ’s Miller Speaks on Innovative Social Media Initiatives

“The future of the media is harnessing communities and their interests and delivering what they want,” said WBZ Director of Digital Media Stephanie Miller as she presented her latest social media initiatives to Northeastern students Wednesday.

Her latest innovative strategy to reach local communities in Boston is the “Declare Your Curiosity” campaign, the blog for which can be found here.

Miller said that the purpose of the program is to ask people in their communities what issues are important to them- or what they’re “curious” about, hence the name. The website contains a form which people can fill out and write on any topic at all that interests them at the time.

Click here to find stories that have grown out of the curiosities of people in local communities. The current top story answers the questions of a man who is curious as to why so many people who blog on the internet are overly cynical.

Miller’s “three-plus-year” journey also includes, of course, presences on Facebook, Twitter and other social networks, essential to promote her kind of initiatives in the digital age. Her innovations at WBZ are certainly a step in the right direction for news programming, as the advantage of direct communication with consumers can definitely help improve the news as it is.

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