Shanghai: The Conclusion

Posted on May 12, 2012

All good things must come to an end. Bah, did I just wrote that? Anyhow, watchin/listening to The Muppets on the airplane on the way back home. I really do love in-flight entertainment.

Shanghai is quite an interesting city. They say it has contrasts, but I see it more as a big gradient thing. You have the rich and high-class setting in Pudong, to the street vendors and beggars in Yuyuan, to the real poor in the back-alleys. And everything in between.

When you think of China, you think of old and dirty, yet Pudong is quite high-class and very clean. At any time and any place, including the river and the highway people are using handmade brooms, nets and sticks to pick things up. Not just garbage, but even things like leaves. Weird!

Yet if you turn a wrong corner you encounter rather dirty and forgotten spots. Very weird.

If I can give any fellow photographers some tips if you ever are in China, it are following things:

- Shoot first, then ask. (a tip from the VRT China Correspondent)
- if you encounter a beggar who just keeps bugging you, grab your camera and portrait them. They will bugger off as soon as humanly possible.
- Light and the sky can vary much very soon. There are moments where you can see the tips of the skyscrapers while a few hours later everything can be fogged and smogged up
- With a tele you can make some great portraits without them noticing, yet they won’t really mind.
- if you are in Shanghai, the sunlight comes out very soon, yet it’s dark, very fast. The streetlights will have everything illuminated quite well. You can make great street shots at night at 1/125, ISO 1600 and f/2.8. However a word of caution, at exactly 11pm the lights and fountains go out. The street lights will be on, but all building illumination will be out. So make your long exposures before that.

The beggar in question:

All by all, Shanghai is a great start to explore Asia. English is all around, yet you have the best of both worlds. And I’m sure I’m going back there someday. And Japan. And Singapore. And more.

See all my pictures of this trip

More soon!

My 10 minutes with Chase Jarvis

Posted on May 12, 2012

I had the very fortunate and unique chance for a small sit down with one of the big current photographers out there, Mr. Chase Jarvis. So this will be more of an impression than a t transcript.

First of all I showed my portfolio on my iPad. And on several moments he was kind enough to compliment my pictures with words like “wow”, and “amazing”. And I must say, if you hear things like that from such a celebrated photographer, you get goosebumps and just feel humbled.

Basically, what he did say to me, was to get external input. Get rid of any personal attachments. While some shots are absolute top, and some are just okay. So basically, I should go to a professional editor and let him make a good selection. Better 3 great pictures than 3 great and 5 mediocre. He did tell me that I had a great eye for what is good and not.

Also, camera wise, he did recommend a D800 for me. (and a D600 if it would be released). So that solves that problem.

He was also in the same position as I am. Will I become a fulltime photographer. And while it is scary, if you make the step, the survival instinct will kick in, and you just keep working hard and go for it.

“Keep shooting, keep doing what you are doing, and keep getting paid.”

Thanks Chase, from the bottom of my heart. If you ever are in Belgium, I will show you some great places, and beer is on me.

More soon!

The Muppets

Posted on May 12, 2012

A simple plot, lot of tongue-in-cheek jokes, great performances and songs.

The songs.

Oh man, I can’t help it. The songs from The Muppets hit the right strings. I’m a sucker for those type of things. Just laughing, goose-bumps, crying and more.

It’s a movie you just want to grab and cuddle.

So, see it as a fan, and you won’t be disappointed.

[/emo_mode]

More soon!

The Technology Opera, in the key of HP.

Posted on May 10, 2012

Overture:

I wrote this over the course of the two days we where at the Shanghai Expo Centre to join HP in their Global Influencer Summit 2012 where they announced over 80 products.

Prologue:

HP, making technology for you. That’s the slogan we saw everywhere. On our lanyards, on the stickered Volvo Busses, the hotel displays. But what technology they will announce to us was anybodies guess. And trust me, there is a lot of guessing.

If I rewind a few weeks back, I got a mysterious call asking me if I would be interested in covering a Hewlett-Packard event. In Shanghai. Yes, Shanghai in China. As if I needed the question to agree on that. Several mails, documents, a trip to the Chinese Visa Application Center in Brussels, 2 trains, 3 airports and 13 hours of airtime later, here I am, in the back of a funky smelling bus, on our way to the Shanghai International Expo Center.

Kind of amazing to be on the other side of the world, and we can all agree it’s an experience we are not likely to forget.

Act 1: The Keynote.
Typing this from the media lounge, my personal impressions for the opening keynote.

First: no working WiFi. A blogger event, in a heavily censored country, and no decent network? Not that happy about that. I do love the oppurtunity I was invited to the press trip, and am enjoying myself, but there is quite a bit of feedback for future events. Anyhow, on with the show.

Once we got in we’ve got second row seats, as the first row was ‘reserved’, yet remained mostly empty during the presentation. Once we got started, a swarm of photographers rushed to the stage, and stayed there. Since it was useless to just stay and sit, I also got up and joined the few fellow photographers, and the crowd with cameras, phones and iPads, and made my shots. The 75-minute show was filled with beatboxers, B-list Celebrities, Dragons, some flat chested models in a fashion show, a HP-stickered car, and different quality LED-walls in 1 presentation. Oh, and some new notebooks and printers.

All by all, I’m glad I’m a photographer, since there is always something visual about a keynote, even if it are simple headshots. I’m no spec-junkie, so I don’t really care about the difference between computer models. I care about the experience, and one thing that is sorely missing was a distinct voice of progress. Everything was just evolutionary, nothing amazing, and for now, missing the future perspective.

The two exceptions was a workstation that was so light-powered that it ran on some sort of Ethernet cable, and an all in one mobile printer/scanner. So that’s rather fancy for representatives. But that’s about it for now. Let’s fill our stomachs amd see what the afternoon brings.

Interlude: The Lunch

Act 2: The Breakout Tracks

We start with a thin and light workshop, about ultrabooks. After quite some technological issues it starts with a presentation. Still, a workshop with earphones on? After 3 workshops, I had more than enough. Was it the jet lag, the 3 hour sleep or the presentation I don’t know, but I dozed off. So I was glad that the working day was over.

Act 3: The Evening
After a quick break at the hotel, we set off to Xintiandi. I say break, but I meanth capturing, editing and uploading pictures. Xintiandi is an entertainment district in the mid-west of Shanghai. After a traditional Chinese meal (including Fish-EYES, chicken legs and mystery-meat), I was glad I got a separate dish of baked rice. As a vegetarian I was kind of grossed out at those dishes. But then again, so where some carnivores.

After some nice apple-martinis, I went to bed and had my first good night of sleep m

End of Part 1.

Part 2

Act 1.

Our first Break Out Track was a discussion about print. Not the HP home printing, but commercial printing. The talk was quite boring, yet the guest speaker was NY based Photographer Chase Jarvis presenting a new project. While I admire his work, it’s the basic idea print is dead, while everyone means, and mostly uses “Print Media” is dead. So that’s the thing. Chase however did take the time for a quick talk with me, which was very exciting.

Few second break-out track was a demonstration of the testing methods of which HP tests its computers. This was interesting, except I could have done without the ‘we are the only good ones out there’-vibe I was getting. I know it’s a way to distance yourself from your competitors, but I have the feeling you are all offering the same. It’s just like fellow photographers. You are all standing next to each other, photograph the same thing, yet everyone creates something personal that you can be proud of at the end of the day.

A small coffee break and some time in the delicious sunlight later it was time for the history of the all-in-one. It was interesting to see HP did launch the first Touchscreen computer in the early 80′s. The all-in-one solution is interesting, as you can see the same trend with Apple. The iMac and the HP solutions are slowly taking over the lower and higher-end computers.

The HP all-in-one solutions all come from the Grab And Go kiosks, where we buy our tickets from in the airports, stations, cinema. I do hope that they do realise that a lot of those are just Crap and Go, as the response time and UI really isn’t made for the current day uses. Then again, it’s all For the youngsters it seems.

The interesting thing about this, is that after 5 hours of break out tracks, it’s the first time they discuss the future. But only briefly. The rest is your typical run-off-the-mill PR.

Act 2 & Finale: Closing keynote.

After a video made with iMovie and some slow presentations, rehashed from yesterday, it was time to introduce Steve Balmer…. On Video. He couldn’t join us, so there went that theory. In fact, the special guest star was the CEO of HP. Nevermind.

Epilogue:
In the end, this was a rather big letdown presentation. The original premise was a real vision on the future, exciting new products, Windows 8 etc. Yet all we saw was a minor refresh of their products. I am however curieus About Win8 and future HP Windows tablets.

[fanboy_mode]In the end I’m happy I’ve been in Shanghai, but in the end, in 36 hours I will be home, and hug my Mac, for being pretty, just working and having a simple product line-up. [/fanboy_mode]

See all my pictures of the event

iMessage, the other mobile revolution

Posted on May 9, 2012

iMessage.

SMS, but better.

Sure, I’m an Apple Fanboy, and it’s great that when I’m at home I have another way of free texting next to my 2k free-text-plan.

But internationally it’s the way to go.

I’m in Shanghai at the moment, and I have yet to spend a single dime on roaming or text charges. A single text here will cost me around 50 cents. Maybe even more. Yet with iMesage I sent my sister that I arrive safely, and sent my Florida friend updates on my life. Including video and pictures. My fellow journalist here also has an iPhone, and that’s how we communicate. No clunky emails, just text. Free. On my iPad, and iPhone.

What an amazing technology you say. Texting has been around for 20 years, and 4 Billion people use it. Yet, Billion. 4/7 people text.

However, the most amazing thing is the non-setup. Sent someone a text, and your iPhone figures it out he’s a fellow iPhone user, the buttons turns from green to blue, and you’re free.

Sure you need the data, but all over Belgium I have my MobileVikings data plan, and abroad, you have WiFi in the hotel and more.

So, another satisfied customer.

Shanghiai, oud en nieuw

Posted on May 8, 2012

Dag 1 in Shanghai was zeker een ervaring op zich. Ons Hotel is een enorm chique iets, prachtig verzorgd, maar toch kwamen we aan in een gamel beige busje met bamboematten op de stoelen, kralen overal op het dashboard en geen verkoeling.

Chinesen leven om te dienen heb ik de indruk. Mensen die je iets vraagt gaan mee tot je de info hebt die je wil. Ook spreken ze enorm stil, en hun Engels is meestal niet van dat. Een besteld pakje werd aan mijn kamer geleverd 5 minuten nadat ik was ingecheckt, stond een bediende voor de deur met het pakje, en het originele leverformulier, nog onafgetekend. Zo is heel Shangai, alles is hier goed aangeduid, zonder absurde situaties zoals de Health And Safety Regulations in de UK. De metro nemen is hier poepsimpel, ook al kent je geen letter Chinees. Alles heeft hier zijn tempo. Dat is best hoog, maar toch kan iedereen volgen.

De oude stad is wat je van China zou verwachten, inclusief bedelaars en verkopers die het begrip van ‘persoonlijke ruimte’ niet kennen. Of ‘opgeven’ for that matter. De Yuhung Garden was wel de moeite. Het is typisch Chinees, inplaats van onze grote Japanse Tuin met grote wandelpaden is hier alles in een binnenblok gebouwd. Maar wel enorm mooi, en heb zeer leuke beelden, met toch een paar wow-momenten.

Het leven op straat beleeft hier ‘s avonds zijn hoogtepunt, maar om 11u stipt valt alles stil. Roltrappen, lichtreclames, fonteinen. En ook de jacuzzi. Ondertussen begint

Terwijl ik dit schrijf heb ik 3 uurtjes slaap achter de rug, gecombineerd met de 3 van deze namiddag maakt dat ik om half 5 klaar wakker lig.

Bijgevoed trouwens nog paar sfeerfoto’s van vandaag. Snelle iPad bewerking.

Het vertrek!

Posted on May 8, 2012

To Shanghai!

Deze vroege morgen dan maar de trein genomen, en op een gemiste overstap na is alles goed verlopen. Vlug ingecheckt eens in Zaventem, en de dame achter de balie was zo lief om mij een plek te geven met veel beenruimte, en ver weg van alle babies. Muhaaa!

De overstap in LHR ging ook enorm vlot. Strakke security, maar geen een agent gezien. Eens iets anders dan normaal. :)

Momenteel vliegen we ergens boven oost-Europa vermoed ik. Ik heb het geluk om vanvoor te zitten in de economy class, met veel beenruimte, en een los schermpje. Het on board entertainment systeem speelt een episode van Sherlock, en is mijn iPhone aan het opladen via de USB poort in mijn stoel.

Zalig toch hè.

Het vliegen wordt toch een stuk comfortabeler. En dan te bedenken dat ik me zo zorgen aan het maken was voor stroom en entertainment. Ik vrees dat mn boek onaangeraakt gaat blijven in deze digitale wereld.

Belgische tijd is het nu 16:10, maar in Shanghai is het nu al 22:10. Ik gaap nu al ondertussen, en hoop dat het donkerder gaat worden. Over een 9 uur komen we aan, en over een 8 uur zal ik moe genoeg zijn voor te slapen.

Op de planning staat overdag (al dan niet stikkapot) de stad in te trekken. Vooral dan de YuYuan Garden en Shanghai Old Street. De Apple store ook natuurlijk, maar dat zal voor later zijn.

Shanghai Coming Up

Posted on May 6, 2012

So, in 33 hours I leave the ground and fly to London Heathrow, followed by a direct flight to Shanghai.

In all probability I will be posting to this blog, which shall be linked to FB later on.

To quote Joe McNally:

More TK …

So, Shanhai.

Posted on April 23, 2012

I’ve always loved traveling, having spent many summers, springs, autumns and winters outside of Belgium. Sometimes close, sometimes thousands of miles away. Mostly with family, but on my 18th I got the pleasure of flying to Star Wars Celebration III in Indianapolis, USA on my own. Or with friends to London, Scotland and Ireland.

But the call I’ve got 2 weeks ago tops everything. A representative of Edelman called me. It’s a public relations firm representing Hewlett-Packard.

Their question was simple. Would I be interested in covering an HP press-event 9 and 10 May. In the Shanghai Expo Centre. Shanghai, China.

374127_10151491712995543_682110542_23665473_924157609_n.jpg

Yes, I am interested.

So, if the journalist visa gets approved, I will join the 250 European journalists in the Shanghai for their big presentation. Items on the agenda: Showcase innovations, partnerships, customers. Launch new commercial and consumer products, services and solutions. And their angle on Windows 8.

So, with a bit of luck, in 2 weeks you’ll get a lot of pictures from the other other side of the world.

For more info, stay tuned on my Facebook page.

The picture that sums it up

Posted on April 23, 2012

Everything is well in photo-land. A lot of opportunities and big projects are coming up for me, whom I can not yet reveal. This is a blogpost about opportunities and dare to be different.

This picture was made today at a local museum, and it shows exactly how I work.

The statue is Don Christophe, a big spanish giant who helped Hasselt. Once every 7 years he is shown to the public for the Virge-Jesse Procession. The other 6 years and 8 months he is kept in a museum room, hidden from public except some small peeping holes. You can only see some details, like a leg, a knee.

But that shot of one of the youth mascots of Hasselt was not enough for me. I wanted something special. I wanted to see the statue. Show it IS real, that it sits there waiting, only divided by some plywood and 2×4′s.

So I looked around and saw that there was a way to get on top of the crate and see how it looked. I then bargained my way in a closed-down bit of the museum, and got the shot I wanted.

If I see something (as in, see a special angle, something worth photographing, a special way of photographing something has seen a thousand times before, …), I will try and get the shot. No matter how complicated. It might not always work, but when it does, it’s great.

Again, it takes a pair of brass ones and a way with words at times.

Like that time I snuck into the Red Carpet premiere of Harry Potter in Ireland.

Or got permission to shoot both in the National Library of Ireland and Marsch Library on the same day. Both strictly prohibited to photograph.

It’s like urban exploration. In 2008 I was planning my new website skyline, and as a research I managed to gain access to the attics of City Hall, city buildings and some churches. Even a police tower. Back then I only had my point and shoot, so I didn’t make amazing pictures, but I did get the data I was looking for, and a lot of contacts and memories.

Last february when I got asked to do a special wedding shoot, I knew just the spot that could give it the extra punch for these amazing people.

I think the moral is, dare to dare.

Be crazy enough to let yourself have the crazy ideas. To Paraphrase my favorite quote:

“Because the ones who are crazy enough to think they can (…), are the ones who do”.

Be yourself, and don’t let anyone stop you from become what you want to tell people. Your vision is yours alone. Nurture it, and let it grow and flourish. But don’t make the mistake of thinking you are the top. You are not. I am not.

If you look at old images, it’s only natural to think ‘WTF was I doing back then”.

And that’s good. It doesn’t mean you sucked, it means you’ve learned. Keep analyzing yourself, finding your mistakes

“Stay hungry, Stay Foolish”.

Stay open for opportunities. The biggest things evolve from small and unimportant things. A tweet can be enough to get you in the national news. A picture at the right time and place can be enough to launch a career. A friend at the right spot can lead to big things.

If I told you how everything in my life came to be, you wouldn’t believe me, and call me insanely lucky, or crazy. Or both. And I guess I am.

It’s time for me to wrap this one up, upload some pictures to the site of the newspaper, and go to bed.

‘night.

Using natural light

Posted on March 16, 2012

When I came home, and I opened my door I saw this amazing bit of golden light shining on my door, and only my door. The rest of the street was covered in shadows, except that little golden square. Perfect for a quick self-portrait.

No models, no filters or anything fancy. Just me and my phone.

Shot with the front-facing camera in the regular Camera.app, edited with Instagram.

Lighting diagram of the the biggest reflector in my kit. ;)

I think basically, just use what is out there.

Setting sail with the new Nikon Flagships

Posted on March 6, 2012

Today, well, yesterday I had the chance to be at Photo Days, a photography fair, aimed at professionals and companies. The reason I really went was simple: Nikon. They had their new flagship models there to fondle, shoot and marvel at. The new D4, D800 and D800E.

While I won’t go in full detail, and won’t post every little thing they changed, I will more go in the way of how the cameras feel, rather than the performance.

I asked for permission to use my own CF card in the camera, and was granted for the Nikon D4, yet not for the megapixel beast, the D800. The pictures on this blog are all shot with the D4. The cameras are still demo samples, and the EXIF file did ask not to publish, however, many other media and blogs posted .NEF files and more. So I’ll just provide these samples. If there are Nikon reps here that will not agree, contact me. :)

(See this on Flickr)

As a photographer, I notice little things, and I use a lot of the same technology day in and out. I wake up with my iPhone, go to bed with my iPad. And shoot my Nikon in-between. The grip of my D700 feels amazing, especially compared to my older D90, yet the moment I held the new cameras, they felt very light and ergonomic.

However, when I did the comparison test of the D700 and D800, both with grip and 14-24mm lens, I couldn’t say which one was which. Still, on its own it feels a lot lighter and more fun to carry around all day.

Both cameras have an impressive spec bump, and feel very well built.

My problem is: Which one to choose.

(See this on Flickr)

I’m a news and music photographer, with lots of art and and portraits in between. I could use the megapixels in the art, but they would be overkill at a party. And it will take a new skill set to learn how to handle pure sharpness with movement. But not something I can’t overcome

Yet the D4 is a work beast. Light sensitive, and FAST! I could use some extra light sometimes, especially at a concert. And shooting a burst at a fast-moving artist at high ISO could bring something extra to some shots.

But priced at double the price. 6k is something that I just can’t afford yet. Not that 3k is easy, but still doable over time.

So, I think it will be the D800 in the end. With a D5 in a few years.

I think.

Readers, feel free to comment!

Caffeineeeeeee

Posted on January 10, 2012

Sinds kort ben ik naast m’n theeverslaving ook overgeslagen naar coffeebars. Dat begon met een Starbucks en lattés, en dat evolueerde tot zaken zoals het puike Coffee Café en King Kong Coffee.

Jazz en koffie overheerst het moment je binnenstapt in beide zaken. Terwijl ze zich onderscheiden in uiterlijk, zijn ze verenigd voor de liefde voor koffie.

King Kong Coffee:
Een soort Home-build decor. De stoelen zijn verschillend, de tafels geïmproviseerd. De vriendelijke barista/eigenaar legt met plezier alles uit, en zal op smaak iets maken. Je merkt meteen dat hier een vakman staat. Zonder problemen gaat hij even met zijn klanten keuvelen, zelfs als er iets mis is. In dit geval was de smaak van de melk anders als ze gewoon waren, en hier werd piekfijn gedemonstreerd over de verschillende smaken van gestoomde melk. Prachtig.

De smaak staat hier centraal. Hier is geen groot koffiebar gevoel nodig, hier is het zo genieten geblazen.

Coffee Café

Hier is meer het grote houten Starbucks gevoel, wat op zich ook niet slecht is. Een zaak die zo goed als altijd vol zit, zeker met jonge studenten. Een bord met grote keuze en specialiteitsdrankjes maakt echt kiezen zeker niet zo simpel. De hoop lekkere Snacks en bokes maakt het er niet makkelijker op.

De verschillende variëteiten, ruime tafels, en een goeie sfeer, maakt dit wel een goeie plek voor wat werk te doen, blogposts te schrijven, of te starten of eindigen met een Photoshoot.

Beiden zaken hebben gratis WiFi voor klanten, en raadt ik allebei met een vol hart aan.

En de #Explosie in #Hasselt .. #oeps

Posted on January 9, 2012

Met een vieze hoest in mijn longen, in de koude regen, op de fiets. Zo begint dit verhaal van epische proporties, wat redelijk snel verteld kan worden.

Ik kwam terug van vergadering in Café Ambiorix. Ik was net overgestoken, toen ik boven m’n muziek iets luids hoorde. Een doffe luide slag, gevolgd door sirenes in de achtergrond.

Mijn eerste gedachten gingen naar een ramkraak in het centrum van Hasselt. Een groezelige maandag avond, perfect tijdstip toch? Een tandje sneller gezet, in de buurt van de alarmen. Adrenaline stroomt door mijn lichaam!

Ik kwam aan de bron van het alarm: De Six. Gelegen in de hoogstraat. Geen kat te zien, maar verderop loeiden er meer. In totaal hoorde ik in een 4-5 zaken alarmen afgaan, en nergens niks te zien.

Ik reed door tot op de Grote Markt, waar een auto (het lijkt alsof hun alarm ook afgaat, maar dat zal waarschijnlijk wel de winkels geweest zijn) met 3 man in (te) snel vertrekt en wegstuift. Redelijk verdacht. Ik zie een hoop mensen lopen. Sommigen naar winkels om hun alarmen af te zetten, of controleren wat er gebeurd is. Anderen dan weer voor te zien wat er gebeurd is. Een raar gevoel hangt er. M’n neus is dicht, regen valt met bakken uit de hemel, fel licht schijnt naar onder. Typisch weer voor het jaar.

Een kameraad staat in het midden met een grote paraplu omringt nog wat volk. Ik stop en spreek hem aan. Hij zegt dat er een ferme ontploffing in de lucht was. Een bewoner zegt ook op het 4de rook gezien te hebben aan zijn raam. Er word snel besproken, dit was veel te luid voor een vuurwerkpijl. Op nieuwjaar gaan er toch geen alarmen af.

We kijken allemaal rond, de politie wordt gebeld, en Ik pak m’n gsm, en tweet:

Ontploffing Op de grote markt. Overal alarmen. Doffe plof, gevolgd door chaos. Rook in de lucht. #Hasselt

Misschien iets te vroeg, maar tegen dan is het al publiek. Ik begin notificaties te krijgen, deze springt in het oog:

Ik wou antwoorden op facebook, maar voor ik verder kon verduidelijken komen 2 agenten in een Combi aan, zwaailichten aan, ze stappen uit, beiden een flakjacket (kogelvrij vest) aan. Ik hoor de verschillende mensen hun verklaringen doen.

“Auto stoof weg”
“Er is was rook op het 4de”
“Ik rook brand in de Havermarkt”.

Ik maak een paar foto’s met m’n iPhone, en smijt de nieuwe bevindingen op Twitter.

“Politie ter plekke met flakjacks. Niks schade. Schokgolf tot boulevard gevoeld. Geen schade. pic.twitter.com/XUd76W0m”

Maar tegen dan is het al te laat. M’n iPhone explodeert met berichten op Twitter en Facebook. Mailtjes volgen ook nog, en dan de telefoons van de collega fotografen en redacteuren wat er aan de hand was nu.

Ondertussen heeft de politie een goede verklaring gekregen:

“nee, er waren 2 kinderen die de Maastrichterstraat inliepen”

Aha!

Na hun inspectie en zelf ook rond te hebben gekeken, zien als er ergens iets was ingeslagen, word er besloten dat het een soort zelfgemaakt bommetje is, wat omhoog geschoten word (kan zelfs tot 100 meter halen blijkbaar).

Ik laat ik het volgende bericht op de wereld los:

“Ondertussen alles leeg. Politie gaat alles nakijken op camera.”

Tegen dan zie ik wat er allemaal voor reacties zijn binnengekomen. Daarom probeer ik alles nog eens samen te vatten wat er nu door ons ervaren was:

“Samenvatting1: doffe slag, voelbaar tot op de boulevard. Winkelalarmen afgaan, volk samen op grote markt. Verklaringen: veel rook in lucht.”

“2: 2 jongeren lopen maastrichterstr in. Politie is gebeld. Geen schade, wel brandlucht op havermarkt. Politie vind niks, markt terug leeg.”

Op zo momenten krijg je frustratie dat op Twitter maar 140 Characters kunnen. De primaire woorden komen aan bod, zonder de context. En met een knop word het enorm geretweet.

Niet veel later krijg ik telefoon van HLN en laat ik de redactie van Het NB iets weten. De foto’s worden gemaild en daartussen spreek ik met nog wat mensen die langskomen, en hetzelfde gezien hebben.

Ik besluit dan maar naar huis te fietsen. Helemaal doorweekt kom ik thuis aan, en krijg ik telefoon van HBvL.

Twitter Storm? Ja, redelijk gemerkt.

Een hoop volgers. Opvallend veel studenten Journalistiek. Niet dat me dat nummertje uitmaakt, ik bekijk dat zelf toch nooit.

Wat ik, en hoop anderen ook, denk vooral geleerd heb uit deze zaak, is dat men bij een nieuwstweet nog meer focussed op inhoud, dat de essentie niet te veel essentie wordt.

Deze post van een een A4tje verteld een veel duidelijker verhaal, maar in feite het zelfde verhaal. Soms gaat het snel, en dan kan je beter om cancel duren, of eventjes locken, en zien wat het verhaal direct brengt.

En natuurlijk het “Jos van om den hoek zei tegen Janniene van de bakker dat de neef van den slager ….”-fenomeen.

1 bericht explodeert (sic) alles. 1 persoon die er over bericht.

Als ik mensen hiervoor ongemak bezorgd heb, sorry, het was niet de bedoeling. Maar geef toe, anders zat u toch maar voor de TV naar The Bachelor te kijken … Dus bij deze.

Moving the site

Posted on January 3, 2012

I’m working on a new site for a few weeks now and it’s almost ready to launch. That is why I am splitting up my blog, and lists for now, so I can fit all other content in better.

So eyes on this space!