Could nonprofit support help bring important voices back to newspaper pages?

Based on a new experiment The Boston Globe is trying, maybe. According to a New York Times report, the Globe has worked with three nonprofit groups—the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, the Rubin Institute for Music Criticism, and the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation—to pay classical music critic Zoë Madonna’s salary over the next 10 months.

The nonprofits will have no editorial control over Madonna—that stays with the Globe—but they will nonetheless benefit from the deal, which ensures that someone is paying attention to the art of classical music. And if the model works, it could expand beyond Boston.

“I hope the Globe’s willingness to partner with us will be a model for other newspapers across the land,” said Steven Rubin, the founder of the Rubin Institute, in comments to the Times.

Social Media Switcheroo

https://twitter.com/Alain_Pittet/status/793472186644307968

A recent post by Pádraic Gilligan of the event management firm SoolNua is designed to be quite the talker—at first, it seems like he’s arguing that event planners shouldn’t use social media! Gilligan’s post, over at Padraicino, might even get you wondering what he’s blabbering on about.

One choice quote: “So we’re all on social media but what are we doing there? Is there any empirical data or incontrovertible evidence that what we’re doing is producing any sustainable value or return on investment of our own and our employers’ time?”

But he’s trying to make a point: There has to be a clear return on investment—and he goes on to show that he’s actually found value in his own time using social media.

That’s what we call a bait-and-switch, folks.

Other Links of Note

Curious what’ll happen to President Obama’s Twitter account after his successor takes over? According to BuzzFeed, his tweets will transfer to a new account, @POTUS44, but the new president will inherit the 11 million followers of @POTUS.

Do religion and association events mix? Association Executive Management’s David M. Patt says no. He shares an anecdote about an incident that occurred while he was the head of a running association.

Eating one’s own dog food. The Zapier blog highlights how Trello (the company) uses Trello (the collaboration tool).

(stevepb/Pixabay)