July 30, 2009

Follow this Leader

C3 Coach Steve Buttry (center) working with the staff of The Campus Ledger at Johnson County Community College in 2003.

I don't know how to say this delicately so I'll just say it. If you're not following Steve Buttry's tweets you're an idiot.

OK, maybe that was a bit harsh.

Buttry is the C3 Coach for Gazette Communications in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Buttry says his role as C3 coach is to "guide Gazette Communications in our pursuit of Complete Community Connection."

He previously worked for the American Press Institute, the Omaha World Herald, the Kansas City Star, and a bunch of other places.

I met Steve a few years back via Poynter's NewsCoach listserve. He immediately impressed me with how supportive he is of other journalists (including students) and that he always learning from journalists (including students). But what I love most about Steve is that he's not one of the journalism dinosaurs that we're waiting to die off. You know what I mean, those individuals who are deathly afraid of, well, a complete community connection.

Check him out on his blog, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, NT-NG, Slideshare ... oh hell, just Google him.