twitter for journalists
DESCRIPTION
Tools and tips for journalists and reporters using Twitter.TRANSCRIPT
Twitter For Reporters
Seattle SPJ/ONA || 13 February 2012@kegill
1. Tweet More• Understand the rules of your newsroom http://
www.businessweek.com/technology/complicating-twitter-and-journalism-11082011.html
• Recognize that your personal “brand” may be more important to you (long term) than the brand of your news organization
2. Be conversational
• Talk to people (but remember you are publishing with every statement)• Ask questions (in general or directly)• “Be yourself”
Develop stories
• Crowdsourcing: ask community for ideas or information
• If you ask someone a question in email or in person, figure out how to ask the question publicly on Twitter (or FB)
Develop relationships
• Ask who to follow• Follow opinion leaders on your beat• Follow public officials on your beat• Follow other journalists on your beat• Then talk to them. ;-)
3. Listen
What, exactly does this mean?
#hashtags may be more important than individuals
Tools To Monitor #hashtags
• HootSuite.com (iPhone app)• Nearbytweets.com• Topsy.com• Trendistic.com• TweetDeck• Twitter Search
HootSuite : GeoLocation
Topsy : email, RSS
Breaking News
• Storify• CoverItLive• ScribbleLive• Embed individual tweets or a group of tweets
into a story using QuoteURL or Blackbird Pie.
Verify! Verify! Verify!
Other Tools
• Twitter Lists• Paper.li• Directories: twellow.com• muckrack.com• dev.twitter.com/media/newsrooms• Twitter -> email: twe.pe
Resources
• Twitter tips for journalists, Steve Buttry• How should journalists use social media, Nick
Kristoff• The new baseline skill set, Steve Yelvington• On Twitter, neither a Luddite nor Biltonite
be. Simply be human, Alex Howard
Credits
• Kathy E. Gill, @kegill• Creative Commons : attribution, non-
commercial, share-and-share alike• Resources at http://wiredpen.com/