Introduction to social media for journalists
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The latest iteration of the introduction to social media that I do before jumping into skills training on specific platforms. I've tried a lot of different variations, but I've found that emphasizing social media's use for sourcing information is not only a revelation for most people (who tend to think of what they should put out on social media rather than what they can take it), but also gets at the heart of how it can enhance their work.
Introduction to social media for journalists
- 1. Social media is your new bicycle An introduction to what social media is for, and how it fits into your workflow
- 2. A rolodex that expands itself Word of mouth on crack A replacement for a clipping service A layer that sits over the rest of the internet, surfacing the best stuff An ecosystem built on information-sharing networks Social media is (to paraphrase your colleagues)
- 3. A tool for creating great content, loyal audience, and a solid reputation
- 4. 1. Research/Reporting 2. Engagement 3. Publishing Three tasks
- 5. 1. Research/Reporting Keep your finger on the pulse of the news: 1) Seek Pursue information, sources and angles on stories you are following 2) Discover Find things you didn t know you should be looking for by tracking topics and people over time What might you find? Events you didn t know were happening New angles on big stories New sources and new opinions Interesting stories to tell What people in your region/niche are talking about What people in your region/niche want to know
- 6. Daughter of Prominent Bahraini Activist Challenges Obama http://www.voanews.com/english/news/middle-east/Daughter-of-Prominent-Bahraini-Activist-Challenges-Obama-119709944.html Interview for radio and web with the daughter of an arrested Bahraini activist, found and contacted on Twitter Ex) Monitoring social media leads us to a good story, and the source who can tell it
- 7. Live coverage of the earthquake in Japan http://www.voanews.com/english/news/Major-Earthquake-Tsunami-Hit-Japan-117785138.html Audio interview with a Japanese woman in Tokyo, contacted through Facebook First-hand accounts, found on social news site Reddit Informative video from NOAA, found on Twitter Ex) Tracking social media unearths important components for a breaking story
- 8. 2. Engagement Become part of the conversation: 1) Influencers and experts Expand your contacts by networking with thought leaders 2) Current and potential audience Respond to questions, solicit feedback What benefits can you get? Widen your network of sources, experts and influencers Get passed information and ideas Ask for and receive feedback, insights Build a loyal audience who trust and follow you Expand your audience by becoming a thought leader in your niche
- 9. Ex) Answering questions builds connections, and helps correct misinformation Cecily Hilleary on Twitter http://twitter.com/voahilleary
- 10. Your Questions: Kenya s Campaign Against Al-Shabab http://www.voanews.com/english/news/africa/Your-Questions-Kenyas-Campaign-Against-al-Shabab-133487408.html Ex) A live Q&A helps us report on what our audience wants to know Live web Q&A about Kenya s pursuit of al-Shabab in Somalia, plus pre-recorded video segment for TV
- 11. 3. Publishing Get information out to the world: 1) Social media-native content 2) Links to other web-based content What sorts of things might you publish? Bits of breaking news that will later become a full report Information you find as you research Links to things youre reading Insights that might not make it into your final report Photos and short videos if you re in the field Links to your own articles/reports
- 12. Steve Herman on Twitter http://twitter.com/W7VOA Ex) Tweeting information means news gets out as soon as it is confirmed
- 13. 1. Research/Reporting 2. Engagement 3. Publishing Each activity supports and reinforces the others. They work better together than in isolation.
- 14. Why is promotion not included? Yes, we want to drive traffic to our content, but promotion without the other elements doesn t work. People dont respond when they dont feel a genuine connection. If the other two elements are done right, promotion will often take care of itself. Your network will start promoting your work for you. 4. Promotion
- 15. But there is a secret 4 th benefit 4. ?
- 16. 4. Inspiration Discover new ways to tell stories, find models to emulate http://www.voanews.com/english/news/usa/Photo-Essay-Volunteers-Share-50-Years-of-Peace-Corps-Memories-117524744.html http://www.storiography.com/english-dreams/ http://howbigreally.com http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/video/2011/nov/16/99-v-1-occupy-data-animation www.rferl.org/archive/Project_Hijab/latest/3248/3248.html
- 17. Why havent I mentioned any specific sites yet?
- 18. Social media is a HUGE ecosystem Twitter YouTube Facebook Flickr Google + Tumblr Blogger Wordpress Reddit Wikia Quora Forums
- 19. We train on Twitter because, RIGHT NOW, it is the great aggregator. Its where news happens, and it will lead you to the other places where things are happening. Its like a gateway. But here are some examples of why you might turn to another site: Facebook Poll VOAs audience for feedback, answer audience comments, do a live Q&A Google + Try out social ideas with an engaged audience of early adopters Pinterest Save clippings online so you can access them and share with others Blogger, Wordpress Search 1,000s of personal blogs all at once Instagram Share pictures in an interesting way Reddit Check out memes and see whats going viral Meetup Find real-life communities around skills you need or things you like Quora Ask and answer questions about topics youre knowledgeable on Forums Find conversations on specialist topics, find sources Flickr Find Creative Commons photos to illustrate an article or make a photo essay
- 20. So how could you fit social media into your workflow right now?
- 21. Morning Media Diet Add niche blogs, Twitter to your current morning routine. You might even find you can drop some newspapers or websites as a result. Story Planning Think about the online conversation happening around a topic. What do people want to know? What are they talking about? What could you add thats unique or innovative. What will people respond to? Example: http://174.37.47.227/~converge/wordpress/?p=813 Following Breaking News Follow a few breaking news Twitter accounts, and the next time news is breaking, keep tabs on it from there. See if you can find information, resources and angles you wouldnt get from the wires.