How journalists can use Facebook and Twitter

How journos can use

Steve ButtryOhio Newspaper Association

April 11, 2012#ohnews

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• Listen to community conversation• Story ideas, tips• Search for people in the news• Report breaking news• Crowdsource all kinds of stories• Curate social discussion of news, issues• Community feedback & submissions

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Great for marketing & revenue, too• Distribution (posting links)• Building brand• Contests, promotions• Advertising

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Personal vs. professional use• Separate accounts OK but not necessary• Always behave professionally, even on private

accounts• Be personable on pro accounts• Presume boss (or future boss) will see all posts• Don’t bore pro audience

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• Many more users• Much info private• Tougher to search• Not as immediate

(less frequent updates)

• Engage, don’t intrude

• Great for breaking news

• Great real-time search

• Engagement not as intrusive

• Hashtags help w/ search, conversation

Options for journalists:• Use personal FB account, all or most

public• Journalist page• Enable subscriptions (decide which

updates are public)

• Connect w/ sources (balance, disclosure?)

• Check pages of agencies, people on beat• Crowdsourcing (ask on their pages as

well as yours)• Look for people in the news• Ask for permission to use photos

Searching Facebook:• Use advanced search (click in empty

search window)• Click people, pages to narrow by

location, biz pages, etc.• Search Google: “site:Facebook.com” then

search term (show search tools)Tips from Jason McDonald, JM Internet Group

• Follow officials & agencies on beat• Twitter Search (advanced)• Hashtags (regular & spontaneous)• Breaking news• Crowdsourcing• Live-tweet events

Live-tweet sports events

Bookmark this page

https://twitter.com/#!/search-advanced

Vetting tweeps, verifying info• Check full Twitter stream, profile• Connect on phone, in person• Check location (not 100% reliable)• Others verifying? Clusters, not echos• Photos? • Other sources, other tweeps• Ask, “How do you know that?”

More on verificationCraig Silverman tips:

http://www.cjr.org/behind_the_news/eight_simple_rules_for_doing_a.php

Mandy Jenkins tips:http://zombiejournalism.com/2011/09/b-s-detection-for-journalists

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Before the big story breaks• Follow lots of local people (replies,

retweets, check followers)• Join local conversation• Master Twitter search (advanced)• Promote local #hashtag taxonomy

(#okstorm)• Use Twitter routinely on your beat

When the big story breaks• Twitter Search

(advanced)• Connect w/ witnesses• Crowdsource• Tweet early & often• Seek verification• Address rumors (say

what you don’t know)• Seek photos

• Converse• Answer questions• Thank contributors• Promote fresh content• Link to new reports

(even competitors’)• Be human (fun where

appropriate)

Crowdsource

Say what you don’t know

What is curation?Museum curator:• Studies topic• Chooses relevant

content (other sources & museum collection)

• Authenticates• Groups related items• Provides context• Presents exhibit

Journalism curator:• Studies topic• Chooses relevant

content (social media, blogs, staff)

• Authenticates• Groups related items• Provides context• Presents collected

content

Time management• Integrate social media into reporting,

writing & editing processes• Use lists, TweetDeck, HootSuite to

organize the chaos• You can tweet & read tweets quickly• Invest some time• Decide what’s not important

Read more about it• stevebuttry.wordpress.com• slideshare.net/stevebuttry• @stevebuttry• zombiejournalism.com• stephenbuttry@gmail.com