Leslie Bradshaw // Online News Association // 9.13.08

Using to LiveblogOnline News Association Workshop

Leslie A. Bradshaw September 13, 2008

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O hai :) Welcome 2 my session. I will provide links & resources @ the end. Feel free to tweet anything during this presentation. Let's go!

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Overview

• Why are we here?

• It is inherently in us to use Twitter

• 9 tips for liveblogging via Twitter

• C-Study from C-SPAN work

• Discussion, action & resource wrap-up

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The Challenge

Bloggers are everywhere you are… and they are “watching”

When you are on the move, connectivity can be tough

Online audiences have an insatiable appetite for media, do you?

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The Solution: Mindset

More acceptable/opportunities to cover the moments-in-between

You still have more access, sources

Adopt or be left behind

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The Solution: Technology

iPhone: TwitterFON, Twinkle, Twitterrific (more at end)

Blackberry: Twitterberry or browser

Cellphone: SMS, MMS, Utterz/Audio

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The Solution: Understanding Whence it Came

et al. – et alias “and others”i.e. – id est “that is”e.g. – exempli gratia “for example”

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Liveblogging: An Evolving [and Perhaps Dying] Art

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Liveblogging: The Next Generation

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Widely Used Twitter Terms

• Tweet: The result of posting to Twitter

• @ Message: A response or a message to a specific handle. When used at the beginning, it can be found under the replies tab (a sort of public “inbox”)

• DM: Direct Message, can send only to those following you (goes into your private Direct Message “inbox”)

• Hashtag: The # sign is used to denote a major topic (like tagging/categorizing on a blog)

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Conventional Twitter Slang

• Twitterverse: Akin to the Blogosphere, but for Twitter

• Tweeps: Your friends or “peeps” on Twitter

• Tweeple: People that occupy the Twitterverse

• OH or Overheard: Use at the beginning of a sentence to denote that you heard something interesting but can’t or don’t want to attribute the source. To have it aggregate on this site http://overheard.it, spell it all the way out

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Tip #1: Make it a Conversation

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Tip #2: Offer an Unique Perspective

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Tip #3: Know Thy Neighbor

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Tip #4: Know Thy Self

Account-based statistics for @leslieann44 www.TweetStats.com

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Tip #5: Use Tools• Twist Trend Tool: www.twist.flaptor.com• Compare 10 (or more) search terms• Good for brand and personal names• Difficult for concepts

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Tip #6: Multi-Media, Integration, Syndication• Utterz (audio; photo and video, too) www.utterz.com • twitpic (photos) www.twitpic.com • Brightkite (social geo-locator) www.brightkite.com • Link to your Blog and accounts on Delicious, Facebook, et al.

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Tip #7: Use and Understand Hashtags• See what others are using• Ask around• Be prepared to start your own movement

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Tip #8: Help Your Organization, Get that Account!• The domain name gold rush has a new frontier: Vanity URLs

• Better scoop them up before someone else does

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Tip #9: Cover Your Personal Brand, Too

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C-Study: Balance, Utility and Personal Touch

• Follows only NYT accounts• Imbalanced ratio of

follower/following• Push-only with RSS feeds

• 852 followers in 3 weeks• No RSS feeds; human voice• Give and take with @

messages and DMs

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C-Study: The Two-Way Street that Built a Bridge

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C-Study: Reading Tweets On-Air + Outreach

• Gave Twitter users the “heads up” they would be featured

• Used Twitter as a live-reaction tool post-convention speeches

• Users loved the project, recorded it and shared with their networks

• C-SPAN will follow up with video for them as well

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Mobile Applications• Download Twitterberry: http://orangatame.com/ota/twitterberry • Review of iPhone Twitter apps:

http://deanjrobinson.com/internet/twitter-iphone-apps-head-to-head • Utterz: http://www.utterz.com & connect direct to Twitter

http://www.utterz.com/u/connections

Tools• Search Twitter for key terms: http://search.twitter.com • Track trends: http://www.twist.flaptor.com • Personal statistics: http://www.tweetstats.com

How to Go Back in Time• WHCD (no hashtags, hard to search after the fact):

http://search.twitter.com/search?q=leslieann44+white+house+dinner+ • Intel ISEF 2008 (#ISEF08): http://search.twitter.com/search?

max_id=919674049&page=3&q=leslieann44+isef08• McCain/Palin speech in Fairfax, VA (#McCain #Palin #Fairfax):

http://search.twitter.com/search?q=leslieann44+%23palin

Additional Resources

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“C” is for Contact and Cupcake

Leslie A. BradshawBlog: www.lesliebradshaw.comTwitter: www.twitter.com/leslieann44 Email: [email protected] NMS (Communications Manager): www.newmediastrategies.netJESS3 (President): www.JESS3.com