Strategy and Social Media
Mandy Jenkins, @mjenkinsICFJ
Get Social
Building a social network for news
8 Simple Rules of Social Journalists
1. Respond to replies, comments and questions (especially questions) everywhere
8 Simple Rules of Social Journalists
1. Respond to replies, comments and questions (especially questions) everywhere
2. Be transparent in all you do
8 Simple Rules of Social Journalists
1. Respond to replies, comments and questions (especially questions) everywhere
2. Be transparent in all you do
3. Ask for help when you need it
8 Simple Rules of Social Journalists
1. Respond to replies, comments and questions (especially questions) everywhere
2. Be transparent in all you do
3. Ask for help when you need it
4. Be thankful
8 Simple Rules of Social Journalists
5. Make corrections quickly and publicly
8 Simple Rules of Social Journalists
5. Make corrections quickly and publicly
6. Address criticism without spats
8 Simple Rules of Social Journalists
5. Make corrections quickly and publicly
6. Address criticism without spats
7. Be consistent
8 Simple Rules of Social Journalists
5. Make corrections quickly and publicly
6. Address criticism without spats
7. Be consistent
8. Don't just push your content out
Twitter for Journalists
Not just what you had for breakfast...
• Drive traffic to your content• Monitor the people you cover • Crowdsource stories by asking for info • Quickly find witnesses, info• Live report from the scene of a news event
Powered by followers
You follow
They follow
Who you should follow
• Your competitors (bloggers too)• People in your field of interest/beat• Popular people in your local Twittersphere• Those who reply to you• Those who re-tweet, share your links
Finding who to follow
• By subject/location: Twellow.com, Wefollow.com
• Muckrack.com (for finding journalists)• Look at others’ follows/followers• Spy on Twitter lists • Listorious.com
Basic etiquette
• ALWAYS shorten long links
• Say what the link is
• Re-tweet, don’t re-write
• Don’t tweet like a robot
Got Tweeter's Block?
• Ask for info/feedback from followers
• Re-tweet tweets you like
• Tweet what you’re reading
• Jump in on other conversations
News Watch & Research
• Trends: What people are talking about• Keyword searches• Reliable tip network
Local Twitter Trends
http://trendsmap.com/local/pk/islamabad
Trendsmap.com
Keyword searches
Search.twitter.com
Search.Twitter.Com
• Search by keywords, location, time• All public tweets• Also can be done in desktop, mobile apps
Watching news everywhere
Building a Tip Network
Getting tips in
Watching for unintentional tips
Asking for help
Beyond 'Just Friends'
Profiles vs Pages
One account for everything
Targeting updates to friend lists
Subscriber-only option for non-friends
No analytics
Totally separate accounts
Excellent analytics
No ability to send Messages
Might feel weird
Following Without Friending
• Debuted mid-September
• Share with people who aren't friends
• Follow updates of those you aren't connected to
Optimizing your profile/page
• Publicly identify yourself, where you work and what you do
• Be easy to find, set up a vanity url at facebook.com/username
• Tweak all privacy settings to your liking
Target updates
Public Updates
• Crowdsource your stories
• Share behind the scenes photos and insights with readers
• Ask questions/solicit feedback
• Post your stories and those you're reading to generate discussion
Be yourself!
Wording Matters
• Posed Questions +64%• Call to read or take a closer look +37%• Personal reflections +25%• Clever, catchy tone +18%
% more feedback over averageSource: Facebook
Images Matter
Google Profiles
If you have a Gmail account, you have a profile. Make it sparkle.
Google+
Much of the functionality of Facebook profiles
Hangouts: Live video chats with groups, can be public or private
Only professional contacts
Stand-in for a resume online
Google Alerts
Know what's out there - and respond
Set up your alerts
google.com/alerts
Eliminate results from your company site:
"first last" -yoursiteurl.com
Questions?
Mandy Jenkins
Twitter: @mjenkinsZombieJournalism.com
Find these slides at:slideshare.net/mandyjenkins