Why we engage

Why We Engage

Steve Buttrysbuttry@journalregister.com

Connecticut NewsroomFebruary 27, 2012

#DigitalFirst

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

What engagement isCommunity engagement = News orgs make top priority to listen, to join, lead & enable conversation to elevate journalism.

What engagement isn’t• Promotion (though it has promotional

value)• Distribution of content (though you

should)• Purely a digital pursuit (it uses digital

tools along w/ traditional ones)

What engagement isCommunity engagement = News orgs make top priority to listen, to join, lead & enable conversation to elevate journalism.

3 types of engagement *• Outreach • Conversation• Collaboration

* Joy Mayer, Reynolds Journalism Fellow, University of Missouri

Avenues of Engagement• Social media• Blogs• Crowdsourcing• Breaking news• Stories • Events• Curation• Aggregation

• Content submissions• Interactive content• Voting, contests• Comments• Schools, groups• Feedback• Print• Face to face

• 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

• Follow officials & agencies on beat• Twitter Search (advanced)• Hashtags (regular & spontaneous)• NearbyTweets• Breaking news• Crowdsourcing

Use other social tools, too

Why use Twitter?• It can save you time• It extends your reach• It’s an engaging, conversational tool• It’s great for connecting with

eyewitnesses• Powerful real-time search

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

Authenticate & attribute• Ask: “How do you know that?”• Ask careful questions of crowd to help

you vet & verify• Check links, tweets & information on

sources• Link to original source• Attribute

Blog network• Covers areas we never covered• Varied voices• Recruit blogs overlapping your beats• Offer clubs liveblogging opportunities• Neighborhood, church, nonprofit

newsletters

Don’t forget IRLEngage community in person:• Events• Community Media Lab• Tweetups• Community group meetings• In work, life routines

Why to liveblog

• Immediacy• News value• Storytelling• Traffic• Community engagement, loyalty • Interactivity• Saving time

Why crowdsource?• It saves time• Connecting with sources has always been

one of a journalist’s most important jobs• You bring more voices to your news

reports• The crowd knows more than we do• You engage the community

@statesman case study

Crowdsource

Crowdsource

Say what you don’t know