Social media and journalists

Why Social Media matters …

1. It’s where things happen first2. Linking to articles, distributing content3. As a search engine, it rivals Google4. Self-promotion, branding that stays with you5. Integrate into news .. but not like TV does it6. Building traffic for new blog, new beat7. Cultivating sources 8. Real-time news .. right here, right now9. Creating community .. power in the network10. Diversity .. opens up your source base

Twitter … and Facebook…

and LinkedIn…

and Flickr…. and Tumblr…

and Blogger…

and YouTube…

and WordPress…

and Foursquare…

and Google Reader…

Twitter July 2006 190 million

Facebook February 2004 500+ million

LinkedIn December 2002 80 million

Three main social media networks for journalists

What’s the difference?

Twitter People you don’t know but who have common interests.

Real-time search engine; platform for listening, promoting work; crowdsourcing.

Facebook People you know or who know someone you know.

Excellent source for finding sources; listening, sharing work; crowdsourcing.

LinkedIn Colleagues, former colleagues, professionals.

Online Rolodex you don’t have to update; good database of employees; good for crowdsourcing.

SM tool Community Journalistic advantage

If Facebook was a country….

“Instead of meeting for a cup of coffee, I shoot the breeze with some PR folks/sources on Twitter.”

Story ideas | breaking news | beat checks | brand development

“I tweet and retweet high-value news and analysis on the economy, sustainability and urban issues.”

Promote blogs, columns | new trip wire | appreciate the speed

“Twitter is only as good as the people who are on it.”

Immediate | concise | different form of writing | good multimedia tool

Where things happen first

Linking to articles, distributing content

“What's even more unique about Twitter is the way competitors share

and comment on each other's work. I constantly RT links from my rivals. .. ..

… Both Twitter and LinkedIn are terrific for crowdsourcing. For example, after the tax bill passed, I sent out a tweet

asking for tax experts to comment. Thanks to the viral nature of Twitter along with LinkedIn groups, I had a

bunch of sources in no time.”

Linking, sharing, being a resource

A search engine rivaling Google

Searching on Facebook

Twitter advanced search

Twitter advanced search

BofA

Twitter advanced search

BofA

Within 25 mi of Denver

Twitter advanced search

LinkedIn: Today’s Rolodex

Search: Semiconductors, Intel

Self-promotion, branding YOU

Self-promotion, taking it with you

“Used in the best way, reporters are liberated from the ivory tower of newsroom judgments and can directly interact with readers… the reporter becomes a recognizable contact point for his stories and his beat.”

Integrate into news

Build traffic for new blog, new beat

Cultivating sources

Cultivating sources … scoop

Community… power of the network

Plea to Facebook friends

Anyone talking about this?

Real-time news .. right here, right now

Creating community

Diversity .. social media opens up source base

The future .. aggregation, telling stories together

Telling stories by aggregating

social media

Where to go from hereBe an early tester but a late adopter. Find out what works for you and ignore the rest.

Understand the landscape. Learn the pros and cons of the biggest social media sites so you can use them better.

Stay informed. Twitter feed. Google reader.

Create lists. Both Twitter and Facebook make this easy.

Don’t flood the zone. Use a tool like HootSuite that lets you save drafts and schedule updates on multiple networks and from multiple profiles, all at once.

Lose the guilt. There’s no reason whatsoever to worry about what you miss on Twitter or Facebook.