How not to be an idiot, or a jerk

(and some other stuff)

@bydanielvictor

Am I

doing

social

right?

Image by Chris Lott | bit.ly/social-explained

NO.

NO YOU ARE NOT.

Am I doing social right?

Nope.

Am I doing social right?

Am I doing social right?

No.

Am I doing social right?

Sigh. No.

Where are we going today?

Photo by Yevgen Pogoryelov

• Write for both Twitter and Facebook

• Be good at both Twitter and Facebook

• Use (or not) hashtags

• Share appropriately on Facebook

• Melt the Internet

• Identify good Snapchat stories

• Plus, 7 final expert tips

25 percent of population

59 percent of population

In Canada, according to the Forum

Research in 2015

✓ Users here follow topics and interests first

✓ Fast-paced, frenetic updates expected

✓ Great for quick hits and updates

✓ Personality is rewarded

✓ Users here to follow pre-existing

connections

✓ Slower-paced, fewer posts

✓ Great for longer posts and conversation

✓ Large expectation of privacy

Images are loved equally

Yes.

Very good.

Am I doing social right?

Am I doing social right?

You’re acing it.

Am I doing social right?

Yes, you are.

When a story like this Tony Stewart Nascar

incident goes down, The New York Times

is lucky to have Viv Bernstein at the ready

to sort out what’s known and what isn’t

known.

OK, let’s practice

Write a tweet

Write a Facebook post

Take this article and …

Be ready to share what you wrote and why.

Checklist: Being good at Twitter● Upload a photo of yourself.

● Write a bio.

● Carefully curate whom you follow.

● Don’t be an RSS feed. Talk to people.

● Retweet and favorite good stuff.

• Build useful public lists.

● Use Tweetdeck (or other) to watch those lists.

● Don’t make hashtag gaffes.

● Don’t get into fights.

● Do make clear corrections.

● Do ask questions.

● Be wary of automation.

You must have lists. Must.

#dontbestupid

“Using a hashtag does no harm in the same way wood paneling does no harm to your station wagon, or a misspelled tattoo does no harm to your bicep.”

— Yours Truly in Nieman Lab

• Gathering small groups• Curating specific projects• Conferences

SMART

#dontbestupid

“Using a hashtag does no harm in the same way wood paneling does no harm to your station wagon, or a misspelled tattoo does no harm to your bicep.”

— Yours Truly in Nieman Lab

• Big events (#superbowl)• General words/phrases• Automated feeds

DUMB

#dontbestupid

“Using a hashtag does no harm in the same way wood paneling does no harm to your station wagon, or a misspelled tattoo does no harm to your bicep.”

— Yours Truly in Nieman Lab

• Being funny and/or ironic

AWESOME

Checklist: Being good at Facebook● Upload a photo of yourself.

● Write a bio.

● Let people follow you.

● Create friends’ lists so you can target what gets shared with whom.

● Remove URLs from the status update.

● Mix up the type of posts.

● Consider modifying the share text (and headline).

● Ask questions.

● Make clear corrections.

● Employ emotion, tactfully.

● Monitor comments.

● Care about images.

● Connect/watch sources.

Be smart about what you share with whom

Go to Settings > Followers

Target status updates to

public, friends, or a custom list

Melting the Internet

You should really read the whole article: Why That Video Went Viral by Natalie Kitroeff

bit.ly/viralnature

Metrics: Bit.ly

Fun trick: Add +

to the end of any

bit.ly link to see its

stats

nyti.ms/1URz92F

becomes

nyti.ms/1URz92F+

Snapchat

● It’s fun! You can have fun!

● Watch “Discover” for ideas

● Practice for thinking visually

7 final tips

(now we’re getting down in the dirt)

7 final tips

(Now we’re getting down in the

dirt.)

1. Sound like an actual

person, not a headlineThe story about humblebragging

barely deserves to be read by

our 6.7 million followers

nyt.me/Vk6EBr #humblebrag

I wrote about my Candy Crush addiction

and why it’s not really OK. It’s a pitiful cry

for help, basically nyt.ms/1kN3P80

2. Ask

questions,

but only if

you care

about the

answer Can you find the hidden Chicken Nugget?

“LIKE” when you find it!

Do you have stories about GM’s

ignition/airbag issues? Drivers, auto

workers, police, attorneys, doctors:

email us! Facebook.com/nytimes/posts/

…

3. Talk to people about

non-journalism things

2,101 clicks

36 RTs

10,176 clicks

254 RTs

4. Use words like explain,

details, how, why

5. For clicks, leave a sense of

mystery. Penn State recruiting just got a big

boost

For RTs, don’t leave any

mystery.Bishop McDevitt RB Andre Robinson,

one of the top prospects in PA,

commits to Penn State

6. Don’t overdo them, but dog

whistles can be effective

6. Don’t overdo them, but dog

whistles can be effective

7. Use photos

DO NOT!DO

8. Ignore all social media

people, including me, and

test it yourself.

Experiment,

be human

and have

fun!

FINAL WORDS