social media and journalists: part 4

SOCIAL MEDIAA GUIDE FOR JOURNALISTSPART 4 OF 4

MORE SOCIAL MEDIA TOOLSTwitterTumblrPinterestStorify Instagram

YouTubeWordPressFacebookLinkedInGoogle+

Hangouts

Many journalism organizations use Facebook as a link between their brand and other social media venues.

FACEBOOKAbout 40 journalists at The New York Times are now using Facebook subscribe, a new feature (since December 2011).

Source: journalism.co.uk

More information: http://www.facebook.com/about/subscribe

Nick Kristof of The New York Times is one of the most active journalists on Facebook.

Kristof uses Facebook mainly for professional communications.

Note the number of likes and comments.

Resource: http://www.facebook.com/journalists

GOOGLE+ HANGOUTS Requires a download (Google voice and

video chat; free) Uses the familiar YouTube interface Up to 10 people can participate in the

same video chat The session can be saved and viewed

later by others

On Jan. 30, 2012, President Obama participated in a 50-minute Google+ Hangout. He answered unscripted questions from ordinary citizens.

LINKEDINBusiness journalists: Follow a company from its Company

Page You can follow up to 1,000 companies Get updates via e-mail

Resource: http://www.linkedin.com/companies

Resource: http://www.linkedin.com/companies

LINKEDINAll journalists can: Create a resume (c.v.) Link up with past and present colleagues Link up with sources

LinkedIn: A journalist’s public profile

A WORD ABOUT COMMUNITIESMany of the social media sites, or networks, are big and diverse (like Facebook).Not really “communities.”

A WORD ABOUT COMMUNITIESMany of the social media sites, or networks, are big and diverse (like Facebook).But some sites (like Flickr) contain distinct communities, in which members know one another well.

A WORD ABOUT COMMUNITIESMany of the social media sites, or networks, are big and diverse (like Facebook).But some sites (like Flickr) contain distinct communities, in which members know one another well.Be mindful of “invading” a community or abusing people’s networks.

A WORD ABOUT ETHICSIn May 2011, the American Society of News Editors (ASNE) published a handy collection of social media guidelines from 18 different news organizations.

To download the PDF, search Google for “10 Best Practices for Social Media”

ASNE’S 10 “BEST PRACTICES”1. Traditional ethics rules still apply online. 2. Assume everything you write online will

become public. 3. Use social media to engage with

readers, but professionally. 4. Break news on your website, not on

Twitter. 5. Beware of perceptions.*

* Conflict of interest; likes and retweets

ASNE’S 10 “BEST PRACTICES”6. Independently authenticate anything

found on a social networking site. 7. Always identify yourself as a journalist. 8. Social networks are tools not toys. 9. Be transparent and admit when you’re

wrong online.10.Keep internal deliberations confidential.

INTEGRATION

SOCIAL MEDIA AND JOURNALISM

Us Them

WHAT JOURNALISTS DO WITH SOCIAL MEDIA Invite comments & feedback from

readers/viewers Find & follow useful sources of

information Follow & learn from other journalists Share useful links Report breaking news, live

WHAT JOURNALISTS DO WITH SOCIAL MEDIAInvite comments & feedback from readers/viewers Make it clear you’re reading, listening Respond appropriately Show respect Ignore idiots

WHAT JOURNALISTS DO WITH SOCIAL MEDIAFind & follow useful sources of information Interested citizens NGOs Government officials

Note: Some will be background or off the record

WHAT JOURNALISTS DO WITH SOCIAL MEDIAFollow & learn from other journalists Partly this satisfies your own desire for

news Partly it can teach you good (and bad)

habits (avoid the bad ones)

WHAT JOURNALISTS DO WITH SOCIAL MEDIAShare useful links You should not share a link to something

that adds nothing new You should share links to other sources

(not only to your news organization)

WHAT JOURNALISTS DO WITH SOCIAL MEDIAReport breaking news, live Before doing this, weigh the costs and

benefits How many regular people really care? Doing this well can attract new viewers,

readers Rare: Not many events warrant this

You can’t do everything.

1. SET PRIORITIESHow can social media help you in your specific work?Should your social media identity represent you as an individual (reporter)?Or should you downplay your individual identity and emphasize a news product instead?Should you do both? Can you?

2. EXPLORE OPTIONSSet aside a specific amount of time each workday to “play” with social media.Limit this time carefully.Check out what your competitors are doing.Seek out the audience you want to have for your news product(s).

3. CHOOSE AND USE Select which social media tools and/or sites you will focus on.Limit them to what you can manage.Commit to using them every day.Observe and follow typical usage patterns: for example, microblogging vs. full-scale blogging.

4. TRACK, MEASURE, EVALUATE Set goals and establish time frames.Watch the stats (visits, users, pageviews, followers, retweets, etc.).Record and analyze significant events (for example, a big spike in pageviews or retweets).Track user engagement—not only how many but also when (day and time).

Success can come in small numbers.

Success can come in small numbers.This is not an exact science.

Success can come in small numbers.This is not an exact science.Don’t get carried away.

To understand social media, you must use it.

Us Them

SOCIAL MEDIAPresentation by Mindy McAdamsUniversity of Florida, USAmmcadams@jou.ufl.edu

Keep up on the latest news and tips about social media and journalists:http://www.scoop.it/t/social-media-and-journalists

Follow these sources on Twitter for updates on the social media universe:@NiemanLab

@mashable