new tools twitter
TRANSCRIPT
MICROBLOGS FOR REPORTING
Stephen Quinn
digital development editor
Email: [email protected]
Mobile: +852-9619-1922
About Stephen Quinn• 1975-95: reporter, producer and editor in 5 countries• 1996-2011: university journalism professor• published 16 books and 3 teaching manuals
– Another book due out this year– Since 2000: >160 presentations in 32 countries– Trained journalists in 10 countries
• consultant with WAN/Ifra, Newsplex and Innovation International
• Online News Association’s international committee
Some personal thoughts
This tool helps you to do better journalism … but it is only a tool
… and it should not replace traditional reporting (aka shoe leather reporting)
Some concepts• Social media: YouTube, Flickr, blogs
• Social networking: Facebook, LinkedIn
• “Blogosphere”: all of the stuff associated with blogs, podcasts, video-blogs, moblogs
• “Twittersphere”: all of the stuff associated with Twitter– A contribution to Twitter is a tweet
• Collectively called “Web 2.0”
• Define UGC/AGC versus CJ
MICROBLOGS FOR REPORTING
Twitter is best-known example
Range of micro-blogs
• Zousa
• Tumblr
• Plurk
• Utterli
• Yammer
Focus on
• Excellent resource: http://help.twitter.com/
• Getting started: http://support.twitter.com/
Why Twitter? It’s big …
Twitter is like breaking news
• LOS ANGELES, June 25 AAP/AP - Pop icon Michael Jackson has died, the LA coroner said on Thursday.
(99 characters)
Twitter basics: @ and D
• Want a public conversation? @username
• Want a private conversation? D username
Claim your Twitter name
• Anecdote: MERALCO in Philippines
Someone took twitter name and tweeted brownout schedules; people panicked
• Make sure you claim your Twitter name before someone else does …
Journalism uses for Twitter
• Reporter– Find people to interview– Generate story ideas– Solicit information– Find photographs/video– Messages: Faster than email
• Marketing newspaper’s web site– Send tweet of major news story– Link to story’s URL
Finding people
• Are you running the HK marathon next February (and didn’t miss the deadline like I did...) and have a story to tell? Contact me. Pls RT
• Show examples from LinkedIn
The power of retweet (RT)
• Spreads the word (like forwarding an email)
• Encourages others to share
• Many more eyes if a tweet goes viral
Twitter search tools• http://twitter.com/#!/search-home/
• Use operators for advanced search
• Note trending topics
Find tweets/information
• Snapbird: http://snapbird.org/
• Topsy: http://topsy.com/advanced-search/
Finding photographs
• RightNow: http://www.rightnow.io/
• Twipho: http://twipho.net/
Lesson from Mumbai shootings
• First-hand accounts before traditional media
• But rumours interspersed with fact
• Do not tweet live a rumour! Confirm first
• Backlash from traditional media
Hash tags (#)
• Coordinates a topic (eg #news2011)
• Useful for monitoring developing stories and events (eg #tahrir, #egypt)
• Find major hashtags: http://hashtags.org/
Trends on Twitter
• Trendistic: http://trendistic.indextank.com/
• Stats on username: http://tweetstats.com/
Useful Twitter-ised sites
• Twitterfall http://twitterfall.com/
• Tweetgrid http://www.tweetgrid.com/
Recommended approach
• Join Twitter
• Follow key people, based on your round/beat
• Monitor Twitter for ideas
• WeFollow lists people and organisations with most followers http://wefollow.com/
• Ask colleagues for advice
• Use TweetDeck
Demonstrate TweetDeck
• Free
• Cross platform
• Download to your PC
• Available at http://www.tweetdeck.com/
• Allows you to update FB etc at same time
• iPhone version available
Thank you for your time
Please send course ideas to
Stephen Quinn
digital development editor
Email: [email protected]
Mobile: +852-9619-1922