Twitter for Journalists

@stevebuttryGazette Communications

July 9, 2009

If you’re new to Twitter

• Handout for this session has links to vocabulary and “Getting Started” advice and advice for your first week

• See me for individual coaching

How do you use Twitter?

What should I tweet about?

• Link to a new blog post, story, video, photo

• Retweet (with a comment) a link from a colleague

• Reply to someone from your community

• Tweet an unfolding story• Tweet something insightful or funny

Linking with Twitter

• Use compressed links: bit.ly, tinyurl.com, is.gd, tr.im, etc.

• Write a headline or a comment; give tweeps a reason to click

• Credit

People to follow

• Look for sources (find people)• Ask sources• Journalists in other communities• When someone follows you, check out to

see whether you should follow back• When you follow someone, check whom

they follow

Journalism academics to follow

@jayrosen_nyu @jeffjarvis@macloo (Mindy McAdams)@sreenet (Sree Sreenivasan)@wmacphail (Wayne MacPhail)@davidwestphal@suebb (Sue Burzynski Bullard)

Journalism bloggers to follow

@ryansholin@paulbradshaw@michelemclellan@robertniles@agahran (Amy Gahran)@mthomps (Matt Thompson)@sdkstl (Staci Kramer)

Reporters to follow

@rsylvester (Ron Sylvester, Wichita Eagle)@DM_in_the_PM (Daniel P. Finney, Des

Moines Register)@bydanielvictor (Harrisburg Patriot-

News)@tonymess (Tony Messenger, St. Louis

Post-Dispatch)

Ways to use Twitter

• Follow people on the beat (put their feeds on beatblog)

• Crowdsource (“Does anyone know anything about …?”)

• Story ideas (ask, monitor chat)• Connect with eyewitnesses• Drive traffic to blog posts, stories• Helps you write tight

Examples from one day in Iowa

• Click trends• Search hashtag #iagaymarriage• @tdorman from Supreme Court, press

conference• @DM_in_the_PM from rally• @dianeheldt from court

Twitter’s value in breaking newsnot happening in Iran, Mumbai

• Emergency landing of flight from CID• DC Metro crash• @jkrums on Hudson emergency landing• @2drinksbehind on Denver plane crash• Fargo flooding• @MissRFTC on California earthquake

Twitter twists

• Tweetbeep & Tweetscan• Facebook app• Publish2• TweetDeck (& other apps)• Twtpoll

Ethical considerations

• How do you identify yourself?• Separate personal and professional

Twitter feeds?• How do you verify?• What language is acceptable (WTF)?• What, if any, opinions are OK?

Now some advice from your peers

• My Twitter stream• Search for hashtag #journtips• Search for terms• CoverItLive

Wrapping up

• These slides at slideshare.net/stevebuttry

• Follow me on Twitter: @stevebuttry• A handout for this webinar, links to

Twitter help, links to journalists on Twitter, advice from Andria Krewson of Charlotte Observer on my blog: stevebuttry.wordpress.com

Some final advice

From @mathewi (Globe and Mail):Don’t answer, “What are you doing?” Answer, “What am I thinking?”

And from @stevebuttry:“What do I want to know?”