Why We Engage

Steve ButtryUniversity of Texas-Arlington Shorthorn

August 14, 2012#utashorthorn

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What engagement isCommunity engagement = News orgs make top priority to listen, to join, lead & enable conversation to elevate journalism.

What engagement isn’t• Promotion (though it has promotional

value)• Distribution of content (though you

should)• Purely a digital pursuit (it uses digital

tools along w/ traditional ones)

What engagement isCommunity engagement = News orgs make top priority to listen, to join, lead & enable conversation to elevate journalism.

3 types of engagement *• Outreach • Conversation• Collaboration

* Joy Mayer, Reynolds Journalism Fellow, University of Missouri

Avenues of Engagement• Social media• Blogs• Crowdsourcing• Breaking news• Stories • Events• Curation• Aggregation

• Content submissions• Interactive content• Voting, contests• Comments• Schools, groups• Feedback• Print• Face to face

Blog network• Covers areas newspapers don’t cover• Varied voices• Recruit blogs overlapping your beats• Offer clubs liveblogging opportunities• Organizational newsletters

Don’t forget IRLEngage community in person:• Events• Tweetups• Community group meetings• In work, life routines

Why crowdsource?• It saves time• Connecting with sources has always been

one of a journalist’s most important jobs• You bring more voices to your news

reports• The crowd knows more than we do• You engage the community

Set the stage• Build engaged community (follow

people, converse with them)• Use multiple platforms (Twitter,

Facebook, website, blog, newspaper, IRL)• Do the groundwork (don’t expect the

public to do your job; invite them to tell their stories)

Crowdsourcing tips• Say what you know• Say what you want to know• Say what you don’t know• Don’t spread rumors; seek confirmation,

information• Vet sources & information

Throughout the process• Seek story ideas & tips• Ask questions as you gather info• Share data with community• Ask public to continue the conversation

Varying situations• Investigations• Breaking news

@statesman case study

Crowdsource

Crowdsource

Say what you don’t know

Varying situations• Investigations• Breaking news• Annual, seasonal stories• Community info• Crowdmaps• Supplement staff work• Seek photos

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