Gathering and Promoting News (and Yourself) with Social Media Kristen Landreville

First, A Few Questions 1.Does your newspaper have a CMS? 2.To what extent does your newspaper have a social media presence? – YouTube? – Blogs? – Facebook? – Twitter? 3.What would you like to change about your newspaper’s social media presence? 4.What is the likelihood that changes will occur?

Stats on Social Media Video – 71% of online Americans use video-sharing sites – Rural use matches urban and suburban use Social Networking – 65% of adults use Facebook, MySpace, or LinkedIn 65% of adults – Purpose: To stay in touch with family and friends Purpose – 13% of adults use Twitter 13% of adults Mobile Media – 50% of adults have apps on their cell phones 50% of adults

Why is an online presence important? Local newspapers (online and off) are top sources for news. Local newspapers 31% of adults get news and information about local businesses and restaurants from newspapers (online and off) 31% of adults

Plan of Action For Your Career and Newspaper Flickr for Photos SoundCloud for Audio YouTube for Video Blogs for a Portfolio and Newspaper Facebook Twitter Social Media for Story and Source Management Social Media for Networking and Branding Resources

Flickr for Photos Promote your photojournalism (for free!) Demonstration – Student Work Student Work – Photostream – Uploading photos – Headline and caption writing – Creating a slideshow – Sharing the slideshow Hands-On – Create an account

SoundCloud for Audio Promote your audio reporting (for free!) Demonstration – Student Work Student Work – Record or upload – Create tracks – Share tracks – Explore tracks Hands-On – Create an account

YouTube for Video Promote your video reporting (for free!) Example: Denver Post on YouTubeDenver Post Shared: Denver Post video on OWS protests Example: Casper Star Tribune Google Search: “casper star tribune video” Results: YouTube vs. Newspaper Website Demonstration Upload videos on a new channel Get YouTube on your website Sharing videos

Putting It All Together: Blog Portfolios Blogs easily showcase social media content I recommend: WordPressWordPress Portfolio blogs can enhance your brand! Journalists (1, 2, 3)123 Student Work Set-up a blog on WordPress: Tips on getting started and where to get helpTips on getting started and where to get help

HTML Basics for Blogging Posting Bold, italics, lists, paragraphs Linking Inserting photos and documents Embedding Flickr, SoundCloud, YouTube

Newspaper Blogs Beyond portfolio blogs, newspapers host journalist-authored blogs as well Examples – New York Times New York Times – Denver Post Denver Post – Casper Star Tribune Casper Star Tribune Uses include: – Creating a transparent news process – Opening a dialogue with readers – Posting additional information that didn’t make it to print

Good Blogs… Update frequently Write in the first-person and use conversation-style that shows your personality Provide specific headlines Provide links elsewhere to helpful information Allow readers to comment and comment back to readers Can be your professional portfolio, journal, or brainstorming session Embed multimedia features Are relatively short

Facebook and Newspapers “Create a page” on Facebook for the newspaper Uses of Facebook Report events live using Facebook: ExampleExample Promote stories and content Create a community and engagement – Use simple wall posts and status updates – Encourage conversation and feedback Other tips

Introduction to Twitter Explanation of BasicsBasics – #topics – RTs (retweets) – Followers – Lists Lists – SnapBird for searching tweets SnapBird Uses of Twitter – Storytelling – Story and Source Management – Networking and Branding

Twitter for Storytelling Live tweet events and breaking news with visual storytelling – Example: Joanna Smith, Toronto Star reporter for Haitian earthquakeJoanna Smith “Was in b-room getting dressed when heard my name. Tremor. Ran outside through sliding door. All still now. Safe. Roosters crowing.” “Fugitives from prison caught looting, taken from police, beaten, dragged thru street, died slowly and set on fire in pile of garbage.” – Example: Alabama meteorologist James Spann reporting on tornadoes reporting on tornadoes

Twitter for Storytelling Writers and editors can later create stories with live tweets Let sources speak for themselvessources speak

Social Media for Story and Source Management Ask for feedback on story ideas or rough drafts – Using Facebook, Twitter, or blogs Check out Storify, Bundlr, or ChirpStoryStorifyBundlrChirpStory – Poynter explanation of Storify Poynter explanation of Storify FourSquare for live reporter check-ins FourSquare live reporter check-ins TagWhat for creating stories and viewing location-based multimedia stories TagWhat TweetDeck for source and tweet management TweetDeck Other great examples

Social Media for Networking and Branding Networking Follow other journalists Follow journalism-related chats on Twitter – Search “#journchat” Contribute to community and #topical comments Branding Promote your work with links to stories Promote your newspaper When you’ve built a brand…

Resources Sustainable Journalism Poynter Social Media Examiner Media Helping Media Knight Digital Media Center – Resources Resources – Multimedia Training (free tutorials!) Multimedia Training Mindy McAdams’ Teaching Online JournalismTeaching Online Journalism

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