Twitter Strategies for Journalists & News Organizations

Journalism Association of Community Colleges 2012 NorCal

Angela Rosas @AngelaRunsAmuck Facebook.com/ProAngelaRosas

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#JACCTwitter
Hashtag : The # symbol is used to mark keywords or topics in a Tweet. It was created organically by Twitter users as a way to categorize messages.

Use the Hashtag #JACCTwitter when referring this workshop on Twitter

Follow #JACCTwitter to follow the Twitter conversation

Ask questions via Twitter using #JACCTwitter

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Why Social Media in the Newsroom?

Share Information

Gather & research information & insights Build relationships with readers, community members, sources & industry professionals

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Why Social Media Matters

Gives you direct access to current & potential readers & sources! Organization / Journalist Branding Personalized Community Engagement Drive Link Traffic Monitor community opinion and sentiment Voice for organization and readers

TWITTER: Basics
@AngelaRunsAmuck #JACCTwitter

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Twitter = Interaction
Content Sharing < Interaction
Share Listen Ask Respond

Frequency
Multiple times a day Engage in Real-time conversation

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What Gets Shared

What gets shared? Good Content!

Links: Flickr, Picasa, YouTube, Articles, Blogs

Original Content: Tips, Trends, Discussions, Blogs

Relatable Content: Personal stories, humor, epiphanies

Tip: Be real & make real connections

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Interacting On Twitter
@ - Mention someone or Reply to a tweet/message: Respond to a user by clicking reply and typing your message. Your tweet must include the @ symbol and the persons twitter handle (i.e. @johnsmith) within the message for him or her to be alerted of your mention or reply. This will be readable to all of your followers. Direct Message (DM): Send a private message to a follower using the Direct Message feature. Note that this person must also be following you to receive your message. Retweet (RT): Reposting a persons tweet, often times seen as a form of flattery to the person whose tweet you are reposting by hitting the RT button or just typing RT followed by the persons Twitter handle.

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Glossary/Terms of Definitions
@: a reply to someones twitter message. #hashtag: tagging a specific subject so your followers and non-followers can find your update using the Twitter search box on the Twitter homepage or just to be clever. (#Sacramento #News) Direct Message (DM): a personal message that only you and the sender can see (essentially a 140 character email). You can only direct message users who are following you. Follow: people you follow whose tweets show up in your timeline. Followers: people who follow a persons tweets and show in their timeline. Protected Profiles: A private twitter profile with protected tweets. Retweet (RT): a message repeated because someone thinks it particularly good often times seen as a form of flattery.

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How to Engage on Social Media Sites

Share. Share photos and behind the scenes info about your organization. Give a glimpse of developing stories and events. Listen. Regularly monitor the comments about your organization, community/beat, and articles. Ask. Ask questions of your followers to glean valuable insights and show that you are listening. Respond. Respond to compliments and feedback in real time. Reward. Offer updates about special offers, discounts and time-sensitive deals. Demonstrate wider leadership and know-how. Reference articles and links about the bigger picture as it relates to the community/beat youre covering. Champion your stakeholders. Share and reply publicly to your followers and readers.

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Twitter Tips
When you notice your content being spread, jump in: If someone mentions you in a tweet, dont let the opportunity pass. Jump in and interact by tweeting them back, (mention them or retweeting the tweet).

Share content of others: If you see content that would be useful to your followers, share it. You may get a mention from the person you Retweeted!
Shrink URLs: One of the most common uses of Twitter is sharing links. You only have 140 characters to work with. Twitter now shrinks links Tip: use one of several URL-shortening websites to shrink links, to track their clicks (tinyurl.com, ow.ly, and bit.ly). Desktop Client: Receive tweets and alerts, save keyword searches, schedule tweets and track link clicks (tweetdeck and hootsuite).

TWITTER: In the Newsroom

@AngelaRunsAmuck #JACCTwitter

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Twitter is a place to collect the news and break the news.

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#Report Search
Twitter.com/Search Topsy.com

Real-Time Results

Archived Results

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#Report Search

California College News

Find people to follow Find potential sources Fine potential stories Follow trends / topics Content to share with your followers - retweets Conversations to join

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#Report Search

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#Report Sources

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#Report Go Mobile
Log in to your account and set up your mobile device. Download the application for your device. Monitor your timeline for replies and mentions push alerts are your friend. Stay logged into multiple accounts.

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Sept. 2012

#Network Branding

A brand is NOT just a logo it is how customers view your organization and you.

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Sept. 2012

#Network Branding
What is your Brand?
Education Experiences Accomplishments

Values

Vision

Mission

What expertise does your organization (or you) have to offer? How do you want customers / clients to view your brand?

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Sept. 2012

#Network Branding

News Organization

You

Reader

Social Media opens up the lines of communication and helps builds relationships and trust

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#Network Branding
Make yourself and/or your paper easy to find and recognize.

Pick a Twitter Strong Handle.

Upload a background image and profile picture. Fill out a clear, informative bio. Use your first and last name if personal account. Include a link to your website.

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#Network Connect
MuckRack.com
Real-time Twitter activity by journalists
See what journalists are
Reading Following Talking about

Site is searchable by
News Org. Tweets Links Photos

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#Network Connect

Twitter directories are places to search and find users to follow based on your own interests.

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#Network Connect
Twitter Directories Add your twitter account to directories. List under location and categories. Sites:
Twellow.com Wefollow.com Connect.me Justtweetit.com Twibs.com

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#Network Connect
Socialoomph.com Auto-follows, vet followers, set up automatic Direct Messages. Tweetalarm.com Monitor Twitter: @ mentions, industry, keywords. Provides Email alerts. Formulists.com Form lists on Twitter automatically.

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#Publish The Tweet

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#Publish Principles
JOURNALISM, A STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
http://www.journalism.org/resources/principles

1. JOURNALISM'S FIRST OBLIGATION IS TO THE TRUTH

2. ITS FIRST LOYALTY IS TO CITIZENS

3. ITS ESSENCE IS A DISCIPLINE OF VERIFICATION 4. ITS PRACTITIONERS MUST MAINTAIN AN INDEPENDENCE FROM THOSE THEY COVER 5. IT MUST SERVE AS AN INDEPENDENT MONITOR OF POWER

6. IT MUST PROVIDE A FORUM FOR PUBLIC CRITICISM AND COMPROMISE

7. IT MUST STRIVE TO MAKE THE SIGNIFICANT INTERESTING AND RELEVANT 8. IT MUST KEEP THE NEWS COMPREHENSIVE AND PROPORTIONAL 9. ITS PRACTITIONERS MUST BE ALLOWED TO EXERCISE THEIR PERSONAL

CONSCIENCE

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#Publish Audience
Know your audience and add value to their lives.

Original news articles Campus news / alerts / events Community news / alerts / events Photos campus life Updates traffic, parking, weather Campus Chats using hashtags

Specials, deals nearby businesses (ex. Lunch deals)

Other Fashion, music, politics, gaming Be the main source for your audiences needs get followed, get shared, drive traffic!

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#Monitor Management

Hootsuite
Schedule, Monitor, Engage: various SM sites Analytics included Team Management

Tweetdeck
Browser: various SM sites. Monitor, Engage Provides Alerts

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#Monitor Hootsuite

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#Monitor Analytics

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#RealTime Schedule

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#RealTime Team Effort

CoTweet.com
A group front-end for Twitter Enables groups to engage proactively Assign team members roles, permissions, and tweets (Team member access /engagement levels) Email alerts

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#TakeAway
Start Here:
Be real brand yourself and your organization, properly. Follow to get followed. Know your audience add value. Be a journalist connect, share, educate. Twitter is real-time engage all the time.

You are on Twitter to encourage readership!

More followers = more link visits. Good content gets shared. Shared content = more followers. More followers = more link visits!

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Questions #JACCTwitter

Tweet me: @AngelaRunsAmuck (@Mruff221)