Medical Journalists Get Social How social media tools can make life better for editors and writers For UNC Med/Sci Journalism Sept. 26, 2009

Source: Matt McDonald, BrandFlakesforBreakfast.com

Journalists are using Twitter and other social media to: Find and cultivate sources. Follow news and events in real time. Discover story ideas. Share scoops and useful information. Promote their work. AND – connect and interact with readers.

Find and cultivate sources.

Follow news and events in real time.

Discover story ideas.

Share scoops and useful information.

Promote their work.

AND – connect and interact with readers.

Four ways to deploy social media Institution: Reuters, AHCJ, FoodSafety.gov Person: Ivan Oransky, Maryn McKenna, Christine Gorman, Scott Hensley, Helen Branswell Topic: Medicare, patient-centered health care, swine flu, pediatrics, HIV, electronic medical records Geography: Connect with people in Brazil or Omaha using brightkite.com or twitterlocal.net.

Institution: Reuters, AHCJ, FoodSafety.gov

Person: Ivan Oransky, Maryn McKenna, Christine Gorman, Scott Hensley, Helen Branswell

Topic: Medicare, patient-centered health care, swine flu, pediatrics, HIV, electronic medical records

Geography: Connect with people in Brazil or Omaha using brightkite.com or twitterlocal.net.

Why should journalists care? May 2009: Social vs. Search Facebook drew 82.9 million unique visitors in May, up from 68.5 million in January. Twitter logged 19.7 million uniques. Google May uniques: 144.4 million; Yahoo, 135.5 million; MSN, 97.5 million. source: Compete Web analytics

Facebook drew 82.9 million unique visitors in May, up from 68.5 million in January.

Twitter logged 19.7 million uniques.

Google May uniques: 144.4 million; Yahoo, 135.5 million; MSN, 97.5 million.

source: Compete Web analytics

What’s journalism’s future in social media? -- “It’s not information overload, it’s filter failure.” -- Clay Shirky, author of Here Comes Everybody -- “We’re heading into an incredibly messy but also wonderful period of innovation and experimentation that combines technology and people and pushes great and outlandish ideas out into the real world. The result will be a huge number of failures but also a large number of successes. … This is why I’ve grown more and more certain that we will not lack for a supply of quality news and information.” – Dan Gillmor’s blog, May 2009

-- “It’s not information overload, it’s filter failure.”

-- Clay Shirky, author of Here Comes Everybody

-- “We’re heading into an incredibly messy but also wonderful period of innovation and experimentation that combines technology and people and pushes great and outlandish ideas out into the real world. The result will be a huge number of failures but also a large number of successes. … This is why I’ve grown more and more certain that we will not lack for a supply of quality news and information.”

– Dan Gillmor’s blog, May 2009

Where to find more on using social media Websites that follow new media on a practical level: Mashable.com Readwriteweb.com Paidcontent.org Poynter.org (e-media tidbits) People who have useful takes on journalism and new media: JayRosen: @jayrosen_nyu DanGillmor: @dangillmor Clay Shirky: @cshirky Jeff Jarvis: @jeffjarvis

Websites that follow new media on a practical level:

Mashable.com

Readwriteweb.com

Paidcontent.org

Poynter.org (e-media tidbits)

People who have useful takes on journalism and new media:

JayRosen: @jayrosen_nyu

DanGillmor: @dangillmor

Clay Shirky: @cshirky

Jeff Jarvis: @jeffjarvis

Questions? Find these slides at: slideshare.com/nancyshute Find me at: [email_address] [email_address] twitter.com/nancyshute

Find these slides at:

slideshare.com/nancyshute

Find me at:

[email_address]

[email_address]

twitter.com/nancyshute