This document provides information on tools and strategies for using social media and multimedia to engage audiences online. It discusses sharing content with other organizations through RSS feeds and links, finding influencers to spread stories, and using tools like Twitter, forums and blogs to listen to audiences. It also offers tips on choosing video and audio equipment for multimedia projects and editing software to create and promote video content. The goal is to use these channels to bring audiences back to news sites and serve as a one-stop information source.

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WINTER
GOOD
TOOLS
Template
Hardware & Software for Social Media

2. 02
Introduction
WINTER
Jack Lail | Knoxville News Sentinel
Template
Erin Cubert | The Tennessean
Karen Kraft | The Daily News Journal

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Tools
Jack Lail
Knoxville News Sentinel

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The Link

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• Would you try to send Web visitors off your
site?
• Would you send your customers to
competitors?
• Would you seek out bloggers and alternative
voices and link to their sites?

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If you did, you would
grow traffic on your site.

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If you did, you would
grow traffic on your site.
by a lot!

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Call it the “Miracle on
th
34 Street” effect.

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http://www.publish2.com

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Sharing

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• Photo galleries are huge traffic drivers
• User submitted photos are huge traffic
drivers.
• User submitted videos are huge traffic
drivers (just ask YouTube).

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Cell Journalist, LLC
Suite 500
3212 West End Avenue
Nashville, TN 37203
P: 615.469.4411

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David Mastio
editor@blognetnews.com
(757) 773-1722

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Can you afford free?

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• Google Docs (docs.google.com)
• OpenOffice (Microsoft Office for free at
openoffice.org)
• Picnik (image editing, manipulation)
• Maps (Google, Yahoo)
• YouTube (video hosting)

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Social News Tools
Erin Cubert
The Tennessean

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Are you having trouble reaching your
online audience?
You might not be reaching them where
they’re at.

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Where are they?
- Twitter
- Flickr
- Aggregators
- Facebook and
other social sites
- YouTube
- Google News

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So, now that you know where
they are …
These tools will help you
maintain your organizations
digital identity and brand.

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Start sharing content
The easiest way to start sharing content, is by
contacting other news organizations.
Examples:
- Baltimore Sun and The Tennessean swapped RSS feeds
- Commercial Appeal and The Tennessean joined up and
conversed with audience via Twitter
- TennesseeGreen.com contacted HuffingtonPost about a
breaking TVA story
- News Sentinel and Tennessean traded links on a UT
salary story

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Find the influencers
Reporters asked to look at stories and to think
where and to whom stories could be pushed to.
If it’s a celebrity story, which online community might find the
story interesting?
If it’s a breaking news story, which news organization should
be contacted?
If it’s a community story, who in the community might be
interested?

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The new mantra in the news room is:
Push content out to bring
the audience back and
be a one-stop shop

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How?
There are more tools you can use
to get started …

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Twitter
News and information in 140 characters or less
- Get tips on breaking news stories in your community
- Send out information and links to the community
- Know the topics the community is interested in and saying about you.
- Have a conversation with your readers
- Customer Service

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Twitter Tools
TweetDeck: Your new ‘police scanner’
TwittGroups: The #, or hashtag
Strawpoll: Ask questions with polls
TwitPic: Send out quick pictures
URLZen: TinyURL with analytics
Ping.fm: Update all networks at once
Twitterholic: Watching your progress

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Metrics: 2 different audiences
Conversational
RSS Feed

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Scribd
-Don’t just put up
documents and expect
people to download them
Use a Qualified
Publisher account with
Scribd
Allow online community
to see documents, tag
documents, archive and
link back to the article
Host these on your site
within articles

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Bookmarking and Aggregation
Other tools to use include submitting
content to Reddit, Newsvine, Del.ic.ious
Digg will block you if you have people intentionally submitting
content and have people within the newsroom voting the
story. They will block the IP address.
Mixx.com and Reddit.com are up-and-coming social
bookmarking sites

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Forums and Blogs
Listen to what your audience is saying!
Read forum posts and story comments: The community is
helping write the story or telling you what they want
Read local blogs
Start topic-oriented blogs with Wordpress, Blogger or other
blogging software

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Digital Tools
Karen Kraft
The Daily News Journal

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Multimedia =
Alternative Visual Tools

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Multimedia:
What’s the big idea?
Who can do this?
How can I do this?
Why should I do this?
Aren’t we doing enough?

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Multimedia
101

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The Right Tools: Video Cameras
• High End
– Sony 1080i
– Canon XH A1
• Low End
– Flip Camera
– Point and Shoots

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Now that I know my options,
how do I decide?

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High End Vs. Low End
• Quality and Quantity
–
Will make a difference when breaking out the check book!
• Importance of Multimedia Project
–
Just a brief interview or heavy editing
• How it’s sound?
– To mic it or not to mic it
• Always use external mics when possible (lavaliers, recorders)
• How much time do you have?
–
Usually not a lot, post within 2 hours tops (sooner for breaking news)
• Best Option- have one of both

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Digital Voice Recorders
• High End
– Edirol R-09
– Korg MR-1
• Low(er) End
– Olympus DS-30
– Olympus Ws-311M

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Video Editing Software:
options, options, options
Macintosh:
• Avid
Windows:
• Sony Vegas
– Avid Media Composer • Adobe Premiere
• Final Cut Express
Elements
• iMovie

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iMovie

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Additional software…
•
Video Conversion
– Sorenson Squeeze
– iSquint*
– Handbrake
•
Audio Editing
–
–
–
–
–
Audacity*
Garage Band
iTunes
Pro Tools
Switch
• Audio conversion

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Decisions, Decisions
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
The right tool for the right job
Don’t over think it
Less is sometimes more to readers
Have a back-up
Batteries, cards, tapes OH MY!
Minor training to shoot
Basic training to edit

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Getting it noticed
• Attach it to the story
• For the love of God, Link it!
– Utilize YouTube
• (Be aware of copyrights. Read the fine print!)
• Promote heavily in print

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How can we make money?
• Online Contests (U Pick ‘em)
– Baby of the Year*
– Christmas Lights, Battle of the Bands
– Ruthies
• Short videos turned into commercials
• Sponsorships
– Steady multimedia can lend itself to revenue $$
• DNJ’s Athletes of the Week

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Contact Us!
Jack Lail jack@jacklail.com (865) 898-3331
Erin Cubert ecubert@tennessean.com (615) 726-8971
Karen Kraft kkraft@dnj.com (615) 566-2022