This document provides tips and best practices for journalists using social media. It discusses using Twitter, Facebook, Google+, and other platforms to engage audiences, find sources, crowdsource stories, and report news. Key recommendations include responding to comments, being transparent, addressing criticism respectfully, sharing other people's content, using hashtags strategically, live tweeting breaking news, and customizing privacy settings on Facebook. The overall message is that social media allows journalists to interact with readers, find stories, and share their work in new ways.

1. Journalists and Social Media
Mandy Jenkins @mjenkins
mjenkins@digitalfirstmedia.com
LANG Extravaganza, March 2012

2. Don't Be This Guy

3. 8 Rules of Social Journalism
1. Respond to replies, comments and questions
(especially questions) everywhere
2. Be transparent in all you do
3. Ask for help when you need it
4. Be thankful

4. 8 Rules of Social Journalism
5. Make corrections quickly and publicly
6. Address criticism without spats
7. Be consistent
8. Don't just push your content out, share other
links too

5. Twitter for Journalists

6. Not just what you had for
breakfast...
● Post links w/ comment or question, not
headline
● Monitor the people you cover
● Crowdsource stories by asking for info
● Quickly find witnesses, info with search
● Live report from the scene of a news event
● Show your work

7. It's All About Who You Follow

8. Who you should follow
● Your competitors (& bloggers too)
● People on your beat
● Popular people in your local
Twittersphere
● Those who reply to you
● Those who re-tweet, share your links

9. Finding who to follow
● By subject/location: Twellow.com,
Wefollow.com
● NearbyTweets.com
● Muckrack.com (for finding
journalists)
● Look at others’ follows/followers
● Spy on Twitter lists
● Listorious.com

10. Got Tweeter's Block?
● Ask for info/feedback from followers on a story
you wrote or are working on
● Re-tweet tweets you like
● Tweet what you’re reading
● Jump in on other conversations

11. Why Use #Hashtags?
•Find other sources
•Expand your audience
•Organize content (for feeds & contacting)

12. Before You Hashtag
•Search for hashtag(s) already in use
•If a hashtag is already in use, adopt it
•If not, choose one that’s simple & unique (do
quick search first)
•Geographic abbreviation helps (#CAstorm)
•Geographic better than branded (#CApolitics
better than #PTpolitics)

13. Go Live For Breaking News

15. When Live-Tweeting
● Warn followers in advance
● Mix play-by-play with context,
background
● Think value over white noise
● Take questions when possible
● Note long breaks

16. Search Tweeps & Content
● Search by keywords, location, time
● Search before the stream is
overtaken by reaction

18. When You Find Leads
● Connect with eyewitnesses, get
contact info
● Follow who you reach out to
● Have them wait for a reporter on
scene
● Verify!

19. Journalists on Facebook

20. Profiles Pages
● One place to manage ● Completely separate
everything presence from profile
● Control your privacy ● Completely public
● Timeline design with ● Timeline design with
large image large image
● Could mix ● Detailed analytics to
personal/professional see who visits

21. Going Public On Facebook
●Turn on Subscriptions: Anyone can read
your public posts
●Set up a vanity url at facebook.
com/username
● Add your job history and a snappy bio to
About section (and make it public)

22. Build Friends Lists
facebook.com/bookmarks/lists

23. Custom Privacy Settings

24. Target updates

25. Everyone Sees It Differently

26. Create An Engaging Presence
Take advantage of timeline with photos,
milestones and videos

27. Whatever You 'Like'
● What would you share on Facebook?
● Ask questions, feature the responses in
stories
● During news, you can't overpost
● Photos and videos work well

28. Whatever You 'Like'

29. Wording Matters
●Posed Questions +64%
●Call to read or take a closer look
+37%
●Personal reflections +25%
●Clever, catchy tone +18%
% more feedback over average
Source: Facebook

30. Images Matter

32. Google+: Do It For The SEO

33. Primp that Profile

34. Link Your Profile to Google
News
Under your profile settings:
● Add the email address linked to your byline on
your website
● Make sure your workplace/title are public
● Link to your blog, articles
● Link to other social accounts

35. Make Circles to Follow
Sources

37. Interviews, Chats by G+
Hangout

38. Follow
Trends, Track
News

39. THANKS!
Mandy Jenkins
mjenkins@digitalfirstmedia.com
@mjenkins
Blog: Zombiejournalism.com
These slides & more at slideshare.
net/mandyjenkins