The document provides guidance on using Twitter effectively as a journalist. It discusses best practices such as informing, provoking and engaging readers by sharing news, links, and responses. It recommends allocating 1/3 of tweets to personal content, 1/3 to sharing outside sources on your beat, and 1/3 to covering your beat. Additional tips include using tweets as notes, updating headlines, curating lists, maintaining journalistic standards by confirming information and attributing sources, and correcting any mistakes promptly. The overall message is that Twitter can be a useful newsgathering and reporting tool if used following these professional standards and practices.

1. Twitter
Why we use it, how we use it
and what we can do to use it better

2. Tweet using #RJTweets
● During this meeting, Tweet using #RJTweets
● Act as if you were covering this meeting
and had to write a brief story about it off
your Tweets
● Tweet some pics

3. First Things First
● What do you think are we doing well on
Twitter?
● What do you think we could we be doing
better on Twitter?

4. The Value of Twitter
● Generate story ideas from the community
● Keep a thumb to the pulse of the community
● Search for sources
● Report breaking news, share content
● Engage with your readers

5. "Agenda"
● Best practices
● Using it for work as a journalist
● How to maintain journalistic
standards

6. "Best Practices"
● Your goals on Twitter:
■ Inform
■ Provoke
■ Engage

7. "Best Practices"
● Inform
○ Share the news
○ Update on news
○ Provide links whenever possible
○ Retweet others

8. "Best Practices"
● Provoke
○ Craft your Tweets in a way that
will catch attention
○ Tease the reader into clicking the
link or responding to your Tweet

9. "Best Practices"
● Engage
○ Respond to those that talk to you
○ Reach out to people
○ Fuel the conversation around what
you share on Twitter

10. "Best Practices"
● The Rule of Thirds
■ 1/3 of the time: Be yourself
■ 1/3 of the time: Share about your beat
& interests from outside sources
■ 1/3 of the time: Cover your beat

11. The Rule of Thirds
● 1/3 of the time: Be yourself
○ Share things about your day-to-day life
that you're comfortable with
○ If you're funny, witty or sarcastic, be
funny, witty or sarcastic
○ Be personable & professional at all times
○ Interact and engage with others
○ Share links about your interests

12. The Rule of Thirds
● 1/3 of the time: Share about your beat
from outside sources
○ If you only share your own content, you are
SPAMMING your followers
○ Curate content from outside sources that provide
value to your coverage
○ Sometimes this may mean sharing & retweeting
competitors

13. The Rule of Thirds
● 1/3 of the time: Cover your beat
○ Share links to your work
○ Retweet your co-workers
○ Cover breaking news as it happens from the scene
○ Tweet from events and meetings you're covering

14. Making Your Job Easier
● Use Tweets as notes so you don't duplicate
work
● Tweet updates from breaking news scenes
allowing people in the newsroom to update
headline
● Tweet photos to get our site updated
before you get back

15. Keep Yourself Organized
● Tweetdeck & Twitter Lists
○ Create lists organizing those you follow
■ City/Town Councilors
■ Local citizens
■ Other journalists & news outlets
■ Your interests
○ Set up columns for your lists & keywords
■ City/town name
■ Useful hashtags for your beat & interests

16. Be More Effective
● Follow & watch how colleagues use Twitter
● Take note of what they do and, more
importantly, what they don't do
● Engage with colleagues, competitors and
readers
● Don't be afraid to reach out first -- that's
how relationships are often made

17. Maintaining Journalistic Standards
● Though Twitter is not like print, the same
journalistic qualities are important
● Seek truth & report it
● Confirm & attribute
● Don't sensationalize
○ Not everything is "BREAKING NEWS"

18. Confirmation & Attribution
● Don't forget your journalism basics when
tweeting
● Call an official and confirm what you're seeing or hearing
● Try to confirm what you see on Twitter from a civilian as
best you can
● Confirm information as best you can before
tweeting it and be sure to attribute it
● Meriden Police:
● Southington Fire:
● City Councilor So&So:
■ Attribute another news outlet if you are not
independently confirming the information

19. If A Mistake Is Made
● Mistakes happen
● If one is made, correct it immediately
● CORRECTION: .....
● Speed vs. Accuracy
● It's a fine line
● People tend to forget who got it first, but
they don't forget who got it wrong

20. Remember: You Are A Reporter
● Don't mix opinion with fact when tweeting
about things you cover
● Be careful with interacting with local
officials that you cover on your beat
● You are representing yourself and your
publication