This document discusses ways that journalists can use social media for reporting and storytelling. It provides tips for using platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Google+, YouTube, Foursquare and curating social content. The key recommendations are to use social media to find new sources, crowdsource story ideas, engage in conversations, distribute content and promote stories. Journalists should maintain a professional presence online and balance personal and professional social media use.

1. Using social media
for journalism
Steve Buttry
Bennington Banner
March 18, 2013

2. Read more about it
• stevebuttry.wordpress.com
• slideshare.net/stevebuttry
• @stevebuttry
• zombiejournalism.com
• stephenbuttry@gmail.com

4. Ways to use social media
• Daily routine
• Find sources
• Breaking news
• Crowdsourcing
• Investigative reporting
• Distribute content

5. Great for promotion, but also …
• Great for reporting
• Find story ideas
• Crowdsource
• Join the conversation (reply, retweet, ask
questions)

6. • Many more users • Great for breaking
• Much info private news
• Tougher to search • Great real-time
(but search just search
changed) • Engagement not as
• Not as immediate intrusive
• Engage, don’t • Hashtags help w/
intrude search, conversation

7. Personal vs. professional use
• Separate accounts OK but not necessary
• Always behave professionally, even on
private accounts
• Be personable on pro accounts
• Presume boss will see all posts
• Don’t bore pro audience

8. • Connect w/ sources
(balance, disclosure?)
• Check pages of agencies, people on beat
• Crowdsourcing (ask on their pages as
well as yours)
• Look for people in the news
• Ask for permission to use photos

9. Options for journalists:
• Use personal FB account, all or most
public
• Journalist page
• Personal account, enable subscriptions
(decide which updates are public)

10. Engagement issues for newsroom pages:
• Images engage better than updates (put
link in text)
• Not allowed to post AP photos
(thumbnails OK)
• Questions engage
• Frame the debate

11. 2 things that help most
• Post photos, not updates
• Start conversations (not headlines)

12. • Important for search
• Find sources
• Connect w/ sources in Circles
• Interview by video Hangouts
• Livestream Hangouts on YouTube

13. • Do agencies, people on beat use?
• Watch for public videos getting attention
(will often see links, mentions on Twitter)
• Search for videos to use in stories
• Embed in stories, blogs

14. • Growing swiftly
• Users share (pin, re-pin) visual content
• 80% of users are women
• Heavy use for food, fashion, travel
• Embeddable
• How might you use?

15. Pottstown Mercury wanted posters
• 58% increase in arrests on outstanding
warrants
• 1,218 followers
• Post to Facebook, too (bigger audience
than Pinterest)

16. • Do agencies on beat post photos?
• Search for keywords, photos, hashtags
• Invite people to contribute photos
• Connect w/ people posting photos
• Seek permission (check conditions)
• Give credit

17. • “Mayor” may be good source about an
org or venue (employee or customer)
• See who has checked in for event or
breaking news story
• Tips might provide questions for stories
• Break story w/ Foursquare “shout”

18. • Connect with sources
• Find new sources through
connections, groups
• Discussions help find experts
• Check updates, slides, travel
• Search by location & keyword

19. What is curation?
Museum curator: Journalism curator:
• Studies topic • Studies topic
• Chooses relevant • Chooses relevant
content (other content (social
sources & museum media, blogs, staff)
collection) • Authenticates
• Authenticates • Groups related items
• Groups related items • Provides context
• Provides context • Presents collected
• Presents exhibit content

20. • Curate tweets, FB updates, videos, photos
• Can be main story or social media sidebar
• Easy to group related items, write text for
lead, transitions
• Can embed in article template

21. Geofeedia
• Gathers social media reports around a
particular location automatically
• DFM training just started
• Available to help Bennington: Ivan Lajara

22. Social fame is fleeting

23. Ethical issues
• Identify yourself as a journalist w/
Bennington Banner
• Behave professionally on personal
accounts
• Be personable on pro accounts
• Verify facts
• Discuss whether opinion is appropriate

24. Read more about it
• stevebuttry.wordpress.com
• slideshare.net/stevebuttry
• @stevebuttry
• zombiejournalism.com
• stephenbuttry@gmail.com