These are slides for a Twitter webinar for my Digital First Media colleagues.

1. improves
your journalism
Steve Buttry
Webinar for Digital First Media
December 7, 2011

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

3. Use with other social tools

4. “We used all social media at our disposal
to engage the public –
Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, our
websites, email, you name it.”
-- Steve Hunt, San Gabriel Valley Tribune

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

8. Ways to use Twitter
• Breaking news
• Community conversation
• Twitter Search (advanced)
• Hashtags (regular & spontaneous)
• Live-tweeting events
• Crowdsourcing
• Content for web & print

17. Bookmark this page
https://twitter.com/#!/search-advanced

18. Vetting tweeps, verifying info
• Check full Twitter stream, profile
• Connect on phone, in person
• Check location (not 100% reliable)
• Others verifying? Clusters, not echos
• Photos?
• Other sources, other tweeps
• Ask, “How do you know that?”

19. More on verification
Craig Silverman tips:
http://www.cjr.org/behind_the_news/eight_sim
ple_rules_for_doing_a.php
Mandy Jenkins tips:
http://zombiejournalism.com/2011/09/b-s-
detection-for-journalists/

20. Say what you don’t know

23. Why use hashtags?
• Find other sources
• Expand your audience
• Organize content (for feeds & contacting)
• Follow the discussion

24. Hashtag tips
• Use re-usable hashtags (#okstorm)
• Search for hashtag(s) already in use
• If a hashtag is already in use, adopt it
• If not, choose one that’s simple & unique
• Geographic abbreviation helps (#ctirene)
• Geographic better than branded
(#copreps better than #dppreps)

25. Routine beat coverage
• Follow officials & agencies on beat
• Conversation w/ community
• Hashtags (regular & spontaneous)
• Lists (Twitter, TweetDeck, HootSuite)
• Breaking news
• Crowdsourcing
• Live-tweet or liveblog (can feed in
tweets)

26. Connecting w/ community
• Use Advanced Twitter Search to find &
check local tweeps
• Search terms & location to find people
tweeting about your beat
• Check followers of newsroom account
• See who tweeps are conversing with
• Who follows agencies, people on beat?

27. Crowdsource

28. Crowdsource

29. Crowdsource

32. Live-tweeting prep
• Get names (confirm spelling), titles in
advance (ask, get program, etc.)
• Set scene, saying what you’re covering &
that you’re live-tweeting
• Describe your circumstances, vantage
point: at event, watching on TV, curating
tweets (Andy Carvin)

33. Live-tweeting tips
• Don’t transcribe; observe & report
• In sports, mix play-by-play & commentary
• Use hashtag (& check to respond)
• OK to pause for checking facts, names
• Note significant pause (halftime, lunch)
• Fun interludes, exchanges, anecdotes
• Check facts before you hit “tweet”

34. Live-tweeting situations
• Trials
• Meetings
• Sporting events (curate w/ public tweets:
Friday Night Tweets)
• Festivals
• Breaking stories
• Remember to feed live-tweets into site

36. Twitter helps your site
Content: Traffic:
• Feed liveblog • Your tweets
(CoverItLive, Scribble • Retweets
Live) • Reach audience not
• Widgets visiting site
• Curate social media
(Storify, Storyful)
• Stories

37. Time management
• Saves time in breaking news &
crowdsourcing
• Mobile apps let you tweet & read on the
go
• 140 characters doesn’t take long to write
or read
• TweetDeck, HootSuite, lists, search

38. Twitter basics
• Use real name in profile, even if you can’t
for username
• Upload photo or logo (not default egg)
• ID yourself as journo & name your org
• Add mobile info in settings
• Check your mentions; reply when
appropriate

39. Right now
• Find 5 people in your community or on
your beat to follow
• Tweet 3 times this afternoon about what
you’re covering, reading, doing, etc.
• Retweet someone
• Update profile (if needed)
• Search local tweets on a newsy keyword

40. Read more about it
• stevebuttry.wordpress.com
• slideshare.net/stevebuttry
• @stevebuttry
• zombiejournalism.com