News as a Conversation
- Benefits of Social Media
– Facebook and Twitter = open audience for user engagement
– Allows reporters/editors to cover beats better
- Future for brighter news convos
– Technology is getting better
– News rooms are accepting more responsibility
– Audience who comments expects more from each other in these mediums
- The Comment Box
– Users will post what’s on their mind….some are intelligent, many are not. But 50,000 comments a month is better than just 50 letters to the editor. It’s more voices, more input
- Being Social = More Sources
– What’s better, 10 sources or 100?
– What’s better, 5 comments or 500?
– Assimilating news content to media conversations via engagement tools/methods increases site traffic and story awareness
- Benefits
– Provides transparency on reporting side
– Enables an immediate feedback loop
– Spreads awareness of stories through word-of-mouth marketing
– Spreads awareness of media branding (Patch)
– Story ideas and community awareness
- What editors/reporters must be doing?
– Soliciting content and participation
– Utilizing the tools your company offers
– Moderating comments/blogs/submissions
– Staffing events for marketing and editorial to build a brand in the community, a face to the company
- How to make news participatory?
– iReport – CNN – let people submit content from the scene
– Patch/Newsday/News 12: Let people upload photos/videos, comment on stories, add events to calendar, add announcements/updates, rate and review businesses
– I.E. Hurricane Sandy
- Things to be careful with:
– Do not engage in battle with users, simply moderate and answer questions in a professional and objective manner
– Do not have friends and family post items
– Do not delete comments you disagree with, only ones that are offensive
– Be careful with who you friend on Facebook or Twitter….think about the ethics of it first
Facebook for News
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It’s not just a place to check up on old flames and to see what the kid down the hall in your dorm is up to … it can be very beneficial for journalists
- Refer to Facebook + Journalists page for best practices notes: Facebook + Journalists
Twitter for News
- Quick and effective way to receive and report information
- Ability to generate story ideas and stay on a beat
- Ability to speak with sources: Tweets and Direct Messages
- Ability to market your product/info for free
- Hashtags are important, posting times are important ….there is a correct method in using the medium.
Examples of Crowdsourcing
- CLICK LINK to view examples of crowd-sourced news websites
- CLICK LINK to watch video about crowdsourcing from UNC professor
- CLICK LINK to reading about crowdsourcing Tolstoy
- CLICK LINK to read about crowdsourcing the Boston Bombing
Crowdsourcing Takeaways
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Remote way of obtaining sources for a story
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Be leery about the sources and don’t always base your stories off these “random” sources
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Think of ways to incorporate social into your daily reporting
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Be active on social with your audience so the crowd can actually be sourced as opposed to quiet and not saying anything at all
MAIN MESSAGE: Relaying news in the form of a conversation keeps readers and viewers more engaged. Keeping the public engaged in a news conversation not only brings awareness to the news story, but also helps the news site/reporter gain followers.
Jessica Braveman 