Presentation promoting usage of Twitter by public radio journalists in Alaska.

1. Twitter
For Stations, Programs, Journalists and Fun

2. What is Twitter?
microblogging service
instant messenger (sort of)
mobile messaging
lightweight social network;
a community of your own design
really... it defies categorization or simple description;
you have to use it to understand it

3. Primary concepts
username + “real” name + avatar
updates / posts / tweets
140 character limit per update; unlimited updates
following
you follow others; others follow you
update stream = you + who you follow
“@” replies (public)
“d” direct messages (private)

4. Where is Twitter?
twitter.com
m.twitter.com
SMS text messaging
iPhone apps (Twitterific, Twinkle, Tweetsville)
PC & Mac apps (twhirl, TweetDeck, Twitterific)
blogging plugins, widgets, Facebook integration, more
E-mail (direct messages), RSS feeds

5. Personal usage
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddO9idmax0o

6. Let’s see this thing...
twitter.com

7. Professional usage
Lightweight interactive backchannel / community for
stations / networks
programs / hosts
reporters / staff
Instant updates for news / live reporting / site updates
Networking
Learning, sharing, discovery

8. Stations / Networks
APRN - http://twitter.com/aprn
WBUR - http://twitter.com/wbur
WFPL - http://twitter.com/wfplnews
CNN Breaking News - http://twitter.com/cnnbrk
PBS Engage - http://twitter.com/pbsengage
Huffington Post - http://twitter.com/huffpost

9. Programs / Hosts
CNN: Rachel Maddow - http://twitter.com/maddow
NPR: Talk of the Nation - http://www.twitter.com/totn
NPR: Science Friday - http://twitter.com/scifritter
PBS: NewsHour - http://twitter.com/newshour
NPR Politics - http://twitter.com/nprpolitics
NPR Planet Money - http://twitter.com/planetmoney

10. Reporters / Staff
NPR: Alicia Shepard - http://twitter.com/ombudsman
APRN: L.Townsend - http://twitter.com/loritownsend
PBS: Anna Shoup - http://twitter.com/ashoupster
NPR: Laura Conaway - http://twitter.com/oleta
KJZZ: Rene Gutel - http://twitter.com/rgutel
MPR: J.Schrenkler - http://twitter.com/juliaschrenkler

11. Public Media TwitterPack
List of Twitterers in public media
http://twitterpacks.pbwiki.com/Public+Media
Be sure to add your station / program / personal
account to the list

12. Suggested uses
Journalistic “chatter” outside e-mail — stories in
progress, research, history, questions
Find sources: pros, man-on-the-street
Camaraderie
Expand network beyond APRN journalists
A “Talk of Alaska” that never sleeps
A group Twitter experience, a la BPP

14. search.twitter.com
search for any word
see most popular and trending topics / words
search for hash tags ( #hashtags )
what are people thinking / saying about the news?

15. The Twitter Experience

31. Get out of jail free?
Student “Twitters” his way out of Egyptian jail
http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/04/25/twitter.buck

33. What, me worry?
Tweets are public and searchable
(unless you protect your updates)
Can a journalist tweet personal thoughts mixed with
professional updates?
Should a journalist have two Twitter accounts?

35. More fun than should be legal
“Favorite” tweets can be starred
Tweets with a lot of favorites—from selected voters—
are collected in one place
This is probably what a foul-mouthed Dorothy Parker or
Oscar Wilde would be writing today
http://favrd.com/

36. twitter.com/jmproffitt

37. twittervision.com
+ questions