These are slides for a workshop for the Farmington Daily Times.

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