Post on 18-May-2015
description
Social media is your new bicycle
An introduction to what social media is for, and how it fits into your workflow
“A rolodex that expands itself”
“Word of mouth on crack”
“A replacement for a clipping service”
“A layer that sits over the rest of the internet, surfacing the
best stuff”
“An ecosystem built on information-sharing
networks”
Social media is …(to paraphrase your colleagues)
A tool for creating great content, loyal audience, and a solid reputation
1. Research/Reporting2. Engagement
3. Publishing
Three tasks…
1. Research/Reporting
Keep your finger on the pulse of the news:
1) Seek – Pursue information, sources and angles on stories you are following
2) Discover – Find things you didn’t know you should be looking for by tracking topics and people over time
What might you find?-Events you didn’t know were happening
-New angles on big stories
-New sources and new opinions
-Interesting stories to tell
-What people in your region/niche are talking about
-What people in your region/niche want to know
Daughter of Prominent Bahraini Activist Challenges Obamahttp://www.voanews.com/english/news/middle-east/Daughter-of-Prominent-Bahraini-Activist-Challenges-Obama-119709944.html Interview for radio and web with the daughter of an arrested Bahraini activist, found and contacted on Twitter
Ex) Monitoring social media leads us to a good story, and the source who can tell it
Live coverage of the earthquake in Japanhttp://www.voanews.com/english/news/Major-Earthquake-Tsunami-Hit-Japan-117785138.html Audio interview with a Japanese woman in Tokyo, contacted through Facebook
First-hand accounts, found on social news site “Reddit”
Informative video from NOAA, found on Twitter
Ex) Tracking social media unearths important components for a breaking story
2. Engagement
Become part of the conversation:
1) Influencers and experts – Expand your contacts by networking with thought leaders
2) Current and potential audience – Respond to questions, solicit feedback
What benefits can you get?-Widen your network of sources, experts and influencers
-Get passed information and ideas
-Ask for and receive feedback, insights
-Build a loyal audience who trust and follow you
-Expand your audience by becoming a thought leader in your niche
Ex) Answering questions builds connections, and helps correct misinformation
Cecily Hilleary on Twitterhttp://twitter.com/voahilleary
Your Questions: Kenya’s Campaign Against Al-Shababhttp://www.voanews.com/english/news/africa/Your-Questions-Kenyas-Campaign-Against-al-Shabab-133487408.html
Ex) A live Q&A helps us report on what our audience wants to know
Live web Q&A about Kenya’s pursuit of al-Shabab in Somalia, plus pre-recorded video segment for TV
3. Publishing
Get information out to the world:
1) Social media-native content
2) Links to other web-based content
What sorts of things might you “publish”?-Bits of breaking news that will later become a full report
-Information you find as you research
-Links to things you’re reading
-Insights that might not make it into your final report
-Photos and short videos if you’re in the field
-Links to your own articles/reports
Steve Herman on Twitterhttp://twitter.com/W7VOA
Ex) Tweeting information means news gets out as soon as it is confirmed
1. Research/Reporting
2. Engagement
3. Publishing
Each activity supports and reinforces the others. They work better together than in isolation.
Why is promotion not included?
Yes, we want to drive traffic to our content, but promotion without the other elements doesn’t work. People don’t respond when they don’t feel a genuine connection.
If the other two elements are done right, promotion will often take care of itself. Your network will start promoting your work for you.
4. Promotion
But there is a secret 4th benefit…
4. ?
4. InspirationDiscover new ways to tell stories, find models to emulate
http://www.voanews.com/english/news/usa/Photo-Essay-Volunteers-Share-50-Years-of-Peace-Corps-Memories-117524744.html
http://www.storiography.com/english-dreams/
http://howbigreally.com
http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/video/2011/nov/16/99-v-1-occupy-data-animation
www.rferl.org/archive/Project_Hijab/latest/3248/3248.html
Why haven’t I mentioned any specific sites yet?
Social media is a HUGE ecosystem
YouTube
Flickr
Google +
Tumblr
Blogger
Wordpress
RedditWikia
Quora
Forums
We train on Twitter because, RIGHT NOW, it is the great aggregator. It’s where news happens, and it will lead you to the other places where things are happening.
“It’s like a gateway.”
But here are some examples of why you might turn to another site:
FacebookPoll VOA’s audience for
feedback, answer audience comments, do
a live Q&A
Google +Try out social ideas with an engaged audience of
early adopters
PinterestSave clippings online so
you can access them and share with others
Blogger, Wordpress
Search 1,000s of personal blogs all at once
InstagramShare pictures in an
interesting way
RedditCheck out memes and see what’s going viral
MeetupFind real-life communities around skills you need or
things you like
QuoraAsk and answer questions
about topics you’re knowledgeable on
ForumsFind conversations on specialist topics, find
sources
FlickrFind Creative Commons photos to illustrate an
article or make a photo essay
So how could you fit social media into your workflow right now?
Morning Media Diet
Add niche blogs, Twitter to your current morning routine. You might even find you can drop some newspapers or websites as a result.
Story Planning
Think about the online conversation happening around a topic. What do people want to know? What are they talking about? What could you add that’s unique or
innovative. What will people respond to?
Example: http://174.37.47.227/~converge/wordpress/?p=813
Following Breaking News
Follow a few breaking news Twitter accounts, and the next time news is breaking, keep tabs on it from there. See if you can find information, resources and angles you
wouldn’t get from the wires.