Digital Challenges and Opportunities

in Community News Steve Buttry

Texas Center for Community JournalismMarch 7, 2013

#tccj

Read more about it• stevebuttry.wordpress.com• slideshare.net/stevebuttry• sbuttry@digitalfirstmedia.com• @stevebuttry

What obstacles hinder your organization’s digital

development?

How much of your attention is focused on reaching and serving

your community’s digital audience?

Class of ‘72 is on Facebook

Why digital is important• Print audience will only decline• Digital audience will only grow• Rural connectivity will only grow• You can’t afford to wait till print is gone• Digital disruptors will target your

community

Digital tools to try• Facebook• Twitter• Video• Storify• Maps (if we have time)

engagement

Photos engage better than updates

engagement

Start conversations (not headlines)

Why engage w/o link?• Question invites conversation better than

link• Engagement w/ question boosts

views/engagement on subsequent links• Builds brand• Do you enjoy conversation w/ people

always calling attention to themselves?

Reasons to master• More people in your community read

Twitter than you think• They’re younger than newspaper readers• Produces content for your website• Changes your newsroom culture• Twitter rocks on breaking news

Breaking news tips• Tweet unfolding story• Use advanced search (location & not)• Find & connect w/ eyewitnesses• Each has only part of the story• Use hashtags• Verify, verify, verify (& correct quickly)

Breaking news tips• Tweet photos, videos• Check tweets of news figures in story• Feed your tweets into site w/

ScribbleLive, CoverItLive, Liveblog Pro• Curate social media reporting, response• Retweet (possibly w/ questions)

Vetting & verifying• Track back RTs, etc.

to source • Look for clusters • Location enabled? • Evaluate the network• Evaluate the history

• Links, photos? • Take it old school• Disclose, hedge,

repeat • Be brave only in

correction

Tips from Craig Silverman, Regret the Error

Twitter tips for small towns• Save Twitter search for town (& hashtag)

mentions• Follow everyone in town who’s on

Twitter• Set up & monitor lists of local users• Use high school athletes’ usernames• Use regular hashtags

Connecting w/ community• Use Advanced Twitter Search to find &

check local tweeps• Search terms & location to find people

tweeting about your town• Check followers of @jdprogress• See who tweeps are conversing with• Who follows agencies, people on beat?

Time management• Don’t drink the whole stream• Integrate Twitter into your day• Tweet a few times a day• Check “mentions”• Use lists, alerts & saved searches• Use mobile device• TweetDeck, HootSuite

Wide range of video• Heavily produced Emmy-quality video• Re-ask best question (quick edit)• Post raw video• Livestream (Ustream, Qik)• Live webcam• Video (or live embed) from source,

agency

Wide range of video• Hangout (live on YouTube)• Surveillance video• Seek submissions from community• Vine, Tout• Google Voice + still photos• Search YouTube, Vimeo• Web newscast or sportscast

Storify tips• It’s easy to learn; jump in and try• Can use as main story (lots of writing,

some social & web content)• Can be social sidebar (lots of social w/

some transitions, grouping)• List format works well• Great slideshow format

Storify tips• Notify people whose tweets you used• You can use links in text, don’t need to

embed them all• Embed in blog or story on website• See how it embeds (might need to push

down below intruding elements)

Do we want to be the monks or Gutenberg?