Journalism Next:Chapter 3: Crowd-Powered CollaborationChapter 4: Microblogging

Cindy Royal, Ph.D

Assistant Professor

Texas State University

School of Journalism and Mass Communication

croyal@txstate.edu

www.cindyroyal.com

www.onthatnote.com

tech.cindyroyal.net

twitter.com/cindyroyal

facebook.com/cindyroyal

Crowd-Powered Collaboration

• Best communicators are embracing technology and a more open approach to gathering and presenting information

• Brings journalism closer to readers and readers closer to journalists

• Create opportunities for audience to self-publish, then put layer of journalism on top

Crowd-Powered Collaboration

• Crowdsourcing• Open-source reporting• Pro-Am Journalism• Link Journalism• “The people formerly known as the

audience” - Jay Rosen NYU

Microblogging

• More like an instant message journal• Submitted by text, email, Web or app• Mobile makes the difference• Ease of publishing; ease of consuming• Simple interface• Short bursts rather than long, drawn

out articles• Ambient awareness

Twitter

• Launched July 2006• Gained popularity SXSW 2007• Founders Evan Williams (@ev), Biz

Stone (@biz) and Jack Dorsey (@jack)• Evan Williams is the CEO; keynote at

SXSW 2010• Grew out of Odeo –

audio/video search project• 185 million have signed up• Redesign Sept 2010

Twitter

• Breaking news• Crowdsourcing• Building community• Marketing and building a brand• 80-20 rule

Exercise

• In groups of two discuss your recent usage of Twitter

• In what ways is Twitter valuable?• What aspects of Twitter do you not yet understand• Discuss for 10 minutes. Make notes. • We will discuss as a group.