Online Journalism: Theory and Practice

Week 5Lecture 2

Summer 2011

G. F Khan, PhDDept. of Media & Communication, YeungNam University,

South Koreagohar.feroz@gmail.com

Last lecture…

--Building an audience

Mostly lecture notes are taken from the book:Journalism Next:Chapter 11: Building a Digital Audience for News by Mark Briggs

This lecture…

--Social media as a reporting tool

Future of social media in journalism

Source: The future of social media in journalism" by Vadim Lavrusik

Collaborative Reporting

• Social media by its very definition is a participatory medium• Merger between the source and the content

producer. • Journalism will happen through collaborative

reporting, where the witness of the news becomes the reporter

• Using the community as a source of news and as the audience for news, because they are both.

Journalists as Community ManagersJournalism has often been done from the

top of a mountain — journalists would tell the community what they need to know.

In the social media journalists are being required to do as much listening to the community as they broadcast to them.

Managing and amplifying the conversations the community is having; conversations that will happen with or without them.

The Social Beat

A journalist’s future beat of coverage and contacts is/will be social media.

Social media is becoming the center of where readers get news and shares or creates their own news

Journalists have integrate themselves into the social media

How we can use social media as a tool for online journalism?

LinkedIn

• LinkedIn is the professional social network• Your LinkedIn profile can connect you to thousands

of professionals• Search for connections at companies of interest• Create a LinkedIn profile that reflects your interests

and background much like a resume• Include your (blog) Website on your LinkedIn profile

Facebook• Facebook is a fun place to share with friends• But remember, any friend can be a potential career contact• Friend faculty and professional contacts, as long as you keep

your Facebook activities professional and above board. Use privacy settings and friends lists carefully.

• Get a custom url for your Facebook profile - facebook.com/username

• Start a Facebook Group or Page for your interest. This allows you to communicate with others who share the same interest.

• A Facebook Group is a listing of friends on a separate page, provides its own Wall, discussion, profile, ability to email

• A Facebook Page allows users to become Fans. People will want to associate their interests with you

• Any time you have new content for your blog, post to Facebook

Twitter• Start a Twitter account; free & simple• Follow interesting people. • Use RSS feeds and widgets to repurpose

Twitter to your Web site or blog. New content all the time.

• Respond to questions• Retweet interesting items

Photos• Join a photo sharing site like Flickr or Picasa• Learn how to upload photos and create a slideshow• Use the embed code from the slideshow or follow your

blogs rules to embed it on your blog. • Learn how to optimize photos for the Web via Photoshop

or via a Web-based solution like webresizer.com• Provide interesting captions to your photos that tell the

story

YouTube• Get an inexpensive camcorder or camera with video

capabilities• Learn to use simple editing software like iMovie or

Windows MovieMaker• Interview people, have a talk show, do a video blog with

commentary, make short films, be creative• Embed the video on your blog. Embed code is readily

available to the right of your videos on YouTube• Your username becomes a

channel• Tag videos with appropriate key

words to help others find your content

UStream.tv• With a laptop and a Web cam (or camcorder connected to

laptop), you can easily broadcast live from an event• Easy to embed in your blog• Show pages allow for audience to chat and comment on an

episode

Go Mobile• Get a smart phone and find apps that will allow you to

expand your social media activities• News apps help you stay in touch• Twitter apps – Tweetie, Twitterific, Twitterfon, UberTwitter,

TwitterBerry – allows you to Tweet when you are on the go.

• Qik.com – live stream video from phone

The rest• Analytics – use Google Analytics or those associated with

your blog platform to get information about users, locations, link referrals, etc.

• FriendFeed – recently purchased by Facebook. Stay tuned as to how they integrate that in their offering

• Slideshare.net – use to upload presentations and pdf's that you can embed on your site

• Ning or KickApps – start your own social network

• http://www.ning.com/?n_e=0&n_v=6

Thank YouQuestions & Comments