FOX 4 Social Media Spoof an Unexpected Internet Hit: MyFoxDFW.com
How I use social media
- Google alerts: I set up automatic Google searches for any topic I want to track.
- Google reader: I use this to automatically follow any website I’m interested in with an RSS feed. Check out the items I’ve shared. (I haven’t really gotten into Google+ yet.)
- Twitter & Facebook: I generally use Twitter for people I don’t know yet, Facebook for people I know well.
- Tumblr: I have a personal photo tumblr and an aggregated news tumblr for MCOM 407. The MCOM 407 tumblr aggregates news on the topic of urban renaissance, and occasionally I publish these items to Twitter.
- YouTube: I have a playlist of YouTube videos I occasionally use in class.
Ways journalists use social media
1. Build your network, build your brand
In class practice: following pages and lists
Follow our class guest speakers: @TimoniumPatch, @bpsears, @johnemcintyre
Follow other reporters: @brianstelter, @juliemore, @justin_fenton,
Follow the news: @thetowerlight, @towsonpatch, @baltimorebrew, @baltimoresun
Follow our class list
2. Listen to your readers, research topics
In class practice: searching
Sun auctioning Bodine collection
3. Tweet your breaking news and story links
In class practice: using hashtags like #mcom257
4. Give shout outs to the people whose information you share
In class practice: @replies and retweets
5. Crowd source
Tip #1: Avoid these errors
Tip #2: Read the manuals
Twitter’s manual for newsrooms
Tip #3 When news breaks, Storify
Tracking journalists’ arrests during Occupy protests
More hands-on practice
Sharing links & using bit.ly
What’s one thing you can tweet about on Twitter?
What’s one mistake new Twitter users often make?
What are the best practices for using Twitter to make interview requests?
Homework
Post at least three tweets sharing a headline and a link relevant to this class on Twitter this weekend using the #mcom257 hashtag.