Better Journalism Through Engagement

Northern California NewsroomsDecember 2013

#DFMengage

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

Introductions• Name• Newsroom• What you do• Recent engagement success/challenge• What would make today a success for

you?

Throughout the day• Choose 1 or 2 things to try next week• Choose 1 or 2 things to dig in deeper

with us• Write down follow-up questions• Slides and links on my blog

What is engagement?

You’re a journo, not a carrier

Social media toolbox1. Livetweet events &

breaking news2. Search3. Crowdsource4. Monitor community

conversation5. Curate

6. Hashtags7. Lists8. Photos & videos9. Embed content in

stories10.Verification

Ways of engaging• Community blogs• Seek community content (words, photos,

videos)• Curation, aggregation• Contests• Don’t forget the newspaper!• Face to face

Time management• Liveblogging uses your time covering

events more productively• Crowdsourcing saves time• Tweets are short, quick to read & post• Integrate engagement chores into daily

work of editing, reporting, photos, videos

Engaging community voices

Martin Reynolds

The Social Media Conversation

engagement

Why converse w/ no link?• Question invites conversation• Engagement w/ question boosts

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

always calling attention to themselves?

Engagement tips:• Engage with comments • Post and/or share from personal pages

(selectively; don’t be a spammer)• Crowdsource on community pages (not

just yours)• No AP photos

CT Twitter study:• Newsroom accounts mostly heads & links• @5thDistrictCT conversational (links to

competition, RTs, replies, great info)• @5thDistrictCT = 2x to 10x more referrals

per Twitter follower

Tips for being conversational:• Monitor @ mentions & reply (answer

questions, thank for links, address critics)• Make link posts conversational• RT competition, community bloggers• Ask questions

Monitor community conversation:• Save searches for key names, hashtags• Save location searches for breaking-news

terms (fire, emergency, siren)• Make lists (HootSuite, TweetDeck

columns) of key community users• Reply & RT

Encourage staff to be conversational:• Be personable (can do that w/o stating

opinions)• More than just links• Listen to community; reply & RT• Livetweeting events

Crowdsourcing tips• Say what you know, what you need to

know• Don’t ask for help; invite people to tell

their stories, share their photos• Reach broader audience (hashtags, ask on

FB pages of groups w/ interests)

Liveblogging

Why to liveblog• Immediacy• News value• Storytelling• Traffic, revenue, sponsorships• Community engagement, loyalty • Interactivity• Saving time

Gettysburg engagement• More than 1,000 uniques daily, peak of

6,462• 5 days > 2K page views, peak of 7,728• 5 days > 35K engagement minutes, peak

of 96K+

Liveblogging situations• Breaking story• Meeting• Event (festival, march, concert, trial)• Daylong (Election Day, weather)• Sporting event (can use fans, bloggers,

HS journos)• Live chat

Liveblogging prep• Get names (confirm spelling), titles in

advance (ask, get program, etc.)• Set scene, saying what you’re covering &

that you’re live-tweeting• Describe your circumstances, vantage

point: at event, watching on TV, curating tweets (Andy Carvin)

Tips, techniques• Short, frequent takes• Space isn’t an issue; engagement is• Liveblog becomes notebook for story• Consider links, polls, photos, audio, video• Tweet & Tout, feeding hashtag • Promote live & replays• OK to step away for question, video, etc.

Liveblogging issues• Accuracy (stress verification, ask

questions, seek links & documentation, correct quickly and candidly)

• Rough copy• Sports credentials, court access• Multi-tasking• Learning curve

Live-tweeting tips• Don’t transcribe; observe & report• In sports, mix play-by-play & commentary• Use hashtag (& check & engage)• OK to pause for checking facts, names• Note significant pause (halftime, lunch)• Fun interludes, exchanges, anecdotes• Check facts before you hit “tweet”

DFM ScribbleLive Accounts

• “White label” accounts distributed by cluster & Thunderdome

• Embeddable chats for every site within the cluster

Live Event Options

• Auto-curated or staffed – or both• Allow readers to ask questions or

comment• Participants contribute on site, mobile

app or via Twitter• Add in photos, videos, links, polls, etc. • Pair with a livestream or Google Hangout

More ScribbleLive Training

http://bit.ly/scribblecourses• How-tos• Specialized topic sessions for sports,

politics, court reporting & more• Get ideas for monetization

ScribbleLive Support

scribbleadmins@digitalfirstmedia.comLive Channel Manger for DFMChris March -- @marchmcfly

cmarch@digitalfirstmedia.com

Video engagement• Surveillance video• Seek submissions from community• Vine, Tout• Google Voice + still photos• Search YouTube, Vimeo• Hangout (live on YouTube)

Video engagement• POV camera• Live webcam• Post raw video• Live coverage• Video from source, agency