Better Journalism Through Engagement

Steve ButtryEl Paso Times

November 14, 2013#DFMengage

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

(Some slides are from Mandy Jenkins, Ivan Lajara)

What is engagement?

You’re a journo, not a carrier

Tell stories as they unfold

Why to liveblog• Immediacy• News value• Storytelling• Traffic, revenue, sponsorships• Community engagement, loyalty • Interactivity• More productive; you’re there anyway

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

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

Livetweeting 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”

Liveblogging approaches• Create a live story for breaking news with your

own photos, text and updates• Hold live chats with reporters about coverage• Hold live chats with local newsmakers• Feed in tweets from staff and/or community

during events or breaking news• Create a second screen experience for sports,

debates or TV

http://www.zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/interactive/article/20111019/NEWS01/111019003/Zanesville-wild-animals-escape-latest-updates

Liveblogging trainingCourses for topic areas, monetization and coverage ides at:

training.scribblelive.com/

Great for promotion, but also …• Great for reporting• Find story ideas• Crowdsource• Join & spur the conversation (reply,

retweet, ask questions)

engagement

Photos engage better than updates

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

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)

What is curation?Museum curator:• Studies topic• Chooses relevant

content (other sources & museum collection)

• Authenticates• Groups related items• Provides context• Presents exhibit

Journalism curator:• Studies topic• Chooses relevant

content (social media, blogs, staff)

• Authenticates• Groups related items• Provides context• Presents collected

content

NPR’s Andy Carvin

“I think curation has always been a part of journalism; we just didn't call it that.” – quoted in The Atlantic by Phoebe Connelly

CurationSituations• Reaction story• Public event• Second screen• Breaking story

Tools• Storify• Spundge• Geofeedia• RebelMouse

Photo curationPhoto sites: Instagram, Flickr, Pinterest, Picasa (don’t forget Facebook, Twitter)Finding photos: Search, Geofeedia, hashtags, ask community to submitCuration tools: Geofeedia, Storify, Spundge, Olapic, Media Center, embedsMake contact & ask for more!

Be extra careful during breaking news situations

• Contact source• Check timeline of posts• Look at location• Use reverse image search,

especially with dramatic images:

http://www.google.com/imageshttp://tineye.comhttp://karmadecay.com/ (reddit)

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

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

(Some slides are from Mandy Jenkins, Ivan Lajara)