Twitter for council meetings (or similar public events)

Reporters when going to council meetings or similar public events can set a web story live beforehand, highlighting high-profile agenda points, including details of coverage e.g. live-tweeting plus linking directly to meeting agenda or related documents online.

Twitter feed of Peterborough Telegraph news reporter

This offers:

a) chance for public to engage earlier, ask questions – may highlight more interest in a lesser agenda item
b) highlights our coverage/live tweeting, and
c) saves some time for post-meeting update

Live tweet before (to promote coverage) and during the event, tips:

• Only the main points are needed, add some colour, but keep serious in the main
• Important to add context where possible,names/organisations/subject titles
• Always highlight and correct a mistake – delete offending tweet if it would cause confusion/legal issue
• Remember each tweet stands alone, this is helped by using a pre-agreed hashtag,
• e.g. #pborocc for all Peterborough City Council meetings – make sure this relatively short, and is unique/doesn’t conflict with similar choices
• The hashtag then enables followers to comment specifically on the meeting and the news team can then collate them efficiently afterwards, eg. to produce a Storify where suitable

May well not be time to respond/field questions at the time, although were checking mentions to help spot any errors.

Always good practice to respond to followers reasonable questions – even if after the event, even en masse where relevant

Twitter and online password security advice

In the wake of the recent hack attack, Twitter has some basic password advice, taken from Wired.co.uk article: Twitter beefs up its security in wake of hacking attempt:

“Make sure you use a strong password — at least ten (but more is better) characters and a mixture of upper- and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols — that you are not using for any other accounts or sites.
“Using the same password for multiple online accounts significantly increases your odds of being compromised.”

This advice goes for any online passwords as we sign up for more and more digital services and tools, but it’s worth taking the time and effort in treating your online security as seriously you would keeping your home safe and protected*.

(*Although clearly, even the best laid plans are not guaranteed, but at least there’s peace of mind in knowing you’ve done all you can).

You could try a password manager, advice here: Which Password Manager Is The Most Secure? – Lifehacker.

Some free and paid-for password manager tools and services reviewed: Gizmodo article from January 2012 or PCC Mag from July 2012.

Related articles:

An interesting piece on internet security for journalists by The Muckraker‘s Lyra McKee over at the Online Journalism Blog: Online security for journalists: never assume you’re secure

Importance of writing separate headlines for web and social media

Updated, 20 May 2013: Writing for the web isn’t like writing for print. That’s not to say you cannot still be creative with headlines and intros, but you need to give your content the best chance of being found and shared as it can be seen in many different ways, on different screens at different times…

A couple of useful articles below, checklists to make sure you’re following the best strategy for online content publishing. Essentially you are turning print strategy on it’s head, front-loading your headline and intro with key words/phrases/names to draw your reader in, attract browsers scrolling through headlines, posts or tweets.

And to reiterate, print is not web (is not mobile, is not Twitter is not Facebook), but we’ll start with general digital headline writing:

Inspiration from 10 questions to help you write better headlines on Poynter.org

Help when choosing headlines for digital audiences from Matt Thompson on Poynter (from 2011, but still relevant) with some personal thoughts…

1. Is the headline accurate?

2. Does it work out of context?

Imagine it being seen alone/on Google/on Twitter/Facebook or an RSS feed etc.

3. How compelling a promise does it make?

Or “What will this story do for me?”

4. How easy is it to parse? “keep your headlines straightforward and unadorned”

Is it easy for readers to quickly take in when scanning/skimming page, e.g. on mobile device…

5. Could it benefit from a number?

Written numbers are less easily noticed/scanned, four vs 4

6. Are all the words necessary?

Less is always more in the time-poor digital world

7. Does it obey the Proper Noun Rule?

Use common names/subject words, keep it simple, straightforward

8. Would it work better as an explanatory headline?

e.g. If a secondary story/background to a lead

9. Does it focus on events or implications?

e.g. if it’s a follow-up to a big news event, an objective piece, link back to original & use similar keywords

10. Could it benefit from one of these 10 words?: Top, Why, How, Will, New, Secret, Future, Your, Best, Worst.

and my own 11. Also consider writing Twitter headlines and how they might be retweeted. Important to leave space for RT @username

Also: 8 common mistakes when writing for the web – and what to do about them

Paul Bradshaw’s own checklist for getting your digital head on when sending stories to your digital platforms, key points for me: getting to the point, writing in brief paragraphs, link to your sources -

Are you doing the following?

1. Getting straight to the most newsworthy, interesting piece of information in your first par?

2. Linking to your source whenever you refer to a piece of information/fact?

3. Linking phrases (e.g. “a report”) NOT putting in full URLs (e.g. “http://university.ac.uk/report”?

4. Indenting quotes by using the blockquote option?

5. Using brief pars – starting a new one for each new point?

6. Using a literal headline that makes sense in search results and includes key words that people might be looking for, NOT general or punny headlines

7. Splitting up your article with subheadings?

8. Ending your post with a call to action and/or indication of what information is missing or what will happen next?

In detail: 8 common mistakes…

Further reading/examples:

More found links on writing headlines on Delicious

More writing for web tips from BBC College of Journalism, e.g.:

Tell the story up front. For it to work across all possible platforms and devices, it needs to be told in essence in the first four paragraphs, around 70 words

and a four-point checklist for their headlines.

Copyblogger’s The Art of Writing Great Twitter Headlines

Yahoo! Style Guide’s Shape your text for online reading

Journalism.co.uk’s How to: write headlines that work for SEO.

Be careful what you tweet and retweet

Twitter is a wondrous thing, quick to pick up, quicker to use, share, and be heard across the globe, getting your self retweeted and trending in no time.

But with this great feathered gift comes pitfalls, particularly for journalists. Obvious ones, but pitfalls worth noting, especially in the wake of the Newsnight/McAlpine case.

When you post online on social networks or blogs, you become a publisher and those publications “are subject to the same laws as those of professional publishers, such as newspapers.”

As I’ve written before, Twitter is just a tool, like your phone, pen and paper or editorial content management system. Or:

Journalists should remember that Twitter is just an additional channel, like writing on a wall. #nx12

— Faisal J. Abbas (@FaisalJAbbas) November 16, 2012

Charlie Brooker offered three simple rules to using social media in the wake of recent news media events, common sense being the key point, but he explains it far more eloquently and sarcastically than I.

A vital @paulbradshaw post for anyone creating and publishing content: 7 laws journalists now need to know, from database rights to hate speech, definitely worth saving, bookmarking and sharing with your news team/colleagues.

More legal advice from: Viewpoint: What dangers may lie ahead for libellous tweeters, by Niri Shan And Lorna Caddy on bbc.co.uk:

The legal position of an individual who posts content online, be it on Facebook, Twitter, or on comment sections of online news pages, is clear: He or she is responsible for that content [that includes a retweet]. Ignorance of the law is not a defence.

And a quickly tweeted apology as a “defence is unlikely to succeed.”

As well as the old adage, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is, retweeting without verifying any information within the 140 characters or reading a linked tweet has it’s own risks:

You, as the journalist, should always click before a retweet. You need to vet the info before you pass it along. Studies like this also should be motivators to be mindful that even if a retweet is widespread, that doesn’t mean it’s widely read. By extension, that doesn’t meant it’s widely vetted. (Indeed, that’s probably a bit how Twitter rumors spread.)

From: Retweeting Without Reading? Yeah, It’s Happening– and It Affects Journalism Strategy on Twitter by Kevin Loker, on mediabistro.com

You may also be interested in: Journalists: get more value from Twitter – tips, tools and ideas

Further reading:

• BBC College of Journalism – Defamation: a very brief summary of the law on defamation for journalists, viewed 13 November 2012
• BBC News – Ex-cricketer Chris Cairns wins £90,000 libel damages, March 2012
• Guardian – Twitter and the law: 10 legal risks, August 2010

Cathedral Precincts panorama

Trying out new work smartphone, an HTC One S, using the ‘Camera ICS‘ app panoramic option – first attempt, not bad.

A sweep around Cathedral Precincts, in front of Peterborough Cathedral:

A panoramic shot of Peterborough Cathedral Precincts

Will go back on sunny day next time!

Related: Useful free Android apps for journalists

Useful free Android apps for journalists

Updated 16th November 2012:  Some useful applications to get started creating, broadcasting, storing and sharing content from an Android smartphone for journalists (I have experience of the Sony Xperia Neo (don’t laugh) and the HTC One S), many have Apple iOS counterparts: any comments, corrections, suggestions appreciated - @richardkendall

General tools

• Firstly, depending on your device, I recommend installing the Ice Cream Sandwich Keyboard, does a nice job remembering words and works pretty efficiently
• Dropbox -  for storing, sending and sharing files securely. Particularly photos galleries.
• or Google Drive -  (used to be Google Docs) open/write/share documents using a Google account
• Alternatively for viewing office docs: OfficeSuite Viewer 6 and Adobe PDF Reader
• Google Translate
• Google Mail - is a relatively pleasant experience on the HTC/Xperia
• Tasks/to-dos: Astrid Task/to-do lists -, can sync with Google Tasks, recently updated, still fairly intuitive or Wunderlist, for task organising,  (thanks @chrismccormack1)
• Evernote - is an impressive note taking/storing tool, with addons for taking audio notes and drawings, and like Dropbox you can sync your files across devices.
• Power Note –  for saving and syncing bookmarks with your diigo.com account.
• For articles saved, or for saving on the move, Pocket -formerly Read It Later does a good job of dispalying articles efficiently and syncs across devices
• The Met Office Weather Application is pretty good for latest forecast and warnings, you can store multiple locations
• WiFi Finder for scanning for nearby Wi-Fi hotspots and public Wi-Fi

Travel and maps

• Google Maps - you can now save portions of maps for offline viewing, potentially a huge advantage – and Google Maps StreetView
• TripAdvisor Hotels and Flights
• Travel: the National Rail Enquiries app is very neat, and stores favourite stations/journeys.
• For the big smoke: London Underground Free and London Transport Live (includes bus travel)
• Flashlight for when, it’s erm, dark,  (thanks @chrismccormack1).

Browsers

• Opera Mini  is the best browser I’ve used, it’s pretty quick, enable sending/sharing links etc.
• Big names Firefox  and Chrome have their own decent Android versions now, and the Dolphin Browser is a strong alternative. All would do a decent job, but I’ve found Opera the most assured.

Social media

• Twitter‘s own native app is not the worst option, but limited for advanced users.
• Then there’s the official Twitter alternative, Tweetdeck where you can add multiple streams as columns
• Hootsuite (which has recently acquired Seesmic) works pretty well as an unofficial alternative and includes Facebook, plus you can schedule tweets as with the desktop/browser version – unlike the Tweetdeck app
  
• I’ve also tried TweetCaster  which has plenty of options for sharing/managing found links and information
• Banjo -  taps into the most popular social networks (includes Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare, Instagram) around your location (via @markwoodward)
• Also an additional accessory is Buffer for timing future tweets* (*although this should be used sparingly and wisely)

Multimedia

• For an improved feature set camera, try Camera ICS (panoramic option works well) and Flickr or Instagram if you’re using those services
• I’d recommend Pixlr Express –  for both photo simple and advanced editing or Quick Pic
• Photoaf Panorama - very nice, quick (in my experience), simple and good quality way to create 360º panoramic views
• Record My Call for recording interviews, Skype for phone and video calls  (thanks @chrismccormack1)
• For video recording an streaming, try Bambuser or Qik
• TuneIn Radio

Because you never know when you might need it: First aid by British Red Cross or St John Ambulance First Aid

And most importantly, for a break or time-killer, the addictive Pocket Soccer

By no means an exhaustive list, I don’t claim to have used every app in depth, but they all have high ratings and/or are backed by reputable developers/brands.

Further reading

• Ten fantastic apps, tips and tools for recording audio – Journalism.co.uk
• Mobile Media Toolkit
• Online Journalism Blog – category/mobile-phone-news/ including:  What does a mobile journalist need? from October 2009, but still some good points worth noting.
• Just Got Your First Android Device? Here Are Simple Answers To Your Everyday Questions – MakeUseOf.com
• Journalism.co.uk – blogs/mobile
• Guardian / Technology / Apps

Originally published 31 August, 2011

Journalists: get more value from Twitter – tips, tools and ideas

Updated, 22 November 2012: Twitter is such a simple newsroom tool, but with a few tweaks and additional tools, journalists can get even more value from Twitter as part of day-to-day workflows.

A relevant starting point, by Casey Capachi: Q and A with Liz Heron on Her Share-worthy Strategies, includes some good basics and thinking on Twitter strategy from the director of social media and engagement at the Washington Post, @lheron on Twitter.

A sample quote, some advice on starting out on Twitter:

Casey Capachie: Q: What would you say to a reporter looking to get started with social media?

Liz Heron: A: For somebody who is new to social media and is a journalist, I really encourage them to just start following at first. To think of it as something to consume before they put any pressure on themselves to put themselves out there.

Apart from obvious uses: tweet a breaking story, your web story+link, asking for eyewitnesses, feedback, comments, assistance with a story your working on, share an interesting/relevant link; here are dome other ideas/tips (by far from complete, feel free to constructively critique or suggest more)…

• Retweet your big stories for later in the day to capture a different part of your audience, use ‘scheduling’ tool in Tweetdeck or ‘publisher’ Hootsuite to time a similar tweet (you can use them within your browser, Chrome or Firefox but not Internet Explorer, never IE). (Note, Twitter doesn’t like identical tweets, a minor edit or rewording should solve this). But, be careful what you tweet and retweet, some legal examples and advice also by me.
• Aside from live tweeting an event, court case, arrange a twinterview, if it’s suitable for the public to view/join in? Related: Tips for twinterviewing by Steve Buttry  (@SteveButtry) & @DeannaUtroske.
• The Buffer app, is a similar tool, which will schedule and spread out your tweets according to times chosen to maximise number of viewers, Firefox extension and Chrome extension can help do this without leaving Twitter.
• Use Twitter lists to organise: local politicians, official sources, all other news sources within your geographical patch, more tips on using Twitter lists/Twitter tools by Steve Buttry.
• Tweet an archive story if it’s relevant or adds background to a current story, e.g. some people may not have read a big story from the weekend.
• Cite your sources, thank (@ mention) users for genuine tip-offs and comments, doesn’t have to be immediately, but it visibly shows you are listening and will encourage others that it is worth engaging and adds transparency to your work.
• Verification remains key to journalistic integrity, but there are new challenges using social media: How to: verify content from social media – journalism.co.uk has a good list of expert tips
• For verifying images: try Tin Eye or Google’s Search By Image to track the source of an image sent or tweeted.
  also: Useful Links: Verification Tools – EmergencyJournalism.net, 16 Oct 2012: tips on checking people, places, images
• Don’t just tweet a web headline, add adjectives and keywords to capture interest, make it more likely to get noticed in a sea or flood of tweets.
• For local council/political coverage and especially live tweeting, choose an appropriate hashtag – we use #pborocc at the Peterborough Telegraph – make sure all newsroom staff use it, so users can follow a meeting/event. These could then more easily be turned into a Storify story. More hashtag tips by Steve Buttry.
• If you’re not sure about which term or hashtag to use for an event or issue, try comparing at google.co.uk/trends to see which is most popular in searches, and obviously searching Twitter to make sure your hashtag doesn’t clash with an existing one.
• Ask a question-based headline or add a request for opinions at the end to engage your followers and encourage a conversation or debate.

Worth noting:
Gaining more followers is useful, particularly in the early days,and it’s difficult to ignore the follower count as it’s there for all to see on profiles, but don’t focus too much on that one metric:

@richardkendall Local journos in particular – what matters isn’t numbers, it’s location, engagement, quality, trust. Harder to measure.

— Mary Hamilton (@newsmary) September 25, 2012

An general mantra/message for getting the best out of Twitter:

In short, be useful, interesting, relevant and people will follow, recommend and be more likely to interact with you.

See also, the initial inspiration for this post, a fuller list of tips: ‘20 simple ways to get more retweets on Twitter‘ by Chris Lake

Plus, for more inspiration and discussion, @SarahMarshall3 at @journalismnews has put together: 100 Twitter accounts every journalism student should follow, and you can subscribe to the ‘key list for j-students‘ on Twitter.

See also: Best practices for journalists from Twitter themselves.
More resources: from Mashable post

• Complete Twitter Cheat Sheet
• Twitter Newbies’ Cheat Sheet
• Twitter Manners Cheat Sheet

General social media:

• Blocking Cheat Sheet
• What’s Not Allowed Where
• Social Media Keyboard Shortcuts