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Online news Social media

Community newspapers can learn from BusinessWeek’s online strategy

In a Q&A with an online digital marketing journal, BusinessWeek’s John Byrne elaborates on some of the company’s user engagement efforts, many of which would carry over well to community newspapers. He talks about how BusinessWeek leverages readers’ knowledge in creative ways from crowdsourcing questions to guest columns.

Categories
Online news Social media

Does your newspaper have a Facebook strategy?

A what, you ask? My newspaper needs a Facebook strategy? Yes, you do. And the fact that you do is symptomatic of the changes that are engulfing today’s community journalism. This article will take only a few minutes to read, but it overviews the issue, including some ideas on monetizing your Facebook presence.

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Social media Twitter

69% of adults don’t know what Twitter is

So if you think the Twitter trend is overplayed or just “don’t get it” when it comes to the microblogging service you’re not alone. A Harris poll indicates 69% of adults don’t know enough about Twitter to have an informed opinion about it. Mashable has the full report posted. If you’re curious about Twitter, just click the Twitter tag under the Topics section on our Around the Web page for some Twitter info.

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Online news Social media Twitter

Twitter tip sheet for journalists

Steve Buttry from the from Gazette Communications in Iowa posted a tip sheet for journalists on how to use Twitter. He covers everything from breaking news to linking to figuring out who to follow on the service. If you don’t have a Twitter account, read Buttry’s post then check it out.

Categories
Blogging Online news Opinion writing Social media

How newspaper columnists can be great bloggers

The thing newspaper columnists do best, Robert Niles says, can make them great assets online. Many columnists already have established followings, it’s just matter of converting those followers into participants in an online dialogue. His piece in Online Journalism Review has some practical advice on how to do that.

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Social media

How to create your newspaper’s online persona

Daniel Honigman, one of the Chicago Tribune’s social media presence, has some advice on how to mold your newspaper’s online persona. At the Tribune, Honigman was part of a team that created Colonel Tribune, a fictitious avatar who represents the news organization in social media circles.

His advice can carry over to newspaper of any size, and should fit just as well for community newspapers. If social networks are active in your community, Honigman’s advice could prove quite useful, and presents a more fun alternative than simply opening up a Facebook account under your newspaper’s name.

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Future of news Social media

Weeklies finding it easier to adapt to new technologies

Community-based newspapers — in this cast, alternative newsweeklies — are finding a place for new technologies faster than traditional media, according to a news story coming out of their annual meeting.

One publisher quoted in the article above said this: “As those big guys crumble, it’s an opportunity for us. We know that they are stuck halfway between print and the web. And now they have to figure out what to do about mobile. They have far more resources than we do, but they also are much more bureaucratic.”

At the opening session, Rob Curley of Greenspun Interactive told publishers that they needed to be “of the Web” and not just “on the Web.” Curley said: “It’s not about getting people to your site. It’s about getting your site to the people.”

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Ethics Social media

How to use social media responsibly

Leah Betancourt of the Minneapolis Star Tribune has some advice on Mashable for journalists on how to best use social media. Her piece summarizes several policies that have been set by major metros, but also offers some practical tips that might be useful for to community journalists.

Categories
Social media Twitter

Everything I need to know about Twitter I learned in j-school

Ann Handley has an great how-to about using journalistic writing skills on Twitter. “… news journalism works best when it’s simple and direct, at least in the story’s lead sentences. And simplicity (and other tenets of good journalism — like brevity, and clarity, and immediacy) are now cornerstones of how many businesses, brands and individuals communicate on Twitter,” she writes.

Categories
Future of news Online news Social media

Creating news as a “user experience”

Cindy Royal, a faculty member at Texas State University in San Marcos, has a great piece in Online Journalism Review about how news organizations can create “user experiences” on their websites. Some of her examples, such as the New York Times products she references, may seem out of reach for community newspapers, but many of them are very easy to do with free online tools that are already out there.