Social Media for Journalism

Non-stop Tweet Reporting from London Fashion Week

Main platforms you should be, and probably already are, familiar with:

Twitter

Facebook

Foursquare

LinkedIn

YouTube

Blogs

Here is why you should be using them:

Twitter – fastest, easiest, most convenient, most effective way to do your own PR, make contacts, get help quickly, gain knowledge and do research.

Facebook – a good way to keep on someone’s radar – family, friends, contacts. I also think of facebook as a virtual chronicle/diary.

DON’T FORGET: The difference between Facebook and Twitter is that while you’re talking to the world on Twitter (promoting yourself), you are reminding people you already know of yourself on Facebook. Therefore there are some things that you may want to share of Facebook that you wouldn’t on Twitter, and you would spend time posting something on Twitter that you might be reluctant to post on Facebook.

Foursquare – is a good application to keep tabs on people you might want to run into. Frankly speaking, it’s for stalking. Delicately put, it’s for networking. I add people I might want to work with, in case they’re in the same location I’m in, so I can go up to them and catch up. Sometimes people may check in at an event I might want to attend, so I find out if it’s worth going. I do not add people who add me, if I don’t know them. That’s what Twitter is for. Personally I don’t want just anyone to know where I am. The cool thing about it is when you check in on Foursquare you can automatically check in of Facebook and Twitter as well.

LinkedIn – I rarely use it but it’s a good application for finding people you might need for work. Professionals. For instance, sometimes if you’re having trouble finding out who the managing editor of a certain magazine is, it might be a good idea to search for them/make contact via LinkedIn.

Some people respond better via social networks…it might have something to do with being able to see your photo or being able to read all about you, or simply having mutual friends, in my opinion it’s all of the above but mostly because your messages are shorter on social networks. Most people tend to overwrite in e-mails, which means they will be left to read later, which will result in them not being read at all.

Youtube – broadcast yourself. Their tagline says it all. However, you might just want to use it for posting funny/informative videos on twitter (which can get you more followers) or on facebook, which will get people to look at your account more often (it’s good to keep reminding editors/media of yourself). For those in broadcast – it’s self explanatory…you should have a channel and start posting stories you’re reporting on…it’s practice, it’s exposure, it can lead to success through someone important spotting you. It’s your version of the blog. A breakthrough business on Youtube that I want to mention is “Holla Girls”. They show the world what they bought while shopping for clothes and became extremely popular and very rich. Get familiar with Vimeo, because Youtube is starting to annoy people with advertising, and Vimeo is a more professional platform with better video quality which is best for documentaries etc. However, your videos should be on both, because Youtube remains more popular, which will get you more exposure.

Blogs – If you’re in print, you should already have a blog. Tumblr is easiest to use and easiest to share on social networks, which will get you more exposure. If you’re more creative with your backgrounds or want the blog to have a more professional magazine look, go for Wordpress, like my new eco blog. It’s harder to use though. Blogs are an outlet for you to show your range and skills, it’s an online portfolio, it can be the key to your success, even become your career. There are two options depending on what you want. If you want a digital portfolio – write articles about anything you might be interested in writing about, create a general blog like mine. Don’t go for Blogger platform though, it doesn’t have a professional look. If you want to have the option of your blog becoming your career – choose a niche topic. Niche blogs have a much higher rate of success and read by a wider audience.