#FollowFriday – Media Relations Resources

“Journalism is the first rough draft of history.”

-Philip L Graham, Publisher, Washington Post

I had several conversations this week about how Communications Directors and other media relations folks can use Twitter to interact with the printed press.   Interesting topic for a few reasons:

1. All indications are that the printed press is of the dying breed;
2. Using a 2.0 tool to connect with 1.0 media seems like an oxymoron;
3. New media communications is about getting information out quickly, and interactions surrounding it.  Print offers neither.

My colleagues and I stopped using news wires, primarily because of the cost associated with their services.  The same effort that it takes to write a press release and submit it through news wires can easily be used to broadcast yourself by serving as your own news service.

Communications needs have changed, as well.  I find more value in the interaction and feedback with our constituents on our blogs and social networks (primarily Facebook).

All this said, many journalists are adopting 2.0 tools in order to save their 1.0 business. Just this week, the New York Times appointed Jennifer Preston (@NYT_JenPreston) the New York Times’ first Social Media Editor.  Both the Times and Washington Post are doing a great job using new media and multimedia tools, and creating unique content using free resources such as Google maps and API calls.

So how do you find the reporters/journalists that best fit your communications needs?  Try these resources.  (If you have other ones, let us know by leaving a comment!)

• @muckrack – Muck Rack is the best repository of journalists that I’ve seen so far.  You can sort by beat, news outlet, or even recent tweeted photos.
• @wefollow – We Follow is a user-powered Twitter directory where Twitterers self-identify their areas of interest or affiliation through tags.  It’s not as easy to search by beat or outlet as Muck Rack, but you may find some unusual suspects here.
• Media on Twitter – In addition to U.S. journalists, Media on Twitter has lists of journalists and news media Twitter accounts in Australia, Canada, France, India, Malta, Mexica, Russia, South Africa, Thailand and the UK.

By the way, if you’re a major newspaper needing a Social Media Editor, tweet me @sherrymain.  I’m interested… and interesting!

#FollowFriday – My Twitter Philosophy

I often find myself trying to explain why I tweet, how it helps me, and why not Facebook… to list just a few questions.  Tweeting isn’t for everyone.  And, to each their own.

So here are my personal reasons for Tweeting (note: this does not translate to my philosophy on my professional/business uses of Twitter):

• I learn A LOT. 140 characters gives a quick summary about a story, and helps me decide if I want to read more – whether it’s new media stories from @Mashable or current events from @WSJ.
• Making connections.  I communicate with reporters such as @grobbins in my professional capacity or find the best local eats from @dbgoudie.  I even get virtual high-five’s from @charliefogg.  It’s like going to a networking event or meet-up… but not.
• Be the first to know.  News travels like rapid-fire on Twitter – way before it can be picked up by online newspapers.  Imagine had Twitter existed on September 11, 2001.  How many more lives may have been saved, I wonder?
• It’s not about getting 17,000 followers.  I’m on Twitter because it’s a great way to discover new things.  I enjoy the random conversations that I could never have otherwise with @ChasL, an interactive designer in Austin, or ReadWriteWeb blogger @eng1ne.  That said, I am flattered that 500+ people find what I say to be interesting enough to follow me.
• Brands and celebrities are uninteresting.  I hate being marketed to and I don’t gain anything from knowing where Britney is getting her car washed. But I do enjoy @Zappos or @JetBlue because they aren’t just about selling, but about offering human connections.
• No need to reciprocate.  In Facebook, you are mutually “friends”.  In Twitter, there’s no obligation to follow anyone… even those who are my real friends.  In fact, I only follow those who regularly post unique and intriguing tweets.  I can’t imagine trying to follow 1,000 tweeples as an individual.
• There are no rules.  BAH to those who say to limit tweets to 5x per day or avoid tweeting personal details.  I’m human and if I want sympathy for my migraine, I’ll seek it.  Tweet as little or as much as you want, about whatever.
• Camaraderie. Put another way, snobbery.  It’s yet another elitist clique where you have unique friendships – a sort of post-college sorority/fraternity.

Join the club and follow me @sherrymain I’d love to hear about your personal philosophy on tweeting too.  What do you get out of it?  Leave me a comment and let me know.

New Zealand Internet #Blackout

Some protests are taken to the streets, others through petition or boycotts.  Today, an issue a half a world away is gaining momentum online through social networks and new media platforms.

The New Zealand Internet Blackout – which I first read about on Read Write Web (@rww) – is an online social media movement that asks Kiwi’s and non-Kiwi’s alike to protest against the Guilt Upon Accusation law ‘Section 92A‘ :

…that calls for internet disconnection based on accusations of copyright infringement without a trial and without any evidence held up to court scrutiny. This is due to come into effect on February 28th unless immediate action is taken by the National Party.

Find out how exactly to update your Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, and Web site profiles at the Creative Freedom Blackout page.

Here are some images you can use for your profiles. Just right-click to save to your desktop and upload to your profile pictures:

I’ve blacked out Twitter, Facebook and this blog.

Judging a Book by It’s Cover: Your Twitter Profile

Rule #1: Give credit via Twitter name.  Examples: @SherryMain or @inculink.

Rule #2: Give credit via Twitter name.  Examples: @rww or @AdamAinbinder.

When I read an article or blog post online, I like to see Twitter links to the people who are being mentioned.  Why?  Because if I’m interested in something they’ve said once, I want to know quickly if there’s more to them.

A Twitter profile is a great way of getting a quick snapshot of someone.  In this day-in-age of information overflow, I can’t help judge a book by it’s cover.  I have 10-seconds to find out whether someone is interesting or not.  I can decide later if in fact that judgment was correct, as I get to know them via tweets.  But if you lost me in those first 10 seconds, then you’ve lost me forever.

On the other hand, if you hook me with your Twitter profile, well then you’ve probably got my attention on your blog or website… and probably even Facebook, LinkedIn, or Tumblr.

I find that I learn a lot more by reading the first two pages of a Twitter profile, than I can get out of a personal blog or website. Just yesterday, I connected with @swannny because she is a “tech-crazy, opera-loving geek girl”!

Here’s what I find helps when it comes to general Tweeting habits:

Take advantage of the 160 character profile. Be selective in your words used to describe yourself – and take advantage of the 20 extra characters!  What I’ve tried to do in my profile is to connect with others in higher education communications, entice conversations with people who share similar hobbies, and market a personal venture:

Comms Director @ UCIrvine. Business, political, technology and culinary junkie. Enjoy travel, outdoor adventures and photography. Also, co-founder of @inculink.

Diversify your tweets, often. If the entire first page of your Twitter profile are @ replies or purely about your state of mind, I can’t be convinced that I have a connection with you. But a useful business tip coupled with a personal misadventure, plus an intriguing conversation with another Twit will intrigue me enough to follow someone.

Twitter is still a very nascent tool, but its community and its power are growing exponentially.  The ways and means in which Twitter can be used could never have been predicted by it’s founders (@ev, @biz and @jack).  But online habits have changed the culture of information flow, and I think as content creators on the web, we need to be sure to provide quick links to readers and other creators alike!

My Op-Ed on Stories About Twitter, Etc.

I just read this fun op-ed from the Washington Post by Jeanne McManus.

It comedically devalues life in a Twitter world:

Which comes first? The Twitter or life itself? Are we writing about what we’re doing or are we writing about what we’re going to do or are we doing it because we need something to write about?

I enjoyed her short musing.  But now, I can’t find a link to follow her tweets anywhere on the entire op-ed page!  Nor have i been able to locate her through Twitter’s “Find People” tool. I’m bummed, as she sounds really interesting, whether these are her real tweets or not:

Jeanne has measured out her life with coffee spoons. Huh?

So I write my own public request to Ms. McManus… and to any other editor, writer, reporter who covers new and social media seriously or comically – on TV, in print or online: please share how we can follow you or become a fan on these new tools which you write about.

NPR’s Science Friday does a great job of this.  While driving from Annapolis to D.C. several weeks ago, @Padrepablo and I listened to Ira Flatow (@scifri) interviewing Tim O’Reilly (@timoreilly).  Ira repeatedly mentioned how we could follow them.  And caller Jeff Levy (@levyj413) – the EPA’s web manager – who talked about government and social media also shared how listeners could follow him. I’ve since learned a lot from following Mr. Levy.  I’d like to easily do the same from others.

Of course, privacy is a concern, so I understand if you don’t easily share your Twitter name with your article… but then could you consider separate public and private personas? When used correctly, I can only see sharing Twitter accounts as a great learning and conversation tool.

Taking my own advice, you can follow me @sherrymain.