Zombie Journalism » Twitter

WaPo arrives late to NATO story on social media

Mandy — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 12:07:25 +0000

On August 6 around 2 a.m. local time, a NATO helicopter carrying U.S. Special Forces troops crashed in eastern Afghanistan.

The Washington Post had a reporter in person and on the story – but it took a long time for anyone to notice on its social media channels.

A student from my summer social media class at Georgetown [...]

Interacting with the audience as a news brand

Mandy — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 13:02:41 +0000

Last week I went over a few tips for setting a social media strategy and persona for your news org’s branded account(s) and tips for using those accounts as a brand. Today, let’s get into audience engagement on social media tools. These tips have served me well as both a brand and as an individual, helping [...]

Training: Intro to mobile journalism tools

Mandy — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 19:45:06 +0000

Last week, I taught a mobile journalism workshop as part of APME’s Newstrain seminar at the Newseum here in Washington, D.C. While I’m not a mobile journalist per se, I am a journalist that loves my smartphone. The class was aimed at those who are new to most mobile news gathering, reporting and publishing apps and [...]

There’s a whole Internet outside of Twitter, so don’t forget it

Mandy — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 18:15:19 +0000

Pew released a new study on Twitter demographics today that found only 8 percent of Americans on the web use Twitter. Of that 8 percent, only 2 percent use Twitter on a typical day. Keep in mind that about 74 percent of American adults are internet users, meaning that the Twitter users make up about [...]

TBD’s big moment and a view from behind the coverage

Mandy — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:37:32 +0000

Sept. 1 was a big day for TBD - and for me personally. When a gunman burst into the Discovery Channel headquarters in Silver Spring and took three hostages, we sprang into action and, in turn, were propelled into the spotlight for the first time since our launch. [...]

How we did it: Securing an occupied Twitter handle

Mandy — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 17:15:47 +0000

It can be tough to be a new brand these days. Locking down namespace online is a huge part of a brand build – but much like potential mates, all the good ones seem to be taken.

We ran into that when we started building the brand for the soon-to-launch TBD. It’s a popular acronym, as everyone [...]

Need-to-Know Twitter Tips for Journalists

Mandy — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 17:46:03 +0000

As we’re hiring new staff members for every position from web producers to listings editors and transit reporters, a lot of my job at TBD will be devoted to bringing all those new hires – plus some of our existing staff from News Channel 8 and WJLA – up to speed on social media tools and [...]

The new kid in the downpour of fresh ideas

Mandy — Thu, 13 May 2010 17:30:27 +0000

When you’ve spent your entire professional career in a newspaper’s newsroom, it’s pretty easily to get your mind blown at a startup. I can attest to that firsthand in my first few days on the job at TBD.

Instead of shoehorning some new media approach into a centuries-old tradition, we’re building something so new, it’s still [...]

Twitter is the perfect place to break news (but don’t tell Reuters)

Mandy — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 15:38:57 +0000

When Reuters released its new social media policy last week, their competition had to be salivating. The wire service stipulates that its reporters are not to use Twitter to break news - and thus are digging their own grave. [...]

10 ways journalists can look like Twitter newbies

Mandy — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 15:02:30 +0000

You don't have to be some online expert to look like you belong on Twitter - just avoid doing the following 10 things and nobody will know you're a dog (or just an old-school journalist) on Twitter. [...]