Twitter is a conversation...

not a broadcast.

“If I am watching an accident on our chopper feed and it’s hard to look at, I’ll tweet that.

If I get starstruck by someone who is in our studio,
I’ll let my followers know.

It’s more of a behind-the-scenes.

If I’m covering a story, then they’re going to get information on that story, but it’ll be through my eyes and emotions.” 

Jenni Hogan, Eyewitness News, Seattle

-- Twitter's top local TV journalist

Twitter is to social media

what ratings are to broadcast TV.

Twitter numbers in Montreal [9 March 2015]

Live tweet the news

• Build your credibility

• Be a go-to source for news

• Provide real-time updates

• Engage in social journalism

• Share your perspective

Why?

Top tips for tweets

• Live tweet news

• Share what you see, hear, smell, feel

• A picture's worth...

• Tweet often

• Use hashtags

• Cite your sources

• Build relationships

• Mix it up

• Words matter

• Get it right

1. Start your day
by telling followers what you're covering: it establishes you're on the scene.

2. When you arrive
tweet a photo/vine video to confirm you're at the event.

3. Tweet what you see, hear, smell... 
Share updates, observations ... 

photos... 

quotes... 

 data, graphs, stats... 

and behind-the-scenes moments.

Twitter is just like TV 

it uses pictures and words to tell a story.

4. Follow Twitter's advice 

• Tweet often

• Use hashtags

• Share photos

• Use Twitter to crowdsource

Tweet often. Especially during breaking news.  

SOURCE: The Boston Bombing: How journalists used Twitter to tell the story. Simon Rogers. Twitter Media Blog. 2013.

The more you tweet 

the more people follow you.

Aim for at least 10 tweets a day. 

10

Use hashtags. 

• Connect with other Twitter users
• Boost engagement by 100%
• Make tweets more visible

A compelling, well-cropped photo makes a tweet pop. 

Share photos. 

Use Twitter's advanced search 
Find local sources, capture reaction, stay updated.

https://twitter.com/search-advanced

5. Build our community. 

https://twitter.com/Global_Montreal/lists/global-montreal-team/members

Subscribe to this list. 

Follow your colleagues.  

Retweet their tweets. 

Share their stories. 

Promote their stuff. 

Twitter's just like real life 

if all you do is self-promote, people turn off.

5. Cite sources and mention people you meet.

Reach out to people 

start conversations, share information, make connections.

6. Mix it up. 
People want to feel you're a real person. 

Share stuff that interests you... 

Users look to you to curate the local news (and not just ours).

Connect with your community. 

You don't always have to share links or news. 

7. Words matter.  

"On Twitter, people often confuse a fact that you report with advocacy for the fact you're reporting.

For example, if you quote the mayor, they assume you approve of the quote."

John Dickerson

-- Slate's chief political correspondent

8. Get it right.  

• Be clear when information is unconfirmed
• Only share information you’ve verified
• Use quotation marks when quoting
• Attribute information to a reliable source, such as police
• Credit photos that aren't your own
• Don't use images without permission
• Use judgment when tweeting about contentious or upsetting topics
• Debunk incorrect information
• Show you care about getting it right

“X is reporting Y, but we haven’t been able to confirm this yet”  

“We're working on this story and will tweet updates as soon as we have them”

“Here’s what we do know …”

http://tinyurl.com/GNsocialpolicy

Follow our Journalistic Principles and Practices 

9. Follow up.  

• Check your notifications 
• Reply to tweets and comments
• Answer tweets directed at you 
• Thank followers for feedback
• Share links to other related content: liveblogs, explainers, Q&As, extended interviews, photo galleries, raw video
• Tweet links to your stories and videos AND those of your colleagues

10. Have fun.