Twitter and beat writing

I use this site for breaking news, too, mustang (and I've posted some myself.) Far more accurate and timely than any other, in my experience.

But that doesn't mean Twitter's useless just because there are other sites that can do what it can do. It's a tool -- if you use it effectively, you can get a lot of value out of it.

I mean, I can take notes in shorthand just fine but that doesn't mean I should throw away my recorder. It's just another tool that I can utilize.

 

our college beat writers and high school writers twitter with breaking news, pointing people towards their blogs.

I joined Twitter nation tonight (actually signed up 6 months ago, just sent my first twitter tonight), telling people what to look for in the Wednesday print edition. Twittered again to tell them our all-metro and all-state basketball teams will be published thu/fri/sat/sunday. I think this can be a good tool for writers and editors if used that way.

 

Oh, in many ways, it's extremely narcissistic. There are thousands of people just screaming, 'Please value my opinion!'

 

I suggest you go to Twellow.com where Twitter posters are grouped into the categories by which they post. You could also check out wefollow.com and search for your city or sports team and start following the people who Tweet about that.

If you're going to be using Twitter, it's important for you to start building relationships with the people who show interest in what you write about.

And check your @replies often. People will ask you questions and comment on your Tweets or writing. Engage them, just like you would a fan on the street who stops you and says, 'Hey, don't those Bengals suck?'

 

Twitter's had a huge few weeks, with help from Shaq and Villanueva. Honestly, by the start of football season, I think every paper's pro football and college football beat writers will have Twitters going, much like everybody suddenly had blogs all at once.

I'll say it again: It's very easy to use, and it generates traffic and interest to your newspaper and/or its blog. The people who don't like it haven't taken the time to think of ways it can keep your coverage within a few years of seeming current.

Having said that, got the fail whale four times today. They're going to need a bigger boat ...