why we engage
DESCRIPTION
These are slides for a workshop I did for the Shorthorn editors at the University of Texas Arlington.TRANSCRIPT
Why We Engage
Steve ButtryUniversity of Texas-Arlington Shorthorn
August 14, 2012#utashorthorn
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What engagement isCommunity engagement = News orgs make top priority to listen, to join, lead & enable conversation to elevate journalism.
What engagement isn’t• Promotion (though it has promotional
value)• Distribution of content (though you
should)• Purely a digital pursuit (it uses digital
tools along w/ traditional ones)
What engagement isCommunity engagement = News orgs make top priority to listen, to join, lead & enable conversation to elevate journalism.
3 types of engagement *• Outreach • Conversation• Collaboration
* Joy Mayer, Reynolds Journalism Fellow, University of Missouri
Avenues of Engagement• Social media• Blogs• Crowdsourcing• Breaking news• Stories • Events• Curation• Aggregation
• Content submissions• Interactive content• Voting, contests• Comments• Schools, groups• Feedback• Print• Face to face
Blog network• Covers areas newspapers don’t cover• Varied voices• Recruit blogs overlapping your beats• Offer clubs liveblogging opportunities• Organizational newsletters
Don’t forget IRLEngage community in person:• Events• Tweetups• Community group meetings• In work, life routines
Why crowdsource?• It saves time• Connecting with sources has always been
one of a journalist’s most important jobs• You bring more voices to your news
reports• The crowd knows more than we do• You engage the community
Set the stage• Build engaged community (follow
people, converse with them)• Use multiple platforms (Twitter,
Facebook, website, blog, newspaper, IRL)• Do the groundwork (don’t expect the
public to do your job; invite them to tell their stories)
Crowdsourcing tips• Say what you know• Say what you want to know• Say what you don’t know• Don’t spread rumors; seek confirmation,
information• Vet sources & information
Throughout the process• Seek story ideas & tips• Ask questions as you gather info• Share data with community• Ask public to continue the conversation
Varying situations• Investigations• Breaking news
@statesman case study
Crowdsource
Crowdsource
Say what you don’t know
Varying situations• Investigations• Breaking news• Annual, seasonal stories• Community info• Crowdmaps• Supplement staff work• Seek photos
Read more about it• stevebuttry.wordpress.com• slideshare.net/stevebuttry• @stevebuttry• [email protected] • zombiejournalism.com