Feb 15th, 2011
Chapter 4: Microblogging: Write Small, Think Big
Submitting a news story in 140 characters or less? No problem!
That’s the new wave for journalists and this type of news publishing is called microblogging.
Microblogging is the fastest way for a news organization or journalist to report break news, promote other work, or just be an easier form of contributing information when blogging becomes intimidating.
The most popular microblogging website is… TWITTER. Twitter began in July of 2006 and has become a way to mantain a constant connection with the people around you.
Twitters rapid growth can be acredited to two things, it’s flexiblity and simplicity.
“In addition to making it easy for participate in the live Web, a microblogging platform like Twitter is an important social media tool that is critical for every journalist in the digital age.” – Mark Briggs
Microblogging has become an effective medium for breaking news. With the use of Twitter, subscribers can follow other Twitter accounts to get information rangings from weather, traffic, breaking news, sports statistics, and tons of other things that people are interested in.
According to Ellyn Angelotti, interactivty editor at Poynter Instritute, some guidelines to make your work stand out are:
- Be informative.
- Stay relevant.
- Be instructive.
- Include a link.
- Reflect your personality.
- Build relationships.
In conclusion of this chapter, if you have any hopes of becoming or being an effective journalist, START TWEETING and START FOLLOWING.
