Tweeting: Not Just for the Birds Anymore!

I’ve given in. I got a Twitter. At the suggestion of Jen Reeves, I got a Twitter to make myself more Google-able in a professional way. One of the news outlets I follow posted a link to this blog : “What’s the Value of a Journalist that Twitters?” To Jen Reeves, a journalist that knows how to tweet to essential to a news outlet. But is Twitter really a good news outlet?

On my Twitter, I only follow 33 people (I’m new at this), and most of these are news-related. When MU played CU a couple weeks ago, I didn’t even watch the game, I followed the scores on KOMU’s Twitter. It was very convenient because I could check for updates wherever and whenever. By picking which news outlets I follow, I can select which kinds of news I want to be informed about.

Twitter is the newest use of social networking sites: it makes breaking news even faster. Twitter allows a headline to be shared with followers so they are enticed to check up on the story later as it developes and more information is gathered. I am still learning how to use Twitter and I think as I get better at it, it will become even more useful.

I foresee Twitter becoming an important part of the future of journalism. Journalism today is all about getting the information out and getting it to your audience as quickly as you can. Twitter allows journalists to put the information out there without blowing the story…I mean, you only get 160 words.

The way I see it, I am now addicted to tweeting stories that I find important and using Twitter to be constantly informed on important stories from my favorite news outlets.

Follow me on Twitter!

Just Kickin' It

On Thursday November 5, 2009 I did my second VO Patrol. My producer called me about half an hour before my shift started and asked if I could come early to cover a cool story. I hustled out to the station but I ended up missing the event anyway because the producer didn’t allow enough time for me to get there. When I realized I wouldn’t be able to cover the story, I called the producer and she helped me find a new story.

My new story was about the 15^th annual art show and silent auction benefiting RAIN. My story was the kicker so it didn’t take me long to get my filming done and my interview was really short. It was a really visual story so I had a fun time wandering around to find interesting shots.

I finished my story pretty early. Having the kicker really takes the pressure off. One thing I learned during this shift is being polite and friendly can get you a long way as a reporter. The way I see it, people are much more responsive to a reporter who is kind, polite and compassionate than one who is not.

Check out my VO on YouTube.com