Three easy tips for social media

On “Social Media” Tuesday, the Class of 2014 learned valuable tips and advice on what a journalist’s involvement should be in social media as journalism continues to evolve and move toward a more digital-oriented field.

Here are my four biggest takeaways from Tuesday’s classes with Sports Illustrated writer Richard Deitsch and Director of Community Outreach at The Columbia Missourian Joy Mayer:

1. Report first, tweet later

In the morning session with Richard Deitsch, he stressed the importance of prioritizing your assignment. He added that at times journalists get so caught up in tweeting to their followers that they miss out on crucial aspects of the game that could help their game story. Deitsch said that as a reporter at the event, you should only be tweeting what people can’t see.

2. The four principles

During the afternoon session with Joy Mayer, she gave students four principles that she believes students should adopt when it comes to interacting with readership through social media.

The first principle is to be apart of the conversation, which means understanding the topic that you are reporting on and being able to extend the dialogue when necessary.

The second principle was to know who you’re talking to and invite them to know you. Mayer emphasized that sometimes journalists don’t tell readers about themselves, making them appear less human. She added that if readers know the reporters, they tend to trust them know and read their articles.

The third principle was to listen and respond when people talk. Mayer said it is valuable to participate in reader commentary and that complete avoidance of interaction could make readers less trustworthy. One of the main points pushed within this principle was to own any mistakes and be transparent and up front about those mistakes.

The fourth and final principle was to invite other people to play with you. Mayer said that reporters gain trust from readers when they are more visible to whoever is reading them.

3. When asking a question, get to the point

When speaking with Richard Deitsch, students had the opportunity to ask him questions. One student took extra time to get to his question, adding context instead of getting straight to the point. Deitsch stressed after the question was asked, that as a journalist and reporter people lose respect for you if you are not succinct and specific when you ask questions. He added the best questions are short and the best details are achieved through why, how, or what rooted questions.

_ Sean Hurd