DFM chat on verification of content via social media

Digital First Media friends and other journalists, members of the community and fans of journalism are invited to take part in a Twitter chat Wednesday at noon, Eastern Time, to talk about all things journalism.

Today we are talking about producing, consuming and crowdsourcing news during emergencies and natural disasters, in the wake of Harvey in Texas. As social media literacy improves, hoaxers find new ways to fool audiences, especially when news breaks. The 'old' social media tips still apply, but what do you need to look for in today's environment? What steps do we need to take as consumers and producers to make sure content we share is real?

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DFM chat on journalism metrics in a fragmented environment

Spike in reach or boa constrictor
digesting an elephant?

Digital First Media friends and other journalists, members of the community and fans of journalism are invited to take part in a Twitter chat Wednesday at noon, Eastern Time, to talk about all things journalism.

Today we are talking about metrics. What to use and how to use it in a way to further your journalistic goals. But further, how do you measure success in such a fragmented environment? How do you quantify other endeavors like alerts, newsletters, social videos or podcasts? And when do you pull the plug when something isn't quite working out?

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The modern journalist

Let's talk about journalism.

The following are excerpts from a Slack chat with members of The Little Rebellion. part of Nancy Heiz's SUNY New Paltz's advance editing journalism class.

The purpose of the chat was to explore:

• Reporting skills and the role of the journalist in the newsroom of the future;
• Real-time live reporting and the platforms that enable it; and
• Immersive storytelling, specifically virtual reality and 360-degree content.

The chat took place over a number of days at sometimes at some funky hours, which allow me to not-so-much wax poetically but hopefully comprehensively elaborate on these topics. I thought it could be of use to the larger audience, including consumers, aspiring journalists and journalists at large. I've added some extra notes here and there and a totally irrelevant image or two to break the gray. I'm also breaking the chat in two. It was long!

In this post, I deal with the modern newsroom, digital tools and multitasking.

DFM chat: Mobile friendly ideas for Election Day coverage

Decisions (Ariél Zangla photo)

(The text you see above is in this openly editable document, where anyone can collaborate)

DFM chat on what Facebook changes means for news organizations

*part [insert number here]

Digital First Media and other journalists, members of the community and fans of journalism are invited to take part in a Twitter chat Wednesday at noon, Eastern Time, to talk about all things journalism.

Today we are are talking about Facebook's recent algorithm changes and what it means for news organizations. What does it mean? How is it going to impact your news organization's impact, distribution and/or traffic goals? Does it change an individual journalist's equation of having a page vs. an open profile? What strategies can newsrooms implement?

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Facebook's influence in the era of content

As a purported professional observer and chronicler and arranger of ~things that happen~ (and sometimes effusive emoter of excessive euphemisms), I enjoy taking note when ephemeral news gets entangled in ethereal virality.
And Monday was one such day, in which, like many other days before it, news happened.
But as big as those big things that happened were, I kept thinking about those other things, the ones that matter long past traffic inconveniences and web traffic spikes, like the schools elections that we care so little about even though we know better.
Or should know better.
Or, do we even know?
And, if you don't know, then how is it that we professional chroniclers of things that happen failed at informing those who needed to know?
For many a year, information mongers have arrogantly clung to the idea that it is the mythical citizen's duty to stay informed (it is, but whatevs). All of this is happening in an environment where the real citizens struggle with the day-to-day while enduring an incessant bombardment of all kinds of information.

So it is no wonder that nobody can hear the tree falling.
The forest is full of explosions.

DFM chat on digital strategies for small newsrooms

Journalists, Digital First Media peeps, anyone who wants to are going to participate in a Twitter chat Wednesday at noon, Eastern Time, to talk about all things journalism.

Today we are talking about digital strategies for smaller-sized newsrooms. As more and more channels of distribution open and social platforms multiply, how can a spartan newsroom adapt to them? What should be prioritized? We all know what's ideal when it comes to publishing high production values, time-consuming engaging Facebook-only videos. But is it realistic? What IS realistic?

Not realistic

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DFM chat on Twitter and journalism

Journalists, Digital First Media peeps, anyone who wants to are going to be taking part on our Twitter chat Wednesday at noon, Eastern Time, to talk about all things journalism.

Today we are going back to basics and upgrading our practices. Let's talk Twitter and journalism. From live-tweeting to polls and gifs, what are the best ways to tweet as a journalist. How do you know those are the best approaches? What is your goal for using Twitter? Let's be honest, you're not getting any meaningful traffic out of it, so what's your goal, then? Bring in your tips, tweets and #realtalk.


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DFM chat on online comments and annotations

Journalists, Digital First Media peeps, anyone who wants to are going to be taking part on our Twitter chat Wednesday at noon, Eastern Time, to talk about all things journalism.

Today we are revisiting an evolving and lively issue: Online comments! *ducks under table*

What is the most constructive way to promote good online comments and/or annotations? Starting with the assumption that you do want to have a conversation around your site's stories and other content, what is the best way to present them?
Or are they doomed from the start?

never tweet

There are at least four ways to ~comment~ on this topic today! You can use Disqus at the bottom of the post (they're  not moderated, so be nice. I do get an email for each one); you can use #dfmchat on Twitter or use the ScribbleLive container below; or you can annotate any part of this post using Genius. Just select any part of the text here and go wild. There are other creative ways to comment, of course. Why don't you share those ideas with us?

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DFM chat on guidelines for covering news in social media

Breaking news and/or metaphor

Journalists, Digital First Media peeps, anyone who wants to are going to be taking part on our Twitter chat Wednesday at noon, Eastern Time, to talk about all things journalism.

Today we are talking about covering breaking news on social media. What guidelines should reporters, without editors, have when publishing information? How do you deal with real-time verification? What tools do you use to maximize coverage and not have to worry about tech? Bring your ideas, tools and #realtalk!

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DFM chat on new Facebook changes

Journalists, Digital First Media peeps, anyone who wants to are going to be taking part on our Twitter chat Wednesday at noon, Eastern Time, to talk about all things journalism.

Today we are talking about new Facebook changes, including new reaction buttons, Instant Articles and more. How can newsrooms use these new forms of engagement? How do you interpret the data from it? How cautious should you be as a journalist in using these buttons yourself? Are you planning on using Instant Articles? (What about notes? Remember those?) What about live video on Facebook and 360-degree video?

Posted by Ivan Lajara on Wednesday, February 24, 2016

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DFM chat on social media metrics that matter

No idea what this is

Journalists, Digital First Media peeps, anyone who wants to are going to be taking part on our Twitter chat Wednesday at noon, Eastern Time, to talk about all things journalism.

Today we are talking about social media metrics that matter. How do you leverage reach and impressions for impact? How much should journalists focus on link clicks or engagement? (spoiler: it depends!). How do you know how much impact are you having?
Bring your pica poles and your #realtalk. Let's get some numbers down.

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DFM chat on how and where to do breaking news

The former Freeman press. Pretty cool, but not the fastest way to break news.

Journalists, Digital First Media peeps, at least one twitter cat and  anyone who wants to are going to be taking part on our Twitter chat Wednesday at noon, Eastern Time, to talk about all things journalism.

Today we are talking about #breaking news! What is the most effective way to break news online? What's a good workflow for this? Should you give your ~content~ away to social media? Should news organizations break news on Facebook or Twitter without links? Let's assess our goals and mission and chat!

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DFM chat on ethical ways to share and aggregate from social media

This is a metaphor for something

Journalists, Digital First Media peeps, at least one twitter cat and  anyone who wants to are going to be taking part on our Twitter chat Wednesday at noon, Eastern Time, to talk about all things journalism.

Today we are talking ethical aggregation. What's the proper way to use content from social media? How do you verify? What about stuff posted by minors? There's more than just following terms of service. Let's explore the ramifications of augmenting other people's stuff.

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DFM chat on fair use and copyrights

Journalists, members of Digital First Media, sometimes students who for some reason are told to do this and the public are large are going to be taking part on the weekly Twitter chat Wednesday at noon, Eastern Time to talk about all things journalism.

Today we are talking about fair use and copyrights in the wake of Twitter suspending Deadspin and Sbnationgifs for posting gifs of NFL plays. Was that right? Was it ethical? What about reposting and embedding? It's going to get murky. Bring your #realtalk hoses, links and gifs!

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DFM chat on how to ethically gather news through social media

Journalists, members of Digital First Media  (maybe? Hello?) and members of the public are going to be taking part on the weekly Twitter chat Wednesday at noon, Eastern Time.

Today we are talking about how to ethically gather news through social media, especially during breaking news. But wait! How do you even know it's true? How do you approach using user-generated content?

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DFM chat on emerging trends in journalism

Journalists, members of Digital First Media and pretty much everyone else who wants to - are going to be taking part on the weekly Twitter chat Wednesday at noon, Eastern Time.

Today we are talking about emerging trends in journalism. From Facebook Signal to Virtual Reality to ad blockers and anything that's happening, including the rise of ad blocking. Let's get ahead of the curve. What are things to look forward? What should journalists keep an eye on? And what can journalists do in the meantime?

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DFM chat on how to focus on audience and engagement

Always have a relevant image! Wait WAT?

Journalists, members of Digital First Media and pretty much everyone else who wants to - are going to be taking part on the weekly Twitter chat Wednesday at noon, Eastern Time.

Today we are talking about how to focus on audience and engagement, especially when a newsroom doesn't have an audience and engagement editor. What is this? Who should do it? HOW?

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DFM Chat on the use of vertical video in mobile

Journalists, members of Digital First Media and pretty much everyone else who wants to - are going to be taking part on the weekly Twitter chat Wednesday at noon, Eastern Time.

Today we are talking about vertical video! Why? Because phones! So what do you do with it? How can newsrooms handle them in articles? What do you do with videos after live streams via mobile apps? What about Snapchat?

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DFM chat on the ethical implications of showing graphic content

Journalists, members of Digital First Media and pretty much everyone else who wants to - are going to be taking part on the weekly Twitter chat Wednesday at noon, Eastern Time.

Today we are talking about the ethical implications of showing graphic content online and in social media. What are the ethical justifications for showing such content? And if so, what are the proper ways of doing so?

If you want to chime in, post a comment in the container or a tweet with the hashtag "#dfmchat" so it can automatically appear below.