Mastering Social Media: a reader ~ September 2015

Twitter

Journalists on Twitter: Stop shouting, start listening | BBC College of Journalism

Twitter for newsrooms and journalists | Twitter

The Definitive Guide To Using Twitter Cards | Forbes

Facebook

Journalists with verified Facebook profiles can now use Mentions and Live tools | Journalism.co.uk

Six Facebook changes you should know about | Slack Communications

LinkedIn

5 Ways Journalists Use LinkedIn for Research and Reporting | PR Newswire

Instagram

Instagram Journalism: The New Content Trend Shaking Up the Media World | Contently

How the BBC and Guardian are innovating on Instagram | Journalism.co.uk

19 Seriously Smart Tips To Up Your Instagram Game | Buzzfeed

WhatsApp

How the BBC is using WhatsApp to boost engagement | World News Publishing Focus

General

7 social media monitoring tools you should explore | Slack Communications

How not to tweet – further thoughts on good (and bad) social media | Slack Communications

Writing for the web: a (short) reading list

I’m running a series of ‘Writing for the web’ workshops at the Frontline Club in the coming months, starting on 14 November (others are slated for 6 March and 6 June 2015). As a taster, here are some recent posts I’ve written for Press Gazette, the Guardian and Content Desk on the subject:

1. How to make journalism work online: Five writing tips (Press Gazette)
2. What kind of blogger are you? (Guardian)
3. How to write headlines for the web? (Content Desk)
4. Online headlines are different, and here’s the proof (Content Desk)
5. What George Orwell can still teach us about writing and readability (Content Desk)
6. From BBC to Buzzfeed: lessons in mobile publishing (Guardian)

Writing for the web: forthcoming Frontline Club workshop

On Friday 14 November I’m running a new workshop at the Frontline Club. During the session I will explain why writing for the web is exactly the same as writing for print — and why it’s completely different; which of the old rules still apply and which new rules you need to understand to prosper online.

Here’s what I plan to cover:

The principles of writing

• Why writing for the web is exactly the same as print; and why it’s completely different
• Understanding the audience
• What Orwell can teach us about language and readability
• Establishing the right tone of voice
• Determining length and frequency
• Five writers who understand the digital form

News and feature writing

• The inverted Pyramid of news and why it still matters
• The Five Ws of News
• Finding a killer angle
• Reporting vs opinion
• News vs Features

Blog writing

• The ‘atomised’ Inverted Pyramid
• When is a blog not a blog?
• Five blogging personas
• Seven blog writing tips

Headlines and social media sells

• Why headlines and sells matter more on the web
• Tailoring headlines and sells for the web
• HEADLINE WRITING EXERCISE
• Ten headlines that work online, and ten headlines that don’t
• SEO: An introduction
• A practical guide to keyword research

 

To find out more and how to book, click here.

 

Mastering Social Media Workshop at the Frontline Club, 23 May

I’m running my latest social media workshop at the Frontline Club on 23 May 2014. You can find full details on the Frontline site. Meanwhile, here’s a taster:

 

From understanding the basics of social media and their applications in journalism, to the fine art of online editing, this workshop is ideal for established and emerging journalists alike. It will also appeal to anyone in a communications role who truly wants to understand the power of social media.

The workshop will be divided into two parts:

How to Tweet: A social media primer

This session will teach journalists – in-house and freelance – and communications professionals how to raise their profile, extend their reach and understand how to integrate social media into their newsgathering, research and campaigning.

How to Blog . . . For reputation, profile and reach

In this session, Bernstein will explore the basics of blogging, the dos and don’ts, reveal who are the masters of the craft, and layout the editorial techniques – as well as the tactics and tools – you’ll need for success.

 

More information here.

How to Blog . . . For reputation, profile and reach

On Friday 24 May I’m running a full-day training workshop at the Frontline Club on social media — broadly, How to Tweet and How to Blog.

Here’s an extract from the agenda for the blogging section of the day:

In this session we will explore the basics of blogging, the dos and don’ts, reveal who are the masters of the craft, and layout the editorial techniques – as well as the tactics and tools – you’ll need for success.

You’ll cover a range of subjects including:
– Setting up: the basics
– When is a blog post not a blog post?
– What kind of blogger are you? The polemicist, the educator, the analyst, the observer, the magpie and more
– How to establish a tone of voice
– Frequency and variety: defining a rhythm to suit you and the reader
– Ten blogging heroes you should follow
– How to get noticed
– How to grow your traffic

The first half of the course deals, at similar length, with the use of social networks as a journalist or a communicator, in particular Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn.

The workshop takes place on Friday 24 May and you can find more details here.

How to Tweet: a social media primer

Late next month (24 May) I’m running a full-day training workshop at the Frontline Club on social media — broadly, How to Tweet and How to Blog.

Here’s an extract from the blurb:

This session will teach journalists – both in-house and freelance – how to raise their profile, extend the reach of their journalism and understand how to integrate social media into their newsgathering.

This interactive session will cover the following and more:
– Social media: understanding the basics
– Stories from the newsroom that demonstrate the power of social
– Six ways social media can help your journalism: crowd sourcing, fact checking, taste testing, finding eyewitnesses and more
– The social media audit: from Twitter to Facebook to Pinterest to Google+ and beyond, which tool suits which occasion
– How to manage your social footprint all in one place
– How to get noticed
– How to grow your follower count legitimately
– Social media: dos and don’ts.

The second half of the course deals, at similar length, with blogging.

The workshop takes place on Friday 24 May and you can find more details here.

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