media

journalists on Twitter

Posted on by Becky Green (was McMichael)

Came across a site today that is really handy for following what journalists are talking about on Twitter, especially as more and more are requesting that PRs pitch stories and get in touch that way.

The site has been created by SawHorse and can be found at www.muckrack.com.

The following list of journalists have been added, their tweets being syndicated  and also some info on their profile, follower numbers etc.

Sources

If you know of someone who is not yet included, you can recommend they are added and follow the site on Twitter for updates on trending topics etc.

digital rubbernecking or a natural interest in news?

Posted on by Becky Green (was McMichael)

Seems that opinion is a little divided this morning on whether tweeting from the scene of a disaster and forwarding Twitpics of plane crashes etc is either bad taste and nothing more than digital rubbernecking or is just an honest interest in seeing news stories unravel, whether about disasters or not.

I’d like to know what you think, please participate in the survey.

Twitter’s role in the media process #2

Posted on by Becky Green (was McMichael)

I posted a while ago about social media tool, Twitter, and its role in disrupting the media process.  Charles Arthur rightly pointed out:

Except… this is only accurate about “disrupting the flow of the news process” where “news” means “news about technology stuff”.

We in technology PR and media are living in a bubble to a certain extent and mainstream media in other industries are yet to use the tool widely. Rory Cellan-Jones, tech correspondent at the BBC posted this morning about his recent experience using Twitter:

When I said in a “Tweet” last week that I was looking into addiction to online games I immediately got useful replies, including one which sent me to a psychiatrist at the Tavistock who became the key figure in my story. Then, minutes after I did the story on Today, I got more Twitter messages attacking me for being unfair to gamers. I was then able to point them at a blog post I’d written with more detail and that became a forum for a vigorous debate about the pros and cons of online games.

Yes it is a technology topic but it is slightly more mainstream in reach and provides a great case study of how journalists are using Twitter these days.

Yesterday at the Future of Mobile event in London, Guardian writer and lover of Twitter, Jemima Kiss said Twitter is one of the most important tools of her job.

I hope PR folks are listening and taking note…

Courtesy of Paul Walsh via Twinkle

Courtesy of Paul Walsh via Twinkle

Cross-posted on Ruder Finn Uk’s blog

PR Week UK ups its digital presence

Posted on by Becky Green (was McMichael)

PR Week has kicked off a couple of new activities aimed at the UK’s digital PR folks today – Peter Hay, digital editor, upped his Twitter activity picking up a host of new followers and the mag launched a facebook group for UK PR folks.

There has been a Twitter feed set up from PR Week UK for a while (hat tip Chris Reed at Fishburn Hedges) but the personal tweets should be a great addition to this.

Up to now, other than conferences on the topic and a small column in the tech sector highlighting industry bloggers, the magazine hasn’t had a very large UK digital focus or presence.

We’re looking forward to hearing about future plans in this area though.

Cross posted on Ruder Finn’s blog