@scottleadingham

What’s the power of a Twitter hashtag?

It can inform and help us see revolution literally before our eyes (e.g. #Jan25 for the Egyptian revolution). It can curate the angst, joy, jeers and cheers of a nation (e.g. #SOTU for the State of the Union). It can bring together a professional community for sharing and learning (e.g. #wjchat for the weekly Web journalism chat).

As I recently found, it can also change your mind for the better.

Columbia Journalism School’s Continuing Education office hosted its second Social Media Weekend Jan. 27-29 in New York. Perhaps you ran across the hashtag #smwknd in your weekend Twitter usage.

It’s an obscure hashtag on the surface. But as hashtag best practices go, it’s incredibly well conceived – short, to the point, reflective of the event’s name and content.

I came across #smwknd at this time last year, when the first conference happened. It was in a tweet from Columbia journalism professor and dean of student affairs Sree Sreenivasan that caught my eye. Sree is to social media training and modern digital journalism education as chickpeas are to hummus: the most essential ingredient. (If you don’t keep up with Sree on Twitter, you should. Like right now. Click here. Now.)

Unfortunately I couldn’t attend in 2011. But I’ll admit I was skeptical at the time whether a full weekend conference on social media would hold my attention. That’s not to suggest I felt in early 2011 – nor do I now – that I know everything there is to know about social media. Quite the opposite. I still struggle sometimes to explain to friends and family the full value of social media in their lives and its connection to journalism.

But even early last year I had seen enough program proposals, conference panels, webinar descriptions, etc. on social media to think the content and quality of social media education had reached a zenith.

However, knowing that Columbia produces some of the best and most digitally savvy journalists and media professionals, I figured it would be a worthwhile venture. It was.

(Plus it gave me an excuse to visit a good friend in New York, David Hoang, who in 2008 put me in front of a computer and literally forced me to join Twitter. “Everyone in journalism needs to be on here,” David told me. He’s a Web designer and artist.)

Below are thoughts on what I learned from Social Media Weekend. I’m sure the experience was different for each person, and what’s true for the journalism industry geek isn’t necessarily true for the marketing professional or technology reporter.

(I won’t duplicate the very comprehensive efforts of conference organizers and Columbia j-students to summarize and curate content from the weekend. See all that, including useful Storify roundups by Mohammed Ademo, at the Social Media Weekend site.)

1) Updates in social media – particularly Twitter – are brief moments in time and history. Make the time count.

I’ve long tried to avoid back-and-forth Twitter conversation that read like a drawn-out text message exchange. There is, after all, a direct message feature for a reason.

However, I’ve had to reconcile that with the notion that social media are, well, social for a reason. The idea that Twitter is conversational and therefore different than a top-down we report/you read approach is one I embrace. Indeed, community engagement is important for a reason, and one way people are engaged is by active participation and response. So, the philosophy for my own usage and for @spj_tweets is Goldilocks-esque: Engage with a few back-and-forth tweets, but not too many. Take it elsewhere (direct messages, email, phone call) if you need deeper conversation.

I still think that’s a worthwhile approach. However, something Sree said was illuminating:

From @sree at #smwknd: I craft tweets carefully. It’s the only thing I write today that will go into Library of Congress.

— Scott Leadingham (@scottleadingham) January 28, 2012

There are all kinds of Twitter users, from comedians who tweet one-liners like it’s their job to those who spend Sundays ranting, almost obsessively, about a certain Denver Broncos quarterback.

All contribute to the ever-expanding index of digital information tracked by Google and, with Twitter, the Library of Congress. This isn’t to say that every tweet should wax poetic on the philosophy of the human condition. But as Sree points out: Social media updates only reach a small amount of those with whom we’re connected, yet they’ll live on in the annals of digital history – accessible, memorable, researchable. Would you rather have your social media footprint lead others to believe you helped spread knowledge and information – or that you hated a guy named Tim Tebow for some unknown reason?

2) Not everyone at your news outlet or non-profit or business needs to actively use social media for professional purposes. But everyone should be trained, encouraged and empowered to do so.

Part of this thinking stems from a session titled “Social Media & Social Good: What the Best Nonprofits and Social Enterprises Can Teach Us.” Former journalist Jim Rosenberg, head of online communications and social media for the World Bank, made a good point:

Interesting point from @jerotus at #smwknd: “communicators” in an org shouldn’t be the only ones using social media. — Scott Leadingham (@scottleadingham) January 28, 2012

I could go on incessantly about why all journalists need to use Twitter, no matter their position, beat, etc.

But the larger point is this: If an organization (and I use the term broadly to include news outlets, businesses, non-profit orgs, etc.) uses social media, all employees need to know the essentials: Why, how and for what end?

This isn’t to say all employees need to have the keys to your company’s Twitter account. No, absolutely not. However, everyone should be aware and knowledgeable of why and how you use social media to achieve your desired ends, whether they are gathering and reporting public-interest journalism or marketing your social good non-profit.

Benefits of this:

- You have a “line of succession” of people who know how to use social media within the confines of your organization’s standards. If only one person contributes to social media and that person suddenly leaves or is unavailable, who will take over? Large journalistic institutions to small business startups should have a plan.

- Other people are encouraged to contribute to the operation of the organization and bring fresh perspectives on how to use social media.

- People learn to appreciate the work of the “social media editor” or “community engagement director” or other communications-related role as an integral part of what the organization does. How many people in your organization still inaccurately think a social media editor “just gets paid to use Twitter all day”? There’s an easy way to change that: Show people why that’s not true, and encourage them to see why by testing the value of social media for their own positions and professional development.

3) Whatever you’ve already learned (about social media or any job skill) it’s not enough.

And in most cases, the best way to learn more is to interact and engage with other people who know more than you and/or challenge your viewpoints. Conferences are good places to do that.

Another place to do that is through the very medium – in this case Twitter – in which you’re hoping to improve.

From @sree at #smwknd: Whatever number of people you follow on Twitter, it’s not enough.

— Scott Leadingham (@scottleadingham) January 29, 2012

There’s no magic number of Twitter followers to following radio, and it does seem impractical that The York Times would follow the same amount or more than the 4.3 million (as of this writing) people/accounts following it. (Note: I hesitate in writing the term “follow,” as I’ve written before about why it’s wise to avoid it.)

But Sree’s point, one with which I agree, is well taken: There is a near bottomless pool of insight, resources and education floating in social media. (And there is admittedly a lot of useless noise, of course.) You will benefit from continually seeking out, learning from and interacting with those who offer diverse points of view.

So, was Social Media Weekend time well spent? Yes, absolutely. Should you consider attending this event (or others) in the future? I’d recommend it, which is something I can only do having experienced it in person:

One-word recap of #smwknd for journalism types: Essential. Thanks to @ersotomayor, @sree and all who made it happen.

— Scott Leadingham (@scottleadingham) January 29, 2012

Scott Leadingham is editor of Quill magazine. If you’re so inclined, you can join him in discussing, sharing and commenting on journalism and media issues on Twitter: @scottleadingham.

Each year, before SPJ and RTDNA’s fabulous national Excellence in Journalism conference kicks off, a dozen talented student journalists gather in an eerily quiet hotel. The building will soon be full of journalists, professors, industry experts and students buzzing with new knowledge and thousands of coffee cups.

Through a competitive application process, SPJ chose these students to cover one of the largest annual journalism conferences in the country. They are The Working Press, and they do not take their jobs lightly.

Nikki Villoria (@NikkiVilloria) worked for TWP first as a student intern and later as a professional mentor. She sums it this way: “For almost a week, you surround yourself with the best journalists in their fields… all of whom are more than happy to share their knowledge, answer questions and take the time to get to know aspiring journalists.”

She’s referring not only to the more than 1,000 attendees the interns interact with, but specifically TWP advisers who work closely with student reporters.

Hannah Birch (@birch_hannah), a senior at the University of Nevada Las Vegas and a 2011 TWP intern in New Orleans, recalls reading the bios of the advisers before arriving “and being intimidated (New York Times, Associated Press, Dow Jones…), but they all worked to create a positive environment.

“A lot of them had been on staff with TWP for years, and it was clear they knew when to offer advice and when to step back a little,” Birch said. That’s the kind of guidance SPJ knows will give students a boost in their journalism education and, of course, their job hunt after graduation.

Birch is happy to report not only that potential employers ask about her TWP experience in interviews, but that she’s “headed to the Seattle Times this summer for a copy-editing internship, and I wouldn’t have even applied for that if Reginald Stuart, who hired me for TWP, hadn’t called me about it.”

Journalists who serve as TWP advisers are there with two goals: to facilitate the best reporting possible at SPJ’s largest event, and to ensure students on TWP staff get the most out of their experience.

That’s why SPJ continues to support this opportunity. All Working Press staffers receive complimentary conference registration and hotel accommodations. More importantly, though, students receive invaluable training, mentoring and networking opportunities.

Olivia Ingle (@Olivia_Ingle), a senior at Butler University and an SPJ member since her freshman year (now Butler chapter president), explains: “My experience on TWP staff reaffirmed to me that I’m taking the right career path…I also came back from the conference with several clips, stories that were edited by journalists who work for The New York Times and the AP.”

In addition to a daily print tabloid, The Working Press maintains a website during the conference. Click here to see last year’s reporting.

Interested in applying for an internship with The Working Press? Here’s the low-down:

• Conference dates: Sept. 20-22 (TWP interns will need to attend Sept. 19-23)
• Application deadline: April 19
• Application information: spj.org/workingpress.asp
• Conference website: ExcellenceInJournalism.org
• Contact: Lauren Rochester, lrochester@spj.org or 317-927-8000 ext. 210

By Abby Henkel, SPJ Communications Coordinator.

Yesterday SPJ reached 9,000 “followers” on Twitter. (And there’s a reason “followers” is in quotes. Hang on for that.)

A nice amount, sure, considering it’s roughly the number of members SPJ had for much of the past 10 years. (Membership is closer to 8,000 now.)

It’s also, as it happens, completely arbitrary. I don’t care about it, and it’s kind of my job to care.

Don’t get me wrong: SPJ is always striving to broaden its audience in all media – whether that audience is composed of members, other journalists, or just interested citizens and organizations. And, of course, we do hope people will continually seek information and training from SPJ – through Twitter or whatever means.

But focusing on pure numbers is odd, distracting and silly. It’s a fool’s errand to use “follower” and “like” counts as true metrics of an organization’s (news outlet or otherwise) reach, influence or value. Klout score be damned.

I admit to writing a somewhat snarky tweet to mark our 9,000th “follower”:

We’ve reached 9,000 people/orgs with whom to engage without begging people to “follow” us. What a concept, eh?

— Society of Pro Journ (@spj_tweets) January 17, 2012

The intended lesson was twofold:

1) An obsession with attracting more “followers” (and related verbiage for Facebook and other social platforms) is overblown and overdone – by news outlets and individuals.

2) “Followers” is a condescending, obtuse term (unfortunately the default word used by Twitter).

The subsequent tweet (less snarky, I hope) was this:

Context to previous tweet: Our philosophy on (not) telling others to “follow” and “like” you: bit.ly/ygLQS3 — Society of Pro Journ (@spj_tweets) January 17, 2012

The link in that tweet led to a December 2010 post titled “Can you really engage a community by telling them to ‘follow’ and ‘like’ you?”

A set-up question, for sure. The presupposed answer: No, absolutely not.

If SPJ had an official social media policy, that would be it. (Along with the simple yet critical “Don’t be stupid” advice others have recommended as the guiding light for social media usage at news organizations.)

If not our official policy, it’s a cornerstone philosophy.

Also a part of that philosophy: Don’t use social media “engagement” in a veiled attempt to boost your counts on Twitter, Facebook or the like.

I won’t drag anyone or any outlet through the mud, but you’ve likely seen the appeals. Something to the tune of: “PLEASE HELP US REACH 10,000 FOLLOWERS. WE’RE ALMOST THERE! AND DON’T FORGET TO ‘LIKE’ US ON FACEBOOK.”

Two observations:
1) Preach to the choir much?

2) Get over yourself.

Take a moment to answer this: If you beg people to interact with or pay attention to you, is that an even relationship? Have you truly built a community?

Without an engaged community, how much value does your message really have?

Answer: Zero.

Now that’s a number you should take to heart.

Note: Thanks to Joe Skeel and Abby Henkel for input on this post.

Scott Leadingham is editor of SPJ’s Quill magazine. Interact with him on Twitter: @scottleadingham.

Hi there. I think it’s about time I introduce myself. I’m Abby Henkel, the communications coordinator here at SPJ HQ. Maybe you have read some of the newsletters, tweets and press releases I have written, raising important questions in your mind, such as, “What’s for dinner?”

I can’t answer that — though I suggest something with kale — but I can tell you a little about what it’s been like as an outsider to journalism working for journalists far and wide.

Hailing from Indianapolis with a BA in music from Earlham College (rah rah, Hustlin’ Quakers!) and an MA in Arts Administration from Indiana University, I wasn’t the most likely candidate for this position. However, I was interested in SPJ because I studied non-profits, I wanted more communications experience from an organization that knows how to communicate, and I have a deep interest in news and the people who bring it to me.

I think most non-profit employees and volunteers get into the sector because they want to support a cause that speaks to them. So here I am, back in Indianapolis and writing communications for the 8,000 members of SPJ and all of our adoring fans.

What I planned to get out of my year at SPJ — this position is a one-year, paid internship-type gig — was a greater understanding of how to create effective non-profit communications and marketing. Yes, I’ve done a lot of that.

Truly, though, what’s been the biggest change for me is that after nearly five months at HQ and one huge convention in New Orleans, my appreciation for journalists and the hurdles they face every day has grown significantly. I knew that most reporters work long hours for little recognition and even less pay (kindred spirits with musicians!), but now I think I can appreciate the risks they take every day.

I’m not just talking about the threats to their life and freedom of the press at home and abroad. I never thought about what kind of personal sacrifices reporters and their families must make just to uncover the truth and share it with a knowledge-hungry public. As I begin to settle down in my own life, I realize that every hour I spend on my work or volunteerism is an hour less with the people I care about most. Reporters make this sacrifice at a young age, understanding in journalism school that they will spend their lives working for the common good but must accept the toll it will take on the family and friends who also depend on them. It’s worth the sacrifice, but it’s not easy.

It’s also not easy to write for 8,000 journalists who have mastered grammar, AP style and the elusive skill of succinct writing. But it’s good for me, and I hope I’m good for the members of SPJ. I look forward to the rest of my time here and the chance to have a positive effect on the people who probably don’t realize how much they’ve already done for me.

– Abby Henkel

Abby Henkel is SPJ’s communications coordinator and a 2011 graduate of Indiana University’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs master’s program. Reach her at ahenkel@spj.org.

Do a web search for “social media tips” are you’ll likely get way more hits from self-described “social media experts” (or “gurus”) than you ever thought possible.

I am neither an expert nor a guru, but sometimes people ask for a few tips on using social media, particularly Twitter. One rule I always say for myself that I encourage others, especially journalists, follow: Don’t retweet a link without clicking it first and seeing what’s there.

It can be tempting to pass along the information quickly, even from a trusted news source. But I wouldn’t email a URL to a friend without reading the article first. And I doubt my grandma, long known for clipping and sending newspaper articles to her family, would be that sloppy.

This example isn’t earth shattering and didn’t cause a scandal or anything of the sort. But it is illustrative of the point.

If you have a newsroom or personal policy about this, or another social media topic, please let us know in the comments.

Scott Leadingham is editor of SPJ’s Quill magazine. On Twitter: @scottleadingham

All SPJ members are invited and encouraged to discuss the One Member, One Vote amendment that chapter delegates will vote on during the Excellence in Journalism 2011 conference, Sept. 24-27 in New Orleans. Please contribute to the discussion in the comments of this post.

If you would like to discuss the other amendments, we have set up a separate thread for that discussion here.

All SPJ members are invited and encouraged to discuss the proposed bylaws amendments that chapter delegates will vote on during the Excellence in Journalism 2011 conference, Sept. 24-27 in New Orleans. Please contribute to the discussion in the comments of this post.

If you would like to discuss the proposed One Member, One Vote amendment, we have set up a thread specifically for that discussion here.

The SPJ Code of Ethics is widely consulted and applied in newsrooms and classrooms as the definitive statement of our profession’s highest values and a helpful way to think about the specific and unique journalism quandaries we confront daily.

The Code is voluntarily embraced by thousands of reporters, editors and other news professionals across America and the world. To date, the Code is available to journalists in 13 languages; including French, Chinese, German, Hungarian, Slovenian, Portuguese, Greek, Macedonian, Spanish, Arabic, Croatian, Persian, and English. To have so many translations of the Code is a testament that the pursuit of the best ethical practices of journalism is universal in journalism.

To help raise awareness of these translated versions of the Code of Ethics, SPJ spent just shy of a month working on a special “Journalism Ethics Week” project to share each of them in their native language using our social media resources. With the help of some incredible translators, we successfully posted translations in 10 of those languages, followed by English translations. Now, we want to share them one last time and feature those who helped us along the way.

Chinese
View the original post: SPJ Leads | Twitter 

Natalie Rose Dickson – Chinese Translator
Natalie is a lover of storytelling and China. She was a Mandarin Chinese and journalism double major from the University of Mississippi, has spent two summers in Qingdao, one semester in Beijing and is currently spending one semester in Nanjing, China. In between her studies in China, Natalie has worked at her student newspaper, a pizza magazine and the Mandarin branch of Voice of America.

French
View the original post: Facebook | Twitter 

James Buchanan – French Translator
James is a May 2011 graduate of the Croft Institute for International Studies at the University of Mississippi with an emphasis in French. In the spring of 2010, he spent a semester abroad at the Catholic University of the West in Angers, France. During the summer of 2009, James worked as an intern in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.

Arabic View the original post: Facebook | Twitter 

Zeena Kanaan – Arabic Translator
Zeena is an undergraduate at Northwestern University in Qatar, majoring in journalism with a focus on political science. She is currently the president of the first international chapter of SPJ, known as Society of Professional Journalists in Qatar. Zeena is looking forward to spending a summer in the United Nations Headquarters, working and researching humanitarian issues with the Human Rights Committee. 

Portuguese View the original post: Facebook | Twitter 

Michael Frost – Portuguese Translator
Michael Frost is an IT recruiter for the consulting firm Isos Technology in Tempe, Ariz. He lived in Brazil for two years as a missionary and was a Latin American Studies student at Brigham Young University. He still enjoys reading Portuguese and Spanish literature, primarily works of prose by the likes of João Cabral de Melo Neto and Pablo Neruda.

German View the original post: Facebook | Twitter 

Lauren Krantz - German Translator
Lauren is a senior journalism student from Virginia at James Madison University.

HungarianView the original post: Facebook | Twitter 

Elaine Croft – Hungarian Translator

Greek

View the original post: Twitter

Slovenian
View the original post: Twitter

Macedonian
View the original post: Extended Facebook Content | Twitter

Spanish
View the original post: Facebook | Twitter 

Andrew Scott (Hey, that’s me) – Spanish Translator
I studied Spanish for my language during my college tenure. In my youth, my parents twice took me and my siblings to trek the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. I find it fascinating to watch all three original Indiana Jones movies in Spanish.

Thank you to everyone who helped in this project and to those who shared these translations. Remember – Seek Truth and Report it, Minimize Harm, Act Independently and Be Accountable.

Andrew M. Scott (@PRMillennial) is the communications coordinator for SPJ Headquarters. He is a graduate of the University of Mississippi and an SPJ member since 2008.

Well, another tax day has come and gone for us Americans, and like most, it’s one of the few times a year where I sit and look at my finances as a whole.  As a mother of two young children, I naturally worry about how well I’m providing for them now, and what would happen if the unthinkable should happen. 

I do hope someday I find myself in the same situation as my parents, who have raised their children, gotten us through college, and weddings, and grandchildren, and say “Now what do we do with our money?”  My sister and I had to encourage them to draw up a will.  Neither of us are attorneys, but we’re smart enough to know that deciding not to have a will is effectively the same as letting your state decide who gets your assets after your death.

Rather than leave this important issue unanswered or in dispute, each state has a default system (commonly referred to as intestacy) in the event one is needed. For some, the net result is the same as a person would have wanted anyway. Others, however, may be surprised how the state decides who gets what and how much.   The state will not take into account your loved ones or causes you believe in. 

We hope that SPJ is a cause you believe in.  If so, we encourage you to become a member of the 1909 Society. Here are four things to keep in mind when preparing your will or other estate documents:

1. Be sure the beneficiary of your gift is specifically designated as the Sigma Delta Chi Foundation, which is a 501 (C) (3) charity—not the Society of Professional Journalists, which is a 501 (C) (6) business league
2. SDX’s address is 3909 North Meridian Street, Indianapolis, IN  46208 and the telephone number is 317-927-8000
3. SDX’s tax identification number is 36-6106287
4. Be sure to inform SDX if you move, relocate, or have any changes in your long-term plans

As I said, I’m not an estate attorney, or any kind of attorney for that matter, but I have seen the benefits of what a planned gift can do.  Last year, SDX received a $65,000 gift from the estate of long-time SPJ member Alexander Bodi.  That gift, coupled with the $35,000 already endowed in the Terry Harper Memorial Fund, created a fund that spins off enough money to annually send five cash-strapped journalists to SPJ’s national conference.  And that’s a cause to believe in!

We hope you’ll let us know if you’ve included SDX in any of your estate plans so that we can include you in the 1909 Society along with other supporters.  And as we celebrate more than a century of improving and protecting journalism, there really is no better time to provide for the next hundred years! 

Amy Posavac is the Director of Development for SPJ’s Sigma Delta Chi Foundation, and while she’s not a journalist, she does play one on TV.

Today, the “Bureau Chiefs” of @FakeAPStylebook fame released their phony yet astoundingly humorous writing guide, “Write More Good,” making them another go-to source for satirizing journalism.

SPJ’s Quill magazine recently featured an interview with @FakeAPStylebook founders Ken Lowery and Mark Hale. Read more on their inspirations, advice and what they have to say about Charlie Sheen coverage.

We want to get in on their action, too, so SPJ is offering you a chance to win a copy of “Write More Good!”

What’s the Contest?
We want to know your journalism pet peeve (or #jpeeve on Twitter). This is your chance to tell us what irks you most about the news. Is it blatant disregard for AP style? A bad pun or headline you’ve read? Your local anchor’s awful toupee? Something else?

How do I enter?
Tell us about your jpeeve in one of three places:

1. Post your peeve here in the comments section
2. Reply to our post on Facebook
3. Write your jpeeve using the #jpeeve hashtag on Twitter

When does the giveaway end?
You have between now and Thursday, April 7 at 11:59 p.m. ET to submit a jpeeve.

Who will win the free copy of “Write More Good?”
Each person who submits a pet peeve will be placed in a drawing to select the recipient for the free copy of “Write More Good.” Limit one entry per person. (In other words, we encourage you to have fun and submit as many pet peeves as you wish, but you can only be entered in the drawing once.)

The winner will be announced and notified on Friday, April 8.

What are you waiting for?! What’s your jpeeve?

~ ~ ~

A Winner is Chosen!
On behalf of SPJ, we want to thank everyone participating in the ‘Write More Good’ giveaway. Over the last three days we received 88 journalism pet peeves from 73 participants. Of those participating, Janna Braun was selected from our drawing. Congratulations Janna!