Tag Archives: Steve Buttry

You just can’t ignore the dollars and sense

Newsroom, , , ,

If you’ve read an earlier post on metred content how it changes the objectives of a newsroom, you might think I’m all about the cash grab.

Or that I’m a Pollyanna, putting a positive spin on things.

Yeah, people got mad at that post. The thought of public service journalism  (and that is exactly what journalism is when done correctly – I’m talking about more than a Kim Kardashian photo gallery) costing something is outrageous.

To which I say: how much did that coffee cost you this morning?

Here’s the thing, here’s the ugly truth: reporters, photographers, editors, copyeditors, paginators, web editors, developers… cost money.

Continue reading You just can’t ignore the dollars and sense →

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Reader comments – making your point without being an ass

Newsroom, Social, , ,

Sometimes, you have to spell it out and remind people how to behave.

Especially, it seems, when it comes to commenting on stories online.  I like how the Eastern Iowa Gazette (former stomping grounds of Steve Buttry) has posted ‘Rules of Engagement‘ for its commenters. Major points include:

Be truthful.
Be civil.
Be responsible.
Leave the trolls alone.
Take commercial ads elsewhere.
Know that comments will be moderated.

And, the reader is warned, if they fail to comply with these rules – their posts are taken down.

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Lurking on social media isn’t enough

Social, , , , , ,

Thank you to Steve Buttry for putting it plainly today: Lurking on Twitter isn’t enough.

I’ve heard from far too many journalists who sign up for Twitter, then don’t Tweet. Worse, they don’t follow anyone. So now they have an account that’s dormant. These same folks have probably set up a Facebook account, but they’ve added a few friends and don’t post.

In a webinar hosted Tuesday by Newspapers Canada, Buttry pointed out that by building followers and being conversational, you’re going to have stronger engagement.

And when it comes to crowd sourcing or looking for information in the public domain, you’re going to be more effective if you’ve built up a good social media presence.

Continue reading Lurking on social media isn’t enough →