E-Media Tidbits

Amy Gahran, via Twhirl Who do you call for fast help and info? Your Twitter posse!

My occasional mini-Tidbits posts feature interesting items I've bookmarked in del.icio.us as I encounter them in my endless online wanderings. But today I'd like to acknowledge that often (perhaps usually) I find those items because someone recommended them -- generally via Twitter, e-mail, instant messaging, or links from their own blog.

My "personal posse" of Twitter followers (now numbering more than 700) has become an especially crucial resource when I want quick assistance, information, context, or opinions. This morning I asked my Twitter posse for recommended links to include in today's mini-Tidbits. Immediately I got several responses. I selected from those the items that I thought were most likely to be info that working journalists could use.

However, all of the suggestions were good, even though some weren't quite right for Tidbits. That's right: the Twitter response I received was definitely all "signal" -- no "noise" at all! I think this demonstrates the value of cultivating a quality Twitter posse through my personal Twitter Do's and Don'ts:

1. DO keep a good attitude. Always be useful, helpful, and friendly.
2. DO demonstrate ongoing interest in others. Make at least half of your posts responses others' posts. You really do get what you give in social media.
3. DON'T be a bummer. Specifically, don't whine, attack, or (especially) be boring. However, it is OK to be genuinely down or angry sometimes. That's human. But I wouldn't go on at length about negative stuff on Twitter.
4. DO post occasional personal trivia or quips. This fosters human connections. But keep it entertaining or interesting, and don't overdo it.
5. DON'T overuse cryptic abbreviations. That gets very hard to read and thus alienates followers. A better way to cope with Twitter's 140-character constraint is to think clearly and edit concisely.

With that introduction, here are the items my Twitter posse recommended this morning. Not surprisingly, they all concern how journalists are using Twitter. (Yes, over-focus on the Twitter world can be a weakness of relying too heavily on this channel, but it varies according to what you're asking for help with.)

• When a tweet makes a difference (MarkMedia): Twitter conversation between journo and community yields a corrected headline. "A seemingly small thing, but indicative of a change in how audiences and journalists can work together to produce a higher standard of journalism." (Mark Comerford mentioned this post, which he wrote.)
• Why I blog (The Exploding Newsroom): Veteran journalist John Hassell posted a query on Twitter: "Hey, journobloggers: I'm writing a post for the [Knight Digital Media Center Leadership Blog] about why newspaper editors should blog. I've got my reasons; what are yours?" Like a tiny stone tossed into a pond, it started producing ripples..." (NOTE: The original version of this item incorrectly identified Michele McLellan as the author of this article, and misspelled her last name.)
  
• High School Friend Calls 'D.C. Madam' Shy, Serious (NPR): Olevia on Twitter [Cheri Campbell) said: "Saw @bpp (Bryant Park Project, NPR's morning news show with Alison Stewart] tweet about DC madam suicide. Put them in touch with stepsister, who was a friend. My direct message to @bpp resulted in this story." (Note: I confirmed the connection between NPR's story and Campbell's lead.)

Keep the good Tidbits leads coming, folks -- via Twitter and elsewhere. I love it when Tidbits becomes a true community effort. I pass all leads received along to the Tidbits team. We can't cover everything, but we do cover a lot. Plus, most leads I receive end up getting posted under Daily Links on Contentious.com, since I bookmark almost everything interesting.

You can suggest Tidbits leads on Twitter by including @agahran in your post and mentioning "for Tidbits" with a link, or e-mail me. Thanks!