April 6, 2009
Homework Post #9: Twittering News
Post #9
April 6, 2009
Twittering News
Viewers do not have to channel surf to hear mentions of the new craze Twitter. Almost all network news stations feature one story about the “tweeting” phenomenon that is occurring across the nation.
One news source utilizing the “status” technology is CNN.
CNN updates their twitter account often using a RSS-like feed.
The posts consist of an attention grabbing headline followed by the URL to the actual story posted on CNN’s website.
This twitter feed is an easier way for CNN readers and viewers to access breaking news. They follow CNN using their own twitter accounts and get continuous updates whenever a new story is posted.
So far it does not seem that smaller markets like my hometown news stations are catching on to the tweeting buzz.
However, several reporters are using the technology to update personal Twitter accounts. This is interesting for those news-consumers that follow the reporters on Twitter.
A friend of mine that works as a photographer and reporter for CBS7 in Odessa, TX typically updates his Twitter account while he is working on a story. Most recently he continuously tweeted about the progress he was making while on assignment along the Texas-Mexico border.
He even tweets to find sources or interviews in the area by posting “Anyone in Midland/Odessa have a big dog? Call me.” He was working on a story about big dogs when he posted this on his Twitter account.
There is a downside to having personal Twitter accounts for reporters and photographers. For instance, my friend uses his account for personal tweets and professional tweets.
Combining professional and personal accounts can be troublesome for their public image. Most likely, employers will control the content their employees can post on their professional accounts and discourage any questionable behavior on their personal accounts.
Tweeting the news will be a new way to get information to consumers quickly because most twitter users access the service via cellphones or handheld devices.
It will be interesting to see this new technology embraced by traditional media companies. They will surely benefit from the use of Twitter.
