The #petertweeters

Who knew that posting short, 140 character messages would appeal so many? Twitter, one of today’s most widely used online social networks, skyrocketed in popularity in 2011 with young and old signing up in droves to answer the site’s infamous question “What are you doing?”.

Admittedly I was skeptical at first and resisted creating an account, but after jumping on board I quickly learned the secret to its success—the close-knit online community you find yourself a part of.  Within days of  creating my account I was interacting with people in Peterborough and all over the world. Ideas, thoughts and opinions were exchanged and my follower count quickly grew. I was hooked.

Similar to a next door neighbour, you quickly learn about your “tweeps”, discovering hobbies that interest them, tastes in music, details about their family life and a host of other trivial bits you would ordinarily pick up in day-to-day, face-to-face conversation.

It’s this interaction that has made Twitter so popular, especially in smaller cities and towns. There’s a definite sense of community that connects people and brings them together. I’ve watched friendships develop, romances bloom and die, and online tiffs break out between users, all on public display for thousands to see. It’s the ultimate form of reality entertainment.

From this unique interaction, and the many active local participants who support it,  the #petertweeter Awards were born.

The #petertweeter Awards even have their own mascot! Peter Tweeter was created by Rick Dolishny.

Recognizing the best and brightest of the local Twitter scene was the brainchild of Donald Fraser (@ptboskeptic). He quickly organized a committee to get the awards off the ground and I jumped at the chance to join. Fellow members include Alana Callan (@alanacallan), Jeff Macklin (@jacksoncreek) Catherine Hanrahan (@Chan_Rahan) and Dani Stover (@danigray).

Ever since Donald floated his idea on the Twitterverse late last year, the committee has been meeting and planning what promises to be a great new event. The #peetertweeters will be held March 1st at Splice Lounge (@splicelounge), which is generously donating the space. Ticket sales  ($10/$5 students/PWYC)  for the event will go to support local environmental charity Peterborough Green-Up (@ptbogreenup) which is celebrating it’s 20th anniversary this year.  Doors open at 7:30 p.m.

The event will be hosted by Dani and Catherine, who also happen to be morning hosts on the Wolf and Kruz FM here in Peterborough. There will be musical acts throughout the night and some bits of internet themed pop-culture humour scattered in as well. The award categories have been vetted and nominees selected, which was no easy feat. In the coming days folks will be able to vote for their favorite #petertweeters, votes that will recognize some of the most active and entertaining people on local social media.

Be sure to use the #petertweeter hash tag on Twitter to help spread the word about the event.  Mark yourself as attending and get more information at the #petertweeter Facebook page.

This is a great opportunity to not only recognize our amazing local tweeters and support a worthy cause, but also get together and put a face to a Twitter handle.  Looking forward to seeing everyone March 1!

Twitter Tips for the News Media

Four tips to ensure Twitter success

By: Matt Higgs

Like so many other groups, the news media have hopped on the social media bandwagon, with reporters, editors, anchors and photographers using these new fangled communications tools to interact with readers, listeners and viewers in this digital age.

A trend I’ve noticed recently is an influx of reporters from various news organizations signing up to Twitter in droves, more than likely a requirement by an assignment editor, editor or news director.  While this is all well and good, a very small percentage of these people are using Twitter to it’s full advantage, instead sending out boring bits of information about whatever story they’re currently working on, or what they had for lunch. These individuals never follow anyone else, often have large gaps with no activity, and usually stop tweeting completely after a few weeks.

They key to being successful with Twitter is interactivity. I’ve seen many great examples of reporters who tweet, interact with their followers, listen to what they have to say and reply, even if some of the tweets involve criticism. Twitter can be a wonderful tool to take the pulse of the community you cover, get leads on stories you otherwise wouldn’t have known about, and receive tips from the general public which could be the next “scoop” separating your news organization from the competition. In today’s cut throat media landscape being first and being accurate  is important.

As I just stated, interactivity is crucial. Sending out random headlines and links to your website will work if you’re the parent media outlet, but if you’re a reporter you have to interact with the very people who depend on you to be informed. A great example is found in the tweets from Mark McAllister of Global Television’s Toronto newsroom (@MarkMcAllGlobal) There are several reasons why I chose Mark, and I’ll go over a few of them now.

Interactivity: If you send a Tweet to Mark, you may not get an answer back right away, but you are assured he will read it and acknowledge it when he gets time. Mark also responds to viewer questions and comments, even if they’re not related to anything he recently tweeted about.

Follow Back: A common courtesy that many forget. If someone takes the initiative to listen to everything you have to say, shouldn’t you at least have the decency to show the same sentiment towards them? Currently Mark has 4,500 followers and follows almost 4,000 in return. Not a bad rate of return.

Frequency of Tweets: We all have busy lives, especially at work. Journalists have especially hectic days trying to run down interviews, meet deadlines and juggle a dozens tasks at once. If you know you don’t have time to tweet, don’t start up an account. Sending a couple tweets every three days is really a waste of your time and it’s doubtful anyone is taking note on the receiving end. If you’re thinking of opening an account for work related purposes, be warned, it will require some investment of time on your part to make it successful.  This same rule can be applied to just about anyone working in any industry who is thinking of tweeting.  Back to Mark, he averages between three and five tweets per day.

Tweet Content: A popular tweet for journalists is the “tease.” “Coming up at 6:00 watch my story about the kid who won a million dollars!” or “Just interviewed a mom who raised 30 kids and lived to tell about it, read about  it in tomorrow’s Times”….and then you never see another thing from this person until the next afternoon. This just won’t do.  Content is just as important as  interacting. Take the time to read what other people are saying and respond. If you make a personal connection with someone they’ll be more apt to point you in the direction of story ideas in the future.  People also love visual elements. If you’re interviewing someone who bore 30 kids and lived to tell about it, why not take a picture with your smart phone and upload it? If you’re covering a story about harsh winter driving conditions, take a video and upload it. Most journalists have access to phones (either on a work or personal basis) with these capabilities. Use them. The more interesting you are, the more people will care what you  have to say.

If you follow these four tips you will not only gain followers, but the entire Twitter experience will be more rewarding for everyone involved. Twitter is a wonderful way to communicate, but it’s important to remember it’s a two-way street where people not only want to be informed but also engaged. Keep you tweets interesting, relevant and conversational to ensure Twitter success.

Other examples of journalists making great use of Twitter:

• Terry Seguin/CBC New Brunswick @seguincbc
• Jeff Harrington/CTV Sudbury @harringtonctv
• Catherine McDonald/Global Toronto @cmcdonaldglobal
• Kennedy Gordon/The Peterborough Examiner @kennedygordon
• Greg Davis/CHEX-TV @GregDavis_
• Ryan Barton/106.9 Capital FM @crashola
• Lois Tuffin/Peterborough This Week @kawarthanews