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Journalists getting social to find sources

January 26, 2010 at 4:20 PM by Mike

If your clients aren’t talking about social media, get them started now! A new study from Cision and George Washington University finds nine out of 10 journalists turn to at least one type of new media channel for story research and source information. That’s especially true for newspaper and online journalists, three-quarters of who use social networking sites for research, compared to just under two-thirds for magazine writers.

 


The big takeaway here is that while journalists used to go directly to the source for information, they are increasingly looking to social media to act as conduits. This means that we need to make sure our clients are participating in and taking ownership of the online dialogue and their presence across social media, blogs and traditional online media. This requires an entirely new level of rigor and in many cases, new skill sets to maintain their brand.


This could be a good opportunity to start a dialogue with your clients about the importance of online brand maintenance and reputation – beginning with a basic audit of their online presence. From there you can start to home in on the key places where consumers are talking about your brand.



Tagsnewmedia media blogs socialmedia research

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Comments


 Christa Keizer January 26, 2010 4:57 PM
A great example of reporters using social media is Help A Reporter Out (http://www.helpareporter.com/), a website that helps reporters find sources by emailing queries to PR professionals.
 Mike Hollywood January 26, 2010 5:12 PM
Absolutely - a great example. Peter Shankman and the team at HARO are tirelessly connecting content creators to experts in the name of producing better content. Nothing better than a strong network to tap into when you need it - and with hyper-interested affinity groups popping up all over the web, it seems there are always experts to talk to just a click away - whether they represent a brand/organization or otherwise!
  



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