Natalie Bochenski, the arts/entertainment reporter for brisbanetimes.com.au, talked us through the emerging online news trend that is live-blogging/live-tweeting in yesterday's lecture. With twerking and porn-references galore, Natalie was thoroughly engaging and entertaining, and fortunately I'm not feeling quite as apprehensive as I was beforehand about our live-blogging assessment next week.
Earlier this week, I decided to 'practice for my test' by live-tweeting an episode of Gilmore Girls. Admittedly, a political speech or a reality show grand final may have been more suitable for the exercise, but wherever I can fit some Gilmore Girls into my life, I will. So, get excited for a play-by-play of Tuesday night's intense live-tweeting, interspersed with some of Natalie's best and most important tips:
Lorelei's community college graduation ceremony to be held next Thursday.
— eliza buzacott-speer (@elizabuzacott) September 4, 2013
Suki, Jackson and Rory to accompany Lorelei to graduation ceremony.
— eliza buzacott-speer (@elizabuzacott) September 4, 2013
"It would mean a lot to her": Rory proposes Lorelei's parents also attend the graduation ceremony without letting Lorelei in on the plan
— eliza buzacott-speer (@elizabuzacott) September 4, 2013
Live-tweeting is still new. Journalists are still woking out the best ways to reach audiences through live-tweeting and at the moment, there aren't a lot of rules. What remains as important as ever in the news industry, though, is the truth. Make sure what you're putting out there is correct, because sure-as-sunrise, lies will travel faster than the truth.
Christopher sends Lorelei a 'graduation basket' that includes a real pearl necklace
— eliza buzacott-speer (@elizabuzacott) September 4, 2013
Rory takes the bus to New York and finds Jess in Washington Square Park
— eliza buzacott-speer (@elizabuzacott) September 4, 2013
"Whatever": Jess's response when Rory said she could say 'hello' to Luke for him
— eliza buzacott-speer (@elizabuzacott) September 4, 2013
Lorelei arrives several hours early to her graduation ceremony. She runs into her mother whose cameraman is setting up to film the ceremony
— eliza buzacott-speer (@elizabuzacott) September 4, 2013
Re-iterating the above point, Natalie says you should always choose accuracy over speed. Yes, we want to be as quick as possible and get the scoop, but it is worth taking the time to make sure it is correct. Or it will come back to bite you!
Rory and Jess spend the afternoon at Jess's favourite record store
— eliza buzacott-speer (@elizabuzacott) September 4, 2013
Jess confronts Rory about why she ditched school to visit him. She replies with "you didn't say goodbye."
— eliza buzacott-speer (@elizabuzacott) September 4, 2013
Tweeting provides the opportunity to make news sharing a bit more fun. You're able to delve into a more 'media rich' landscape than usual. Use hashtags and provide links. There's also room for a bit more humour, if it suits what you're covering, to keep things interesting. And interact with your audience! That's the beauty of Twitter. It can become a conversation.
All buses have been told to stand down and Rory is stuck in New York City, as the start of Lorelei's graduation ceremony approaches.
— eliza buzacott-speer (@elizabuzacott) September 4, 2013
Graduation ceremony has begun, and Rory hasn't yet arrived. Emily's film crew follows Lorelei on stage.
— eliza buzacott-speer (@elizabuzacott) September 4, 2013
Keep it brief. Filter out what isn't important. News values are just as important with tweeting, so keep things relevant. Your audience wants the need-to-know facts, and it's your job to get rid of the clutter and make it clear what is most important.
"I'm glad you came": Lorelei insists her parents have a photo taken with her after realising how glad she is Rory asked them to come.
— eliza buzacott-speer (@elizabuzacott) September 4, 2013
Rory still stuck on bus - she has completely missed Lorelei's graduation ceremony.
— eliza buzacott-speer (@elizabuzacott) September 4, 2013
Lorelei tells Rory she "should have been there" for the graduation ceremony.
— eliza buzacott-speer (@elizabuzacott) September 4, 2013
You're a journalist first, so make sure you aren't neglecting those duties for the sake of tweeting. For example, at a press conference or something similar, journalists still need to be asking questions and getting all the information they need. You need to be proficient at that before Tweeting.
Rory tells Lorelei she went skipped school to visit Jess in New York
— eliza buzacott-speer (@elizabuzacott) September 4, 2013
Lorelei says it "must mean something" that Rory visited Jess. Rory says she still loves Dean and is visibly upset.
— eliza buzacott-speer (@elizabuzacott) September 4, 2013
So, in summary: keep it relevant, keep it brief, include hash tags and links, keep it interactive, don't be afraid of humour, make sure the facts are right and choose accuracy over speed.
(Does it weaken or strengthen my case if I admit that I realise I only used about two of those tips in my live-tweeting practice? I got caught up in the drama.)
Do you feel informed about Gilmore Girls? I hope so. I hope you feel 100% on top of it.
Also, one of my favourite bands favourited a bunch of these Tweets, so we can definitely call the whole thing a success.
Eliza
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