By Cassy van Eeden
However, there are some features that Facebook offers that journalists may be missing out on by limiting their
online activities solely to Twitter.
Why use Facebook when there’s Twitter?
Although Twitter might
currently be regarded as the more popular platform amongst journalists, the overall
reach of Facebook is often forgotten.
Senior writer for TechCrunch, Josh Constine, reports
that Facebook has 10 times more active
users than Twitter.
Not only does the social media channel give journalists access
to a bigger audience, but it gives journalists more space to work with, allowing
for richer, more dynamic reporting.
Richer content
Twitter limits
journalists to 140 character-long bursts of information, which is great for
breaking news, but it is not conducive to creating a bigger picture. Facebook allows journalists to share
more in one go.
Constine says that the Pages feature on Facebook gives journalists the opportunity to create and share rich
content such as photos, videos and captions that appear in-line with content. He
adds that making use of the poll and questions feature “can engage users while
simultaneously securing additional distribution for a journalist’s posts”.
Vadim Lavrusik, Journalism Programme manager at Facebook, explains that audiences have a fascination with the
journalistic process, and Facebook
allows journalists to share “photos from the scene of your reporting gives
them a glimpse into the newsgathering process and shows your audience that
you’re on the ground”.
Analysis
An important part of being a journalist is to be credible so
that audiences regard you as an authoritative and reliable source of
information. A great way to establish and maintain this reputation is by
spending more time on Facebook.
“Your followers want to hear your personal voice and, more
importantly, your expert analysis on the story you’re sharing," says
Lavrusik.
A deeper connection
New media specialist Lauren Fisher points out: “We’re now coming to expect a more
intimate relationship with the journalist or creator of the story.” She adds
that Facebook is “ultimately a
conversational platform”. This is useful to journalists in two ways:
they can gain a better understanding of their audience while also forging a
deeper bond with them.
Constine says, “Many apps, designed especially for Pages,
can pull demographic and interest data, helping journalists gain insights about
who their audience is.”
Fisher highlights that an important function that
journalists fulfil is “fostering their own online communities to ensure they
still get the best news first”.
“Facebook Pages
can work well in this way, as journalists can create communities of mini news
reporters, that will use the page to post information they find in their area,”
she adds.
So why Facebook, then?
Tweeting may be less time-consuming than creating content on
Facebook. But neglecting Facebook altogether means missing out on
an invaluable opportunity to engage with audiences in a totally different way.
Journalists, which do you prefer? Facebook
or Twitter? Let us know in the
comments below.