Why Facebook and Twitter?

My problem with traditional news

One of the problems that I see with journalism is that we are not concise enough and sometimes do not reach the readers in the way they feel we should. With the "journalism renaissance" underway, as Solis alludes to, the media can no longer chose what it wants to report - so for you reporters probing people for stories - go get a Facebook and Twitter accounts. More than likely readers will want to read what you write about because it's something that's on their already discussing. Bank on it! 

 

Twitter statistics provided by istrategylabs.com. 

People, now more than ever, want quality news when they want it, wherever they are. For this reason, journalism needs to find a way to be more mobile, more personal, more focused. Facebook and Twitter appear to be the prescription for getting connected the demands of that community. With outlets such as Facebook and Twitter, people feel they have a constant stream of information from more than just one source and - if it does not provide the full scope of the story. That's where we come in. We, as journalists, need to be able to provide the full scope of what's going on, while keeping the news narrow and local enough so people can relate.

Facebook statistics and demographics provided by Facebook.com

Where do Facebook and Twitter come in? How do they bring it all together?

As we have seen recently, news changes direction in a matter of seconds and Twitter and Facebook bring reader right to the action. It creates a space where people can scan and chose the news they consume in a matter of seconds. Our function of telling readers what to think about is fading. It is our job, now more than ever to keep our stories to the point, accurate and relatable. We need to be the springboard from all other sources of news; this will be key in attracting those who look to Facebook and Twitter for their news. Any news organization adapting to the increasingly technical journalism future should look to many of Mossberg's key catalysts for reinvention:

Personality + Insight + Promotion + Interaction = Visibility and Community