Social Media Reality Checks for Journalists (1)

Lekan Otufodunrin

Is it necessary a journalist to know how to use social media ? Should a journalist have social media accounts? Should a journalist be active on the social media?
My answers to the three questions above is YES, YES, YES for any journalist who wants to effectively practice the profession in the present new media age and in the future.
It is a matter of time for journalists who are not new media literate or have little knowledge about the social media to be sidelined in the profession. Traditional media organisations that are working hard to catch up with the competition from new media outlets will sooner or later not have a place for journalists, irrespective of how long they have been practicing, who prefer to remain digital natives, instead of migrating to new media platforms for sourcing and disseminating information.

Here are four social media reality checks every journalist should subject themselves to, to know how well they rank in modern practice of journalism.

1. Social media is not a fad, it won’t fizzle out

If you are one of the old school journalists who believe that social media or ‘social nuisance’ as some regard them, is a fad, wake up from your slumber. Social media is here to stay as alternative means of sourcing and disseminating information.
You can choose to be on only essential ones that are relevant to your beat or position in whatever way you want to, but to stay off completely in the hope that the platforms would not be taken seriously is not in the interest of your future in the profession.
Everyday, new social media tools are being developed and you cannot afford to remain an old school journalist.

2. Your contact details is no longer incomplete without social media accounts

It used to be that contact details included telephone numbers and email address. Not anymore.
What will your response be if you are asked for your Twitter account, Skype name, Facebook address, Instagram account and others.
These and many more are additional contact details journalists in 2016 and beyond are supposed to have and know how to use them. Some vacancies, fellowship and award applications require social media accounts to determine how new media friendly applicants are.
A caller from United Kingdom was recently trying to speak to me about an assignment. She had earlier sent a mail which got drowned in my piles of mails.
When I was not audible enough on phone, she searched for me on Twitter and continued the conversation three the Direct Message option.
I have had to use my Skype account for some discussion with some contacts abroad.

3. Website contents have limited reach without social media

Chances that a story uploaded on a website or blog will be seen by those who don’t visit the website or blog is limited if the link to the story is not shared on social media.
While many organisations share links of the content of their website or blog on social media, individual journalists will do well if they have accounts with large friends and followers to share links to their stories and draw attention to them globally.
The urge to read some website content is more when links to them are on Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms.
A media trainer once told me that unlike in Nigeria, media organisations in Kenya and other countries require that their columnists and other writers have functional Twitter handles to share links to their write ups.
Over time, most of them have thousands of followers who are usually alerted whenever the columns are published.
It is old fashioned for columnists to have only email and phone contacts on their pages. I am shocked that some Nigerians columnists don’t even have twitter accounts and some don’t even have phone numbers for feedbacks.
With the limited number of newspaper copies published by media houses, it is necessary to share links on social media to generate wide readership.
Dele Momodu does this well with his Pendulum column in THISDAY Newspaper on Saturdays.
On a day when Momodu’s column was not uploaded early as usual, Twitter was abuzz with questions about what the problem was.
The conversation on social media about some columns, is much more than the feedback the newspapers can generate.

4. If you don’t have a SM account, impostors will create one for you

I know a very top Nigerian journalist who does not have a Twitter account but has many followers on a fake account bearing her name.
Even for supposedly genuine social media accounts, you have to check carefully to be sure it is that of the prominent person or organisation bearing the name on them.
Verified accounts makes it easy to differentiate between fake and real accounts.
A top Public Relations practitioner recently announced his plans to quit Facebook because of many fake accounts competing with his account.
My advice to him was that he should not. ” If we don’t see the original, we will not know the fake” I wrote in my comment on his post.
While you may think you don’t need a SM account now, you may have to pay a huge amount to buy back one in your exact or preferred name from smart persons who randomly open accounts they know people will need in future.

Otufodunrin, journalist and media career development specialist can be reached on email: lekanagency@yahoo.com, Twitter: lotufodunrin, Skype: lekanskype

To be continued