FACEBOOK NEXT STEPS GATEHOUSE NEWS & INTERACTIVE DIVISION AUDIO (877) CODE

Agenda Inner Circle expectations Reasons behind expectations Facebook etiquette Ethics roundup Facebook best practices Post ideas Additional training

Inner Circle expectations Starting in 2013, newsrooms will be asked to post to Facebook every day of the week. Larger newsrooms also will have increased posting expectations. Readers are typically more active on Facebook during the weekends, and we need to reach our audience then. Posting more than twice daily gives more opportunity to promote your brand and content. GOAL Increase our website referral traffic from Facebook for more pageviews.

Inner Circle expectations 1-2 staff members 2 posts per day 3-5 staff members 4 posts per day 6-19 staff members 5 posts per day 20 or more 6 posts per day

Reasons behind the expectations From January through November, GateHouse sites saw impressive increases from 2011 to % Increase in Facebook referrals 8.7M in 2011 to 10M in % Increase in mobile Facebook referrals 365K in 2011 to 765K in 2012

Reasons behind the expectations News consumption on social media sites is skyrocketing 19% of Americans viewed news on social media within the last day - up from 9% in % of adults younger than age 30 viewed news on a social networking site within the last day. Only 13% read a newspaper in print OR digital - Pew Research Center, Sept. 2012

Reasons behind the expectations According to industry best practices and many studies, newsrooms should post 4-6 times a day. A greater frequency of posts drives more page referrals and fan engagement. Studies have shown fan engagement – in terms of clicks, comments and likes – is greater on weekends, and outside of normal working hours during the week. Facebook’s scheduler allows you to schedule posts in advance, so your newsroom can be active on Facebook even on days no one is working.

Reasons behind the expectations An internal study of four GateHouse newsrooms showed impressive traffic gains when Facebook posting was increased Based off recommendations of social media consultant Different sized newsrooms Five or more posts every day Strategic posting times

Facebook etiquette Three rules to live by (1) Have personality, but be professional (2) Be transparent and provide explanations (3) Be responsive and responsible

Facebook etiquette (1) Have personality, but be professional

Facebook etiquette What not to write: “Those lazy windbags barely made this crucial deadline.” or “We should push them off a ‘cliff’ for waiting until the last minute.” Steer clear of actual insults, tone doesn’t always translate

Facebook etiquette (1) Have personality, but be professional

Facebook etiquette What not to write: “Wow, another delay. Who’s running the show over there?” or “Yet another delay. This is like, the never-ending project.” Being funny or cute is fine with the right stories, avoid critical or demeaning commentary

Facebook etiquette (2) Be transparent and provide explanations Reader asks a question abut coverage Editor responds and briefly explains decision

Facebook etiquette Reader expresses disappointment Editor respectfully defends coverage Ends on a positive note

Facebook etiquette What not to do: Ignore the comment Respond with snark or humor Go overboard on detail Let it drag on and on Make sure to: Keep responses brief Be respectful End on a positive note Ask to take the conversation offline

Facebook etiquette Other examples A reader takes issue with an editorial Get editorial writer or board to weigh in Respectfully defend decision Invite other opinions A reader is angry about coverage of sensitive subject, like the death of a teenager Briefly explain your coverage policy Cite examples from industry leaders Do not let the conversation drag on

Facebook etiquette Other examples A reader complains there’s “no news in my paper” Highlight local coverage Ask what they would like to see more of Do not discuss company staffing or budgeting decisions A reader makes a serious accusation Alert your supervisor, investigate the claim Respectfully but strongly defend the employee Do not let the conversation drag on

Facebook etiquette (3) Be responsive and responsible

Facebook etiquette What not to do: Ignore the comment Crack a joke Alert the correct party, without responding Make sure to: Respond to the reader by name Alert the correct party, and tell the reader you have done so Follow up

Facebook etiquette Questions?

Ethics roundup Verifying Facebook sources Being transparent with sources Your personal Facebook page Halting the rumor mill Offensive posts Offensive fans

Ethics roundup On verifying sources: “Verify information separately; interview sources independently of the social networks.” Direct message the fan, ask for phone number Speak to the person, get more information Use your best judgment

Ethics roundup On transparency: “Tell contacts what you are working on, why, and how you plan to use the information they supply. Explain that all information is on-the-record and for attribution.” Don’t just grab quotes Be open and honest Tell them they will be quoted

Ethics roundup On personal use: “You are always a journalist; what you do on your social networking site can and does reflect on you personally and professionally and on the company.” Give it the publisher/grandma test If you post it, someone can find it Be mindful of who you friend

Ethics roundup Halting the rumor mill: Do not publish unverified information you saw on Facebook on your website. “According to Facebook sources” doesn’t cut it Let fans know you are working on verification If you see misinformation, call it out

Ethics roundup On offensive posts: If you accidently post something offensive, remove it immediately and tell your supervisor Deleting the post doesn’t mean you pretend it never happened. Prepare a response. Screen shots will bite you. People commented? Contact those people, deliver prepared response. Publish that response in print and on Facebook, if necessary.

Ethics roundup Offensive posts, cnt. If you are the editor, and have reporters posting to your Facebook page, train, train, train. Ask to review posts when the reporter is just starting out Provide examples – have the reporter look at other GateHouse pages Monitor the reporter’s posts

Ethics roundup On offensive fans: Block offensive fans. Your Facebook page is a representation of the entire organization. Politicians and political groups are fine Extreme political, social or religious groups are not Use your best judgment, explain yourself

Ethics roundup On obnoxious fans: Don’t let your page become a dumping ground for someone else’s cause. Don’t address the person in public. Private message, tell them to knock it off. Be clear - it’s not their message, it’s the volume. Some posts are OK. Delete, delete. Don’t let others get ideas.

Facebook ethics Questions?

Facebook best practices Time your posts Inner Circle requires posts seven days a week. Schedule posts to meet this requirement on Facebook, or using a social media dashboard. Weekend posts do not have to be hard news.

Facebook best practices Time your posts Use a scheduler to post content during times of peak engagement – every day of the week. 7 a.m. 11 a.m. 4 p.m. 7 p.m. 11 p.m. Facebook best practices

Ask a question when you can Posts that ask a question receive more feedback than raw links or commentary.

Facebook best practices Post other content in addition to hard news Promotions Online poll Sports Callouts Reader submissions Entertainment, lifestyle Comments on national stories More ideas at end of presentation

Facebook best practices Add your (nice, mild) opinion or prediction Commentary pays off - with 20% more referrals, according to a Facebook study. But be positive. Good: “We think running back Joe Smith will set a new record in tonight’s game.” Bad: “We think the local sports team will get slaughtered in tonight’s game.” Good: “The new high school is going up fast – we think construction will be complete on time.” Bad: “Wow, things are moving slow at the high school. Construction looks never-ending.”

Facebook best practices Include a photo: Photos got 50 percent more referrals, according to Facebook. Be wordy: Four or five line posts get the most feedback Choose your topics: Education, politics Have good timing: Thursday - Sunday posts get the most referrals and feedback, and before work/after work Use fun language: Clever wording, puns attract more likes and referrals

Resources Mike Turley corp.gatehousemedia.com Sarah Corbit corp.gatehousemedia.com More information can be found in the 2013 Inner Circle Handbook. Download at Contact your content team manager: Carlene Cox corp.gatehousemedia.com Brad Jennings corp.gatehousemedia.com

Resources HootSuite basics Brief tutorial on how to use HootSuite, a social media dashboard, to time-stamp posts for Facebook and tweets for Twitter. When: 2 p.m. Central, Tuesday, Jan p.m. Central, Wednesday, Jan. 23

Resources Twitter for Reporters A basic session for reporters who have little or no experience with Twitter. Training will cover how and when to tweet, how to gain followers and will explain basic Twitter terminology. Also included will be ideas for posts, ethical boundaries and how to time-stamp posts to appear on non-working days. When: 2 p.m. Central, Thursday, Jan. 24

Resources "Coming in Print" Explains the strategy behind “Coming in Print” and offers suggestions on how to write engaging promotions. When: 2 p.m. Central, Friday, Jan. 25

Resources Seen-on-scene photo galleries Covers how to maximize time spent taking and uploading seen-on-scene galleries and effectively translate those efforts into page views. Includes suggestions on where to shoot seen-on-scene galleries. When: 2 p.m. Central, Tuesday, Jan. 29

Facebook etiquette Questions? Up next Facebook post ideas (Log off if you’ve seen it)

Examples, examples The Facebook “Mom, I’m bored” list A roundup of 30 any-time posts to liven up your page 1- Group shots for tagging 2- Vote on online poll 3- Every video you ever post 4- Every photo gallery you ever post 5- Something upcoming from events calendar

Examples, examples 6- New blog post 7- Weather updates 8- Random pictures around town 9- Online only canned content 10- Questions about national stories

Examples, examples 11- Stuff your newsroom is doing 12- Comments on national sports 13- Sweet deals, freebies 14- Gratuitous cute kid photos 15- Historical photos

Examples, examples 16- Cool story quotes 17- Political cartoons 18- Entertainment-driven commentary 19- Local editorials, columns 20- Local sports predictions

Examples, examples 21- Gratuitous pet photos 22- PDF of cool print design 23- Local athlete stats 24- Popular on our site 25- From the archives

Examples, examples 26- Newsroom poll (keep it clean) 27- In case you missed it 28- Share a fan’s post 29- Random “It’s (blank) day!” 30- Shameless Twitter promotion

FACEBOOK NEXT STEPS GATEHOUSE NEWS & INTERACTIVE DIVISION