SOCIAL MEDIA GUIDELINESWhat does the term social media mean?The term social media refers to tools that allow the sharing of informa-

tion and creation of communities through online networks of people.

What are some examples of social media?There are many different manifestations of social media – and new

ones are being developed all the time. Some of the most common types:

* Social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace, where people connect with one another, form communities around common interests and share content, like news stories, videos, photos and general updates on what’s going on in their lives.

* Blogs, which are generally written by a single person or specified group of people, but where comment fields often allow for a broader dis-cussion among readers.

* Microblogging sites, like Twitter, where a user can send short bits of information publicly that can also be delivered to those who choose to fol-low that user.

* Wikis, where content is collectively created by those who choose to participate in the process.

* Content-sharing services, like YouTube (for video) and Flickr (for pho-tos, video, etc.), where anyone can upload content for easy sharing and discussion with others on the Web.

* Online forums, where participants can share ideas, debate topics and get help with everything from how to roast a turkey to how to take a lap-top apart.

* All sorts of other sites, from dating services to collaborative essay-writing projects.

How do journalists use social media in their work?It varies from journalist to journalist, but these are some common

uses:

* To track down sources – in particular, people who witnessed a news event or were directly affected by it.

* To gather user-generated content, like photos or videos, that a news provider may want to acquire and distribute/publish as part of its news report.

* To look for news tips or discussion trends that might lead to or form a story.

* To produce short-format original content, such as blog items.* To find new sources and keep up with existing ones.* To interact with news consumers directly to inform their reporting

and to promote their work.* To share links that provide an additional entry point to existing con-

tent.* To get a preliminary sense of how members of the public – or at least

social media users – are reacting to an event.

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How, in all formats, do you vet sources found through social media?

The general rule of thumb is that you should apply the same principles used in vetting a source found any other way. But there can be additional challenges, since it can be difficult to verify the identity of sources found online.

Most importantly, you should never simply lift quotes, photos or video from social networking sites and attribute them to the name on the profile or feed you found them under. Most social media sites offer a way to send a message to a user – use this to establish direct contact, over e-mail or phone, so you can explain what you’re working on and get more detailed information about the source.

If a source claims to be an official from a company, organization or government agency, call the place of business to confirm identity, just as you would if a source called on the phone. And if the source provides fac-tual information that’s central to a story, always pursue at least one ad-ditional source for confirmation.

If you come across photos, videos or other multimedia content that you would like to use in your news report, you’ll need to verify the authentic-ity of the piece of content. You’ll then need to determine who controls the copyright of the material and get permission from that person/organiza-tion to use it.

Use particular caution if you find a social networking page or feed that appears to belong to a person who is central to a story, especially if you can’t get confirmation from that person. Phony accounts are rampant in the social media world, so examine the details to determine whether the page could have just as easily been created by somebody else.

How should social media not be used?Social networks should never be used as a reporting shortcut when

another method, like picking up a phone or knocking on a door, would yield more reliable or comprehensive information. For example, if a key question in a story is only partly or indirectly answered by a tweet sent by a government official, don’t settle for that – reach out to the official to find out more. (Though the tweet might also be worth reporting.)

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aggregator A website or feed that amasses content from other sources and assembles it in a form digestible to its users.

API Abbreviation for applica-tion programming interface. A programming format/interface that a website or a piece of soft-ware uses to allow other websites or software to interact with it. For example, an API in eBay’s website lets auction listings appear on other sites.

app Short for application. A program that runs inside another service. Many cell phones allow applications to be downloaded to expand their functions. App is ac-ceptable on second reference.

avatar A version of yourself that you put forward in an online or video game setting. Sometimes bears a strong resemblance to the user; at other times, it is used to act out fantasies of a wished-for identity.

blog A website where short entries are usually (but not always) presented in reverse chronological order, with the newest entry first. Can be news, commentary, photos, video or any combination of the above and other items. Blogs can also be distributed outside the website context via RSS feed.

Bluetooth A standard for short-range wireless transmis-sions, such as in headsets, that enable hands-free use of cell phones.

click-throughs A way of measuring how many people click a link online to see its destina-tion site. Click-throughs are often used to set advertising rates.

crowdsourcing The prac-tice of asking a large collection of individuals online to help gather information or produce ideas. Twitter is one common platform used for crowdsourcing. A blogger or journalist might crowdsource ideas for his or her writing, or a company might crowdsource a commercial from amateur video submissions.

curate The practice of select-ing, packaging and presenting content to the public online in a more personal and hand-picked way, as opposed to automated news feeds. Often used in con-junction with social media.

e-book The electronic, nonpaper version of a book or publication, sold digitally and commonly consumed on an e-book reader or e-reader, such as Amazon's Kindle.

emoticon A typographical cartoon or symbol generally used to indicate mood or appearance, as :-) and often looked at side-ways. Also known as smileys.

e-reader Or e-book reader. Devices such as Amazon’s Kin-dle, Barnes & Noble’s Nook and Sony’s Reader used to display electronic books and other digital publications. Other devices, in-cluding laptops and Apple’s iPad, have e-reader software that can perform similar functions.

Facebook

fan, follow, friend Actions by which users connect to other users on social networks. Friend and fan are typically used on Fa-cebook, while Twitter users follow and have followers. Acceptable as both nouns and verbs.

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Google, Googling, Googled Google is a trademark for a Web search engine. Google, Googling and Googled are used informally as a verb for searching for information on the Internet. Always capitalized.

handle A self-selected, pub-lic-facing username on a social network, particularly Twitter.

hashtag The use of a num-ber sign (#) on the Twitter net-work to convey the subject a user is writing about so that it can be indexed and accessed in other users' feeds. If someone is writing about the Super Bowl, for example, the use of #superbowl could be an appropriate hashtag. No space is used between the hashtag and the accompanying search term.

IM Abbreviation for instant message; sometimes used as a verb IM'ing, IM'ed. Acceptable on second reference for instant mes-saging.

keywords Terms used to de-fine an online search or embed in a file so that it becomes search-able.

LinkedIn

liveblog Snippets of informa-tion about a particular event that are posted online in real time, usually in reverse chronological order, with the newest entry first. Can be used as a noun or verb.

mashup A combination of two or more pieces of content or media to create something new. For example, a video that blends audio from a song with footage from several movies to build a new storyline.

metadata Data about data. Examples of metadata include descriptors indicating when in-formation was created, by whom and in what format. Do not use in a story without an explana-tion of what information is being revealed in a given set of meta-data: Investigators determined that Johnson wrote the document by analyzing its metadata, which indicated that it had been saved on his computer.

microsite A tightly focused group of Web pages typically dedi-cated to a single topic, product or service.

MySpace

retweet The practice, on Twitter, of forwarding a message or link from someone else to your followers. Spelled out in all refer-ences, though common usage on Twitter abbreviates to RT.

RSS An abbreviation for Really Simple Syndication. A protocol for subscribing to and distributing feeds that notify people of new entries on news sites, blogs, pod-casts or other online information sources. Also RSS feed. RSS is ac-ceptable in all references.

search engine optimiza-tion Any of a number of meth-ods, both informal and algorith-mic, used to ensure that online content shows up in search engines such as Google, thus increasing traffic to the content. SEO is acceptable on second reference.

smart phone An advanced cell phone that allows for e-mail, Web browsing and downloadable applications.

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social networks Online net-works such as Facebook or Twit-ter where people share personal and professional information and content, and connect with friends and colleagues.

social media Online tools that people use to connect with one another, including social networks.

status update A short string of words used on social networks to alert followers to a user's recent activities or point them to something of interest.

text messaging/instant messaging Increasingly, terms and symbols used in text and in-stant messaging are showing up in quotations and regular writ-ten exchanges. The following are a selection of the most popular symbols, terms and abbreviations used in texting and IMing.

2 Shorthand for to or too, as in I have something 4 U 2.

4 Shorthand for for.BFF Best friend forever. Often

used sarcastically.BRB Be right back.C Shorthand for see, as in C U

later. Also used in lowercase.capitalization Normal conven-

tions of capitalization are often ignored in IM and text messages because the use of the shift key slows down letter entry.

G2G Got to go.IDK I don’t know.IMO/IMHO In my opinion, in

my humble opinion.LOL Laugh out loud or laugh-

ing out loud. Use to indicate that the sender has found something funny. See also ROFL.

NSFW Not safe for work. Used to alert recipients that upcoming material or attachments may be objectionable in an office environ-

ment. Often used to warn recipi-ents of impending coarse or por-nographic images being sent.

POS Parent over shoulder. Used by teenagers and children to indicate, in an IM conversation, that a parent is approaching.

R Shorthand for are, as in, R U kidding? Also used in lowercase.

removal of punctuation, characters It is acceptable in instant-message and texting con-ventions to remove punctuation and characters, most often vow-els, to save time typing or thumb-ing in letters. Thus, a word like remember could become rmbr or American Idol could be rendered as amrcn idl.

ROFL Rolling on the floor laugh-ing. One step beyond LOL.

thx Shorthand for thanks. Also tnx.

U Shorthand for you.Y Shorthand for why.

trending Used to indicate that a particular topic is get-ting a lot of attention on a social network, typically Twitter. Often used as a verb. Do not use with-out context and explanation. The topic of the Oscars is trending on Twitter today.

Twitter A message-distribu-tion system that allows users to post continual updates of up to 140 characters detailing their ac-tivities for followers or providing links to other content. The verb is to tweet, tweeted. A Twitter mes-sage is known as a tweet.

unfriend To remove someone from a list of friends, usually on Facebook. Also defriend, an ac-ceptable but less common usage.

VoIP Voice over Internet Pro-tocol. A method of transmitting sound as data over the Internet,

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allowing for inexpensive phone conversations. VoIP is acceptable on second reference.

website A location on the World Wide Web that maintains one or more pages at a specific address. Also, webcam, webcast and webmaster. But as a short form and in terms with separate words, the Web, Web page and Web feed. See Web.

widget A small module with a specific purpose that appears on a website, desktop or other interface and allows access to content or functions.

wiki Software that allows a group of users to add, delete, edit and share information on an intranet or Internet website.

Wikipedia An online en-cyclopedia whose entries are created and edited by its users, regardless of a person's expertise. May contain useful links, but should not be used as a primary source of information.

YouTube A video-serving net-work owned by Google Inc. that allows users to upload their own videos for access by anyone with a network connection.