The Twitter tips just keep on coming – this time from Tom Pegg, digital editor of one of the UK’s leading paid-for weeklies, the Mansfield Chad.
Do you recall your first tweet?
Can’t be sure, but an early one was ‘The children are revolting!’ – referring to a story we had about a pupil protest at a school.
How did you use Twitter to begin with?
As a newspaper we first harnassed it during that period last year [2008] when text updates were free – so it made an excellent way to send people news alerts by text. Unfortunately Twitter pulled the plug on UK SMS support just as we’d got a few hundred followers. After we found a new use for by syncing it up to our newspaper’s Facebook profile status bar and our RSS news feeds. Twitterfeed is a godsend! My own personal profile took a bit longer to get going – I think if you’re a journalist representing a newspaper, it’s easy to be a bit self-conscious about finding your ‘voice’ – striking that balance between being professional and yet informal and chatty. After a while I loosened up a little.
How has your use of Twitter changed?
It was only when I started accessing it with my phone’s internet connection that I really became invested in it. By which of course I mean ‘addicted to’. Now I often check up on the Twittersphere before I even get out of bed in the morning. I’m also finding it of increasing value as a helpdesk of sorts – when I need to find out about a new bit of software or get a quick bit of feedback, there’s usually enough of a response that I get what I’m after. The amount of sheer goodwill and willingness to help amongst Tweeters is without a doubt the site’s most remarkable achievement. Is this what the internet was like, back in the day?
What do you want from Twitter?
More followers! No, seriously. I’ve got a nice little network on there so far, but I really need to push myself to build on it. More followers = more sources of information.
Have you attended a tweetup?
Almost – I was planning on attending a Nottingham Twestival but was thwarted by the snow. Maybe I should arrange a Mansfield one…
Have you evangelised Twitter? If so, any success?
In my newsroom – every day. So far I’ve converted three colleagues, with a few more in the wings. It’s all starting to get a little bit competitive now. This is ok though (because I’m winning.).
Do you have any self-imposed policies regarding your use of Twitter?
Only one – always reply to an @TomattheChad tweet.
* How do you see your use of Twitter developing this year?
Not drastically – just bigger and better, hopefully.
[+] Tom Pegg can be found on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tomatthechad and at the Mansfield Chad’s Twitter feed here.
Tags: journalism, social media, twitter
