APSE

By Brad Kane, Patriot-News staff writer

A report from the Mid-Atlantic Region workshop, held Nov. 14 in Philadelphia:

If you’re not on Twitter, you’re behind the times. So go open an account. Now. 

It’s a vital application in a world where readers want up-to-the minute news. That’s something newspapers themselves can’t provide, but reporters certainly can.

And if you don’t believe that, here’s a list of Twitter tips, compiled and presented by Kate Fagan of the Philadelphia Inquirer and Stefanie Loh of The Patriot-News.

They’re all delivered in 140 characters or less…

–For sports, everything happens first on Twitter.

–It’s a beacon.

–It usually happens on Twitter an hour before it happens online.

–It’s not a megaphone. That’s the number one mistake you can make.

–Stay engaged. The more people you follow, the more will follow you.

–An example of what not to do: ESPN analyst Jay Bilas has 2,000 followers, but follows no one himself.

–Your number of followers go up when you break actual news vs. conjecture.

–Identity on Twitter is built through people who use links.

–Your first order of business is to tweet news, then blog it, then tweet about the blog, then write for print.

–In a competitive market, using Twitter can give you an edge.

–It used to be “why blog it if it’s going to run in the paper,” now it’s “why blog it if it’s on Twitter.”

–Use Twitter for linking your stories elsewhere.

–High school athletes aren't using Twitter as much as college or pro players. Yet.

–If you talk to a player or coach, don’t hesitate to put what they said on Twitter right away.

–Consider all of that info printable, so therefore it can go on Twitter, too.

–Putting up new info is OK. Don’t be afraid.

–Make sure to use something like tinyurl (tinyurl.com) to shorten link URL’s. Remember to use hashtags, which are a filing tool for tweets.

–One very important thing to remember: the best tweets stay within the 140-character constraint, so make sure to almost never go over that. So keep them short!