It's a two-way street this internet stuff

ONE of the biggest errors newspapers have made in recent years is to forget that they are part of a community.

In the past newspapers were often at the centre of things, so every cough and sniff was covered, which is what readers wanted, and still do.

Over the years newspapers put barriers between themselves and their readers, in a physical sense many local offices were closed and in a community sense they began to ignore and dismiss what readers were doing.

The internet has now made it possible for 'birds of a feather to flock together' and so local community groups and organisations no longer need newspapers in the same way as the past.

Unfortunately few newspaper management teams have broken out of the newsroom and looked to engage with these groups online, and been what many call a platform, Jeff Jarvis describes how magazines could provide this.

But when newspapers do try to use some of these new tools and online destinations, they still only look to use them to 'push' content out to readers - blissfully unaware that they are in a push'n'pull world, one where communities and individuals are sharing and helping each other.

A case in point this morning is the use of Twitter by the Lancashire Evening Post (LEP) as it looks to source comment from people who experienced an earthquake that shook homes across the north of England.

They sent out a tweet saying: "A minor earthquake has been felt in Fleetwood, Thornton and in north Lancashire - anywhere else folks? Please email lep.newsdesk@lep.co.uk"

And Twitter is a good way of picking up feedback and comment from people, but it works both ways.

Since the beginning of April the LEP twitter account has sent out around 30 messages, a mix of automated headlines, tweets to get people to buy the newspaper and the odd joke or observation.

It replied to one other person on Twitter in an attempt to get a story, but didn't forward the comments, or retweet, any messages from the local Preston community in that time.

And newspapers wonder why they are being ignored, its a two-way street remember.

Want to see how an organisation uses Twitter effectively? Follow the Dogs Trust.

Comments

[Ed Walker]

I was surprised when I first started Preston Blog that the Lancashire Evening Post wasn't on twitter. It soon got on it, but as you say it seemed to miss the boat. I don't see many people tweeting at it or interacting. Meanwhile, the local community blog has more followers and more people it is following than the local newspaper. It's weird how the LEP don't seem to follow people back. Local media. Fail.

[Craig]

Hi Ed, your use of Twitter is a great example of seeing the internet as a two-way street.

Help readers and they'll help you in many and varied ways.

Looking forward to reading more in the future about your plans for the Preston Blog.

All the best, Craig