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Twitter is classed as a micro blogging site and Facebook classed as a social networking site… but what does this mean?

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As social media is playing a more active part in many organisations, WebCertain MD, Andy Atkins-Kruger decided to hold a Twitter Training session, the idea being to maximise website traffic and to enhance company engagement with their audience. After all, social media is a cost-effective marketing solution with real time search benefits.

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The use of social networking and blogging is growing increasingly popular every day, with more and more people looking to find reviews and true product knowledge on all topics. From finding what a specific holiday destination is truly like from real life experience of a blogger, to using Twitter for recommendations of restaurants and cafes in a certain city. The use of online networking has escalated to new heights, in a positive way; this will continue to rise in the future.

Blogs and forums are used to promote products / services and to inform people about issues which you may need to research about a product, or for example, DIY to give you up-to-date information. Many people use forums to get information they need, not necessarily to join one. News stories from bloggers aren’t always dependable, although many people do find blogs for product reviews.

Social media is also advantageous in real life experiences, i.e. following selected people on Twitter can be beneficial, as Jenny, our online news and PR manager discovered. Also, the news on the Hudson Plane crash posted on Twitter was passed around the world faster than any of the media coverage on satellite or cable TV.

With social networking you tend to build your own portfolio and web presence, creating links to people you know or people who may be of interest to you, generating a network, whether personal or professional.

Blogging is all about giving your opinion on a subject and can be more educational, unless you have your own site you’re not going to be building a web presence. Blogging can go from giving your opinion on a subject matter to reviews of products or services.

Both blogging and social networking are very different, yet can offer the similar routes to problem solving and product knowledge, getting you the information you need.

Accidental good timing for a seminar on blogging last week which led to a good old discussion about journalistic standards (or the lack of) amongst bloggers.  A big row had just blown up between a blogger and the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) because the blogger had published of allegations against an NUJ official, based on data retrieved from their email server. 

The controversy escalated when a senior member of the NUJ posted short-tempered comments reacting to the blogger’s activities, in the process, outing the full name of the colleague being accused of unprofessional behaviour.

The Guardian took the story up in a big way and the controversy continued as the writer of The Guardian’s think-piece is actually married to an NUJ member who was also posting comments on the original blog post (this was stated on his article). [Edit - see clarification in comments, she is actually an ex-member]

Hope you are following this…

NB – let me declare my interests in this (limited though they are). Our blogging seminar leader was Martin Belam, another employee at The Guardian. Also, a few years ago I had an NUJ training course arranged for me by someone right at the heart of the scandal. Yes, yes, I do move in the right circles…

To a career journalist working for a serious publication / outlet there are complex rules and standards about reporting, such as – never depend on a single source for information, don’t publish opinions as facts etc. etc.

Should bloggers follow the standards of reporting as employed by organisations like the BBC and Reuters? 

Here’s my twopennorth –

Blogs are not reports
From the very earliest days of blogs, there has always been the understanding that a blog is somewhat personal – in other words an “op ed”, or “opinion piece”.
(NB, the word “blog” is an abbreviation of weblog, meaning a journal)

Are the navel gazing “In my life” columns that feature in all our major newspapers subject to the rigorous fact-checking processes that a news report is subject to?  No, I don’t think so. In fact, I would guess some of them they have pretty obviously been dashed off in the last half hour before deadline with only the slightest bit of thought!  (Yes, that is professional jealousy…)

However, of course some standards should be met and many bloggers are completely unaware of even their most basic responsibilities.

I am a journalist by training, over the years working primarily on features and marketing content.

Nevertheless, I still have a hazy memory of McNae’s Essential Law for Journalists and therefore do my very best not to libel anyone, make wilful mis-statements (no matter how riled I am) or affect the proceeding of active court cases. 

Everyone blogging should adhere to these basic principles, but they don’t.  Yes – I’m looking at you Perez Hilton!

Basics

1. Don’t publish immediately after writing. Take a break, walk away and ideally get someone else to take a look at what you’ve written.
2. Don’t call Mr So-and-so down the road a paedophile, whether because you think it’s a funny thing to say, or if you really think he is one (if so, go to the police!). Furthermore, don’t even hint that someone on your road is a paedophile – technically anyone who fits your vague description could sue you.
3. Don’t panic if someone contacts you to argue about what you’ve written and don’t respond immediately! Take another look, ideally with a second pair of eyes, and see if you think you were fair.

   There are lots of ways to deal with complaints – valid or otherwise.  Often giving a complainant the right-to-reply suffices. Almost always, a friendly response is the sensible option and if your correspondent turns out to be irrational – end the conversation immediately.

4. Never, ever steal information…

There are lots of other legal considerations.  If you think there are any that bloggers should regard as a priority, please add a comment.  Thanks.

The UK’s Community Secretary Hazel Blears has launched an attack on the “vicious nihilism” of the political blogosphere.

She partly blames the political apathy in the UK on the attitude of the bloggers (or at the very least makes the connection between the two).

This is very much in contrast to the huge impact blogging, social bookmarking, YouTube etc. have had on the American Election, with the re-energised electorate.

I think we can all agree that blogging is a hugely important part of any political campaign…