According to the Reynold’s Center, more than 300,000 businesses use Facebook. As a journalist, you can have both a personal Facebook page and one for your professional life as a reporter or an editor. For the latter, it would behoove you to link up with those in your industry who are posting updates regularly. While this information isn’t exclusive, it can lead to story ideas. More importantly, conversations that begin here lead to relationships, which is the whole point of social media anyway.
Facebook, after all, is essentially an interactive yearbook of sorts. If you’re a reporter covering the construction industry and you went to high school or college with someone who is now a general manager at ARCO/Murray or Pulte, you would get in touch with them in the hopes that they might be a source for one of your stories. Instead of dusting off a hardcopy yearbook and digging through a phonebook, search the site for the name of the company. (You can also find your former classmate, but unless you were good friends in school, you might not want to befriend them here to start.)
Many articles explain the general rules about using Facebook, and most of them emphasize that you should be active on it. This has proven to be worthwhile for many journalists who found sources, quotes and story leads by checking into the site at least once a day. For example, David Hale, currently the Philadelphia Phillies reporter for the News Journal in Delaware, told inVocus in a previous interview that Facebook helped him connect with players. Formerly a sports reporter for the Macon Telegraph, Facebook allowed Hale to get in touch with members of the University of Georgia football team who weren’t always readily accessible. Since they checked their pages regularly, he noted it was easier to get questions answered. Hale may already be a guru, but this article is for those who are new to social media and are looking for more of a step-by-step set-up to walk you through Facebook.
You can start connecting with as little as a handful of companies at first. Company Facebook pages are not like private individual’s pages in the sense that you cannot “Friend” a company. Your options are Add to My Favorites, Suggest to Friends, and Subscribe via SMS. The last option requires updating your phone for mobile alerts and extra charges may apply. Adding a company to your favorites should stream their posts to your Homepage. When you log in, you’ll be able to read their news like a streaming wire service.
Of course, communication goes both ways. Once you’ve set up your profile (and you might want to set your Account Settings to Everyone if you’re only using this for work), you’ll want to post on your Wall, or personal Homepage, links to articles you’ve written lately so people can get an idea of what you cover. From your Homepage, choose Share: Status. Copy and paste your link here with a brief explanation of what it’s about. This also creates a way for you to promote yourself as a writer. These links shouldn’t be the only thing you post. Remember, you’re a human being, not just a writer or an editor. There has been some debate over whether or not personal opinions should be shared on this type of platform. After reviewing your company’s social media policies, you’ll have to make that decision for yourself. Calling attention to things you find interesting as it relates to your industry are fine. If you were at an industry conference, what types of things would you say at the lunch table?
If a company posts something on your Wall, try to respond, but keep it short. There’s no need for long comments here. If a company or person wants to send you a longer message, they can do so privately if you accept their acquaintance. This is where the gold nuggets are discovered, after you’ve come to know each other in a sterile, public space. A deeper, more meaningful conversation can take place by sending messages or exchanging phone numbers. Just keep in mind that if your settings are on Everyone and you put your phone number on your Wall, everyone on the Internet can see it.
Don’t forget to check in on a regular basis. Like e-mail, Facebook will be waiting for you when you’re ready. Once you begin relying on contacts here for story leads, time will be of the essence. You’ll want to go to Account Settings and chose Notifications. You’ll see options like Sends You a Message and Adds You as a Friend. Check the box under the e-mail column (unless you want to receive text messages). Now, every time someone has something to say to you, you’ll receive an e-mail to whichever e-mail account you entered when you signed up.
Be careful which e-mail account you use. I know someone who, when she first signed up, used a fake name and birth date, but her real e-mail address, which had her real name. This is how her friends found her, by searching for her e-mail address in the white box near the top of the page. Just use your judgment, be honest and give it a try. It’s a competitive edge that’s free and can be highly rewarding.
— Rebecca Bredholt
