Photo: Jay Westcott
Mandy Jenkins, formerly the social media editor of TBD, and soon-to-be social media manager for Huffington Post Politics, has been busy blogging away about social media best-practices for news brands over at her blog, Zombie Journalism.
“The key to communicating as a news brand – especially when many people are behind the curtain – is to have a set persona in mind,” Mandy says in one of her posts. “If the brand were a person, who would they be?”
Mandy has managed the social presences of TBD and the Cincinnati Enquirer, and we shot her a few questions over the weekend asking her about her experiences with both.
Lost Remote: Was there a different plan of attack, social media-wise, when you were at the Cincinnati Enquirer (print legacy) vs. TBD (TV legacy)?
Mandy: There was a different plan of attack between TBD and The Enquirer, but it wasn’t rooted in the type of media. When I developed the first social media policy for The Enquirer, I was on my own and flying blind. It was all about experimentation with our most popular features, training reporters on social media, developing new social tools and, essentially, winning over the staff. Keep in mind, that was 2008, before even the NYT was on Twitter. Any social media projects undertaken had to be done by me, along with the rest of my work, which limited the scope a little.
At TBD, we had a few years of experimentation coming in, a full community engagement staff to work with and a staff hired with a social vision in mind. The plans were more free-flowing and experimental, as we had more people contributing ideas and able to carry out those plans.
This difference is most likely due to the fact that the legacy product was in no way involved with planning social strategy. That said, WJLA (the TV station affiliated with TBD) did end up being a very valuable asset to breaking news on Twitter by contributing their assignment desk resources to the process, something a newspaper just isn’t built to do.
LR: How engaged in social media have the newsrooms you’ve worked in been? In each case, how has that affected your planning for a social media strategy?
Mandy: The difference in staff participation was different, but not so much in quantity. At the Enquirer, I had gotten quite a few reporters into social media (mostly Twitter) and had a rotation of online editors to keep the brand account manned days, nights and weekends. What we didn’t have, though, was a social-first news process.
At TBD, every staff member had a role in social and it was foremost in our daily news coverage (due in part to the contributions from WJLA’s assignment desk). In terms of the branded accounts, however, we didn’t have the available personnel to staff it as often and as thoroughly as I would have liked. It was a constant struggle to know when to walk away each day.
The commitment to social was definitely stronger with the TBD staff, I think because it was such a key part of our original mission. Even after loads of training and strategic talk at the Enquirer, the commitment to the legacy product was still very strong, making it so some reporters would routinely withhold news from social channels. It was a constant process. I’m not sure how it is now, but I hope it’s become more routine.
LR: What is the most essential skill (or skills) you’ve picked up in order to become an effective social media editor/manager?
Mandy: I believe there’s only one skill that is absolutely required in a good social media manager — and that’s a willingness to experiment without fear of failure. I can’t tell you how many tools I’ve tried and sites I’ve signed up for over the years just to see how they might work for my newsroom. I consider none of it a waste.
Check out some of Mandy’s posts over at her site: