The words sounded like one tongue-twisted tale of a train wreck—not that such speech would stop Ellyn Angelotti, though.
The interactivity editor and adjunct faculty member at The Poynter Institute spoke eloquently of Twittering and Tweeting — even touching on Twellowing. It was not long before such talk of technology left me with Twittervision (which, conveniently, is now also available online).
Before this clever bit of linguistic hell was unleashed, I found myself caught in the same mindset as nearly every other inexperienced reporter — that of underestimating the level of connectivity needed to stay on top of the news. In the past, I simply looked to post stories online as a means to get my reports to the masses. Then, at home, I would occasionally stay in touch with friends through Facebook. But I failed to realize the power that lies in combining these two online avenues with other Internet-based programs.
Today’s news cycle, according to Angelotti, is much different than it was a few years ago. Instead of one circular path that news takes from the newspaper to the readers and then back, the current of news now flows in a more complex fashion. Blogging, Twittering and online social networks ensure that news is recycled and regurgitated in new forms that ultimately reach back to the reporter. It is often scary to think about, but this Internet-based news cycle is the future of journalism — and is thus exciting to learn.
Story ideas now can be developed further with the contributions of these online communities. News can reach more people than ever before and in a fraction of the time many reporters are accustomed to. I need to immerse myself in this new way of gathering and reporting the news while being connected to those around me.
It may take some time before I fully tackle Twittering. Nevertheless, the information I learned could be summed up in one word: Terrific.
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