Someone finally gets it.David Carr wrote a piece about political reporting for the New York Times. He said there is no longer one narrative. Thanks to instant and social media, there is just a snapshot of what it going on at the moment.
It's true.
For example, say I'm at a fire. I'm snapping a picture for the web site and firing off a Tweet. I'm then getting set up for a live hit for one of our many newscasts. Facebook will likely be part of the effort eventually. The station has a quite active site. One of my own could be happening soon, and more about that later. I'm not complaining. That's life in 2013, and it's better to be too busy than not busy enough. People demand information at nearly the speed of light, and we do our best to comply.
At the end of the day, I can sit at my keyboard and pound out a few thoughts and things I didn't have a chance to say elsewhere. I guess my blog, nearly nine years old, is part of the media mix.
Now, back to Facebook. I still don't have my own site. I've found Twitter and the blog fill the need quite nicely, thank you. On the other hand, several police departments here in our area are using Facebook as their way of communicating with the media. I feel there are more efficient ways. Evolution, market forces, and other factors have ways of deciding these things, even if the wisest choice doesn't win.
I might be forced into building a Facebook site, and I'll give the issue some contemplation while I'm on vacation. I've often said any journalist who doesn't use all the tools available to him is a fool. Still, something is holding me back. I think I have some work arounds, and I'm testing their effectiveness.
