Legal journalists : Twitter handles must be readily available
I am a veracious reader of news, insight, and information via my news reader. I share on Twitter what I believe helpful to the legal and business communities.
Wanting to give credit where credit is due, I attribute the story or post shared to the reporter or blogger. I do this by including their Twitter handle.
It’s also a nice way to build relationships with reporters and bloggers. Relationships that benefit each of us. Me as the CEO of a company wanting to have the ear, or at least be in good graces, with the influencers of my audience.
And the reporter and blogger to have someone who shares stories they’ve written with their trusted audience. Social is at least as important as a direct audience.. Having your content shared by your readers with others who trust your readers more than you is what it’s all about today. Plus the reporter picks up a ready source for a quote or contacts for stories they’re working on.
It drives me mad to have to search in Google and Twitter and find nothing for a legal reporter’s Twitter handle. I am happy to search in Google. I do it all the time for reporters and bloggers by Googling their name and the word Twitter. The handle pops up in a second and I copy and paste it over to my Tweet.
But there are many legal reporters whose Twitter handles I cannot find. Happened a couple times this morning with the ABA Journal. Maybe it’s an oversight, but I would think Allen Pusey (no Twitter account?), the Editor and Publisher of the ABA Journal (and a great guy), would require Twitter handles to be displayed.
For ALM, with its just launched open content on law.com, Twitter handles for reporters, editors and publishers will be critical to build relationships and communicate with readers.
“I don’t use Twitter” is no excuse. Twitter is more powerful than an AP or UPI feed by about one hundred to one. Knowing how to use Twitter well comes with your job.
“I use Twitter, but only personally” is no excuse. It’s your job to make yourself available to connect and engage with your readers via Twitter. Your community of readers and the community of people who follow them is the life blood of a newspaper or other publication.
Looking for an example. Look at American City Business Journals (ACBJ) with 40 metro business journals and a readership of 4 million.
I suggested to them (and I am sure others did as well) that their reporters list up front their Twitter handles. Look at how the reporters’ Twitter handles are now displayed at the top of each article along with their email, LinkedIn, and Google+. 
As a result I am more likely to share stories from ACBJ reporters. I am also getting to know the reporters and connecting with them on LinkedIn.
Looking for legal reporters who are covering the courts across this country and using Twitter? Look at this Twitter list the LexBlog Network (LXBN) created. I use the list from which to share legal stories and get to know reporters.
Not only can being open on Twitter be done, it’s a business imperative to being in the news business today.