The world we live in today. If everyone has a cell phone to document their daily lives, what can we do as journalists to document them? There are thousands of apps out there, at the end of the day it comes down to personal preference, sit back, charge your battery and no need to take notes because this will be available on slideshare afterwards.
Get started with what a tool we know very well. Twitter
Quick searches in Twitter apps.Be specific with searches, use hashtags, twitpic, youtu.be, yfrog, search early on – first 15-30 minutes of breaking news situations , save your searches for faster recalls
Most will, of course, remember that a Twitter user had the first shot of the Hudson landing. Thanks to the proliferation and ease of this tool, a guy on a ferry spread this news around the world.Be specific with searches, use hashtags, twitpic, youtu.be, yfrog, search early on – first 15-30 minutes of breaking news situations , save your searches for faster recalls
Serve your audience on social media – and reach a new oneFeed tweets into your site as a breaking storyUse live tweets as your notesHelps staff communicateStart writing a story in-office from reporters’ live tweets
1) Mix play-by-play with context, background 2) Pass on quotes, who is there 3) Note significant pauses and stops 4) Take questions, respond when possible 5) Be a resource 6) Include photos and videos
Feel free to tell a story in your tweets, these can be saved for your paper or site overage, too
Sort of an instagram for video, share and follow short burst of video. Tout (15 secs) with white labeling, on web, iTunes, Android. A bit more established and professional than VineWSJ reporters use Tout for mobile video reports on World StreamVine – Twitter rpoduct, 6 seconds long. Very new. Lots o’ porn
You can search which of your connections are nearby, as well as other banjo users- about 4 million – Example: Nearby bomb scare, loggin in and searching for people in that area, and reaching out to them. You can also see how you and that person may be connected. Requires smartphone
live video from a scene, no satellite truck required. Qik works on some Nokias and lesser phones. embed your channel onlinesave videospublish to youtube/Twitter/FBUStream works in similar fashion
Mobile publishing!
CoveritLive, ScribbleLive – both paid nowLive chats, live blogsmultiple participantscan add audio, video and photos in real timegreat for live eventsreaders can ask questions too# do with sources# staff
Blogging on the go. Advanced looking sites
Blogging on the go or as a groupCan blog by audio calls, text, emails
Free texts, transcribes your voicemailsCan get a local #Press 4 to record callannounces to everyone it is recordingsaves as an mp3You could also use this service to get readers to call in, as a sort of “sound off” and use their audio responses in a story
syncs note and docs across all devices and the web, recognized text in pictures (great for scanning receipts)share and collaborate on notes with othersrecord audio, take photos and take notes at the same time, they’ll be melded together in sync with one anotherOrganization tool – use it to save docs, websites, etc. into folders. I use it during meetings a lotTweet into it from dumbphone
Access files on the go, across computersGreat for large files, media, massive dumps of docs, etc.
Access your computers from iPhone, iPadSee them as if you were thereFree, but to move files around you need to upgrade to $40 optionAlso can use on Desktop
Also, Siri.If you have a recorded interview on another device, or on TV, you can sometimes use these tools to transcribe them for you by playing them near your phone’s speaker. Depends on the quality.
I just recently learned of this. Record calls or notes, listen on app or online, can also get it transcribed App is free, w/20 mins month of free call recording, saving and sharing.Subscription services for transcribing calls
Access files on the go, across computersGreat for shared reporter docs and mediaWorks on computer tooDFM use
Public safety scanners on the go. Droid, iPhone.
If you have the above apps, ifttt makes it even easierCreate recipes: If this, then that Set it up so things automatically can follow you on the goHow I use it: FB to Dropbox, Diigo to Pocket, Twitter favorites to Diigo and PocketRecipes you create or use others