By the people for the people.

1. By the people for the people. Or: What the hell is citizen journalism, and how do I do it?

2. What is citizen journalism Wikipedia says: • Citizen journalism is the concept of members of the public ‘playing an active role in the process of collecting, reporting, analysing, and disseminating news and information.’ Is Wikipedia a reliable source? A perfect example of citizen journalism

3. What you need to be a citizen journalist • A pen • A pad • A mobile phone (optional) • The internet (optional) • The internet • The internet has fuelled the rise of citizen journalism by making media more accessible.

4. OhmyNews http://english.ohmynews.com/

5. Wiki News http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Main_Page

6. Indy Media www.indymedia.org.au

7. 360 News http://www.360ne.ws/

8. The Guardian: Collaborative journalism http://mps-expenses.guardian.co.uk/

9. What makes news? • News values: • Proximity • Impact • Conflict • Timeliness • Weirdness • Currency • The 5 W’s and the H: • Who • What • Where • When • Why • How

10. What you need to know. Boring (but important) stuff • Attribution • Who did you talk to? • Objectivity • Objectivity vs. Subjectivity • Defamation • Can you prove it? • Ethics • Tense • Credibility

11. How to tell a story • Most important stuff first • Always introduce sources/ talent • News – Short sharp style • Feature – Conversational but interesting

12. How to find a story • Stay informed • Read the paper • Talk to people • Twitter • Notice boards • Magazines • Follow a crowd • Luck

13. The impact of social media on citizen journalism • Blogs • Wordpress • Tumblr • Posterous – What I’ll be using today • Twitter • Citizen journalism websites Social media has given people an outlet

14. How twitter can help • It’s a great way to advertise yourself • A great aggregator • Can be source of tip-offs • If you organise it correctly (lists ect) it’s a really easy way to access lots of different content.

15. Twitter clients • A majority of twitter users don’t access the service through the website. • Find a client that suits how you use twitter • Clients: There are hundreds of different ones • Tweetie • Tweetdeck • Seesmic • Hootsuite

19. The art of twitter • Don’t post rubbish, you’ll lose followers. • Keep it simple – You’ve only got 140 characters. • Don’t chase followers, respect them. • Keep your innocence. • Be different – or at least try. • Don’t try too hard • Don’t sell out to commercial competitions

20. Multi-platform journalism • Journos will now head out alone and be expected to return with images, audio and video of their story. • The web provides us with a platform for these different types of media. • Use whatever medium you feel most comfortable in.

21. From source to screen You can get your pictures, audio and video from your story to a blog in less than 10 minutes without a computer. • You will need • An e-mail capable mobile • A blog (I’m using a Posterous account)

22. The best from the rest • There are a few quick things you can do to make your stuff stand out • Photos • Exposure • Rule of thirds • Audio • Good volume • No wind • Video • Still as possible • Have interviewee looking into empty space

23. Don’t forget • Ask questions, a lot of questions. • Get people to spell their names. • People like bright colours and pictures. • Be objective. • Don’t defame anyone. • Don’t feel limited.