JD Lasica encourages news organizations to look outside themselves to engage and share in new communities, technologies and experimentation.
What are three critical ingredients of successful social media projects for traditional news organizations? I’ve asked faculty of Knight Digital Media’s “Using Social Media to Build Audience” class to offer their lists. Here’s JD Lasica‘s list:
1. Leverage the community. “You don’t’ have to reinvent the wheel. There are a lot of resources out there, a lot of community organizations and projects that are built to enhance the conversation,” Lasica says. He encourages news organizations to look at Creative Commons licensing for sharing content, at sharing services including Flickr and at open-source technology that is widely available.
2. Tap into conversations. “We are in the conversation economy now. Don’t think you have to own all the conversations or drive the conversations….It’s not really about control any more. It’s about engagement.” Lasica says news organizations need to broaden their mission and their range. “Go on other platforms, other forums as a participant. See what they’re talking about. See if there’s something you are doing with your organization that can tap into those conversations and add value to them.”
3. Launch pilots. “Don’t spend months and months on a project.” Instead, put together mock ups and bring people in to look at them. “This is all about the idea of using your community as a sounding board.”
