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Remember the days pre-Social Media when a local news story would have taken at least 7 days to reach press

Daily Newspaper
HOW LOCAL NEWS USED TO BREAK PRE-SOCIAL MEDIA

THE DAY
Local Story Happens

3 DAYS LATER
Local Discussed Story Endlessly in the Pub at Weekend

1 WEEK LATER
Local Newspaper reports on said story a week or 2 later

6 WEEKS LATER
Letters arrive 6 weeks later on the story when nobody longer cares

TwitterWordOfMouth
HOW LOCAL NEWS BREAKS NOW WITH SOCIAL MEDIA

WITHIN 10 MINUTES
1. Local Story Happens
2. Somebody tweets about said story – but they don’t have any followers so is universally ignored
3. Somebody with more twitter followers tweets said story with a photo – everybody Retweets
4. Social Media savvy local newspaper asks if they can use photo for a news story
5. 1 line exclusive story on newspapers website with twitter photo is published
6. Radio invites tweeter on air for a radio broadcast about the story

WITHIN THE HOUR
7. Every other local website then publishes the story
8. Tweeters with inside knowledge knock the media / others for not having inside knowledge
9. Local politician arrives on scene to tweet photos and commentary
10. The non-social media savvy local newspaper finally pick up on the story 30 mins / 1 hour late and runs their exclusive story

WITHIN THE DAY
11. Facebook users pick up on the story 2 hours later – is mocked by those that tweet
12. Local politician tweets that evening mocking those other party politicians that weren’t on the scene – tallies up political points

3 DAYS LATER
13. People in the pub discuss where they were when they heard the local news on twitter
14. Tweeters mock the people who read it on facebook

1 WEEK LATER
15. Newspaper prints the local news on the frontpage even though it’s old news – includes statement fron politician who wasn’t there
16. People over 65 start discussing the local news

Alex McCann

Author Alex McCann

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