Recap - Meet the Technology Editors

On Tuesday evening, November 17, a group of New England’s most celebrated tech journalists descended on the Fama offices in Cambridge to discuss their field in the age of social media.  As the de facto hotbed of high tech, Massachusetts is the home to a plethora of print and online technology publications.

After a brief introduction of each of the panelists, moderator Kevin O’Mara from AMR Research opened the discussion by questioning whether social media will ever replace traditional media.  The group was unified in their response: the spectrum of social media is so broad, the multitude of uses so great, that there will always be a place for traditional media.

That’s not to say the two forms of media shouldn’t be integrated. Each panelist had an implicit understanding of what it takes to be competitive and successful in the social media age – and broadcasting traditional content over a non-traditional medium is king.  Wade Roush from Xconomy pointed out that his site has been spending time writing about the practice of social media and building a critical mass of information before they roll out the implementation of tools like Facebook and Twitter.  The end goal for Xconomy, Wade said, is to focus on content that draws in quality readership. Sheer visitor tallies are not the be all, end all for Xconomy – so they’re always looking to create content that is going to attract the right reader.

Jim Kerstetter from CNET and Laurie McLaughlin from CIO agreed.  For CNET, the time visitors spend on the site is actually the most important metric of all.  To do this, the staff at CNET develops content that is both thought provoking and encourages conversation.  Laurie specifies content that will attract repeat visitors.  Jackie Noblett from Boston Business Journal and Mass High Tech is conscious of that, too – and captures her following by ensuring breaking news is up on the site as quickly as possible.  Each panelist maintained the importance of creating unique content under their own personal or publication brands – corporate sponsored material smacks of advertorial.

Upon knowing exactly the kind of content the panelists were partial to, Kevin questioned how each preferred to produce content – from both an outbound and inbound perspective.  The reporters were vehemently opposed to tweeting for sources – “it’s the easiest way to get yourself scooped,” Jim said.

To at least some extent, tech journalists rely on the social media version of the star system – digital personalities that are heralded as providing valuable information frequently and are propagated across several channels— for story sources. You have to work hard to be successful in the star system.  But there is plenty of room in the system for veritable “unknowns” who consistently bring valuable content to the table.

So as a PR practitioner, how do you pitch these reporters, aside from knowing what each likes to cover in the social media age? Overall, it’s important to keep communication simple and pitches short. But more than that:

Wade: it’s important to inject some personality into your communication.
Jim: Don’t cold call. Deliver on your promises and cut to the chase with intelligent commentary.
Jackie: Don’t call and email. Send fewer emails and fewer words.
Laurie: E-mail works best – but Twitter is even better. Character count forces PR practitioners to be more concise than ever before.
 

The thread that traditional media and communication will hold strong in the digital age continued here.  Each panelist agreed that old fashioned, personal contact with reporters accentuates whatever social media practices are in place.  “The world is flat,” said Jackie.  “We shouldn’t look at social media as a ‘blasting service’ and forego relationship building completely, or the entire practice will lose all value and potential.” 

So is the outlook bleak for tech journalism as we know it? Luckily, no.  “It’s never been easier to be journalist,” said Wade.  “Social media is giving us access to information we never had before.”