newsonaut

Turning inner space into outer space

January 25, 2012

First rule of Facebook: be human

I keep telling myself I should follow the kind of advice given in this Facebook study, but it’s taking me awhile to get into the right mindset. Justin Ellis at Nieman Journalism Lab:

Write about current affairs. Add in a little commentary (or a question). And, for the love of all that is holy, include a link.

Can’t get much clearer than that. Asking questions and telling jokes is also good, they say.

I would add — if “likes” are anything to go by — that it’s also a good idea to emphasize stories that are people oriented. My feel for Facebook is that it is gossipy by nature and that readers are looking for a positive spin. The hard stuff can be left to Twitter for the news junkies.

Link: New Facebook data: Be topical, ask questions, and tell jokes to win audience