It’s difficult to remember every possible tool you can use when news breaks, which is why we have a breaking new checklist to follow at DesMoinesRegister.com.
We don’t do everything on the list in every situation, but it’s a good reminder of the many tools that are available, both to promote the news and to enhance the reader experience around the news.
Here’s a list to help you start your own breaking news checklist:
Promote the news
- Post to Twitter
- Send breaking news text alert
- Send breaking news e-mail alert
- Post to Facebook
- Send update to Facebook fans
- Send a message to MySpace friends
- Create a widget so others can add news to their site
- Send to Drudge
- Post to Reddit
- Post to Digg
- Send to Fark
- Post to del.icio.us
- Post to Newsvine
Tools to use on your site
- Start a discussion forum
- Create a poll
- Start a breaking news blog
- Should any of your staff bloggers promote on their blog?
- Are there community members who can blog about this topic?
- Link to blogs outside your site
- Ask readers to submit photos
- Create a live chat
- Create a hastag for Twitter/Flickr/etc.
- Ask readers for YouTube videos
- Add a Google locator map
- Create a Google map that allows readers to add content
- Create a searchable database
- Q&A with reporter or editor or source
- Ask Twitter followers for feedback or help
- Add links to more coverage elsewhere on the web
- Create a site that captures social media conversation on the topic
Download this list as a PDF document.
What other tools should be on this list? Please share them in the comments area.
Photo credit: hyperscholar on Flickr
