People reading this blog entry online are probably familiar with many of the ways news is being delivered these days. Those reading it in the newspaper, maybe not so much.
One fun way for news to be delivered in short little bursts, known as tweets, is Twitter. The Port Arthur News has long had a Twitter account — @panews (the at sign is how Twitter accounts are addressed) — and all the stories that are posted on panews.com are “tweeted.” The tweet consists of a headline and a link back to the story on the Web page. So anyone who receives the breaking news on Twitter — such as “Pat Knight, son of legendary basketball coach Bob Knight, hired by Lamar University” — can go with one click to the Web page and read the entire story.
That’s the way lots of people are getting their news these days. They “follow” various people and news organizations. They scroll through the tweets on their smart phones. Once they find something that interests them, such as the headline about the new coach at Lamar, they click on the link and read the full story.
Twitter is also being used to provide live coverage of events. We did our first live coverage, complete with photos, on Wednesday from the Port Arthur Public School Foundation’s State of the School Luncheon. Anyone who was following @rogercowles, and I know at least my sons and a few other people were, received real time reports from the event, including photos of the student jazz band that performed. They were excellent, by the way.
Follow us on Twitter @panews for instant delivery of the headlines on panews.com. Follow @rogercowles and I’ll report on events I attend. We are encouraging (read that gently requiring) other reporters to dabble in the new media too.
If Twitter or other new media are not your regular way of getting news yet, you may be surprised by how it begins to sneak into your life. We’ll be out there in cyberspace with your news whenever you’re ready.
Roger Cowles is editor of The Port Arthur News. Contact him at rcowles@panews.com.
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