Social Media

The Crimson Student Press Network (@theCSPN) Twitter account is the most popular single news source throughout all of J&C. It has over 1,800 followers. It is followed by nearly every news outlet in the city, and also by reporters personally. We’re followed by JCPS officials and city officials of all kinds. It’s followed by journalism educators elsewhere (colleges, high schools, etc.) The account is so well known, it is often asked by administration to push out announcements through CSPN. When errors go out on CSPN, they are noticed right away. Triple-check your tweet for accuracy & spelling. If possible, have a second person look at it before you send it. You get one shot at controlling CSPN. Unfortunately, we’ll revoke access over small problems because the magnet’s credibility is on the line. What follows are DOs and DON’Ts of using the CSPN Twitter account:

DO...

• maintain the CSPN’s voice as a neutral disseminator of information, but clever or interesting phrasing of headlines are encouraged.
• craft your tweets to maximize audience interaction. You can use questions, listicle-style headlines, etc.
• follow current Manual students, teachers, student organizations, and publications. The CSPN tries not to follow anybody who doesn’t fit into that category.
• promote the CSPN: the latest Off the Record or Manual AM, yearbook & One Blue Wall sales, etc.

DO NOT...

• use the retweet button on any accounts except other official Manual J&C publications, and do so sparingly (example: RT’ing a significant One Blue Wall deadline 1-2 times a week is okay). If you must draw attention to someone else’s tweet (such as @ManualAthletics, @dupontmanual, @courierjournal, etc.), summarize the tweet and then embed a link to their tweet in yours. For example:

Manual 9th grader wins Tiger Run: https://twitter.com/ManualAthletics/status/505920442121482240

• use manual RTs either.
• use abbreviations, slang, or other informal language.
• engage in informal conversations with your audience. You can answer direct questions (is tomorrow a red day? is there a pep rally this Friday? what time is the game tonight?) but that’s it.
• use @theCSPN as a personal platform, a forum for disputes, partisan politics, sports fandom, etc.
• tweet “Go Crimsons,” “Beat Male,” or anything along those lines.
• put all the important info from an article in the tweet text, because then there will be no reason to read the actual article.
• force your followers to click a link just to find simple info, like a name or a date. (“Coach Lucas reveals date of Back to School Dance,” for example.)
• use Favorites, unless you are favoriting someone's reply, manual RT, or other interaction with or acknowledgement of @theCSPN. For example, if anyone compliments the CSPN’s reporting on a topic, it's OK to favorite that.
• promote anyone’s project that’s for personal gain. For example, if someone is selling duct tape purses, the CSPN wouldn’t report on it. However, it would do so for ring light selfies and other J&C or school-related fundraisers.
• promote events - cover them. For example, if the Key Club is organizing a fundraiser, the tweet should say: “The Key Club is selling homemade pies in the courtyard after school today until 2:45 PM.” The tweet should not say: “Get your DELICIOUS homemade pies in the courtyard after school today!!! Only $5!!!”

Livetweeting guidelines

• You must send out one tweet at the start and end of the event that announce the event's beginning and conclusion. Example: "The SBDM meeting is starting in a few minutes. Follow us for live updates." ... "That concludes this month's SBDM meeting."
• Livetweets should include quotes and multimedia (photos and videos) whenever possible.
• When livetweeting a sports event, include names and numbers of players. (This information is usually available from the coaches in advance. Plan ahead.)