Find and review the Twitter accounts of three reporters:

1. One from a national news organization (CNN, New York Times, Washington Post, etc.)
2. One from a regional/local news organization (Centre Daily Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, or your local newspaper)
3. Another one of your choice - this can be a sports reporter, entertainment reporter, or other news person that you follow.

Please include the name and twitter handle of each reporter in your assignment, along with answers to the following questions:

• How many times do they tweet in a given day?
• How much do they engage with their followers? Is it too much, not enough, or the right amount?
• Do you gain information from their Twitter account that you would not gain from solely reading their stories online?
• What is one suggestion you have for how they can be more effective on Twitter?
• Of the three people you looked at, who do you think is most effective and why?

My answer to these questions below! Do you agree or disagree with my answer?

National: NBC

Peter Nicholas, @peterreporter

How many tweets in a day: One original tweet, two or three retweets, and at least five retweets for important subjects.

Engagement with followers: Just enough, but mostly to other journalists.

Gained information: No, it appears that every tweet is just a link to the online article.

Suggestion to be more effective: Engage with followers who aren't journalists. Ask questions and start conversations to see how people are feeling about certain subjects.

Local: Houston Chronicle

Anna Bauman, @abauman2

How many tweets in a day: One original tweet, one or two retweets, but she can go a few days to a few weeks without activity.

Engagement with followers: Most of her engagement is centered around retweets, usually with other journalists from the Houston Chronicle.

Gained information: Most of her tweets are links to the online article, which unfortunately you must have a paid subscription to read, making it difficult to learn about what is going on in the community. The retweets provide links to articles from other journalists, but most also require a paid subscription. Bauman will occasionally provide extra information as an add-on to a tweet, so in this case, extra information is gained. For example, she will add to a recent tweet with information from a follow-up interview with someone who was mentioned in the original article.

Suggestions to be more effective: This is not Bauman's fault, but it would be nice to have the freedom to read the articles that are being tweeted. I think Bauman can tweet and engage a little more because she seems to go a long time without activity, and I don't think I saw any engagement with followers who aren't journalists.

Entertainment: The Hollywood Reporter

Chris Gardner, @chrissgardner

How many tweets in a day: One to three tweets per day.

Engagement with followers: Lots of engagement with all followers, from everyday people to journalists, authors, hosts, and film producers.

Gained information: Lots of behind-the-scenes footage of events that are difficult to find elsewhere. Lots of tweets that feature information that is not linked to any articles.

Suggestions to be more effective: None

Out of all three of the reporters, the most effective was Chris Gardner from The Hollywood Reporter. His tweets feature information that is only available from him, and they are engaging. I can tell he puts a lot of effort into responding to his peers and followers. Even though this information isn't breaking news or anything that affects the welfare of the country, it's still news, and Gardner does a great job at keeping his audience up-to-date and informed.