What has often been known for being a digital pool of information, gossip, and trolling, has now turned a corner in becoming a credible way of sharing important hard news. Twitter, the social media platform famous for its forced brevity of only allowing users to share thoughts that are 240 characters or less, has become an incredibly effective news source and way of sharing information. The Boston Globe is an incredibly prominent news outlet in the greater Boston area, active in publishing content on their website as well as their Twitter page, effectively getting relevant news to its followers in short and concise ways, while also providing backlinks to more content/the full story on their website.
Tweet No. 1
The Globe is incredibly effective when using Twitter’s compact way of sharing information, and does so with a variety of topics and news. One of the many important tweets The Globe posted recently was on October 4 of this month sharing information about what voters can expect to see on their ballot come November as there may be changes as to where alcohol can be purchased in the state. This type of post is incredibly common and effective for The Globe, where they tweet about an important issue or make their readers aware of an important event, but then link to the full story posted on their website. This is a great example of The Globe using Twitter as a tool to get people the gist of important news or information with access to full articles.
Tweet No. 2
Aside from posting important information impacting its community and policy changes, The Globe also posts about important health issues that could affect the Boston area. Also tweeted on October 4, The Globe tweeted about health officials’ predictions and concerns for a difficult flu season and stressing the urgency to get the flu vaccine. Within this tweet, The Globe has done something similar to their previous Tweet, where they highlight the primary issue and reason for posting, but attach the article with full context and information in the tweet itself, allowing the reader to determine if they wish to read further. The reason this Tweet is so effective is because it is again getting the necessary information out to its audience in a short and concise manner while still reaching them and creating impact by being a credible news source.
Tweet No. 3
Last but not least, and also posted on October 4, The Globe posted vital information about the popular Boston 311 app which, according to the City of Boston website, “helps residents and visitors improve City neighborhoods” by allowing users to “report non-emergency issues” including potholes, graffiti, the need for needle cleanup, or broken street signs among other things.
The Globe’s Tweet announces that ten new languages have been added to the 311 app, making it all the more useful and accessible for the diverse Boston area. Though the reader cannot get the full details of which languages have been added, the full article is attached to the tweet and allows the reader to consume as much information about the topic as they like. What is important about this post is that it gives the initial and most newsworthy/important information relating to the expansion of the app.
Final Thoughts
By looking at The Globe’s Twitter, and even for just one day, it’s evident that the news outlet can touch upon hard hitting news within the political, health, and social sectors of its community in incredibly effective ways that don’t involve the need to write extensive amounts of information, but provide resources to that as well. While I wouldn’t make any drastic decisions just by looking at the Tweet and not clicking into one of these articles, they serve as a great jumping point for people who may not traditionally seek out an online newspaper to read. When a reputable news outlet such as the The Boston Globe utilizes popular social media platforms like Twitter, important news and information is integrated into their social media and more accessible to them
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