Gustavo Pereyra | My Amplify

Many news organizations

began experimenting with the location-based social network Foursquare

journalists say Foursquare offers the possibility of targeted news distribution and finding on-the-scene human sources during breaking news events

what it was about the articles they did choose that editors thought worked well in this location-based service

how editors were crafting the tips and what their goals were

characterize

feature-y

evergreen

opinion

not hard-core news

useful to people over a longer period of time

successful efforts

film festival guide, a commentary on transit users and reviews of hip urban restaurants

newspaper content

five characteristics:

An opinion, review, guide, or first-person account

Described with the goal of inspiring action

Timeless — or about an event lasting more than 2 days

Foursquare users value immediacy

About a specific location or an activity typically done at a location

Placed at a location where people gather socially

Their goal of promoting engagement seems to have influenced their selection of articles for use in Foursquare

. They chose a narrow range of content that supported the mood of people out on the town, having a good time and looking to explore.

News organizations need to tailor their content to specific platforms, she said

certain type of newspaper content that Postmedia editors thought was suited to this particular social platform.

In other findings:

— Some editors said they formatted key points with bullet lists to help users view recommendations on small screens.

— None of the participants used Foursquare to find sources for stories.

— A majority said they regularly removed tips from Foursquare to avoid presenting users with out-of-date articles.

News content rarely used

Goal is engagement, not monetization

“The ROI on this stuff is going to be five or 10 years. It’s getting people reading your stuff [now] who would never normally read it in any way, shape, or form.”

Foursquare audience was relatively small

ditors said their mai

editors said their main goal was simply to be present where people interact with each other

. They framed this presence in geographic terms: at venues where people use their phones while eating, playing, shopping, and travelling. They also said it was simply important to be present in the social media spaces populated by young, connected adults — such as Tumblr or Foursquare — even if those spaces aren’t yet crowded with users. Read more at www.niemanlab.org