A post on Twitter, the most popular "micro-blogging" service, is limited to 140 characters, so the site is far from a serious journalistic tool, right? Maybe not. Marshall Kirkpatrick at ReadWriteWeb recently explored ways you can enhance your work with Twitter. Kirkpatrick notes four ways he and his staff use Twitter for journalism:

• Breaking news
• Interviews
• Quality assurance
• Promotion of online work
  

He offers some interesting anecdotes to back up just how serious Twitter journalism can be:

Zoli Erdos chronicled last month how Twitter users beat government agencies and the world's (formerly) leading news organizations in reporting on March earthquakes in both China and Japan.

and

When we got to interview Mark Zuckerberg at SXSW this year, we solicited interview questions via Twitter.

If you're ready to write your first "tweet" (a post on Twitter), here's the signup page. And if you need a quick introduction to what Twitter's all about, check out the video on the home page. (Click the red "Watch a Video!" button.)

For a peak at how other journalists are using Twitter, check out:

• http://twitter.com/nytimes
• http://twitter.com/cnn
• http://twitter.com/bbc

Also, read Fons Tuinstra's recap of Twitter's role in documenting the earthquake in Sichuan, China.

We also invite you to read Poynter's very own Twitter feed.

And here's the link to the original ReadWriteWeb post: How We Use Twitter for Journalism.

The Radio and Television News Directors Foundation's (RTNDF) High School Broadcast Journalism Project has a component devoted specifically to broadcast. It is, conveniently enough, called the High School Broadcast Journalism Project (we like it when organizations are straightforward like that).

As part of this project, they put together Broadcast in a Box. RTNDF's High School Project originally offered BIB back in 2005 and, because the response was so great, brought it back for online delivery. The online version is missing a small amount of ethics content but is otherwise intact. If you visit the BIB Web site, you'll see samples of student work and get ideas for using the materials in your own classroom. The downloadable PDF guide provides great ideas on how to get started and a thoughtful analysis of some of the student projects, as well as some discussion points for each. (One programming note: Poynter's very own Al Tompkins helped in the effort to put the project together.)

The Broadcast in a Box also includes:

• A guide to teaching the First Amendment (shameless plug: When you're done with this, also check out NewsU's course on the First Amendment for the High School Journalist)
• Tips on using the Internet for journalism
• A guide to creating successful partnerships with high schools
• The RTNDA Code of Ethics
  

We could go on about the potential for this project, but don't spend your time reading what we think. Go check it out for yourself.

Islam is the world's second-largest—and fastest-growing—religion. As Islam's numbers and influence grow, so too does the importance of fair and accurate reporting. To help meet this training need, the Religion Newswriters Association (RNA) will offer a free Webinar this Wednesday, March 12, at 2 p.m. ET. The hour and 15 minute Webinar will feature a live presentation with audio and slides, plus an interactive question-and-answer session. According to the event details page, topics will include:

• When religion is—and isn’t—part of the story.
• Major issues facing the diverse Muslim community and what you need to know about the world’s second-largest religion.
• How to choose words carefully and why some terms and statistics are disputed.
• How to report on sensitive issues such as prejudice and terrorism with thoughtfulness and accuracy.

Farid Senzai, Andrea Useem and Diane Connolly will present. And there's good news if you're unable to attend the live session: The folks at RNA will post an archive of the event after it's broadcast. (Links and other details will be made available to all registered attendees.)

Covering Islam 101 is the first in a series of Webinars from RNA. A follow-up event on April 22 explores coverage of Islam with a focus on politics, and events later this year (dates to be determined) will address religion's impact on peacemaking and religious freedom in the military.

Current details on RNA's Webinars can be found here: http://www.rna.org/webinars.php. The organization aims to strengthen religious reporting with resources and training. According to their "About Us" page:

The Religion Newswriters Association is a non-profit trade association founded in 1949 to advance the professional standards of religion reporting in the secular press as well as to create a support network for religion reporters.

For more on the organization, check out the FAQ: http://www.rna.org/faq.php. And here's the link to sign up for the event this Wednesday: http://www.rna.org/webinars.php.

For all of you who breathe typography, we've found a site that shares your passion: I Love Typography. You'll find plenty of articles dedicated to trends, new fonts, analysis, tips, books and font recommendations that can easily become your daily feed.

Here are some articles to get you started:

• A Guide to Web Typography breaks down contrast, size, hierarchy and space -- the basic typographical elements that always should be present in a Web site.
• Small Caps emphasizes the proper definition, identification and use of small caps. This article will help you consistently use small caps and not a regular font sized down to "look" like a small cap. Call it ethics in typography.
• Type Terminology is a series of articles that reinforces what you know and gets you in the habit of using the terms in your vocabulary.
• Identify That Font: Font Identifier gives you a great start on what Web sites are out there to help you find fonts.

These are just a few sips from the entire font bottle. The site is like going back to type class, but, in addition to the history and terms, you get to discover what is going on now in the world of typography. You'll find it all at ilovetypography.com. Enjoy!

If you’re new to the video world and you think deinterlacing is a technique your aunt uses for knitting sweaters, click on www.100fps.com and you’ll find out what the video pros know.

There’s nothing extravagant to this site, BUT is gives a great definition of deinterlacing. By the time you’re at the bottom of the very long page, you will also know the terms "progressive" and "digital artifacts."

And since video is a visual format, the site uses video with some text to explain and compare. The examples tend to be Britney Spears-centric, but they do make a point, and you will receive a more thorough understanding of deinterlacing here (www.100fps.com ) than at dictionary.com or Wikipedia.

Cue the marching bands, parades and fireworks. March 4 is National Grammar Day, sponsored by the Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar (SPOGG) and MSN Encarta. 

We want to mark the day by celebrating the craft of clear writing with the ones we love. So we've found some games to put you in the holiday mood.

Eats, Shoots & Leaves, a punctuation game based on the book by Lynne Truss.

A bounty of interactive quizzes at grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/quiz_list.htm. One warning: These may bring out your inner English teacher.

Merriam-Webster Online offers a variety of word games at www.merriam-webster.com/game/index.htm. Some are harder than they look. 

Try Wordista at the Institute for Midcareer Copy Editors (edittrain.org), and see whether you qualify for its Hall of Fame. Even better, organize a National Grammar Day office party and create your own Grammar Smackdown. ("Meld the savagery of professional wrestling with the grace of the English language and the stylebook's splendid tyranny.") You'll find both at the institute's Web site.

 

This week, NewsU launched its seventh online group seminar for copy editors who want to write better newspaper headlines. So it seems like a good time to explore some other Web sites to help you sharpen your editing eye. We've put together a list at www.newsu.org/CopyEditing_Resources. You'll find links to training sites with resources for copy editors, blogs about editing, language and word usage, some reference sites for your bookmarking pleasure, and more.

Here are some highlights:

American Copy Editors Society. Features a discussion forum, quizzes, articles and resources, including math and science editing. It's not too late to register for the ACES convention April 10-12 in Denver. Info is at www.copydesk.org. One of the NewsU Crew will be there.

You Don't Say. This blog, by John McIntyre, assistant managing editor for the copy desk at The Sun in Baltimore, explores language, grammar and word usage in The Sun.

The Slot. A site by Bill Walsh, chief of the copy desk for the national desk of The Washington Post, and author of "Lapsing Into a Comma: A Curmudgeon's Guide to the Many Things That Can Go Wrong in Print--and How to Avoid Them" and "The Elephants of Style." Check out his blog, his comments about copy editing as a profession and links to other resources.

Style guides compiled by the Asian American Journalists Association and the National Association of Black Journalists.

Testy Copy Editors (yup, they live up to their name). If you think you're having a bad day, check out the forum on "Nightmare Jobs of the Week."

Know of other great sites for copy editors and the people who love them? Let us know.

And if you're looking for more training on writing headlines, NewsU will be offering "Writing Better Print Headlines," a four-week online group seminar, in June and in September. Details are at www.newsu.org/Headlines. To learn more about "Writing Headlines for the Web," go to www.newsu.org/WebHeads, for a replay of a NewsU Webinar with editors from latimes.com.

NewsU is blessed with friends in the industry who are doing interesting things that might be of interest to our community of learners. For example, we just received a note about the ASNE High School Journalism Initiative's efforts to help advisers find the best material. Here's what Diana Mitsu Klos wrote:

"High school journalism advisers from around the country are always looking for material to share with their students," she writes. "Now you can help them hone in on the best texts, books and films about our beloved craft."

ASNE's High School Journalism Initiative (www.hsj.org) has just added a feature that lets you vote for your favorite journalism movies and books. You can even post reviews of your own or suggest other books and movies that should be on the list. 

To get started, go to www.highschooljournalism.org/teachers/reviews/.

"It's a great way for teachers to share what works best for them, and an opportunity for journalists to recommend what the next generation of newsroom pros should know," Diana writes.

We agree. We voted. We plan to vote often.

We love words. We also love games that help journalists get better at their jobs. And what's not to love about a way to help people in developing countries get enough food to eat?

Combine all three and you have the rice game at www.freerice.com. This is a project of www.poverty.com. FreeRice has two goals: provide a way for folks to get better with their vocabulary and "help end world hunger by providing rice to hungry people for free."

We are all about ending world hunger, and the game is a great example of something simple and addictive. Journalists would sharpen their vocabulary skills and think about how they can help their organizations come up with other games to entertain, inform and assist readers, listeners and viewers.

We also like what the FreeRice folks wrote about why a vocabulary game is good:

Learning new vocabulary has tremendous benefits. It can help you:

• Formulate your ideas better
• Write better papers, emails and business letters
• Speak more precisely and persuasively
• Comprehend more of what you read
• Read faster because you comprehend better
• Get better grades in high school, college and graduate school
• Score higher on tests like the SAT, GRE, LSAT and GMAT
• Perform better at job interviews and conferences
• Sell yourself, your services, and your products better
• Be more effective and successful at your job

And end world hunger. Works for us. [Update: Just added 320 grains to the donation pile by spending 5 mintues on the site and doing about 15 words. I know feel more confident using the word pyrexia.]

 

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