25
February
2010
|
03:17 AM
America/Los_Angeles

Middleberg/SNCR Survey: Nearly One-Third Of Journalists Still *Not* Using Social Media

The Society For New Communications Research (SNCR) has published the 2nd Annual Middleberg/SNCR Survey of Media in the Wired World.

It showed a large increase in the use of social media by journalists. The survey polled 341 journalists.

It found:

- Nearly 70% of journalists surveyed are using social networking sites, a 28% increase since the results of the 2008 Survey of Media in the Wired World were released

- 48% are using Twitter or other microblogging sites and tools, a 25% increase since 2008

- 66% are reading blogs

- 48% are viewing videos online

- 25% are listening to podcasts

- Nearly 80% of journalists surveyed believe that bloggers have become important opinion-shapers in recent years

- 91% of journalists surveyed agree that new media and communications tools and technologies are enhancing journalism to some extent

Foremski's Take: I would expect a large increase in the use of social media by journalists and that's what we see here. However, what's really surprising is how many journalists are still not using social media. That's the biggest surprise.

I can't imagine not using social media and social networks in my research on stories, in contacting people, and in finding out what the key trends are in the communities that I cover: Silicon Valley, venture capital, enterprise IT, chips, computer security, media, PR, etc.

My job would be ten times harder if I didn't use social media, and related tools and services.

Let's view the above results in a different way:

- More than 30 per cent of journalists do not use social networking sites.

- 52 per cent of journalists don't use Twitter.

- One-third of journalists do not read blogs.

- More than half don't watch videos online.

- 75 percent of journalists do not listen to podcasts.

Yet 91 percent "agree that new media and communications tools and technologies are enhancing journalism to some extent."

When the results of the survey are viewed in this way, the results are shocking.

I would not want to employ journalists that don't know how to use social media to improve their work. I'm flabbergasted that the number is so high. This not 2005.

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The survey was conducted by the Society for New Communications Research team of Jen McClure, SNCR founder and president, and SNCR Senior Fellow, Don Middleberg. Sponsored by Marketwire.

[Please note: I am a Founding Fellow of SNCR - a think tank based in Palo Alto.]