Did it work? The challenge of transitioning to social-first

Of the channels we use, Facebook gives the most insightful analytics into audience habits, and through an examination of its data we can assess the successes and failures of UOWTV Multimedia as it has transitioned into a social-first newsroom. The obvious end goal of a social-first newsroom in terms of audience is a larger and more engaged audience in the social media spaces the outlet occupies.

Total likes

From the 1st of March until the 19th of June, UOWTV Multimedia grew its audience by 73%, from 768 likes to 1078. This increase came at a steady pace.
When considering reach and engagement, it is difficult to track UOWTV Multimedia’s success, as it fluctuates with newsroom days, but an in-depth comparison of the two most successful days (which coincidentally fall near the start and end of session) shows changes in reach and engagement more clearly.

Reflecting on the ECM role

The editorial content manager (ECM) is responsible for accepting or rejecting pitches at the beginning of each day, assisting in their execution and assuring throughout the day that quality and diversity in stories is maintained. The ECMs also monitor social media accounts throughout the day, determining what gets shared and ensuring comments in various spaces are appropriate. The ECMs are also a touchpoint for when journalists run into issues with their stories and need help resolving an issue.

Kirstie Chlopinski and Jamie Radcliffe reflect here on their week as ECMs:

Reflecting on week one

Angelique Lu reflects on her first week as a reporter in the UOWTV newsroom and her story about supporting international students.

Watch her story here:

What’s different about a social-first newsroom

This year the University of Wollongong’s newsroom class, which is run within the Bachelor of Journalism as a final all-encompassing test of the students’ skills, was run for the first time as a ‘social-first’ newsroom.

Newsroom expectations

The students have just been briefed on what newsroom entails and the intention to shift the dynamic of the newsroom to a social media focus.

These are their expectations of the class for the semester ahead: