A reporter's journey through SM

By Jennifer Israel

St. Pete Times Reporter Rebecca Catalanello of seven years, talks about her professional uses of social media:

How long in journalism?

12 years

What social media platforms do you use?

Facebook, Twitter, education blog

When, how, and why did you start?

I started with Facebook about three years ago after being encouraged by friends.

About how much time a week do you spend using social media for work?

Very little. Should use it more -- specifically, twitter. (I use Facebook almost exclusively for personal use, but my Twitter account is set up for work...however, I have been very, very inefficient at using it. I know this is a weakness.)

Why do you use social media?

I should use it more to Twitter my stories, gain readership and following, and to get other sources and story ideas from my sources. I have used Facebook to track activities of sources -- specifically parent groups, etc.I use Facebook and MySpace to help find people I'm writing about or people who know people I'm writing about. I did that more frequently when I was covering crime. Now, on the education beat, I sometimes use it to find parent contacts and students, and to follow the development of educational interest groups.

Does your employer require you to use social media?

No.

Did your employer offer training?

Yes.

Does your employer have a policy about how its journalists use social Media?

If so, can you describe the policy or share it? I believe we do, but I don't know where to find it to share it.

How do you measure results?

I don't know the answer to this.

Have you been satisfied with the results of your efforts?

I don't feel I can provide a qualified answer because I haven't used it a lot.