Twitter For Dummies
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One way many people use Twitter is to spread news or breaking stories. If you hope to be part of this movement, you can use these tools to prepare for your Twitter-inspired citizen-journalist moment:

  • A mobile phone that has a camera and/or video camera: Most cellphones have at least the former these days. And make sure that you have a cellular data plan so you can send your photos.

  • A cellphone with a video camera: Your cellphone is likely with you at all times, and serves as a great tool for capturing videos. Videos made on mobile devices are typically the ones used in breaking news on Twitter.

  • An account on a free photo-sharing service: Try a site like Flickr, which accepts mobile uploads for sharing your still photos.

  • A Vine account: If you want to simply use the video from your mobile phone, you can use Vine to upload a 6-second clip and instantly post it to Twitter.

If you ever take live video or pictures of people, get their permission, or if circumstances don’t require permission, at least warn them that you plan to broadcast the images or post them online. Depending on where you are, it may be illegal to post those images without the subjects’ permission. If you intend to capture video or pictures for distribution online with regularity, consult a legal professional.

About This Article

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About the book authors:

Laura Fitton was one of the first marketers to discover the value of Twitter for businesses and society. She founded Twitter app store oneforty.com and sold it to HubSpot. She’s now Inbound Marketing Evangelist for Hubspot. Anum Hussain speaks to thousands on how to effectively use social media - in classrooms, at conferences and even alongside Twitter’s Small Business Team. Brittany Leaning writes about social media strategy for HubSpot’s 1.6 million readers and has managed accounts for several well-known brands.

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