Thanks for taking on this assignment!
Please use the following guidelines as a resource for your meeting notes and live-tweeting.
*On assignment? Call or text 708-820-2154 any time with any questions or concerns. For any non-immediate needs email us at documenters@citybureau.org*
Guidelines for Meeting Notes
Your meeting notes will be contained entirely within the form provided above, including yes/no questions and several long responses. Be sure to review our submission form before attending your assigned meeting—reviewing the form before the meeting will help you prepare for the information gathering process, culminating in a complete submission form.
When you're ready to submit your notes for review, use the "Submit Meeting Notes" link above. You will need to complete a checklist at that link before we can approve payment for your assignment.
Note: Documenter meeting notes may be added to a publicly accessible archive.
Guidelines for Live-Tweeting
If you were assigned to live-tweet an event try to post at least 10-15 tweets in a single "thread" throughout the event including quotes, observations and photos/video—be sure to thread all tweets from your first tweet: simply hit reply to the last tweet in your series before writing your next tweet (starting with your intro tweet). This will ensure that you have a single link/URL to your entire live-tweet thread.
Your first tweet must include the following text:
Hi, I'm (your first name), I’ll be live-tweeting (name/title of event) #DetroitDocumenters
Add any relevant hashtags for the event. (ex. #DetroitPublicSchools, #WaterQuality)
You will need to submit the checklist linked above before we can approve payment for your assignment.
NOTE: for Documenters live-tweeting Detroit Board of Education meetings, this resource guide including board member names, Twitter handles and agendas has been created by fellow Detroit Documenter Claire Nowak-Boyd for your review.
The basics (try to include the following in your live-tweet thread)
TITLE OF MEETING
AGENCY/ORGANIZATION HOSTING THE EVENT
REASON FOR THE MEETING (WHY ARE PEOPLE HERE?)
START TIME (I.E. DID THE MEETING START ON TIME?)
NUMBER OF PEOPLE AT THE EVENT (NOT INCLUDING CITY OFFICIALS)
The details (try to include the following in your live-tweet thread)
TWEET QUOTES AND PHOTOS OF SPEAKERS AT YOUR EVENT EARLY AND OFTEN (TRY TO BE AS PRECISE AS POSSIBLE)
LIST NAMES OF PRESENTERS AT THE MEETING (INCLUDE TITLES, AFFILIATIONS AND TWITTER HANDLES, IF APPLICABLE)
TWEET ANY STATED GOALS OF THE MEETING
TWEET THE MAIN CONCERNS OF ATTENDEES AND WHY THOSE CONCERNS WERE RAISED
TWEET ANY NEXT STEPS AND SOLUTIONS
DESCRIBE FEATURES OF THE ROOM AND/OR THE OVERALL ENVIRONMENT (I.E. WAS THE CROWD EAGER OR ANGRY? DID THE PRESENTERS SEEM PREPARED?)
Tips & Tricks
ALWAYS USE A SINGLE THREAD: LINK YOUR TWEETS USING THE “THREADING” FEATURE ON TWITTER. SIMPLY HIT REPLY TO THE LAST TWEET IN YOUR SERIES BEFORE WRITING YOUR NEXT TWEET (STARTING WITH YOUR INTRO TWEET). THIS “THREAD” WILL HELP READERS FOLLOW THE EVENT YOU'RE DOCUMENTING.
BE VISUAL: WHEN IN DOUBT, TWEET PHOTOS OF THE EVENT AND/OR PARTICIPANTS! IF YOU HAVE TIME, TRY POSTING SHORT VIDEOS.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION: DON’T FORGET TO CHECK YOUR TWITTER NOTIFICATIONS. RESPOND TO TWEETS DIRECTLY TO YOU TO ENGAGE WITH YOUR IMMEDIATE AUDIENCE.
GO ANALOG: HAVING A BACK-UP NOTEPAD CAN HELP YOU KEEP TRACK OF WHO SAID WHAT AND SELECT THE MOST IMPACTFUL STATEMENT FOR TWEETING.