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Thanks for taking on this assignment!

Please use the following questions as a guide for your meeting notes, live-tweeting and audio production.

*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 can take any form but should be between 2-4 pages and include at least 10 hyperlinks and 5 key word tags when submitted for approval via our Google Docs system. Be sure to review our submission and formatting guides at the link above ("Review Submission Tutorials") before submitting your notes—the tutorial folder includes guides on formatting your document, using subheads, adding hyperlinks, adding tags and more.

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.

See examples of good meeting notes:

Englewood School Closures #2 | January 17, 2018
City Colleges of Chicago Board | February 1, 2018

Note: All Documenter meeting notes will be added to a publicly accessible archive and open to community annotations and additions via comment.

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 url link 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) for @ChiDocumenters #ChiDocumenters
  • Add any relevant hashtags for the event. (ex. #DOJinChicago). Be sure to include @ChiDocumenters and #ChiDocumenters hashtag in your intro tweet.

You will need to complete a checklist before we can approve payment for your assignment.

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.

Guidelines for Audio Production

Please be sure to check in with the Documenters Manager for assignment specifics. When you're ready to file your audio, use the form above.