Thanks for your comment. We agree completely on the need for reporters to interact with readers/users and participate in online conversations, and it’s great that Media Tricks is encouraging this, whether it’s on Twitter, Friendfeed, Delicious, blogs, IM, or email. And an RSS feed on Twitter, or anywhere else, is not the same thing. But that doesn’t mean a feed doesn’t have its place. If I’m spending a lot of time staring at tweets on my browser or phone, I want relevant news events popping up there. I don’t care if a human or a program put it there, so long as I requested it and know what it is.

The micro-format itself enables quick, real-time (basically) conversation and — more than Facebook, I believe — has the ability to turn a reporter into more than just a byline, but into a real person.

However, let’s remember that Twitter is a tool, and the interactions it enables are of the micro-format. If something better comes along that facilitates a better, more fulfilling type of conversation, go with that.

I still say reporters must get used to interacting with readers, and have to participate online in conversations about their beats. Many don’t see that as part of their jobs. Hell, many don’t even read the damn comments on their stories. That’s a problem.

Reporters have to think of themselves as self-publishers, using the publication as a platform. It’s a different way of thinking, that’s for sure.