Some journalists wear masks on Twitter
Should journalists mix personal and professional messages in one Twitter account, or should they have separate accounts for professional and personal use? Here is what some tweeting reporters, editors, executives and readers had to say.
Just say no: Orange County Register courts reporter Rachanee Srisavasdi (@rachanee333) replied with a simple "no" and TIME White House correspondent and Swampland blogger Michael Scherer (@michaelscherer) pleaded "please not more."
Followers want two: In Durham, North Carolina former newspaper journalist John Zhu (@jzheel) says readers want to follow a reporter's work with a dash of personality. If too much personal information is being shared, a separate account should be used to make it easier for people to follow news from a reporter's beats. Similarly, Orange County Realtor Vicki Lloyd (@VickiLloyd) says that people might have personal and professional identities that are "different enough" to warrant two accounts that could appeal to different audiences. Register web editor Jit Fong Chin (@jitfong) echoed the sentiments of Zhu and Lloyd.
Followers want one: On the other side of this fence, Register journalist Sonya Smith (@sonyanews) likes a mixed approach with people "just being themselves." Robert Quigley (@robquig) has two accounts only because one represents the brand of Austin Statesman, where he is social media editor. Personally, he too prefers the personal touch of a single account.
Hiding something? Anthony Capps (@Amadeus3000), editor for the student-operated Iowa State Daily, wonders what kind of inappropriate things you might be hiding in a separate account. To that point, Seattle Times social media producer Sona Patel reminds journalists that they have one identity online, even if it is split between two accounts.
Personal use: Gary Packwood (@GPackwood) from Houston, Texas says journalists should have a separate account if they use Twitter to communicate with their children. Steve Buttry (@stevebuttry), who coaches Gazette Communications in Iowa opened a separate account for another reason: so that he could "separate baseball tweets" from the rest of his stream.
Wrong tool: As far as Register reporter Ian Hamilton (@hmltn) is concerned, separate accounts is "what Facebook is for." Fellow Register staffer Chin made a similar observation, stating that "Twitter is not email."
Sanity and confusion: From the public relations side of things, San Diego PR professional Stephanie Thompson (@Stefaniya) says not to use two accounts unless you can keep them separate and not get confused. Henry Lopez (@henrymlopez), web editor of SantaFeNewMexican.com also keeps one account for his own sanity.
Sourcing: Eugene Driscoll tweets for the Valley Independent Sentinel (@ValleyIndy) in Connecticut and doubts that anyone would want to follow a reporter who only uses her account to find and talk with sources. But "tech guy" Loren Nason (@lorennason) from Yorba Linda, California says exactly opposite. He would go with two accounts if the sole purpose of one account was "to engage with others for news gathering purposes."
Want followers? Nason also brings up the question of a journalist's goal with engaging. If one goal is to build an audience, former White House Deputy Press Secretary Tony Fratto (@TonyFratto) advises journalists to use separate accounts "only if they don't want followers."
It seems like there is no clear consensus on this issue, but if I had to call it I would say team "use one account" edged out team Sybil.
Updated at 5:30 pm: John Zhu is not currently working for a newspaper and I really do know the difference between "their" and "there." I normally wouldn't note note minor edits made only half an hour after a post goes live, but both of these errors were pointed out by Twitter friends (via direct message, sparing me the embarrassment that I'm now sharing), so I thought this update could work as a fun and relevant footnote.
