FTVLive first published back in the Summer of 2012 (when we were a pay site). It is worth posting here on the Free FTVLive in hopes that people will read and follow this advice.

Surviving in TV in the New Media World

The people that are coming into TV News now have one advantage, they know the world of social media.

FTVLive has run a number of stories of people that have been suspended or fired for comments made on Twitter and Faceback.

Social media can be a great tool, but just like crossing the street you need to look both ways. Here are some top tips to live in the New/Social media world and still keep your job in TV news.

Tweeting and how it can get you a better job

Proof that Social Media may get you a bigger and or better job.

TV Agent Micah Johnson writes that most everyone is on social media these days and if you're not, chances are your news director is hounding you to do more (even though they may not know how to do it themselves). So is there value in constantly updating your Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn & Pinterest? If you ask JESSICA REYES, her answer will be a resounding, "YES!" Her Twitter presence catapulted her to national TV. 

I was scrolling through Twitter as I usually do at various times throughout the day, when I came across Jessica.  She was working as an on-air personality at CBS Radio in Tampa. Her Twitter stream@JessicaReyes was fun, engaging, and full of personality. I did a little online checking, and found out she had also done some weather for Univision in Orlando. 140 character message later and we were exchanging Tweets. As an aside, if you look like Jessica, you get hundreds of "Tweets" a day - usually from male whackjobs, so I understood her initial hesitation. After all, it does sound like a line, "I'm a television agent, and I was wondering if you'd have an interest in a TV career?" 

After a few phone conversations, I was even more convinced that Jessica belonged on TV - NOT having a face for radio.  She worked hard to pull together what little on-camera video she had and we put together a pretty good presentation. Now came the hard part - what would be the best fit for her talent? As happens more times than naught in TV, timing is everything. I got a call from Troy Mcguire, VP of Buzz Brands for Fisher Communications. He was looking for new talent for the nationally syndicated show, "The Daily Buzz". I told him I had the PERFECT talent:  Jessica Reyes. As luck would have it, Troy saw the same things in Jessica that I did. As they say, the rest is history.

MediaStars.tv
 

Twitter

More people in TV have gotten in trouble in 140 characters on Twitter than we can count.

Twitter is a great place to rant, but you never know who is following you. Read you Tweet before to hit "post."

If your General Manager read this Tweet, would that be cool? You need to ask yourself this question every time before you post a tweet.

Many people in TV have two Twitter accounts, one for their TV personality and one for the real person.

FTVLive has a good buddy that has two accounts like that. On his TV account he posts news updates and teases some stories that he is working on.

His personal Twitter he rants about how the local pro sports team sucks and how shitty the service was at the last restaurant was.

One day he posted a comment about how hot the girl's body was that was standing in front of him in line at Starbucks.

Problem was he posted it to his TV personality account and not his personal account.

Lucky for him he caught the error quickly and deleted the tweet before too many viewers knew that the girl standing in line at the local Starbucks had "an ass that was out of this world."

So, even with two accounts you can still land yourself in trouble. Plus having just a personal account will not give you free reign to post whatever you want.

That sucks, but that's the way it is. 

Facebook

They're Fan Pages on Facebook and Personal pages.

The fan page is more like Twitter, someone likes your page and they are basically following (stalking) you on Facebook.

On a personal page it's a little safer you can choose you you want to friend and who friends you.

Best advice we can give is use Facebook for real friends, don't just accept every friend request because you want to look like the popular kid.

Also, never accept a friend request from any boss at work. Your boss is not your friend, they may act like it, but they're not.

Watch what photos you post on Facebook and really watch which pictures your friends post and tag you in on FB.

We know one guy that went to a bachelor party for his good friend. He was careful in the photos he posted to Facebook showing what a good time he and his buddies had.

One of his "freinds" posted a photo from the strip bar and you could clearly see the TV newsman in the background with a girl that wasn't quite naked, but was damn close.

Lucky for him he got his buddy to pull down the photo before his boss (who he friended on FB) didn't see him with his arms around a stripper.

We're guessing that she wouldn't have been too happy.

Texting

You would hope that when you send a text to a friend it will only be that friend that sees it. Wehave all learned that isn't always the case.

Of course you can be a little more risqué in text, because you audience will be much smaller (hopefully an audience of just 1).

My iPhone has on it every text that anyone ever sent me. I never clear the messages and it's a good bet that the person you are texting does the same. So, the text you send him/her Today could be pulled up months from now.

Remember that before you hit send.

Sexting

The best is advice, if you work in TV News is don't do it.

But, we live in different times and just like you should not talk on the phone while you drive, people are going to do it. People are going to sext as well.

You hope that the person you are sexting will keep all the info between you and them. But, many times that girlfriend or boyfriend becomes you ex-girlfriend or boyfriend and they might not be too happy about it.

So before you talk about having a 3 way with your boyfriend and his German Shepard, remember it could come back to you.

Also, if you are going to send pictures of your naked breasts or any other body part. Keep your face out of the picture. It's better to say "those aren't mine" when the picture starts making it's way around the Internet than trying to say "they photoshopped my face on someone else's body."

Either way it's going to be uncomfortable and it could lead to unemployment.

So watch what you sext!

Photo Sharing Sites

It's awesome to be able to snap a pic on your phone and within seconds it will be posted on Flickr, Instagram or any other photo sharing site.

Again, you have to think what would happen if my boss sees this photo?

The photo of you and your friends doing hammered a the local bar might be funny, but your boss might not share the same sense of humor.

Just like a gun, be careful where you are pointing that camera.

Use Caution

Social media can be awesome!

I can't tell you how many friends I have reconnected with after a decade or more. But it can also be a trap and land you on the boss's carpet quicker than you can say "delete that!"

So watch what you post and if you really feel the need to send pictures of your naked Breasts to someone....just send them to me.

I won't share....I Promise. ;-)