Social media in style
If you want to retweet this post, share it with a Facebook friend, e-mail it, link to it and write about it according to The Associated Press’ style specs, now you can. The 2010 Associated Press Stylebook now includes a social media guidelines section.
The annual updated version of the AP Stylebook, which AP also calls "the journalist's bible," was released earlier this week. A press release from AP says: "The social media guidelines section includes information and policies on using tools like Facebook and Twitter, how journalists can apply them to their work and how to verify sources found through them. Also included are 42 separate entries on such terms as app, blogs, click-throughs, friend and unfriend, metadata, RSS, search engine optimization, smart phone, trending, widget and wiki."
Not surprisingly, you can find more information about the additions and changes to the stylebook on Twitter, by following @APStylebook (http://twitter.com/APStylebook).
You can read the AP’s full press release here:
http://www.ap.org/pages/about/pressreleases/pr_060210a.html
You can order a print edition of the book or subscribe to the online edition here:
http://www.apstylebook.com/
The print edition is $18.95, plus $5.95 shipping. The annual online subscription is $25, with discounts for AP member organizations and group licenses.
There's even an application for the AP Stylebook. Search the Apple App Store for AP Stylebook. Cost is $28.99.
