Older fans of the BBC may remember that one of the British Broadcasting Corporation’s nicknames was “Auntie,” as in the aunt who always thinks she knows what is best for everyone else. Several years into the social media revolution, Auntie BBC has decided that Facebook, Twitter, et al, are good news-gathering implements. David Allen reports in Techwatch article “BBC staff ordered to grasp social media“ that Peter Horrocks, the new BBC Global News director, “wants the editorial staff to make better use of social networking sites… to help with establishing the background behind the news.” Such an order is a dramatic turnaround for an organization that has barely mentioned social media use in its editorial guidelines, but does not provide a strategy for its use. And in the meantime, the revolution is being broadcast—by the social media.

John Sniffen, Feb. 22, 2010

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