ABSTRACT
Watching the recent history of social media platforms has been like watching a rerun of the history of blogging. In 2014 a number of news organisations began tentatively experimenting with a new wave of 'chat apps'. The need to keep communications short online and in text messages has led to a range of creative solutions, often derided as 'text-speak'. Writing for Twitter is as much of an art as writing headlines – in fact the skills needed are very similar. Personality on social media is a hard thing to get right. Some people confuse having a personality with having an opinion. In fact, it's more about style. Increasingly, when journalists write headlines for the web or for social media, they specify the medium or format involved. They shout video and audio in caps at the start of the tweet or post; mapped or info graphic; and interview or live blog.
