Photo by Amy Burton on Flickr

The fourth Preston Social was all focused around how activists are using social media to further their cause, as well as how journalists are starting to use tools like Twitter to cover and filter information to serve relevant audiences.

Recent examples included the uprisings in Libya and Egypt, and closer to home the public sector union strikes on June 30 of this year.

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Journalist Joseph Stashko, who has covered several protests in different ways using social media, spoke about what he saw as an opportunity and a challenge for both individuals and news organisations.

Joseph has recently also been involved in covering the events in Oslo. He spoke about how he was able to drive coverage despite not having a wide array of sources in Norway and begin to break news before news organisations – all balanced with a system of verification and fact-checking.

Key themes for the evening were using Twitter and other social media as a personalised news service, why it’s important to question sources on social media, and how activists use these tools to organise and promote their causes.

After a healthy forum for discussion, the topic changed to the discussion of the future of the Preston Social. Co-founder Tom Stables introduced several ideas for the future of the event. These included – a Guild themed event, the value of paid-for networking events and collaboration with They Eat Culture’s filmmaking event, Sync.

Tom also revealed that the Preston Social had found a permanent home at the Continental, meaning that the event will now take place on a regular basis, the last Tuesday of every month.

You can view the slides from the evening below.

You can follow the Preston Social on Twitter and Like the Facebook page here.