We have invited law enforcement officers and community members to come to the station to watch our story on Distracted Drivers BEFORE it airs tonight. After they watch the story the panel will review and discuss the story amongst themselves and on their personal social networks. The discussion will be broadcast live on Ustream allowing more participation from those who watch.

This is one of the news collaboration projects of which I’ve been writing. Those on the panel will become supplemental resources to the story, from the personal stories that are shared to those that know the law. They have each agreed to turn to their social networks to discuss the story. They will be resources to all of their followers. I will refer viewers to them.

No, we will not show the story during the Ustream broadcast. We do share our promo videos of the story so those who are joining the conversation outside of the panelists will have an understanding of the story. The conversation that will happen becomes the word of mouth advertising we hope will influence someone to turn on the news to watch the story that created all the chatter.

The conversation has already started as several of the participants have started talking about it on a blog, Twitter and facebook. Even if we don’t get any viewers out of this, our brand is reaching people that we may not ever turn to us, or have turned away from us. Consistent collaborative efforts like this will connect our brand in the long-term.

Such a panel and live broadcast make sense as Distracted Driving is state and national issue. Even Oprah has taken the issue to task. Families in Colorado have been tragically affected by accidents caused by distracted drivers. The issue lends itself to conversation.

The way the story is done and the resources we used are not things we need to keep hidden from the competition. The promotion for the story started to run yesterday. We know other stations have already produced stories along the same lines because it is such a big issue. We do want to make ourselves stand out from the competition though, and this live panel discussion is one way we can do this.

Other stories don't lend themselves to such extensive efforts. I've discussed Dr. Robert Forto's collaboration with us on a story last week. A large panel discussion on canine dementia, or overall pet health concerns, wouldn't have worked. We didn't rely just on Robert's efforts though. During the afternoon newscasts we hosted an Interactive HelpCenter with two veterinarians who discussed pet concerns on the air with Reporter Suzanne McCarroll, as well as answered questions from viewers live or through our web chat, facebook and Twitter.

There are many ways news collaborations can take shape. One model is not the answer. Flexibility is the answer. You should think of what the story incorporates and which of your audience members will relate to it the most. Then decide what methods are best to reach that audience. Don't be surprised if the answer has nothing to do with social media. Sometimes traditional promotional efforts are the best.

We have two more collaborations for stories next week. Each is different. One involves pure review and reaction of an investigative story where the two people we've asked to join us will take their opinions to their social networks, including a Ustream show. The other incorporates a panel and Interactive HelpCenter rolled into one to provide tips and resources on the most complained about industry in the state.