The editor of the year in the United States, Steve Buttry, has been a solid advocate of pragmatic innovation --- small, realistic steps to change the culture and practice.

In a new post for the American Society of News Editors, Buttry outlines five simple measures to use social media to alter the culture of a newsroom.

His five:

1. Ask staff to tell you in a Tweet-sized statement how social media helps.
2. Load applications to use Twitter, Facebook and Foursquare. Use your spare time waiting for meetings and appointments to use them.
3. Tweet at least five times daily. Make at least one conversational, one recommend someone outside your organization, and one a Retweet.
4. Follow at least ten new people daily for a week.
5. Check hashtags and search on Twitter about local events.