Steve Buttry of Gazette Communications is collecting tips on how journalists can use Twitter and real-world examples of how journalists have used Twitter in the past, both good and bad experiences.

Interested in updating his ‘Twitter Tips For Journalists’ post from July, he hopes to get your mind flowing with ideas with these two examples of Twitter in action:

Twitter was an invaluable tool for Bill Doskoch of toronto.ctv.ca in telling the story of a SWAT team swarming the office of a guy whose neighbor had seen him brandishing a handgun. The officers learned he had just assembled the toy handgun from a Legos kit. Bill’s account:

I was working the night it happened, and first heard of a gun call, but it didn’t sound like much. Next morning, I saw a Twitter link to Jeremy Bell’s blog post. I tracked him down at his office and eventually got a telephone interview with him.

He didn’t want to identify who sicced the cops on him, but by reading his Twitter feed, I could figure it out by myself. I contacted Michael Dent, did an interview, and he was kind enough to supply the picture. As near as I could tell, I was the only reporter to interview both parties and get the photo.

It’s not like great stories fall into my lap every day through Twitter, but it should still be part of every reporter’s toolbox. I would stress to young journos, however, that reporting should be treated as an active process, not a passive one.

The other story comes from Kate Dubinski, a reporter for the London Free Press, who wrote for the Canadian Journalism Project about live-tweeting the high-profile Bandidos murder trial — six men charged with eight counts of first-degree murder. I encourage you to read her full post, but here’s a passage:

In my view, the potential for Twitter is huge: we were first in getting out the verdicts, for example, which were then typed up for our site by people back in the newsroom. It offers a way to get people into the courtroom (or city council chambers) in a way that you can’t do with print or television. We interacted with people we never would have tracked down if it hadn’t been for tweeting the trial, and we interviewed them for more in-depth stories after the court case.

Many thanks to Buttry — @stevebuttry on Twitter and a great person to follow — for allowing Twitter Journalism to republish this piece of his recent blog post. Send your Twitter tips and stories his way (use hashtag #twjtips) or leave a comment here and we’ll make sure he gets it.

RELATED: New to Twitter? Don’t miss our “Quick Tips For Newbies” page.