Twitter: A Hands on Learning Session for Researchers

KMb Learning SessionJune 4, 2012

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Agenda1. Introduction to social media and twitter2. Decoding common twitter lingo3. Your account and profile4. Tools to make tweeting easier5. Archiving and analytics6. Using twitter for research7. Security risks, cautions and limitations8. Tips and work plan to get started9. Additional resources10.Q and A

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1- Social Media- Some Definitions

• “A group of Internet based applications that build on the ideological and

technological foundations of Web 2.0, and that allow the creation and exchange

of user-generated content”

• “Includes web-based and mobile technologies used to turn communication into

interactive dialogue”

• “Online communications in which individuals shift fluidly and flexibly between

the role of audience and author. To do this, they use social software that

enables anyone without knowledge of coding, to post, comment on, share or

mash up content and to form communities around shared interests.”

Kaplan, A. M., & Haenlein, M. (2010).Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of social media. Business Horizons,53(1), 59-68

Social media. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved January 10, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_media

Thornley, J. (2008, April 8). What is “social media?”. Retrieved January 10, 2012 from ProPR blog http://propr.ca/2008/what-is-social-media/

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1- Social Media: Web 1.0 vs. Web 2.0

http://www.sizlopedia.com/2007/08/18/web-10-vs-web-20-the-visual-difference/

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Social Media and Knowledge Mobilization

Why use social media for KMb?Social media provides the tools to help support the process of KMb• Disseminate knowledge and

research in an iterative and interactive way

• Build communities for partnerships, collaboration and sharing

• Get academic research into the hands of people who can use it

Image adapted from http://webbiquity.com/social-media-marketing/the-four-cs-of-social-media-marketing/

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1- Twitter

• An online social networking service and microblogging service

• Allows users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140

characters, known as "tweets“

• Users follow other users to read their tweets

• Launched in 2006 by Jack Dorsey

• As of 2011, twitter has over 300 million users, generating over 300

million tweets and handling over 1.6 billion search queries per day

From Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitter. Accessed on February 6, 2012

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2- Decoding some common twitter lingo• Tweets- 140 character messages or posts

• @ symbol- Denotes a twitter username or “handle”, for example @KMbYork

• DM= Direct message- A private message between twitter members who

follow each other

• Lists- Curated groups of other twitter users; usually by topic or interest

• RT= Retweet- Allows you to share a tweet posted by someone else to your

followers; kind of like forwarding

• # Hashtags- A way to categorize your tweets; you can search by hashtag

• #FF= Follow Friday- On Fridays, users tweet about people they recommend

• Tweeps= Twitter+Peeps- Your twitter community

• Tweetup- A gathering (online or in person) for Twitter users

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3- Exploring twitter- Logging in

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3- Exploring twitter- Home page

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3- Exploring twitter- @ Connect

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3- Exploring twitter- @ Connect

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3- Exploring twitter- # Discover

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3- Exploring twitter- Your Account

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3- Exploring twitter- Direct Messages (DM)

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3- Exploring twitter- Lists

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3- Exploring twitter- Settings

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3- Exploring twitter- Profile

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3- Exploring twitter- Design

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3- Exploring twitter- tweeting

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3- Exploring twitter- Your Profile Page

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3- Exploring twitter- Examining tweets

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3- Setting up your twitter account and profile

Group exercise

Working in pairs, please do the following:• Add a bio to your profile• Change the design of your profile• Follow @KMbYorkTest• Retweet one tweet

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Break

Please be back in 10 minutes

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4- Tools to make tweeting easier- bitly.com

• Shortens URLs to save space

• Provides analytics on who clicked on your links

• Creates a QR code that links to the URL, which could be added to print materials

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4- Tools to make tweeting easier- bitly.com

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4- Tools to make tweeting easier- bitly.com

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4- Tools to make tweeting easier- TweetDeck

• Application that you can use online with Chrome and Safari browsers or install it on your desktop

• Lets you see everything at once and schedule tweets for the future

• Can show you a pop up every time a new tweet gets posted (this is a pro and a con)

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4- Tools to make tweeting easier- Hootsuite

• Good if you need to mange multiple twitter accounts

• Lets you schedule tweets for the future

• Includes analytics and allows you to custom build reports

• For a monthly fee (currently $5.99 a month) you can add Team Members- good if a number of people will be managing your twitter acount(s)

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4- Tools to make tweeting easier- twuffer

- Allows you to schedule tweets for the future

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4- Tools to make tweeting easier- TweetChat

• Filter tweets to only those containing a specific hashtag

• Good for following what people are tweeting at an event

• Can hold an online tweetup using tweetchat

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4- Tools to make tweeting easier

Group Exercise

1. Go to www.tweetchat.com2. Click on Sign in on top right hand corner3. Click Authorize app4. Enter KMbTwitter into the box on the top of

the screen and click Go5. Enter in a tweet and click Update

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5- Archiving and analytics- Tweet Backup

• Twitter doesn’t archive tweets so it is good to keep a copy of your own tweets

• Lets you export all your tweets and followers to excel

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5- Archiving and analytics- TweetStats

• Shows information about your tweets, your followers and the words you tweet most often

• Can create a word cloud of all your tweets, which you can include in event reports

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5- Archiving and analytics- TweetStats

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5- Archiving and analytics- Twitter Counter

• Shows your followers, who you are following and number of tweets

• You can sign up to receive weekly emails containing your twitter stats

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6- Using twitter for research

Twitter can be used in a research context to:

• Disseminate and share your research• Link to your publications or findings• Tweet your research using the hashtag #myresearch

• Connect to other researchers with similar research interests

• Get answers to research questions

• Discover and share resources relevant to your research• A fast way to keep up to date on new resources and research

• Let people know about upcoming events

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6- Using twitter for research

Twitter can be used in a research context to:

• Follow conferences you can’t attend

• Let people know what is happening at your events through live tweeting• Create a hashtag for your event• Tweet throughout the day (students are good for this too)• Ask people to use the # when they are tweeting about the event• Use a tool like tweetchat to follow what people are saying• Compile all the tweets from the events for the event report

• Connect with community organizations

• Increase your online profile

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6- Using twitter for research- Homeless Hub

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6- Using twitter for research- Roger Keil

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7- Security risks, cautions and limitations

• Choose a strong password

• Be careful of scams and phishing- look for suspicious links and make sure you are on the correct webpage

• Don’t give out your username and password

• Keep your computer and browser up to date and use anti-virus software From Safety: Keeping your account secure. (n.d.). In Twitter Help Centre. Retrieved January 10, 2012 from http://support.twitter.com/articles/76036-safety-keeping-your-account-secure

Gone Phishing…

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7- Security risks, cautions and limitations

Criticisms and Limitations• You can’t make deep connections in 140 characters

• This is just the start of a connection. Twitter allows you to connect with people you might not have known about but for true collaboration, you would need to move the conversation into another medium

• It’s too noisy! There’s too much going on!

• Only follow people who tend to tweet about subjects you are really interested in; try using another application like TweetDeck or HootSuite, which may be more visually appealing to you

• Where did that last hour go?!

• Turn off automatic pop ups if using TweetDeck; only visit at certain times of the day for a set amount of time

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8- Strategies for Getting Started

Things to Consider Before You Start:

• What will you tweet about?• What topics will you tweet about?• Do you think you have enough to tweet about?

• If you are part of a project or team- who will do the tweeting? • Will you tweet using individual accounts or will you all use the same account?• If you are all tweeting under one account, do you want to initial your tweets so

your followers know who is tweeting?• Will everyone send tweets or will we send your tweets to one central person,

who will then tweet for the group?

• How often will you tweet?• Aim to tweet at least once a day (original or retweets both count)

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8- Work Plan for Getting Started• Decide on a twitter username and register for an account

• Set up your profile• Add a bio including important keywords so that people can find you through

searching• Upload a profile picture• Change the background if desired

• Follow some people • Search for people with similar interests

• Send out a tweet• Include hashtags when appropriate • You should almost always link to something, unless you are making a

statement• Remember to use a URL shortener to save space

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8- Work Plan for Getting Started• Retweet tweets that you think your followers would enjoy

• This is another way to build up a following

• If someone retweets one of your tweets remember to say thank you and consider retweeting something of theirs• Remember that this is about building connections and reciprocity

• Optional step: If you are nervous about tweeting live, try practice tweeting for a few days or even a week. At the end of the week get together and review the tweets:• Did you have enough to say?• Were all the tweets appropriate?• Is there a certain style you want to use?• Did you include hashtags were appropriate?• Did you include links? • Did you remember to use a URL shortener?

Now that you are more comfortable with tweeting- get ready to tweet live!

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8- Work Plan for Getting StartedSetting up other twitter tools to make life easier (optional but highly recommended)

• Set up an account for the URL shorten bit.ly and download the bit.ly bookmarklet or browser extension

• If you don’t like the twitter interface, consider using a third party application like TweetDeck or HootSuite

• To want to schedule tweets for the future, set up an account with twuffer or use TweetDeck

• Track your twitter followers and usage using analytic tools such as TweetStats, TwitterCounter

• Back up your tweets regularly with TweetBackup

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Resources10 Ways Researchers Can Use Twitter

http://www.networkedresearcher.co.uk/2011/08/03/10-ways-researchers-can-use-twitter/

10 Ways Researchers Can Use Twitter: Prezi Presentation http://salmapatel.com/academia/prezi-10-ways-researchers-could-use-twitter

Bitly http://bitly.com• URL shortener that lets you track who clicked on your links and creates a

QR code for your shortened link that you can add to print materials

HootSuite http://hootsuite.com• A web interface that allows to you manage your twitter account; good for

managing multiple twitter accounts

How do I… Use twitter? http://ucblibraries.colorado.edu/how/twitter.htm• Online guides from the University of Colorado Boulder Libraries on how to

use twitter for various purposes

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ResourcesLSE Guide to Using twitter in University Research, Teaching and Impact Activites http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2011/09/29/twitter-guide/

TodaysMeet http://todaysmeet.com/• An application that is similar to twitter but allows you to create a private

space for twitter-like interactions; can be used in a class settingTrendsmap http://trendsmap.com/

• Maps twitter trends across the world

TweetBackup http://tweetbackup.com• Twitter doesn’t archive tweets but you can backup your tweets and export

them to Excel with this tool

TweetChat http://tweetchat.com/• Allows you to have a tweetup, a kind of twitter “conference call”, using

hashtags. This tool with show only conversations with your chosen hashtag

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ResourcesTwitterCounter http://twittercounter.com/

• Provides statictics on your followers and tweets

TweetDeck http://www.tweetdeck.com• Web or desktop application for managing your twitter account; good for

managing multiple accounts

TweetStats http://tweetstats.com• Show some statistics and analytics on your tweets. Also can create a word

cloud of all the words you tweet

Twitter Help Center http://support.twitter.com/• Articles to get you started, as well as information about solving common

problems and how to report a violation

Twitter Glossary https://support.twitter.com/entries/166337-the-twitter-glossary• Explains commonly used twitter lingo and symbols

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Resources

Twitter for Research: Why and How to Do It, Including Case Studies http://www.twitip.com/twitter-for-research-why-and-how-to-do-it-including-case-studies/

• Covers how to use twitter to conduct research

Twitter Help Center http://support.twitter.com/• Articles to get you started, as well as information about solving common

problems and how to report a violation

Twitter Glossary https://support.twitter.com/entries/166337-the-twitter-glossary

• Explains commonly used twitter lingo and symbols

Twuffer http://twuffer.com/• Allows to you schedule in tweets for a later time. Good to use if you are

going to be away or plan to tweet daily about a resource, eg. ResearchSnapshots

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Resources

Using Twitter for Research https://www.martineve.com/2011/05/23/using-twitter-for-research/

• A Prezi presentation outlining ways to use twitter aimed at researchers

Vanderbilt University Social Media Handbook http://web.vanderbilt.edu/resources/social-media-handbook/

• Very good resources on how to create a social media strategy and how to start using various tools

YorkU’s Social Media Guidelines http://www.yorku.ca/ycom/socialmedia/SocialMediaGuidelines2010_R5.pdf

• Guidelines for setting up YorkU affiliated social media sites such as facebook and twitter

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Questions?

Krista JensenKnowledge Mobilization Officerkejensen@yorku.ca x 88847

www.researchimpact.caWebsite

researchimpact.othree.caO3 Space

Mobilize This! Blogresearchimpact.wordpress.com

Deliciousdelicious.com/researchimpact

twitter.com/researchimpact

Twittertwitter.com/KMbYork

SlideSharewww.slideshare.net/KMbYork

YouTubewww.slideshare.net/KMbYork