Twitter for improvers

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Tips for Twitter IMPROVERS Becoming a Networked Researcher Ned Potter Academic Liaison

description

You don't need to follow any Twitter advice - unless Twitter isn't working for you or you want to get something different out of it. If you lose followers because you tweet pictures of your lunch, who cares? Just have fewer followers. But if you're a researcher and you want to grow your network of support on Twitter, the tips in this presentation will help you do that. It covers Content, Tone, Logistics and your Account. Part of the Becoming a Networked Researcher suite of workshops and learning materials, which I deliver at the University of York.

Transcript of Twitter for improvers

  • Tips for Twitter IMPROVERS Becoming a Networked Researcher Ned Potter Academic Liaison
  • Above all, remember its not about broadcasting, its about conversation!
  • Above all, remember its not about broadcasting, its about conversation! This is Web 2.0. Its interactive, participatory, and about positioning yourself as part of a dialogue. If you remember this rule, all the other rules in this guide can be broken.
  • (This guide is aimed at people in the academic environment who already use Twitter. If youre brand new to the platform, read this introduction first.)
  • Content Part 1
  • Dont just make statements, ask questions. Content
  • Content Tweet multimedia Pictures, videos, slideshows all appear within Twitter itself
  • Consider the 1 in 4 rule* *actually its more of a guideline Content
  • Consider the 1 in 4 rule* 1 in 4 Tweets directly about you / your work *actually its more of a guideline A ReTweet? A link to something useful?A reply? Content
  • Embrace the smartphone! (Soon there will only BE smartphones so you may as well get started now.) Content
  • Embrace the smartphone! (Soon there will only BE smartphones so you may as well get started now.) Imagine the people reading your Tweets are not just in your building, but on the train, in the supermarket queue, at conferences or events. Twitter doesnt have to be something people MAKE TIME for. Content
  • Tone Part 2
  • Try not to think of it as purely personal or purely professional it works better when its both. (Personally I think it works well when you major in professional and minor in personal) Tone
  • Spell things correctly, dont use text-speak, ensure proper grammar and syntax but the tone is friendly and approachable. Tone
  • Ultimately the tone on Twitter is roughly akin to how you would address your peers face-to-face (as opposed to in print). Are you friendly, irreverent, sarcastic, enthusiastic, irascible? Thats probably how you should be on Twitter, too. Tone
  • Ultimately the tone on Twitter is roughly akin to how you would address your peers face-to-face (as opposed to in print). Are you friendly, irreverent, sarcastic, enthusiastic, irascible? Thats probably how you should be on Twitter, too. (Just dont be unpleasant, as the written word can have a bigger and longer-lasting impact than what is spoken.) Tone
  • Your Account Part 3
  • Your profile is hugely important it can both win and lose you opportunities. Use your bio to give people a reason to engage with you. Use the URL space to link your blog. And whatever you do, dont leave the picture as the default Twitter egg people associate this with spam accounts and switch off instantly. Your Account
  • Bio, blog link Following back Dont be spammy Check hashtags Your Account You dont HAVE to follow back. Although reciprocity is an important part of building a social network, dont feel like you have to follow everyone who follows you. Above all Twitter has to be manageable and work FOR you.
  • Your Account And if you DO have to follow back for political reasons The mute button is your friend.
  • When creating hashtags for events, projects, conferences and discussions remember to check theyre not already in use before you make them public! Your Account
  • To lock or not to lock your account? Advantages: Complete control over who sees your tweets Free reign to be critical or otherwise controversial Protection from the undesirable side of the internet Numbers of followers are not an end in themselves a larger network doesnt always equate to a more valuable one
  • To lock or not to lock your account? Disadvantages: Will reduce the size of your network so you may miss out on interacting with useful or interesting people Prevents you from being ReTweeted, meaning you cannot reach additional audiences Your tweets cannot be seen by people who dont follow you, even if addressed directly at them with an @ reply
  • Logistics Part 4
  • Logistics How often should you tweet? Targets can often backfire tweet when you have something to say, and dont when you dont.
  • That said, the more people tweet, the bigger their network.* Often the bigger their network, the more they get out of Twitter. Logistics *Usually. But theres no guarantee here!
  • Set up saved searches After any useful search, save it so its easily accessible next time you click the search box. Logistics
  • Set up saved searches As well as searches for relevant topics, set up a search on pertinent URLs (for example your project page or blog) so you can see whenever anyone tweets about your work. Logistics
  • Lists allow you to usefully curate the people you follow For example, make lists of people who tweet about Your discipline Research in your area Impact factors Technology in HE Higher Education in general Local news Global news University news Whatever is relevant to you Logistics
  • Analyse your Tweets There are a million and one Twitter stats packages online choose the ones which give you information you can ACT on. E.G. use http://tweetstats.com to check how often youre replying and RTing, and WHEN youre Tweeting Logistics
  • Analyse your Tweets Then use www.tweriod.com to find out when your followers are actually online: Logistics
  • Consider a social media dashboard Twitter doesnt have to be run from twitter.com something like Hootsuite may be useful as it allows you to view your timeline, mentions, direct messages, lists, searches etc, in real time, from one screen, and you can also manage other social media accounts here Logistics
  • And finally You need to actually tell people youre there. @username on your business cards on your PowerPoint presentations on your name-badge at conferences in your email signature
  • Thanks for reading! More on Becoming a Networked Researcher can be found at http://www.york.ac.uk/library/info- for/researchers/networked/ Follow the Library on Twitter: @UoYLibrary Picture credits are on the next two slides.
  • Photos via Flickr Creative Commons (1) Twitter birds on a wire by MKH Marketing, at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mkhmarketing/8477893426/size s/l/in/photostream/ Birds in the sky by ,T.R.G, at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/therealgrudge/4065114735/siz es/l/in/photostream/ Twitter bird in a cage by MKH Marketing, edited by us, original at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mkhmarketing/8481608368/size s/l/in/photostream/ Graduation, by j.o.h.n walker, at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/whatcouldgowrong/460896372 2/sizes/l/in/photostream/ Smily fruit by *Light Painting*, at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/helmuthess/9563262919/sizes/ l/in/photostream/ Seminar room by Jonas_k, at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jonask/2311309574/sizes/l/in/ photostream/
  • Photos via Flickr Creative Commons (2) Egg by JeffPoskanzer, at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jef/7550549938/sizes/c/ Reciprocal roof by The Year of Mud, at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/smallape/2868726577/sizes/l Homemade hashtag by Alexander Hugo TarTari, at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/byhoogle/6879766189/sizes/l Blue padlock by Aff, at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/affers/8298047871/sizes/c/in/ph otostream/ Question-mark cufflinks by Oberazzi, at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/oberazzi/318947345/sizes/z/in/ photostream/ Smartphone by Xrajis_, at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/xraijs/3474643866/sizes/l/in/p hotostream/ All Twitter icons, and the iPad icon, via www.iconfinder.com