Twitter has a hit a tipping point and your library has to be there

1. Twitter Wake Up Call
Darlene Fichter University of Saskatchewan
Jeff Wisniewski, University of Pittsburgh
Computers in Libraries
March 10, 2016
Twitter wake-up
call

2. Twitter: From Hype to Right

3. Twitter has a hit a tipping
point

4. When a communication medium becomes
so ubiquitous and has immediate live
impact on your community, a presence is
essential for proactive and reactive
reasons.
Why your library needs Twitter

5. Why Twitter now?
• Open versus closed “book”
• Searchable - conversational search engine
• Twitter breaks the news
• Direct channel to community (radio, tv station)
• Viral

6. Raw Numbers
Facebook Twitter
1.49 billion monthly active users
844 million mobile daily active users
1.31 billion mobile monthly active
users
83% users outside the US/ Canada
Data provided by Facebook.com
316 million monthly users
80% active users on mobile
77% users outside the U.S.
500 million tweets sent per day
Data provided by Twitter.com

7. Looking Beyond the Raw Numbers
• 49% of monthly Twitter users follow brands or companies
• Universally on the radar; 87% heard of Twitter, 88% heard of Facebook
• Twitter users are a source for Mass Influencers
• 25% of Twitter users are African Americans (approximately double the average
for U.S. population)
7 Surprising Statistics About Twitter in America by Jay Baer
http://www.convinceandconvert.com/social-media-strategy/7-surprising-statistics-about-twitter-in-america
Facebook vs. Twitter: Which Is Best for Your Brand by Dominique Jackson Sept 15, 2015
http://sproutsocial.com/insights/facebook-vs-twitter

8. Socio-Economic Differences
Facebook and Twitter – play to their strengths and demographics they serve and
their reach to the audience you serve.
Both may be tools in your toolbox but they’re great in some unique ways.

9. Use Twitter proactively AND reactively

10. Proactive
Organizations, companies and celebrities are using twitter as a news channel to
announce new products, developments, retirements, etc.
Instead of just holding a press conference and hoping your message gets passed
along by the news media, you can talk directly to your twitter followers, to the news
media, and the wider community online and have your fans pass your message along.

11. Proactive “rockstar” moment
Your library is a set for a scene from a Marvel movie:
One person tweeting about what's happening in the library on the set can engage
everyone excited about the movie and the local tie in to your library

12. Reactive
Fight misinformation
Communicate in a time of crisis or major disaster

13. Misinformation Storms
Either way internet hoaxes, rumors and
misinformation can spread like wildfire
online.
It's easier to stomp out a small spark than
a full fledge forest fire
If you're part of the twitter community,
you can engage with the tweets and clarify
what actually occurred.
World Economic Forum Top 10 Global Issues - http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/apr/24/tackle-spread-
misinformation-online

14. “Moment of Crisis”
Baltimore erupted in angry protests on the afternoon of Monday, April 27, following
the funeral service for Freddie Gray, an African American man who died in police
custody

16. Enoch Pratt Free
Library

17. Tweets become news
http://www.mtv.com/news/2145044/baltimore-library-stays-open/

18. Power of Twitter
● Immediate
● Direct
○ not dependent on the media to tell your story
○ you can speak directly to your followers
● Bi-directional
● Viral

19. For Just In Time Moments
• Have Twitter
just in case

20. Questions?
Jeff Wisniewski jeffw@pitt.edu
Darlene Fichter Darlene.Fichter@usask.ca