My slides from a two-hour workshop for WGBH employees held on March 20. The workshop helped employees learn the basics of Twitter as well as tips, tricks and best practices for the platform.
2. Twitter 101
• 3-3:15 What is Twitter?
• 3:15 – 3:30 The Anatomy of a Tweet
• 3:30-3:45 Ways to Use Twitter
• 3:45 – 4pm Workshop: Setting
up your account
3. What is Twitter?
• Microblogging service
• Sends text messages limited to 140 characters
• Registered users can read and post tweets
• Unregistered users can only read tweets
• Twitter launched in 2006
• There are 645 million active registered Twitter users
• 135,000 new Twitter users sign up every day
• An average of 58 million tweets are sent a day
15. The Hashtag
• A brief search term, used with a # at the beginning of a word
• Using a hashtag, you can search Twitter to find all the tweets using that hashtag
• Makes conversations possible
• Hashtags function as keywords to highlight discussions
• Hashtags unify a group of related threads or tweets because they are searchable
• A hashtag that catches on and becomes widely used can amplify issues and
broadcast views very quickly
16. Find an Existing Hashtag
• Twitter.com
• Hashtags.org
• What the trend
• Hashtagify.me
• Twubs
• Tagalus
• Trendsmap
TORY-Micro-blogging service-Sends text messages limited to 140 characters-Registered users can read and post tweets, but unregistered users can only read them-Twitter launched in 2006-There are 645 million active registered Twitter users-135,000 new Twitter users sign up every day -An average of 58 million tweets are sent a day
To TweetTweeting (not Twittering)Tweeter / Tweeters (not Twitterers)
NATHANUsername: Also known as a Twitter handle, this is used to identify you on Twitter -Handles are unique and contain fewer than 15 characters, starting with @Text: 140 character max, including links-Hashtag: Brief search term or keyword, starting with the # character
The Anatomy of a Tweet: ActionsInteractions: All activity on your feed - new followers, favorites, retweets and other activity@ Mentions: Direct mentions and @ tweets directed to you RT Retweet: Act of reposting a tweet, shares it with your followers DM Direct message
TORY
The TimelineTweets from who you follow-follow the people you want to hear from-these don’t have to have a specific theme – you can organize them later
ConnectBuilding community-Start building your community by finding and following people who are relevant to your content areas-Twitter community should be a combination of influential people and leaders, news organizations, industry experts and everyday people-Your stream will help you stay informed and give you unexpected information or perspectives on issues you’re interested in
DiscoveryFind what’s trending, what people are talking about
The Hashtag-Makes conversation possible-Brief search term, used with a # at the beginning of the word-Hashtags function as keywords to highlight discussions-Hashtags unify a group of related threads or tweets because they are searchable-A hashtag that catches on and becomes widely used can amplify issues and broadcast views very quickly-Using a hashtag, you can search Twitter to find all the tweets using that hashtag
TORY-You can find popular hashtags by searching Twitter or using an external site (like hashtags.org or What the Trend)
TORY-If you want to create a conversation that no one else is having, and “own” that conversation, create your own hashtag-Examples of successful hashtags at WGBH: #frontlinepbs, AMEX?-If enough people pick up the hashtag, it can become a trending topic-Be careful with your hashtag - #nowthatchersdead (people thought Cher had died), #susanalbumparty (Susan Boyle)
How YOU can use Twitter as an individual -To build your brand (people want to see the people behind an org.)-Share your passions and hobbies (Cisco CTO)-Second screen (more conversational than FB, real time interaction)-Find news, especially breaking news-Listen: Only 60% actually tweet – the rest just listen
What do I tweet?-Tweet what you find interesting-Tweet what is unique to you – what are your hobbies and your passions?-Tweet interesting links-Tweet pictures-Interact with those you follow-Ask and answer questions: use as a focus group
NATHAN-Setting up: twitter.com, create your account, confirm via email-Your profile: this is how people will decide to follow you-Fill in your bio -Upload a photo-Custom background
TORY
TORY
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TORYGrowth-Expect to grow your following slowly-Rapid growth happens very rarely-Growth comes when you make connections and relationships. The more you interact, the bigger your reach
TORYWhy listen?-Brand presence – what are people saying about my show? To monitor what people are saying about your brand, keep a stream with your name or your company’s name
NATHANWhy listen?-Latest topics- Monitor friends and colleague’s tweets to track important issues of the day
TORYCreating Lists-Create a list of experts and sources related to a specific beat-You can build up sources by location (if you want news out of a specific area) or by keyword (if you want experts on a specific topic)
TORY
TORYSubscribing to Lists-If you like science and technology subscribe to a list -Listorious, WeFollow.com, Twibes.com
NATHANWays to search-Search by hashtag -Search by keyword -Search for tweets that mention a specific account -Search for tweets that mention a user -Search for a user Things you can search for-Find responses or posts on a topic or issue-Find a discussion with or about a person-Find a colleague or a potential source
TORYBoolean logic - Advanced Search can let you refine your search like:-From these accounts-To these accounts-mentioning these accounts-searching for any-searching for all-searching for exact wording-This or That (one of these words but not both together)-language of the tweet-location of the tweet
NATHAN
TORY
Great tweets-80/20 rule: Out of every 10 tweets, 2 should promote you/stories/content; others should RT, share, engage, be random.-Use photos-<120 character-Interaction & engagement, listening-Be simple. Present 1 idea or ask them to do one thing (don’t make it too complicated) – handle OR link OR hashtag OR photo
NATHAN-Auto-tweets (Tweets should look like they’re written by a human, are impersonal and annoying)-Starting with an “@” sign
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57dzaMaouXA
TORYBitly: shortens URLs, tracks RTs and clicks on shortened URLs. Can use to ID supporters and popular stories.Hootsuite: Multi-user Twitter and Facebook manager; good for scheduling posts managing conversations and running promotional campaigns with multiple usersKlout: Tool to measure your influence and find other influentialTweetreach: Measures the success of your tweets by RT, influence and sentimentTwitter for Newsrooms: Resources for journalists using TwitterFollowerwonk: Visually represents the demographics of your followers.