Mon. May 4, 3 pm - 4 pm, DIRC training room
Twitter, microblogging & libraries
Nicole Hennig & Remlee Green
Background and stats
- wikipedia on microblogging
- some stats:
The Rapid Growth of Twitter with the Stats to Prove It
Twitter Eats World: Global Visitors Shoot Up To 19 Million
Basics
- how to set up your Twitter account
- jargon: "tweets" "@replies" "hashtags" and more
- URL shortening services: bit.ly and others
- some Twitter apps: TweetDeck, Tweetie (iPhone, Mac), Twhirl
- find interesting people to follow:
a. Look for people you know with common interests and see who they are following and who is following them.
b. Use WeFollow and browse by tag to find tweeters of interest
c. try this google search: intext:location * massachusetts" intext:"bio * librarian" site:twitter.com
Replace location and keywords in the bio with anything. Another example:
intext:location * california" intext:"bio * vegan" site:twitter.com
d. use FriendorFollow for stats on who is following you and who you are following
- how you can use Twitter to search and monitor, even if you don't have a Twitter account
twitter advanced search, Twitter support page worth reading, use TweetGrid to monitor several things at once, use BackTweets to find tweets to particular URLs or domains
- trending terms: WhattheTrend? - find out WHY terms are trending
- use TwitPic for posting photos
- video: The Twitter Global Mind
How it's being used
- what's happening with the MIT Libraries twitter feed:
http://twitter.com/mitlibraries
- MIT groups using Twitter (as of 5/3/09):
mitwebpub, mitworld, MITMedical, mitpress, mit100K, MITOCW, mitentforum, mithomepage, nextlab, scratchteam, mitsloan, mitnews, mit150, MITcpw, MITCrimeClub
- innovative uses of Twitter by businesses and non-profits:
a. customer support for Whole Foods
b. Twitter for non-profits
c. innovative ways to do fundraising: Tweetsgiving
d. live tweeting of important news events: "Hack the Debate"
e. Live feedback during conferences:
Six Steps for Using Twitter for your Conference or Event
- what other libraries & cultural institutions are doing
a. "name that artifact" game - Smithsonian
b. engaged with their community - Brooklyn Museum
c. links to relevant content elsewhere - Walker Art Center
d. Twitter as a document stream from their digital repository at Hamburg University
e. see An open letter to museums on Twitter - good ideas for libraries, too!
Lindy Brown is keeping a long list of libraries on Twitter
- ideas for how we could use Twitter - discussion/brainstorm
Further resources
- The Twitter Book
excellent overview & more, good for both beginners and experienced tweeters
available through Safari Books Online
- "Brave New World of Digital Intimacy." Clive Thompson. New York Times. Sept. 5, 2008.
Discusses the social implications of “ambient awareness.”
- The Story Behind the Stats in Tweetsgiving
Analysis of how and why using Twitter for fundraising worked so well.
- 50 Ideas on Using Twitter for Business - Chris Brogan
useful advice on how to listen to your community
- What is Twitter and Why is it Useful?
good overview for beginners, with links to lots of Twitter tools
- An open letter to museums on Twitter (good ideas for libraries, too!)
- 10 Lessons Museums can Learn from Twitter (substitute "libraries")
- 13 Tutorials & Resources for a Perfect Twitter Background
- Nicole's twitter feed: http://twitter.com/nic221
