twitter for tech pol 2015

Cambridge Judge Business School

Getting started on TwitterDavid Reiner @TechPolicyMPhilGeorgina Cronin @senorcthulhuAndrew Alexander @MrAndrew_A

MPhil in Technology Policy

Session objectives• Understanding what Twitter is• Exploring how to use Twitter effectively• Start tweeting using your new account• Gain confidence with Twitter terminology• Discuss the pros and cons of using Twitter• Learn how to write engaging tweets• 20 Top Tips & Tricks

How many of you were on Twitter prior to this course?

Visitor Resident

Are you a visitor or a resident online?

Conduct a Google Search

Writing a review on Trip Advisor

Tweet regularly about all aspects of your life

Tweet only about professional activities

Create a Facebook Group and invite others to join

BlogOnline shop

Share all the photos you take on Flickr

Update your LinkedIn profile

Visitor Resident

Where are you on the scale?

Twitter culture: separating fact from fiction(not just celebrities tweeting what they had for breakfast)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tavopp/361730634/

Everyone has an opinion on Twitter...

https://www.flickr.com/photos/yourdon/4159766506/

In groups: one GOOD and one BAD thing you’ve heard about Twitter

https://www.flickr.com/photos/gizmo333/10620404045/

What’s the point of Twitter?

Twitter facts• Faster than earthquakes• Established linguistic and cultural norms• Has global reach: almost 30 languages covered• Is a public space• On average, more than 500 million tweets are sent every

day• Increasingly it’s where researchers are and collaboration

happens

Are you concerned about tweeting because of the apparent dangers?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_t_in_dc/7108362799/

Hands on

Your first tweets…• Write that very first tweet• Follow @TechPolicyMPhil• Follow @CJBSInfolib • Follow your neighbours• Reply to a tweet

#Hashtags• Established part of Twitter culture• Can be bespoke, or established like #FF• Used to identify the subject of a tweet• Facilitates discovery• Easy to overuse or get wrong #nowthatchersdead

#Hashtags• Established part of Twitter culture• Can be bespoke, or established like #FF• Used to identify the subject of a tweet• Facilitates discovery• Easy to overuse or get wrong #nowthatchersdead• Should be short and snappy• Check for existing use of your hashtag

More tweets…• Write a tweet with the hashtag #techpol16• Tweet a link to the Tech Policy blog: http://www.blogs.jbs.cam.ac.uk/techpolicymphil/ • Tweet an image• ReTweet a tweet• Favourite a tweet

Writing great tweets• Embrace the informal• Include a picture or link• Thoughtful use of hashtags• Well written; think about your voice• Include others in the conversation• Call to action• What do you want the reader of your tweet to do next?• Be in the moment / capture the social media zeitgeist

DM (Direct Mention)• A private message between you and another

tweeter• You must both follow each other• Accessible through the envelope icon

20 top tips & tricks

Write a meaningful bio and add a good portrait photo to attractfollowers (ditch the egg)

If you only broadcast and never

listen, people will

start to notice and

unfollow you

Manage your Twitter experience (and your other social channels) by maintaining them in one place

Use the search

facility to locate topics that interest

you and to discover

(and follow) people with

similar objectives

Use hashtags to group your tweets by content (and search using hashtags too)

Tweet useful

content – news,

blogposts, websites –

and offer your own

take on their value

Don’t be tempted to obtain followers by any quick route, this will not aid your Twitter presence

Tweet regularly

but not too often,

people might think

you are addicted

rather than engaged

Take part in Follow Friday (#FF) to promote good people to follow and to find new ones

Set aside time in your schedule to

tweet – make it part of

your routine in order to

keep up the momentum

Maintain a balance between how many people you follow and how many follow you

Engage in conversations

and (good-natured)

debate – this is the key to

getting value out of Twitter

Invest your 140 characters with wit, warmth and character - learn the art of constructing concise but interesting tweets

Show personality

and humour in your tweets -

no one is going to follow

a Twitter account that could be run

by a robot

Retweet other peoples tweets and others will retweet yours in return

Favourite tweets

that you want to

come back to explore when you

have more time

Tweet at lunchtime and between 4pm and 5pm when Twitter is busiest and they will be seen

Set up keyword

search alert

channels, so that tweets

matching your

interests are

gathered

Create lists in order to organise your most valuable followers into areas of interest so you don't miss their tweets

Don’t sit there like a potato! You get out of

Twitter what you put in -

tweet, follow and engage, and you will be rewarded

for your efforts