Shamik Das@shamikdas

Richard Casson@richardcasson

Twitter 101: Why activists need to tweet

What is Twitter?• A micro blogging platform – updates are 140

characters in length• 105 million registered users (Source: Mashable.com,

Sept. 2010)

• Adds 300,000 new users every day• Used widely by activists, charities and NGOs• High number of MPs, journalists, influencers

active on Twitter• Open network – usually don’t have to be friends

with someone to follow them, unlike on Facebook where you need their permission

How is Twitter used?• As a conversational tool – to communicate,

to organise, to share content.

• Increasingly, sites are embedding Twitter sharing links – see next slide

• To find news – when Gordon Brown resigned, rumours spread on Twitter first then press conf. began.

• Dedicated spaces – twitter.com/worldcup

When an Icelandic volcano erupted in April 2010,

this image was shared extensively on Twitter.

Quick case study: Refugee action

• @RefugeeAction:

The Daily Star thinks their headline 'No room for gays' is acceptable in 21st century Britain. We think not. http://bit.ly/chx0lz Pls RT

• Retweeted 600+ times, from only 500 followers.

• Avg. Twitter user has 100 followers. Seen by up to 60,000 people.

Longer case study: TwestivalIn late 2008, a group of about ten Twitter users decided to meet up in real life with the aim of organising a fundraising event. The first event they organised was such a success that they decided to repeat it in early 2009, only this time they took the idea global.

• In three weeks, fundraising events were organised under the Twestival banner in 200 cities world wide.

• 10,000 people took part.

• $250,000 raised through events and online donations (resulting in 55 wells with more than 17,000 people served in Uganda, Ethiopia, and India)

• Run completely by volunteers

• Everyone knew each other through Twitter

• Completely decentralised - there were guidelines, but each event was shaped however the organisers wanted to make it

Twestival.fmTracks donated by artists including Imogen Heap, Bloc Party, Mystery Jets and Ben Westbeech. All available to stream or download for free – with a simple request that listeners donate to help the cause.

Twestival t-shirtsDesigned and sold by volunteers. All profit went to the cause.

Followers(click to display)

Tweetsfrom

people you follow

Tweets toyou Lists

Trending topics

Your latest tweet

Twitter: the basics• Tweet - an update

– Thx to Oxfam pressure from Oxfam activists, #2009budget means world’s poorest will be better off

• Follow – subscribe to another user’s tweets• @ - use to send a direct message to another user, eg

@richardcasson• Retweet – copying someone else’s tweet

– RT @richardcasson thx to pressure from Oxfam activists, #2009budget means world’s poorest will be better off

• Hashtag – used to group related discussions, eg #climate #COP16

• Trending topics – the top ten most discussed issues on Twitter at a given moment in time

Shamik DasLeft Foot Forward

Increasing your followers• Use hashtags frequently – @oxfam only

exceed 10,000+ followers after being active around #Haiti

• Follow other people

• Talk to others – use RTs, DM, ask questions

• Include links to content, eg. using bit.ly

• Embed links to your Twitter account on your website and supporter emails

• Use TweetDeck

An example of engagement – from @oxfamHow should money be raised to tackle #climate change? A) Tax banks B) Tax emissions from ships & planes C) From govts. RT ur answer. #COP16

@lena_reiner: See our tweet from earlier. You have to RT your answer: http://twitter.com/#!/Oxfam/status/11465360402292736

Thnx for all answers to: "How should money be raised to tackle #climate change?" 30+ replies so far! Keep them coming... #COP16

An example of engagement (cont.)The results are in! 'C) From govts' wasur favourite with 38% of votes http://bit.ly/glFTZg More facts on '#climate finance' to come. #COP16

A levy on emissions from shipping & aviation could raise $20Bn to help tackle #climate change. Full report from AGF: http://bit.ly/gnvrPP

Last fact for today: A tiny tax on banks could raise up to $700Bn / yr to help poor communities adapt to #climate change http://oxf.am/Zii

Twitter analyticsTweetreach.com:shows how far a link, hashtag or phrase hastravelled

Twitalyzer.com

Find out what hashtags /

subjects a user talks about.

Search for influencers.

Twittercounter.com

Information about follower growth

The Archivist: http://archivist.visitmix.com/See who’s tweeting about what

In 2010, Old Spice (a brand of aftershave) launched a campaign video on YouTube that featured a man doing all sorts of superhuman feats – who later became known as the Old Spice Guy.

The video was promoted on Twitter, and as people tweeted about it, the Old Spice Guy followed up with a second series of videos that targeted a spread of celebrities, common folk and popular social media sites in balanced quantities.

What’s important with this campaign is that it engaged directly with people. By targeting key influencers on Twitter, they help to ensure further conversation about the advertising campaign.More reading about the campaign on the links below:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=So5yDtITswYhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsD3JL-c_hohttp://mashable.com/2010/07/15/old-spice-social-media-campaign/

A Twitter campaign… from Old Spice