Digital 3.0 101:Twitter for Government

What is Twitter?Everyone from CNN reporters to your child’s high school principal is using

Twitter, the free Web- and cell phone-based messaging service that allows you to broadcast short messages, or updates,

to your friends or followers.

Share what you ate for breakfast, how your workday is going, and even what

your take is on the latest Canada’s Next Top Model.

Twitter isn’t just for teens—users are an affluent and well-educated bunch. A study from comscore.com states the majority of

visitors are 35 years of age or older.

Who Uses Twitter?

Getting StartedTo sign up for a Twitter account, go to

Twitter.com and click on “Get Started – Join!”

Getting StartedUse your real name on your account so friends and

contacts can find you. Note: You can choose “Protect my updates” to limit your Twitter followers to authorized status.

Once you’re registered, simply forward your Twitter page link to your contacts.

Getting Started

To send a “Tweet,” log onto the Web page from your computer or mobile device and use the entry

window to enter your message up to 140 characters.

How to Tweet

Once sent, your message will appear on the Twitter pages and mobile devices of

your Twitter followers.

How to Tweet

Visit the Common Craft to view helpful introductory videos at

www.commoncraft.com/twitter

Online Tutorial

Governments and public officials use Twitter too! Seriously, governments at the federal, state, and local levels are

starting to communicate via rapid fire messages for the benefit of the public. Examples: President Barack Obama uses Twitter, and emergency services are using the tool to send notifications about car accidents, fires, extreme

weather alerts, and missing persons.

Why Tweet?

Allow the public instant access to government Web sites.

Draw the type of public response, en masse, that public servants want.

Allow citizens to aid emergency services by providing valuable information about crimes, environmental

conditions, and catastrophes without crashing public servers as a result of spiking page hits.

Twitter Benefits