Twitter 101 for HR Professionals

NCHRA WebcastJune 4, 2010

Twitter 101 For HR Professionals

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So listen… while the deep throated warbler is yapping away take a moment to think of Twitter just like any other tool – you will get out of it what you put into it.

Agenda

3 Getting Started

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So What Is Twitter?

A “micro-blogging” platform Born from Short Message

Services (SMS) Limited to 140 characters 100+ million users ~2 billion “tweets” per month 600 million search queries per

day

“What we have to do is deliver to people the best and freshest most relevant information possible. We think of Twitter not as a social network, but it's an information network. It tells people what they care about as it is happening in the world.” ~ Evan Williams, Co-Founder

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Before You Get Started…

For personal reasons, such as … Your (crazy) friends rave about it You have hobbies and outside interests You’d like to expand your network You seek a faster source of breaking news

For professional reasons, such as … You’d like to meet interesting HR

professionals You have best practices to share You’re seeking answers to questions Access to content, webinars, conferences,

etc.

…. ask yourself why you’re joining

?

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Setting Up Your Account

Step 1: Point your browser to http://www.twitter.com

Step 2: Click on “Let me in” Step 3: Complete the four questions:

“Full Name”: This is your real name and it is searchable and visible.

“User Name”: This is the name people will use to follow you. Keep it short.

“Password”: Private and of your choosing. “Email”: Is private but can also be searchable (if you

allow it).

Step 4: Agree to the terms of service Step 5: Click on “Create My Account” Step 6: Celebrate your new life purpose and

stick your tongue out at naysayers (this part is optional)

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Your Profile

Name: The “full name” you entered upon registration Can be anything you’d like it to be

Location: Can either be dynamic or static Helps to build a sense of localization and community

Web: The primary non-Twitter destination of your choice Often includes websites, blogs, LinkedIn profiles, etc.

Bio: You have 160 characters to include anything you’d like. Think of this as your Twitter resume

8 Learning the Lingo

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The Basics

“Tweet” Refers to a single message “Tweeted” – Can be a verb (alternate use is “Twittering”)

Following/Followers When you “follow” someone, their tweets will appear in your

timeline When they “follow” you, your tweets will appear in their timeline

@[username] This is how you communicate directly with someone on Twitter It’s also how you see who’s been communicating with you “I had a great time @hrwest!” would be seen by:

All my followers @hrwest’s account holder Anyone who searches on “hrwest”… … and you can click on “@hrwest” to go directly to that user’s account

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The Basics (con’t)

Reply Used to respond to an individual user’s tweets Simply click on the “Reply” button available after each

tweet

Direct Messages The private messaging platform of Twitter (not searchable) Only effective if both parties are following one another Referred to as “DM” or “DMing” someone

Retweets Used when you’d like to broadcast someone’s tweet to your

followers Two options:

1) You can click on the “Retweet” button available after each tweet 2) You can highlight the message and copy and paste it into your

“What’s happening?” field Typically appears as – “RT @[username] [tweet]”

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More Advanced Concepts

Hashtags A method of tagging a concept, theme or event within a tweet Appears as – “#[hashtag]”

For example, the HR West conference hashtag was “#HRWest” Each Thursday night a radio program called “#HRHappyHour” is held

If clicked on, triggers a Twitter search for all tweets containing that hashtag

Commonly used to drive community, affinity and collaboration

Short URLs Because every character is precious, several URL shortening

services have emerged Takes a very long URL and converts it into a “tiny” version Some have the ability to track how many people clicked on a

particular link Common services include:

Bit.ly Tinyurl.com

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More Advanced Concepts (con’t)

Lists A means of organizing followers Can use whatever criteria you prefer If clicked on, only shows the tweets for those users

Tweetups Either spontaneous or organized gatherings Typically have an associated hashtag

Follow Friday Used to advise your followers on who you admire (and often

why) Leverages either “#ff” or “#followfriday” in the tweet Represents an explicit endorsement

13 Etiquette and Engagement

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Remember – It’s About Relationships

Be Authentic There is only one you so let yourself shine Attempt to achieve a balance between the personal and

professional Like email, tweets can be misinterpreted without context

Followers Don’t feel obliged to follow everyone who follows you Seek a balance in your following-to-follower ratio Don’t be afraid to “unfollow” someone (for any

reason)

Take It Offline Reach out to just one person a week and request a chat Locate fellow HR pros in your area Attend a Tweetup

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Common (Yet Disputed) Etiquette

Followers If someone follows you AND you follow them back

Send them a DM (“direct message”) and thank them for the follow

Avoid the temptation to subscribe to auto-DM services They will see everything you tweet (so keep that in mind)

Retweets If one of your tweets is “RTed”, try and thank those people

publicly

Feel free to add color commentary to the RT Without comment this is your implied endorsement of that

user and their thoughts or content Try and lift one another up to the benefit of the community

16Twitter’s Most Powerful Feature - Search

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Three Different Types of Search

Find People Located in the top navigation bar A great way to locate specific individuals or organizations Can also invite by email, scan your address book or get

suggestions

The Search Bar Located on the right-side navigation Simply enter any characters and click the magnifying

glass

http://search.twitter.com One of the most powerful search engines online Click on “advanced search” to be presented with a litany

of options Includes words, people, places, dates and attitudes

18 Real World HR Examples

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Recruiting – An Obvious Application

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Stay Current on Legislative Changes

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Embrace New Industry Voices

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Other Benefits to HR Professionals

Seek Peer Advice and Review Monitor Vendors and Consultants Track Analysts, Pundits and Thought

Leaders Identify Local, National and Virtual Events Build (and Monitor) Your Employer Brand Access Surveys, Research and Benchmarks Share Best Practices and Successes Promote Corporate Social

Responsibility/Philanthropy Enjoy Free [Everything]!

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Thank you!

Contact Information

Mark StelznerPrincipal, Inflexion Advisors

415-658-7460mark.stelzner@inflexionadvisors.com

http://www.inflexionadvisors.com

http://www.twitter.com/stelznerhttp://www.linkedin.com/in/markstelzner