Twitter 101 for Water Utilities
Brian GongolNebraska Rural Water Conference
March 18, 2014
Twitter is the best free toolcurrently available for public outreach
Short messages mean there'sno getting discouraged
2. It's Easy
3. It's Widely Used in Journalism
Especially for smartphones
4. It's Built for Speed
If you can send a text,you can send a Tweet
5. It's Easy to Learn
Engaged water customersbeat disinterested ones
6. It Emphasizes Interaction
What does it look like in action?
Emergency Announcements
Justifying Rates and Fees
Community Engagement
Public Notice/Sunshine Laws
Job Listings and RFQs
Do social media sites really matter?
73% of adults who use the Internetuse at least one form of social media
Pew Internet Project, December 2013http://www.pewinternet.org/2013/12/30/social-media-update-2013/
Who's really on Twitter?
Sports fanatics
Journalists
Politicians
Who's really on Twitter?
Sports fanatics
Journalists
Politicians
2 of 3 are key audiences for water utilities
Why Twitter before Facebook?
Short messages discourage long rants
Why Twitter before Facebook?
140-character limit requires less commitment
Less commitment means more follow-through
Why Twitter before Facebook?
Twitter was built for mobile first
Facebook has (with difficulty) adapted to mobile second
The big picture
Demographics matter
If we want more respect, we have to earn it with the young
Why do you think we have legal marijuana and gay marriage? Demographics.
Where are young people? Twitter.
It's OK to have some fun, too
Until something better comes along
Free
Immediate
Direct
Reliable
Universally accessible
Built for remote use
Easy to learn