Twitter is Great (And So Can You)!
Why You Should Be on Twitter and How it Benefits Students, Faculty and
CitizensJason Steinhauer
Director, Lepage Center for History in the Public Interest
@JasonSteinhauer @LepageCtr #Twitter101
Overview:What Twitter is How to use it
How to think about it Why it’s valuable
*unlike in class, you should be on your device during this talk
Who are you?who’s in the room
Who am I?how we communicate history, aka #histcomm
Twitter is a toolThe more you use it, the better you understand it
Do online what you would in person
CommentingSay stuff!
CollectingLearn stuff!
ConnectingMeet people!
A-B-C“Always be connecting”
Twitter 101
your ideas go here
you say something
i say something
someone else says something
It’s a conversation
Talk to anyone, talk to someone
@ThisIsaTwitterHandle
Hi, I’m a hashtag (#)#thisiswhatahashtaglookslike
Hashtags#resist
#russianhacking #ArabSpring
#WomensMarch#MAGA
#DrainTheSwamp #HereToStay
#VotoPorPaco #euxsummit2017 #newshourchats
#SNL40 #IGotCaught
#MyLoveLifeIn5Words #YouDontDeserveMyRespectIf
#drinkingaboutmuseums #historyjobs #histcomm
x1,000,000…
jump in and join the conversation!
TrendingWhen lots of people talk about something all at once
Twitter is not
a press release*(unless you’re a celebrity, world leader, elected official or other famous person)
Appropriate
Appropriate
Less appropriate
Twitter Where celebrities are real people
Facebook Where real people are celebrities
Twitter 317 million
Facebook 1.86 billion
Twitter open network - talk to anyone!
Facebook semi-closed network - talk to your circles
Who’s on Twitter?*world leaders
*government officials *celebrities *athletes
*journalists *companies / institutions
*digital marketers *scholars
*anyone with something to say
Join a MovementLarge movements on Twitter can have influence
“When we cannot hold hands in the street…we hold hands on the Internet”
-Manuel Castells
Let’s talk about “Followers”
you seem cool, I want to follow you you say
interesting things, I want to
follow you
You seem like a person of
influence, I should follow
you
Following is how you connect with people “You won’t lead if you
can’t follow”
Don’t obsess about how many followers you have
*know your followers *understand your followers *engage with your followers
*be interesting *follow back as appropriate
Total followers are nice, but I focus on followers per tweet
Ratio - 2.08
Ratio - 9.19
Make lists*coworkers
*institutions you like *parks you want to visit
*publications you like to read *people you’d like to meet
*you don’t need to follow everyone
Drawbacks of Twitter*information overload
*distractions *lameness
*trolls *harassment
*explicit content
*it can get nasty 😷
Mitigation techniques*be selective in who you follow *make people prove their worth
*use lists *don’t be afraid to ignore people
*use the “block” tool *report abuse
*lock your account if desired
What should you say?
Be interesting
A tweet is a headline“On the average, five times as many people read the
headline as read the body copy. When you have written your headline, you have spent eighty cents out of your dollar.”
-David Ogilvy
source: http://blog.meetedgar.com/201407this-is-why-nobody-sees-your-tweets/
Most people won’t see your tweet
Be interesting
Talk about:*your work
*your interests *what you’re reading
*what others are saying *what’s going on in the world
*issues that matter to you
Be interesting
Why is Twitter good for students?
*find jobs *network with professionals
*learn what’s going on in the field *see who the influencers are
*discover resources *be part of important conversations
Why is Twitter good for faculty?*find jobs *network
*learn what’s going on in the field *see who the influencers are
*discover resources *be part of important conversations
*establish your brand *connect with journalists
*GET YOUR RESEARCH OUT THERE
Why is Twitter good for citizens?*free speech
*mobilize action *share information
*create connections around the world *give voice to the voiceless
*raise money & awareness for causes *hold leaders accountable
*CHANGE THE WORLD
Tahrir Square - formed first on the Internet before going into the streets. Twitter is at the foundations of contemporary social
movements.
Want inspiration? Follow @jbf1755
Want inspiration? Follow @lisawade
Want inspiration? Follow @RadioFreeTom
Want more? Take a #histcomm class
Twitter is what you make it
Questions?Jason Steinhauer
Director, Lepage Center for History in the Public Interest
@JasonSteinhauer @LepageCtr