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This PowerPoint presentation includes pre-conference survey results on educators' use and knowledge of Twitter, as well as tips on how to best utilize the social media tool.
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All a Twit About Twitter: Using Twitter as a School and District Communications Tool
March 1, 2010
Twitter’s Explosive Growth World Wide Web = the global information network
where people increasingly spend their time learning, socializing and playing
Twitter is one of the fastest growing social media tools on the Web Unique visitors increased by 1,382% from ‘08 to ‘09
(Nielson) 12th most popular Web site in in the U.S. based on visitors
(Alexa) 50 million tweets/day (Twitter)
Implications for Schools/Districts School stakeholders are already communicating
online via Twitter Fastest growing Twitter user demographic is 25 years old
and above Median age is 31
Likely that your school/district, staff, administrators already being mentioned in conversations on Twitter
Journalists increasingly use Twitter to find sources and information, ID trends
Implications for Schools/Districts Twitter, like other social media sites, allows for
more authentic, two-way communications than traditional media
This is key for: Building community and trust Fostering collaboration Improving relationships with parents, community
members, journalists, staff, and other stakeholders Providing outreach critical for a successful educational
system
Twitter Survey Overview In February 2010, CB&A surveyed educators
on the CoSN Conference pre-registration list Survey explored educators’ personal use of
Twitter and school/district use of Twitter Emailed survey to 172 educators
35 percent participated in the survey Feedback helped inform discussion taking
place during the CoSN 2010 conference
Educators’ Personal Use of Twitter
Educators’ Personal Use of Twitter Reasons for using Twitter include:
Networking with colleagues Share education-related information Follow industry news
Reasons for not using Twitter include: Other forms of communication are more effective Not interested in sharing my thoughts with others I don’t have time
School/District Use of Twitter
School/District Use of Twitter
Key Survey Findings More than 50 percent have a personal Twitter
account, but don’t use it often More than 50 percent said their school/district
has a Twitter account, but only 8 percent tweet on a regular basis
These findings seem to indicate that many have a Twitter account, but struggle with how to use the communication tool effectively
Twitter as a School/District Communications Tool Build credibility and trust among stakeholders Share student and staff successes Alert parents, community members, and media to
school events Emergency notifications Recruiting teachers and staff Build support for key initiatives, programs Create community of supporters critical for launching
future projects, garnering feedback, and soliciting help during crises
Examples of School/District Use
Personal, offers thank you, alert to
new event
Shares student success
Real-time call-to-action
Alerts others to upcoming event
Shares student projects, links to more
on district Web site
Offers link to interesting
education article
Important alert for parents and community
Encourages feedback from
followers
Event notice, linked to engaging online chat
hosted on district Web site that informs,
encourages feedback
Shares link to video district has created to highlight staff
Twitter background communicates “brand” of district; informative profile bio with key messages and link to Web site
Steps to Get Started Establish goals for Twitter use (i.e., how often to tweet,
what types of information to share on Twitter, results you’d like to see from using Twitter, etc.)
Set up an account and familiarize yourself with Twitter uses, capabilities, and terminology
Start tweeting as soon as possible Build up your feed to establish the organization as committed
to this communications method It is essential to start conversations and share information that
potential followers will find useful Identify community members, organizations, education
leaders, media, and others to follow and learn from
Tips for Twitter Success Track conversations to understand which
topics engage your community in conversation Twitter search - http://search.twitter.com Track influence: Twitalyzer, http://www.twitalyzer.com Count Traffic & Links:
bit.ly, http://bit.ly/ ow.ly, http://ow.ly/url/shorten-url
Review goals and progress on a regular basis to adjust strategy and tactics as needed
Guidelines for Twitter Use Be community-minded (i.e., retweet, share helpful
info, answer questions) Post regularly and respond in a timely manner Don’t tweet excessively, or tweet only about
you/your school or district Don’t communicate like a robot; offer personal
insights, comments; be authentic
Tools to Save Time, Enhance Use CoTweet – A free and easy tool for managing multiple Twitter accounts – up
to five – with a single login; it also allows brand and keyword monitoring through Twitter search
Hootsuite – A professional Twitter client offering a wide range of features including the ability to manage other social media accounts, schedule tweets, and track Twitter statistics
Mobile Apps – Post updates to Twitter from anywhere; options include OpenBeak for Blackberrys, Tweetie and Echofon for the iPhone
Twtpoll – A feedback tool that helps you to conduct polls/surveys on Twitter, or any other social media site
Twtvite – An event manager tool that helps you organize Tweetups and make meaningful connections through social media.
Twapperkeeper – A free tool that allows you to archive and organize your tweets based upon hashtags; useful for events
Questions? Kristen Plemon & Emily Embury
[email protected], [email protected] @kplemon, @emilyembury
C. Blohm & Associates www.cblohm.com @CBlohmAssoc
