Social Media 101: A Twitter Primer

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Robert Benson
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1 Social Media 101: A Twitter Primer 1

2 with specific Ward 11 discussion Students

3 3 Agenda Twitter Overview Followers and Following Hashtags Retweeting, Replies and Direct Messages To tweet or not to tweet Your Twitter Profile and Settings Social Media Strategy Other social media tools

4 4 What is Twitter? As of January 2014, Twitter has 650 million users, with 135,000 signing up every day. A billion tweets are sent out every FIVE DAYS. It s the fastest, simplest way to stay close to everything you care about. Real-time information - connects you to the latest stories, ideas, opinions and news about topics of your interest. Simply find the accounts you find most compelling and follow the conversations. At the heart of Twitter are small bursts of information called Tweets. Each Tweet is 140 characters long. You can see photos, videos and conversations directly in Tweets to get the whole story at a glance, and all in one place. Information courtesy Twitter.com

5 5 Social media provides opportunities! Need to provide students and parents with board and school news using the same tools the audience is using Connect and engage with other schools, classrooms, parents and community Positive media coverage - direct access to reporters and newsrooms Enrich classroom learning and connect with others Promotional show off the amazing things happening in your school/class Be a role model for our teen students

6 Why use Twitter for community communications? Connect directly with students and their parents/ guardians Connect directly with community members (parents, staff, constituents) in a clear and concise manner Cost and time-effective, low-barrier for staff, students and school community Easy to share photos, videos, board news, links to relevant information & get feedback Be your own official voice 6

7 7 Why do I tweet? Latest breaking news from any topic imaginable Networking and relationship-building Media relations Keeping in touch with friends and acquaintances Building trust and accountability with followers and wider education community

8 8 The Twitter Interface

9 9 Followers and Following Your followers are Twitter users who have agreed to receive tweets through Twitter Following someone on Twitter means: You are subscribing to their tweets as a follower Their updates will appear in your Home tab That person is able send you direct 29.4K 838 Approx. 2, million 60.7 MILLION FOLLOWERS (Sorry for the bad news) It s quality over quantity here. Do not keep yourself up at night worrying about a low follower count!

10 10 Who to follow Teachers, staff, principals, individual schools (multiple accounts), boards, trustees Education minister/ministry Student trustees, students OISE, education researchers Teacher unions (unions and presidents) Education reporters Premier and other politicians

11 Follow TDSB Tweeters 11

12 12 Be patient How do I get others to follow me? Have a clear purpose Post interesting and useful information regularly Follow people that you think would be interested in following you Engage in conversations Promote your handle Use hashtags

13 Retweets 13 Retweeting is how Twitter users share interesting tweets from the people they are following When you see a tweet by another user that you want to share, click Retweet above the Tweet to forward it to your followers instantly You can also Quote Tweet and include your own personal message outside the quotation marks. Did I just hear the we aren't going to see spring-like temps until mid April!!! Oh no.

14 14 Retweet (RT) or Modified Tweet (MT) You can also add RT to the front of a tweet to signify that you re retweeting another user s tweet If you are modifying a user s tweet typically done to shorten the tweet to be under 140 place an MT before the tweet. You can also add text prior to the Ditto! We re wishing everyone of our community a great summer break, see you in September.

15 @Replies 15

16 16 Direct Messages (DMs) To "whisper" something of replying in public, use direct messages. The easiest way is to click on the mailbox button on your Twitter profile. A user must be following you in order for you to direct message them, but not to reply to them.

17 #Hashtags Twitter hashtags help spread information on Twitter while also helping to organize it 17

18 18 How to use hashtags A function to make keyword searching easier Distinguish content using keywords, preceded by a # sign #OntEd #OPSBA #TDSB #ONPoli Don t use too many, it s annoying

19 19 Only on Twitter CC or just C Carbon copy, just like in ICYMI In Case You Missed It #FF Follow Friday NSFW Not Safe for Work OH Overheard LRT Last Retweet.@ - Why is that period there at the beginning of that tweet? IMHO In my honest opinion

20 20 What not to tweet Any personal information Photos of children without media releases Criticism or negative tweets Links to websites/videos without previewing them first Replies to users with inappropriate handles or comments Too many inane personal anecdotes

21 Educator Account An Educator s 3 Twitter Classroom School Account

22 22 What makes a great tweet? Inspiring Regular, relevant, timely Positive and motivational Connects you to your audience

23 Elements of a Good Tweet 23

24 Elements of a Good Tweet 24 Gives context of what s happening Good photos Engaging and shows the spirit of what s going on

25 25 What to tweet Let s hear from the experts To help facilitate discussion, invited experts those who tweet regularly to share their experiences OPSBA TDSB Trustee Principals Teachers ECE Parents Students

26 26 What to tweet key learnings Consider your audience Tweet about initiatives in your classroom Tweet about school events and activities Retweet others tweets show you care Encourage discussion/conversation by replying to their constructive thoughts Add tweets that are links to great resources or web pages/videos/photos you ve found

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29 29 Don t respond to trolls

30 30 Your Twitter Profile

31 Sample Twitter bio 31

32 School logo used for profile picture Elements of a TDSB Twitter Account 32 Twitter handle clearly identifies school name and part of TDSB Link to school website Regularly updated

33 33 Sample Terms This Twitter account is administered by the campaign team of Trustee Doe. We update and monitor this account intermittently during regular business hours only from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. We welcome your comments and questions on Twitter, but before you tweet us, please ensure you do not include personal information or photos of others without their consent. We cannot commit to replying individually to all messages received via Twitter but will address major issues and themes to our wider audience. For official correspondence, contact us at our campaign office at

34 TDSB Twitter Policy 34 The TDSB Twitter account is managed by the Communications and Public Affairs Department, on behalf of all TDSB staff. We welcome and encourage student and staff engagement that is respectful. Please note that the TDSB School Code of Conduct applies to Twitter interactions. Any material we view to be illegal, hateful, offensive, and/or threatening is reportable and can result in serious consequences. Please think before you tweet. Staff will update and monitor the Twitter account during office hours, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday. We welcome feedback and ideas from all followers, and endeavour to join the conversation when possible. However, we may not be able to reply individually to all messages received on Twitter.

35 35 Twitter Settings Account Settings Security & Privacy Password Mobile notifications Profile Design Apps Widgets

36 Protected Tweets You can choose who will follow you Account will display a lock icon Pros Can make you feel more comfortable about expressing

36 36 Protected Tweets You can choose who will follow you Account will display a lock icon Pros Can make you feel more comfortable about expressing your views and controlling your audience Cons Restricts potential interactions. It s not really private. Anyone can take a screen-capture and forward.

37 37 Link Shortening Web links are often quite long and can take up the majority of the 140 character limit if not shortened. Services like bit.ly and ow.ly allow users to share links on Twitter and still have characters left over for more content in a tweet.

38 38 Twitter Management Apps Downloadable desktop application to manage your Twitter account easily from your home or work computer. A web-based application, can be accessed without downloading any software.

39 Social Media Strategy & Guidelines 39 Get a strategy and guidelines first! Why? Helps head off any potential crises Identify your main audience will help you create tailored content Content principles keep it varied, human, frequent and timely Human resources social media doesn t have to take all day Types of content news, campaign/initiative messaging

40 Social Media Terms of Use for School Board Staff 40 Purpose to ensure proper use of social media tools by employees when representing the organization publicly Privacy and Security acting in a professional manner Social posting guidelines a quick overview

41 41 Questions? For more information, visit: Twitter Support: Mashable s Twitter Guidebook: OPSBA Social Media Strategy: Professional Development at TDSB: Tweet Right: Twitter Best Practices in the TDSB

55 Other Experts in the Family

How to Set-Up a Basic Twitter Page

How to Set-Up a Basic Twitter Page 1. Go to http://twitter.com and find the sign up box, or go directly to https://twitter.com/signup 1 2. Enter your full name, email address, and a password 3. Click Sign