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Twitter for Librarians

KLA LIRT Retreat - July, 2015

PRESENTED BY JAMES ALLEN

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bit.ly/klalirt

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This session…

What is Twitter?
What it is not
Why Twitter?
Creating account
Who to follow?
Anatomy of a tweet
Cool Twitter tools
Twitter chat sessions

What are we going to talk about?

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What is Twitter?

From About Twitter (201 5 )

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What is Twitter?

You don’t have to tweet to get value from Twitter

Whether you tweet 100 times a day or never, you still have access to the voices and information surrounding all that interests you.

You can contribute, or just listen in and retrieve up-to-the-second information.

From About Twitter (2013)

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What is Twitter?

Twitter is basically a blogging platform, not dissimilar from Blogger, WordPress, and others.
Each tweet is usually shorter, but still the equivalent of a regular blog post.
Followers of a Twitter user are like subscribers to a blog.
Replying to a tweet is similar to commenting on a blog post.
Hashtags are just like the tagging features of other blogs and interactive websites like Delicious, Diigo, Flickr, Instagram, Facebook, and tons of others.

Microblogging – Twitter is like a blog…

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What Twitter is Not

Although they share some features, Twitter is not Facebook.
Twitter is not just for celebrities.
Twitter is not a secure, or closed environment.
Twitter is not something you have to check all the time (like email) (I have to tell myself to take breaks occasionally)

Misconceptions

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Why Twitter?

I created my Twitter account in February, 2008. I was unimpressed and did not see how it could be very useful. Using my iPhone and iPad more caused me to see the power of Twitter, especially once I started using tools like Flipboard and Pocket. Now Twitter is my personalized source of information from my PLN and other important topics that I’m interested in. It is my 24/7 personalized (and good) professional development session.

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I can share resources with a group of educators hundreds of miles away, in real time!

Adam Watson- @OCTIPODA

Quotes

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I don’t see any excuses for not knowing and teaching about the search, organization and communication tools of the moment. Librarians must be the information technology leaders in their buildings. How do they do this? You read a lot. And you build your network. I’m not telling you to read every blog in the world. I’m telling you to develop a network that you can leverage for your particular needs, your practice, your library. Twitter just happens to be my main strategy. Shrewdly choosing your network may be all the work you need to do.

Joyce Valenza - @JoyceValenza

Quotes

http://blog.findingeducation.com/assignment/educators-that-rock-joyce-valenza/

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Nikki Robertson- @NikkiDRobertson

Quotes

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Getting Started

If you do not already have an account…

Visit http://www.twitter.com

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Choose Username

5 Tips for Choosing “The Right” Twitter Name

*TIP

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Who to Follow?

@TLJamesA (me)
KYSTE - @KysteTech
@MrPiercey - #KyEdChat

Cybrary Man PLN Stars – Check out this list of Twitter accounts and hashtags. It is organized by content area. There is something for everybody!

There are two easy ways to get relevant information on Twitter. Follow other people that share your interests, or search hashtags that are important to you. For example:

#edchat #edtech

#engchat – English

#sschat – Social Studies

#scichat – Science

#musedchat – Music Education

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Profile Picture & Bio

Change your profile picture/avatar to something unique (I prefer real pictures, but anything other than the default egg would be great).

Click on your profile page.
Click on the Edit Profile button.
Click on the edit button at the top right corner of your profile picture square.
Upload a photo from your computer/device.

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Anatomy of Tweet

Profile Pic

Name

Twitter Name

Date

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Anatomy of Tweet

RT indicates that this tweet is being “retweeted” - shared again to the followers of @shannonmiller.

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Anatomy of Tweet

This is the Twitter account that wrote the original tweet

More Twitter users are mentioned in the tweet using the @ symbol

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Anatomy of Tweet

This is a link to an external resource included in the tweet

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Anatomy of Tweet

This hashtag denotes the topic of this tweet will be relevant to teacher librarians

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Anatomy of Tweet

Hovering over this area will quickly provide the often used options of Reply, Retweet, and Favorite. I have a couple more because of extensions I have installed in my browser.

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More Details

Clicking the tweet reveals more details. Included is a preview of the link, number of retweets, favorites, and links to the Twitter users involved in the conversation. Clicking on the Details link will open the single tweet in its own page, similar to navigating to an individual post page of a blog.

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Elements of Twitter

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Elements of Twitter

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Elements of Twitter

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Hashtags

Cybraryman list of hashtags

100 Twitter Hashtags Every Writer Should Know

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Flipboard

Flipboard Website

@Flipboard

Flipboard is an app available on iOS and Android devices. It turns your social media feeds into an easy-to-read, manageable, and sharable collection of information. Download it, connect your Twitter account, and see your feed in a more traditional and visual way. (It’s my favorite app)

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Twitter Chats

Hashtags can be used to accommodate Twitter chat sessions. Users all over the world can discuss, reply, and share just by using the same hashtag in their tweets. Do check to see if your desired tag is already being used.

Giant List of regularly scheduled educational Twitter chat sessions: bit.ly/officialchatlist

#KyEdChat

Thursdays at 8:00 pm EST

#KyLChat

#yalove

KY Teacher Librarians Every other Tuesday 8pm EST

Young Adult Literature Chat Every other Thursday 8pm EST

ChatSalad – Website with upcoming Twitter chats and times.