What is it? A ‘micro-blogging’ platform i.e. a minor version of blogging An update of 140 characters and under Published in a news feed for people who are following you to read Viewed by your ‘Followers’

Twitter misconceptions…. It’s just a Facebook status All Twitterers are self-obsessed The end of privacy No one cares what you’re doing Has no professional use

Why join Twitter? – Build relationships/networking – Humanise – Share information – Gather information e.g. news – Showcase expertise – Job hunting

The Twitter Dashboard Following Followers Updates Twitter Direct Messages Favourites Search Lists Trends

How does it work? 1. Update your status 2. It will appear in your news feed and your followers news feed 3. Check who has directed you 4. The more you update, the more your name appears in the feed which will lead to more followers

Twitter, PR and Journalism Sense of community Secret club mentality Way to connect Inside information

Twetiquette Do not: Follow indiscriminately Pitch out in the open Use only for self-promotion Do: Keep engaged daily Move outside your circle Follow people at a steady pace

Twitter Credibility Score

Twitter Glossary Hashtags – A way to track and distinguish conversations by inserting # in front of a pre-determined term RT (Retweet) – Pass along a Tweet of someone else’s and give credit Check out this site!” DM (Direct message) – A private message to another Twitter user. Can only be sent if the user is following you Long URLs – Can be shortened using services like Tiny.cc to help avoid going over the 140 character limit. Pictures – Use TwitPic.com to share photos easily on Twitter Lists - The idea is to allow people to curate lists of Twitter accounts. Lists are public by default (but can be made private) and the lists you've created are linked from your profile. Other Twitter users can then subscribe to your lists Username – Can be changed at any time without losing your followers, replies or account

Twitter tools With Digsby: Updates stream to your desktop You don’t ever have to miss reply You can update your status, return direct messages and reply to other users You never have to visit Twitter.com It’s also possible to incorporate your , Facebook and IM clients

Questions?