Getting started on twitter final
- 1. @ukcochranecentr Getting started on Twitter
- 2. Why tweet? Engage Inform & influence Promote Monitor Learn UK Cochrane Centre 2
- 3. Twitter basics • Twitter is a „microblogging‟ site, where you can publish short posts (tweets), including links to websites and resources • Twitter users (tweeps) follow other users – you can choose to follow individuals or organizations with similar interests • You will see tweets from those you follow in your timeline UK Cochrane Centre 3
- 4. Tweeting basics Your tweet can be up to 140 characters, including: •Your pearl of wisdom and possibly... •A link •A hashtag e.g. #ukcc21 •A twitter user‟s name e.g. @influentialperson •RT (retweet) or MT (modified tweet) UK Cochrane Centre 4
- 5. #hashtags (anything with # in front of it!) • Associate your tweet with a topic or event #malaria #ukcc21 • Make your tweet searchable by that tag • Can act as a sub-clause to your tweet, for added comment, emphasis or humour: We‟re hosting an event on social media at the UKCC today #getmartintweeting Roche still refusing to disclose #tamiflu data. #disappointed UK Cochrane Centre 5
- 6. Tweeting basics: visibility UK Cochrane Centre 6 •Tweets are visible to all, unless they are a direct message to or from a follower •Your tweets will appear in the timelines of your followers •If you include someone‟s Twitter name in your tweet, they will get an email alerting them to it •Hashtags are searchable so may be found by those looking for that topic or event
- 7. Tweets are soon gone! They quickly disappear from the screen, so: • Send your tweet more than once • Use screenshots to capture examples of your tweeting successes! • Storify to capture your own and others tweets & links on a topic UK Cochrane Centre 7
- 8. So how often should you tweet? • Check at least daily, Monday to Friday • Keep asking yourself “can I tweet this?” • Look out for mentions and direct messages – they might need a response • Look for opportunities to join in conversations • You could set up a minimum expectation e.g. #CochraneEvidence appears daily Monday to Friday UK Cochrane Centre 8
- 9. Finding your voice • It‟s SOCIAL media! Be a real person or people not just a faceless organization • Follow your organization‟s policy • Be professional but human, a light touch and some „atmosphere‟ tweets can be very engaging UK Cochrane Centre 9
- 10. Dos and don’ts DO • Listen, engage, join in conversations • Link often, direct people to useful sites – especially your own! • Keep it active • Credit others • Keep the tone pleasant and professional DON‟T • Use abbreviated text-talk; cutting corners in your tweets suggests you might cut them elsewhere! • Allow your tweets to be truncated at the end – people may miss things UK Cochrane Centre 10
- 11. Building a following • Increase your twitter presence, get tweeting! • Follow others • Retweet, mention, reply to tweets, join in • Be interesting! • Recommend others – on Fridays! Using #FF (Friday Follow): „#FF @Cochrane_OHG, @CochranePHG, @LifestyleElf‟ – „Great blog on #CochraneEvidence by @juliaoftoronto‟ • See who other relevant twitter users are following to find people to follow UK Cochrane Centre 11
- 12. Timing tweets • Scheduled tweets – Social media management software allows this – We send daily tweets using #CochraneEvidence hashtag to highlight and link to new/updated reviews – Multiple tweets with same link but different wording – to target different groups, or to highlight different aspects – Remember global audience, different time zones – Awareness days/events & conferences UK Cochrane Centre 12
- 13. Timing tweets • Responsive tweets – Answering direct questions or comments – Engaging in public debate on a topic to state a position, direct to information or just to be in the conversation – Joining in a conversation to flag up relevant Cochrane evidence – Tweeting a conference UK Cochrane Centre 13
- 14. Tweet chats • Scheduled discussion, in real time, of a particular topic • Check whether there‟s any preparation needed – it may be preceded by a document for discussion! • Use the hashtag • Tweetchat.com makes it easy! UK Cochrane Centre 14
- 15. Why tweet a conference? Share your enthusiasm! Get new followers from your field of interest (they‟ll value your input!) Discuss issues with peers online Transform online connections into real ones (tweetups) Promote your organization‟s values through what you highlight UK Cochrane Centre 15
- 16. Types of conference tweets • Mood tweets “Excited to be at #ukcc21, tucking into fab pastries before the first plenary!” • Tweetups “Great discussion on #bias, suggest meet at 12 in the ballroom to talk some more #ukcc21” • Talks - these are key tweets! Should include speaker‟s name, main information and hashtag • Links To media coverage, videos, presentations and other useful resources UK Cochrane Centre 16
- 17. Monitoring value • Analytics • A growing following • Responses: retweets, replies, engagement with your tweets, comments UK Cochrane Centre 17
- 18. Twitter engagement is valued! • Increased UKCC twitter presence since September 2012 • Following growing daily, reached 1000 after 5 months • Lots of positive comments e.g. @GM_AHSN “SoMe has been a big part of our engagement plan & we will continue using this platform to get more interested in our work #nhssm” @UKCC “@GM_AHSN Essential for #Cochrane too! #nhssm” @a_double_tt “@ukcochranecentr Good to hear. I like the increased content already. V informative #nhssm UK Cochrane Centre 18
- 19. Just do it! If we want to engage then we MUST use social media It makes us part of a global community, communicating in real time It seems to be working! UK Cochrane Centre 19
Editor's Notes
- #3: Like other forms of social media, tweeting is all about ENGAGEMENT. Some key strands of this are to inform & influence our stakeholders (professionals & public), & we can do this very directly by tweeting about Cochrane reviews and directing people via links to reviews, or to our website & blogs (both our own and others blogging Cochrane). We can promote both Cochrane evidence and our own events, & also our wider agenda by the messages we send e.g. A comment of the importance of engaging with patients, involving them in the research agenda, making research timely & relevant etc. We can monitor what’s being said about us & so respond & influence that. We can learn – being part of a global community in real time with access to opinion & evidence to an extent not possible in pre-social media days.We can
- #5: You can insert a twitter user’s name, or it will be there already if you are replying to their tweet.Anything’s a hashtag if you put # in front of it!The Help menu on twitter is user-friendly and is helpful when you’re getting started
- #7: This means we can target people directly though naming and indirectly through topic of interest. Interesting blog recently with results of a survey of twitter users about what influences them to click on links when tagged into a post Tweets disappear from view quickly
- #8: Storify is a great way to gather your own and others tweets, blogs, articles etc on a topic and add your own commentary to tell your version of the story. They are very popular. It’s a great way to engage in a particular topic that’s being widely discussed.
- #9: Opinion at Oxford University Hospitals was no more than 2 or 3 a day, but I think more is fine. What I don’t want to see is a stream of tweets in a short time from one user, unless it’s part of a twitter conversation
- #11: Using a package like Hootsuite allows links to be shortened – very useful
- #12: If someone’s recommended you through #FF it’s good to respond e.g. ‘thanks for the shout-out @Mental_Elf! This gives them a mention too. Lots of ‘you scratch my back I’ll scratch yours’ on twitter
- #14: Direct questions or comments: not just those sent by DM (private) but public questions or comments into which you’ve been tagged, or a reply to your tweetEngage in topics where we should be in the conversation, state an opinion or direct to information
- #15: Tweetchat.com Sign in with twitter, choose a hashtag to follow, sends you to a chat room, automatically adds the hashtag, constantly refreshes so minimal delays
- #16: You’ll obviously be selective in what you tweet and the things you choose can send out important messages about what you value. Also you can add your own emphasis to a comment. ‘Dr X says patient priorities should be at the heart of the research agenda. Yes!’
- #17: Tweetups – easy to set up a real meeting with others at an event; quick & easy and a way of inviting those with whom you don’t have personal contactWhat you hear is public info so you are free to tweet as you like, but keep in mind professional ethics and keep tweets positive. Take care with unpublished data. Check if the conference has a policy on tweeting, & if it has a hashtag be sure to use it.
- #18: SM management software such as Hootsuite allows you to see which countries your followers come from, most popular tweets, how many click throughs & RTs on a particular day etc.
- #19: Started at around 100 followersAn example of a conversation we had