Twitter for LibrariesFrom Basics to Best Practices
IntroductionJessica Keyes
Digital Content Manager@prairieskygal
Enoch Pratt Free Library@prattlibrary
What we'll cover today:
● My Twitter philosophy
● What is Twitter and why choose it
● How to tweet
● Intro to best practices & strategy
Twitter can connect us.Why you should care:
My Twitter Philosophy
My Twitter Philosophy
@Toure & @MichaelEDyson"Who’s Afraid Of Post Blackness"
#racetalkDec 5, 2011
http://twitter.com
What is Twitter?
What is Twitter?
● Online social networking platform● Users send and read text-based messages of up
to 140 characters● Launched: 2006● Active Users: 200+ million● Tweets: 340+ million daily● Search: 1.6+ billion queries daily
A "tweet" looks like this:
What is Twitter?
What is Twitter good for?
● Stay up-to-date with library industry trends
● Learn about current events and engage with patrons about them
● Connect with patrons individually
● Respond to reference questions
● Establish your brand online
What is Twitter good for?
Call your patrons to the following actions:
● Join a conversation
● Click a link
● Engage offline
First things first.1. Open an account at http://twitter.com
2. Choose a handle that is not-too-long and accurately represents your library
3. Do some searches on keywords that matter to you, i.e. "library" or "Maryland" and start following people tweeting about those subjects
How do I tweet?5 Kinds of Tweets:1. Commentary
2. Articles
3. Response
4. News
5. Events
How do I tweet?
1. Commentary
How do I tweet?
2. Articles
How do I tweet?
3. Response
How do I tweet?
4. News
How do I tweet?
4. News cont.
How do I tweet?
5. Events
● Key Takeaway
● Question
● Conversational
= Live Tweeting
How do I tweet?
TechnicalRT = retweetMT = modified tweetHT (h/t) = hat tipvia = attributionDM = direct message
ConversationalFB = FacebookBTW = By the wayw/ = withFF = Follow FridayOH = Overheard
Common Abbreviations:
How do I tweet?
#(Hashtags) = Joining or starting conversations on particular subjects● Work into the sentence where possible● Keep them relevant● Use a combination of your generated hashtags
and trending hashtags to expand your reach
● Link to your Twitter account from your website and email newsletter
● Mention it at in-person programs and events, particularly if you are using a hashtag
● Include it in print materials● Follow influencers and engage with them
How do I get followers?
Strategy
Why approach Twitter strategically?● Focus your efforts
● Increase efficiency
● Maintain voice
● Measure effectiveness
● Improve response times
Strategy
Strike a balance between:
● Advertisements or Announcements
● Tweets that demonstrate your personality
However you choose to define it—but make sure you define it.
Strategy
Keep the social in social media.
Engagewith your community.
Strategy
How can you create value in your tweets?
Create opportunities for followers to:● Join a conversation
● Click an interesting link
● Engage with you offline
Example 1: Applebee's #Fail
Example 2: Oreo #Win
Example 3: Jello #huh
Recap
1. Share
2. Engage
3. Inform
4. Be Intentional
5. Don't Be Boring
TY BFN(Thank you! Bye for now.)
Jessica KeyesDigital Content Manager
[email protected]@prairieskygal