Jesse Wilkins April 28, 2009 Twitter This: A Gentle Introduction to Microblogging

Source: Hugh MacLeod, @gapingvoid

INTRODUCTION TO MICROBLOGGING

Defining microblogging “ It is part text messaging and part blogging, with the ability to update on your cellphone or computer, but constrained to 140 characters.” -- Ari Herzog, Ariwriter.com

“ It is part text messaging and part blogging, with the ability to update on your cellphone or computer, but constrained to 140 characters.”

-- Ari Herzog, Ariwriter.com

Twitter

How microblogging tools work Create an account and sign in Search for other people to follow (Other people are doing the same for you) 3. Read other peoples’ updates (Tweets) 4. Enter an update yourself 5. Go back to steps 3 and 4!

Create an account and sign in

Search for other people to follow

(Other people are doing the same for you)

3. Read other peoples’ updates (Tweets)

4. Enter an update yourself

5. Go back to steps 3 and 4!

Ways to send updates Through the website Via text/SMS Via desktop clients Via web-based clients, services, and widgets Via email and IM Via cellphone clients

Through the website

Via text/SMS

Via desktop clients

Via web-based clients,

services, and widgets

Via email and IM

Via cellphone clients

@someone Comment directed to someone Or direct reference to someone Others can see them

Comment directed to someone

Or direct reference to someone

Others can see them

D someone or DM Direct Message Message sent directly to the person’s handle Does not show up in the public timeline and followers cannot see it

Direct Message

Message sent directly to the person’s handle

Does not show up in the public timeline and followers cannot see it

RT someone ReTweet – forward someone else’s message RT things you think your followers would be interested in Or to show you agree with the post

ReTweet – forward someone else’s message

RT things you think your followers would be interested in

Or to show you agree

with the post

#something AKA hashtag Basic metadata included in an update to facilitate searching for it later Used to categorize and aggregate updates

AKA hashtag

Basic metadata included in an update to facilitate searching for it later

Used to categorize

and aggregate

updates

Other common Twitter terms FTW – “For the Win!” (really good) OH – overheard OTOH – on the other hand Tweetup – meeting IRL (in real life) FAIL – bad, disappointing Shortened URLS http://tinyurl.com/d4g628 http://is.gd/qsx8

FTW – “For the Win!” (really good)

OH – overheard

OTOH – on the other hand

Tweetup – meeting IRL (in real life)

FAIL – bad, disappointing

Shortened URLS

http://tinyurl.com/d4g628

http://is.gd/qsx8

The Fail Whale

Top Twitter mistakes Not following anyone Protecting updates Not filling out the bio Not updating the Twavatar Focusing on followers, not on value Most are around 1:1

Not following anyone

Protecting updates

Not filling out the bio

Not updating the Twavatar

Focusing on followers,

not on value

Most are around 1:1

Top Twitter mistakes Expecting everyone you follow to automatically follow you back Assuming everyone cares about same things you do “ But enough about me, what do YOU think about me?” Twitter spamming Long conversations

Expecting everyone you follow to automatically follow you back

Assuming everyone cares about same things you do

“ But enough about me, what do YOU think about me?”

Twitter spamming

Long conversations

USING MICROBLOGGING

Source: xkcd

It’s not just for kids… Source: Nielsen NetView, 2009, U.S. Home and Work ** Insufficient sample size Unique Twitter.com visitors by demographic Age Group Unique Audience Composition (%) 2-17 250,000 3.6 18-24 ** ** 25-34 1,379,000 19.6 35-49 2,935,000 41.7 55-64 1,165,000 16.6 65+ 477,000 6.8

… nor just for IT geeks… @firefly1234 Kirsten McKnight Canadian Tire @mrsinformation Michelle Kirk @mimidionne Mimi Dionne, CRM Mimi Dionne Consulting @cherylmckinnon Cheryl McKinnon Open Text @adravan Arian Ravanbakhsh NARA

… no IT geeks here… @msarchive Lori Lindberg, CA SJSU SLIS @juliecolgan Julie Colgan Nexsen Pruet @snarkivist7 Heather Soyka, CA Texas Tech @douglaspallen Doug Allen, CRM ARMA President-elect @russelldjames Russell D. James, CA Records Consulting

Congress Tweets…

… celebrities do it… @lancearmstrong @THE_REAL_SHAQ @aplusk @mrskutcher @iamdiddy @MCHammer

… and so do enterprises.

The stages of Twitter acceptance

No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man. -- Heraclitus, 544 BC - 483 BC

No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man.

-- Heraclitus, 544 BC - 483 BC

Use cases for microblogging Announcements Meeting scheduling Insider commentary from e.g. conferences Sharing links to other resources Brand monitoring and competitive intelligence

Announcements

Meeting scheduling

Insider commentary from e.g. conferences

Sharing links to

other resources

Brand monitoring and

competitive intelligence

Use cases for microblogging Twitness - sharing experiences in real time Breaking news Broadcast communications Request/provide feedback Informal polling (crowdsourcing)

Twitness - sharing experiences in real time

Breaking news

Broadcast communications

Request/provide feedback

Informal polling (crowdsourcing)

Use cases for microblogging Trending/environmental scanning Reinforcing and fleshing out contacts Virtual water cooler/employee lounge Announcing deals and discounts Monitoring whether plants need to be watered! (http://twitter.com/pothos)

Trending/environmental scanning

Reinforcing and fleshing out contacts

Virtual water cooler/employee lounge

Announcing deals

and discounts

Monitoring whether plants

need to be watered! (http://twitter.com/pothos)

ENTERPRISE MICROBLOGGING

Enterprise microblogging is more private than public Twitter, and more transparent than email. -- Adina Levin, SocialText

Enterprise microblogging is more private than public Twitter, and more transparent than email.

-- Adina Levin, SocialText

Microblogging in the enterprise Employees are already on Twitter and other public services Difficult to block commercial services More importantly, employees and customers see the value!

Employees are already on Twitter and other public services

Difficult to block commercial services

More importantly, employees and customers see the value!

Microblogging in the enterprise Easy-to-use communications (viz. IM) Easy documentation of discussions and decisions Documented/contextual feedback Awareness of, and transparency towards, business activities Serendipity

Easy-to-use communications (viz. IM)

Easy documentation of discussions and decisions

Documented/contextual feedback

Awareness of, and

transparency towards,

business activities

Serendipity

Baseline enterprise functionality Integration into identity infrastructure Security and confidentiality Accountability Grouping and ethical walls Support linking to other documents and resources within the enterprise Not just URLs jessewilkins

Integration into identity infrastructure

Security and confidentiality

Accountability

Grouping and ethical walls

Support linking to other

documents and resources

within the enterprise

Not just URLs

Baseline enterprise functionality Control over implementation model Enterprise-class scalability Archiving and retrieval Export and import Better filtering and subscription modeling Subscribe to hashtags or filter out certain topics

Control over implementation model

Enterprise-class scalability

Archiving and retrieval

Export and import

Better filtering and subscription modeling

Subscribe to hashtags or filter out certain topics

Getting the enterprise to microblog Address microblogging in the policy Deploy an easy-to-use tool Have senior users and management do it Use analytics, search trending, etc. to guide usage

Address microblogging in the policy

Deploy an easy-to-use tool

Have senior users and management do it

Use analytics, search trending, etc. to guide usage

Enterprise tools Yammer Present.ly Communote Identi.ca Yonkly Many others Many integrated into other tools

Yammer

Present.ly

Communote

Identi.ca

Yonkly

Many others

Many integrated into

other tools

Questions?

For more information Jesse Wilkins emm m , ecm m , erm m , CDIA+, LIT, edp, ICP Principal Consultant Access Sciences Corporation (303) 574-0749 direct [email_address] http://www.twitter.com/jessewilkins

Jesse Wilkins

emm m , ecm m , erm m , CDIA+, LIT, edp, ICP

Principal Consultant

Access Sciences Corporation

(303) 574-0749 direct

[email_address]

http://www.twitter.com/jessewilkins