Portrait of a Twitterer as a
Connected Professional:
Ha ve Yo u Tw itte re d To day?
Dr. Laura Nicosia
Assistant Professor of English
Director of English Education
nicosiala@mail.montclair.edu

Regardless of whether we accept the terms
“Digital Natives” or “Digital Immigrants”...

We are 21st Century Learners

Some may consider me a digital
immigrant, but I use:
Twitter Slideshare
Plurk Blackboard
Diigo Flickr
Facebook del.icio.us
Ning Google Groups
Second Life Furl and more...

Today, I’d like to talk about
microblogging as PLNs

Plurk
What is Microblogging?

Social networking in
140 characters or less

Twitter...
Is the most popular
micro-blogging
system
Is robust, elegant
and simple
Has more than 1
million users
Permits numerous
mash-ups

This is my Twitter Home Page

Twitter pages are
vertically oriented,
linear and very “clean”

I post Tweets because I:
Meet colleagues from around the world
Make friends
Collaborate with my peers
Share information and resources
Receive links, insights and advice
Share my scholarship with peers

I protect my updates to limit
access to my friends only.

While my friend list would be
larger if it were Open Access, I
Lock & Protect my updates

My Tweeple are a powerful
support system—with
experience and wisdom.

With real-time updates
in a linear,
vertical timeline.

Plurk is
also a
Micro-
blogging
Site
It is s e t u p w it h a h o r izo n t a l t ime li ne
rat h e r t h a n a ve rt ic a l, s e q ue n t ia l p age .

This is my Plurk homepage

You can update both Twitter &
Plurk via your cell phone or
your computer

Your messages are received & read instantly
(IMing) or asynchronously—whenever your
friends access their Twitter or Plurk pages

Asynchronous
Chat
You can have conversations
privately, with one friend
directly (DMing), with
the world (using the Public,
Open Timeline) or with groups.

Linking
people
& URLs

With all these
connections,
the possibilities
for
collaboration
increase
exponentially.
I’ve already
published
several pieces
and a book
chapter
through my
social
networking
connections.

Teaching
can be
isolating...
unless we
connect &
network

With Twitter or Plurk,
you’re really never alone.

Social Networking Sites

You make a request in a
Tweet or a Plurk...

Within minutes,
your request receives answers!

Here’s a graphic list of
my friends in Twitter
You can invite
friends, if you want
to link your email
address book to the
Twitter database.
You can search for
names of your
friends by using the
Search function.

and here’s the start to my Plurk list:

Your Tweets
and Plurks
are judged by
their
intrinsic
worth &
value

So, provide useful* information:
Share valuable Offer advice &
websites suggestions to
colleagues
Link to thought-
provoking videos on Make someone
YouTube laugh
Participate in Sympathize
professional
conversations Drive traffic to your
blog (occasionally)
Comment on news
* NOT entirely self-promoting or spamming

Sometimes, we need
someone to understand
what we do.

On a more pragmatic
note, however...

You “star” the Tweets
you want to keep & to
find easily.

So—what’s the big deal?
Your Writing Becomes:
Brief
Clear
Condensed

Anecdotal “evidence”
shows that Plurk functions
on a more personal level
than Twitter

News Agencies
Use Twitter:
You can receive up-to-the-minute news
and e v e n te ch n o lo g y in f o r m at io n !

Sometimes, our Tweets
& Plurks are more real-
time than the media’s

Other times, the media
collaborates with Twitter to
create things we cannot
easily do or find.

Twitter & Google created a mash-up
to cover the Presidential debates & election

BUT...

and
PLU
RK

Yes. We can...

Collaborating in Writing Courses

You can use
Twitter to
teach
creative
writing in
round-robin
storytelling
fashion

You can offer short quizzes,
extra credit questions or even
assign Thesis Statement tasks.

There are even
versions for use with
minors

Libraries
& library
services
use
Twitter,
too!

Even The Chronicle of Higher
Education Has Covered Twitter:
Here’s a video clip from
The Chronicle:
Here’s another from
Common Craft:

Questions?
I’m open to
questions,
comments,
concerns.

Thank you!
Dr. Laura Nicosia
English Department
Montclair State University
nicosiala@mail.montclair.edu