Crash course to using Twitter (for researchers and other staff at Tampere University of Technology). Main characteristics of Twitter, what to post, who to follow, how to get followers.

1. Twitter
- tips and tricks
for researchers (and other staff, too)
Satu Kantti

2. Twitter: quick checklist
• 1 email account = 1 Twitter profile
• Name max 50 characters
• Username (beginning with @) max 15 characters
• Make sure you add a profile picture and a description about yourself in the bio
• Hashtag = topic of the tweet: #robotics #research #IoT #Tampere3.
It also works as a clickable search word
• Create a hashtag for your project and your event!
• Remember: can’t own it, can’t control it
• Mention other accounts, e.g. @SuomenAkatemia @TampereUniTech
-> they will be notified, and might react by liking or sharing
• If the tweet begins with @username = reply. The tweet does not show up in the
normal timeline and all your followers will not see it.
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Twitter
Help Center

3. • Retweet (RT) = sharing the tweet to your followers as it is
• RT with comment = you can add your own comment to the RT (recommended!)
• Add pictures! (max 4 pcs) You can also use mentions @ in the picture
• Mention @TampereUniTech if relevant and if there is space
• Create your own lists or subscribe to a list. Researchers and other TUT staff are
collected in TUT Twitter list. Lists can be public or private.
• A link always takes up 23 characters
• Any punctuation mark will cut the hashtag or username (#Tampere-based,
@TampereUniTech’s)
• If you want to have a private conversation, use Direct Message
• You can block unwanted followers
• Twitter already mastered? Next step Tweetdeck
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4. Anatomy of a tweet
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Relevant hashtags
Link
Mentions
Retweet Like
Reply
Direct Message

5. How to make a great profile bio?
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6. Group profile?
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Content
creation Admins SchedulingGoals
Target
audiences

7. What to post?
• What you’re working on (remember pictures)
• Research results
• Thoughts, questions
• Links to your own material (newsletter, Youtube,
SlideShare, blog, publications, ResearchGate…)
• Links to your own website
• Links to other interesting sites
• Tell about cooperation (remember mentions! @)
• Tell about services
• Inform about upcoming events (remember #)
• React to other peoples’ posts (RT, quote, like, reply)
• Take part in conversations
• Did you give a presentation or a lecture?
You can make several tweets about the content
• Did you solve a problem? Tell about it!
• Do you have a problem? Ask your network for help!
• Did you just answer to a student or a colleague?
Could you also tweet the answer?
• If you participate an event, tell about it, take a picture
• If you found an interesting publication, let others know
and add your own comment
• In your personal profile, you can also share personal
things: your thoughts, opinions, interests etc.
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8. Who to follow?
• Experts in your own field
• Colleagues
• People you meet at conferences
• Cooperation partners (people + organisations)
• People interested in similar topics (search with keywords or hashtags)
• Key people/organisations regarding research funding
• Publishers and journals in your field
• Authorities, decision makers, influencers
• People in your other networks (e.g. LinkedIn groups)
• @TampereUniTech
• Anybody who seems to post interesting stuff
• Check the ”Following” or ”Followers” of someone mentioned above, and find more
interesting profiles!
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9. How to get followers?
• Follow others (they might follow you back!)
• Retweet
• Comment & participate in conversations
• Like
• Tweet something interesting, significant, useful or funny
• Use relevant hashtags
• Tweet content on specific theme (field of expertise)
• Tweet regularly, as often as possible
• Use links and pictures
• Mention relevant profiles (@)
• Add your Twitter username to your presentation slides, email signature, tut.fi person
card and your other social media profiles
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11. Examples & material
Some researchers in Twitter:
• Tuomas Aivelo
• Katie Mack
• Vaughan Bell
• John Dudley
• Dr. David Shiffman
• Markku Niemivirta
• Mari K Niemi
• Nina V. Nygren
• TUT researchers & other staff
More info:
• Twitter predicts citation rates of
ecological research (scientific article)
• 5 good reasons why researchers should
tweet (Academy of Finland)
• Social media for scientists
• Why we need scientists on social media,
now more than ever
• sometutkijalle.fi
• Asiantuntija somessa
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Questions & comments
@SatuKantti satu.kantti@tut.fi