Twitter for researchers 2015

Twitter for Researchers
D R H E L E N D I X O N
@ S O C I A L M E D I A Q U B
TWITTER FOR RESEARCHERS BY DR HELEN DIXON

Introductions
@SocialMediaQUB

What we will look at
What is Twitter?
Using Twitter as a Researcher
Interacting on Twitter
Searching
Lists
General Advice
Twitter Analytics and Management Tools
@SocialMediaQUB

What is Twitter?
Twitter Statistic Data
Active Twitter users 289 million
New Twitter users signing up everyday 135 thousand
Average Tweets per day 58 million
Twitter search engine queries per day 2.1 billion
Users who don’t Tweet but view Tweets 40%
Source: http://www.statisticbrain.com/twitter-statistics/
March 2015
@SocialMediaQUB

What is Twitter?
A continually
expanding global
database that
can be accessed
by anyone,
anywhere
@SocialMediaQUB

Why use Twitter?
Learn Connect Share
@SocialMediaQUB

Twitter terminology
Tweet – 140 character message
Retweet (RT) – sharing someone else’s tweet
Modified tweet (MT) – a retweet that you have
altered slightly
Direct message (DM) – personal message to a
follower
Feed – stream of tweets made by others that you
follow that appear on your homepage
@SocialMediaQUB

Twitter terminology
Handle – your username e.g. SocialMediaQUB
Mention – reference to another user in a tweet e.g.
@ITQUB
Hashtag (#) – a topic for a tweet that can be used
to search for tweets or follow a conversation e.g.
#QUBGrad
@SocialMediaQUB

Queen’s on Twitter
@SocialMediaQUB

How can
you use
Twitter as a
researcher?
Digital
Researcher
Networking
Professional
Development
Conferences
Knowledge
Transfer
Research
@SocialMediaQUB

Using Twitter for networking
Interact with other academics
Identify research partners and establish relationships
Peer review and feedback
Collaborate on projects
@SocialMediaQUB

Using Twitter for professional
development
Keep informed of research developments
Raise own profile
Develop digital literacy skills
Explore new methodologies
@SocialMediaQUB

Using Twitter at conferences
Engage with other participants
Provide feedback
Explore topic in more detail
Virtually attend
@SocialMediaQUB

Using Twitter for knowledge
transfer
Communicate expertise
Promote publications
Direct traffic to website/blog
Increase visibility and impact
@SocialMediaQUB

Using Twitter for research
Create a poll e.g. Pollowers.com
Keep up-to-date e.g. Twilert.com
Have a Twitter chat using hashtags
Ask the experts
@SocialMediaQUB

Twitter as a research tool
Analyse events/social processes as they happen
Document the spread of ideas, patterns of behaviour or even
diseases
Can provide insights into how people think
◦ Evidence of beliefs and attitudes
Can provide explanations for behaviour
◦ Real-time rather than retrospectively
Crowdsourcing or ‘citizen science’
◦ Help to gather or analyse data
@SocialMediaQUB

What Twitter can reveal
University of Rochester in New York used Twitter to follow the spread of flu
virus in New York City and predict when users would fall ill
Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta tracked the evolution of words –
where they originated and how they spread geographically
A sentiment analysis run by Northeastern University in Boston measured
public tweets using a psychological word-rating system to identify happy or
sad tweets.
◦ Happiness peaks each Sunday morning, then dives to an all-week low on
Thursday evening
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn24544-five-fascinating-things-
revealed-by-twitter-data.html#.Uoo2YtLwlBl
http://digimind.com/blog/best-practices/innovative-uses-of-social-media-
data/
@SocialMediaQUB

Getting Started
Need an email address
Choose a Twitter handle
◦ Your name will also appear beside your handle
Add some profile information
◦ Include disclaimer if necessary!
◦ Can include link to website/other profile
Don’t be an egghead!
@SocialMediaQUB

Home – Tweets from accounts
you follow
@SocialMediaQUB

Notifications – mentions,
retweets, follows
Check your
Notifications
tab regularly
so that you
can respond
quickly to any
mentions
@SocialMediaQUB

Your profile page
Click on your
name to go to
your profile page
Click
here
to
edit
your
profile
@SocialMediaQUB
Tell people who you
are/what you’ll be Tweeting
about – can include a link to
another profile/website

Editing your profile
Use your profile
information to
encourage people
to follow you!
1500x500 pixels
400x400 pixels
160 characters
JPG, GIF, or PNG
@SocialMediaQUB

Editing your settings
Click on your
profile image to
edit your
settings
You can change
your email
address, request
your archive or
deactivate your
account from
here
@SocialMediaQUB

Security
Go to the Security and privacy tab to add login verification or to require
personal information before you can reset your password
@SocialMediaQUB

Privacy
You can also use the
Security and privacy tab to:
• Allow others to tag you
in photos
• Make your account
private
• Add a location to your
Tweets
• Allow others to find you
by email address
• Allow others to add you
to a team
• Receive Direct Messages
(DMs) from users you do
not follow
Remember to save
your changes!
@SocialMediaQUB

Other settings
Change your password
Select the types of emails you wish to receive
Unmute/unblock accounts
Change the design of your profile
Control which 3rd party apps have access to
your account
@SocialMediaQUB

Who to follow
Twitter will suggest accounts to
follow based on who you follow and
the accounts that they follow
When you click the Follow button
you will immediately start following
that user – you don’t need to be
accepted except for Private accounts
Use the Refresh and View all links for
more suggestions
@SocialMediaQUB

Following tips!
Find out who other researchers in your area follow
You don’t have to follow every user who follows
you
Before following someone, check to see what they
tweet about and when they last tweeted
Will following this person reflect positively on you?
Remember, it’s who you follow not who follows
you that is important!
@SocialMediaQUB

Viewing someone else’s profile
Click on a user
name to go to their
Profile summary
Click here to view
the full Profile
@SocialMediaQUB

Queen’s research centres on
Twitter
BEER – Biological Excellence,
Experimentation and Research
@QUB_BEER
Centre for Biomedical Sciences
Education @QueensBiomed
Centre for Children’s Rights
@ChildRightsQUB
Centre for Data Digitisation and
Analysis @CDDA_QUB
Centre for Public Health @CPH_QUB
CXNI (Creative Exchange NI) @CX_NI
Institute for Collaborative Research
in the Humanities
@QUB_Humanities
Institute for the Study of Conflict
Transformation and Social Justice
@ISCTSJ
Institute of Child Care Research
@ICCR2
NICOLA @NICOLA_QUB
Sonic Arts Research Centre @SARC
TASTER Project @TasterProject
@SocialMediaQUB

Queen’s support services on
Twitter
A Bite of Queen’s @BiteOfQueens
Green at Queen’s @greenatqueens
IT Facilities at Queen’s @ITQUB
IT Training at Queen’s @ITTrainAtQUB
KTP and Business Networks
@KTPatQUB
Language Centre @QUBLangCent
Library @LibraryatQUB
Mind Your Mood
@QUBMindYourMood
Postgraduate Student Centre
@pgvoice1
Research Development @QUBResDev
Sir Bernard Crossland Lecture
@SBCLecture
Social Media Support
@SocialMediaQUB
Student Services @QUBStudents
For more Queen’s Twitter accounts,
visit the Social Media Directory at
http://go.qub.ac.uk/smd
@SocialMediaQUB

Who’s following you?
Click Followers to view your
followers
Can mute, block or
report followers
@SocialMediaQUB

Sending a Tweet
Click Tweet button in top right corner
140 characters – can include up to 3 photos, a
media clip or URLs
Messages appear in your followers’ news feed
Will also appear on your profile page
Can be deleted – but may be too late!
Remember anything you
post will be public and
searchable!
@SocialMediaQUB

Tagging others in photos
Tweets
including
images tend
to get more
engagement
You can add
up to 4
images to a
Tweet
You can tag users in photos
The Tweet will appear in the user’s
Notifications
Photo tagging options are in Security
and Privacy settings
@SocialMediaQUB

View summary
Tweets containing links may
have a View summary
option
@SocialMediaQUB

View photo/media
Alternatively, there may be a
View photo or View media
option
@SocialMediaQUB

View conversation
If the Tweet is part of a conversation, use View conversation to view the other
Tweets
@SocialMediaQUB

Retweets
Click Retweet to share a
Tweet with your followers
If you want, you can add a comment to
your retweet
Your comment will appear above the
retweet
@SocialMediaQUB

Retweeting tips
Check the content of links before retweeting!
If you retweet from someone you follow it will be visible in
your Profile
If you retweet from someone you do not follow it will be
visible in your Home and Profile
Original sender will be notified that you have retweeted
their message
Can turn off retweets from a user
To undo a retweet, go to your profile and click the Retweet
icon
@SocialMediaQUB

Favorites
Used to bookmark or show endorsement
User will be notified that you have favorited their Tweet
Can view Favorites on your profile
Can Undo Favorite by clicking on Favorite icon (star)
Click Favorite
icon to add a
Tweet to your
favorites
@SocialMediaQUB

Replies
Click Reply
Reply box will open with
sender’s handle at start of
message
Sender will be notified
that you have replied
◦ Appears in sender’s news
feed and mentions folder
Will appear in news feed of
anyone who follows both you
and original sender
Visible on your profile page
@SocialMediaQUB

Other options
Click More to
◦ Share via Direct
Message
◦ Copy link to Tweet
◦ Embed Tweet
◦ Report Tweet

Mentions
Include user’s Twitter handle anywhere in message
User will be notified that you have mentioned them
Will appear in news feed of anyone who follows you
Can make a reply a mention by inserting any character
before @
Good way of
getting a user’s
attention!
@SocialMediaQUB

Direct Messages
Click Messages to send a
direct (private) message to
selected users
Use Security and privacy
tab in your settings to
receive DMs from people
you don’t follow

#Hashtags
Don’t be #annoying by #spamming your #tweets with #hashtags
Choose hashtags with care! #nowthatchersdead
Any word in a Tweet
preceded by #
Used to mark keywords
or categorise Tweets
◦ E.g. #FollowFriday or
#FF
Can occur anywhere in a Tweet
Twitter may suggest common hashtags
Click on a hashtag to view other Tweets marked with that
keyword
Can be used to follow events or hold webchats
@SocialMediaQUB

Trends
Popular current topics or
hashtags
Based on who you follow and
your location
Click trend to view Tweets
Click Change to view trends for a
specific location
@SocialMediaQUB

Searching
You can search all public Tweets on
Twitter
Use a hashtag, user handle or
key word for your
search
term
@SocialMediaQUB

Select what to
view in the
search results
You can view
results only
from people
you follow or
who are near
you
Click Save to save
your search
Search results
Recent and saved
searches will appear
when you next click in
the Search box
Advanced
Search
@SocialMediaQUB

Advanced searching
Or try entering these directly
in the search box:
from:LibraryatQUB
to:itqub
graduation near:belfast
“mcclay library” :)
“mcclay library” :(
QUB research until:2015-03-31
Naughton Gallery since:2015-
02-01
@SocialMediaQUB

“With 225 million users issuing half a billion tweets per day, Twitter represents
the richest dataset to hit academia….well, maybe ever—a virtual Petri dish of real-
time data, attractive to scholars of all disciplines, for studies of all sorts.”
Erika Fry
http://fortune.com/2014/08/22/contagion-justin-bieber-data-scientists-twitter/
@SocialMediaQUB

What are Lists?
Can be used to filter news feed
Quickly view all tweets by members
Create your own lists or
subscribe to another
user’s public list
@SocialMediaQUB

Creating a List
Create lists to
categorise Twitter
accounts
Can be public or
private
Lists can be
embedded into
websites or blogs
@SocialMediaQUB

Adding members to a List
Don’t need to follow user
first
User will be notified when
you add them to a list
You will be notified if a user
subscribes to your list
Can’t add yourself or a
blocked user
Remove yourself from
a list by blocking creator
Go to the user’s profile
and click here
@SocialMediaQUB

Subscribing to a List
Go to the profile of the user
Click Lists
Choose the list you want to
subscribe to
Click Subscribe
You can view Tweets, List members or List
subscribers
Don’t need to follow individual users
@SocialMediaQUB

Use TweetDeck to ‘listen’
Add a new
column to
follow your
search term
Use TweetDeck
to manage
multiple
accounts and
follow search
terms,
hashtags, users
and lists
Choose
options to
tailor your
search
Beginners’ guide
to TweetDeck
Useful link
@SocialMediaQUB

Taking part in Tweet chats
Use TweetDeck
or other apps
such as
Tweetchat or
Twubs to follow
the discussion
Tweet chats are a great
way to find out
information and network
with others
https://blog.bufferapp.com/twitter-chat-101
Useful link
@SocialMediaQUB

Interacting at events
Use event hashtags or profiles to interact with
speakers and other participants or to follow
remotely
Useful links
Amplifying your event using social media
Tips on using Twitter for conferences and events
@SocialMediaQUB

Use Twitter to share
@SocialMediaQUB
Links to online
resources
Information
about events
Links to
surveys
Infographics
Images and
video clips
References to
publications
Research
findings
Your expertise
Your
experiences

Tweeting Tips!
Be conversational – avoid jargon and formality
Encourage interaction and interact with others
◦ Use tags and mentions
Use links/images/videos where possible
Try to remain professional and positive (even if
provoked!)
Be careful about copyright/intellectual property
Always check links before retweeting!
@SocialMediaQUB

How to get Retweets
Ask followers to retweet
◦ Please Retweet (51%), Please RT(39%), neither
(12%)
Leave room for RT & message
◦ 71-100 characters is best
Include URLs (21.4%)
Include a hashtag (20.8%)
Tweet between 12pm and 2pm on a Friday
@SocialMediaQUB

How to get suspended!
Aggressive following/unfollowing
Repeatedly posting duplicate content or Tweets
Posting similar messages over multiple accounts
(spamming)
Large number of unsolicited replies/@mentions
Using bots or posting malware
@SocialMediaQUB

What to do if it all goes wrong!
If the post was made from a University account, consult
your line manager/supervisor immediately
If you made an error, post a correction as soon as possible
If the Tweet is libellous, delete it straight away
Post an apology if appropriate
Don’t debate – move on!
@SocialMediaQUB

Ethical issues
Consent to collect data
Failing to reveal true identity in order to gain
access
Searchable nature of social media sites
makes it difficult to anonymise data
Risks to participants
Publicising unfinished research
@SocialMediaQUB

Digital professionalism
• about the impact on you, the University,
funding bodies and othersTHINK
• sharing, make sure that the information
is correct and that you have permissionBEFORE
• are responsible for anything you publish
onlineYOU
• content that will add value and enhance
your reputationPOST
@SocialMediaQUB
Social media guide & policy
Useful link

KEEP
CALM
REPORT, BLOCK AND
CARRY ON
@SocialMediaQUB

Twitter Analytics
Learn more
about your
Tweet
activity and
how your
audience
engages
with you
https://analytics.twitter.com/

Further information
https://support.twitter.com/
http://www.scoop.it/t/social-media-for-
researchers
http://go.qub.ac.uk/socialmedia
Follow @SocialMediaQUB
Like us at www.facebook.com/SocialMediaQUB
Email socialmedia@qub.ac.uk
@SocialMediaQUB

Comments
or
questions
@SocialMediaQUB

Twitter for researchers 2015

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