Twitter For Us 2010

Making Twitter Work for Us

Making Twitter Work for Us

Using Twitter to Make

Social Change* Lifetime guarantee included

Take me to the Social Web: Beth Kanter, Beth’s BlogWhat is your burning question about Twitter? Write it in 140 characters or less.

http://beth.typepad.com/beths_blog/files/morning_icebreaker.pdfTwitter for Us - FCPCommunications.com

Another option: Open twitter.com & just start typing

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Today / Next Time

Today• Twitter in a nutshell• What it is• How to listen• Take the plunge • See what happens

Next Time• Listening Tools• Tag-teaming the

Twitterverse• Let’s get going

Twitter for Us - FCPCommunications.com 3

Communications Refresher

• Communications Goal should rule all• What is your strategy – does this tool (Twitter)

fit with what you are working to achieve• Think “Audience” and “Action”• Are you the right messenger? Who is?• Are you listening? Starting a discussion?

Participating actively?• What is your near-term goal? Long-term?


What is twitter• 10 Billion messages sent –

140 characters or less• Millions of individual

broadcasting networks – built by the users themselves

• A new way to speak directly to the people you care about – and that want to hear from you

• A giant and total time – suck away from what is really important? You be the judge


What is twitter


What is twitter


Twitter Basics• Messages – 140 characters –

a “Tweet”• Messages available to anyone

– but sent directly to your “followers” accounts

• Messages from the people you “Follow” sent to your account – all messages accessible through searching

• Individual users have account names – identified by “@NAME”


Twitter?

• 10 Billion messages sent

• 140 characters or less

• Millions of individual broadcasting networks with custom-built audiences


What is a Tweet?

BANAL


What is a Tweet?

Head’s Up!


What is a Tweet?

Look at Me!

I’m a part of this!



Begin at the Beginning – Twitter.com• Sign up for a free account and fill out

your profile by adding an image and one-line bio. Include a link to your site.

• You can read on the web or send messages to your phone or IM client. Decide what works best for your working style.

• You can "protect your updates" or "open." Pros/cons to each.

• Decide whether you want an organizational account or indiv. account.

• Share the workload - should not just be one person. Listening on Twitter can take 5 or 10 minutes of your day.

http://socialmedia-listening.wikispaces.com/Project+1Twitter for Us - FCPCommunications.com 14

Step One - Listen

• Counter-intuitive – listen first• Follow 5 new people – see who they

“listen” to, then five more, then five more – watch the conversation happen

• Try a search – Search.Twitter.com• Try “California Budget” “Immigrant” “p2”• Read the conversation – who is saying

what? Follow some interesting folks.Adapted from http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/5_simple_twitter_listening_tips_every_marketer.php


Looking is Listening…

• 10 Billion messages sent – 140 characters or less

• Millions of individual broadcasting networks – built by the users themselves


Listening Options


Listening Options – Watching the River

Flow


Twitter for Us - FCPCommunications.com

Listening Options – Watching what one person says…and finds important

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Listening by Referral• How do you find people?

• Who do YOU trust? • Who do they listen to?• Where do those names

take you?


Listen to Lists of Others

• Search for “Lists” on topic areas that matter to you

• Search for lists created by people you want to hear more from


Step One – Listen…Search a

“hashtag”


What have you learned by listening?

• What conversations are out there?

• Who is having them?• Is there a voice missing

from the discussion? • Is there information

missing?• What value can you add?



Now What?

For some – the scariest screen on earth…

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What Makes a Story?• Controversy. The worse it is, the better for the media.• Conflict. Between groups of people, industries, issues or ideas.• Problem/Solution Dynamic. If you want to talk about a problem, YOU’D

BETTER tell them a solution.• Timeliness & competitive advantage (Is it an exclusive to that paper or TV

station?).• Access to & reliability of sources – often just knowing there is someone

who can educate a reporter on an issue is reason enough for them to feel comfortable enough to do a story.

• People/Personalities. Large mistakes by little people or Small mistakes by big people.

Author’s Note: These next three slides come from Media 101 presentation by FCP – but are instructive for us


What Makes a Story?• Dramatic Human Interest. Include the stories of real people, their

triumphs, tragedies, and anecdotes.• Trends. Stories that suggest new opinions, behavior patterns and

attitudes. Three is a trend; find at least three examples to assert that a new trend is emerging.

• New Announcement. “Unprecedented” or “groundbreaking” or “first-ever”. Reporters are only interested in new news, not old news. Make it fresh.

• Localize national story (and vice versa). Take a nationally breaking story and emphasize its local impact


What Makes a Story?• Anniversaries/ Milestones. One year later, 5 or 10. • Fresh angle on old story. Take old story add fresh twist.• Stories. Individuals, community leaders, or galvanizing spokespersons who

may become news themselves. • Special event. A huge conference, rally, or gathering. Frame event to

capture the issue and importance.• Rapid Response. React & OWN news others have made.• Celebrity. If you have a celebrity on your side, someone known in your

community, make sure they are included in the story.• Strange Bedfellows. Have unlikely allies

come together in solidarity over your issue? Highlight it in your story.


So – what do you have to say?• Personal thoughts and reflections that meet your goal?• Are you first? The only? The most trusted to share it?• Replies (@twittername) - this comes from listening to your

followers (you have to follow back to see their tweets). The more personal the reply, the higher the impact.

• Direct replies (d twittername) - this isn’t in the public timeline, but it helps build deeper bonds to talk directly to someone like this. This is helpful to answer people when it is a private matter or when you want to show concern (i.e. someone reports an accident, etc.)

• New blog posts – yours & promote other people’s blog posts that are of interest

• Announcements - if it is interesting, tweet it • Shout outs - @twittername rocks! Thanks for the great link:

http://insertlink.com These make people feel great, too.

Twitter for Us - FCPCommunications.comAdapted from http://www.horsepigcow.com/2008/04/tweeting-for-companies-101/

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Step Two – Take the Plunge


/

John Myers, KQED – “…I think the broader the

focus of the tweets, the harder it gets. I sometimes find myself straying a bit beyond what I think is most valuable. I think folks who tweet anything and everything tend to water down their value. “

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Step Two – Take the Plunge


@ShaneGoldmacher, LATimes “I would say that Twitter can be most

effective to cover live, as they are happening events.

Also, can be most useful to point out stories or things people would otherwise miss.”

He added, “Generally, the most effective way to gain followers/a following is to find unique, timely and accurate information and disseminate it.”

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So…Write it in 140 characters or less.

http://beth.typepad.com/beths_blog/files/morning_icebreaker.pdfTwitter for Us - FCPCommunications.com 31

Your Homework

1. Sign up for Twitter2. Follow 5 new people/day for 7

days (@dcstpaul, @Kanter, @healthaccess)

3. Watch twitter for 5 minutes each day (weekends too!)

4. Share 5 things you learned (from banal to critical)

5. Name one new person out there – you didn’t already know – that may be a resource to you

6. Share one tweet you sent / wish you’d sent (Original or ReTweet)

7. Google “TweetDeck” & “Twitter Metrics” for next time


Slide 33

Dan Cohen, PrincipalFull Court Press Communications

[email protected]

Twitter For Us 2010

Business

options twitter

audiences twitter

hashtag twitter

tool twitter

judge twitter

banal twitter

twitter basics messages

river flow twitter