Because the power to #communicate should belong to everyone!

Twitter Basics
for Organizers
What is Twitter?
Twitter is a free micro blogging service that allows users to send & read other users text messages or tweets of up to 140 characters. While users can apply different privacy settings, by default, tweets are on a public timeline; displayed on users profiles; & on the profiles of their subscribers or followers. Users can tweet from their desktop computers, smart phones or other devices, third party applications that access users Twitter accounts, & by text message or SMS. Twitter is a platform to share information, news, media & commentary.

Why Tweet?
A Twitter strategy can be essential to any organization or campaign. Twitter can build your credibility, establish your voice, connect to your base or potential donors (B2C), allies & partners (B2B), the media or political targets. While the number of your followers is a common indicator of impact, there are many other reasons to join the conversation. Twitter is a useful tool to take the pulse of your social network on current events & your issues, as well as take note of who is an influencer.

Visit www.centerformediajustice.org Follow @mediajustice and @mediaaction For communications training & services inquiries, contact alison@centerformediajustice.org

Anatomy of
a

Tweet
Example tweet:
kglobals Practical Guide to Twitter

!"#$#%&'(%&)*($(+

,#-./0&'(%&120%-#30+

!1$*(%

@LaurenSloat LaurenSloat Spend more on #farming: We wont advance if we dont continue to fund #agricultural innovation, says @BillGates http://ow.ly/8G1Ei
1 hour ago

45302$#3)

6022#70 '89:&;*#%#;$0%2&(%&/022+ Shorten URL '3#-<&=%00&20%"5;02&/5>0 *$$)?@@A5$B/<@&(==0%&#&C#<& $(&2*(%$0-&#&/5->&$(&*0/) >00)&<(1%&3022#70&1-.0%& 89:&;*#%#;$0%2+

Hashtag '#&*#2*$#7&52&120.&C5$*5-&#&$C00$&#2& #&C#<&$(&;#$07(%5D0&#&3022#70&#-.& )#%$5;5)#$0&5-&#&)#%$5;1/#%&;(-"0%2#$5(-&& (-&4C5$$0%B&E(%&0F#3)/0G&C*0-&<(1& #..&H=#%35-7&$(&<(1%&$C00$&$*52&#..2& <(1&$(&$*0&("0%#//&;(-"0%2#$5(-&#A(1$& $*#$&$()5;B

from kglobals Practical Guide to Twitter

Visit www.centerformediajustice.org Follow @mediajustice and @mediaaction For communications training & services inquiries, contact alison@centerformediajustice.org

 @Username: A users unique username

or handle of 15 or less characters that forms a link to the users profile. Shorter names allow you to use more space for your tweets. Individual Twitter users may be grouped into categories in private or public lists", i.e. journalists, coalition members, industry leaders

Twitter Glossary

Avatar: The personal image uploaded

to and associate with your Twitter profile in the Settings tab of your account. Avatars are like profile pictures that organizers sometimes use to spread a visual meme, i.e. a purple ribbon during domestic violence awareness month

DM: Beginning any message with a d

followed by a users handle is a direct messagea private message that will only go to that user. The other user must be following you in order to receive a DM

@Mention: A mention is any Twitter

update that contains @username anywhere in the body of the Tweet. (Replies are sometimes considered mentions)

#Hashtag: The # symbol, called a

hashtag, was created by Twitter users to categorize Tweets when placed before relevant keywords that might be used in a Twitter Search. Popular hashtag words or phrases might become a trending topic (see next)

@Reply: A tweet in reply to

another user, posted by clicking reply or composing a new tweet that includes @username. Replies appear only in the timelines of users who follow both you & the recipient. Something as simple as a period before the username will turn a @reply into a @mention

Trending Topics: The most popular

words or phrases happening in current Twitter conversations, appearing in the bottom left of your Twitter timeline

RT or Retweet: A tweet
beginning with RT is a duplicate of another users tweet, similar to email forwarding

Visit www.centerformediajustice.org Follow @mediajustice and @mediaaction For communications training & services inquiries, contact alison@centerformediajustice.org

Stories: 10 Twitter-curated stories

personalized to your interests based on an algorithm that includes geographical location, breaking news, & the users & tweets you interact with. Studies suggest that the Stories algorithm may be able to forecast news popularity

#FF: Twitter users often suggest who

others should follow on Fridays, hence Follow Friday, by tweeting with the hashtag #FF

Discover: Houses Stories, Who to Third-Party Applications: Free or

paid third-party websites that access your Tweets & other Twitter data to update your status (including simultaneous updates to your other social media platforms, i.e. Tumblr, Facebook); analyze your Twitter profile; & the impact of your tweets Follow, Activity, Find Friends, & Browse Categories as way for you to connect with more people

Get Started

#TweetOn!

Sign up for an account Follow 12 people & organizationspeers, leaders, news outlets, journalistswho tweet consistently Once youre comfortable, start tweeting! Link to an article using a URL shortener like bit.ly, RT something a fellow organizer tweets, ask questions or reply to relevant tweets Set a schedule & try to stick to it, i.e, 10 tweets/week, 1 tweet & 1 RT/day Use and/or create a hashtag Try to incorporate a feature like lists or stories in your Twitter activities Remember the four Cs of effective tweets (& social media in general): Creative, Current, Consistent & Concisetry to make connections between your work and current events or pop culture Whats old is new againtry to revive old content by linking it (literally & figuratively) to active Twitter conversations on Twitter Think of Twitter like a house party. Have a conversation, talk about your personal and political interests, experience & skillsbut beware of TMI!

Visit www.centerformediajustice.org Follow @mediajustice and @mediaaction For communications training & services inquiries, contact alison@centerformediajustice.org