Twits, tweets and tweedle dum

I learned about Twitter from a Web 2.0 guru at a conference. She was so excited about it and how great it was! I'd never heard of it.

So, from her and from my recent readings on the topic, here's what I've learned:

Twitter allows you to send brief messages called 'tweets' of 140 characters. The essence of Twitter is conversation but it "combines the reach of social networking with the speed of text messaging" (Riedel, 2009, p.36). The messages are like SMS on your cell phone, but shorter and they go out for anyone to see, not just one selected person. Although it IS possible to send to a specific tweet by using the @ symbol in front of their user name. Messages and responses can be sent through the Twitter website, SMS on your cell phone, RSS feeds and email.

Twitter is equally phenomenal in its growth to Facebook and MySpace, and according to Tynan (2008) grew more than 600% in 2008 alone. Results from WolframAlpha.com show that there are between 4 and 5 million Twitter users as of November 2008. That number has been increasing and while great for Twitter, it does cause some problems if there are too many users on at one time! (I've just 'discovered' WolframAlpha and if you want statistics and figures, this site does everything! Here's an overview video. http://www.wolframalpha.com/screencast/introducingwolframalpha.html ) I just sent a tweet with the site too.

Honestly, I just couldn't see the point of Twitter but being a good disciple, I followed the guru's lead and signed up for a Twitter account and tried it out. Not for long though. I really didn't need to know that my friend's baby was overtired and cranky, or that someone else just came back from a great bike ride, or that a former student just bought some new trainers. Really, I didn't and still don't care about that kind of mundane communication.

Yes,it's great to keep in touch with others and know what they're up to or share what I'm doing, and that's essentially how Twitter started (and I admit it, I make my short little mundane posts on Facebook and now on Twitter from time to time). But if I really want to know how a friend is doing and what's new in his or her life, I'll send an email.

What helped me to start to understand Twitter a bit better was an anonymous article "To Tweet or Not to Tweet?" that painted a very clear picture for me. "E-mail is like person-to-person phone calls while blogs are like lectures with follow-up questions and discussions. But social media, such as Twitter, are like a cocktail party" (Anonymous, 2009, p.35).

I love the analogy.
I can relate to it.
I LOVE cocktail parties and all of the interactions going on. I learn things at cocktail parties ranging from new insights about someone, to a great new restaurant to try, to new information on a topic, to the latest greatest web site. Seems I've been tweeting and twittering and I didn't even know it. Now just to do it beyond the living room and into the 'twitterverse'.

So, I revisited my Twitter account this week.
And I'm trying to expand my horizons and networks. I am now following some of my friends and colleagues. I found several personal interest groups and I am now following tweets on aromatherapy, reiki and belly dance. I seriously need non-coursework input into my brain right now as I am on overload with Web 2.0 in education! Now I need to keep abreast of the tweets and see where it all takes me as I find new people to follow and learn from.

Galagan (2009) suggests that one way to really explore Twitter is to follow as many people as you can for a while. Start sending direct messages to some to introduce yourself and join in some of the conversations. Before you know it, you'll soon belong to a number of new networks! But Ben-Ari (2009) cautions that the quality of information you receive on Twitter depends on who you follow, so choose well. Of course, if you don't like who you're following, you can also remove them from your list, no questions asked, no feelings hurt.

What can we learn from those we follow and how can we use Twitter for meaningful communication?
Ben-Ari (2009) provides a couple of examples from life in general. When the H1N1 outbreak started, there was a lot of misinformation about the virus, but scientists were sharing links with Twitter to more accurate and useful information. The Center for Disease Control even used Twitter to post updates (p.632). Another example is a project where recreational fisherman were asked to tweet information about their catches in the hopes that the data can be used to assist fisheries management.

Of Tynan's (2008) 8 Ways, one of them is to keep track of weather, particularly in the event of a hurricane or forest fires. Tweets from twitterers on the spot will have the most up to date and possibly accurate information. Another Way could be to save your own life, as in the example of a man arrested for photographing an anti-government demonstration in Egypt. He managed to tweet "arrested" before he was taken away and his followers contacted the US Embassy and the man was released the next day.

Twitter has certainly evolved from sharing our daily activities to sharing information and ideas that expand our knowledge.

Now how can we use this aspect of Twitter in our classrooms?
- Twitter can be used to contact people who are off-site or in the field. Students who are absent or at home ill and are missing a special presentation or guest speaker can be informed about what's going on by tweets from classmates.
- In conjunction with my idea to use podcasting for interviewing elders in Sarawak (Borneo), I will ask students to tweet their thoughts, observations and feelings about their experiences during the entire study trip.
- We can create communities around a class or activity (Galagan, 2009). During a research project, students can tweet good sites to each other, or share their 'coolest' discovery about their topic.
- Twittering is an easy way to communicate with that community, and if students are encouraged to tweet about their classes, it may help them make connections across subject areas for greater understanding (Riedel, 2009).
- Teachers can use Twitter to post tips of the day, questions, writing assignments, deadline reminders, and other prompts to help keep the learning going (Galagan, 2009).
- "Twitness" (Anonymous, 2009) is where many people are, for example, watching a television program and tweeting about the show to each other. Students might need to watch a Discovery Channel program, or History Channel program as an addition to a class project. They could tweet classmates and the teacher about ideas or observations during the show.

And what about in our libraries?
- Libraries that use Twitter post short messages about events, new books, lectures, tips on finding resources, or point out specific information to explore on their websites (Milstein, 2009). I can see using Twitter for these same things in my own library. I could also use it to announce an "Overdue Ammesty" day where students can turn in their overdue materials in exchange for a coupon to the canteen, or a treat, or something that will inspire them to return missing library books! Maybe Twitter could be used to draw in some volunteers when we really need help shelving some of those books.
- Milstein (2009) also suggests that libraries follow information sources such as the BBC or newspapers. This is good for librarians to stay on top of news, and it is also good for students to follow the tweets.
- Twitter is easy to use, requiring just a few sentences in a day. That's not much output for potentially increased impact (Milstein, 2009). I agree. Twitter is quick and easy. There's not a big time investment, either in posting or following.

Some Twitter Etiquette or Twittiquette from Milstein (2009)
- Remember, tweets are generally conversational. Twitter can be used to broadcast information, but followers/patrons should be encouraged to ask questions and share links that, of course, get a response.
- Search for tweets about your library or institution to see what others are saying, then use that information to make improvements in services or patron relations
- Follow people who follow you. It's a mutual interest situation. If I follow you, then you are more likely to follow me and vice versa. If I follow you and you don't follow me...chances are I will drop you from my list eventually because there's no 'conversation'.
- Post at least once a day and not more than 5 or 6. Don't overwhelm followers with too many posts.


When I learned that we would be exploring Twitter, I thought that this would be the least interesting topic in my Web 2.0 course. I have learned a lot about how Twitter can be used to promote learning and improve our lives. I've been pleasantly surprised and inspired by the new insights into tweets and Twitter.

If I didn't feel like a twit before, I sure do now!


References
Anonymous. (2009). To Tweet or Not to Tweet? Library Administrator's Digest 44(5), p.35. Retrieved August 3, 2009 from ProQuest Education Journals database.

Ben-Ari, E. (2009). Twitter: What's All the Chirping About? BioScience 59(7), p.632. Retrieved August 4, 2009 from ProQuest Education Journals database.

Galagan, P. (2009). Twitter as a Learning Tool.Really. T & D 63(3), pp.28-31. Retrieved August 3, 2009 from ProQuest Education Journals database.

Milstein, S. (2009). Twitter for Libraries (and Librarians). Computers in Libraries 29(5), pp.17-18. Retrieved August 3, 2009 from ProQuest Education Journals database.

Tynan, D. (2008). Eight Ways Twitter Will Change Your Life. PC World 26(11), pp.20-22. Retrieved August 4, 2009 from ProQuest Education Journals database.

Riedel, C. (2009). What's All This Twitter About?. Scholastic Administr@tor 8(7), p.36. Retrieved August 4, 2009 from ProQuest Education Journals database.