Twitter essentials

• Users contribute 140-character messages known as “tweets” via Web or mobile device.

• Twitter aggregates all user messages into a main feed

• Users can choose to follow one another, thus creating a live updated feed of select tweets.

• It is a social network of sharing our lives and our information, built on “weak ties”

Three basic functions of Twitter

• Contribute (tweet)

• Amplify (retweet): Take a message from someone you follow and broadcast it out to your followers

• Converse (reply): You can reply to a user’s tweet in a message that is public, but generally only seen by that user.

Why Twitter?

• It is open to all

• Medium is ideal for scanning

• Twitter functions on culture of sharing information and links

• Size is less of a factor. Even if my follower number is small, you can reach many if your followers retweet you

@DarfurConflict

• A team of 5-8 students operating on a schedule.

• Two of them per day posting 140-character “tweets” from the DarfurConflict account

• Messages repurpose items about Darfur in the news, distilling key info and providing link

• Work done to build network of followers

– Following people tweeting about Darfur

– Thanking new followers

Mass reach: Retweets

• Posting messages to followers is good, but real value lies in “retweets” because it gets beyond the first level of your followers.

• Value: Message moves beyond your followers, is exposed to your followers’ network.

– Wider exposure of message

– Leads to more followers (they join your network)

Initial effort

Lehigh

Initial followers

Follower

Follower

Follower

Power of networks

Darfur Conflict

Reach: 1338

Reach: 174,832

Reach: > 2m

More reach: hashtags

• Hashtags are single words or phrases preceded by a “#” sign.

• Hashtags become links, a conversation filter

• Our students use #Darfur, #Sudan and others

A hub and a spoke

Follower

Follower

Follower

Follower

Follower

Follower

Follower

Benefits

• From 0 to almost 1350 followers in 18 months

• Lehigh has joined an important conversation

– About 3-4 tweets per day

– About half of the accounts tweets are being retweeted, meaning a much larger audience

– Followers include

• International government officials

• U.S. government officials

• Activist networks concerned about Darfur

• Journalists (CNN National Security, NYT, e.g.)

Lessons from @DarfurConflict

• Large follower counts less valuable than having the right followers

• Influence on Twitter is the result of both listening and sharing

• Retweetsare a way to gauge value, what is resonating with your followers.

• The reach of six students half a world away can be enormous and keep news in faraway places on the public consciousness.