how homewood public library manages twitter
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It's almost impossible to manage Twitter from the Twitter website. That's why Homewood Public Library chose Hootsuite as its primary Twitter client. Hootsuite meets our needs better than any other app for managing our account. Let me count the ways…TRANSCRIPT
How Homewood Public Library Manages Twitter twitter.com/weknowbooksETC
Cheryl Burnette, Webmaster [[email protected]]
1. Setting up Twitter – below are two great resources on setting up and getting started using Twitter: ‐ A newbies guide to using Twitter
http://www.lizhover.com/2009/03/a‐newbies‐guide‐to‐using‐twitter ‐ A step‐by‐step guide with complete details on how to set up your account and get started with twitter.
‐ The Ultimate Guide for Everything Twitter http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2009/03/the‐ultimate‐guide‐for‐everything‐twitter ‐ The most comprehensive list I’ve ever seen covering every possible angle of Twitter.
2. Power Twitter (for Firefox) https://addons.mozilla.org/enUS/firefox/addon/9591 ‐ To make the basic Twitter page a little more user friendly, I installed a Firefox add‐on. Power Twitter enhances Twitter with inline YouTube, Flickr, TwitPic, Google Maps, all sorts of playable/viewable media, has photo uploading and a link shortener. See the graphics below for a comparison between using Twitter with Internet Explorer and Firefox with Power Twitter installed.
Basic Twitter page ‐ We are logged in to our Home page using Internet Explorer
Here we are logged in to our Home page using Firefox with Power Twitter installed
Power Twitter enhancements
Power Twitter enhancements
3. Hootsuite ‐ Our primary app for managing Twitter
http://hootsuite.com – Hootsuite meets our needs better than any other Twitter client for managing our account. Let me count the ways…
‐ Web app ‐ Which means it lives in my browser. This is very handy since I’m usually on the Internet
updating our website and monitoring other social media accounts the library maintains.
‐ View user info ‐ Click on the username or avatar to view their detailed bio in a pop‐up window without being taken to a separate page.
‐ Photo and document uploading ‐ The files are instantly shortened into Owly links.
‐ Multi‐column view that is customizable ‐ Just drag and drop columns to place them in the order I like.
‐ Search using keywords and save as a column ‐ I searched for the terms Homewood AL and Homewood Library and saved the results as a column. Now whenever a mention is made using
those words, I receive the tweet. Since we are targeting our community, I’ve been able to engage in many conversations with fellow tweeps from Homewood AL, and have replied to patrons who actually tweeted that they were in Homewood Library, “Hi! If you need anything, just let us know!” Sometimes, it takes them by surprise, but I think they are happy to know we care.
‐ Twitter lists ‐ I can create customizable columns for friends, groups or topics of interest. Add users through their @username or drag and drop them from other columns.
‐ Embed columns – I can grab code from HootSuite to easily embed my custom columns into our blog or website.
‐ Feed our RSS – I easily feed our library blog RSS and our flickr RSS to our Twitter stream. Love this!
‐ Track Statistics ‐ Graphs show not only a summary but also individual message statistics. Love!
‐ Manage multiple users – We have several staff members who contribute to Twitter and Hootsuite makes it easy to manage these users.
‐ Schedule tweets ‐ Pre‐schedule anything I like. This is especially handy when library events are happening all day. I will schedule the tweets to be released, maybe hourly, throughout the day.
‐ Manage followers ‐ See who's following you and who you're following on this list. I can follow and unfollow people from this tab.
Hootsuite dashboard
4. Echofon (for Firefox) https://addons.mozilla.org/en‐US/firefox/addon/5081 – another extension for Firefox browser. This is a very simple and convenient alternative to a full service Twitter client.
‐ Adds a status bar icon to Firefox that notifies you when your friends post tweets. When the icon is clicked, updates are viewed in a timeline and you can post your own tweets.
‐ Notable Features ‐ Unread count in Firefox status bar ‐ Instant notification of new Tweets within Firefox ‐ One‐click access to the Twitter window ‐ Easily post links to the current page you are viewing in Firefox ‐ Allows for multiple Twitter accounts ‐ Handles direct messages and mentions
‐ Does not have a URL shortener. Use TinyURL.com http://tinyurl.com or bit.ly http://bit.ly.
5. Twitter on our Facebook Fan Page http://www.facebook.com/HomewoodPublicLibrary ‐ We use two Facebook apps for Twitter.
‐ Involver
http://involver.com/gallery.html ‐ Free app that automatically places our Twitter updates in a tab on our Fan Page. After installation, enable the Twitter tab. Note: Involver has additional apps, but only two can be installed free on Facebook.
Involver app for Twitter updates on our Facebook Fan Page
‐ Selective Tweets http://www.facebook.com/selectivetwitter ‐ I installed this Facebook app to update our Facebook status from Twitter but only for the tweets we choose.
‐ End a tweet with #fb when you want it to update your Facebook status from Twitter. The updates appear on your wall.
‐ Avoid confusing your Facebook friends
‐ Don't swamp your profile with too many updates
‐ Leave certain updates on Facebook for longer
‐ There's usually a minute or two delay (no more) ‐ be patient when you first try it ;^)
6. Twitter on We Know Books, ETC. (our library blog)
http://weknowbooks.blogspot.com ‐ We have two ways you can retweet or share our blog posts.
‐ ReTweet button (TweetMeme) http://tweetmeme.com/about/retweet_button – The TweetMeme retweet button is for blog publishers who want to encourage their audience to tweet their content on Twitter. The button shows a live count of the number of times your blog post has been tweeted. Below is a link to instructions on how to put the button on your Blogger, Wordpress or Typepad blog http://tweetmeme.com/about/plugins.
‐ AddThis button
http://www.addthis.com ‐ Share and boost traffic back to your blog or website. AddThis automatically optimizes itself for each person who visits your site. Every person shares differently, so AddThis custom fits each menu with the services they'll normally use. For example, if a user shares to Twitter and Facebook, they will be presented with those first. This logic ensures that your content is always one click away, because the right service is always tailored to the right person. Wow!
7. Twitter on our website ‐ Homewood Public Library http://www.homewood.lib.al.us ‐ Widgets let you display Twitter updates on your website or social network page. We use the Twitter Widget on our Teen page.
‐ Twitter Widgets
http://twitter.com/goodies/widgets ‐ Compatible with any website and most social networks.
‐ Widgetbox http://www.widgetbox.com/widget/twidget ‐ An alternative to the official Twitter widgets.
Why libraries should embrace Twitter?
• It's quick, easy, free, creates community, expands the reach of the library, makes the library more accessible, and is great for public relations. Statistics confirm that a library's strong online presence is imperative as we continue to move forward in this increasingly digital world. ~Lindy Brown
• In 2007, the OCLC (De Rosa, et al.) published an informative report that showed Internet, email, and blog use up, but unfortunately, library website use was down. ~OCLC
• Twitter users are a mobile bunch and are more likely to use wireless technology, laptops, handhelds and Smartphones for Internet access.
• Twitter users are more likely to consume news and information on mobile devices. • FYI: Average Twitter user is age 31. ~Pew Internet
The Ten Commandments of New Social Media adapted from by Sonia Simone http://www.remarkable‐communication.com/the‐ten‐commandments‐of‐new‐social‐media
Commandment #1: Thou Shalt Participate in the Conversation The conversation is going to take place with you or without you, so get in there and participate.
Commandment #2: Thou Shalt Not Lie Nothing will sink you faster in the wired world than lying and all its variants.
Commandment #3: Thou Shalt Not Astroturf Don’t try to engineer conversation or use fake characters to advocate for you.
Commandment # 4: Thou Shalt Talk Like a Human Being Corporations don’t hold conversations. Conversations take place among people. Be a person.
Commandment #5: Remember Thy Community and Keep It Holy It’s not an audience of passive recipients. It’s a community made up of a complicated mix of personalities.
Commandment #6: Thou Shalt Not Be a Wimp You must face bullies down every time you encounter them, clearly and forcefully.
Commandment #7: Thou Shalt Not Snivel You’re going to get beat up every once in awhile. Never, ever whine about it.
Commandment #8: Thou Shalt Write What Is Worth Reading Vague, weak, insipid or meaningless writing are a big problem. Write clearly and with vigor.
Commandment #9: Thou Shalt Not Pontificate About Stuff Thou Knowest Nothing About You will get caught and mocked and that’s just embarrassing.
Commandment #10: Thou Shalt Have a Sense of Humor It’s just people, and people are pretty much the funniest thing ever. Nothing will serve you online as well as a sense of humor, especially about yourself.