Social Media ChatSeptember 19th, 2018: Twitter Basics

Why Twitter?

• Twitter is the fastest growing social media platform for internet users ages 55-64

• Leverage large academic communities

• Communicate and raise awareness with students and prospective students

• Inform faculty and students in a new way

Twitter Terms to Know• Tweet: A statement containing text, photos a GIF or a video that comes from a specific

profile

• Retweet: An existing tweet that you share publicly with your followers

• Newsfeed: Your homepage on twitter.com that displays the content from those you follow along with sponsored content (paid advertising)

• @Mention: A “mention” of the username toward the end of the message that will notify the user you’ve messaged them

• @Reply: A direct reply to another user with their @handle placed at the beginning of the message, this message is only seen by the person you replied to and the people following both of you

• .@Reply: A public version of a reply- the period in front of the username ensures the message remains on your timeline and visible in the newsfeed of those who follow you, Both types of replies are not private conversations

• Direct Message: A private message sent between Twitter users

•Hashtag: A keyword written with a # symbol used to index trends and topics on Twitter

•Character Limit: The maximum amount of characters you can construct is currently 280, including punctuation, tagging, hashtags, and media (photo,

video, GIFs)

•Verified Account: An account displaying the blue check mark given by Twitter after the account has been verified to be the person it states it

represents

•Bio: A tidbit of information shown on the Twitter account used to describe the account user

•Link: A URL used to share information from websites, many links on twitter are shortened by a link shortener for simplicity

•Follow: View content (Tweets) from this person on your newsfeed

•Follower: A Twitter user that follows you and your Twitter content appears on their newsfeed

•Trends: Topics and hashtags that twitter has recognized are popular in conversation at the moment

•Moments: Multiple tweets strung together like a slideshow, like a story

First Steps• Who are you trying to communicate with on

Twitter?

• What messages are you trying to send on Twitter?

A continuous flow of unique and relevant content

• Do you have the resources to manage a Twitter presence?

Time commitment of 3-5 hours a week

Content• Existing content that is relevant for your account

• Retweet

• Retweet with a comment

• News articles, MSU Today, msu.edu and large publications that feature relevant students and faculty

• Relevant industry news pertaining to your department or college

What Works for Us

Why?• Engaging images

• People

• Clear, colorful

• High enough resolution

• Tagging relevant users

• Hashtags

• Concise copy

• Related content to our college or department

• Use language that a general audience can understand. Avoid jargon.

Engage With Your Audience

• Like and retweet content that connects to your audience as well

• Engage in conversations by responding to the tweets of those you wish to build a relationship with

Credibility• If you’re unsure of an account you’re interested in following

check for:

• Substantial following

• Link to a relevant website in their bio

• Verified accounts

• To ensure users know you are who you claim to be on Twitter, be sure to:

• Use proper spelling, grammar and formatting

• Use clear default imagery

• Update your bio and profile link

• Build a substantial, relevant following over time

• Engage with other twitter users in a positive mutually beneficial way

• Considering getting your account verified through Twitter

• Tweet regularly

Tidbits• Place a “.” before tagging a handle in order for the tweet to show up

in your timeline. If you don’t it will be read as a reply and only visible in the feed and to the tagged user

• If you have a lot to say, utilize the “add tweet” feature to tweet a series of tweets that are strung together

• Save real estate by tagging users in the image instead of tagging their handle in the tweet copy

• Quote tweet to keep original users message and add your own

• Create twitter lists to curate a feed filtered by certain users you select

• Trending topics

Resources• MSU photos

• Social Media FAQ

• CABS Guidelines

• Current social media specs

• pexels.com, unsplash.com

• MSU Today, CANR.MSU.edu/news

• roycebre@msu.edu