TWITTER 101 FOR HR PROFESSIONALS

BY: R O N K U B I T Z

OVERVIEW

• Getting Started

• Learning the Lingo

• Etiquette and Engagement

• Twitter’s Most Powerful Feature – Search

• Real World HR Examples

SO WHAT IS TWITTER?

A “micro-blogging” platform Limited to 140 characters 100+ million users 200+ million “tweets” per day 600 million searches per day Mobile technology big part of success

SETTING UP YOUR ACCOUNT

• Step 1: Point your browser to http://www.twitter.com

• Step 2: Click on “sign up”

• Step 3: Complete the four questions:• “Full Name”: This is your real name and it is searchable and

visible.• “User Name”: This is the name people will use to follow you.

Keep it short.• “Password”: Private and of your choosing.• “Email”: Is private but can also be searchable (if you allow

it).

• Step 4: Agree to the terms of service

• Step 5: Click on “Create my account”

YOUR PROFILE

• Name:• The “full name” you entered upon registration• Can be anything you’d like it to be

• Location:• Can either be dynamic or static• Helps to build a sense of localization and community

• Web:• The primary non-Twitter destination of your choice• Often includes websites, blogs, LinkedIn profile, etc.

• Bio:• You have 160 characters to include anything you’d like.• Think of this as your Twitter resume

LEARNING THE LINGO – THE BASICS

• “Tweet”• Refers to a single message• “Tweeted” – Can be a verb (alternate use is “Twittering”)

• Following/Followers• When you “follow” someone, their tweets will appear in your

timeline• When they “follow” you, your tweets will appear in their timeline

• @[username]• This is how you communicate directly with someone on Twitter• It’s also how you see who’s been communicating with you• “I had a great time @phra!” would be seen by:

• All my followers• @phra account holder• Anyone who searches “phra”…• … and you can click on “@phra” to go directly to that user’s account

THE BASICS PART II

Reply Used to respond to an individual user’s tweets Simply click on the “Reply” button available after each

tweet

Direct Messages The private messaging platform of Twitter (not searchable) Only effective if both parties are following one another Referred to as “DM” or “Dming” someone

Retweets Used when you’d like to broadcast someone’s tweet to

your followers Two options:

1) You can click on the “Retweet” button available after each tweet

2) You can highlight the message and copy and paste it into your “What’s happening?” field

Typically appears as – “RT @[username] [tweet]”

MORE ADVANCED CONCEPTS

• Hashtags• A method of tagging a concept, theme, or event within a

tweet• Appears as – “#[hashtag]”

• For example, the PHRA conference hashtag was “#PHRA”• Each Thursday night a radio program called

“#HRHappyHour” is held• If clicked on, triggers a Twitter search for all tweets

containing that hashtag• Commonly used to drive community, affinity, and

collaboration

• Short URLs• Because every character is precious, several URL

shortening services have emerged• Takes a very long URL and converts it into a “tiny” version• Some have the ability to track how many people clicked

on a particular link• Common services include:

• Bit.ly• Tinyurl.com

MORE ADVANCED CONCEPTS (CON’T)

LISTS A means of

organizing followers

Can use whatever criteria you prefer

If clicked on, only shows the tweets for those users

TWEETUPS• Either

spontaneous or organized gatherings

• Typically have an associated hashtag

• Be authentic• Be real and remember

to think before you tweet!

• Attempt to stay professional at all times

• Like email, tweets can be misinterpreted without contect.

• Followers• Don’t feel obliged to

follow everyone who follows you (VALUE)

• Seek a balance in your following –to- follower ratio

• Don’t be afraid to “unfollow” someone (for any reason)

• Take it Offline• Reach out to just

one person a week and request a chat

• Locate fellow HR pros in your area

• Attend a Tweetup

ETIQUETTE: REMEMBER – IT’S ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS

• Followers

• If someone follows you AND you follow them back

• Send them a DM (“direct message”) and thank them for the follow

• Avoid the temptation to subscribe to auto-DM services

• They will see everything you tweet (so keep that in mind)

• Retweets• If one of your tweets is

“Rted”, try and thank those people publicly

• Feel free to add color commentary to the RT

• Without comment this is your implied endorsement of that user and their thoughts or content

COMMON ETIQUETTE

This year in Partnership with the SHRM the PHRA will have our first networking “Tweet-Up” event at the social. Join the PHRA for “Tweet-Up” to share news, stories and conference learning’s from the day.October 4, 20115:00pm – 8:00pmPITTSBURGH MARRIOTT NORTH AT CRANBERRY WOODS100 Cranberry Woods DriveCranberry Township, Pennsylvania, 16066 The “Tweet-Up” registration is included in all Full Conference and Tuesday only registrations. For questions call 412 261-5537