On November 20, I will be conducting a one-hour webinar entitled "Social Media: All the Eggs in One Basket." The webinar begins at 10:00 AM CST. The event is free and registration is open to anyone.
Our social media options seems to have unlimited boundaries...blogs, Facebook, Twitter, websites…the list goes on and on. But what do you need? How do you stay on top of it all? How can you make it all work together?
Topics during the webinar include:
How to choose your “brand.”
Why the blog is the center of your social media presence.
How to automate your blog postings so you can carry on with your life.
How to use Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest to “feed” your blog.
Why you should use HootSuite or TweetDeck to organize your Twitter and Facebook experiences.
How to stay in touch during events.
In addition, we will look at how you can have a "quasi-app" for your organization in just a few minutes.
Social media does not have to be complicated. Learn how the various components work together to let YOUR message be heard.
Who else needs to know about this webinar? Click one of the small social media icons below to share with others. Feel free to leave a comment below with your own thoughts.
"How do you know all of this stuff?" That's a question I have been asked many times throughout my career. At the same time, it's a question I have asked of others. We are all at some point on a continuum where we are hopefully a little smarter than yesterday but not as smart a we will be tomorrow.
Once upon a time, staying on top of what was important meant getting acquainted with the local library, reading the hallmark books in one's field, and subscribing to major publications. Today, staying abreast of what is important is easier.
A Three-Pronged Approach
Google News
I use Google News as my one-stop shop for general news. On my homepage (igHome.com), one of my black bar links is set to Google News. While on the Google News page, clicking on the cog in the upper-right corner allows personalization of the page. You are get the type of information you want in the amount you want.
Reading Google News in the morning gives me a broad overview of world, national, and local news. I also get information on sports, entertainment, technology, and the weather forecast.
Twitter
While I follow quite a few people on Twitter, I have identified 68 whose content is so consistently good I don't want to miss it. In Twitter, I created a list called "Inner Circle" and assigned those people to that list. Among them, I have included CNN Breaking News.
In Hootsuite, I created a stream for the "Inner Circle" list. Reading that one stream let's me know what people I respect think is important. If they are reading and tweeting about an article, I will generally click to check it out for myself. With CNN Breaking News, I know about the latest important stories as they happen.
Feedly
The Internet is full of great blogs related to just about any topic imaginable. Once you identify a blog whose content you want to follow, there is no need to go to that blog on a regular basis. Use the power of RSS to bring all of that information to one place.
I use Feedly as my RSS aggregator. To learn about the concept of RSS and about Feedly, read this post from March 2013. Whenever I come across a blog good enough that I want to read its new content whenever produced, I add the URL to Feedly. I can forget about the blog. The new content goes to Feedly, so that I can look one place and see all of the new content from all of the blogs to which I have subscribed.
For me, this three-pronged approach provides what I need without being overwhelming. I can access the material from anywhere and fine-tune the sources as need be.
The world of technology is filled with surprises, some good and some bad. I wrote earlier this month about the bad surprise I received when I opened my iGoogle page. This past week, I was delighted by an enhancement in HootSuite.
I use HootSuite to organize my Twitter feed. I also use it when I compose tweets, because it allows me to schedule a date and time for that tweet to post. HootSuite also allows me to schedule the same information to post on Facebook at that same date and time. Furthermore, HootSuite provides me a little "Hootlet," which resides on my browser's toolbar. When I read an article on the Internet and decide at that moment I want to share with others, I click the Hootlet. A box populates with the title and URL for the article. I then designate whether I want to it to post to Twitter, Facebook, or both, as well as choosing the date and time.
HootSuite made things even easier. They have introduced "AutoSchedule." Instead of choosing a date and time, HootSuite will handle that decision for me, scheduling my tweet to post at what it says are the best times. I do not fully understand the algorithm it uses. I do know that the best times to post on Twitter (between around 9:00-3:00) and the best times to post on Facebook (early evening) are different. So far, I am seeing that if I schedule a tweet to post on both platforms, HootSuite assigns one time for it to post on Twitter and a different time for Facebook.
The new AutoSchedule feature in HootSuite will sound a great deal like a service called "Buffer," which also schedules your Twitter posts. Buffer is free for up to 10 tweets scheduled at any one time. The HootSuite AutoSchedule imposes no such restrictions.
Technology is full of surprises. This one is very welcomed, and one I see myself using extensively to simplify life for me, and to offer an better experience for those who follow my posts on Twitter and Facebook.
Miss Brodie set up her Twitter account in Part 1 (this past Friday) and downloaded TweetDeck (on Monday). Today, she shares content through re-tweeting and composing her own material.
Think of people you know who do not have a Twitter account but would probably enjoy it. Why not introduce them to Twitter? Give your friends a link to the posts from last Friday, Monday, and today to get them started.
On Friday, followed Miss Brodie as she created her Twitter account. In this video, Miss Brodie learns to use TweetDeck as a way to organize her Tweets.
Twitter is great. Twitter is dumb. Twitter helps me stay on top of what's happening in my field. Twitter is just about who is eating what. I've been using Twitter for several years. I just don't get Twitter.
Where do you stand in the Twitter spectrum?
I spent most of this week at the Council for Leaders in Alabama Schools (CLAS) annual conference. CLAS is the umbrella organization for all who work in school administration. My role at this event was to serve as the official "Social Media Correspondent" and help CLAS's effort to promote the use of Twitter during the conference.
I don't know who may have created a Twitter account as a result of the attention it received at the conference. I don't know how many blew the dust off of an account they created once upon a time but never used. What I do know is that many participated in the conversation.
Reading the Twitter feed is no substitute for attending the conference, to say the least. But when it comes to having to choose between two good sessions, getting the scoop on the one you missed can happen through Twitter.
For example, I attended an outstanding session on the Students First Act, a piece of legislation that has totally revamped tenure for teachers and support staff in Alabama. Those who missed the session but read my tweets are able to download a PowerPoint deck which outlines the legislation clearly. Readers can also download a thorough document which even includes sample letters for all points along the process towards tenure or non-renewal.
If you are a CLAS member and couldn't attend the conference, go to Twitter and search the hashtag #CLAS2012. If you are not a Twitter user, there is no better time than now to create an account. Some of the people who you see Tweeting at CLAS may be people you know and would like to begin following.
To get started on Twitter, here is a video aimed at the beginning. You can get up and running in a few minutes.
Confused by who sees what on Twitter? You are not alone. If I retweet, who sees it? If I reply to a tweet, who will see that? Why is starting a tweet with "@JohnDoe" different from putting the same name in the middle of the tweet?
Let's clear up some of the confusion. For answers to these and many more questions, take a look at Mom, This is How Twitter Works.
You will see examples of tweets, answers to who will see them, and the rationale on each example. If you are a Twitter novice, this add the post to your bookmarks so that you can refer to it again.
Are you an experienced Twitter user? Many who follow you are not. How about helping them out by clicking the Twitter share button below. Also feel free to share on Facebook.
The more content you read, you more good content you are likely to read. Would you agree? In the world of Twitter, the more people you follow, you more content you will see in you Twitter feed. Hence, the more good content you will have. So far, so good.
The only problem is that increased content not only means more good content, but also more bad content. Personally, I don't care who had lunch where, or how much traffic they encountered at the local shopping mall. I want quality. What can I do to get the good content without also being overwhelmed by a flood of all the other stuff?
Thanks, UberSocial
UberSocial is the Twitter client I have used on my BlackBerry for some time. An update of UberSocial featured something called "My Inner Circle." The idea was that you could identify certain people you follow as being in your "Inner Circle." From there on, any time you clicked on the "My Inner Circle" icon on UbberSocial, you saw the tweets from just those selected people.
Who are those people whose tweets you always want to read? I would imagine you have some, but they are the minority.
Inner Circle, Priority 2, Priority 3
You don't have to use a particular client, such as UberSocial, to establish your own Inner Circle.Twitter has a feature which it calls "lists." Next time your are looking at Twitter on your computer, notice the "Lists" tab. It is located just below the box where you enter your tweet. Click on it and then look for the option to "Create a list."
Create a list called "Inner Circle." You have the option to search for people to include in the list, but I would skip that step at this point. Instead, create two more lists called "Priority 2" and "Priority 3."
To this point, all you have done is create a name for each list. Now, let's add people to them. While you are at the Twitter home screen, click on the "Followers" link. You now see all of the people you are following. Beside each person, you will see a drop-down menu. One of the choices is "Add to list." When you choose that option, you will see the name of each list you had created. Assign the person to "Inner Circle," "Priority 2," "Priority 3," or no list at all.
I also have lists such as "Education," "Technology," and "National Figures." A person can be assigned to more than one list.
Setting Up Lists on TweetDeck
I use TweetDeck as a means of organizing tweets and allowing me to schedule specific dates and times for each of the tweets I compose. When you click the icon to add a new column, you are given the option to assign that column to one of your lists. I have a column on Tweetdeck for each of my lists. In addition, I have columns which search for particular hashtags, such as "#Timemanagement," and return every tweet which is using that hashtag regardless of whether or not I follow that person.
Staying on Top of Twitter
Now that you know something about my setup, let's look at how I how I handle reading Twitter on a daily basis. In short, I want to read everything written by those who are in the "Inner Circle." I can easily accomplish that during spare minutes in the day. For example, when I accompany Davonia to the grocery store and am pushing the cart down the aisle, I am reading Inner Circle tweets. When I start reading tweets I have read before, I know I am finished with the Inner Circle.
When the Inner Circle has been read, I can continue to Priority 2. Those in Priority 2 generally write good stuff, but I don't care as much about them as I do those in the Inner Circle. If I read all of the Priority 2 tweets, that's great. If not, that's OK too. If there is additional time, I continue to Priority 3. Priority 3 people, in general, could be Priority 2 or maybe even Inner Circle if they simple did not tweet soooooo much. Remember, it's quality, not quantity!
Many of the people I follow, are not in any of the three priority groups. To be honest, I may never see their tweets. We all have to draw the line somewhere, and I have drawn mine. I can stay on top of the "Inner Circle," "Priority 2," and "Priority 3" tweets. It gives me a sense of completion, and we all need that feeling.
Since establishing the three lists I have addressed in this post, I have felt much better about my experience with Twitter.
In the last post, we examined TweetDeck as a tool for organizing your Twitter experience. This post examines HootSuite.
I started using TweetDeck more than a year ago and established a HootSuite account last month. Personally, I like HootSuite better. The primary reason is HootSuite is web-based, allowing me access from any Internet-accessible device. I found the setup to be incredible easy, especially since I had experience with the features of TweetDeck.
This tutorial shows you how to establish a HootSuite account and set up you site.
Anyone want to share their experiences with either TweetDeck or HootSuite?
This blog is the heart and soul of my online presence. A blog post is long enough to communicate an idea, back it up with examples and supporting arguments, and leave you with an invitation as to the action you may want to take. Blogs are also ever-changing. New content appears regularly, and should.
Sometimes, the message is short, and that's where Facebook and Twitter come in handy. When someone else has posted content of interest, or when top news stories interface with the subjects central to this blog, those two avenues provide quick and easy ways to bring that content to you.
Secondly, I use Twitter and Facebook for short highlights about my day-to-day professional activities. Third, when new blog posts appear here, Facebook and Twitter are great vehicles to let you know, so that you never miss a post.
Finally, I hope to see the Facebook page grow into a place for discussion. For the most part, people seldom comment on blog posts, but regularly comment on Facebook. In addition, Facebook automatically brings the new information to your page, and once you comment, you are notified about other people's comments.
I hope this blog brings you information that makes your life a little easier and more enjoyable in some way. I hope these other outlets will be helpful to you as well.
If I reply to a tweet, who sees it? If I start my tweet with "@" and a Twitter name, who sees it? How is that different from if @twittername was to appear in the middle of the tweet.
In the year leading up to this talk, the web tool Twitter exploded in size (up 10x during 2008 alone). Co-founder Evan Williams reveals that many of the ideas driving that growth came from unexpected uses invented by the users themselves.
The last post was designed to get the beginner started with Twitter. In this post, we will look at four ways to view and compose material on Twitter:
At the the Twitter Website
Simply go to http://Twitter.com and log into your account. You can view your Twitter account from any computer with Internet access.
From Your iGoogle Page
"TwitterGadget" is free and allows you to read and compose tweets right on your iGoogle page. Click here to see a more detailed description and to add TwitterGadget.
From Your Smartphone
I use a free program called "Ubersocial." The program allows me to compose and read tweets on the go. One feature I especially like is the ability to e-mail a tweet. As I am reading tweets, if I see one which will require a little time, such as viewing a link, I e-mail the tweet to myself an handle it when I return to my desktop computer. Another excellent, free, Twitter client for BlackBerry users is TwitterBerry.
The Ultimate Tweet Organizer TweetDeck is a free program that you download to your computer. It is also available for the iPhone and Android. TweetDeck allows you to organize your Tweets into a series of columns.
For example, I have a column of tweets from personal friends, another from people I have designated as "national figures," another for tweets which use the hashtag "#timemanagement," and another for those who use the hashtag"#eyeoneducation." I can create a column for any upcoming conference in order to follow discussions among people who use a hashtag for that conference. One columns holds the direct messages to me. Another one lists all of the tweets where I (@drfrankbuck) am mentioned. I even have a column that brings in my Facebook newsfeed and another with the newsfeed for just my closest friends.
One of the great features about TweetDeck is that you can compose a tweet now and schedule it to post at a particular future day or time. TweetDeck is a favorite with more advanced Twitter users who follow many people, track a variety of topics, and need a tool to organize it all. TweetDeck does a nice job in this arena.
What is the most useless invention you can think of? For me, it is the first fax machine. After all, if you are the only one with a fax machine, just who are you going to fax? And who is going to send a fax to you? When the second machine was sold, it had a little more value than the first. There was at least the possibility of receiving a fax from one other person. Moreover, the second fax machine added value to the first machine by giving it a machine with which it could communicate.
Likewise, the third fax machine added value to both of the first two. And so it goes--every fax machine adds value to all of the others in existence.
So what does that have to do with Twitter? Twitter is dumb, or Twitter is extremely valuable. Which situation rings true for you or me has little to do with the tool itself. It has everything do to with the audience which embraces it.
To illustrate this point, just look at Facebook. When asked if they had a Facebook account as little, as three years ago, most adults would have called it a "teenage waste of time." Now it seems everyone uses it. And everyone uses it because...well, everyone else uses it. Facebook hit the "Tipping Point" somewhere in the last couple of years. Twitter has not, at least not yet.
What's the difference between the two? On the surface, what is striking are the similarities. "Following" someone on Twitter is the equivalent of being a Facebook "friend." You see the list of "tweets" from those you "follow" in the same way you see the "newsfeed" of all of your friends. You can "comment" on Facebook or click "reply" on a tweet. You can click to send a "message" to just one person (which only that person will see) on Facebook, or send a "direct message" (which only the one recipient will see) on Twitter.
With all of the similarities, what are differences? Why would someone have both?
First, to get more familiar with Twitter, here is a a very good introductory video. YouTube is full of similar Twitter videos.
So how is Twitter different from Facebook? To be "friends" with someone, you must send them a request and they must approve it. You are then friends with each other. You see what each other posts. With Twitter, you "follow" whoever you like. You do not need their approval (although they can block you if they like). When you follow someone, they are not necessarily following you.
To me, the biggest difference is the "hashtags" Twitter uses. Hashtags are a way to designate the tweet is for a certain group or about a certain subject. For example, I usually include #GetOrganized! at the end of my tweets. If my tweet relates to a particular conference, such as the ASCD conference later this month, I will include #ASCD2011 at the end of the Tweet.
The advantage of using hashtags is that it allows people interested in a certain subject to find tweets others have written on that subject. It allows people who write about a certain subject to be found by people interested in that subject. People interested in the ASCD conference can search Twitter for #ASCD2011 and find tweets from people who are presenting and learn more about their topics, talk with others who are attending, and share their experiences with people during and after the conference. It's sort of like having a large conference call.
The whole hashtag idea is very informal. There is no formal directory of official hashtags. One gets started, and others simply adopt that. Here is a collection of hashtags commonly being used in the world of education.
As a next step, I would recommend deciding what it is you want to do with Twitter. Do you want to communicate with a certain group, such as the rest of the teachers in your school? On the other hand, are you wanting to use the tool to follow topics of interest?
How will you use Twitter? If Twitter is going to be a tool to communicate with others in your school, the easiest thing would be for everyone to establish a Twitter account one day, exchange user names, and then start following each other the next day. One person "Tweets" and all of the others see it. Used in this way, Twitter would be similar to sending an e-mail to a distribution list. The difference is that instead of you adding people to your e-mail distribution list, they add themselves by following you.
The tweets you send could be announcing that school has been canceled due to weather (replacing the telephone tree many schools used previously), the current score of the basketball game you are attending, or the link to a great article you read that you think your colleagues would like.
In you want to join in the bigger game, you can use hashtags. Create a tweet and include the #edtech hashtag, and others interested in educational technology will likely see it. Create your own hashtag for your school faculty and it will be easy for your colleagues to find tweets related to the school.
Of course the best way to learn about Twitter is to jump in and learn as you go.
In the next post, I will talk about four places you could go to read Twitter.
For those who wish to use Web 2.0 tools to let the world know what they have to offer, this book is well worth the time to read. The strength of the book is that it gives practical, easy-to-implement. I found some great ideas for the use of Twitter.
The author's style makes this book easy to read, enjoyable, and at 142 pages, can easily be read start to finish in a day. Don't be surprised if you find yourself consuming it in a single sitting.
In the year leading up to this talk, the web tool Twitter exploded in size (up 10x during 2008 alone). Co-founder Evan Williams reveals that many of the ideas driving that growth came from unexpected uses invented by the users themselves.
Social networks are great for keeping in touch with others. At the same time, what you put out there for the world to see can come back to haunt you. This article, taken from the August issue of PC World, gives tips for avoiding the pitfalls.
An Iowa State University technology show, "Talk About It" recently interviewed Scott McLeod on the subject of Twitter. His explanation includes uses for Twitter.
On November 20, I will be conducting a one-hour webinar entitled "Social Media: All the Eggs in One Basket." The webinar begins at 10:00 AM CST. The event is free and registration is open to anyone.
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