Expand your Library’s Online & Mobile Presence Using Twitter

Cheryl BurnetteWebmasterHomewood Public Librarytwitter.com/weknowbooksETCwww.homewood.lib.al.uscburnette@bham.lib.al.us

How to

Twitter basics• Twitter was launched July 2006• Uses Ruby on Rails framework -

In 2009 began gradually replacing with Scala• A microblogging service• Must type 140 characters or less to update

your status• Find followers & follow others• A real-time mobile broadcast medium• Free!

Create Your Account• Carefully consider your Twitter user name –

branding• Customize your Twitter webpage• Set up your cell phone to tweet? It is FREE, but

standard text messaging charges may apply.

• HootSuite 2.0 – web app – Multi-column view – customizable – drag & drop– Create groups with users or topics – drag & drop users– Search using keywords & save as a column– Embed these groups/columns into websites or blogs– Track statistics – summary & individual tweet graphs– URL shortener– Auto refresh– Feed your blog RSS (or any) to Twitter with HootSuite– Schedule tweets– View user info through a pop-up window – Manage multiple accounts & manage multiple users– Ping.fm integration, but has no photo sharing

Manage Twitter using 3rd party clients/apps

• TweetDeck – sync desktop & iPhone apps, update Facebook, share photos & videos

• Twhirl – desktop app – supports multiple accounts, post to Friendfeed

• Seesmic – desktop, iPhone & web apps – post to Facebook

• TwitterFox – Firefox extension – simple; get nofications & has text box for tweeting

• Power Twitter – Firefox add-on – has inline YouTube, Flickr & TwitPic, photo uploading, update Facebook

• Sobees – new social aggregator – needs a late model computer with good graphic capabilities and a fast processor, also requires .NET 3.5 SP1

3rd party clients/apps to manage TwitterMore

• Bit.ly – web app – URL shortener, share & track links• Nambu – Mac app – URL shortener, track stats• Twitpic – web app – quickly shares photos• Twitter Facebook app – Note: only works with personal

profiles NOT fan pages!

Misc. apps for easier updating

• TweetStats – detailed report – daily, hourly & more

• Twitter Grader – calculate Twitter ranking

Apps that track & calculate

Monitize app (Helpful or harmful for libraries?)

• Twitpay – powered by Paypal. Update your status to pay somebody: @WeKnowBooksETC twitpay $5 for donation

• TweetDeck – iPhone, Touch• Tweetie – iPhone $2.99• Twitterific – iPhone• TwitterBerry – Blackberry• UberTwitter – Blackberry – has location sharing• Dabr - open source mobile twitter website• TwittAround – new – iPhone – uses GPS, compass and

camera to show where Tweets are coming from; not available in the App Store yet

Using mobile/phone apps to manage Twitter

• Twitter Search – real-time targeted search– Ex #1: Use Advanced Search – type in library, near

Birmingham AL within 25 mi., click Search & be amazed. You’re looking at real-time tweets. See anything you can help with?

– Ex #2: Say you have a yoga class at your lib that could use more participants. Search for yoga, near Birmingham AL within 25 mi. & send them an @ tweet with some details. “Reaching out in this way with a perfectly targeted local search is invaluable.” ~David Allen Kelly

• WeFollow – directory of Twitter users organized by interests

• Twellow – search directory of people • Twibes – followers and Twitter groups

How to find tweeps to follow

How to be followed (hint: have quality tweets)

• Be a human, be real so patrons can connect on a human level – do more than promote your lib & feed your blog & Flickr RSS feeds to Twitter

• Write creatively –

• Promote materials relevant to current news & events such as the Academy Awards, national book awards, football, Iran, Nascar, etc. – add catalog link

• Send a quick photo via Twitpic – easily done from a cell phone (you know what they say a picture is worth)

• Gather feedback – solicit suggestions & opinions for improvements (be ready to respond)

Hints on how to be followed• Run fun promotions! Give something away, play a trivia game,

waive a fine (yeah, that’s right)--maybe send out a password

• Tweet at cons & live events, ex: training cons, book sales, Summer Reading programs, authors’ roundtables

• Tweet library news, good & bad; be honest. Tweeps will respect you or at least be able to tell your side of the story.

• Tweet how many visits your lib had last month or how many books were checked out. It’s OK to toot your horn sometimes.

• Do not auto follow or auto thank you

• Try new stuff – start a Twitter Book Club, tweet a book of the day, celebrate authors’ birthdays, etc.

• Engage Tweeps by focusing more on them & if they’re not already patrons, maybe they soon will be

More

• HootSuite – Feed your blog RSS & Flickr RSS (any RSS feed) to Twitter - track stats

• Twitterfeed – Feed your RSS feeds to Twitter• Twitter widgets – place on blogs to show live

twitter updates

• ReTweet Button (Tweetmeme) – encourages readers to tweet your content – live count of the number of times your blog post has been tweeted. How to put the button on Blogger

How Twitter & blogs work together

• @ – use when replying or speaking to a specific user, ex: @gardendalelib

• RT – Retweet – to repeat something posted by another user to give credit to the original poster. Remember to send a thank you for a RT, ex: RT @GovernorRiley

• DM – direct message which only you will see• # – a hashtag is used to create groupings on

twitter, ex: #followfriday, #alla, #alwx, #Homewood

Tweet vocab

• It's quick, easy, free, creates community, expands the reach of the library, makes the library more accessible, & 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, & blog use up, but unfortunately, library website use was down. ~OCLC

• Twitter users are a mobile bunch & are more likely to use wireless technology, laptops, handhelds & Smartphones for Internet access.

• Twitter users are more likely to consume news & information on mobile devices.

• FYI: Average Twitter user is age 31. ~Pew Internet

Why libraries should embrace Twitter?