Connecting Learners in the 3rd Sector in North & Mid Wales A Unison Cymru/Wales WULF Project 2010-2013

in the 3rd Sector in North & Mid Wales

WULF Best Practice Guideline:

Creating links using Twitter

The Connecting Learners WULF Project has been innovative in the way that we’ve engaged with the online world to make connections with learners, employers, trades unions and learning providers. Since 2010, we’ve had an active twitter account, which now has over 500 followers. This Best Practice Guideline sets out the reasons why WULF projects might want to use twitter, what things you need to consider when using twitter and how to get the best out of the service. This booklet also includes a handy guide to some twitter-related tools you might consider using and a step-by-step guide based on our experiences.

Connecting Learners in the 3rd Sector in North & Mid Wales A Unison Cymru/Wales WULF Project 2010-2013

1. Why do WULF projects use Twitter? Twitter is a social media and microblogging website that allows its users to broadcast messages of no more than 140 characters to their “followers” and the world. The co-founder of the service, Ev Williams (@Ev), is quoted as asking “Whoever said that things have to be useful?” in relation to Twitter. However, over the last few years we have discovered that twitter is an

important part of a modern communications strategy.

Creating links with organisations across Wales that can take advantage of our WULF project is the single biggest reason we use twitter. We’re connected with hundreds of 3rd sector organisations.

Twitter has been fantastic for keeping up-to-date including knowledge transfer and CPD. You’re always only a search on twitter away from discovering something new and useful for your project.

Logging and disseminating activities is easy when you’re tweeting about the work you’re doing. So, if @DfESwales want to know what you’ve been doing, all they need to do is look at your feed.

Influencing the agenda becomes much easier when you can join conversations that engage Ministers (e.g. @LeightonAndrews, @Lesley4Wrexham) and other decision makers from a position of equality – all twitter accounts are created equal.

But one of the most visible ways that WULF projects have utilised twitter has been to maximise the impact of events by creating a hashtag (#CLCelebration, for example) and then inviting comments, questions and contributions from the delegates and beyond. The resulting live “feed” of tweets can be projected onto a wall for all at the event to see and engage with.

You can then monitor this impact using some of the tools described in this guide.

Fast Facts - Twitter:

• Founded in 2006 in California • Defined as a Social Networking

Service and Microblogging site • Over 500 million users worldwide • 50 million active users ever day

send a total of 340 million tweets a day

• Lady Gaga has over 32 million twitter followers

• Unison’s @unisontweets has over 14,000 followers

(Sources: www.twitter.com; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitter)

Connecting Learners in the 3rd Sector in North & Mid Wales A Unison Cymru/Wales WULF Project 2010-2013

2. What factors do we need to consider? Do we have a business plan, a communications strategy and/or a social media strategy?

It’s vital that you know why your project is using any given social media tool. It must serve a purpose, even if that purpose is to explore whether or not it works for you. If you choose to use twitter, you will also want to think about who tweets, why and on what subjects.

We recommend looking at social media as part of your wider strategic planning and communication strategy. For a closer look at this, check out Community 2.0’s workshop on social media strategy www.bit.ly/Top10SocMedTips

Can we access twitter?

You don’t need super-fast broadband to use twitter but, if you’re accessing the site at work, then you will need to ensure you can gain access to www.twitter.com.

If all else fails, go to bit.ly/TEXTtweet to find out how to text your tweets.

Do we have the right devices and software?

Twitter can be accessed from almost any internet enabled device, including smart phones, tablets computers, PCs and laptops.

Do we have a social media policy?

Many organisations have policies about social media. Check this before getting involved in any tweeting.

Do you talk twitter? Here’s a short jargon-busting guide

to the twittersphere Tweet = a publically visible message of no more than 140 characters posted to twitter. RT = Retweet = a tweet re-sent by another, akin to forwarding an email. MT = Modified tweet = a tweet modified and then re-sent by another user. @ = Username = allows you to quickly connect with a particular user, akin to an email address (e.g. @CL3Project) # = Hashtag = used before a key word or phrase to link individual tweets to wider conversations and communities #walesULF = the hashtag for everything about WULF Following = those users whose tweets you receive on your home page twitter feed Followers = those users who receive your tweets on their home page twitter feed

Connecting Learners in the 3rd Sector in North & Mid Wales A Unison Cymru/Wales WULF Project 2010-2013

3. How can we make the most of Twitter? Every organisation will use twitter in a different way. Connecting Learners has built a big following amongst the third sector and adult learning community in Wales and beyond by embracing and experimenting with twitter. Here’s how...

Our Top 10 Tips for making the most of twitter

1. Play with the technology, including search and list functions 2. Build it into your existing activities using mobile apps. 3. Include your @username on all your materials and emails 4. Join in relevant conversations using #hashtags 5. Include links to your project website, blog or facebook page in your tweets 6. Be yourself – tweet as a person not just a project or union. Identify who tweets

on your corporate profile or consider each team member having their own work twitter account

7. Keep safe online and tweet responsibly. If you wouldn’t be happy to see your message on a billboard beside the M4 or A55 then don’t send it.

8. Separate your work and personal profiles – this will allow you to tweet with confidence at work and express your opinions at home

9. Create your own #hashtags for your events and courses 10. Manage your presence and monitor your impact

Useful #Hashtags for Wales Union Learning Fund Projects

• For conversations about everything WULF use #walesULF and many ULRs tweet with the hashtag #ULRs

• Use #FollowFriday & #FF to help your friends gain followers on Fridays • If you’ve got an interest in learning technologies, #WLTF is used by the Wales

Learning Technology Forum • Global conversations around education include #lifelonglearning, #edtech,

#digitalinclusion, #autism, #dyslexia, #cpd, #elearn, #education and more

Top Twitter Users for Union-led learning in Wales

@CL3Project – our very own Connecting Learners twitter profile @WLWYUH – News from the Wales TUC Learning Services team @unionlearn –tweets from the TUC’s learning organisation @KeithmooreULR – Unite Union Learning Rep, “ULR of the Year

2011” Keith Moore tweets on #lifelonglearning @NIACE-DC Rachel Jones tweeting about NIACE’s Welsh activities

Connecting Learners in the 3rd Sector in North & Mid Wales A Unison Cymru/Wales WULF Project 2010-2013

Twitter works well on its own, but to really maximise your impact and efficiency, you might find that some of these tools helpful:

What’s it called? What does it do? How much does it cost?

What’s needed to make it work?

HootSuite www.hootsuite.com

Browser-based social media monitoring tool. Allows you to manage multiple profiles, follow multiple hashtags and search terms, schedule when messages are to be posted, analysis

Free version plus upgrades from $9.99 per month

A web browser, An open internet connection Social media accounts (twitter, facebook, etc.)

Tweetdeck www.tweetdeck.com

Twitter’s own online & desktop-based social media monitoring tool. Like HootSuite it allows you to manage multiple social media accounts and twitter profiles, view multiple searches and hashtags in dashboard style.

Free The full desktop version will require the ability to install new programmes. The online version works in all browsers and there is a plug-in App for Google Chome

TweetReach www.tweetreach.com

Web-based service allowing you to search for the impact of any URL, Twitter account name or hashtag. It analyses the impact (number of accounts reached, retweets, etc), sows activity and also produces a report in PDF format.

A limited free version produces stats for a limited period plus upgrades ranging from $89 to $899 per month

A web browser An open internet connection A twitter account

Twenty Feet www.twentyfeet.com

Allows you to monitor your activity across a variety of social media channels Exports data to excel.

Free version plus upgrade credits available from $12.45

A web browser An open internet connection Social media accounts

Bitly www.bit.ly

A URL shortening service which allows you to create bespoke URLs in include in your tweets and elsewhere. Also allows you to tweet your URLs directly from their website.

Free A web browser An open internet connection

Follower Wonk www.followerwonk.com

Allows you to analyse the number, location, influence of the users you follow and the users who follow you and more.

Free version plus upgrade available from $99 per month

A web browser An open internet connection A twitter account

N.B. This is a small sample of what’s out there and we do not endorse any services.

Connecting Learners in the 3rd Sector in North & Mid Wales A Unison Cymru/Wales WULF Project 2010-2013

Finally, here’s a step-by-step guide to how Connecting Learners in the 3rd Sector in North & Mid Wales embraced twitter and built our following:

Step 1: Sign-up

• Read your organisation's social media and ICT usage policies. • Go to www.twitter.com • If your work network blocks you, contact your ICT department and

request access • Sign up to twitter following their instructions • Make your profile page great with photos, logos and biography

Step 2: Search and Play

• Use the search function on twitter to search for key words linked to your project (e.g. social care, health, construction, etc) and interesting people. You can also filter users geographically to find local users.

• Start following those users you find interesting • Give yourself at least a couple of hours to explore, click some links, etc.

Step 3: Get Tweeting

• Send your first tweet to the world. 140 characters maximum. • Join in relevant conversations using #hashtags, answer questions

posed by other users (this is called "crowd sourcing") and RT the good stuff.

• Send out links to interesting or useful websites that you know of. Twitter users love to share and help each other. This builds followers.

Step 4: Build into your work

• Download the twitter applications or "Apps" for any mobile devices used by your project (i.e. work smartphone or tablet PC)

• Tweet pictures of your work as you do it; the stall you've just set up at an awareness raising event, the document you've just produced or the learner who has acheived their goal.

• Create hashtags for your events and activities and promote these on your literature.

• Build social media into your Project Plan and Communication Strategy

Step 5:

Measure your impact

• Set yourself some SMART targets and objectives for social media use. • Use some of the tools outlined in the table above to measure and

monitor the impact of your account as a whole or individual hashtags • Contact the Welsh Government to discuss how social media can be

built into your quarterly and annual reporting