Twitter for LibrariesFrom Basics to Best Practices

IntroductionJessica Keyes

Digital Content Manager@prairieskygal

Enoch Pratt Free Library@prattlibrary

What we'll cover today:

● My Twitter philosophy

● What is Twitter and why choose it

● How to tweet

● Intro to best practices & strategy

Twitter can connect us.Why you should care:

My Twitter Philosophy

My Twitter Philosophy

@Toure & @MichaelEDyson"Who’s Afraid Of Post Blackness"

#racetalkDec 5, 2011

http://twitter.com

What is Twitter?

What is Twitter?

● Online social networking platform● Users send and read text-based messages of up

to 140 characters● Launched: 2006● Active Users: 200+ million● Tweets: 340+ million daily● Search: 1.6+ billion queries daily

A "tweet" looks like this:

What is Twitter?

What is Twitter good for?

● Stay up-to-date with library industry trends

● Learn about current events and engage with patrons about them

● Connect with patrons individually

● Respond to reference questions

● Establish your brand online

What is Twitter good for?

Call your patrons to the following actions:

● Join a conversation

● Click a link

● Engage offline

First things first.1. Open an account at http://twitter.com

2. Choose a handle that is not-too-long and accurately represents your library

3. Do some searches on keywords that matter to you, i.e. "library" or "Maryland" and start following people tweeting about those subjects

How do I tweet?5 Kinds of Tweets:1. Commentary

2. Articles

3. Response

4. News

5. Events

How do I tweet?

1. Commentary

How do I tweet?

2. Articles

How do I tweet?

3. Response

How do I tweet?

4. News

How do I tweet?

4. News cont.

How do I tweet?

5. Events

● Key Takeaway

● Question

● Conversational

= Live Tweeting

How do I tweet?

TechnicalRT = retweetMT = modified tweetHT (h/t) = hat tipvia = attributionDM = direct message

ConversationalFB = FacebookBTW = By the wayw/ = withFF = Follow FridayOH = Overheard

Common Abbreviations:

How do I tweet?

#(Hashtags) = Joining or starting conversations on particular subjects● Work into the sentence where possible● Keep them relevant● Use a combination of your generated hashtags

and trending hashtags to expand your reach

● Link to your Twitter account from your website and email newsletter

● Mention it at in-person programs and events, particularly if you are using a hashtag

● Include it in print materials● Follow influencers and engage with them

How do I get followers?

Strategy

Why approach Twitter strategically?● Focus your efforts

● Increase efficiency

● Maintain voice

● Measure effectiveness

● Improve response times

Strategy

Strike a balance between:

● Advertisements or Announcements

● Tweets that demonstrate your personality

However you choose to define it—but make sure you define it.

Strategy

Keep the social in social media.

Engagewith your community.

Strategy

How can you create value in your tweets?

Create opportunities for followers to:● Join a conversation

● Click an interesting link

● Engage with you offline

Example 1: Applebee's #Fail

Example 2: Oreo #Win

Example 3: Jello #huh

Recap

1. Share

2. Engage

3. Inform

4. Be Intentional

5. Don't Be Boring

TY BFN(Thank you! Bye for now.)

Jessica KeyesDigital Content Manager

jkeyes@prattlibrary.org@prairieskygal