Twitter for Research

Joined twitter: 25 February 2009

Total no. of tweets: 3,950

No of tweets a day: 3.6

Followers: 682

Following: 370

Are you 'paralysed by a generalised sense of risk'?

Is it really that different to sharing at a conference?

Is it just a case of being careful about what you say/share?

HE academics use of twitter

Some example tweets

Passing the time of day

Promoting a blogpost

Provoking debate

Promoting an event

Highlighting articles/useful info

My experience of Twitter

Global

Study

• 45 scholars/academics
• 38 men, 7 women
• 22: business (Others: social sciences)
• USA, Canada, UK, Spain and Portugal
• Employed by an HE institution (teaching and/or research)
• Public Twitter profile
• Active - post at least once a week
• 100 tweets examined

George Veletsianos, University of Texas

'Higher education scholars' participation and practices on Twitter'

Journal of Computer Assisted Learning

(in press)

Things that would not have happened to me professionally were it not for twitter...

@veletsianos

Retweeting things I like or useful links

And resulting discussion...

• Speaking at conferences
• Panellist on Guardian website live-chat
• Directing a Cam-wide social media programme
• Crowdsource ideas for my academic book
• Recognition as an expert
• Better network
• MUCH more engaged and current

Analysis of Tweets

Findings and conclusions

Reading fun stuff

What I use it for now:

• personal and professional identities blend
• these scholars are networking to enhance their teaching/research
• connected their students with his/her professional community
• desire for more social scholarly pursuits and actitivites
• non-scholarly social interaction valuable / lead to collaboration
• self-promotion, sharing (element of Impression Management)
• scholarly value in participation, but such online practices are not understood/accepted 'constitutes inappropriate faculty behavior'
• an emerging practice and requires further study

1. Information, media, resources

e.g. giving an article URL/did you see this (and using hashtags)

2. Going beyond the classroom

e.g. my students co-authored this article/slides from session

3. Requesting assistance, offering assistance to others

e.g. here is an example (URL)/anyone know of a..?

4. Social commentary

e.g. I'm heading in to (name of city)/here's my latest artwork

5. Digital identity/impression management

e.g. here is my article/presentation...

6. Seeking to network and make connections

e.g. follow this person/go visit their blog/looking for...

7. Highlighted other networks

e.g. check out my new blogpost/this YouTube video

• Find out what other professionals are saying about my industry: developments & issues
• Keep up-to-date with research: blogposts, articles, books and latest tools and products
• Drive traffic to my blog and my ideas
• Maintain an online professional identity/engage in self-promotion, finger on pulse
• Live-tweeting at conferences as a record
• Connect and stay in touch with professionals I wouldn't have met otherwise (previously in a vacuum)

Why did I join: Other engaged information and library professionals that I respected were raving about it and I wanted to see what all the fuss was about.

First thoughts: Now what?

Current thoughts: Invaluable tool

Twitter and your Online Identity

But I'm not interested in all these tweeting idiots

Stephen Fry on the initial media reaction

Yes twitter has its celebrities and people passing the time of day, but it is increasingly populated by serious researchers and organisations

Twitter Stats @ 22/02/12

• 500 million users
• 12 new users every second

09/11

• 100 million 'active' users

...searching twitter by keyword

...following people or organisations

The good news is that you will ignore 99.9999% of these users and their tweets and only concentrate on those that interest you, by...

Building followers

"This is unfortunate, because Twitter is a valuable resource for academics. If you're allowing inaccurate stereotypes to deter you, you're missing out"

twitter for research

24 February 2012 #twit4res Andy Priestner @PriestLib

• Make sure you have an avatar (photo) and a descriptive bio
• Make your account public (you're missing the point if its private)
• Start following others, so they follow you back
• Promote your Twitter profile everywhere
• Tweet during peak times
• Remember twitter is a conversation

Dorothy Bishop

Professor of Developmental Neuropsychology

Wellcome Principal Research Fellow

Department of Experimental Psychology

University of Oxford

Extract from: 'A gentle introduction to Twitter for the apprehensive academic' (Bishop's Blog)

For articles, blogposts and guides referred to and used to prepare this session, visit:

Demo of Hootsuite

http://cjbsinfo.posterous.com/twitter-for-academic-research

How do you feel

about twitter?

Three

Common

Reactions

Why are you not using it?

Are you considering using it?

Why you use it?

"Isn't it just celebrities tweeting about what they had for breakfast?"

(Write your answers on the post-its provided)

A HE academic's story...

A few words from Simon...

We can help you get started...

~ Creating an account ~

~ Tweeting styles ~

~ Hashtags and searching ~

~ Platforms ~

"Aren't you a bit old to be tweeting. Isn't it just for teenagers?"

"I don't know how you have the time?"