The microblogging world of Twitter can quickly become overwhelming. Its native interface often leaves users wanting more. Learn about several tools to help you and your library better utilize Twitter. These tools will help you tweet as a group, from mobile phones and monitor Twitter with ease. Tools to be discussed include HootSuite, TweetDeck and others.

1. Twitter Tools Attribution: dbarefoot

2. @cmairn

3. Twitter asks “what’s happening” and makes the answer spread across the globe to millions, immediately. Source:http://goo.gl/st9DH

4. Some Terminology Twitter - a free social networking and micro-blogging service that enables users to send and read messages known as tweets. Tweet - text-based post of up to 140 characters displayed on the author's profile page and delivered to the author's followers. RT / Retweet – when you repeat a tweet from someone else.Can be considered citing a source. (RT @mashable Twitter's 1,928 Percent Growth and Other Notable Social Media Stats http://awe.sm/XNu) @replies – when someone replies to @yourtwitterusername (aka, handle). The more @replies you have the higher your Twitter influence. Tweetup - Twitter meetups. A hashtag is a “convention for adding additional context and metadata to your tweets” (i.e., tags to help organize tweets). (e.g., The next tweets are the main points from my PechaKucha session “Strategies for the Mobile Future of Libraries” at #CIL2009#mobilelib)

5. Why should I care? Create an account and find out. Experience Twitter! Share ideas and events. Spread your message easily! Connect with people and ideas. Bring in new users who may never find your services otherwise. Find people you know and follow them. Look at people they follow and if they are interesting then follow them too. Can be used to help circulate news before major news outlets do it. Tweet about company successes and flaws. You will be amazed how quickly some companies reply. Associated Press Stylebook added “Twitter” and “Texting” to the latest edition. Follow them @APStylebook. Discovery tool! Follow trends via #hashtags, twitturly.com, twitscoop.com, search.twitter.com, etc. and retweet them and/or comment on them.

6. Source:http://goo.gl/st9DH

7. How can you use Twitter?

8. I use Twitter to connect with other users and to share content and ideas. I discover something new and useful every day thanks to Twitter! Note: only 138 characters (with spaces) 

9. Give students and library patrons the option to send direct messages to your Twitter account. It is another way for them to stay in contact with you!

10. Follow Current Events The U.S. Congressional Twitter Directory, http://goo.gl/s1sVZ Find out what is trending and enhance it with authoritative resources (e.g., New Congressional Committee Must Put National Interest First. http://bit.ly/qUrYJr) London Riots: Twitter Traffic Surges in the UK [STATS] http://goo.gl/pGLxl

11. Build a widget (http://twitter.com/about/resources/widgets), then create a new page in a CMS or website by simply pasting code.

12. Promote library news via various channels -- Library Blog, Twitter, Toolbars, etc.

13. Allow people to bookmark and share your content. TweetMeme Button Wibiya toolbar!

14. You can use Yahoo Pipes or other mashup tools to create new/useful content for your users. This Pipe looks complex (and it is), but you can easily clone Pipes based around Twitter and modify them for your use.

15. This pipe searches Twitter and returns the results with the username, time, and source embedded in the description.

16. Twitter Applications TwitterBerry There are thousands!! Check out http://goo.gl/ptN0C for a good list. Image source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/futileboy/3026065024/

17. A sample of apps accessing my account

18. Twitter visualizations http://mashable.com/2009/03/16/twitter-visualizations/ Minsh: underwater social world TwitterThoughts Twitter Stream Graph Twitter Earth Twitter Blocks TweetStats

19. Native Twitter Interface

21. Mentions, re-tweets, follows etc.

22. Expand a tweet for more information (e.g., location)

23. The Activity tab highlights the “latest Favorites, Retweets, and Follows from the people you follow.”

25. Searches and Lists

26. Tweet As A Group Using CoTweet

27. Use CoTags

31. Block and Report Spam

32. Auto-tweet the Backchannel with www.socialoomph.com

33. Twitter Feedback Slide

34. Free PowerPoint Twitter Tools includes:PowerPoint Feedback SlidesPowerPoint Twitter AutoTweetPowerPoint Twitter VotingPowerPoint Twitter Ticker BarPowerPoint Twitter Update BarPowerPoint Twitter Mood MeterPowerPoint Crowd MeterPowerPoint Zoom Text http://www.sapweb20.com/blog/powerpoint-twitter-tools/

35. TweetDeck Demo

39. Hootsuite Demo

40. Monitor Twitter Search Twitter Create Twitter Lists Store keywords in TweetDeck, Hootsuite etc. and be notified when they occur. Google “Twitter Monitoring and Analytics Tools”

43. You can auto-populate your ShareSquare space with Tweets!

45. Be careful! You can add the Twitter app within Facebook to “Allow Twitter to Update Your Facebook Status.” I never use this, but a lot of people do. There are some Google+ extensions to do this too.

46. Additional Resources 100 Tips, Tools, and Resources for Librarians on Twitter - Learn-gasm. (2009). . Retrieved July 23, 2009, from http://www.bachelorsdegreeonline.com/blog/2009/100-tips-tools-and-resources-for-librarians-on-twitter/. 50 Ways to Use Twitter in the College Classroom | Online Colleges. (2009). Retrieved July 23, 2009, from http://www.onlinecolleges.net/2009/06/08/50-ways-to-use-twitter-in-the-college-classroom/. Cohen, L. (2009). Twitter Professors: 18 People to Follow for a Real Time Education. Retrieved July 23, 2009, from http://mashable.com/2009/02/16/twitter-professors/. Drapeau, M. (2009). Twitter is Not a Conversational Platform - O'Reilly Radar. Retrieved July 23, 2009, from http://radar.oreilly.com/2009/06/twitter-is-not-a-conversationa.html. Hilzfuld. (2009). 11 Things to Avoid When Using Twitter | Tech N’ Marketing. Retrieved July 23, 2009, from http://technmarketing.com/web/11-things-to-avoid-when-using-twitter/. Micek, D., & Whitlock, W. (2008). Twitter revolution: How social media and mobile marketing is changing the way we do business & market online. Las Vegas, NV: Xeno Press. Twitter Handbook — How good people make BIG things happen - FAST! (2009). Retrieved July 23, 2009, from http://twitterhandbook.com/. Parr, B. (2009). 5 Terrific Twitter Research Tools. Retrieved July 23, 2009, from http://mashable.com/2009/05/03/twitter-research-tools/. Parry, D. (n.d.). academhack » Blog Archive » Twitter for Academia. Retrieved July 23, 2009, from http://academhack.outsidethetext.com/home/2008/twitter-for-academia/. Thompson, C. (2007). Clive Thompson on How Twitter Creates a Social Sixth Sense. Retrieved July 23, 2009, from http://www.wired.com/techbiz/media/magazine/15-07/st_thompson. Thompson, C. (2008). I’m So Totally, Digitally Close to You. NYTimes.com. Retrieved July 23, 2009, from http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/07/magazine/07awareness-t.html.

47. Contact Information