Accompanies a workshop delivered at the University of York. Workshop includes a full text guide and individual guidance through a practical session.

1. Matt Cornock
University of York
http://www.flickr.com/photos/elston/41311696
Introducing Twitter

2. What is Twitter?
Website and free service
Post short messages
Following
Form a network

3. What are Tweets?
Up to 140 characters long
Public (by default)
Transient
Current activity, questions, links, opinions

4. Task
• Create your Twitter account! [Task A]
– Think carefully about your username
• Post your first Tweet [Task B]

5. How does Following work?
Find a Twitter user you like
Their Tweets appear on your Home page

6. Task [C]
• Log into Twitter (if you haven’t already)
• Go to: search for spsw (people search)
• Follow this account.

7. How is the network created?
Followers of you
You
People you follow

8. How is the network created?
Followers of you
One of your
followers
One of your
follower’s
followers
You
People you follow

9. #hashtags
Short ‘tags’ (words, acronyms, phrases)
prefixed with a hash #
Creates a connection
between Tweets on
the same topic
Not fixed – may
change their meaning

10. Task [D]
• Post a Tweet with the hashtag #wrsocmed at
the end if you haven’t already done so
• Do a Twitter search for #wrsocmed
• Select the ‘All’ option at the top
• Click on the user’s name
• Click the ‘Follow’ button

11. Twitter for Academia
News from
organisations
Research
updates from
individuals
Testing opinion
or finding
answers
Links to new
publications
Forming your
own online
identity

12. Who to Follow?
@spsw
@jrf_uk
@wrssdtc
@IPPRNorth
@mattcornock
@spapostgrads
Find people by searching
for names, organisations
or topics
Then click
the Follow
Button on their profile

13. @user
A Twitter username prefixed with @
Used at the start of
a Tweet indicates a
reply
Used elsewhere
as a reference

14. ReTweets
Re-posting someone else’s Tweet from your
own Twitter profile
Indicates appreciation
of the original Tweet
Shares original Tweet
with new audiences
Is encouraged!

15. Link sharing
Use a web address shortening service
http://bit.ly
More room in your
Tweet for your words
You view tracked clicks
by appending + to the
bit.ly link
e.g. https://bitly.com/Mf3wgN+

16. @user and link sharing
Targetted tweeting = maximum impact
Identify key players in
your field
Leads to re-tweets
Increased ‘click-thru’
Make them aware of
your research

17. Matt Cornock
University of York
http://www.flickr.com/photos/elston/41311696
Measuring impact

18. Twitter
•
•
•
•
Retweets
Mentions
Favorites
Bit.ly + stats

19. Blogs
• Hits
• Commenting
• Linking
• Allow time

20. Tweets and citations
‘Highly tweeted articles were 11 times more
likely to be highly cited than less-tweeted
articles’
Eysenbach, G. (2011) ‘Can Tweets Predict Citations?’, Journal of Medical
Internet Research, 13(4). http://www.jmir.org/2011/4/e123/

21. High impact blogs
• Make authors aware of your work
• Guest post
http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2011/11/15/world-bank-dissemination/

22. Tools
•
•
•
•
Impactstory.org
http://technorati.com/
http://www.bing.com/toolbox/submit-site-url
https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/s
ubmit-url?continue=/addurl
• Academia.edu

23. General promotion
• Email signatures
• Department profiles
• Cross-linking between services

24. References
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•
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Ashton, M. (2011) The benefits of academic blogging, Dr Matthew Ashton’s Politics blog.
http://drmatthewashton.com/2011/05/08/the-benefits-of-academic-blogging/ (Accessed on 10 July 2012).
Evans, J. and Day, A. (2014) Twitter for Researchers [Prezi]. http://prezi.com/f9ivxz4pkloj/twitter-for-researchers/ (Accessed on 11
February 2014).
Golash-Boza, T. (2011) So, You Want to Start an Academic Blog? Four Tips to Know Before You Start, Get A Life, PhD.
http://getalifephd.blogspot.co.uk/2011/02/so-you-want-to-start-academic-blog-four.html (Accessed on 10 July 2012).
Heathfield, S. M. (N.D.) Blogging and Social Media Policy Sample, Human Resources, About.com.
http://humanresources.about.com/od/policysamplesb/a/blogging_policy.htm (Accessed on 16 February 2012).
Johnson, K. A. (2011) ‘The effect of Twitter posts on students' perceptions of instructor credibility’, Learning, Media and Technology,
36(1), 21-38.
Might, M. (N.D.) 6 blog tips for busy academics. http://matt.might.net/articles/how-to-blog-as-an-academic/ (Accessed 18 February
2014).
Mollet, A., Moran, D. and Dunleavy, P. (2011) Using Twitter in university research, teaching and impact activities: a guide for academics
and researchers. LSE Public Policy Group. http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/files/2011/11/PublishedTwitter_Guide_Sept_2011.pdf (Accessed on 11 February 2014).
Patel, N. (2011) Neil Patel’s Guide to Blogging, Quicksprout. http://www.quicksprout.com/2011/11/14/neil-patels-guide-to-blogging/
(Accessed on 16 February 2012).
Patel, S. (2011) 10 Ways Researchers Can Use Twitter. Networked Researcher.
http://www.networkedresearcher.co.uk/2011/08/03/10-ways-researchers-can-use-twitter/ (Accessed on 11 February 2014).
Potter, N. (2013) Blogging in academia [Prezi]. http://prezi.com/56puh4lelpgw/blogging-in-academia/ (accessed on 18 February 2014).
Potter, N. (2013) Twitter for Researchers [SlideShare]. http://www.slideshare.net/thewikiman/twitter-for-researchers-22968557
(Accessed on 11 February 2014).
Rowse, D. (2005) Ten Tips for writing a blog post, Problogger. http://www.problogger.net/archives/2005/12/30/tens-tips-for-writing-ablog-post/ (Accessed on 16 February 2012).