Second version of my talk. I tried to make it more focused and a better introduction. As ever, cute pictures need no explanation.
As for Up - try explaining the plot of it to someone who hasn't seen it... ridiculous, isn't it? There's no way to sell it that way, they have to see it. In the same way, to describe how Twitter works gives no indication as to its functionality. You have to play with it and learn by experience.
5. • Twitter is a short messaging service where users ‘tweet’ short
messages of up to 140 characters
(including letters, numbers, spaces, symbols and links)
• Twitter is everybody online talking; and you can take part.
9. #hashtags
• A way to group conversations
• Twitter follows everybody using
the hashtag in real time
• Often used for TV programmes
10. #hashtags
• Hashtags encourage discussion
• Anybody can join in, anywhere, live
• Great for conferences:
– synopses of talks as they happen allow anyone around the world to join in
with the debate
– live tweeting provides a record of talks for both speaker and listener
– live tweeting aids understanding by forcing you to summarise succinctly
– makes it much easier to find similar tweeters/academics in your own field
• Some examples:
– #TeamGB
– #PrehistoricAutopsy
– #PhDchat
– #neurofly2013
12. • Taxpayer money funds research: It’s your responsibility to talk
about your work
• If you’re not out there talking, nobody will know about your
work
• The best person to explain your research is you
• Funding often now requires evidence of outreach
• There is a knowledge and trust divide between scientists and
the public which we, as researchers, need to bridge
“Trust is not about information; it’s about
dialogue and transparency*”
*Managing the Trust Portfolio: Science Public Relations and Social Responsibility – Borchelt, Friedman & Holland, 2010
13. • Social media is an excellent tool for
– public engagement
– sharing of literature and ideas
– debate
– data and idea collection
• Keep up to date – news, papers, trends and
opinions
• Social media transcends cultural, geographical,
publication and professional barriers
• Networking opportunities are immense
• Exposure can help with funding and citations
(Twitter data can be quantified)
18. Points to remember, part 1
• Whatever you post, imagine that it
WILL be read by:
– Your family
– Your boss
– Your competitor
• Always consider your audience, the
limitations of that audience, and your
online profile
19. Points to remember, part 2
• Be sensible, this is the Internet
• Be aware of language issues and loss of
language subtlety
• Be aware of peak times and time zones
• Be polite and give credit
– HT, via, MT, RT
• Never post unpublished data or
confidential information. Ever. Not one
bit. No no.
26. 3. Crowdsourcing
• “I asked on Twitter if
anyone had experienced
any outrageous sexism
recently, and whilst I was
expecting quite a few,
amusingly stereotyped
clangers, I wasn’t
expecting the deluge that
started 30 seconds after I
inquired, and which
carried on for nearly four
days afterwards.”
27. 4a. Datamining
“Reading the Riots”
• Collaboration between
Twitter, the Guardian and
the LSE
• Twitter donated 2.65
million tweets
• Looking for patterns,
underlying reasons for the
riots, and the roles of
individuals in spreading
information (real and
erroneous) about the riots
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/series/reading-the-riots
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/interactive/2011/dec/07/london-riots-twitter
28. 4b. Policy and Response
“#qldfloods and @QPSMedia:
Crisis Communication on
Twitter in the 2011 South East
Queensland Floods”
• Analysed Tweet data,
focusing on use of Twitter
by Queensland Police
Service during crisis using
#qldfloods
• New research area into how
social media is impacting
our lives
• Implications in psychology,
IT and social sciences
Arc Centre for Creative Industries and Innovation (CCI) http://cci.edu.au/floodsreport.pdf
29. Trendrr
Software for analysing
Twitter trends, traffic and
discussion
The Discovery of the
Higgs Boson, as discussed
on Twitter
Antonio Lima,
PhD,
College of Engineering
and Physical Sciences,
University of Birmingham
30. 5. Keep up to date
• Follow the people in your field
• Share links to articles;
receive suggestions in return
• Follow journals and journalists
• See what people are talking about in
your discipline
33. Final thoughts
Social media is just like conversation, but it is:
academic conversation
cultural conversation
topical conversation
and useful conversation
that anybody can hear, anywhere.
You have time to join in – use it to your advantage
34. Twitter guide for academics:
http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2011/09/29/twitter-
guide/
Social media for scientists:
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/science-
sushi/2011/09/27/social-media-for-scientists-part-1-its-our-job/
Using Twitter as a research tool:
http://placevalues.org/2012/02/03/using-twitter-as-a-research-
tool/
Analysing Twitter data:
http://theplan.co.uk/cleaning-up-twitter-data-in-excel-for-
analysis/
Handbook of Social Media for Researchers and Supervisors (VITAE)
http://www.vitae.ac.uk/CMS/files/upload/Vitae_Innovate_Open_
University_Social_Media_Handbook_2012.pdf
Thanks to @UoBGradSchool, @unibirmingham,
@AnneOsterrieder, @DrJPritchard, @EmergencyPuppy
Notas do Editor
@bioSimonUoB – University of Birmingham account
Social media is just a small part of social webMany different sites/tools have social element – something for everyone; don’t be daunted by gossip/superfluous stereotype of FacebookOther tools may be more useful for your research – e.g. photography, science discussion, video, ancestry…
Up – plot does not give any indication of toneLikewise, explanation of Twitter does not give any indication of functionality
Simple explanationBUT more than that. Conversation, recorded, searchable, accessible from anywhere
Tweet. 140 characters. Link shortening. Click Tweet
Appears on timeline in chronological orderAlso: follow – in followers timeline also; hashtags: group conversations; Sign In: PUBLIC
Appear in timeline in chronological orderRT amplifies tweets outside of original tweeter’s list of followers, like Sharing on Facebook
Hashtags – group conversations, live#dayofthegirl = PlanAustralia link
Advantages ofhashtags
If Twitter is one big conversation…
Stick before carrot
Focus on public engagement, data collection and exposure
Example of good Twitter use
Personal exampleSnapshot before real research use
Snapshot of how it works and why you should be on it… need to know HOW to use it, and then WHAT’s IN IT FOR ME?
GameTalk about week1. Friend 2. Boss 3. Competitor