University Business - May 2009 - (Page 27)

VIEWPOINT 10 Twitter Tips for Higher Education Making a home in the Twitterverse, one tweet at a time By Heather Mansﬁeld M Y FAVORITE QUOTE about Twitter is from Newsweek: “Suddenly, all the world is a-Twitter.” It’s true. Seemingly every time I turn on CNN or NPR there is a story about Twitter. From second-graders tweeting from classroom computers to churchgoers tweeting via mobile phones during services, Twitter is a phenomenon that is occurring worldwide and experiencing exponential growth. In fact, in March 2009 Nielsen Online reported that Twitter has now surpassed Facebook to become the fastest-growing social networking site—ever. Simple and powerful, Twitter is a must for higher education. But it is much more than a site for pushing or breaking news about what’s happening on your campus. It’s a community where conversations occur and are inspired—that is, tweeted and retweeted. While there are some great examples of early adopters in the higher education community on Twitter, the vast majority of colleges and universities are still struggling with Twitter conversation etiquette and getting past the news pushing component of participating in the “Twitterverse.” I created and manage a portal to colleges and universities on Twitter (www .twitter.com/higheredu), and based on my experience using the site, here are 10 of my favorite Twitter tips for beginners: 1. Put authenticity before marketing. Have personality. Build community. Colleges and universities that are most successful at utilizing social networking websites like Twitter, Facebook, and Keep the Twitterverse demographics in mind: The vast majority of tweeters are 35 and older. MySpace know from trial, error, and experience that a “marketing and recruitment approach” on social networking sites does not work. Simply put, it comes across as lame to the technologically hip users of social networking sites. Traditional marketing and development content is perfectly ﬁne for your website, e-mail newsletters, and print materials, but Web 2.0 is much more about having personality, inspiring conversation, and building online community. Nowhere is this more true than on Twitter. Relax, experiment, let go a bit, ﬁnd your voice, be authentic. 2. Don’t use Twitter for RSS or publish “News” unless you call your Twitter proﬁle “News.” RSS is deﬁnitely not authentic, lacks personality, and does little to no community building. It’s a marketing tool that better serves media folks than the vast majority of your followers in the Twitterverse. No oﬀense, but news releases are not that interesting to read. at’s why Twitter proﬁles that are simply RSS have very few followers. So if you are going to use Twitter for RSS or to publish news releases, then call your Twitter proﬁle “X University News” and create separate Twitter proﬁles for your other Twitter accounts. One example: @UCSDnews (www .twitter.com/ucsdnews). To test this tip, sign up for an account on TwitClicks (www.twitclicks.com). You can get stats on how many people click your tweets. 3. Have many Twitter accounts. Create separate accounts for news, athletics, admissions, alumni, student life, etc., and then one account for your college or university that serves as a central hub for your Twitter presence. e more tweets and tweeters you have out there, the better. It’s important to keep in mind the demographics of the Twitterverse. Less than 4 percent are 17 and under, and the vast majority are 35 and older. So currently, Twitter is not so great for the recruitment of traditional day students and is much better for engaging alumni and recruiting nontraditional students or online Heather Mansﬁeld, owner of DIOSA | Communications (www.diosacommunications.com), is an expert and speaker on how higher education can use social media to advance online communications and development strategies. She manages the Colleges & Universities proﬁle at www.twitter.com/higheredu. May 2009 | 27 universitybusiness.com http://www.twitter.com/ucsdnews http://www.twitter.com/ucsdnews http://www.twitclicks.com http://www.twitter.com/higheredu http://www.twitter.com/higheredu http://www.diosacommunications.com http://www.twitter.com/higheredu http://www.universitybusiness.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of University Business - May 2009

University Business - May 2009
Contents
Editor's Note
College Index
Company Index
Advisory Board
Behind the News
Sense of Place
Money Matters
Viewpoint
Human Resources
Setting the Standard
Manageable Risk
Five Steps to a Powerful Social Networking Strategy
Higher Ed in the Recession
Community Colleges
What's New
End Note

University Business - May 2009