Using Twitter as your PLN

Part 1: Building the tool box

by Julia Ault

Using Twitter as your PLNA practical guide to setting up your own PLN using Twitter and HootSuite - a web-based application designed to aggregate your social networks.

Using Twitter as your PLN

What is a PLN? A PLN is a Personal Learning Network.

Twitter makes an excellent online PLN for Librarians, Teachers and Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL)Professionals.

A PLN can be local, national or global!

One Educator wrote recently that: “I have found more resources and got more useful advice for professional development in 3 months on Twitter than in the previous 5 years without it.”

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Using Twitter as your PLN

So how do I build my PLN tool box?

Follow this 6 step program:

Create a Twitter accountCreate and Follow Twitter ListsCreate a HootSuite accountImport your social networks into

HootSuiteCreate tabs and streams of contentJoin in – Start Tweeting!

Using Twitter as your PLN1. Create a Twitter account: http://twitter.com

Using Twitter as your PLNI created the new Twitter account LRC PLN @lrcpln

Using Twitter as your PLN2. Create and Follow Twitter ListsHmmm – how to find librarians to follow? Ask Twitter!

Using Twitter as your PLN2. Create and Follow Twitter ListsHmmm – how to find librarians to follow? Ask Twitter!

Using Twitter as your PLNPhil directed me - @juliadesigns - to this list he had compiled on TweepML and so the newly created @lrcpln chose to follow all:

Using Twitter as your PLNThe next step was to add all these librarians to a list on Twitter itself - a slightly laborious stage - but worth it in the end if you want to separate out those you are following into lists.Go to your Twitter Home Page and Look in the sidebar for Lists: New list View all and create a new list:

Using Twitter as your PLNNow you need to add people to your new list. I am going to add the librarians I followed from Phil’s TweepML list:

Using Twitter as your PLN

Click on the down arrow next to each name and tick the relevant list box:

Using Twitter as your PLN

Repeat this step for all those you follow that you want to add to lists. You need to do this for any and all lists you create, BUT: You may be relieved to know that lots of other people (including me!) have already done this work for you and there are many ready-made lists in the ‘Twitterverse’ that you can simply follow with a click of the mouse!More on this later……

Using Twitter as your PLNWhen everyone has been added to the list, click on View all, find and click on the new list:

Using Twitter as your PLNI now have a page showing all the latest tweets from my librarians list.

Using Twitter as your PLN

Follow that list!!

1.If you are a librarian creating your own Twitter account, the next step for you is to follow @lrcpln and this list yourself.

Using Twitter as your PLN

Follow that list!!

2. Click on Lists: View all:

Using Twitter as your PLNFollow that list!!3. Click on each list to follow.

Using Twitter as your PLNFollow that list!!4. You will notice that as well as the two lists created earlier, @lrcpln follows lists created by @juliadesigns and other lists are now following @lrcpln.

You can follow any and all of these lists too, if you wish.

Using Twitter as your PLNFollow that list!!5. I have followed these lists using the Trinity LRC Twitter account and you will see why later..

Using Twitter as your PLNUsing a Twitter/social media client

It is much easier to manage lists - especially if you have a variety of different interests that you want to keep up with using the same Twitter account - using either a web, mobile or desktop client, instead of just going to your Twitter page on the web.

Your own tweets will still be seen by all your followers though, so if you want to keep your sporting, hobby, or political tweets separate from your work-based library or learning/teaching tweets, you will need to create more than one Twitter account.

You can add multiple accounts to one client, so you are still able to manage everything on one screen.

Using Twitter as your PLN

Why use HootSuite?

HootSuite is just one of many applications that do much the same thing – TweetDeck and Seesmic are other very popular clients, but we are using HootSuite as an example today, simply because it is a web-based client - which means you can access it anywhere through a web browser or mobile device with no need to install anything on your computer.

Using Twitter as your PLN3. Create a HootSuite AccountGo to http://hootsuite.com and sign up.

Using Twitter as your PLN

You will need to verify your email address to complete the sign-up process:

Using Twitter as your PLNYou will get this message in your email. Either click on the ‘Confirm my account’ link or copy and paste the code provided into the confirmation code box on the signup page. I am using the Trinity LRC Twitter account for this presentation.

Using Twitter as your PLN

You will be prompted to add your Twitter account first.

Using Twitter as your PLN

You can click on the Owl at any time to change settings, add other networks and so on.

Using Twitter as your PLN

First steps with HootSuite:Begin by deleting the default streams and tabs

Using Twitter as your PLN

First steps with HootSuite:

After you have deleted the Featured tab, delete all the streams on the main Twitter tab apart from Home Feed.

Using Twitter as your PLN

First steps with HootSuite:

Now you are ready to add your own content:

Using Twitter as your PLNFirst steps with HootSuite:

Choose Twitter: Lists: Subscribed Lists, click on one and then Create Stream.

Using Twitter as your PLNFirst steps with HootSuite:

Repeat this process for all the Library lists. You can rename existing tabs and add extra tabs with Streams for different lists and social networks too.

Using Twitter as your PLN

Click on the Owl and go to Settings: Social Networks:

Using Twitter as your PLNAdd other social networks:

Using Twitter as your PLNThis is how your HootSuite looks now:The LRC Facebook page has been added as a stream and the tab has been renamed to LRC and Librarians

Using Twitter as your PLNThis is how your HootSuite looks now:An extra tab (TEL) has been added for the @juliadesigns TEL lists.

Using Twitter as your PLN

Do It Yourself (DIY)

The HootSuite account that I have been demonstrating was created for the Trinity LRC Twitter and Facebook presence, but you can create your own HootSuite and Twitter accounts and add some of our lists by going to @juliadesigns @lrcpln or @trinitylrc on Twitter – you don't actually need to follow the list creator to follow lists by the way.

Using Twitter as your PLN

Do It Yourself (DIY)

Useful Resources:

Educator’s PLN http://edupln.ning.comTwitter http://twitter.com TweepML http://tweepml.com Listorious http://listorious.comSlideShare My PresentationsYouTube My videosTEL BlogFfynnonweb Blog

Using Twitter as your PLNSummary:

This has been Part 1 of the Using Twitter as your PLN guide and has dealt with the practical details of setting up accounts, creating and following lists and using a Twitter client.

Part 2 (coming soon!) will discuss ways in which you can use this PLN to impart and receive information and extend your virtual ‘staff room’ globally!

End of Part 1:

Building the tool box

by

Julia Ault

July 2010