Who gives a tweet?

The benefits of using social media such as twitter and blogs to enhance

your research and professional learning networks.

Dr Karen Strickland

Reproduced with permission from Sarah Stewart: http://www.slideshare.net/sarahs/how-to-use-twitter-for-learning-and-teaching

Alec Couros

Using social media

Researcher networks

What is twitter?• Social network• Micro blogging platform – 140 characters• Allows a wide range of people connect and network in real time• Works on a follower principle

Reproduced with permission from Sarah Stewart: http://www.slideshare.net/sarahs/how-to-use-twitter-for-learning-and-teaching

Why should you tweet?

• Networking with colleagues,

• Sharing your research, successes,

• Crowdsourcing ideas, information etc

• Continuing professional development

• Impact & reputation

Why should researchers give a tweet about twitter?

• Tweeting links to your blog or research papers increases the rate of download

• More readers = greater potential for impact/citations

• Increase your visibility through networking

London School of Economics and Politics (2012)

http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2012/04/19/blog-

tweeting-papers-worth-it/

Networking:Conference participation (backchannel)

• Follow conference hashtag e.g. #ISSOTL2012

• Access to conference dialogue even when you can’t attend

• Connect & network in a different way

Twitter for CPD

• Get to know your relevant hastags!

• Join in tweetchats, visitor or resident?

• Maybe even become a host

Some relevant hastags:

• Higher education: #LoveHE #HigherEd,

• Research: #PhDChat, #EcrChat

• Healthcare: #WeNurses, #WePharm

Blogging

• Wider dissemination of your research/work,

• Offering advice, different angle to papers,

• Three strikes and a blog http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2013/09/30/three-strikes-and-a-blog-hartley/

Developing your professional learning network

• Think about your digital identity

• Decide how you want to use twitter & communicate that in your profile

• Link to your own webpage or blog

• http://strictlykaren.wordpress.com• http://uk.linkedin.com/pub/karen-

strickland/41/52b/3bb• https://twitter.com/strictlykaren

Developing your professional learning network

• Find people to follow: do a search of names you think may be on twitter

• Have a look at who like minded people follow and follow them

• Tweet regularly – keep your followers interested

• Use hashtags to connect with others

Some suggestions:@RobertGordonUni@RGULibrary

@strictlykaren@wenurses

When twitter can go wrong

Further resources• Using twitter guide

http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2011/09/29/twitter-guide/

• 100 serious tips on using twitter http://www.bestcollegesonline.com/blog/2012/04/23/100-serious-twitter-tips-for-academics-2/#.T5gmUr_j6Fs.delicious

• JISC legal guide http://www.out-law.com/en/articles/2012/august/twitter-and-the-law-10-legal-risks-in-tweeting-from-or-to-the-uk/

• JISC e safety http://www.jisclegal.ac.uk/Themes/eSafety.aspx

• RGU Social Media Toolkit http://www.rgu.ac.uk/staff/social-media-toolkit