Notes taken from the session led by @josiefraser:
There are 3 basic ways that online identity may be characterised; personal (family and friends), professional (acting as oneself in a professional context) and organisational (acting on behalf of the organisation). e.g. see http://bit.ly/vcRv5
Tips for managing an online presence when using Twitter include not tweeting on the spur of the moment, thinking about what one tweets before posting, giving credit where it is due, checking information before sharing and considering carefully who one connects to and promotes (including checking user name is not offensive). Also as retweeting may be considered an endorsement by some, this must be thought about as well and tweets must be made clear. Not friending parents, carers and students may be general good advice especially for personal accounts.
Basics
There are 3 basic ways that online identity may be characterised; personal (family and friends), professional (acting as oneself in a professional context) and organisational (acting on behalf of the organisation). e.g. see http://bit.ly/vcRv5
Tips for managing an online presence when using Twitter include not tweeting on the spur of the moment, thinking about what one tweets before posting, giving credit where it is due, checking information before sharing and considering carefully who one connects to and promotes (including checking user name is not offensive). Also as retweeting may be considered an endorsement by some, this must be thought about as well and tweets must be made clear. Not friending parents, carers and students may be general good advice especially for personal accounts.
Basics
- User name should be short and sweet (e.g. @somethingsimple)
- Avatar should be memorable yet professional. Research suggests a smile and a photo that looks like
the user are both useful. Don't change avatars too often (as people may not like change). - Bio (160 characters) is very
short (microbio) and people will look at this when deciding whether to follow a
person. One can be searched for by this. Include what one does,
interests and expertise. Tweeting when in a professional capacity may
be subject to Freedom of Information requests. Hashtags (#) may make bios look
messy so only use one. - Location is important so be specific but not an address!
- Access twitter at http://twitter.com - just fill in name and
email address. One has the opportunity to choose a username when one signs
in. Then follow 5 people and choose a category. Skip the find people
you know section and come back to this later if required. Upload an image
as an avatar. - URL then becomes, for example, http://twitter.com/somethingsimple. Tweeted pictures (last 6) stay on a profile page and must be considered. Delete tweets to get rid of them. Only people that one follows can send direct messages. Lists made can be public or private. One does not to follow people to put them on a list. To create a list go to Lists --> Create list, fill in the details and save it. One can add people to the list at any time.
- Custom background can be set when editing the Design. Unfollow people by clicking the Me tab.
- @Connect is a useful tab showing all tweets including your @username.
- Advice: Don't follow too many people too quickly and don't automatically follow everyone who follows you.