For people who don't use it, Twitter seems like an incredible waste of time. "I surely don't need to know that someone had a ham sandwich for lunch!" is a common complaint. We agree—even the best ham sandwich isn't likely to be worth a virtual conversation. But 140 characters (the maximum length of a Twitter message, or "tweet") can be enough to share quick updates and links to important information.
Take a look at how a Nixa, Missouri, school district employed Twitter during a series of serious thunderstorms and a tornado watch:
6:22 a.m., May 8: We've cleared out all our "trailers" due to the bad weather. I promise we'll take good care of the kids during this scary time.7:03 a.m., May 8: No damage at any of our schools as of right now. Inman has lost power, but we are taking care of that.7:28 a.m., May 8: We do have some minor damage around the district. Nothing major that we can tell. Checking things out right now.7:47 a.m., May 8: We have a light pole down across the JH track. Minor damage at other places. Keeping students out of mobile classrooms for a while.7:53 a.m., May 8: We are now releasing the elementary students to complete their bus routes from the morning.8:22 a.m., May 8: Power back on at Inman Elementary. We are in the all clear mode. Students are able to go back out to mobile classrooms.8:36 a.m., May 8: B/c of damage from the storm, the NJH Walk for a Cause has been canceled for Sat. Bring in canned goods on Mon or Tues for Least of These.
A Real-Time Information Option
Twitter can be an effective and easy way to provide real-time information to any interested member of your community with Internet access. You've connected. And believe it or not, that connection can help you build credibility with your community.
Whoa! Wait! We hear your protests. My community is not wired, you say. Not all my parents speak English. I don't have time. I've already sent out the newsletter—and that has all the news. Although it may be true that not everyone in your community has Internet access, you might be surprised at how much access your community has. Take a look at what the Pew Foundation has found out about Americans and technology today:
- Seventy-six percent of all adults in the United States own a computer. Computer ownership is not confined to those with high incomes: Nearly 60 percent of adults with incomes less than $30,000 own a computer (Smith, 2010).
- Eighty-five percent of U.S. adults own a mobile phone, many with Internet access. The percentage is highest among adults ages 18–29 (96 percent); but 90 percent of adults ages 20–49, and 85 percent of those ages 50–64 own a mobile phone. The percentages among white, non-Hispanic (85 percent); black, non-Hispanic (79 percent); and Hispanic (84 percent) adults are all high (Smith, 2010).
- As for Twitter, Internet users under 30 were more likely to use Twitter than those over 30. But Hispanic and black Internet users were more than twice as likely to use Twitter as white, non-Hispanic Internet users. Internet users in households with incomes less than $30,000 were as likely to use Twitter as those with household incomes of $50,000–$74,999 (Smith & Rainie, 2010).
Certainly, that's a large and diverse enough segment of the community to make online outreach through Twitter worth considering.
You may already be reaching out to your community through newsletters and a website, but not everyone gets news in the same way. For schools and districts, Twitter can serve as one piece of a larger platform of communication tools—a platform that might also include a print newsletter, e-mail, Facebook, your website, and so on. If you have more information than you can share in a 140-character tweet, Twitter can drive traffic to your website or Facebook page, where followers can learn more. And Twitter need not take much of your time. You can check in and write a short tweet as your schedule allows.
Superintendent Pam Moran of Albemarle County Schools in Virginia (whose Twitter address is @pammoran) has been finding and sharing resources on Twitter for two years. For Moran, Twitter often serves as a first step in a fruitful connection. Moran's tweets about learning environments resulted in a connection to an instructor at Michigan State University, which turned into a Skype session with her principals, several of whom made further connections for on-site professional development. "Twitter communications have landed me in webinars on Skype, in Google Docs, and on the phone with some amazing educators I otherwise would not have had a chance to know," Moran said.
Think Before You Tweet
Before you even set up an account, ask yourself how this tool can enhance your work or help you meet your goals. We've seen many organizations step into Twitter without this focus only to lose interest and give up. Here are some ideas:
Replace some e-mail with tweets.
The fact that Twitter is so mobile and requires such brevity makes it a great complement to e-mail. Although e-mail is best for thoughtful, well-written messages, Twitter can connect you with a large group of people immediately. Sending too many e-mail messages results in an audience that starts to tune you out by either unsubscribing or deleting your messages without reading them. Maintaining a consistent connection with your community is important, though, and Twitter provides an outlet for short, meaningful messages.
Enhance communication with a broader community.
People value interaction and become more trusting through regular, positive exchanges. When used well, Twitter can reach a portion of the community that you might not otherwise contact. Many people in the community look for effortless ways to learn about what goes on at their neighborhood school. Those who are interested but not involved can become passive supporters by following you or your school on Twitter. Your tweets may even inspire someone to become more involved.
Shape your story in other media.
Reporters, editors, and bloggers use Twitter and other social media to stay current and look for story ideas. Twitter can call attention to your story in a way that a formal press release does not. Superintendent David Britten (@colonelb) of Godfrey Lee Public Schools in Wyoming, Michigan, learned this lesson after he wrote a blog post about his school's technology initiatives. At first, the post didn't get much attention. But after a fellow superintendent read his blog, she tweeted, "Godfrey Lee inspiring educators by not banning iPhones. Great forward thinking and leadership." Within eight hours, the Godfrey Lee technology story hit the Grand Rapids press.
Getting Started
Superintendent Britten was initially like many users who set up a Twitter account but didn't do much with it. But when he noticed what other educators were doing, he jumped in and now doesn't go a single day without tweeting. So how can you get started?
Once you've set up your account, you'll need to find people to follow. Britten suggests starting by finding one or two educators. (Some of the educators we follow are @pammoran, @colonelb, @steelepierce, @SuperScot, and @ericconti.) Many professional associations, news organizations, bloggers, and local groups will also have Twitter accounts that you might benefit from following. A few you might consider include ASCD (@ASCD); Educational Leadership (@ed_leadership); Education Week (@educationweek); the U.S. Department of Education (@usedgov); and the American Association of School Administrators (@AASAHQ).
Now that you've selected some accounts to follow, start logging in regularly to see what they are tweeting about. Learn from the example of those whose tweets you find most helpful.
New Twitter users are sometimes bewildered by all the abbreviations and Twitter-specific terms experienced tweeters will use. But once you know how they work, you'll see how useful these shortcuts can be. If you're confused, check out the Twitter help pages, especially those on @ replies and mentions; direct messages (DMs); retweets (RTs); hashtags; and URL shorteners.
After observing for a while, Superintendent Britten started posting messages focused on what his staff would want to know; from there, he expanded to include community concerns. He has now connected his Twitter page to the district website and Facebook page. He says that the transparency that Twitter provides:
has brought our two labor associations, administration, and now our school board closer together, which has worked in our favor as we've negotiated the current budget crisis. Open, instant communications and sharing of professional learning sites with staff has built a new level of trust.
Britten also suggests observing the conversation, which takes place every Tuesday at noon and 7:00 p.m. EST. Tools like Tweetchat make it easy to follow all the messages related to a particular conversation. Just log in to Tweetchat and enter the hashtag (a word or phrase used with the # sign) for the chat in the space at the top of your screen, and you'll see all the tweets marked with that hashtag.
Good Tweet/Bad Tweet
This may sound silly, but there's an art to Twitter. Creating a useful message of 140 characters, spaces included, takes practice. Your long-term success on Twitter is closely tied to the quality of your tweets. The more specific your tweet is and the more it is tailored to a particular audience, the more compelling it will be. When space allows, add detail—even one adjective. Don't argue on Twitter—arguments can get out of control quickly and needlessly offend other readers.
Also, whenever you can, include a link to your web page, a related story, or a valued resource. Services such as Google URL Shortener, bit.ly, and Tiny URL make it easy to create a short link that will fit in your tweet. Go to the website and enter your URL. Click on "shorten" and copy the newly shortened URL the site provides into your Twitter message.
A Tool for Reaching Out
In today's world, it's no longer enough to do a good job teaching the young people in our schools. We must also build and sustain trusting relationships with students' families and with the taxpayers in the communities we serve. Everyone in the school community has a responsibility to reach out to the larger community beyond. If we build trust, our stakeholders will be assured that we are doing our job well.
Twitter can be a powerful tool in reaching your audiences. It deserves our attention. Get yourself an account today (www.Twitter.com) and jump in!
