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The Complete Guide To Twitter Hashtags For Education

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The Complete Guide To Twitter Hashtags For Education

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What is a hashtag?
A word or phrase preceded by a "#."
How do hashtags work?
Twitter can be a busy place with lots of tweets-and thus lots of "noise."

A #hashtag is a way to aggregate tweets that are appended with a hashtag. Picture it like a magnet that attracts all messages categorized by that topical word or phrase.
Who can use hashtags?
Anyone. When you tweet and want your message to be part of a larger conversation beyond your followers, add a relevant hashtag from the list below to the end of your message, and you'll automatically reach anyone who is monitoring the same hashtag. Cool, yes?
What else do I need to know?

Don't hashtag spam-if your tweet doesn't add to that hashtag's topic, discussion, or user base, don't add the hashtag.

Use more than one hashtag if it applies to more than one topic, but choose wisely. If you want that hashtag's community to value your input, take care to keep that twitter stream nice, tidy, and free from "visual debris."

Meeting Times
Many of the hashtags have "meeting times" where educators agree to "meet and tweet"-that is, send out messages on a topic at a certain time on a certain day.

If you do participate at the agreed upon time, you'll see the tweets stream in live and participate in said conversation (via twitter) in what is nearly real-time. But if you can't make it, the great part about a hashtag is that it does the sorting for you. You can search for messages assigned to a given hashtag anytime-tomorrow, Sunday night, or during your planning period next week.

Note, this list of hashtags will be updated periodically, including reorganization, and functional linking on all hashtags.
Updated: Added #edcamp, #ukedchat, #whatisschool Popular Hashtags

1. #lrnchat (social media and education)

2. #edchat

3. #blendchat (blended learning)

4. #mlearning

5. #elearning

6. #ipadchat

7. #pbl/#pblchat (project-based learning)

8. #passiondriven

9. #ntchat (for new teachers)

10. #gbl (game-based learning, from serious games and simulations to video games and more)

11. #edtech (education technology)

12. #ukedchat

13. #BYOD (Bring Your Own Device)

14. #iPaded (iPads in education)

15. #EdApps (education and learning apps

16. #21stedchat

17. #whatischool

Trends General Content Areas Digital Citizenship

1. #digitalcitizenship

2. #edtech

3. #edtechchat

4. #privacy

5. #21stedchat

6. #digcit

7. #parenting

8. #ettipad

9. #internetsafety

10. #cyberbullying

Literacy English-Language Arts & Literature iPad Science Specific Technology Equity Design Homeschooling Special Needs Distance Education Home & Parenting Curriculum College Groups & Chats Resources Language Human Rights Library Sources nji media onlinecollegecourses insidehighered onlineuniversities onlinedegrees cybraryman edudemic novemberlearning The Complete Guide To Twitter Hashtags For Education

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The Complete Guide To Twitter Hashtags For Education

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What is a hashtag? A word or phrase preceded by a "#." How do hashtags work? Twitter can be a busy place with lots of tweets-and thus lots of "noise." A #hashtag is a way to aggregate tweets that are appended with a hashtag.

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Quote Tweet: Mention The Tweeter - Teacher Tech

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Quote Tweet: Mention The Tweeter - Teacher Tech

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When you retweet a tweet on Twitter you have the option to add some commentary to the tweet you are retweeting. This is a "Quote tweet."

The problem is that when you quote tweet someone the quoted tweet does not count as a retweet for the tweeter's statistics and the quote tweet does not show up under "Mentions." Thus the original tweeter may never know you retweeted their tweet.

Add the Twitter Handle

In the comment of your quote tweet, consider adding the Twitter handle of the original tweeter. This will then cause the quote tweet to show up in their mentions.

At the End

Tip, add the Twitter handle at the end of the tweet... or where it makes sense. If you start a tweet with @ it can be semi-private. This is why you see some tweets starting with a period.

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2017

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Quote Tweet: Mention The Tweeter - Teacher Tech

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When you retweet a tweet on Twitter you have the option to add some commentary to the tweet you are retweeting. This is a "Quote tweet." The problem is that when you quote tweet someone the quoted tweet does not count as a retweet for the tweeter's statistics and the quote tweet does not show up under "Mentions."

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Challenge 6: Subject Matters

Conduct a search for your specific subject. and follow at least three people who tweet interesting things about it. For example, if you teach English, you might want to try searching the following hashtags: #LAL; #reading; #writing; #english. Compose a tweet that includes the name of the three new handles you are following. As always, end with the hashtag #wtpstweets

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Conduct a search for your specific subject. and follow at least three people who tweet interesting things about it. For example, if you teach English, you might want to try searching the following hashtags: #LAL; #reading; #writing; #english. Compose a tweet that includes the name of the three new handles you are following.

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Copy of McCall Twitter Challenge 2017 - Google Drawings

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Copy of McCall Twitter Challenge 2017 - Google Drawings

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Google Drawings - create diagrams and charts, for free.

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Choose from a wide variety of shapes to create diagrams and charts. Free from Google.

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10 Steps to Creating the Perfect Educational Twitter Account – Mr Kemp

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10 Steps to Creating the Perfect Educational Twitter Account – Mr Kemp

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As a globally connected educator, I LOVE connecting, networking and engaging with my PLN (ersonal/ Professional Learning N etwork) on a daily basis through Twitter.

I wish I got connected to Twitter earlier on in my educational career (as it is the BEST form of FREE Professional Development I have ever found). Because of this, I love to share my passions behind using Twitter and how it makes me a better educator.

To create a globally connected PLN, I firmly believe engaging in the online world of Twitter is a must. To get started, follow these 10 easy steps:

1. Go to www.twitter.com and fill in your name, email address and password and Click "Sign up for Twitter."

2. When prompted choose your username - think to yourself, how do I want to be seen as online to my Education network now and in the future. I am @mrkempnz (simple, but effective).

3. Click "Create my account"

4. Next, start following people that you look up to or admire. If you want to follow celebrities, be prepared for a lot of 'rubbish'. Some suggestions for Education 'celebrities' that you should follow instead are:

5. Do some searching and click on the "FOLLOW" button beside anyone you want to connect with. Their tweets will appear in your feed (I will explain this more during our session at #ulearn14).

6. Once you are finished connecting, you need to 'de-egg'. When you start twitter you get assigned your 'egg' as your profile picture. Let the world see who you are - upload a professional photograph, symbol, or cartoon of yourself. Click on the empty profile photo to upload an image of yourself.

7. Make sure you follow me @mrkempnz so I can support you along the way and help connect you with some amazing educators.

8. Edit your profile and add the important details about who you are and what you are passionate about by clicking on ' Edit Profile ' - this is what my profile says - it may help you craft your short bio:

9. Send out your first tweet by clicking on the blue box. Type your first tweet in less than 140 characters (maybe you can say something like: "Hey @mrkempnz I am on twitter and I can't wait to learn more about how to use it at your #21CLHK workshop"). By including my @mrkempnz tag I will get a message telling me you are talking to me 🙂

10. Start exploring Twitter. Have a look around, wait for me to reply to you and start adding some people you might know. Let's get connected!

If you are using this at my #21CLHK workshop in February 2016, make sure you follow the hashtag #21CLHK and follow others who are here right now and also tag in @21cli

Stay connected and see you soon 🙂

Craig Kemp

I am a passionate Head of Educational Technology at a large International School in Singapore. I am a lifelong learner, dream creator and thought leader. I love to inspire others and find inspiration. Co-founder of #whatisschool, #asiaED edchats and #pubPD.

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10 Steps to Creating the Perfect Educational Twitter Account

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As a globally connected educator, I LOVE connecting, networking and engaging with my PLN (ersonal/ Professional Learning N etwork) on a daily basis through Twitter. I wish I got connected to Twitter earlier on in my educational career (as it is the BEST form of FREE Professional Development I have ever found).

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Why teachers should tweet – ICTEvangelist

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Why teachers should tweet – ICTEvangelist

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Originally written for @InnovateMySchl, and definitely not a new idea, but again I thought it was worth reiterating. With that in mind and with a bit of an update, here's my post on why I think teachers should tweet...

That's right - I'm that teacher in your staffroom talking about people, not by their first names, but by their Twitter handles. Have you seen @headguruteacher's latest blog post on assessment? Yes, I simply loved his Pedagogy postcards. Such a brilliant collection of advice from him. What? That post about Christmas term and how you can make it to the end of term whilst still capturing the magic of Christmas...? So positive and full of great advice - let's make it so we get the best out of all our community in the run up to Christmas. How can we do that?Twitter, whether you like it or not, whether you think it's worthwhile or not, is a hotbed of some of the most innovative, interesting, current, supportive and brilliant practice when it comes to teaching and learning. Looking for ideas on a certain topic? Get on there and as your PLN (professional learning network) develops, you'll find that the teachers on Twitter will help you.

I was delivering a session on innovative wall displays a few months ago, so I thought I would ask Twitter if they would like to share some of their wall displays. I had literally hundreds of replies from teachers all over the world. I was blown away with the amount of creativity and willingness to share that I saw. Reflecting upon this and other times where my personal learning network (PLN) have helped me out, caused me to reflect upon why Twitter is such a very good place for professional learning. It leads me to think about why teachers have such a great community on Twitter, and what it is to be a teacher. The thing about it is, you know what your staffroom is like... It'll be full of all of the different kinds of teacher. There will be those looking to share their practice, share their wins and their failings, those willing to open themselves up to help and support others (some not so much) - Twitter is just like that, and it's for that reason that people often call Twitter the best staffroom in the world.

So why is it that I think you should tweet too? Well, with me, you're already preaching to the choir in many ways. I can categorically say, with my hand on my heart, that I would not be in the position I am now in my career if it hadn't been for the support and opportunities that I have been able to take up based upon my connections with others on Twitter. It is simply an amazing community of teachers who share freely and give so much. It's because that with teachers being the type of people they are - people with such humility and humanity that so many of them do what they do and share like they do whilst using Twitter. It brings us all together. And to prove my point, I thought what better way to do that than by asking Twitter the same question I asked at the beginning of this article, "why should teachers tweet?" Here's just a few of the responses I got back within an hour of asking the original question...

@musicmind: "It's simply the best place to share and learn in the digiverse - people are so helpful!"

@MrBenWard: "To connect, share and network - it's a great way to keep up to date; challenge orthodoxies; see what's happening in other schools; share ideas and experience; and to connect with other professionals, experts and academics around the world"

@pjcann: "To connect beyond their 4 walls and prevent isolation and introversion, leading to learning for the benefit of their students. It is empowering and subverts (in a good way) 'top down' pedagogical structures."

@Pekabelo: "It provides a wonderful opportunity to network with great educational thinkers, main scale practitioners, like-minded teachers and those with contrasting views. It's great for stealing amazing ideas and to share if you're up for it! You cannot afford to not be on Twitter."

@teacherstaples: "You can have questions answered immediately by experts, you can share ideas and get new ones, you get directed to more useful blogs than you will ever have time to read, you can learn from others and help others learn. What's not to love?"

@drvcourt: "I've learned more in one month on twitter than my past 9 years of teaching"

@rpd1972: "Because it links us to amazing teachers all around the world who are happy to share ideas, resources, expertise and support. I've learned more from twitter colleagues than I ever have via traditional CPD. It's also instant and 24/7!"

@CiarnaC: "It offers a chance to connect with others who are enthusiastic about their job & willing to share ideas & good practice. It offers the best CPD for any teacher at this time of cost cutting & lack of PD opportunities."

@missedutton: "It gives you quick access to ideas, information, competitions and resources. It helps you easily connect with other educators and industry experts (we've had visits from incredible people because of Twitter). It allows you to share your resources with others. It helps you feel connected and supported by the wider educational community."

@jobaker9: "It connects you with like-minded individuals, puts you in touch with more radiators! School can be a very inward looking places, and twitter is very accepting, nurturing and offers many more ways of doing things. It broadens horizons, inspires new ideas and provides an excellent platform to share. Supportive too - esp when you really need it."

@MissKMcD: "It connects you to like minded, enthusiastic teachers not just in your local area but on a global scale. Quite simply, it is the most valuable professional development tool that continues to give and share each and every day."

@1johngillard: "It's a brilliant way to share, find and test new ideas. Find out what people are doing in other schools and how it could help you. It's like the biggest staff room in the world!"

@pipkinzoo: "Where else can you discuss burning issues, and more general stuff, with people completely outside your immediate circles?"

@garrystevens1: "For Physical Education ideas and ICT ideas that are given freely. Also world wide info with academic studies to use and reference."

@brightonteacher: "To be able to engage in dialogue about teaching and learning beyond the confines of one school's approach, culture and habits."

@TeacherToolkit: "I tweet to ensure myself and my school stay connected. It's dangerous to become insular, so Twitter - when used professionally - allows one to share and receive instant feedback; far quicker than any work email!"

@urban_teacher: "A tweet can convey an idea; you can also crowdsource tweets to form an idea, trend, or opinion / perspective on a topic."

@Benneypenyrheol: "To put your thoughts and ideas out there for people to share and for people to challenge so you can refine your thinking."

@LCN_humanities: "As an NQT it is great to share experiences with fellow NQTs! It's great to celebrate the highs and support each other through the lows as well as giving each other teaching ideas!"

@myversewillbe: "Quick, relevant, up to date and easy, which then gives me the time to reflect."

@bellaale: "Staying current, sharing ideas with fellow educators all over the world... and fun, laughter and mutual support along the way"

So... Why should teachers Tweet? I think you might have your answer. If you'd like to follow me on Twitter and say hi, I'll be sure to say hi back. You'll be bound to find some amazing practitioners who I am positive will have similar interests and backgrounds to you. You might even like to follow some of the people who took the time to reply above!

See you in the Twittersphere!

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Originally written for @InnovateMySchl, and definitely not a new idea, but again I thought it was worth reiterating. With that in mind and with a bit of an update, here's my post on why I think teachers should tweet... That's right - I'm that teacher in your staffroom talking about people, not by their first names, but by their Twitter handles.

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Design and share beautiful flyers just like this one!

Spread the word with an online flyer. They're easy to make and impossible to mess up :)

Take the 10 Twitter Challenge!

July 2009 - I opened my @conniehamilton Twitter account. For the past 5+ years, I've been trying to figure out what the hullabaloo is all about. I laughed at @jimmyfallon and his reference to hashtag-this and hashtag-that. But didn't really understand.

I tried to follow key people in education to see if I could figure it out, but I really didn't get much out of watching the limited tweets in my feed. About a year ago, I began making an effort to send out Tweets to see what would happen. I had just under 100 followers and wondered if they would respond. @briancalley came for March is Reading Month and after I tweeted his picture, I received my first "".

I played in this space for several months, tweeting to my under 100 followers, experimenting with hash-tags, but all along, I knew I was missing what other's referred to as the "Best PD Out There".

Then, I discovered Twitter Chats. They're essentially on-line PLCs that "meet" on a consistent basis at a designated time/place to discuss a predetermined topic. Groups like #4thchat are groups of fourth grade teachers who hop on Twitter every Monday night at 8pm. Likewise #TMchat () gathers each Sunday night at 10pm to talk about a variety of classroom issues. Topics such as passion and engagement lead to great conversation and sharing of ideas between "".

In a few short months, I'm HOOKED! I've made connections with people all over the world on educational topics. I was invited to an EdCamp (that's another incredible PD format... for another day)in Dallas and was able to meet F2F (Face to Face), some of the people from whom I had been learning for months.

I have shared my views, my learning, and the incredible things happening at Saranac Community Schools with my Twitter PLN (Personal Learning Network). There's no end to where Twitter can go and I'm bursting to share this FREE resource with you to help teachers get connected to others outside your school and region.

#SCSPLN (Saranac Community Schools Professional Learning Network)

Although this 10 Twitter Challenge was originally designed for the SCS-staff, it's now open to any educators who want to learn how to use Twitter.

Here's the 10 Twitter Challenge...

Challenge #3

Tweet a snapshot or description of quality work completed in your classroom today! Use the hashtag #SCSPLN.

Retweet other's pictures/tweets and spread the joy of learning beyond our school walls!

Challenge #4

Find some of the quality work that others tweeted in Challenge 3, and retweet a few of them. Reply to at least 2 tweets! Use the hashtag #SCSPLN

Challenge #8

In 140 characters or less, share your favorite lesson to teach and tell us why! If you have a supporting picture (anchor chart, product, or doc), include that as well (just be advised the pic will use up some of the 140).

Use the hashtag #SCSPLN

Read the tweets of other teachers and find someone from whom you could go learn more!

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Design and share beautiful flyers just like this one! Spread the word with an online flyer. They're easy to make and impossible to mess up :) July 2009 - I opened my @conniehamilton Twitter account. For the past 5+ years, I've been trying to figure out what the hullabaloo is all about.

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50 people and hashtags you MUST check out on Twitter | Ditch That Textbook

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50 people and hashtags you MUST check out on Twitter | Ditch That Textbook

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Getting connected professionally on Twitter was the single most important, most powerful thing I ever did as an educator.

The most important. I'm not overstating that.

And I can remember exactly when it happened. I was at the Indiana Conference on Learning in Indianapolis, and our state Superintendent of Public Instruction was giving the keynote speech.

I noticed that the conference had a Twitter hashtag and my curiosity was piqued. I was one of those "I have a Twitter account ... I think ... if I can only remember the password" kind of people.

I checked it out and found this silent live discussion of the keynote speaker's ideas. Educators in the room were tweeting about what they were hearing.

I was hooked. I started tweeting my thoughts, too ... and when someone replied to my tweets or retweeted them, it was like a jolt of adrenaline. What I was writing was resonating with someone!

It continued that way for the rest of the conference. When I attended a break-out session, I kept one eye on the conference hashtag. It was almost as if I was sitting in on all of the sessions with teachers tweeting out what they were learning.
My eyes were opened to a world I didn't know existed.
Then I learned of other hashtags, other people to follow. I learned more from Twitter that year than I had learned in the sum total of my professional learning to that point.

If you don't do Twitter professionally, here are a couple of things to know about it:

Twitter is like an ever-flowing stream of ideas and inspiration. Visit the river of Twitter as often as you'd like. Dip your toe in for a few minutes. Jump in and swim around for an hour. Either way, you'll come away a better professional.

Using Twitter as an educator is kind of like shopping at Big Lots. Big Lots is known for having lots of random merchandise. You never know what you'll find when you shop at a Big Lots, but when you find it, you'll wonder how you lived your life without it.

Twitter can feel a bit like a different planet where people speak a different language at first. If you'd like some help with the basics, check out my Twitter for Teachers guide at DitchThatTextbook.com/twitter.

The key to a great Twitter experience is in who you follow and what hashtags you check out. (Hashtags are kind of like searchable keywords or categories. If Twitter was like a big filing cabinet, a hashtag is a folder you use to organize.) Here's a video I created to explain how hashtags work.

So, who should you follow? What hashtags should you check out? I've pulled together a list of the ones that have inspired me. Click on them to see what they're all about. If that person seems like a good fit, follow him or her. If the hashtag is interesting, come back to check on it from time to time.

(Disclaimer: This is today's list. There are so many great educators and hashtags out there that it can't be an all-inclusive list. If I did this again tomorrow, there would likely be others I'd include.)
Here they are, in no particular order:
1. Jeff Charbonneau (@JeffCharbonneau) - The 2013 U.S. National Teacher of the Year. He's a science teacher that constantly inspires me by helping refocus what we do in the classroom.

2. Alice Keeler (@alicekeeler) - She's a go-to source for all things Google, especially Google Classroom (a topic on which she's co-authored two books). Alice is never afraid to let you know in which direction education should head, and she participates in the conversation.

3. Kasey Bell (@shakeuplearning) - Kasey's work to help teachers use Google tools in the classroom is creative and always practical. Her blog and Pinterest account are must-follows.

4. Jennifer Gonzalez (@cultofpedagogy) - The slogan of her blog, Cult of Pedagogy, says it all: "Teacher nerds, unite." A National Board Certified Teacher, Jenn is always helping educators think more deeply about the craft of teaching and learning. (Her Pinterest and Facebook pages rock, too.)

5. Dave Burgess (@burgessdave) - Dave's enthusiasm and passion are contagious. He wrote the New York Times bestseller Teach Like a PIRATE and does keynote presentations that will knock your socks off. His tweets will do the same!

6. Shelley Burgess (@burgess_shelley) - Shelley is Dave's wife and business partner. A former assistant superintendent, she's now inspiring school leaders to "Lead Like a PIRATE" with presentations and through her blog.

7. Michael Matera (@mrmatera) - Michael is a video game aficionado like me, but he takes it to a different level. Michael is, as his Twitter profile suggests, a "game based learning and gamification sherpa". If you want game elements in your classroom, he's full of ideas.

8. Don Wettrick (@DonWettrick) - Don is constantly reinventing what school can do. His Innovations class encourages students to do real-life work they're passionate about. His book, Pure Genius, helps teachers make their classes more relevant to their students' future.

9. John Spencer (@spencerideas) - John's a deep thinker when it comes to education. His blog, Education Rethink (now at spencerauthor.com), was one of the first education blogs I followed. His writings on creativity and design thinking always make me think.

10. Scott McLeod (@mcleod) - Have you seen those "Shift Happens" videos on YouTube? (Here's one of them.) Scott worked with Karl Fisch to create them. His profile aptly describes him as an idea generator, solution builder, agitator and catalyst.

11. Catlin Tucker (@catlin_tucker) - Catlin takes a deep dive into the use of technology in the classroom. Her books on blended learning have been very popular!

12. Edutopia (@edutopia) - Edutopia is funded by the George Lucas Foundation and is committed to providing "inspiration and information for what works in education." There's always good stuff being shared by Edutopia through Twitter and on their website.

13. Monica Burns (@ClassTechTips) - Monica is well known for her EdTech presentations and her practical blog, ClassTechTips.com. If you're looking for ideas you can use in class right away, this is a good place to go!

14. Rick Wormeli (@RickWormeli2) - He's a brilliant educator and thinker on a variety of topics, including middle-grades education and standards-based learning. He'll make you rethink your view of education down to the core. (That's a good thing.)

15. MindShift (@MindShiftKQED) - MindShift KQED is a public media organization that "explores the future of learning, covering cultural and tech trends and innovations in education." The articles on their blog always fascinate me.

16. Karly Moura (@KarlyMoura) - Karly's a rising, shining star in the edu-Twitterverse. One of the most helpful people I've found on Twitter, she's constantly providing ideas regarding Google tools, Hyperdocs, makerspaces and more. Her blog is great, too.

17. Jon Harper (@Jonharper70bd) - Jon is an honest, transparent voice in education. He shares his thoughts and feelings about being a teacher and education on the BAM Radio EDwords blog.

18. Jed Dearybury (@mrdearybury1) - Jed spreads his sparkle all over social media and his blog. He's passionate about creativity, the arts and making students feel valued. His mantra: "Love first, teach second."

19. Dyane Smokorowski (@mrs_smoke) - Saying that Dyane is a global collaboration evangelist (as she does in her Twitter profile) is an understatement. She's a Skype Master Teacher and former Kansas state teacher of the year that's constantly encouraging more connected classrooms.

20. Lucy Gray (@elemenous) - Lucy is the co-founder of GlobalEdCon, a virtual global education organization. Follow her for ideas and resources for helping your students become more globally minded.

21. Mari Venturino (@msventurino) - Mari's interests include Google tools in the classroom, digital BreakoutEDU and blended learning. She regularly shares useful, thought-provoking stuff on her blog.

22. Justin Birckbichler (@Mr_B_Teacher) - Justin is Mari Venturino's "partner in crime" in many ways. They're both Google for Education Certified Innovators. They're two-thirds of the "EduRoadTrip" podcast with Greg Bagby. They both created BreakoutEDU. Justin's blog will make you think.

23. Jon Corippo (@jcorippo) - Alice Keeler (on this list earlier) called Jon "Obi Wan Corippo", and for good reason. Jon's vision for education really breaks the mold. It seems that everything he says makes me envision better classrooms and lessons.

24. Sarah Thomas (@sarahdateechur) - Sarah created #EduMatch to get educators connected with each other. She's very active on Twitter and is constantly sharing her story and advocating for worth causes in education. She'll inspire you.

25. Bill Ferriter (@plugusin) - Bill is a full-time sixth-grade teacher in North Carolina. His classes are anything but the norm. He inspires educators all over with his infopics, infographics and thought-provoking visuals on his Flickr page.

26. Sandy Otto (@sandyrotto) - If you're passionate about reading and helping students speak and listen better, you'll love following Sandy. She loves incorporating technology into her language arts classes in Minnesota and blogs about it all.

27. Sean Fahey (@SEANJFAHEY) - Sean was a teacher in my school district when I first met him. He continues to incorporate technology in innovative ways in his fourth-grade classes and shares about it in his blog.

28. Beth Houf (@BethHouf) - Along with Shelley Burgess, Beth is half of the "Lead Like a PIRATE" movement. She's a middle school principal that's leading a school I'd love to teach at. She blogs about being a school leader.

29. David Geurin (@DavidGeurin) - It seems like everything that comes out of David's mouth (or Twitter account) inspires. He's a voice that really gets what education should be and what school can become.

30. Joy Kirr (@JoyKirr) - Joy's enthusiasm and energy are contagious. She's a seventh-grade English/langauge arts teacher who embraces Genius Hour and throwing out grades.

31. Carrie Baughcum (@HeckAwesome) - Aside from her creative Twitter handle, I love Carrie's emotion and love of teaching. She's a fellow sketchnoter, and she's a special education teacher. There aren't many as caring in education as Carrie is.

32. Sylvia Duckworth (@sylviaduckworth) - Sylvia is best known for her sketchnotes, which are always carefully drawn and on point. She has published a book of them with EdTechTeam Press. She's a brilliant teacher with a passion for technology, Google and world languages.

33. Todd Whitaker (@ToddWhitaker) - Todd has written 40 books on leadership, teaching and motivation. But he shares great nuggets of wisdom on a regular basis on Twitter. (Plus, he's a "neighbor" ... living an hour away from my home in Indiana!)

34. Amy Heavin (@AmyHeavin) - I love Amy's perspective on being a school leader and keeping the work/family balance. I learn from her as an educator and feel like I know her as a person more and more as I read her blog.

35. Amanda Dykes (@amandacdykes) - She's a great voice for STEM, technology and kids with ADHD. Plus, her personality is all over her Twitter account (and Instagram, too!).

36. Tisha Richmond (@tishrich) - Tisha is doing something in education right now that I love: bringing gamification into her culinary arts classes. She's an energetic, cheerful teacher that you'll love.

37. #edchat - This educational hashtag has probably been around the longest. It's an ongoing discussion about important issues in the general educational world. (Twitter chat: Tuesdays at noon Eastern / 9 a.m. Pacific)

38. #edtech - You'll find all sorts of discussions, resources and ideas regarding technology in the classroom on this Twitter hashtag.

39. #whatisschool - As the needs of students change while this world changes quickly, school needs to keep up. This chat talks about the big-picture issues with staying relevant to kids. (Twitter chat: Thursdays at 7 p.m. Eastern / 4 p.m. Pacific)

40. #edtechchat - Another hashtag about using technology efficiently and effectively in the classroom. The weekly Twitter chat is often lively and full of ideas. (Twitter chat: Mondays at 8 p.m. Eastern / 5 p.m. Pacific)

41. #tlap - TLAP stands for Teach Like a PIRATE, the wonderful book by the aforementioned Dave Burgess. This hashtag will encourage you with ideas and inspiration related to bringing passion, enthusiasm and engagement into the classroom. (Twitter chat: Mondays at 9 p.m. Eastern / 6 p.m. Pacific)

42. #ditchbook - Shameless self-promotion here. At this hashtag, we talk about what teaching with less reliance on the textbook looks like. We're always sharing ideas related to technology, creativity and innovation. (Twitter chat: Thursdays at 10 p.m. Eastern / 7 p.m. Pacific)

43. #tosachat - This is the digital gathering of TOSAs (teachers on special assignment), but educators of all walks will find it helpful. This hashtag will equip you to lead other teachers and try innovative ideas in your classroom. (Twitter chat: Mondays at 11 p.m. Eastern / 8 p.m. Pacific)

44. #weirded - This hashtag, led by the incomparable Doug Robertson, is quite possibly the most unique, irreverent educational community on Twitter. They always take a fun twist on educational topics and keep people smiling. (Twitter chat: Wednesday at 10 p.m. Eastern / 7 p.m. Pacific)

45. #googleedu - The official Google for Education hashtag. Educators share ideas related to using Google tools in the classroom here.

46. #gafesummit - GAFE Summits are hosted by the EdTechTeam all over the world. The hashtag for their events always generates great ideas.

47. #gafe4littles - Some teachers believe that Google Apps aren't for young students. Christine Pinto disagrees! She's a kindergarten teacher whose students do lots of creating using them and Google Classroom. You'll find great ideas in this hashtag.

48. #hyperdocs - Hyperdocs are these great interactive digital activities that students can do independently. They were created by Lisa Highfill, Kelly Hilton and Sarah Landis. The hashtag is full of creative Hyperdocs creations by teachers all over the world.

49. #edumatch - Sarah Thomas (mentioned above) and others get like-minded educators connected through this hashtag. They always have lots of fun doing it, too! (Twitter chat: Sundays at 6 p.m. Eastern / 3 p.m. Pacific)

50. Your state's hashtag - Pretty much every state has a Twitter hashtag (although some are more active than others). Find your state's hashtag in this spreadsheet. Plus, be sure to look for a hashtag related to your grade level or content area, too!

[reminder]What other people and hashtags deserve to be on this list?[/reminder]
For notifications of new Ditch That Textbook content and helpful links: Interested in having Matt present at your event or school? Contact him by e-mail! Matt is scheduled to present at the following upcoming events:
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50 people and hashtags you MUST check out on Twitter - Ditch That Textbook

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Getting connected professionally on Twitter was the single most important, most powerful thing I ever did as an educator. The most important. I'm not overstating that. And I can remember exactly when it happened. I was at the Indiana Conference on Learning in Indianapolis, and our state Superintendent of Public Instruction was giving the keynote [...]

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Twitter Chat Strategy: Put it at the End - Teacher Tech

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Twitter Chat Strategy: Put it at the End - Teacher Tech

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A Twitter chat is usually exactly 1 hour with a structured set of questions. This is a great way to engage with other educators and have a dialog around different topics. I have a guide to participating in a Twitter chat. If you are looking for Twitter chats check out bit.ly/educhatcalendar.

Tweetdeck

I use Tweetdeck to manage my Twitter chats. It is way too hard to use twitter.com or the Twitter app on my phone and keep up with the chat.

Add a Column

More on Tweetdeck

Twitter Chat Strategy

Twitter Chat

When I want to participate in a Twitter chat, I click on the search icon in the toolbar on the left-hand side and type in the hashtag. I then add that column. This puts the chat as the last column in my Tweetdeck.

It helps a lot to have your notifications column next to the Twitter chat hashtag column. I used to drag the chat column over to notifications but then realized I could just make an extra notifications column.

Double Hashtags

For hashtags that I follow and are also Twitter chats. Even though I already have a column for that hashtag, I will search the hashtag and add the column so the chat is the LAST column, right next to my notifications.

Twitter

If you are new to Twitter you may want to sign up for my Twittervention. This uses Remind to send a daily text message reminding you to check your Twitter. It also provides some Twitter tips.
Twitter Noob: Some Tips to Get Into Twitter A little Twitter Twitter for Educators - A Document 10 Things to Know about Twitter Hashtags
A List of Twitter Educators by Subject Area (Add yours!)

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2016

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Twitter Chat Strategy: Put it at the End - Teacher Tech

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A Twitter chat is usually exactly 1 hour with a structured set of questions. This is a great way to engage with other educators and have a dialog around different topics. I have a guide to participating in a Twitter chat. If you are looking for Twitter chats check out bit.ly/educhatcalendar.

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23 Seldom-Used Ideas for How to Use Twitter Lists

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23 Seldom-Used Ideas for How to Use Twitter Lists

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If you've read any lists on Twitter tips, whether for beginners or for experts, you've likely come across the common advice to use Twitter lists.

Twitter lists are useful, helpful, and effective for managing and optimizing your Twitter experience.
There's also a number of unique ways to go about them.
I researched the topic and found 23 popular and outside-the-box ideas for what to do with your Twitter list. See what I learned in the post below, and add your favorite uses in the comments.

23 Ways to Use a Twitter List

1. Staff directory for your team

Find all your employees who are on Twitter, and collect them into a list. It's as simple as that!

Doing so could be good motivation for some late adopters on your team to start accounts, and it could be good incentive for others to keep sharing. Collectively, these lists can reveal a lot about the culture and the people behind the brand. If you've got anywhere from five to 100 employees, lists like these can be a really intriguing follow.
Example:
We've put together a twitter list with all the members of the Buffer team. Give the list a follow if you'd like!

2. Event attendees and conference-goers

For those attending live events or conferences -and just as helpful for those who aren't in attendance-these lists collect event goers into one place so you can follow along with what's happening.

Hashtags are another great way to collect tweets around an event. Lists help grab everything that might slip through without a hashtag.

Example:

HubSpot's annual conference for inbound marketers gets a great turnout with a majority of attendees having Twitter accounts. This leads to a great opportunity for a list, and HubSpot was up to the bill: a list of Inbound 2014 attendees that totals over 2,700 list members.

3. Mini-communities of those with shared interests

Here's a great opportunity for a little community outreach and engagement. If you know a group of folks on Twitter who share a common interest with you or your business-lean startup for Buffer, for instance-collect these users into a list. This comes with a pair of benefits: Insights for you, and appreciation for those you add to the list.

Take things one step further and invite others to join the list by making the list public and sending invitations out via Twitter or Facebook.

Example:

Buffer's founder, Joel, has a number of lists based on shared interests, including one for lean startup with 10 of the leading voices on the topic.

4. Helpful resources for your customers

Mark Schaeffer's ideas for Twitter lists include a neat take on adding value for your customers. Think of what type of resources your customers might enjoy having and which of these resources you could help create. Do you have an area of expertise? Do you have particular knowledge or experience in a certain area?

Here are a few examples that Mark came up with:

If you are in the metals business, would your customers appreciate a Twitter List of international resources?

If you are a teacher, would your students appreciate a list of the experts you follow in your field?

If you are a blogger would your fans like to see a list of your favorite bloggers?

Example:
Here's a list from Mark that compiles the top 50 people who get retweeted by small business leaders.

5. Accounts you recommend to follow

Here's a slight twist to the "helpful resources" list. Make a list of the accounts you'd recommend to others.

The accounts don't need to share any similarities. You can pull from different industries, grab individuals or brands, and pick users who share lots of links or who share lots of insights. It's up to you. The idea is to create a useful guide that others can easily grab to see and follow the accounts that you love most.

Example:

This list from General Assembly features their favorite entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter.

(Hint: A search of "favorite to follow" turns up a big number of these sorts of lists, too.)

6. Client list (keep it private)

You may want to put together a collection of your clients so that you can stay abreast of their activities and what they're sharing to social media. For agencies and marketers especially, it could be very helpful to see the types of updates-both the quality and the content.

For lists like these, you can set them to "Private" if there may be some reason to keep anonymity of who you work with. The privacy setting comes up when you're creating the list, and you can always go back into your list settings later on to edit.

7. "Notice me" list

This is a list of Twitter users whom you wish would notice you and, eventually, follow you. Putting them here on this list is your way of tracking with their updates, engaging with their tweets, and hopefully getting a follow.

The idea comes from Julia Doherty of the Green Umbrella blog who recommends you keep this list to a maximum of 10 people. Here's more on how Julia handles her list:

These are your key people / prospects that you would like to engage with and ultimately you would like them to follow you back. Once a person in this list then follows you back, they get removed from the list and added to your client list. Then you add your next prospect.

8. Competitors list

Keep tabs on the others in your industry who do what you do. See what type of content they share on social media, and take inspiration from the way that they compose their updates.

This is another one you can set to private if you'd like. A good rule of thumb for private lists might be to set them to private if they hold value for you and no one else.

9. Industry sector

Similar to the competitors list, the industry sector includes any and all Twitter users who work in your field, not just the ones you directly compete with for customers.

For instance, Buffer is in the social media tool industry, which covers a wide range of different apps, some of which would not be considered direct competitors.

Example:

Mashable covers a number of different tech areas, including social media. Their list for social media accounts is amazingly popular-over 13,000 subscribers!

10. Thought leaders for your niche

Who are the people in your industry/niche who always seem to be on the bleeding edge with ideas and articles? Add these thought leaders to a list.

Chances are that some names might have already come to mind for you. Feel free to constantly add and edit the list as you discover more influencers and voices that you want to hear from. This type of list is great for pulling out the signal of vital information from the noise of a hefty Twitter stream.

Example:

Dave Cutler put together a list of nearly 70 up-and-coming social media voices. I heard about this list via a blogpost as Dave not only compiled the list but then advertised it, too.

11. Celebrities

Here's one just for fun: Make a list of the celebrities you like. It's amazing the detail that some A-listers share online, and it can be kind of fun to keep tabs on your favorites.

12. Your fellow bloggers/designers/coders/etc.

The idea is to get insight and feel connection with others who are doing the same day-to-day job as you. It's likely that you'll share a lot of the same workflows, tools, and highs and lows, and collecting these accounts into one list makes it all the easier to connect and engage.
Example:
Web designer Brad Frost keeps a simple design list of seven designers and studies he likes to keep tabs on.

13. Customers you'd like to recognize and reward

Each time you add someone to a list, they receive a notification.

What an awesome opportunity to spread some love your customers's way!

This "recognize and reward" list can also be helpful for organizing a community campaign to engage some of your most valued customers with favorites, retweets, or @-mentions. If you can follow and track these accounts easily, chances are you'll be able to catch the tweets that make sense to "recognize and reward."

Example:

Check out this list by ShortStack Labs, which keeps a Twitter list of its users.

14. Location-based lists

Here's a chance for a little local love. Make a list of the Twitter users or companies in your nearby neighborhoods.

Example:

Lee Odden keeps a list of Twitter users from Minnesota.

15. Live tweeters

Many people have hopped on Twitter to share their thoughts live and streaming during sporting events, TV shows, activities, and more. These live tweets can be a fun way to follow along. If you can think of a group that does this consistently-maybe for TV shows or games you'd be watching along with-you can drop them into a live tweeters list.

16. Your affiliations

Here's a neat idea from Mashable: Use Twitter lists to promote any group, organization, or association you're a part of.

For instance:

University alumni list

Local business group

Startup fund or incubator

It can be anything that you've had membership in or that you might associate with on LinkedIn or Facebook. Add those you know to the list, and invite others to help you fill it out.

17. Close friends and family

If you're using Twitter lists to hear from those who matter the most to you, why not go ahead and make a list for friends and family? This way you never need to lose track of their tweets in your stream, and you can follow, favorite, reply, and retweet to everything you see.

18. People who retweet you

Post Planner's Aaron Lee has come up with several neat uses for Twitter lists. One of them is a collection of people who retweet you often. Place them into a list so that you can see their content and share their articles and tweets. The idea is that it might encourage your retweeters to continue sharing your content as well.

Here's the way Aaron recommends to name the list.

Don't name the List "retweeters" or something equally vague. Instead give it a name that doesn't give away the reason you started the list to begin with.

I call mine "Super-sidekicks".

Example:
Speaking of Aaron's "Super-sidekicks" list, here it is. Currently, there are over 100 members and nearly that many subscribers.

19. People you regularly engage with on Twitter

For one, making a list of these people will help you stay abreast of the conversations you'd be entering anyway. Two, engaging with these people brings around the reciprocity of their engaging with you. If you can find a way to raise the tide on your end, engagement as a whole should rise.

20. Twitter chat participants

Some of the most insightful, engaging people on Twitter participate in Twitter chats. (If you've yet to try a chat, we have one every Wednesday at Buffer. You're invited!)

You can find chat participants by participating in chats yourself or by monitoring your stream for chat hashtags. Place the chatters into a list so you can refer and reference their good ideas and tweets easily.

21. Accounts worth engaging (via a Twitter tool)

I let Social Rank discover my most valuable Twitter connections, and I place the first page of results into a private list that I can monitor. If these folks are indeed valuable to me (as Social Rank says they are), then they're worth keeping track of and engaging with.

22. New Twitter homepage

Identify the users and accounts that matter most to you. They'll likely span a huge variety of topics and interests, which is perfectly fine. The idea is to build a homepage of all your most vital Twitter friends and favorite tweeters.

Build the list as large as you want, so long as you can keep on top of all the tweets coming in.

With this list as your new homepage, you can then feel free to follow as many accounts as you want without worrying if additional follows will overflow your main stream.

23. Your interests and categories

I saved the most common one for last. Twitter lists are the perfect way to group together users and accounts based on the topics you're interested in and the categories you follow. These lists can be sports teams, comedians, authors, deal websites, and anything in between. Whatever you're interested in, make a list out of it so that you never miss a tweet.

From start-to-finish: How to create a Twitter list

Once you're logged in at Twitter.com, click on your avatar in the top-right corner of the white menu bar at the top of the page. Choose "Lists" from the drop-down menu.

You can also get there by clicking on the "Lists" link from your profile page.

Pro tip: You can also access lists with a shortcut. Press the letter "G" then the letter "L".

Another pro tip: If you'd prefer the direct url for your lists page, add the word "lists" to your Twitter url (e.g., twitter.com/kevanlee/lists).

You're now at your lists homepage. You can see both the lists that you're subscribed to (meaning the ones you've created and the ones others created and you decided to follow) and the lists you're a member of (meaning the lists that others have added you to).
Here's how to create a Twitter list.
1. Click the button at the bottom of the page to "Create new list."

2. Enter a list name. Names are limited to a maximum of 25 characters, and they cannot begin with a number.

3. Enter a description. Descriptions are limited to a maximum of 100 characters.

4. Choose whether you want the list to be public (anyone can subscribe to the list) or private (only you can access the list).

Now that you have a list, you'll want to add users to it. This is done via the individual user's profile page.

1. From their profile page, click the gear icon.

2. Select "Add or remove from lists." (Helpful tip: You don't have to be following the user to add them to your list.)

3. You'll see a popup showing all the lists you've created. Check/uncheck the box next to the list or lists you want the person to appear.

4. Repeat. Do this for all the accounts you'd like to show up on your lists. (There are some handy tools below that can help expedite the process a bit.)

A couple other useful spots to know

1. You can see who is subscribing to your Twitter lists. Visit a specific list, and click the "List Subscribers" link in the left sidebar.

2. You can see what lists you are a member of. From the main lists page, click the "Member of" tab at the top of the page, underneath your cover photo.

3. You can edit/delete a list at any time. From the specific list, click the "Edit" or "Delete" button that appears just underneath the list description.

4. You can subscribe to other people's lists. From a specific list, click the "Subscribe" button that appears just underneath the list description.

5. You can search for Twitter lists to follow. Type keywords into the Twitter search box. Choose keywords that are likely to be in the list's name. On the results page, click on "Timelines" from the left menu. The resulting timelines page will display the lists from your search results.

5 tips to max out the benefits of Twitter lists

1. Upload your Twitter list to Flipboard

Flipboard is one of our favorite content discovery apps. It's a visual way of flipping through content from a collection of sources-Twitter lists included.

Add your Twitter list to Flipboard, and the app will pull out all the great content and links that get shared through the list.

2. Here's how to follow an entire list

You can subscribe to someone else's list without following that person or the people in the list. If you do wan to add list members as followers, you can do so by using the "List members" link in the left sidebar of any list.

"List members" will show a rollcall of everyone who is on the list, and there will be a Follow button next to each name. Scroll down the list, and click to follow all the accounts you want.

3. Include yourself in the lists you make

Want to be considered a thought leader in your industry Add yourself to a Twitter list of thought leaders. Want to increase your Twitter followers and engagement? Add yourself to the most popular lists you've created (if it makes sense to do so).

4. Use a Twitter list tool

There are parts of the Twitter list process that can be sped up a bit (like adding users to a list, for instance). Here are a handful of tools that help with things.

Twitilist - Add users in bulk to a list with easy-click buttons and a full view of those you follow

TweetBe.at - View all those you follow, and add individually or in batches to your lists

Twitlistmanager - A simple checkbox system for adding people to lists

5. Follow @ListWatcher to track the lists you're added to

When you follow the @ListWatcher account, you'll receive a direct message anytime someone adds, removes, or changes you on a Twitter list. You can also find this activity in the Notifications tab in Twitter, but if it's easier to follow up with direct messages, this would be a great way to go.

And a good opportunity for a thank you note? You bet.

Conclusion

I hope you'll find some great use out of Twitter lists. There are clearly a tone of unique ways to put them into practice-over 20 ways listed here, and many more that I probably haven't mentioned.
Which ways stand out to you?
Here are the few different list types that I use:

Staff directory

Notice me list

Best users to engage with

Categories and interests

How about you?
I'd love to hear how you use Twitter lists. Please do share in the comments!
Image sources: Iconfinder, Blurgrounds

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23 Seldom-Used Ideas for How to Use Twitter Lists

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If you've read any lists on Twitter tips, whether for beginners or for experts, you've likely come across the common advice to use Twitter lists. Twitter lists are useful, helpful, and effective for managing and optimizing your Twitter experience. There's also a number of unique ways to go about them.

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How to create and use Twitter lists | Stuff.co.nz

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How to create and use Twitter lists | Stuff.co.nz

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Twitter isn't hard to use, despite what you may have heard, and creating Twitter lists is both easy and a great introduction to the social media app.

Here's everything you need to know to be a Twitter list pro.
READ MORE:
* Where's the love for Twitter gone?
* Why do people rant on Twitter?
* The Kiwi Twitterati - who are they and what do they want? What is a Twitter list?
A list lets you read tweets from groups of users that you curate. So you can have a Twitter list of celebrities or a Twitter list of family members. You don't have to be following someone to add them to a Twitter list. Not only can you create them, you can subscribe to others' lists as long as the lists are public. It's important to stress that you can't interact with a list, just read from them.
How to create a list
On a computer, go to your Lists page either via the profile icon drop down at the top right of the screen or by going to your profile and clicking where it says lists. In the Twitter app, go to your profile and click the gear icon. Then click view lists. Click create list (hit the plus sign in the app) followed by a short description and then choose public or private. A public list can be seen by anyone, a private list is just for you. You can change back and forth at any time as needed. Click save list and you're set.
Adding and removing people from lists
Go to the profile page of the person you want to add. Click the gear icon and select add or remove from lists. Note: It's OK to add someone with a protected/private profile, but only the people who are mutually connected with that person can see their tweets in a Twitter list. So different users might see additional or fewer tweets in a list containing a protected/private account.
Viewing a list
Go to your profile and click lists. Choose the list you want to view and you'll see a separate timeline containing just those accounts in the list.
Editing and deleting lists
Go to your profile and click lists. Choose the list you want to edit. Here you can edit, delete, change the description and change visibility between public and private. This isn't where you'd add and remove people from the list (see above).
How to subscribe to someone else's lists
This is cool. Go to that person's profile page and click on lists. You'll now see their lists. Click subscribe on what interests you. Bonus tip: This is where a good description comes in handy.
How to share your list or someone else's list
Simply go to the list you want to share and copy the URL from the browser bar. You can share this link just as you can any other link and people can subscribe to it right from here.

Think of a Twitter list as a mini timeline. If you follow 5000 people, your timeline will contain updates from 5000 accounts at once. If you put five people you reference often in one list, you'll have a mini timeline that's much easier to manage and read. Lists will make you a better and more efficient Twitter user in no time.

- MCT

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Twitter isn't hard to use, despite what you may have heard, and creating Twitter lists is both easy and a great introduction to the social media app. Here's everything you need to know to be a Twitter list pro. READ MORE: * Where's the love for Twitter gone?

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Customizing your profile | Twitter Help Center

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Customizing your profile | Twitter Help Center

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You can customize your Twitter profile by adding your birthday. You can control who on Twitter can see your birthday on your profile by using your birthday visibility settings.

1. Sign in to twitter.com or open your iOS or Android app.

2. Go to your profile and click or tap the Edit profile button.

3. Click or tap the Birthday section.

4. Select or change your birth Day, Month, and Year.

5. You can also review and change your birthday visibility settings. You will see two visibility settings, one to control visibility for your birthday year and the other to control visibility for your birthday month and day. Click a visibility icon (web) or adjust Who sees this (iOS or Android app) to change your settings. Learn more about your profile visibility settings.

6. Click Save changes (web) or tap Done and then Save (iOS or Android app).

How do I remove my birthday from my profile?
You can remove your birthday from your profile by following the below steps:

1. Sign into twitter.com or open your iOS or Android app.

2. Go to your profile and click or tap the Edit profile button.

3. Click the Birthday section.

4. Change the values you selected in each of the birthday dropdown menus back to the default values (e.g., "Day," "Month," and "Year") (web) or tap Remove birthday (iOS or Android app). Note: to remove your birthday from your profile on the web, you will need to remove your information from all three of the birthday fields.

5. Click Save changes (web) or tap Done and then Save (iOS or Android app).

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You can customize your Twitter profile by adding your birthday. You can control who on Twitter can see your birthday on your profile by using your birthday visibility settings. Sign in to twitter.com or open your iOS or Android app. Go to your profile and click or tap the Edit profile button.

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"...reading Tweets and discovering new information whenever you check in on your Twitter timeline is where you’ll find the most value on Twitter. Some people find it useful to contribute their own Tweets, but the real magic of Twitter lies in absorbing real-time information that matters to you."

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The Twitter glossary | Twitter Help Center

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The Twitter glossary | Twitter Help Center

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About public and protected Tweets | Twitter Help Center

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About public and protected Tweets | Twitter Help Center

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What is the difference between public and protected Tweets?

When you sign up for Twitter, your Tweets are public by default; anyone can view and interact with your Tweets. Should you choose to protect your Tweets, you can do so through your account settings.

If you protect your Tweets, you'll receive a request when new people want to follow you, which you can approve or deny. Accounts that began following you before you protected your Tweets will still be able to view and interact with your protected Tweets unless you block them. Learn more about blocking.

Who can see my Tweets?

Public Tweets (the default setting): Are visible to anyone, whether or not they have a Twitter account.

Protected Tweets: May only be visible to your Twitter followers.

When you protect your Tweets

You'll receive a request when new people want to follow you, which you can approve or deny.

Your Tweets, including permanent links to your Tweets, will only be visible to your followers.

Your followers will not be able to use the Retweet icon to Retweet or Retweet with comment.

Protected Tweets will not appear in third-party search engines (like Google search).

Your protected Tweets will only be searchable on Twitter by you and your followers.

Replies you send to an account that isn't following you will not be seen by that account (because only your followers will see your Tweets).

What happens when I change my Tweets from public to protected?

If you at one time had public Tweets (before protecting your Tweets), those Tweets will no longer be public on Twitter, or appear in public Twitter search results. Instead, your Tweets will only be viewable and searchable on Twitter by you and your followers.

What happens when I change my Tweets from protected to public?

Unprotecting your Tweets will cause any previously protected Tweets to be made public.

What happens when I share media in a protected Tweet?

If your Tweets are protected, only your followers will be able to see your media in your Tweets. Please note that your followers may download or re-share links to media that you share in protected Tweets. Links to media shared on Twitter are not protected. Anyone with the link will be able to view the content.

What happens when my Tweets are protected but still show in search engine results?

After you protect your Tweets, only you and your followers can read your updates or see your Tweets in Twitter search.

If you at one time had public Tweets (before protecting your Tweets), those Tweets will no longer be public or appear in public Twitter search results. However, unprotecting your Tweets will cause any previously protected Tweets to be made public.

Find out how to remove your updates from Google search. Twitter does not have the ability to remove content on websites other than twitter.com.

What If my Tweets have never been public?

If your Tweets have never been public (i.e., you've always had your Tweets protected in your settings), your updates should never show up in Twitter search or other public search engines.

If they are showing up in search results, change your password immediately and revoke untrusted third-party applications. You can also file a report with the following information:

When this started happening

Where you've seen your private updates posted (Twitter search, Google, etc.)

List any/all third-party applications you use

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When you sign up for Twitter, your Tweets are public by default; anyone can view and interact with your Tweets. Should you choose to protect your Tweets, you can do so through your account settings. If you protect your Tweets, you'll receive a request when new people want to follow you, which you can approve or deny.

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2 Easy Ways to Make Your Twitter Account Private - wikiHow

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2 Easy Ways to Make Your Twitter Account Private - wikiHow

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Your Twitter account is set to public by default, but you can make it private so that only approved users can subscribe to and view your tweets. Read this wikiHow to learn how.

1. Understand what protecting your tweets will do. Before your decide to protect your Twitter account and tweets by making them private, be sure that you understand what it entails. Once you make your tweets private:

Other users will need to make a request to follow you, and you will need to approve all requests.

Your tweets will only be visible to approved followers.

Other users will be unable to retweet you.

Your tweets will not appear in any Google searches, and will only appear in Twitter searches conducted by your approved followers.

Any @replies you send will not be seen, unless you send them to your approved followers. For example, if you tweet a celebrity they will not be able to see it, as you have not approved them to follow you.

Anything you tweeted while your account was public will now become private, and will only be viewable or searchable by your approved followers.

You will only be able to share permanent links to your tweets with your approved followers.[1]

2. Unprotect your tweets. If you wish to reverse the process and make your tweets public again, all you need to do is uncheck the "Protect my Tweets" box.

Be aware that any protected tweets you published while your account was private will now become public and will be visible to and searchable by anyone.

You will also need to review any pending follower requests before you switch your account back to public, as they will not be accepted automatically. If you do not do this, those users will need to follow you again.

1. Check for new follower requests. If a Twitter user sent you a follower request, a large button on the left sidebar will indicate that you need to review X number of follower requests.

You will also be sent an email notification to alert you that you have a new follower request.

2. Click on the "Approve" or "Decline" buttons to accept or deny your follower requests. Users that you decline will not be notified. Users that you accept will now be able to read and search for your tweets, but they will be unable to retweet them (as their followers do not have permission to view your tweets.)

Community Q&A

Add New Question

If I switch from public to private tweets, will my current followers have to re-follow me or will they stay as they are now?

Answered by wikiHow Contributor

When you switch to a private account, your current followers will be automatically validated - they will still see your past and future tweets, unless you remove them from your followers manually.

How can I tell if my personal information is public?

Answered by wikiHow Contributor

Log out of Twitter, then search for your name and Twitter on Google. The results you see will be what the general public will see when they search for your information.

Can I restrict tweets to just my followers without completely blocking people or using protected tweets?

Answered by wikiHow Contributor

No, you will have to use protected tweets to restrict it to only your followers.

Show more answers
1. Log into your Twitter account. Click on "Settings and privacy".
2. Scroll down to "Settings." Click on the "Privacy and safety" tab.
3. Scroll down to the privacy section. Check the "Protect my Tweets."
4. Scroll down to the bottom of the page. Hit "Save changes".

Making your Twitter account private is not a retroactive procedure, so any tweets and photos you published prior to protecting your account will still be public. They may not be visible from your Twitter, but anyone who has favorited, retweeted, or linked formerly public Tweets can still access them regardless of whether you have approved them as followers.

You can delete any tweets that were posted publicly to keep your information private.

Twitters users who are not following you will not be able to read your replies to their tweets. If you want certain Twitter users to have the ability to read your replies, encourage those users to follow you.

About This Article

This version of How to Make Your Twitter Account Private was reviewed on July 2, 2017.

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How to Make Your Twitter Account Private

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Your Twitter account is set to public by default, but you can make it private so that only approved users can subscribe to and view your tweets. Read this wikiHow to learn how. Understand what protecting your tweets will do. Before your...

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Control Alt Achieve: Taming Twitter for Time-strapped Teachers and Techies

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Control Alt Achieve: Taming Twitter for Time-strapped Teachers and Techies

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If you are an educator, and you are not using Twitter, you need to be. It is a powerful way to connect with other educators around the world to share your ideas, learn from others, discover resources, build relationships, and be inspired to transform your teaching and your students' learning.

However, if you are an educator and you are using Twitter, it can still be quite a challenge to use it well. Twitter has over 300 million active users (and many more inactive) sending over 500 million tweets per day (about 6,000 tweets per second). Trying to get useful information from Twitter has often be compared to trying to take a sip of water from a fire hose.

For many years, I found myself in just that situation. I was a Twitter user but didn't feel like I was making the best use of it. Just like any educator, the one thing I don't have is spare time. I was miserably failing to keep up with the flood of tweets, or to pull out useful information from it. Watching the Twitter site felt like staring at the computer screen in the Matrix movie, trying to process the constant flow of cryptic symbols.

Recently though, that all changed. Using a simple collection of tools and processes, I was able to tame Twitter. For me this meant:

Finding my Flock - following the appropriate people

Crowdsourcing the Content - discovering relevant and valuable posts

Listening at my Leisure - consuming it in a manner that fits my crazy life

See below for a detailed description of the tools and steps that have worked for me. These include Tweetdeck, hashtags, Twitter chats, Nuzzel, Pocket, and more. You may be familiar with some of these tools, but hopefully you will discover some new resources and see some options for putting them together to help you make the most out of Twitter.

Step #1 - Find your Flock

The first step in getting the most out of Twitter is to follow the right people. You need to build up a large collection of people who share your interests and passions, and who share valuable and relevant content. So how do you find these people? Certainly there are many good methods, but below are a few options that have worked well for me.

Hashtags

Most likely you are already familiar with hashtags, but if not, a hashtag is simply a word with the # symbol at the start, which is used to categorize a tweet so people can find the tweet more easily. For example, if I were to share a tweet about some creative use of Google Apps, I might end the tweet with #googleedu or #gafechat or both.

What you need to do is figure out the hashtags that apply to your areas of interest, find Tweets with those hashtags, and then potentially follow the people who posted those tweets.

A great way to find the hashtags for your subject, position, or educational interest, is to read through Jerry Blumengarten's massive list of educational hashtags at:
There you will find hashtags related to subject areas, grade levels, teachers, techies, admins, and much more. Once you have identified some hashtags of interest, you now need to find tweets that include them.

For this I use Tweetdeck at https://tweetdeck.twitter.com. Tweetdeck is a web app that allows you to create custom columns, where each column pulls in tweets based on criteria you set. For example, if you love Dave Burgess' book "Teach Like a Pirate" you can create a Tweetdeck column that only shows tweets with the hashtag #tlap.

To create hashtag columns, do the following:

1. Launch Tweetdeck at https://tweetdeck.twitter.com (and sign in if not already)

2. Click in the "Search" box in the top left corner and type in your search term such as #edtech or #ohedchat

3. In the pop-up search result window, click on the hashtag you entered.

4. This will give you a preview of the most recent tweets using that hashtag.

5. At the bottom of the preview window, click the "Add Column" button.

6. You will now have a column in Tweetdeck that will auto-update with any new tweets that use that hashtag.

7. Repeat this for other hashtags of interest.

Now when you open Tweetdeck you can see tweets that should be relevant to your interests, as well as see the people who are posting those tweets. If you find someone who seems to be posting lots of useful content, simply click on their name in one of their posts and click the " Follow " button to follow them. This will help you to build your collection of people.

Twitter Chats

Another great way to find people to follow is to participate in Twitter chats. A Twitter chat is an event scheduled for a specific time (usually an hour long) on a particular subject (like favorite Chrome extensions for students) using a designated hashtag (such as #gafechat). Usually there is a moderator who will ask questions of the group over the course of the chat, and anyone participating can answer the questions and share their ideas by tweeting with the chat's hashtag.

Twitter chats move VERY fast with lots of people posting, so it is helpful to set up a Tweetdeck column for the chat's hashtag. Most chats also get archived and all recorded comments can be viewed later on a specified website as indicated by the moderator.

There are educational Twitter chats going on all the time, covering every topic imaginable. You can view a comprehensive list of chats with their dates and times at the Education Chat website at:
Because Twitter chats focus on a topic, and pull together like-minded people who are excited to share ideas, this is another great way to find people to follow.

Curated Lists

A final way to build your flock is to look for pre-made lists of recommended people. A simple Google search for "educators to follow on twitter" (or some variation of that) will provide you with many folks to begin with.

If you are specifically interest in educational technology, a recent article listed the " 2016 Top 200 EdTech and eLearning Influencers and Brands " on Twitter. Although no list is perfect, and many great people are certainly left off, this is a useful place to find some excellent users to follow. I was surprise and honored to find out I was listed as #88 on the list!

You can access the article at:
Once in the article, you will have to fill out a brief form to download the full list of 200 people and 200 brands.

By the way, if you would like to follow me on Twitter, I try to share several posts each day on creative ways to use technology for teaching and learning, often with a focus on Google tools, as well as online EdTech articles I have read and found to be valuable. You can follow me at:

Step #2 - Crowdsource the Content

OK, so now you found your flock and are following hundreds (thousands?) of people who share your educational interests. Of course as you follow more and more people (which is good) you now end up with more and more tweets your Twitter stream (which can cause a problem). This is back to the issue of trying to take a sip of water from a fire hose. Now that you have all these amazing educators sharing awesome posts, resources, and ideas, you need to find a way to identify the best tweets.

Now I am sure there are several ways to go about this, and I would love to hear ideas from other users on how you pull out the most useful content. For me what has worked best is Nuzzel.

Nuzzel is a free service that curates content from the people you follow on Twitter. When you sign up for Nuzzel, you give it permission to see who you follow, so Nuzzel can read all of the tweets they post. Then Nuzzel looks to see which blog posts, websites, and other links are being tweeted and re-tweeted the most by the people you follow.

Although it is certainly possible that a diamond in the rough may get missed, chances are the most impactful content will most likely get shared more often. If you have built a good list of people to follow, the most popular content should be something you care about.

For me Nuzzel has been a lifesaver. When I check the site or mobile app, I quickly see what posts are trending with the people I follow, and I always find valuable resources and articles to read.

You can access Nuzzel in several ways:

Steps #3 - Listen at your Leisure

And now we get to the final step. We have found our flock and are following loads of awesome people. We have crowdsourced the content by letting Nuzzel curate the most popular tweets. Even though we have taken the firehose and narrowed it down to a manageable trickle, we still may struggle to find the time to read the awesome articles and blog posts we have found.

This is where I use the last tool in my system, which is Pocket.

Pocket is a free service that lets you save interesting articles and blog posts for later, so you can read them when you have time. The best thing about Pocket however, is that the mobile app has text to speech built in. So that means, Pocket can read all my saved articles to me when I am driving to work, mowing the yard, going for a jog, and such.

Here are my steps for using Pocket:

First I need to add content to Pocket. I try to check Nuzzel a few times per day to see what new content I want to consume. When I find an article or blog post that looks interesting, I save it to Pocket for later.

If I am using my desktop or laptop at the time, then I use the Pocket Chrome web extension. I simply open the article from Nuzzel, and then click on the "Save to Pocket" extension. The article will now be saved and will be accessible later through the Pocket mobile app.

If I am using the Nuzzel mobile app, which is often the case, I simply click the share button and select " Add to Pocket". To get this option you will need to have the Pocket mobile app installed on your Android or iOS mobile device. You can install those through the links below:

Later in the day when I have some time driving, waiting in line, exercising, or doing housework, I can open Pocket on my phone and have it read the saved articles to me.

Simply click on an article in Pocket to open it.

Next click the menu button (in Android that is the three dots in the top right corner) and choose "Listen (TTS)" from the drop down menu.

Pocket will now read the saved post or article aloud.

When done listening to the article I can decide to delete it if it turned out not to be valuable or relevant. But if it was useful, I can:

Tweet it out right from the Pocket app.

Add tags to the article in Pocket to keep it organized for later use.

Archive it in Pocket to remove it from my main screen.

Conclusion

Using these tools I finally feel that I am able to use Twitter in a valuable way. Every day I am finding useful and relevant content, curated from the hundreds of educators that I follow from all over the world. I am able to listen to the articles and posts in a way that fits into my busy life. The educational technology content inspires me, informs me, and helps me grow deeper in my profession. Hopefully it also helps the thousands of people who follow me as I reshare the most powerful content I find.

And now you can do the same! Please feel free to use any or all of these tools and ideas to grow your PLN, find the best resources, and consume the content in a way that works for you. If you have other ideas and suggestions, please feel free to share in the comments below. I am always excited to learn something new.

Post by Eric Curts. Connect with Eric on Twitter at twitter.com/ericcurts and on Google+ at plus.google.com/+EricCurts1

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Taming Twitter for Time-strapped Teachers and Techies

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If you are an educator, and you are not using Twitter, you need to be. It is a powerful way to connect with other educators around the world to share your ideas, learn from others, discover resources, build relationships, and be inspired to transform your teaching and your students' learning.

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Why School Administrators Should Take an Interest in Twitter | Gaggle Speaks Blog | Jackie Myers

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Why School Administrators Should Take an Interest in Twitter | Gaggle Speaks Blog | Jackie Myers

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While 140 characters can seem limited, there's quite a bit of value in a Tweet. The timeliness of a quick post to Twitter is a useful way for just-in-time learning while hashtags make information more digestible. Here are four reasons why every school administrator should take an interest in using Twitter.

Give parents a window into what's happening
Parents often only know what's going on in their child's school from a school newsletter or what their son or daughter tells them. Twitter gives you an opportunity to reach parents directly without the need of a man, or child, in the middle.

Free PR for your school or district
Sometimes running an actual public relations campaign isn't in the budget, but there are other ways to get the job done. Use Twitter to make announcements about your school, and join in community conversations to keep your brand relevant.

Stay on top of what's going on
School administrators can keep up with the culture of education just through a simple click. Following relevant bloggers and hashtags provides up-to-date information on what people are doing to advance education in the digital age.

Get in tune with how your students are learning
There's no denying that social media has a place in education. Teachers are incorporating Twitter and other platforms into their learning spaces, and the benefits are undeniable. Don't be in the dark about the platforms your teachers and students are using in the classroom.

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Why School Administrators Should Take an Interest in Twitter | Gaggle Speaks

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While 140 characters can seem limited, there's quite a bit of value in a Tweet. The timeliness of a quick post to Twitter is a useful way for just-in-time learning while hashtags make information more digestible. Here are four reasons why every school administrator should take an interest in using Twitter.

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Participating in a Twitter Chat - Teacher Tech

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Participating in a Twitter Chat - Teacher Tech

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I frequently moderate and participate in Twitter Chats. This is an important part of my PLN because it allows me to have focused conversations with passionate educators who will give me new ideas and challenge my thinking. Twitter chats are also a great place to find educators to add to my PLN. If you are looking to connect with educators who value Twitter as a means to improve their craft, these are people who are willing to schedule an hour into their day to talk about something related to teaching. These are educators who are looking to connect and share.

A Twitter Chat is a one hour conversation on Twitter where everyone uses a common hashtag. Typically this is a focused topic with structured questions. Participants are online at the same time. It is a synchronous conversation.

CLICK HERE for a list of Twitter Chats for educators. Thank you @thomascmurray , @cevans5095 and @cybraryman1 for providing this resource.

Use bit.ly/educhatcalendar created by @jrochelle to find out what chats are happening right now.

A hashtag is a topic. You can search for the hashtag and find people talking on that topic. This allows you to find the conversations that are going on, even with people who you do not know or follow. Include the hashtag on every tweet and every reply.

Twitter attracts spammers. Your tweets might not show up on a hashtag search until you have demonstrated to Twitter that you are not a robot account. Having 10 followers signals to Twitter that people want to hear what you have to say. Search the hashtag in advance and reply and retweet to some of the tweeps. Remember people are on Twitter because they WANT to connect with other educators, so do not be afraid to jump into someone's conversation.

CLICK HERE for a list of educators by subject area. Get started by following @alicekeeler, @burgessdave, @jenroberts1, @catlin_tucker, @adambellow, @lhighfill, @teachingwthsoul, @bradmcurrie

Nothing says spammer like having a newbie egg for a picture. Educators are on Twitter to connect with other educators. Upload a profile picture to help people connect with you. Consider what types of tweeps you want to attract. If you're on Twitter to connect with educators make sure your bio at least mentions that you are a teacher. What else, related to education, are you passionate about? Include that in your bio as well.

CLICK HERE for my blog post on getting started with Twitter for Educators.

Trying to follow at Twitter Chat on twitter.com can be frustrating. You have to click on "All" at the top to see all of the tweets and you have to refresh the search frequently.

Go to http://tweetdeck.com or another Twitter client to help manage the chat. I use the web version of Tweetdeck.

Search the Hashtag

In the upper left hand corner of Tweetdeck is a search icon. Click on this, type in the hashtag, and press enter. This will create a suggested column for that hashtag. Click on "Add Column" button down at the bottom. This will allow you to follow along with the chat as it happens.

Press N to compose a tweet.

In Tweetdeck (and in Twitter) you can hit the N key to start to compose a new tweet. You can also click on the blue box with a quill icon in the upper left to compose a tweet. Do not forget the hashtag when you tweet. If you forget the hashtag, tweet it again with the hashtag.

Move the Column

I like to have my Twitter Chat column right next to my notifications column. This allows me to participate in the chat and respond to people directly mentioning me. The upper left hand side of the column are 3 lines, grippy bars. If you hover over them your arrow changes into a move arrow. You can grab and drag the column into place.

Twitter Chats happen at a specific day and time. Be online with a column in Tweetdeck for the chat hashtag at that designated time. Look for what people are tweeting on the hashtag.

Twitter Chats have a moderator, someone who is posting the chat questions and is helping to further the conversation. You may want to create a column in Tweetdeck for the moderator. Twitter Chats can go by very quickly and it can be difficult to catch the question being tweeted out.

Even if you are late, announce who you are and that you intend on participating in the chat. As always, include the hashtag.

While you can lurk on a Twitter Chat, the purpose is to have a conversation. Hover over a tweet to find the reply and retweet icons. When replying, remember to add the chat hashtag.

Many Twitter Chats use the Q1 and A1 format to designate questions and answers. The moderator will ask a question approximately every 6-8 minutes. Look for a tweet that starts Q1:

The Q1: is the question. Respond to the question by composing a new tweet and starting that tweet with A1:, indicating that you are replying to question 1. You should see a lot of tweets in the chat with A1:

When you start to see some A2: tweets, you may have missed the second question Q2. Scroll down to find the Q2. If you have the moderator in a separate column you can also find the next question there.

Different chats have different participation rates. Some chats have so many people participating that the twitter feed flows like a waterfall and you can not keep up. DO NOT TRY. You do not need to read every tweet in a chat.

Scroll a little on the column in Tweetdeck and it freezes the column at that spot to allow you to read and respond to a few people. Scroll all the way back to the top to start the flow of tweets again. Do not feel that you need to scroll down to catch up on the ones you missed. Pick up from the current spot. Sometimes you will miss a question, that is okay, participate in the current question being discussed. It is okay to go back and reference a previous question, just make sure to use the appropriate A1, A2, A3, etc... to provide people context as to what you are replying to.

One trick I will use is to make two columns in Tweetdeck for the same hashtag. I simply do the hashtag search twice and add the column twice. One I let be in real time and the other column I use to freeze and respond to people in the chat.

New to a Twitter Chat? Do not be afraid to say so and ask if someone will help you out. It is okay to ask what the question was if you missed it.

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Participating in a Twitter Chat - Teacher Tech

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I frequently moderate and participate in Twitter Chats. This is an important part of my PLN because it allows me to have focused conversations with passionate educators who will give me new ideas and challenge my thinking. Twitter chats are also a great place to find educators to add to my PLN.

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Edutech for Teachers » Blog Archive » The Popular Educational Twitter Hashtags Infographic

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Edutech for Teachers » Blog Archive » The Popular Educational Twitter Hashtags Infographic

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#edtech, #edchat, #elearning and #techcoach top the list of my most favorite Twitter hashtags. But these trending topics are not the only social media hotspots in which educators with common interests can share ideas, best practices and resources to power up the teaching and learning in their classrooms.

If you really want to be in the know and/or get involved in the cyber conversation, then you'll definitely want to check out the infographic shown below. This nifty visual provides a super cool color-coded word cloud showing the most popular educational hashtags, topics and chats on Twitter as well as a key to help you decide how and when to use each topic to connect with other like-minded peeps.

A shout out to OnlineCollegeCourses.com for creating and sharing this useful info!
Classroom Connection:
Use the hastags on the infographic to make meaningful connections with other educators who hang out on the edtech scene. Not only will you benefit from creating a PLN on Twitter, but your students will as well!

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The Popular Educational Twitter Hashtags Infographic

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edtech, #edchat, #elearning and #techcoach top the list of my most favorite Twitter hashtags. But these trending topics are not the only social media hotspots in which educators with common interests can share ideas, best practices and resources to power up the teaching and learning in their classrooms. If you really want to be in the know and/or get involved in the cyber conversation, then you'll definitely want to check out the infographic shown below.

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Managing multiple social media platforms is often difficult. However, you can make the process as painless as possible with some quick Twitter tips to accelerate your social media marketing efforts. Why? You know that feeling when you don't understand what somebody has said, but by the time you gather enough courage to ask them to explain it, too much time has passed? Some budding social media marketers can relate to this feeling when they are looking for tips for their social media marketing efforts.

While it's so easy to gain a big picture understanding of platforms, including the ability to use them for your professional and personal needs, sometimes you've missed some crucial basics that can mean the difference between good and great engagement and reach.

We want to help you master Twitter marketing starting with some basic definitions and Twitter tips for beginners. To make this as easy as possible, we've rounded up a guide with 18 practical Twitter tips that will take your tweet status from offbeat to retweet.

Bonus: Download the free strategy guide that reveals how Hootsuite grew our Twitter following to over 7 million users and learn how you can put the tactics to work for your business.

Twitter marketing definitions

Before getting into the guide, it's a good idea to set a foundation with some basic definitions for those of us who were wondering what all these terms meant, but were too afraid to ask. Our annual "Social Media Glossary" provides a huge directory of definitions as well, but the main ones to know for your Twitter vocabulary include the following:

Tweet: A Twitter message. Tweets can contain up to 140 characters of text, as well as photos, videos, and other forms of media. They are public by default and will show up in Twitter timelines and searches unless they are sent from Protected Accounts or as Direct Messages. Tweets can also be embedded in webpages.

Retweet: A Tweet that is re-shared to the followers of another user's Twitter account. There are two kinds of Retweets: the classic "manual" Retweet and the now-standard "web Retweet." In a manual Retweet, you simply type "RT" before the @username and content of somebody else's Tweet. This used to be the only way you could retweet, and it's the still only way to add your own comment to a Tweet when you pass it along.

A "web Retweet" is what happens when you click the official Retweet button: the full Tweet appears in your timeline in its original form, complete with the author's name and avatar. Since a web Retweet allows your followers to easily retweet or favorite the original Tweet, it's generally considered good etiquette to use this method unless you have something valuable to add through a manual RT.

Feed: The main place where the steady stream of updates and information from other users is presented to you. On Twitter, your Twitter feed shows updates posted and shared by those you follow.

Handle: Handle is another way of saying your account name. Hootsuite's Twitter handle is @Hootsuite and Twitter's is @Twitter, for example. It's important that you try and maintain consistent handles on all of your social network profiles, since people who follow you on Twitter might want to find you on Instagram or Pinterest. A consistent handle helps with discoverability.

Mention: The act of tagging another user's handle or account name in a social media message. Mentions typically trigger a notification for that user and are a key part of what makes social media "social." When properly formatted (for example, as an @mention on Twitter or +mention on Google+), a mention also allows your audience to click through to the mentioned user's bio or profile.

Direct Message: A direct message (DM) is a private Twitter message sent to one of your followers. Direct messages can only be sent to a Twitter user who is already following you, and you can only receive direct messages from users you follow.

Hashtag: The hashtag is a word or phrase preceded by the "#" sign. Hashtags are a simple way to mark the topic (or topics) of social media messages and make them discoverable to people with shared interests. On most social networks, clicking a hashtag will reveal all the public and recently published messages that also contain that hashtag. Hashtags first emerged on Twitter as a user-created phenomenon and are now used on almost every other social media platform, including Facebook, Google+, Instagram, Vine and Pinterest.

Quote Tweet: A way to retweet where a user can include their own comments along with the tweet.

Twitter Tips for Marketers

Image by id-iom via Flickr

Now that you know the core definitions needed to navigate Twitter for marketing, we offer the following list of top Twitter marketing tips to help you get the most out of the social media platform.

1. Use keywords

In order to attract a specific audience, include discoverable keywords, with links to highly valuable content, in your Tweets. As explained here, "keyword targeting allows you to connect with users based on words and phrases they've recently Tweeted or searched for on Twitter," which allows you to connect with your audience at the most relevant level.

2. Target influencers

It's a smart idea to follow companies, influencers and like-minded individuals that you plan to engage with in the future on Twitter. As we explain here, when trying to find and connect with influencers, "the three attributes that are most important for marketers to factor are relevance, reach, and resonance."

3. Use hashtags

Hashtags are a no-brainer as they ensure that your content is as discoverable as possible, and enable you to connect with like-minded users. For help with hashtag best practices, we've provided a thorough guide here.

4. Give credit

If you see content that adds value, give credit where it is due. You know how great it feels when somebody else gives your content credit? Share the love. Favourite, quote, and retweet Tweets that you find helpful to gain potential followers and build online relationships.

5. Utilize scheduling

To save time, as well as enhance organization, it's a good idea to schedule tweets. By planning for Tweets to go out at peak times, you can ensure you are improving visibility. There are many different ways and approaches to scheduling tweets, so we've provided a simple guide here.
Start scheduling tweets now with Hootsuite. Try it free today Learn More
6. Encourage engagement

You've heard it time and time again-engagement is key to social media success. While of course connecting with mutual followers is important, to build credibility and audience we recommend engaging with your non followers as well. If you want to learn how to attract and engage more Twitter followers, our guide here will help you do just that.

7. Create lists

To get the most of your Twitter feed and keep organized, we recommend setting up Twitter lists to create groups with relevant users and organizations. As our guide to Twitter lists explains, "lists offer a way to see updates from specific people you have decided to focus your attention on," and in doing so, allowing you to be more engaged and up to date on those who add the most value to your online efforts.

8. Optimize your profile

Your Twitter profile is where other users get their first impressions of you, so it's important that you take advantage of this part of your online presence. Ensure your Twitter profile has a tasteful image that's consistent with what you are using on other social networks, an accurate description in your bio, and a header image. As Jay Baer explains, " your Twitter profile is the most important landing page for your brand," so you want to make sure it's helping, not hurting, your efforts.

9. Use images

It's a fact that Tweets including images receive more engagement, which is reason enough to make sharing images and videos on Twitter a priority. As emphasized in our guide to getting more Twitter followers and engagement, 'According to a study of Promoted Tweets from SMB advertisers conducted by Twitter, Tweets with images generate 313 percent more engagement than those without."

10. Be consistent

Whenever I'm looking to clean-up my Twitter feed and unfollow users, I always seek out accounts that haven't posted in awhile. Whether running a personal or professional account, commitment to posting is an important factor in ensuring you continuously add value to your followers. While of course it's possible to overwhelm your followers by posting too much, " we suggest posting once a day at the very least. Experiment with posting more than that, and then pay attention to how your followers react to find the frequency that works best for you."

11. Exercise portion control

While one of the biggest challenges of Twitter can be fitting your message into the designated 140 characters, try your best not to use all of these just because they are available. As engagement should be one of your top priorities with your social media strategy, you definitely want to leave room for mentions and comments through retweets so that your content can easily and painlessly be shared.

12. Toot your own horn

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. This advice also rings true for your highest performing Tweets. If you notice a Tweet of yours that continuously gets shared and sees engagement, keep promoting it. It's also completely justified to pin Tweets to the top of your feed to bring more attention to the top-performers and further increase engagement potential.

13. Focus on quality over quantity

As with most things in life, when it comes to your Twitter strategy you should place more importance on quality over quantity. While it is, of course, tempting to focus on your number of followers, ignore this number and instead dedicate time to building quality relationships with other users of relevance.

14. Monitor closely

Social listening is an incredibly valuable asset to building and growing your Twitter strategy, and using a social media monitoring tool can help you do this as easily as possible. Being able to see what your customers and potential clients are discussing, whether it be directly related to your brand or just generally to your industry, has incredible value in your ability to establish marketing forecasts and initiatives.

15. Have patience

While we all love instant gratification, patience with your social media approach is key. In recognizing that you will not instantly gain thousands of followers, retweets, or favourites overnight, you are able to concentrate on building value through engagement and content, which will help your number of quality followers and interactions flourish organically.

16. Don't be vain

If you want your Twitter strategy to be successful, it's important to understand that it can't all be about you. Not many other users will find value in the content you share if it's only obviously self-servicing. Make an effort to focus on your audience and share, retweet and mention their content on a regular basis.

17. Keep it short

We've all seen those unfortunate tweets where the 140 characters are mostly used up by a lengthy URL. This is a preventable tragedy which can be simply solved by using a URL shortener like that provided in the Hootsuite dashboard. In doing this, you allow for more information to be shared, as well as increase the ability for others to share, retweet, and add their own comments to your content.

18. Initiate conversations

While it's all well and good to simply favourite a tweet that somebody mentions you in, by taking it that one step further and initiating an actual conversation with that user you are showing a dedication towards engagement that many others neglect.

Even in offering a simple "thank you for sharing!" or asking them what they took away from your post, you are helping open up windows of communication that would otherwise remain closed, thus establishing irreplaceable rapport that will potentially help you in the future.

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Managing multiple social media platforms is often difficult. However, you can make the process as painless as possible with some quick Twitter tips to accelerate your social media marketing efforts. Why? You know that feeling when you don't understand what somebody has said, but by the time you gather enough courage to ask them to explain it, too much time has passed?

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The Teacher's Guide To Twitter - Google Docs

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The Teacher's Guide To Twitter - Google Docs

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cybraryman.com/edhashtags.html great resrouces for educational hashtags #iTeachDigital

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Twitter Curator lets you search and save tweets right inside your Google documents. It is like Storify for Google Docs.

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Bonding through Blogging: How to get started with Twitter

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Bonding through Blogging: How to get started with Twitter

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My personal opinion is that it is vital for a teacher to get on to Twitter in order to find out what is happening in education in the broader community. I have learned SO much from Twitter and am connected to fantastic educators all over the world as a result of using it. This post will show you how to get started.

What is Twitter?
Twitter is a free social networking service that allows its users to send and read short 140-character messages known as tweets. It's a fantastic way to share ideas and learn from other teachers - in fact it's an indispensable tool for educators around the globe. Once you have got started on Twitter and benefitted from networking with other teachers, you'll wonder how you survived before that! (By the way, my Twitter handle is @fibeal

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My personal opinion is that it is vital for a teacher to get on to Twitter in order to find out what is happening in education in the broader community. I have learned SO much from Twitter and am connected to fantastic educators all over the world as a result of using it.

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3 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Like most people I know, I've been an avid Facebook and LinkedIn user for years. But there was one platform I never appreciated much: Twitter. I'm not sure why, but I never connected with Twitter -- until now.
Related: What I Wish All My Employees Knew About Twitter
I recently started using the platform, and I now think it's just plain awesome. In addition to the hours of mental stimulation it can provide, it's a great tool for entrepreneurs to aid the growth of their businesses.

Here are just a few things to love about Twitter:

1. Never-ending, digestible information

Twitter is a gateway to a massive amount of information. Opinions, news, videos, photos and more are readily available from millions of people and organizations around the world. The information is endless. In fact, 63 percent of Twitter users surveyed by Pew Research in 2015 said they read news on the platform.

Although Twitter is home to a never-ending stream of content, it doesn't have to be overwhelming -- in fact it can be quite digestible. The platform is easy to navigate and search for hashtags, trending topics, handles or newsfeed.

2. Real-time updates

Twitter showcases the most recent and relevant events as they happen. It's as real-time as social media gets. As situations unfold, users can see the thoughts and feelings of individuals at that moment.

For example, I followed #blizzard2016nyc as New York's recent snowstorm raged on. I saw pictures, read first-hand information about conditions and learned when it was safe to venture out.

You can also monitor hashtags for industry conferences and events, campaigns and product rollouts or stay current on relevant topics to post about and discuss with followers. On the Internet, relevancy is everything, and Twitter empowers entrepreneurs with real-time updates to stay in the know.
Related: Twitter Embraces a YouTube-Like Video Monetization Model For 'All Publishers and Creators'
3. Access to hard-to-reach people

Twitter is the great equalizer platform. Presidential candidates, celebrities, artists, leaders and other prominent figures are active on Twitter and many of them engage with their followers on a regular basis. For example, Taylor Swift is well-known for engaging significantly with her Twitter fans, even surprise-visiting them at their houses!

Contacting mentors or role models for advice, asking founders for their opinions on industry news and events and getting influencers to share product information and reviews are all now possible with Twitter.

4. New connections

Twitter, like other social networks, opens the door to new connections. But Twitter is more open than Facebook and LinkedIn, making it easier to find new people and build relationships with them.

Entrepreneurs can find new clients, colleagues, mentors or their next superstar employee. In fact, 47 percent of recruiters surveyed by Jobvite in 2015 said they used Twitter to find talent.

However small, relationships started on Twitter can impact your business and its growth.
Why are you obsessed with Twitter? Share what you love most about the platform in the comments below! Related: 5 Steps to Harnessing the Power of Twitter

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3 min read Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. Like most people I know, I've been an avid Facebook and LinkedIn user for years. But there was one platform I never appreciated much: Twitter. I'm not sure why, but I never connected with Twitter -- until now.

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Follow a #hashtag From Multiple Sources - Tucker Tech Talk

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Follow a #hashtag From Multiple Sources - Tucker Tech Talk

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Typically, when I think of following a hashtag, I immediately think of Twitter. However, hashtags are now used across different social media sites.

Tagboard is a free resource that allows you to search for a hashtag. It creates a board that displays the messages from multiple sources (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Google+, Vine, and Flickr) that are all labeled with the same hashtag.

In our district, we encourage our teachers, administrators, and students to use #emsproud as a hashtag. When I search, I see lots of tweets as well as a few Facebook and Instagram posts.

Easy, peasy!

How can you use Tagboard in your classroom?

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Follow a #hashtag From Multiple Sources - Tucker Tech Talk

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Typically, when I think of following a hashtag, I immediately think of Twitter. However, hashtags are now used across different social media sites. Tagboard is a free resource that allows you to search for a hashtag. It creates a board that displays the messages from multiple sources (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Google+, Vine, and Flickr) that are ...

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Participating in a Twitter Chat | Teacher Tech

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Participating in a Twitter Chat | Teacher Tech

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I frequently moderate and participate in Twitter Chats. This is an important part of my PLN because it allows me to have focused conversations with passionate educators who will give me new ideas and challenge my thinking. Twitter chats are also a great place to find educators to add to my PLN. If you are looking to connect with educators who value Twitter as a means to improve their craft, these are people who are willing to schedule an hour into their day to talk about something related to teaching. These are educators who are looking to connect and share.

A Twitter Chat is a one hour conversation on Twitter where everyone uses a common hashtag. Typically this is a focused topic with structured questions. Participants are online at the same time. It is a synchronous conversation.

CLICK HERE for a list of Twitter Chats for educators. Thank you @thomascmurray , @cevans5095 and @cybraryman1 for providing this resource.

Use bit.ly/educhatcalendar created by @jrochelle to find out what chats are happening right now.

A hashtag is a topic. You can search for the hashtag and find people talking on that topic. This allows you to find the conversations that are going on, even with people who you do not know or follow. Include the hashtag on every tweet and every reply.

Twitter attracts spammers. Your tweets might not show up on a hashtag search until you have demonstrated to Twitter that you are not a robot account. Having 10 followers signals to Twitter that people want to hear what you have to say. Search the hashtag in advance and reply and retweet to some of the tweeps. Remember people are on Twitter because they WANT to connect with other educators, so do not be afraid to jump into someone's conversation.

CLICK HERE for a list of educators by subject area. Get started by following @alicekeeler, @burgessdave, @jenroberts1, @catlin_tucker, @adambellow, @lhighfill, @teachingwthsoul, @bradmcurrie

Nothing says spammer like having a newbie egg for a picture. Educators are on Twitter to connect with other educators. Upload a profile picture to help people connect with you. Consider what types of tweeps you want to attract. If you're on Twitter to connect with educators make sure your bio at least mentions that you are a teacher. What else, related to education, are you passionate about? Include that in your bio as well.

CLICK HERE for my blog post on getting started with Twitter for Educators.

Trying to follow at Twitter Chat on twitter.com can be frustrating. You have to click on "All" at the top to see all of the tweets and you have to refresh the search frequently.

Go to http://tweetdeck.com or another Twitter client to help manage the chat. I use the web version of Tweetdeck.

Search the Hashtag

In the upper left hand corner of Tweetdeck is a search icon. Click on this, type in the hashtag, and press enter. This will create a suggested column for that hashtag. Click on "Add Column" button down at the bottom. This will allow you to follow along with the chat as it happens.

Press N to compose a tweet.

In Tweetdeck (and in Twitter) you can hit the N key to start to compose a new tweet. You can also click on the blue box with a quill icon in the upper left to compose a tweet. Do not forget the hashtag when you tweet. If you forget the hashtag, tweet it again with the hashtag.

Move the Column

I like to have my Twitter Chat column right next to my notifications column. This allows me to participate in the chat and respond to people directly mentioning me. The upper left hand side of the column are 3 lines, grippy bars. If you hover over them your arrow changes into a move arrow. You can grab and drag the column into place.

Twitter Chats happen at a specific day and time. Be online with a column in Tweetdeck for the chat hashtag at that designated time. Look for what people are tweeting on the hashtag.

Twitter Chats have a moderator, someone who is posting the chat questions and is helping to further the conversation. You may want to create a column in Tweetdeck for the moderator. Twitter Chats can go by very quickly and it can be difficult to catch the question being tweeted out.

Even if you are late, announce who you are and that you intend on participating in the chat. As always, include the hashtag.

While you can lurk on a Twitter Chat, the purpose is to have a conversation. Hover over a tweet to find the reply and retweet icons. When replying, remember to add the chat hashtag.

Many Twitter Chats use the Q1 and A1 format to designate questions and answers. The moderator will ask a question approximately every 6-8 minutes. Look for a tweet that starts Q1:

The Q1: is the question. Respond to the question by composing a new tweet and starting that tweet with A1:, indicating that you are replying to question 1. You should see a lot of tweets in the chat with A1:

When you start to see some A2: tweets, you may have missed the second question Q2. Scroll down to find the Q2. If you have the moderator in a separate column you can also find the next question there.

Different chats have different participation rates. Some chats have so many people participating that the twitter feed flows like a waterfall and you can not keep up. DO NOT TRY. You do not need to read every tweet in a chat.

Scroll a little on the column in Tweetdeck and it freezes the column at that spot to allow you to read and respond to a few people. Scroll all the way back to the top to start the flow of tweets again. Do not feel that you need to scroll down to catch up on the ones you missed. Pick up from the current spot. Sometimes you will miss a question, that is okay, participate in the current question being discussed. It is okay to go back and reference a previous question, just make sure to use the appropriate A1, A2, A3, etc... to provide people context as to what you are replying to.

One trick I will use is to make two columns in Tweetdeck for the same hashtag. I simply do the hashtag search twice and add the column twice. One I let be in real time and the other column I use to freeze and respond to people in the chat.

New to a Twitter Chat? Do not be afraid to say so and ask if someone will help you out. It is okay to ask what the question was if you missed it.

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Participating in a Twitter Chat - Teacher Tech

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I frequently moderate and participate in Twitter Chats. This is an important part of my PLN because it allows me to have focused conversations with passionate educators who will give me new ideas and challenge my thinking. Twitter chats are also a great place to find educators to add to my PLN.

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Blogging About The Web 2.0 Connected Classroom: A New Year And A New Way To Twitter Chat

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Blogging About The Web 2.0 Connected Classroom: A New Year And A New Way To Twitter Chat

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After being involved with the creation, participation and evolution of one of the largest hashtags and Twitter chats around (#edchat) I always hear the same feedback wherever I go. Things like:

I like the chat, but it's too hard to follow.

Is there a pause button so I can slow it down and read what everyone is saying?

There's a lot of great information but the archives are difficult to search to find what I am looking for.

And over the years, there have been many suggestions that we and others have offered to help participating in these necessary learning events easier - and the experience better. These suggestions have included creating specific columns in apps like Tweetdeck and using chat specific sites like Tweetchat. But there wasn't really one place where educators could go to have a better chat experience...
Until now.

The folks over at Participate Learning have created Chats, a new platform to help anyone participate, follow or catch up on their favorite Twitter chats. As well, Chats is integrated with everything else you can do with Participate Learning, including finding vetted resources, creating collections around topics or lesson plans, and collaborating with others on resource suggestions and how to incorporate in instruction. Here is a Medium post from their CEO that explains why the built Chats.

It works like this.

Head over to their Chats page and pick the chat you want to participate in (live or after the fact). They have over 150 listed, with plans to add more as well as a place to suggest one you'd like to see there. Connect your Twitter account or use your free Participate Learning account and wham-o! You see all the things to make your chat experience better. No only are the Tweets there (that you can scroll through at your leisure), but you have a list of current participants and a whole box of nothing but the resources being shared. You can tweet right from the Chats page, Retweet, Favorite, Reply and other things available in Twitter clients.

So imagine, you have gone through your chat and you want to see the blog posts, websites, apps and more that were shared. Rather than going through the tweets, Participate Learning Chats gathers them all for you right there. Now you can combine those resources with the power of Participate Learning and send them to a collection to share with others, or come back to later.

And it's not just resources either. You can create your own archive of the chat for any time length up to four hours, and save what you need to share it or come back to later.

What's great about all this is you don't even have to be in a chat. You can use these features any time. We know that hashtags are a great way to share information and there is awesome stuff being shared all the time. You can visit Participate Learning Chats and have all the access to the tweets, participants, resources, archives and sharing features.

My only addition I think would be great here would be a calendar to know the dates and times of all the chats listed (and the folks at Participate Learning tell me that is coming really soon!). The Education Chats Calendar also has that information so you can head there before participating.

So head over to Participate Learning and check out their new Chats feature. Use it for your next Twitter chat and let me know what you think!

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A New Year And A New Way To Twitter Chat

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After being involved with the creation, participation and evolution of one of the largest hashtags and Twitter chats around (#edchat) I always hear the same feedback wherever I go. Things like: I like the chat, but it's too hard to follow. Is there a pause button so I can slow it down and read what everyone is saying?

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4 Tips To Search Twitter For eLearning Content - eLearning Industry

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4 Tips To Search Twitter For eLearning Content - eLearning Industry

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Whether you are already using Twitter for eLearning purposes or not, this powerful social media tool can reveal and offer you extremely useful information. In this article, I'll share 4 ways to search Twitter for eLearning content and show you how you can take advantage of this influential social learning platform.

How To Search Twitter For eLearning Content

Looking for credible eLearning content on social media? This might be a challenging goal, as with literally hundreds of billions of accounts out there, social media can be the perfect place to find incorrect and misleading information. Especially when searching for eLearning content, one must be quite critical when using this powerful means. However, the truth is that social media search tools are a very interesting alternative to the typical searching the net way, and, as an eLearning professional, you want to utilize every online resource available to access eLearning content that will enhance the eLearning experience of your audience. If you haven't yet, follow @elearnindustry to keep up with what we're doing, working on, and seeing great sources focused on eLearning.

is a world of information of its own and the great news is you don't need to have a Twitter account in order to use it for search purposes. In this article, I will share 4 tips to search Twitter for eLearning content and use this popular social learning platform to your advantage inside and outside of your virtual classroom.

1. Twitter Hashtags.
As you may already know, there are Twitter about nearly everything. There are hashtags about people, dates, news, events, places, trends, resources, tools, you name it. Hashtags are probably the most efficient way to not only spark an online discussion, but also gather people around online content; this is what you're looking for. But how you can utilize them if you don't have a Twitter account? That's the beauty of it all: You can go to the Twitter search page without having to sign in and write what you are interesting in placing the "#" symbol before. For instance, let's say you want to find information about Social Studies. Use a popular hashtag for social studies education, such as #sschat, and watch Twitter pulling out for you the top, the most retweeted, and the most saved results. You can even click on the "View all" hypertext to get all the results. Most of the results will be conversations about the topic; however, some of them will be links to useful websites, , , and applications that people use, go to, and talk about in the context of social studies education. Isn't this great?

2. Twitter Advanced Search.
One of the two features of Twitter search is advanced search, where you can filter tweets and find specific words, topics, and people. There are 4 advanced search sections; "Words", where you can look for the exact word, phrase, or hashtag, "People", where you can locate specific Twitter accounts, "Places", where you can find trending tweets in a particular location, and "Dates", where you can find information shared within a specific period of time. In the "Other" section you can be even more specific, and see whether the information you are looking for was perceived positively or negatively, or includes a question.

3. Twitter Search Operators.
This is the second feature of Twitter search and it is similar to Google search operators. Twitter search operators support your online search, refine it, and make it much more focused. You can use operators to conduct focused search queries and look for tweets from specific people, sources, dates, and locations. In fact, Twitter search operators, when used properly, may provide you with way more precise and relevant information than the one you will get from typical web search engines!

4. Twitter Trends Related Applications.
The following apps are not free, but may be well worth your investment. Paying attention to Twitter trends will help you find topics related to what you're looking for and stay on top of your field. For example, if you are searching eLearning content for your applied science class, you may be interested in finding topics related to economics or engineering. Consider checking the following applications that offer Twitter trends data:

Trendsmap.
displays the use of hashtags on a world map, so it is really easy to find the trends you are interested in by city, country, or continent.

Hashtags.org.
InHashtags.org you will find what has been trending for the last 24 hours. We're talking about pretty hot trends.

What The Trend.
Here you will find not only what's trending on Twitter, but also why.What The Trend provides tons of Twitter related stats and information by constantly updating the lists of trending topics and allowing you and thousands of other people across the world to explain why specific topics are interesting or important right now. A great opportunity for an online discussion, isn't it?

Now that you know how to search Twitter for eLearning content, you may be interested in learning whether you should use it as an eLearning platform. Read the article Using Twitter For eLearning: 8 Pros and 6 Cons To Consider and find out if incorporating Twitter into your eLearning strategy is a good idea.

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4 Tips To Search Twitter For eLearning Content - eLearning Industry

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Whether you are already using Twitter for eLearning purposes or not, this powerful social media tool can reveal and offer you extremely useful information. In this article, I'll share 4 ways to search Twitter for eLearning content and show you how you can take advantage of this influential social learning platform.

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Twitter 101: Links, Tips and More | ideaFM

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Twitter 101: Links, Tips and More | ideaFM

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Yesterday I was facilitating a Twitter 101 Session at edcampLA and a couple of teachers who were new to twitter asked for a Twitter 101 or Twitter for beginners blog post. We didn't have access to a projector screen in the session so I couldn't show them any posts during the session, so I promised them I would send them a link. Instead of just sending them to one spot I thought I'd post a bunch of links below that are curated by me since I use Twitter a ton and help run two Twitter Chats. So below are some links, tips and thoughts about Twitter that I will update as often as I can.

My two biggest tips on getting people to follow you back on Twitter are:

1. Make sure you have a picture of you in your profile, fill out your bio, and use a header image that gives people a little glimpse of who you are or what you like. Passion is contagious so showing people what you are passionate about in your bio helps find like-minded people.

Here's Mine:

And here are few other examples:

Chris Long loves kettle bells, Eric Saibel Loves Travel and Adventure, Sean Ziebarth loves biking and his blue bug, and Alice Keeler loves her kids so much she will hold them in her arms while she is presenting and still rock it.

Lastly, please tweet out six pictures as soon as possible. I can tell what you are like very quickly just by looking at the picture share part of your Twitter account. I make the majority of my "follow" decisions by looking at your photo shares and by seeing if you are interacting with me.

You can see by Sean Ziebarth's shares on the left he likes people, silliness, taking pictures of his friend Greg eating four donuts and music. You can see that Jodie Morgenson, on the right, LOVES being silly and is a positive person. As I said in my blog post on taking better photos, you can quickly see into a person's soul when you see how they look at the world.

There are lots of Twitter accounts, even teacher accounts, that I consider SPAM accounts. SPAM accounts are those that just share relentlessly without actually interacting with other Twitter users. Worse yet are those that will only share things that they have done or are a part of. Don't be like that.

No one worth their salt cares how many people follow you on Twitter. Heck anyone can buy fake Twitter followers. If you want more followers provide value that people appreciate. Point out other's victories. Post other people's blog posts. Find useful tools and resources and share them. Interact. That's the most important part, remember it's called SOCIAL media. Be sociable, have fun, be a good friend, not a good network.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST: Please, please, don't lock your Twitter account (keep it private) unless you are on the run from the mafia, and then maybe you just shouldn't be on Twitter.

Twitter Basics:

Great Tip by Alice Keeler on how to get a group of people to sign up for Twitter while bypassing all the sign-up steps.
Twitter 101 article by Jeff Dunn on Edudemic
One question I hear from Twitter newbies is how do you follow conversations in Twitter. When you click on a Tweet, if people have replied to the Tweet you will see the entire conversation thread. I going to post a few other observations under the next picture.

1. When you click on a Tweet you will see that it has its own shareable url that you can share, link to in a blog post or presentation or do tasks with it.

2. There are three circles at the bottom of a Tweet. If you click on it...

3. You can share a Tweet via email, Mute the user without unfollowing them (sneaky) or report a Spammer or inappropriate tweet.

4. Here is the conversation thread

5. By putting Twitter handles in your tweet your message will not only show up in the reader of the people that you follow, but the people whose Twitter handles you put in the message will see your message in a special area called "Notifications."

6. Here is where you click to see your Notifications. If there are tweets in here, people really want you to see what you Tweeted. When I'm busy sometimes I will only look at my Notifications.

Twitter Chats:
How To Survive And Thrive In A Twitter Chat.
A list of educational Twitter chats by day, hour, and subject.

Twitter in the Classroom:
Using Twitter Chats In The Classroom Or As An Assessment Tool.
Who to follow on Twitter:

If you go to the lists section of my Twitter account you can see that I keep a curated list of people to follow on Twitter by subject taught, grade level, and their role in education. It's a great list, seriously.
Alice Keeler's List of Teachers by Subject Area on Twitter. UPDATE 2/18/2015:
I had a friend ask me "What do you do on Twitter, how do you use it daily?"

That's a good question:
Here are a few things you should try on Twitter either once a day or once a week.

1. Share a picture of your classroom.

2. Share a picture of some student work.

3. Share a picture of a process or tradition you have in your class, give a short explanation.

4. Share a quote or song that is guiding you lately.

5. Ask a question to a subject area hashtag like #engchat or #tweatre

6. Ask a question of a teacher you don't know.

7. Share a link to a resource, website or video that worked in class.

8. Share a link to a Google doc or Google Presentation that you used in class.

9. Share when a student says something awesome.

10. Share when a co-worker says or does something nice or awesome.

I'll think of more, but hopefully that gives you something to do on Twitter besides sharing pictures of your food and talking about famous people.

The shortlink to this blog post is: bit.ly/twitter101forteachers

Sean Ziebarth and I did a training/presentation for the College Board on using Twitter as a Professional Development tool/strategy. Here is our presentation on using Twitter as a Professional Development tool. Or you can use this shortlink to the presentation: bit.ly/twitterpdpresentation

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Yesterday I was facilitating a Twitter 101 Session at edcampLA and a couple of teachers who were new to twitter asked for a Twitter 101 or Twitter for beginners blog post. We didn't have access to a projector screen in the session so I couldn't show them any posts during the session, so I promised...

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How to Delete All of Your Tweets Immediately

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How to Delete All of Your Tweets Immediately

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How to Delete All of Your Tweets Immediately

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Do you want to start afresh on Twitter without losing your followers or username? Deleting all (or most) of your tweets may be the solution.

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8 Ways to Rock Any Twitter Chat | THE LIFE OF A WORKING GIRL

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8 Ways to Rock Any Twitter Chat | THE LIFE OF A WORKING GIRL

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It's no secret that I enjoy connecting with new people on Twitter. Even more so, I really love talking to people who share my passions during Twitter chats. They present us with an amazing opportunity to meet individuals that are scattered across the world & learn from professionals in our field.

There are so many Twitter chats to choose from; they will all have a unique community, different pace, various formats and even guest appearances. There's only one constant with Twitter chats.

Preparation.

A lot can be going on in the space of an hour and it's easy to get overwhelmed! So here are a few tips & habits that I take with me to every chat I join. If you're looking for more chats to jump into, check out this Twitter Chat Calendar.

BEFORE THE CHAT
Look into the Topic and/or Speaker
Pretty much all chats will announce their topic and guest speakers in the days or week leading up to the chat. Just like this tweet from Paper.li before their weekly #bizheroes chat:

Today on #BizHeroes!! Come chat w/ us about using #email to market your #business! pic.twitter.com/A4HuH5rfA8

- Paper.li (@paper_li) August 4, 2015

This is a great chance for you to look up any key terms, articles and do a bit of background work before diving in. I really recommend this for anyone that has just started joining Twitter chats as it will streamline your thoughts before hand. If there is a guest, have a look at their website to see where they fit into the industry. If their thoughts resonate with you, follow them!
Make Sure You've Been Fed & Watered
I can't speak for everyone... but there's nothing worse than hearing my stomach growl 20 minutes into a chat. If you get up and leave there's a chance that you could miss out on some great tips. If you stay, your mind will be more preoccupied with coffee, cake and that amazing dinner you've planned.

Make sure your mind (and body) can concentrate on the task at hand! Have snacks & drinks ready for the hour long tweet storm you're about to enter!

DURING THE CHAT
Help to Promote The Chat
If a particular topic or guest has really caught your attention then this chat may also be beneficial for other people in your community. Why not be a helping hand and retweet the promotion? Not only are you helping your fellow followers, you're also showing the community that you care enough to help them grow.

This also acts as a gentle warning/reminder to your followers that their timeline will get a bit busy! Everyone appreciates a little warning before a Tweet storm.
Tool Time: Keeping Up With the Discussion
Some Twitter chats are very popular and can stream incredibly quickly. People Skills, Biz Heroes & Buffer chat are just some of many. When this happens I suggest investing in a tool. While following the hashtag on twitter is a great start - it's hard to share your thoughts & reply to others. I use TweetDeck. This wonderful (free) tool, splits your Twitter account into streams so that you can see everything in real time.

I usually have the following active: chat hashtag, notifications & direct messages. This way I can share my ideas, see others & reply to anyone who connects with me, quickly.
Engage With the Community
One of my favorite aspects of Twitter chats is the opportunity to see what other people are thinking. There's so much more to this than simply answering the questions. Connect with people! Share their tweets, ask questions & most importantly - have fun!

It's so easy to get lost in a side conversation and miss a question but don't fear! That's half of the point. You can engage with new people and begin building genuine relationships with them. Give credit where it is due & remember to share your thoughts while respecting the opinions of others.

AFTER THE CHAT
Likes, Retweets & Follows
Chances are if you've shared someone else ideas, it struck a chord with you! Go back to your timeline & make note of them. I'm a huge tool geek (having new tools to test can really make my day), so I always go back and make a list of people's suggestions. Also, remember to follow any people that you've clicked with during the chat. This is the beginning of building a new relationship & you never know what opportunities may arise.

The great thing about Twitter chats is that you're speaking to people with a multitude of experience & knowledge! You can learn something new from everyone so be as willing to listen as you are to contribute.
Thank the Community
You've learned a lot. These people are helping you to grow. Thank them. The little things can make the biggest difference! People have taken the time to organise the chat, get guests, write questions & speak to the community. Make sure that you make them feel valued.
Look Out For the Recap
An hour can fly by but with all of the action taking place it's easy to miss some great ideas. Some people write blogs, others create Storifys - whatever the format, they're all worth going through. You can get a slightly wider scope of the entire conversation & provide additional context that you may not have thought of.

If you're feeling really creative, why not create your own? Try pulling together your favorite tweets and create a SlideShare or Medium post. It will definitely be appreciated by both the moderator & community!

I hope that this helps you to have an amazing time chatting on Twitter. If you feel like I've missed anything, share your ideas in the comments section below!

Happy Tweeting!

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It's no secret that I enjoy connecting with new people on Twitter. Even more so, I really love talking to people who share my passions during Twitter chats. They present us with an amazing opportunity to meet individuals that are scattered across the world & learn from professionals in our field.

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How Twitter Can Power Your Professional Learning | EdTech Magazine

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How Twitter Can Power Your Professional Learning | EdTech Magazine

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Technology Solutions That Drive Education

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I had to chuckle a little when I read some of the posts of educators who had just logged on to Twitter for the first time after ISTE 2015.

Following the #ISTE2015 hashtag, people were posting content that displayed both their excitement and their feeling of being overwhelmed. Whom do I follow? How often should I check my feed? What if I miss something really important?

This activity reminded me of my own initial experience with Twitter, almost four years ago. I had this sense of discovery, followed by a realization that learning from Twitter without ways to manage it was like drinking from an open fire hydrant. I had to control the flow somewhat in order to make this social media tool work for me.

So think of Twitter as a water well or line for your home. You don't have just one line coming into your residence for all your water needs, right? One line goes toward a bathroom, another toward a sink, and maybe another toward your outdoor faucets. Each line serves a different function.

Similarly, there are tools within Twitter and beyond that can serve a similar purpose.

Favoriting Tweets is Just the Beginning

Within each tweet that comes across your feed from the people you follow, there is a star. When you click it, that tweet is saved in your Favorites section. This is the easiest way to save a tweet for later, in case, say, it has a link to an article you enjoyed reading. Favoriting someone's tweet is also a way to acknowledge the author's post without having to reply to or retweet it.

After a while, your favorites list might become a bit long. In that case, consider exploring , a site named after the acronym "if this, then that." This service connects different apps and products through a specific action you take online. These actions happen through recipes, The IFTTT site defines recipes as "simple connections between products and apps"; there are "if" recipes and "do" recipes. Subscribers can access these on the website as well as create and share their own. For example, any tweet I favorite by clicking the star automatically gets saved to a Favorited Tweets notebook within Evernote, a productivity app. It is a better way to organize content for later reading.

Optimize Your Stream with Lists

Your default page when you go to Twitter is your main feed with everyone you follow. While there is a level of excitement within this randomness, our feeds can often be overwhelming. To prevent this, make lists of specific topics and interests.

To start, go to your profile page and select "Lists." Next, create some lists that categorize the different areas of learning you are pursuing online. This is the next step in developing your personal learning network, or PLN. For example, I have lists titled "Admin PLN" for school administrators I follow and admire, and "Authors on Twitter," for writers of children's literature.

Finally, start adding people and organizations on Twitter to these lists. That way you can go directly to these personalized lists for content and conversations relating to information you want.

Flipboard Organizes the Twitter Stream of Consciousness

I tend not to promote or subscribe to one digital tool over another. However, Flipboard is an essential part of my online learning system. It is considered a content aggregator, meaning it pulls different informational feeds from online to one location.

In other words, you can put all of your Twitter lists, as well as other social media accounts (such as Facebook and Instagram), in a single place for easy reading.

There are other popular aggregators out there, such as Feedly. However, what makes Flipboard stand out is the magazine-style format that it uses to organize your different feeds. Select a tile that represents a Twitter feed you linked, or just a general subject area suggested by Flipboard, and it opens up to a visually appealing display. It works well on a laptop, tablet and smartphone.

Additional features of Flipboard include having the Twitter favorite function available, being able to create your own magazine of personally curated content and linking your subscriptions to news providers.

Striking a Balance with Your Feed

As you start taking more control over your personal learning network, consider three closing thoughts.

As you read and save what other people have to share, remember that you also have important ideas. Twitter should be a participatory experience: The more active you are on the site, the more you get out of it. This includes sharing your thoughts, links and blog posts.

What makes Twitter valuable is the information that is shared and the people who are sharing it. By using the tools and strategies mentioned in this article, you can manage these new connections more efficiently.

Finally, to come back to the water-line analogy, remember to turn off the faucet once in a while and enjoy spending time with friends and family and on personal interests. As a veteran educator once told me, we are more interesting people when we live life to the fullest. This will make us better teachers and leaders in the future.

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How Twitter Can Power Your Professional Learning

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I had to chuckle a little when I read some of the posts of educators who had just logged on to Twitter for the first time after ISTE 2015. Following the #ISTE2015 hashtag, people were posting content that displayed both their excitement and their feeling of being overwhelmed. Whom do I follow?

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Cybrary Man's Educational Web Sites The internet catalogue for students, teachers, administrators & parents. Over 20,000 relevant links personally selected by an educator/author with over 30 years of experience.

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Who to follow?

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Using Tech and You Are NOT on Twitter? Rethink That | Teacher Tech

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Using Tech and You Are NOT on Twitter? Rethink That | Teacher Tech

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If you are using tech to teach, I can pretty much guarantee something is not going right. You WILL have questions. Who do you ask? Who on your campus is a ninja at that technology? Who on your campus is a ninja at that technology and wants to be bothered with questions 24/7 from all the staff members? If you are using tech to teach, it probably did not exist when you were a student so you do not have any best practices to glean from. How do you get ideas for NEW ways to use technology so you are doing different tasks with your students?

If you do the same task, expect the same results.

Learning does not improve when you use technology. You have to change the task. How does technology make a student-centered environment more feasible? How are your students collaborating together and with other people around the world? How are you able to give high-quality feedback faster? To build critical thinkers, you need to be able to give feedback often, technology makes this possible. Where do you get enough professional development to make using technology in your classroom truly transformative?

There are thousands and thousands of educators on Twitter who you can ask questions from and get ideas from. Shifting your teaching to include technology is too hard to go it alone. Luckily you do not have to, utilize Twitter to ask questions 24/7.

Click Here for a directions document to set up Twitter as an educator.

If you need some encouragement to use Twitter, check out my Twittervention. I use Remind to send out a daily text message with a tip or reminder to check Twitter.

No matter what time of day, educators are on Twitter. Make sure you include 1-3 hashtags on your tweets. This is like sending out the bat signal for the whole twitterverse to see (well, actually just those using those hashtags.) If in doubt use #edtech, #edchat and one specific to your grade level or subject area. Check out @cybraryman's list of educational hashtags you may want to use.

If you include a particular person's Twitter handle in the tweet (do not put it first, ask for help first) that person will be notified. They may be able to help you, or they can retweet your question to help you find someone who can.

Click Here for a list of educators who would be willing to answer your cry for help.

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Using Tech and You Are NOT on Twitter? Rethink That - Teacher Tech

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If you are using tech to teach, I can pretty much guarantee something is not going right. You WILL have questions. Who do you ask? Who on your campus is a ninja at that technology? Who on your campus is a ninja at that technology and wants to be bothered with questions 24/7 from all ...

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10 Things to Know about Twitter Hashtags | Teacher Tech

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10 Things to Know about Twitter Hashtags | Teacher Tech

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I notice that some teachers I chat with are confused about how hashtags work. Here is my basic guide to hashtags.

A hashtag starts with the pounds symbol (#) followed by a single word (or words smashed together). No spaces.

Tag or Topic

The hashtag is a tag you might code your tweet with. Is your tweet about math use #math. Are you tweeting about 3D printing? You can tag that tweet with #3Dprinting. Talking about teaching? #teach or #teacher or #teaching. Are you sharing a lesson plan? #lessonplans

The hashtag is converted to a live link and is blue in the tweet. This sticks out. Tagging your tweet with a hashtag helps people to scroll their Twitter stream to easily find things on topics they are interested in.

In "one word", what is the topic of your tweet? Make a hashtag out of that and include it.
Note: You can smash words together if it really needs to be 2 words. Example #lessonplans

Notice in the above sample tweet the hashtag of #CCSS is included in the tweet. I instantly know this tweet is about Common Core even though it is not explicitly mentioned in the tweet itself.

Not a Sentence

A hashtag is not a sentence. A hashtag is not your tweet. When adding a hashtag, boil you tweet down to the essential word or topic that the tweet is about.

A hashtag is also used to target your tweet at a particular audience. Who would be interested in this tweet, demographic wise?

Conference

One of the best uses of Twitter hashtags is when you are at an event. Everyone at the event includes the event hashtag in their tweets. This allows anyone at the event to find the tweets that are from the event. Today the Google I/O event is going on. Since I can not get into Google I/O, I can virtually be there by reading the tweets of people who are there. I simply look for the hashtag #io15.

Event hashtags allow me to see tweets from people I do not normally follow. This is a great way to meet new people at an event. I find people who are tweeting out interesting and helpful things at the event and follow them. Since we are at the same event, oftentimes I am able to meet these tweeps (Twitter peeps). In person, we instantly have interesting conversations and connections. Leave the awkward "hi, I'm Alice. Where are you from?" behind. Instead "I loved your tweet about ____, I am thinking of doing the same thing. Do you have any suggestions?"

Event hashtags also enhance a keynote or conference presentation. Suddenly the keynote is interactive. People are not just tweeting out the best lines from the speaker but adding resources, links, ideas, questions to the mix.

School

If your school has a hashtag, use the school hashtag in your tweets about the school. Parents, students, community members can join in your school pride by looking up the hashtag. Tweeting the awesome things going on in your classroom, at your school or in your district provides transparency to the community and helps people to realize this is the place to be. The school hashtag is also a great way to get announcements out. Connect with people interested in your school by following your school hashtag.

Subject Area

Want to connect with other teachers in your grade level or subject area? Try tagging your tweets with what you teach: #mathteacher #engchat #spanishteacher #biology #1stchat #2ndchat #3rdchat #4thchat #5thchat #6thchat #middleschool

Do a search for "Educational Hashtags" to find hashtags that teachers in your subject area are using.

Social science teachers use the hashtag #sschat.

Interest

Are you interested in flipping your classroom? Many teachers are on Twitter sharing their tips about the flipped classroom. Add #flipchat #flipclass or #flippedclassroom to your tweets. There is a hashtag for just about any interest area in education. Project Based Learning, Game Based Learning, MinecraftEDU, Standards Based Gradebooks.... whatever your educational interest is, there are other educators interested in the same thing. Find the hashtags for your interests and start including them in your tweets.

In the above tweet the hashtag#poweruped is being used for those who are interested in chatting about @jenroberts1 and her coauthor @dneebe book. Conversations around the common book tweeps are reading can take place by using the hashtag.

When you include a hashtag it becomes a live hyperlink. Tweeps who are interested in the topic you are tweeting about can click on the hashtag in the tweet to find other people using the same hashtag.

Hashtags are also searchable. Type the hashtag into the search box at the top of Twitter.

By default, both the live hyperlink and the hashtag search will show you "Top" tweets. Twitter has some algorithm for showing you the tweets they think are most popular. Click on "Live" in the search results to get a more complete list of who is tweeting with the hashtag.

Tip: If you have less than 10 followers, your tweets will not show up in a hashtag search.

A tweet only allows 140 characters. Using hashtags allows you to tag your tweet with the idea in a single word rather than having to write out a sentence.

Hashtags count against the character count in the tweet. When creating hashtags think of how a word or phrase can be abbreviated so as to leave room for the actual tweet. For example, instead of #digitalcitizenship many educators use #digcit.

General rule of thumb: Hashtags go at the end of a tweet.

They can appear anywhere in a tweet, including the beginning. When I am creating a tweet about Google Classroom I can save characters by using #GoogleClassroom when I am saying the phrase and skip putting the hashtag at the end. If grammatically it makes sense to include a hashtag at the beginning or middle of tweet, go for it. Otherwise, put your hashtags last.

One of the biggest challenges is determining what is the "right hashtag." Honestly, sometimes you just guess. Usually hashtags make sense so your guesses will work most of the time. As you start to follow people who are interested in the same things you are, you'll notice what hashtags are being used and start to use those.

Do a Google Search for educational hashtags. There are many articles written with lists of hashtags that teachers use. Skim the lists and see which ones you might use.

Most events choose a hashtag. You might find this in the program. A good way to find the hashtag the event is using is to find the Twitter handle of the event and see what hashtag they are using. Most events will create a Twitter persona to be the official spokesman on Twitter for the event.

Ask. When I am not sure what hashtags are being used, I will tweet out "What hashtag is being used for the conference this year?" "What hashtags do Spanish teachers use?" Usually, one of my followers is able to give me some suggestions

If you want to make a hashtag for your classroom, school, event, etc... the first thing to do is search for the hashtag in the search box at the top of Twitter. Are other people using that hashtag? If it is widely used, pick something else.

Remember that characters matter. If you add the year to the end of your event hashtag consider leaving off the 20 in 2015. In 2013 the ISTE conference hashtag was #ISTE13. The following year it was changed to #ISTE2014. Multiple times my tweets were 2 characters over and I could have used those 2 characters. Make your hashtags as short and abbreviated as is possible and makes sense.

Not all hashtags are intended to be followed or searched. Some hashtags tweeps use are just to be silly, convey emotion, or to save characters. By smashing a bunch of words together into a hashtag I save the characters the spacebars take up and can use bad grammar 🙂

Rule of thumb: Do not use more than 3 hashtags in a tweet.

A Twitter chat is a structured conversation on Twitter. Typically these take place over an hour time period and a moderator tweets out questions for tweeps to respond to. The key to a Twitter chat is that everyone uses the same hashtag on every tweet and reply. This allows tweeps who do not know each other to engage in a conversation.

You can find days and times of educational Twitter chats at bit.ly/educhatcalendar.

While the chat hashtag is intended to be used during the one hour Twitter chat, educators will want to keep the conversation going by continuing to use the hashtag. For example, #1stchat is 5pm PST on Sundays. However, first grade teachers will use the hashtag all week long to tag anything pertaining to first grade.

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2015

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10 Things to Know about Twitter Hashtags - Teacher Tech

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I notice that some teachers I chat with are confused about how hashtags work. Here is my basic guide to hashtags. #Hashtag A hashtag starts with the pounds symbol (#) followed by a single word (or words smashed together). No spaces. Tag or Topic The hashtag is a tag you might code your tweet with.

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Self Initiated Blogging Challenge | In the Trenches

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Self Initiated Blogging Challenge | In the Trenches

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I was so inspired by the 12 Days of Techmas Challenge that I decided to make my own. I really want to be a more consistent blogger, so I liked the element of accountability that comes with a calendar or list. I decided to brainstorm some topics that I know I would enjoy writing about,...

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A Step-by-Step Guide To Hosting or Joining a Twitter Chat

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A Step-by-Step Guide To Hosting or Joining a Twitter Chat

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A few months ago we started up a new Twitter chat series, #Bufferchat.

So far, we've talked about everything from productivity to social media monitoring and lots of other topics in between. These days, we have up to 185 participants each week, sending out nearly 2,000 tweets. It's a true delight!

Along the way, I've been learning the ins and outs of operating a Twitter chat and testing new tools and ideas to optimize our chat even further.

It's amazing how much there is to know, both for the chat host and the chat participants! I'd be thrilled to share some of our best tips and techniques with you. Twitter has been an awesome learning experience in so many different ways, and chats are no exception.

Whether you're a Twitter pro or newer to the network, whether you plan to host your own chat or if you look forward to participating in others, a bit of advance preparation could help. Here's what we've discovered so far to help you make the most of Twitter chats.

Twitter chat basics

What is a Twitter chat?

A Twitter chat is where a group of Twitter users meet at a pre-determined time to discuss a certain topic, using a designated hashtag (#) for each tweet contributed. A host or moderator will pose questions (designated with Q1, Q2...) to prompt responses from participants (using A1, A2...) and encourage interaction among the group. Chats typically last an hour.

Imagine a business networking event-but without a dress code and with a keyboard instead of a bar. The same social customs apply-courtesy and respect-and it's a great way to meet new people with similar interests. There are Twitter chats in almost every industry imaginable.

Why participate in a Twitter chat?

Twitter chats provide a chance to network and grow your circle (and knowledge!) through shared interests. Through our #Bufferchats, we've discovered a whole host of useful tools, tips, and super savvy people whom we might not have otherwise connected with.

How to find a Twitter chat

There are many ways to find Twitter chats, most of which happen on a fairly regular basis. Try the following links to find a chat that meets your interests or industry.

6 tools for a more productive Twitter chat

At the most basic level, you can participate in a Twitter chat simply by entering the hashtag into a Twitter search and interacting with people there. But there are many other great tools that help organize and filter tweets into a stream for easier conversing.

One of the major benefits of these tools (specifically Tweetchat and Nurph) is that they automatically add the hashtag to your Tweet, which can save you lots of time-Twitter chats move fast!

Tweetchat is a simple, powerful tool to quickly interact and reply to Tweets. Once connected to your Twitter account you can easily keep up with fast-paced Twitter chats as it updates and refreshes in real time.

Nurph

Nurph is a comprehensive Twitter chat tool with rooms for chats, replays of chats and RSVP functionality too. If you're hosting a chat, definitely look into this tool as it also provides analytics. Nurph also has a great video series about Twitter chats that are worth a watch!
Update: It looks like Nurph has shut down 🙁
Twchat connects with your Twitter account and provides rooms for your chats.

Hootsuite organizes your social media profiles or searches into streams that you can easily scan and manage. This is one of the favorites for following along and organizing social content.

Tweetdeck is owned by Twitter and integrates seamlessly with your Twitter account as a login. This is a beautiful, simple way to keep on track with a Twitter chat.

After the excitement is over and the chat concludes, it can be helpful to scan back through a Twitter chat to check out tools, resources and point you might have missed.

Lots of chat hosts put together chat recaps for this purpose. If you're the host of a chat, Storify is a straightforward, effective way to create a recap of each chat. Simply add in the hashtag into the Twitter column on the right hand side and drag and drop tweets into the story column to organize and construct the story of your Twitter chat.

Here is an example of the Storify for our last #bufferchat.

10 quick tips for Twitter chat participants

1. Give your Twitter followers a heads-up before you join a Twitter chat ("High tweet volume warning") and share an invite to join the chat if it might be of interest to your followers.

2. Reply directly for targeted conversations with one or two people.

3. Include a "." in front of an @ if you want your tweet to show up in all feeds. (Don't worry if you've flubbed this in the past; it's one of the most common Twitter mistakes!)

4. It's OK to dip in and out of a Twitter chat. Drop by for the time you have and don't feel guilty if you can't stay for the whole thing.

5. Be polite and positive! 🙂

6. Don't be afraid to contribute and jump in! It can be intimidating, but trust me, the moderators and participants will be glad to hear from you!

7. When answering a specific question or comment from another participant, use Twitter handles to identify who you're speaking to in order to avoid confusion.

8. Remember Twitter chats are about connecting and learning, not selling your product. Use the time to provide as much value on the given topic as possible and show your expertise without over-promoting.

9. Always include the chat hashtag in your responses.

10. Follow up with people after the chat! Keep the conversation going or get to know fellow participants on a more personal level. You never know what new connections you can make!

6 steps to hosting your own Twitter chat

There are tons of great chats out there! And if you can't find a chat that you're looking for, why not start your own? Here's what you need to know about hosting a Twitter chat.

1. Participate in plenty of chats first

If you're planning on hosting a chat of your own, make sure you learn the ropes first. Try to join in several Twitter chats in advance of your own . If you participate heavily, you'll start to get the feel of the flow, the speed, and the types of interactions you're likely to see as host.

While you're participating, test out some of the tools mentioned above and see what fits best for you.

2. Choose a hashtag: Make it brief and clear

Your chat will need its own hashtag. Picking the ideal hashtag can be tricky business-there are tons of chats already out there, and you want to pick something brief (since it will be appended to every tweet), clear and simple. Bonus point if it's easy to relate back to your business or perhaps even branded to you or your company.

We originally hosted #toolschat several years ago, but when we decided to launch back into the Twitter chats, we felt a more branded hashtag might be best to tie it back to Buffer.

You can register your hashtag on Twubs to provide a place where people can learn more about your talk or topic.

3. Schedule your chat: Consider your audience, time zones

When it comes to scheduling the best time to host your chat, consider your audience. Are they in multiple time zones? Are they most active with you on Twitter during the day or in the evening? It's OK to experiment a bit to find the best time or even ask your audience what they'd like!

For #Bufferchat, we wanted to make sure as many timezones as possible could partake, so early in the day for Pacific time, midday for East Coast and Evening for Europe worked well for us!

We also wanted to be conscious of not conflicting with too many other chats (though this may be inevitable-did we mention how many there are?)

As you promote your Twitter chat on Twitter and other social media spots, make sure you post the time zone since anyone around the world can join!

4. Topics and questions: Plan in advance

Once you decide what your chat will focus on, start brainstorming possible topics and questions in advance so you can build out your schedule.

At Buffer, we often look at our popular blog posts for topic ideas, since we know these seem to resonate with our audiences. But we've also kept an open mind and asked our guest speakers what might work best for them.

Write down the questions ahead of time-5 to 8 questions should be a good number to get you going. Be sure to include a few alternative questions you might want to add in depending on the direction of the conversation. It's great to be flexible and go with the flow. Sometimes chats can go in different directions than you intend, which can lead to great things!

5. Consider special guests

Bringing in special guests to answer questions and lend their expertise can help your chat reach new audiences.

We were so excited to have Peg Fitzpatrick from Canva as our first #Bufferchat guest, which allowed for several participants to be introduced to Canva, a tool we love for creating visuals. We have a lot more special guests on the way!

Don't be afraid to reach out and ask an expert in your field. It's likely a flattering request and if it doesn't work with someone's schedule, they'll let you know. Be sure to communicate clearly and send questions ahead of time so the guest can prepare.

6. Encourage and engage

When your chat gets going, get fired up! The next hour will be an awesome blur.

Make sure you encourage participants to join in and introduce themselves at the start. Large chats can be intimidating, and asking your community to welcome the new folks can help foster engagement.

Over the course of your chat, you'll be busy as you keep the conversation moving, ask and answer questions, manage conversations, share resources, connect participants and generally try to be the best host you can.

Experiment and have fun. Enjoy the process-and the rush!

Your turn
Have you participated in Twitter chats before? How did it go, and what tips would you offer? If you have yet to join a Twitter chat, what questions do you have? Share with us in the comments! Image credit: Death to the Stock Photo

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A Step-by-Step Guide To Hosting or Joining a Twitter Chat

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A few months ago we started up a new Twitter chat series, #Bufferchat. So far, we've talked about everything from productivity to social media monitoring and lots of other topics in between. These days, we have up to 185 participants each week, sending out nearly 2,000 tweets. It's a true delight!

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CISD Instructional Technology: Why I Love Twitter Chats

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CISD Instructional Technology: Why I Love Twitter Chats

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What is Twitter chat? A Twitter chat is a live Twitter event, usually moderated and focused around a general topic. To filter all the chatter on Twitter into a single conversation a hashtag is used. A set time is also established so that the moderator, guest or host is available to engage in the conversation. Why should you participate in a Twitter chat? Twitter chats can be a fun way to talk about a topic, meet some people interested in the same thing as you are, grow your own network and have some fun learning.
"The word from educators in the trenches is that these chats are making a profound difference in how educators are improving their professional practice, providing ideas, resources and inspiration in ways never thought possible."
Interesting in giving Twitter chats a try? Here are a few tips to help you get started:

Use a tool like Tweetdeck or Tweetchat to follow the chat.

Before the chat begins, it is useful to warn your followers about an upcoming unusual number of tweets, so they are not surprised and don't unfollow you.

It's okay to lurk (which means to follow the discussion, but not participate) at first. Lurking is learning!

When participating in a chat, don't forget to include the chat hashtag,

When you answer a question (Q1), tweet with the appropriate number (A1) so people know to what you are answering..

Some chats move very quickly and it can be difficult to keep up with all the chatter. Don't be intimidated or feel that you have to read everything! Just catch what you can. Many chats are archived afterwards.

Don't go off topic. If you want to start a different discussion with a member of the chat, do so separately.

If you answer to a specific tweet, tag the original author with the @ sign.

Don't hesitate to favorite and/or retweet posts that you find interesting, smart and useful.
Check out this list and infographic of my favorite Educational Twitter Chats:

13 Great Twitter Chats Every Educator Should Check Out -- THE Journal
Thejournal.com, '13 Great Twitter Chats Every Educator Should Check Out -- THE Journal'. N. p., 2015. Web. 11 May 2015.
Why You Should Participate In Twitter Chats
Social Media Today, 'Why You Should Participate In Twitter Chats'. N. p., 2014. Web. 11 May 2015.

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What is Twitter chat? A Twitter chat is a live Twitter event, usually moderated and focused around a general topic. To filter all the chatter on Twitter into a single conversation a hashtag is used. A set time is also established so that the moderator, guest or host is available to engage in the conversation.

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26 Effective Ways to use Twitter for Teachers and Educators Infographic - e-Learning Infographics

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26 Effective Ways to use Twitter for Teachers and Educators Infographic - e-Learning Infographics

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26 Effective Ways to use Twitter for Teachers and Educators Infographic

26 Effective Ways to use Twitter for Teachers and Educators Infographic

Teachers and educators in the present fast-paced, ever evolving world of communication are presented with a plethora of options which might sometimes be overwhelming. To reduce the efforts of teachers in learning a new form of communication, we give you some of the most effective ways of using the most modern form of communication, Twitter. The 26 Effective Ways to use Twitter for Teachers and Educators Infographic is aimed at educators interested in utilizing Twitter as a communication and collaborative tool, for educators who like telling a story and effectively reaching out to an audience who they normally can't! Check out the 26 effective ways to do that.

1. Account

Your account or as the twitter-verse would call it, your handle, is what defines you on twitter. Many Teachers use Twitter for professional reasons. To help you get started on your mobile devices, try Plume for android and Ubersocial for iOS or you could download the native app as well.

2. Big No nos

Twitter isn't about you. Don't SPAM. Don't take credit for other's intellectual property or any property that isn't yours. If you aren't getting followers, improve the content you share, don't buy your followers.

3. Collaborate

Some of the easiest ways of collaborating on twitter is to co-author blogs, share your ideas, practice, resources.

4. DM

Direct Messages help in reaching out to you're a followers or your influencers in a very private and personal way to build relationships online.

5. EdChat - #edchat

One of the first educational chats and most popular. #edchat is held on Tuesdays from 12 to 1 and 7 to 8 pm EST, #edtechchat takes place on Mondays from 8 to 9 pm EST. What are you waiting for, Join the conversation!

6. Favorite

Favorite-ing a tweet helps you archive tweets which share information or links you might be interested in or you might just simply like what they say.

7. Grammarly

Twitter allows you to share your magic with only 140 characters and while adhering to that rule, your grammar might really get tested. Try installing the Grammarly Plugin on your web browser to help keep your language on point.

8. HashTags

Themes, common words, trending topics are often covered in just a few or single words. Some of the most used HashTags among Teachers are #EdChat, #EdTech, #Elearning, BYOD (Bring Your Own Device). These should help you get in on the conversation.

9. Images

Add flavor to your stories and conversations by adding vibrant, informative Images (Like this Infographic!) to engage your followers at a visual level.

10. Journal

Use twitter as your personal micro journal, for your classroom adventures, experiments. Use your account to share stories.

11. Knowledge

Knowledge is Power. Practice it by sharing it with the world. Learn from other Teachers & Educators, develop a PLN - Personal Learning Network.

12. Lists

One of the most underused tools of Twitter and yet one of the most useful ones. Use lists to group and sort people/handles based on your customized filters.

13. Muted Accounts

Helpful when you want to avoid handles and users who are a nuisance to conversations and learning. Just head over to your settings, enter the Handle and enjoy twitter without ever hearing from them again.

14. Notifications

The notifications tab is a good way to keep track of how well you are doing with your followers and influencers. It lets you know who followed you, favorite-ed your tweet, retweeted you. Keep an eye out maybe someone famous follows you!

15. One Hundred and Forty

Twitter only allows you to type in 140 characters. Be smart, concise and creative.

16. Protected Accounts/ Private Accounts

These are accounts of people who would like to approve who can see their content. These accounts are privacy protected and you will have to ask for permission to follow them.

17. Quotes

Sometimes users like to quote other tweets in their tweets rather than retweeting them directly. This is mostly done to comment along with the tweet, try quoting to see how it helps you engage in a conversation or maybe even start one! Quote one of our Tweets!

18. Retweet

Retweeting is as essential as tweeting on Twitter. It shows the kind of articles people you follow like to read. Retweets also help in giving authorship to intellectual properties which don't belong to you.

19. Story

Craft an interesting story for your followers. Use Storify to craft a creative story using a series of tweets and keep your followers engaged!

20. Tweet

A tweet helps you interact with your PLN, your followers, your influencers and with the web in general. So keep tweeting as much as you can.

21. Unlearn

As an educator and teacher, you have embarked on a journey of learning and teaching. But sometimes, to learn something new, you have to unlearn what you know to get the best out of what's new!

22. Verified Accounts

The identities of these accounts have been verified by Twitter personally. Mostly companies and Celebrities get it done, so take caution while engaging with verified accounts.

23. Wikispaces

Missed out on one of the EdChat or EdtechChat, no worries, edtechchat.wikispaces.com archives all the chats and even has a podcast which discusses all the topics from the week.

24. Xavier!

Sometimes it helps making pop culture references to your conversations to connect with people, like we just did here, X- Men fan anyone?

25. Yes

Start by saying yes to all the ideas and conversation which make you feel uncomfortable, decide only after you have practiced or taken part in an in-depth discussion with the user(s).

26. Zest

Tweet with all the zest you can, talk to other teachers and pump up your PLN with all the zest you can muster. It's important that your influencers and followers know how dedicated you are to teaching!

Via: www.fedena.com

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26 Effective Ways to use Twitter for Teachers and Educators Infographic - e-Learning Infographics

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Teachers and educators in the present fast-paced, ever evolving world of communication are presented with a plethora of options which might sometimes be overwhelming. To reduce the efforts of teachers in learning a new form of communication, we give you some of the most effective ways of using the most modern form of communication, Twitter.