TWITTER WORKSHOP RECAP

Earlier this month the WNBA-NYC hosted a Twitter workshop for members of the New York City chapter, hosted by chapter member, Melissa Rosati. Below is the recap and we hope that chapter members who were unable to attend find it to be a useful tool in their writing experience.

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Twitter Workshop Kicks-off 2015 Winter/Spring Events

Every two days, the world creates one billion tweets. The average life span of a tweet is about three hours. So, why should a writer bother, you may ask? Or, who has the time?

To kick-off the 2015, member Melissa A. Rosati led members in a workshop entitled Twitter: A Beginner’s Guide for Publishing Professionals on January 14th at Pace University to answer these questions. The presentation is available to all (click here). It includes tips to enhance your Twitter account and explanations of Twitter’s functionality.

As Melissa explained, no social media application is ever about you, the writer. The application is a vehicle for you to connect and converse with your audience about what is important to them.

If you have a Twitter account (be sure to follow @WNBANYC) or if you are new to Twitter, Melissa suggests you consider the following questions and to write down your answers. Writing creates new realities and sustains you along the learning curve.

1. What are your goals?
2. Who is your audience?
3. What are the interests you share with your audience?
4. Why would someone want to follow you?
5. What is the investment of time you are prepared to make in order to learn the functionality of the application and to engage your audience?
6. What does success on Twitter look like for you?

Twitter is an excellent, fast-paced tool to create awareness about who you are and the topics you and your audience care about. For more tips, follow Melissa on Twitter @melissarosati.

See you in the Twitterverse! @WNBANYC

• Twitter: A Beginner’s Guide for Publishing Professionals Women’s National Book Association—New City Chapter @WNBANYC | January 14, 2015 Pace University Workshop Leader: Melissa A. Rosati, CPCC @melissarosati
• 2.  The Social Media Landscape  What is Twitter?  Twitter functions as a Shared Platform, not as an Owned Platform  Who Shares Your Interests?  How Twitter Works  The Many Ways of Listening to Your Audience  How to Create and Curate Content for Tweets  The Advantage of a Social Media Dashboard  Learning Resources Today’s Discussion Outline
• 3. The Social Media Landscape
• 4. Twitter is a social network you can use to foster relationships with people who share your interests. What is Twitter?
• 5. Twitter is a Shared Platform, Not an Owned Platform  Twitter is a Shared Platform  Twitter makes the rules  Twitter owns the user information  Twitter is interested in their results, not yours  Your Blog or Newsletter is an Owned Platform  You make the rules on content distribution  You own your mailing list  You define your own business model
• 6. 284 million monthly active users 500 million tweets sent per day 80% of active users are on mobile Twitter supports 35+ languages The Twitter Universe is Vast Source: Twitter, 2015.
• 7. Who Shares Your Interests?
• 8.  What are your goals?  Who is your audience?  Why would someone follow you?  What is the investment of time you are willing to make?  What does success on Twitter look like? Important Questions
• 9. The difference between Facebook Friends and Twitter Followers  Friends  People you know sharing content about relationships, family, friends.  You must provide your real identity  Facebook’s algorithm determines the content you see in your newsfeed.  Followers  People who share your interests in specific topics  People who are looking for value-added conversations  Direct, chronological newsfeed, although this may change
• 10. Exercise I Open Your Twitter Account
• 11.  Following = people you follow  Follower = people who follow you  The @ sign identifies people in replies and mentions.  The # sign identifies topic discussions.  Tweet = 140-character message  RT = a tweet that has been shared by another user  MT = a tweet that has been modified and shared by another user Key Concepts for Using Twitter
• 12.  160-character bio and photo of you  140-character limit for tweets  Supports photos and videos  Public and private lists  Hashtags  Retweets  Replies  Mentions How Does Twitter Work?
• 13.  Keep it simple. You can always change it.  Use short sentences.  Include your picture.  Include one or two hashtag (#) topics.  Include your location.  Include a link to your blog or other profile. Tips for Creating Your Bio
• 14. Exercise II Practice Listening
• 15. Find Conversations by Hashtags (#)  //www.hashtags. org/  Opt-in to //twitter.com/has htags to have your hashtags tracked  //tweetchat.com/
• 16.  A tweet that starts with @username sends the message directly to the person’s Twitter feed.  It is a public message, not a private one!  @username will not appear in other followers’ feeds unless you and @username share the same followers. Working with @Replies
• 17. Working with Mentions  When you place content before the @username, it is a mention and not a reply.  The tweet will appear in the home stream of all of your followers, not just the followers you share in common with @username.
• 18.  Events and conferences  Communities of shared interests  Helpful resources for your followers  Services you recommend to others  Colleagues in your genre or industry segment  Thought leaders in your genre or industry segment  People you want to support  Private lists Tips for Working with Lists
• 19. Exercise III Creating Content for Your Audience
• 20. What is the Life Span of a Tweet? ABOUT 3 HOURS!
• 21.  Quotes  Links  Questions  Images  Video (Vine)  Reviews Tips for Creating Tweet Content
• 22.  Wikimedia Commons  Unsplash  The Public Domain Review  Library of Congress Sources for Visual Content
• 23. Canva is Your MUST HAVE Design Tool
• 24.  What’s trending?  What media do you consume?  What’s important to your audience?  What are they talking about?  Use Share Buttons wisely. Tips for Curating Content for Twitter
• 25.  Buffer  Hootsuite  TweetDeck 3 Popular Social Media Dashboards
• 26.  Watch “how to” videos on YouTube to learn basic techniques  Listen to publishing experts discuss industry issues at BookExpoCast.com  Read The Social Media Examiner for trends, tips, case studies  Use pen and paper to WRITE YOUR GOALS  Measure your results one quarter at a time  Be bold and try new things Continuous Learning—Your Way
• 27.  The Social Media Examiner  Savvy Sexy Social with Amy Schmidttauer  Marketing Profs with Ann Handley  Copyblogger with Darren Rowse  Platform University with Michael Hyatt Learning Resources
• 28.  Twitter is a powerful tool for creating awareness.  Twitter is a powerful listening tool for learning about your audience.  Twitter is a fast-paced, trending community.  WRITTEN GOALS create success.  Like any other social application, practice builds skill and savvy.  Make a commitment and monitor your results. Workshop Summary
• 29.  Follow Melissa on Twitter @melissarosati  Melissa works with academics/scholars in the humanities, medical humanities, and with teams in nonprofits and associations. Here’s her LinkedIn Profile.  Melissa provides teaching and training services in book sales and distribution methods, content development, social marketing/networking applications.  Contact her at 917-628-4547 or melissarosati@me.com About Melissa A. Rosati, CPCC
• 30. See You in the Twitterverse!