Twitter

Connect with your friends — and other fascinating people. Get in-the-moment updates on the things that interest you. And watch events unfold, in real time, from every angle.  - as seen in the Washington Post

There's so much to say about Twitter, but I'm keeping this blog post short.  We're having guests this evening so I have to disconnect for a while (Amazingly, I won't even check my phone).  So let's start at the beginning.  

What is Twitter?

Twitter is an information network made up of 140-character messages called Tweets. When I first heard of the 140 character limit, I said "No way!" I need more than that. I've since learned how to do it, however. The character limit forces me to be succinct and creative in how I share my thoughts. Sometimes I abbreviate, sometimes I use emoticons, and sometimes I use more than one tweet [I anticipate how many tweets I'm going to need to get my full train of thought out there. I label each one accordingly - (1/4, 2/4, 3/4) so my followers know how many to expect.]

Followers and Following

When I started using Twitter, I consciously chose to follow leaders, innovators and provocative people in my field. I knew I wanted to keep abreast of what they were thinking and doing. I also followed friends and colleagues. I signed up for Tweets from news organizations and magazines both in the USA and internationally. My friends and colleagues followed me and then one day like magic people out there in internetland started following me. I got added to lists (I didn't know what those were in the beginning) and more and more people from around the world that I didn't know started following or responding to Tweets.

Paradigm Shift

So, I was using Twitter to keep up with friends, colleagues, and people in my field. Then, I discovered something totally amazing! I could access free professional development via my Twitter feed!!!! These professional development opportunities spanned a wide range of topics, and I was able to focus on the ones that aligned with my research interests. I could watch live broadcasts of conferences here in the States and internationally!!!! FOR FREE!!!! As an economically challenged Ph.D. student, I've learned to love the word FREE!!!

Examples

I'll just give a few, very few, examples because my time is running out and I'm getting the signal to disconnect.

This week

I got to watch live keynotes and interviews by Sec. of State John Kerry, former presidential candidate Mitt Romney, and managing director of the International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde at the Aspen Institute's Aspen Ideas Festival [#AspenIdeas]. I couldn't afford to go there, but I caught most of it online and expanded my knowledge base.

Dr. Shaun Harper, a leader in my field of study, was in Durban, South Africa and delivered a keynote at the Siyaphumelela 2016 conference. I definitely couldn't have attended that but through Twitter, I kept up with the tweets through the #siyaza16 hashtag. The session and keynote recordings will be available in a few days. The link will be posted on Twitter. I will get to hear and see diversity of thought on social justice and student academic achievement from South Africa.

These are only two examples. I've watched many more during the year. Twitter can be more than 140 characters commenting on your day, current events or even checking in on friends. Twitter can be an invaluable source for web 2.0 based professional development for the higher education professional. I highly recommend it so give it a try!