Twitter is simply too easy and too useful of a platform to not use in your school. Regardless of your current engagement with Twitter, in this week’s podcast, Carole & Joel talk about how to wade into the waters of Twitter.
“It has to be relatable…
We’re all in this together…
You have to make it interesting.”
Hashtags: Creating hashtags that everyone in your school community engages with is extremely valuable. The hashtag can involve staff, students, and families to engage with each other and stay informed about things happening in the school community. The hashtag needs to reflect what you or the community values. How it resonates in your community is the most important, how people outside the community perceive the hashtag is not necessarily that important. Make it personal, consistent, fun, and engaging. This makes school districts, school leaders, teacher relatable and approachable. A simple tweet of a coffee mug communicating the safe travels of students on a snowy morning can truly connect schools and the community at large. Keep it lively, and fun, that will keep your community engaged.
Social media, specifically Twitter and how we interact with it can blow situations out of proportion, but they can also be a bastion to communicate your story, your character to the general public. Joel and Carole talk about the New York Times article about Ben Affleck and our perception of events. If you’re interested in that article, see footnotes.
140 characters: It’s fast. It’s easy. We all have time. It’s a great way to communicate and engage your community.
Here are our Top 4 tips for using twitter with your school:
- Create and Use Hashtags
- Involve your Staff (encourage them to get twitter, engage, and support the school through it)
- Make it Fun
- Make it Personal (every now and then, show yourself, your human qualities, your life)
These are some basic ideas to help you communicate more effectively using Twitter. Let us know if you have any other tips or tricks!
