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Basic guide to Twitter in less than 140 character statements

Our Chair prepared this booklet a while back because many asked her at various events for tips on using Twitter.

Why Twitter?

Very often, when I share NAWIC’s Twitter account at an event, I am faced with the same question; is Twitter useful?

I have to be honest, I have found that not only it is necessary for us to reach a sizeable part of our audience but it is also a fantastic source of information for us to stay current for the benefit of our members.

The quality of information within our Weekly Paper, for example, is the result of a careful selection of information sourced from articles shared via Twitter. ( A favourite with our members, the paper can be found here )

We would, therefore, say that if you are thinking about joining Social Media, Twitter is one of the most useful platforms that you will find. ( Be mindful though that a good set up of your framework will be key for you to use this tool efficiently and avoid getting an information overload)

Cristina (aka @burutapen ) have been using Twitter since 2011 (first with personal development in mind and then to promote projects I believe in such as NAWIC). Today, and as a response to numerous requests, I will be sharing what I know with you in order to help you start.

The power of Twitter

I first became aware of the power of Twitter on the 11th of March 2011. The big tsunami had swiped the Tohoku region of Japan and the world was reminded of the real strength of the sea.

As news began to reach us, the mom of a dear friend, a teacher at a school for disabled children in Kesenuma was unaccounted for as so we’re the children she taught.

Anxiously watching the news from London my friend decided to tweet his worries and a wealthy individual from Tokyo, who saw the tweets, responded by sending a helicopter to the rescue.

This is not a movie, I promise… my friend and his wife eventually witnessed the helicopter rescue of mom and the children from the roof of a building in the BBC.

Until that day, I had been under the impression that Twitter was a gimmick with limited impact; but that day I realised that this was a powerful tool.

Social Media Common Sense:

I need to come clean and say that the first thing you need to be aware of with any form of social media is that whatever you share leaves a footprint and therefore you need to be careful when making that choice. You don’t know where things will end and you want to be careful and responsible.

Personally, I avoid sharing images of my family (especially my nieces and nephews) and of my personal space. I don’t broadcast where I am (unless relevant) and I keep my personal moments to myself. Even my Instagram account has a very small amount of images with people on them. Make your own choices but be mindful.

Always looking to learn:

Please be mindful that Cristina is a Chartered Architect, not a Social Media expert, therefore, I am always seeking to further my knowledge. Should you have tips that others must know about, please share them with her @burutapen or with use @nawicLDN and we will endeavour to grow this list.

The Basic guide to Twitter in less than 140 charact statements, can be found following this. (LINK)