We have a conversation happening right under your nose! The conversation is monitored daily, has a wide cross-section of our membership involved, and really gets going during leadership programs and will be incredibly busy during our upcoming Convention. Twitter is a simple online platform for conversation.
But beyond that, we see women connecting on Twitter. We’ve seen bigs find littles. Women find internships via Twitter. They connect with new ideas, personal growth, and share fun moments. We’ve seen you apply for scholarships, tweet words of encouragement, and celebrate great job interviews and new babies – all on Twitter. It’s another option if you are looking for a way to connect.
Tweets are 140 characters of what is going on in your world. It has been said that if Facebook is your high school reunion, and Linked In is a networking experience, than Twitter is a casual party where you can listen in on conversations, read what the host is reading, take a peek into the experiences of other people, and contribute your thoughts as well.
Trust us, Twitter is not for everyone, but it is more than just your lunch menu. It can be a really powerful way to stay connected with little bites of information or insight. I started using Twitter during a conference, and I stay connected with what colleagues are working on, and now use it to follow up on how their life is progressing.
I’m not tied to using the www.twitter.com website. It’s very easy (much easier, in fact) to catch up with the Sigma conversation by scrolling through little bites of information on your phone. You get the latest updates on colonization on Twitter, can get links to our boutique with discount coupon codes, can ask Tri Sigma questions, even register for events!
I definitely look at Twitter as a daily magazine that you can “talk to.” You can read short bursts of material, respond, connect with people who made you think, or people who gave you a reason to act.
More than 4,200 followers are following our Twitter feed, and you may be wondering how to use Twitter. Want to try it out? It costs nothing, and is as low or high maintenance as you want it to be.
Some Twitter tips! Click to read more!
Here are some first steps! Let’s get started.
- Why do I need to be on Twitter? (I am already on Facebook, don’t have a smart phone, etc.)
You might not need to be on Twitter. Most users are on Twitter to be connected to friends and professional contacts. Readers chat via Twitter, send articles and videos out to their followers, and catch great ideas from people they are following.
Okay, I signed up for Twitter. Now what?
1. Set up your profile. Make SURE your twitter name (we call it a handle) is appropriate and something you would be okay with your employer finding. Some tips: No “multiple xx’s”, no nicknames, no cutesy jokes, and make it short. You can also change your twitter name without much fuss if your name is something you aren’t proud of. Every character takes away from your ability to be retweeted! Then, send a tweet saying “I’m on twitter! @trisigma follow me!” – We’ll follow you, add you to the Sigmas on Twitter list, and that will be the LAST “follow me” tweet you send. Promise? Great.
2. Download a Twitter app on your phone from the app store. You probably go to the Twitter.com website and think – “Wow, what am I supposed to do here?” Twitter is an interesting tool, as the user experience is designed for your PHONE, not for the computer. Here are some free options. Twitter for Iphone/Droid, Tweetdeck, or UberSocial make it easy to retweet and scroll through content with one click, and will make it easy to search for things on Twitter. Most people tweet on their phones, especially if they are out and about, at a conference, or tweeting out photographs. (Want to learn more about tweeting photos? Want to learn about Instagram? Tweet #sigmainstagram at @trisigma and we’ll send you a tip!)
3. Start following people who will challenge, inspire, and develop you! Want to know where to start? Go to www.twitter.com/trisigma (while logged in) and follow us! Click on our “Followers”. Those are women and men, companies and fraternities/sororities like Tri Sigma who are having some great conversations every day. You can also find other sisters on our “list” – and you can follow all of them with one click.
4. Be intentional. Don’t talk just to talk. Listen to who you follow, follow great people, and feel good about that! There are lots of articles on how to use Twitter for more than just your weather report. Some of our favorite tips on how to use twitter for meaningful purposes are
here, and
here, and especially
here.
5. Consider how useful a hashtag is. Our participants in The Labyrinth, Dunham Women of Character Institute, CAB and Volunteer Summit, and Officer Academy locations tweet a significant amount about their experiences, readings, insights and even tweet photos! WE LOVE THAT. Each event has a constant search term, denoted by a # sign. That is called a hashtag, and it is how we find women on twitter chatting about our programs. Some hashtags we follow and retweet include:
#LAB2012 – The Labyrinth Leadership Experience
#Dunham12 – Dunham Women of Character Institute
#CAB2012 – CAB & Volunteer Summit
#RSM – REAL Sorority Move – a classy spin on less appropriate options. (WE NEVER RETWEET #TSM or #RSM posts, no matter how nice they are. We are about something better than that.)
#thisIbelieve – Convention 2013 Tweets
#ff – Follow Friday
#nowplaying – Songs from our Spotify account
#nowreading – Books from our reading list
#SigmaPins – Pins from our Pinterest Account
#sigmasmarties – Tweets about scholarship, your accomplishments, and your education
#SailAwayatUNLV – Tweets about our upcoming colonization at UNLV
Some tips from our Twitter followers! (We asked them on Twitter and received some great responses.)
From @brittanybigfish – “Always try to supplement RTs w/ your take, opinion. Personalize it!”
From @meghangranito – “Engage with your Tweeps (meaning friends via Twitter), but don’t carry on a 30-tweet long convo publicly…move it to DM to spare your news feed!”
From @timbigfish – “Love RTs of original tweets but add a comment if you’re sharing a link. I want to know what you think.”
And from me @corinwallace – “Know that you can reach out to ask a question, send a thought or an article to a friend, or just connect with a concept that speaks to you!”
We’re always here to help you maximize your lifelong Tri Sigma experience. One tweet at a time.
Thanks, Cori! Just hopped on Twitter yesterday – checked one item off my summer “to do” list.