As Twitter use has exploded, it has become an increasingly important communications tool for organizations of all kinds. To understand the effect it has had on educational institutions, UniversitiesAndColleges.org conducted a study on the Twitter usage of the top 100 colleges and universities in the United States.
According to this study, George Washington University tops the list of "Total Tweets per Day" with 57.7! SimpsonScarborough discussed with Menachem Wecker and Rachel Watson from GWU on their Twitter experiences and advice for tweeting newbies.
Q&A with Menachem Wecker (MW) and Rachel Watson (RW)
Q. Why did you start tweeting? Did you have to work your way into tweeting every day or did you jump right in?
MW: I started tweeting this past January in my previous job in media relations and publication at GW's Elliott School of International Affairs (@elliottschoolgw). I first thought of Twitter as an effective way to pitch the school's 300 or so faculty members (many former ambassadors and policy makers) to journalists. I soon discovered that Twitter was also a great way to connect with students, faculty, staff, and alumni, and I realized that I wasn't just adding a new chore to my daily routine (and I did jump right into Tweeting multiple times a day!), but I was entering a fascinating and relevant discussion, that fully intended to continue perpetually whether or not I was present. Over the last 10 months, of course, I have found much better ways to use Twitter (Tweetdeck, Ubertwitter, Powertwitter, etc.) and it is now much easier for me to tweet on a regular basis now that I am using the @GWToday handle.
RW: I started tweeting for @GWTweets because I was interested in how Twitter could be used in a higher education setting. As I researched the topic, I found many universities using Twitter primarily to push out press releases. I didn't see this as effective, so I started looking at company models instead. There I saw companies like JetBlue using Twitter as a way to provide service to their customers, and as a result, I've tried to incorporate the service aspect into my tweets. As for my tweeting history, I probably started off like everyone else, on tweet at a time, and my tweeting habits are constantly changing. I continue to climb many different learning curves throughout the process.
Q. In your opinion, what is the value added by twitter? What do you get out of it?
MW: Twitter is just a tool like any other. There have been some really great things that owe their germination to phone conversations, and some pretty crummy and terrible events that were planned over the phone. It's hard to hold Mr. Bell accountable for either of those facts. Twitter is a great platform for conversation, and I have found it particularly effective to do a lot of listening in the conversation rather than speaking. I currently use Twitter to tell George Washington Today's readers about upcoming events, stories and news, but I think the most important thing I do (with my colleague Julia Parmley) on Twitter is ask questions of faculty, staff, students and alumni and listen to their advice and criticism. I'd rather be the person who walks away from the Twitter cocktail party each evening having learned a lot by listening to all the fascinating people I encounter (after blocking and reporting the spam Twitter users/bots, of course) than be the one who strikes everyone I meet as a self-centered loudmouth.
RW: There are way too many to mention here, but I think Twitter is a great way to provide your audience with the information they are in search of. If they ask a question, I respond to it. If they have an idea, I try to incorporate it. If they have a complaint, I try to help. For example, I have heard students say that they never know about the great events happening on campus, so I've made it my job to ensure that they know about the events so they can attend. When they can't attend, I try to give them access to the experience by providing follow up videos, photo galleries and stories. Facilitating a way for a large group of people to share a common experience builds community, and that is exciting.
Q. How do your tweets affect the visibility of GWU?
MW: GW is a very vibrant university, which absolutely doesn't need my help increasing its visibility. One of the reasons we've gotten the attention that we have on Twitter (particularly in this great Washington Post story) is because GW students and alumni have been so active on Twitter without any help from GW staff. I have found though that Twitter can be used effectively to monitor large organizations (and this is something that Professor David Grier, a computer wiz, at the Elliott School has shared with me), so I do think our readers are able to get an unprecedented appreciation for GW as an institution. I think Twitter is also helping to make some folks aware of GW's standing as a premier research entity. When Foreign Policy magazine recently called the Elliott School's Twitter handle one of the top 100 handles for international affairs, that surely helped the school's and the university's visibility.
RW: I think the conglomeration of tweets--from students, faculty, staff and alumni--are really having the biggest affect on GW's visibility. It shows that our community is engaging in social media to connect with and learn from each other. The fact that GW also has an official Twitter handle (@gwtweets) illustrates that we are willing to try new things to connect and provide service.
Q. How does twitter help the GWU community, including alumni, current students, faculty and staff, stay connected with the University?
MW: Twitter is one of many tools that serve as binding agents that help the GW community stick together. I see very active GW student and alumni groups on Facebook and LinkedIn, but I also hear about lots of folks meeting up in the old fashioned way -- at alumni events in locations around the world. One nice thing about new and social media, is that when people are proud of their alma mater (as GW alumni invariably are), they tend to write it into their profiles and to trumpet their collegiate experience widely. That makes my job easier, because I can easily track alumni and students down with well-calibrated searches and alerts and interview them for our articles.
RW: By tweeting, GW facilitates another space for the GW community to interact and grow. We are providing a common experience that builds relationships, and as we do this we are also offering them opportunities to participate in GW happenings. For example, Michelle Obama will be speaking at GW's commencement if the GW community can complete 100,000 hours of community service. We'll definitely be using Twitter to update our followers about service opportunities, how close we are to meeting our goal and more.
Q. Why do you think twitter has been so popular at GWU?
MW: I have found the GW community to be quick to embrace all sorts of new technologies, so Twitter is no doubt part of a larger trend. That being said, even after being at GW for a few years, I am still regularly star-struck by the prominent speakers who come to campus. I think Twitter can play a unique role in a university like GW in the heart of Washington, D.C., and I think GW students have realized that same thing. Many GW students capitalize on the university's location and intern and work at a variety of venues in the area, and I think Twitter might just be reflecting (and publicizing) the sort of energy and communication that GW students have been having for quite some time.
RW: GW is an active community. Our students are into politics, service and sustainability. They're interning on Capitol Hill, starting up businesses and traveling around the world. People who gravitate to GW are movers and shakers, and I think Twitter offers them a forum to express themselves.
Q. What advice do you have for other colleges or universities (or anyone for that matter) that are new to twitter?
MW: I'd say first of all that it's important with all sorts of new technologies to be humble enough to experiment. The rewards are immense, and the liabilities are not so bad. The Twitterverse is a very forgiving space. If you regret a tweet, you can take consolation in the fact that there is so much going on that it will surely overshadow your small typo. It's also important to put yourself in your readers' shoes (or in front of your readers' computer screens). There is no reason why Twitter users shouldn't consider themselves artists like novelists and poets. If you would be interested in reading something, then why not share it? If you would consider it spam and irrelevant, what could you possibly gain by disrespecting your readers and subjecting them to it? Twitter is evolving of course, and before we know it it will be extinct and replaced by the next big thing, but the general principles of communications will hold true. It's a great idea as an individual or as a company (or as a university) to listen to your constituents, to learn from them, and to grow together.
RW: I'd say don't use Twitter as a self serving tool. Use it to build community and serve. Try new things, interact with people and most of all, have fun!
