Twitter might appear to be one of many online attention drains, but tweeting often can prove practical.
Washington University Libraries staff members are offering a series of free workshops aimed to help interested members of the WUSTL community explore how they can productively utilize this social media tool.
All sessions are free to WUSTL students, faculty and staff and will be held in Olin Library, Arc Presentation Room, Level A.
An introductory Twitter 101 class is scheduled for 3 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 9.
Geared for the Twitter novice, this hour-and-a-half session will cover account creation, search features, what it means to follow someone, how to construct a tweet, what hashtags and retweets are, and other Twitter basics.
Twitter 201 is a miniseries with three 40-minute sessions on different topics to be held at 4 p.m. the last Thursday of the month in February, March and April.
- During the first session (Feb. 23), librarians Erin Leach and Brian Vetruba will discuss Twitter as a way to develop professionally and foster meaningful professional connections. Twitter has become a valuable networking tool for professionals in a variety of disciplines. It can be used to start conversations with “the experts,” to get help with a tricky professional problem, and to follow conference activities.
- The second workshop (March 29) will focus on how writers and readers can tackle Twitter. Staff members Evie Hemphill and Tim Lepczyk use Twitter to share ideas, find inspiration, engage with authors and editors, and keep their writing sharp.
- The third session (April 26) aims to help participants understand the power of the 140-character tweet. Librarians Jaleh Fazelian and Makiba Foster will lead a discussion of Twitter’s instrumental role as an unlikely galvanizing tool in various national and global movements. From Iran to Wall Street, from Tunisia to Egypt, Twitter was and is a part of these recent revolutions.
For more information and to register, visit wulibraries.doattend.com. Follow University Libraries on Twitter at twitter.com/@WUSTLlibraries.