Category Archives: Microblogging

Twitter, one week on.

Last week, we looked at Twitter. Now, I admitted in class, and I happily admit it here – Twitter is my thing. I love it. I really do.

Facebook demands so much of me. Better never to sign in, than to sign in and have it known that I signed in and ignored messages, likes and pokes. It’s not that I don’t value Facebook, not at all. I love that I can keep in touch with friends and family. That I can know what they are up to. ALL THE TIME.

Twitter makes no demands of me. Twitter is there for me when I need it. It understands when I need time out. It’s where I go for my news, my politics, my industry awareness.

Last week, you got a demonstration of the immediacy of Twitter, and the potential accessibly to culture institutions and to other awesome library people. I put out a call, asking for tips for new library students. Straight away, we had wonderful people sharing their tips. If you would like to revisit these comments, and I very much urge you to, take a trip over to my Twitter page @BonnieWildie . You can also check out the Twitter widget, right here on my blog.

So, what are you thoughts on Twitter? Is it something that appealed to you? Can you see it’s value. Or is it all a bit to much? As always, interested in your thoughts!

Twitter and the professional you!

Hi all,

Firstly, I would like to thank everyone for their response to this unit. I think it is safe to say that a lot of us have moved out of our comfort zones and in to new territory. You are all doing so well – the level of engagement is fantastic, and I think we are all benefiting from it.

Now, we had a mixed response to Twitter. And that is fine. Remember, different people like to get information in different ways. (I’m looking forward to your feedback on Pinterest next week!) I did, however, want to pass on an article which may be of interest to those of you who intend to keep your Twitter account active, and who might want to use it to network with others in the industry (even if this isn’t you, I urge you to take a quick look at the article).

You can view the article here. I agree with most of these points. If nothing else, adding ‘library student’ to your profile is probably a good idea.

While I was browsing, I also came across this article on privacy tips for librarians. There are some interesting things in this article as well.

As always, interested in your opinion. I have some passwords to change.

Twitter and literacy

During class last week (or this week – I hope I’m not the only one experiencing time blur!) we looked at Twitter and there was some discussion about the impact of the shortened form on literacy.

This article by Margaret Atwood (esteemed author) is very interesting and there is a lot that I agree with. Atwood suggests that Twitter has the potential to be a driver of increased literacy.

The comments section is torturous (never read the comments). My view is that there will always be (and have always been) people who struggle with literacy. It’s just that these inadequacies are far more visible and are published unedited.

You can follow Margaret Atwood on Twitter here.

I’m interested in your thoughts on this topic.