In Brief
Vol. 5, No. 3 February 2012
A publication for members of the Alliance for Student Activities
Get the Word Out with Twitter Fast Follow w By Ron Ippolito The ways in which we communicate are becoming quicker, shorter, and more individually targeted. Yet in education, many of us still rely on the “here is the information, come-andget-it” model. Through the years that information has come in the form of a school newsletter, a bulletin board, a website, or even the more modern school Facebook Page. In each of these models, however, it is up to students and parents to go there to get the information.
Android, iPad, tablet, iPod Touch, etc.) than through a computer. In that same Microsoft study, Americans in 2011 spent an average of 2.7 hours a day interacting with their mobile device. That’s more than twice the time we spend eating, and a third of the time we spend sleeping. The way we interact with, and find out about, the world around us is moving away from newspapers, magazines, computers, and even phone conversations, and is increasingly centered on our mobile
Imagine having a
Some schools in recent years have contracted with mass-marketing phone call services, where a school representative can blast out a voice message to families on their home or cell phones. This service can be important in an emergency situation like a school closure, but many parents may not want to be bothered with a phone call during dinner time to hear your pre-recorded message about Back-to-School Night or an upcoming school fundraiser.
devices and text messaging. This is where schools need to target their communication, and the best way to do this is Twitter.
Get ‘em Where They Are
Why Twitter?
A recent study in marketing technology indicates that 98% of text messages get read completely, as compared to only 19.8% of e-mail messages. I would say that after scanning “From” and “Subject” previews, I probably open less than 10% of the e-mail that comes into my inbox. According to Microsoft, by 2014 more people will access the Internet through a mobile device (iPhone,
Since its launch in 2006, Twitter has gained more than 300 million users worldwide. While some of our teachers, parents, and students could be considered Twitter “power users,” the world of @ symbols and #hashtags still remains a mystery to many. As my recently-retired mom told me when I was trying to sell her on Twitter, “I’ll just stick to Facebook.” However, in August 2010, Twitter launched a
direct connection to your students and parents, on the device that is with them all the time. This is what Twitter Fast Follow can do.
service called Twitter Fast Follow. With Twitter Fast Follow, all you need to keep up with any Twitter user’s “tweets” is a cell phone that can send and receive text messages. There’s no need to sign up for an account, no email address to register, and no need to figure out the difference between an @ mention and a DM (DM stands for a direct message between two Twitter users that follow each other).
Try It Out Yourself First To start using Twitter Fast Follow, you simply send a two-word text message to the universal Twitter short code, 40404. For example, let’s say you want to start getting breaking news from CNN sent to you as a text message. Simply text these two words: FOLLOW CNNBRK to the phone number 40404. The very first time you start using Twitter Fast Follow, you’ll get a couple messages. The first one may say something like, “TIP: Want to Tweet? Reply w/START anytime and join the conversation!” Twitter, being a forprofit company that wants to make money through things like promoted tweets, advertised Trending Topics, and search engine licensing, wants you to reply with the word START and become a registered Twitter user. However, you are under no obligation to do so.
So, you’ve started by following CNN Breaking News, now who else do you want to follow? Maybe Martha Stewart? Send the words FOLLOW MARTHASTEWART to 40404. Perhaps you’re a Justin Bieber fan? Send FOLLOW JUSTINBIEBER to 40404. Ashton Kutcher is one of the most followed celebrities on Twitter. For him, send the words FOLLOW APLUSK to 40404. Each of these (MARTHASTEWART, JUSTINBIEBER, APLUSK) are called Twitter usernames. You don’t have to use capital characters. Twitter commands are not case-sensitive. Gotten over the Bieber fever? Turn off his tweets by texting OFF JUSTINBIEBER to 40404. Breaking news getting too depressing? Turn it off with OFF CNNBRK to 40404. You can turn any account updates off with that same OFF command.
Consider the Possibilities Imagine having a direct connection to your students and parents, on the device that is with them all the time. This is what Twitter Fast Follow can do for your school, and best of all, it’s free! Imagine some of the things you could do with a captive audience of high school students and parents: • Connect students or parents of one specific group. Send targeted tweets to just the student council kids, or drama, or band, or the varsity soccer team. • Taking the choir to sing at Carnegie Hall? Send a wake-up text each morning, reminder of where and when the next meet-up will be, or any other message your want your entire group to receive. • Teachers can have students in their classroom subscribe to receive homework and quiz/test reminders. The first time I did this in class, I asked how many students got the
quiz hints that I tweeted out. “Quiz hints? We can get quiz hints?” I instantly gained several more followers after that. • Broadcast critical information when your school network is down. If you’ve ever had a network outage, even for only a few hours, you know how frustrating that can be to parents and staff. Even when the school website, e-mail, or phone system is down, chances are Twitter is still running. • Notify incoming ninth graders of important welcome activities. • Play trivia or test-of-knowledge contests school-wide. • Promote school dances and other social events. Offer a discount off the cost of the event for anyone who mentions the tweet. This can help you measure your marketing reach. • Send good news! When students are honored at a recognition assembly, when JV girls volleyball wins the league title, or when a faculty member wins Teacher-of-the-Year, send out the good news on Twitter. • Offer a tease for more information. The Twitter character limit is 140 characters. This is done intentionally so tweets stay succinct. If you have more information to offer, send a “teaser” tweet and then tell your followers where to go for more information. For example: “Freshman Orientation was AWESOME! Check out photos online now at facebook.com/BestEverHS” or “BackToSchool Night a great chance to meet teachers, learn more about your child’s school. Schedule, campus map now on BestEverHighSchool.org” (that one was exactly 140 characters).
to create your own Twitter account. Visit Twitter.com to sign up. That takes less than five minutes. When you get started, Twitter will ask you for your “Full name” and later for a “username.” For example, let’s say you are an administrator at Best Ever High School. Your full name can be Best Ever High School (this can have spaces), and your username can be BestEverHS (usernames can’t have spaces). Choose a username that will be easy enough and short enough for kids to remember and type in. BestEverHighSchool might be a little long for a username. Maybe try for just BestEverHS or even BEHS if it’s available. As you progress through the sign-up process, it’s going to ask you to find your interests, look for your friends, find people to follow. You can skip all that nonsense since this account is going to be used for school and not for your personal interests.
n How will you tweet? If this is going to be the only Twitter account you use, you can connect your cell phone to your Twitter account by going into the mobile settings (after you have your account all set up). Follow the prompts to connect your cell phone text messaging to your Twitter account. Once connected, you can send out your tweets (which then, of course, will become your text message blasts out to your students) directly from your phone. This works from ANY phone (not just iPhone or Blackberry). All you need is text messaging. If you have a smartphone, there are also Twitter apps available for free to download. The reason I mention tweeting from your phone is because most school districts block direct access to Twitter from a school computer.
Getting Started
n Get your kids to start following
To get started tweeting, you need
you. Guide your kids (or parents)
through this process in a group setting if you can. That way, those who catch on faster can help those who may need a little extra assistance. Plus, it’s cool to demonstrate it in a group so everyone’s phones light up and buzz at the same time. Have them send a text message to phone number 40404 (this is the universal Twitter text messaging number) with TWO words (it’s always just two words). The first word is FOLLOW and the second word is whatever your username is. For example, FOLLOW BESTEVERHS to 40404. Upper case or lower case doesn’t matter. What DOES matter is they need to make sure it’s only those two words, and they can’t have subject lines or signatures in their text messages (you may not understand what this means, but your teenagers do). Again, emphasize to them that they do not need a
smartphone, but they do need text messaging and standard text messaging rates apply. Most families nowadays have unlimited texting, but not all, so be aware of that.
n Start tweeting! To be effective, you want to find balance in your tweets. Too few or infrequent tweets or—even worse—you start tweeting and then you stop, and you lose your audience and make it harder for someone else to start this up after you. You should tweet something meaningful a minimum of once a week. Too MANY tweets, and your audience will turn you off. One or two tweets per day is probably the maximum to avoid being annoying.
n And finally—tweet the stuff they like so they can get the stuff they need. If you try and sell this strictly as “Hey! We can give you information
so start following us,” there’s really nothing fun or motivating about that. You mention that the Homecoming Queen will be announced for the first time ever via Twitter, and you’ll instantly gain hundreds (maybe thousands!) of followers. Tweet the stuff they REALLY want to hear (a photo of a rally, who made it on the cheer squad, drama audition results, ASB election results, discounts on dances, free hot chocolate on a cold morning, other special promotions), so that you have that audience when you need them. Ron Ippolito teaches history at West Ranch HS in Stevenson Ranch, CA, and teaches classroom technology to educators all over the state of California. You can find him on Twitter at @rippolito or on the web at www. RonIppolito.com.
In Brief is published five times per year by the Alliance for Student Activities, a nonprofit corporation whose mission is to promote the value of cocurricular student activities and to provide professional development and support for advisers and future advisers. Board of Directors John Glimco, President Lyn Fiscus, Vice President Ann Postlewaite, Secretary Todd Burlingham, Treasurer © 2012 Alliance for Student Activities
Alliance for Student Activities www.alliance4studentactivities.org info@alliance4studentactivities.org