Since Twitter's inception in 2006, the company based around the simple question of "What are you doing?" has exploded.
Time Magazine reported in May 2009 that Twitter has more than 32 million users, an increase from about 2 million in 2008. Some Internet measurement services show that figure increasing 50% to 100% month over month.
With its easy access on both PCs and mobile devices, it has become one of the largest platforms for sharing real-time data around the world.
DCCCD's purpose in using Twitter is:
- To engage our students;
- To provide customer service;
- To distribute emergency alerts, when necessary;
- To encourage transparent, open communications between our students and DCCCD.
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Getting started with Twitter
If you already have a personal Twitter account, start following the @DCCCD Twitter account, as well as the many other district related accounts (as listed below).
If you don't already have a personal account, sign up for one at Twitter.com. From there you can begin to follow your friends, as well as others who share your common interests.
To maximize your experience, watch what others are doing and then join in the conversation. Twitter is best experienced when following a number of people and getting involved in the conversation. Remember, like other social media, Twitter is a two way street.
Watch the video, Twitter in Plain English.
A non-fanatical beginner's guide to Twitter (deanna zandt. blog)
The Twitter Guide Book (Mashable.com)
Twitter in the Classroom
College professors are finding many exciting ways to put Twitter to use in the classroom.
Dr. Rankin, professor of History at UT Dallas, wanted to know how to reach her students and better involve them in discussions both in and out of the classroom. She collaborated with the UT Dallas Arts and Technology - Emerging Media and Communications faculty to see what impact Twitter might have in the classroom.
Watch the video, The Twitter Experiment.
Twitter for Academia (academichack blog, Jan. 23, 2008)
Hacking Education (relaxnoreally blog, June 14, 2009)
Some Professors' Jitters Over Twitter Are Easing (Washington Post, June 26, 2009)
Twitter in the news
The Future of Twitter (Time Magazine, May 27, 2009)
10 Ways Twitter Will Change American Business (Time Magazine, May 29, 2009)
How Twitter Will Change the Way We Live (Time Magazine, June 5, 2009)
Hashtags
A "hashtags" is a short line of text, starting with a #. Hashtags enable tweets with that text phrase to be found in a search on sites like search.twitter.com. With hashtags you can quickly find other people who are interested in the same things you're interested in.
For example, if you're interested in the #iranelection and you go to search.twitter.com and look that term up, you'll find news and info from around the world updated as it comes in, in real time.
Also, many conferences and events will announce a hashtag related to the event, in order to allow Twitter users to connect and follow other conversations happening around them. You can follow conversations in real-time both during the event, as well as in the weeks and months following the event.
To browse what others are talking about, Twitter offers "trending topics" on the right sidebar of individual profiles, or on search.twitter.com. This list tells you what topics are gaining steam on Twitter; simply click those links to see what people are saying about it.
Watch the video, Twitter Search in Plain English.
DCCCD on Twitter
@DCCCD districtwide general information
@Brookhaven Brookhaven College - general information
@CVCOnline Cedar Valley College - general information
@CVCSuns Cedar Valley College - Office of Student Life
@TeleCollege Dallas TeleCollege - general information
@DTCAdvisor1 Dallas TeleCollege - Distance Learning advisor
@TeleLearning Dallas Telelearning - general information
@eConnect eConnect online support
@ECCOnline El Centro College - general information
@EFCOnline Eastfield College - general information
@EFCStudentLife Eastfield College - Office of Student Life
@MVCOnline Mountain View College - general information
@NorthLakeNow North Lake College - general information
@RichlandCollege Richland College - general information
@ThunderSports Richland College - sports blog posts