Twitter. Tweet. Tweeted. These are all words that over a year ago would most likely have brought either birds or gibberish to mind. When people in the media try to discuss the Twitter phenomenon, they still regularly mess up the terms and misunderstand the practice.
We are proud Twitter users. We are also both students in the journalism department, which has recently incorporated Twitter into the curriculum as part of a special topics class on social media in public relations. Microblogging has academic relevance now.
An art exhibit in Sprowls last semester even utilized Twitter. The exhibit on digital literature featured a laptop with an endless poem, composed entirely of Tweets.
Twitter. It’s art, poetry, news and entertainment. It is the one thing you might not know you’re missing on the Internet.
Stop dragging your feet and send a tweet. Messages of 140 characters or less helped tell the world what was really going on during the Iranian elections over the summer. Social media broadcasted a hushed political uprising, giving the service a new level of legitimacy.
Twitter, unlike Facebook and MySpace, seeks to extend this legitimacy with the verified account program. If you see a celebrity account with a blue checkmark icon, Twitter has verified that the account owner is actually that celebrity, be it faux newsman Stephen Colbert or real newsman Anderson Cooper.
Twitter has become a news source and an important news tool, for both journalists and readers. Breaking news can be sent out rapidly, and reactions or eyewitness information can be shared just as quickly, along with links to pictures and videos.
We hear people argue that Twitter is just a rip off of Facebook, and is unnecessary. Tweeting is a lot like updating your Facebook status, and you can even link your Twitter account to your Facebook account for that very purpose. But Twitter is simpler and cleaner than Facebook. No clutter, no ads – just information from the people businesses, and organizations you choose to follow.
If the university chose to harness its Twitter power, they could tap into a better way to communicate with students. Think about it like Reverse 911, without all the glitches.
Most campus organizations get their announcements lost in the Campus Events list, but having an individual account puts you in direct contact with interested students and similar organizations on other campuses. IUP’s chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America has its own Twitter account, linking the student members to each other in Indiana, and chapters at other Pennsylvania universities like Penn State and Temple.
The Entertainment Network, which brings musicians, comedians and speakers to campus, has its own account, too.
It is clear that IUP organizations have information they want heard. Adding Twitter to your arsenal will not hurt.
We hope that the university and more campus groups join the Twitterverse. In a completely non-stalker context, we would love to follow you.
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