that bird thing -- running a successful library twitter account

That Bird ThingHow to run a successful library Twitter account

tweet!

by oleg kagan

Advantage

(cc) 2009 by merwing (posted on Flickr)

Twitter allows the library to have frequent, mostly positive interactions with patrons and community members.

On the other hand...

(cc) 2007 by Henry McLin (posted on Flickr)

Doing social media right takes a lot of time.

Lost in the crowd

(cc) 2007 by cactusbeetroot (posted on Flickr)

you

People are rarely tweeting or logging in at the same time.

Getting noticed

(cc) 2009 by Nathan Rupert (posted on Flickr)

A good rule of thumb is to tweet several times a day.

Reaching out

(cc) 2009 by Jürgen Lison (posted on Flickr)

Hey

Yo!

...frankly, they don't know we exist.

Who I follow

(cc) 2009 by John Morgan (posted on Flickr)

me?

...the primary purpose of the West Hollywood Library twitter account is connecting locally...

Who I follow, pt. 2

(cc) 2007 by Karunakar Rayker (posted on Flickr)

+ + + +- - -

I follow people...on a case by case basis depending on how closely related they are to libraries.

Who I don't follow

(cc) 2008 by Kevin Beuhler (posted on Flickr)

Am I interesting?Relatability

to locale and library are key. If those aren't there, I probably won't follow that person

How to find them

(cc) 2007 by Philippa Warr (posted on Flickr)

twitter suggestions

@connect tab

saved searches

Making contact

(cc) 2009 by Len Matthews (posted on Flickr)

Sometimes "make contact" just means following a person.

The Twitter mode

(cc) 2003 by Jason Trommetter (posted on Flickr)

...it is a conversation!

Who are you? I am

636.6865!

What to sayStart with the basics...

(cc) 2006 by A. Davey (posted on Flickr)

useful websites

database of the month

library photos

'hood news

library events

book tweets

Beyond your feed

...create a list of accounts...of other people and organizations that [your] patrons and [you] enjoy.

(cc) 2010 by lovestruck (posted on Flickr)

Taking the plunge

(cc) 2011 by carterse (posted on Flickr)

People on Twitter, just like folks everywhere, love recognition. Recognize them and soon you'll have a crew of adoring fans all over your every tweet.

The right direction

(cc) 2005 by boston_camera (posted on Flickr)

Interaction leads to more interaction, so the more you participate the better you'll do.

The wrong direction

(cc) 2008 by mugley (posted on Flickr)

There's a fine line between fun, and trivial or offensive.

Housekeeping

(cc) 2005 by Craig Nagy (posted on Flickr)

There are many websites out there that help keep your account neat.

Don't do it

there are plenty of other outreach and marketing strategies.

Thanks for listening

(cc) 2008 by Steve Jurvetson (posted on Flickr)

Questions?okagan@library.lacounty.govExamples?twitter.com/WeHoLibrary