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What’s Twitter?• Twitter is a social network of 500 million people sharing

information and creating conversations about the topics that matter to them*

• Professionals, journalists, companies, and everyday people can talk in an open forum of microblogs called “tweets”, allowing for direct, timely, and transparent communication

*source: www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter/ 500-million-registered-users_b18842

What’s with all the chatter?• If Facebook is like looking into a still aquarium, Twitter is like a

constantly flowing stream of conversation

• Facebook connects you with who you know, LinkedIn connects you with who you’d like to work with, Twitter connects you with who you’d like to know

• The value of Twitter’s open communication lies in its ability to organize users and reduce the boundaries between professional and personal communities

$25,000 Raised through Twitter to Save Aging Dog

© H

annahStonehouseHudson / StonehousePhoto.com

Social media creates meaningful connections. Earlier this year, Twitter enabled a man from Wisconsin to preserve the life of a dog who saved him from suicidal depression. John Unger was photographed holding his dog, Schoep, afloat in Lake Superior to ease the dog’s arthritic pain and allow him to rest. Schoep was thought to be close to the end of his life, and the photograph was meant to be a keepsake for John. But after the photo and story spread across Twitter, donations poured in that enabled John to afford the treatment that saved Schoep from being euthanized.*

*source: www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2208673/Photograph-man-arthritic-dog-raises-money-theyve-started-foundation-save-animals.html

Where do I start?• Connect to Twitter at http://twitter.com

• Making an account is as easy as entering your name and email address, and creating a username and password

• Choose a photo of yourself as a display picture, and write a brief bio that describes who you are, what you do, or what you’re interested in

Who should I follow?• Following others will include their tweets on your timeline

• Check your other networks and online contacts for people you know who are already using Twitter

• Explore by searching for topics and people that you’re interested in

• Once you’ve followed a few users, Twitter will start to suggest more based on their content

• AB.VMA’s Twitter page features “Lists” of relevant organizations and people to follow, such as Vets & Assoc., Educational Institutions, and Clinics & Hospitals

*source: twitter.com/abvma/vets-assoc

What’s in a Tweet?Twitter uses a variety of tools and lingo to help users communicate more effectively:

Tools

• Reply lets you respond publicly to another user’s tweet

• Retweet shares another user’s tweet with your followers

• Favorite lets a user know you liked their tweet and adds it to your favorites for later viewing

• Direct Messages enable users to communicate privately if you follow each other

Lingo

• @Username tags someone in a tweet and notifies them that they’ve been mentioned

• #Topic tags a tweet with a “hashtag”, allowing users to create, join, and keep track of conversations

• RT and MT are used to signify a retweet or modified tweet that includes the retweeter’s comments or response and gives credit to the original tweeter

Try these hashtags!

#CanWestVetConf - official hashtag of the CanWest Veterinary Conference

#yegpets and #yycpets - pets in Edmonton and Calgary respectively

#veterinary - the community of veterinarians and their industry

#animals - all animal-related issues and topics

#petowners - your clients

Tweets are limited to 140 characters, so keep your messages focused and concise

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What should I say?Now that you’re familiar with Twitter’s culture and community, you’re ready to get involved! For a free drink ticket from the AB.VMA booth, tweet what you think about the conference followed by a mention of the AB.VMA and the conference’s official hashtag.

Ex: “Having a great time with @ABVMA at the #CanWestVetConf!”

1Use your own voice - no one wants to talk to a robot

Participate in conversations to influence people and develop relationships

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Retweet content that you think is unique, interesting, or useful to your followers

4 6Don’t be afraid to ask others for help by tagging them with the @ symbol

Help others by responding to their questions

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Make sure your tweets are timely. Conversations unfold naturally in real time and tweets older than 3 days are rarely seen by followers

Try to tweet everyday. The more you offer the Twitter community, the more you’ll get back

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8 Speak your mind, but remember that your tweets are open to the world

A mixture of information and opinion keeps followers engaged and connected

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Twitter for your PracticeYou can use Twitter to promote your practice and foster relationships with clientele. It also lets people know that you’re involved in the veterinarian community and informed on the latest trends and topics. Our online/social media strategies have yielded unprecedented success for our clients and we’d like to do the same for you. Please contact Mitchell Lee, Online Strategist at Parcom Online to get started.

Our Services Include:

Clinic brand development Social media consultation/training/management

Twitter graphics customization Online advertising

Mobile marketing and localization Website refresh

Website design/redesignSearch engine optimization (SEO)

And more…

mitchell@parcomonline.com • 780. 424.1111 ext: 168 www.parcomonline.com/our-services

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