Before INF206 I had never used Twitter before and honestly wasn’t even sure how. When I first created an account with Twitter I began looking for people to follow. After reading the article ‘How to Get Started with Google+’ by Kirsti Hines I decided to add Kirsti to my twitter followers so I could check out her future updates on social media.
Whilst browsing the web, I also came across the Mashable website, which has an array of posts regarding social media with links to useful articles and videos. Since then, I have followed a number of people/organisations that post regular twitter updates on social networking and web 2.0 technologies.
From an Information Professionals perspective I believe there are definitely benefits to using Twitter in the Library. After seeing Twitter in action I think it would be a great tool for providing quick and easy updates in a university library for students. For example, Deakin University Library provides a link for users so they can follow the Library on Twitter, and on their University Homepage there is a feed showing twitter posts of events and changes that students might need to know about. This is a great way of keeping everyone at Deakin up to date with important news.
There are a few features in Twitter that could be used by an information professional to support services, learning and user collaboration. For instance, the ‘lists’ function (shown below) is a handy way for a library to provide updates for staff by adding staff members to the list so that they can all share links and current news in one place such as changes to library policies, new resources acquired at the library or links to databases being trialled so that all staff can try them out and provide quick feedback.
The ability to place twitter feeds on a webpage is also a useful function, allowing a library to post short snippets of information such as how to access an E-book or popular book titles so that patrons can learn about the services that the library offers.
Overall, because Twitter is a collaborative tool it could be a handy way for information professionals to share information on current events, news and resources as well as be able to receive instant feedback, allowing them to actively respond to any requests or issues from users.
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