There is an increasing movement to openly share information and to encourage people to re-share through Twitter or any of the other social channels. Many do not want to attach strict copyright to such work, but still want to be attributed. They may wish to only share if the work is not edited or is not used for monetary gain. The use of Creative Commons licences is an excellent way to ensure it is clear what you are happy with. Continue reading
LinkedIn maps is a great app which allows you to create an interactive map of all of your connections on LinkedIn. You can click on each node and view the profile of that connection as well as zoom in to see how your connections are connected to each other. You will see groups of connections in different colours. When you hover over the nodes you will find that there are commonalities, such as groups of people you have worked with. In the bottom left hand corner of the map you can give names to these colour coded groups. As you will see on my map, I have identified colleagues from Sheffield Hallam University, colleagues in Higher Education from other countries and those with social media specialisms to name just a few. Continue reading
A hashtag is a word or a phrase prefixed with the symbol #. They have been used for some time by Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. Chris Messina was the first to introduce them to Twitter. Searching for a hashtag will bring together all entries containing that word or phrase. Continue reading
LinkedIn recommendations are used to give a colleague or business partner that you have personally worked with or a service provider, a recommendation of their work. There is also the option to recommend a student, but I personally would use this only where you have worked with a student. For example on a research project or where the student was an intern. A recommendation is different to a character reference. Continue reading
Aside from the Twitter web page, there are a number of different ways you can view tweets. Two of my favourites are:
There are so many time saving keystroke tips and tricks around and yet many of us (including myself) have either simply just not picked them up or along the way forgotten what they are!
David Pogue talks about some really useful ones in his TED talk. These include:
Below is an excellent article written by Shea Bennett on the 5 Stages of Getting Twitter. I am sharing her 5 Stages (in its entirety) as it is such a good summary and one that even the most prolific Tweeters will be able to resonate with. Having had numerous conversations on the topic, I know that many colleagues have also gone through these very stages. Those that have persevered and reached stage 5 now have a valuable resource at their finger tips. The key thing to remember is that Twitter is what you make of it. Follow people, companies, groups or brands that interest you. Do look at who other people follow and then if their tweets also interest you, then by all means follow them too. It’s a personal choice and will depend on the interests you have. If you only follow celebrities but are not interested in what they say, your Twitter feed will be meaningless. Continue reading
One of the features of Google+ is having a ‘Google Hangout‘, which is very similar to Skype. However the added value is that it is free for you to hang out with up to 9 people and have a private discussion or meeting AND be able to see each other. Using Skype for a group chat you can only hear each other unless you subscribe to the premium option.
The other feature is Google Hangouts on Air. This allows you to have a group conversation in the same way but it is opened to the public to view and listen in to. The hangout is also automatically recorded and uploaded to YouTube. This provides unlimited opportunities to share public conversations, debates, Q&As etc. Continue reading
If you are thinking about creating a LinkedIn profile or have one but have not looked at it recently, the following tips may be useful. Continue reading
Kickstarter is a new way to fund creative projects. It is a platform where anyone can launch a project and seek funding. The project creators set a funding goal and deadline for their project. Projects only get funded if the funding goal is met. If people like the project they can pledge money to help make the project happen. In 2012 over 2 million people pledged just under $320 million, resulting in 18109 successful projects both in the US and UK. Continue reading
The Guardian: Social Media
Sue Beckingham
Social Media for Learning 