There was a bit of discussion on Twitter this evening about explaining Twitter to the uninitiated.
(If this sounds a bit navel-gazingy, that’s because it probably is. Hang around in any online space for long enough and you soon end up in meta-conversations of this type.)
Emma Maier of the Local Government Chronicle is organising some collectively written guidance on a Google Doc – here’s the link and I recommend you get stuck in!
Of course, a longer guide is the one I wrote for Learning Pool a couple of years ago, and which is soon to be republished in an updated form.
In the meantime though, I thought I’d knock together a quick single page effort, which ought to be handy for the absolute beginner.
I’ve embedded it below, but if you can’t see it, go to the ‘Useful Stuff’ page on the Kind of Digital site and you can download a PDF.
I’ll be doing some more of these – LinkedIn, Facebook, Flickr, YouTube and blogging are all bound to feature. Would these be useful? Any other topics spring to mind?
Let me know!
Really nice idea. I think there’s a scope to break ‘blogging’ up between the Tumblr type blogs and WordPress.com/Blogger type blogs which are more of the ‘traditional’ type. I wrote a few posts about using social media for social workers and apart from the ones you mentioned also included a piece on social bookmarking (delicious/pinboard) and actually included Tumblr with that. I also wrote briefly about well-established forums. Nothing as good or detailed as you’ve done but if you’re interested the link is here
http://fightingmonsters.wordpress.com/2011/03/20/social-media-and-social-work-a-series/
A general guide to communications technology would come in very handy. Anyone considering using social media will need an internet-enabled device and a guide giving them a rundown of what’s available and a quick comparison of the kind of features offered would help narrow down their options before purchasing — what’s the difference between a mobile and a smartphone? Do I need a desktop, laptop, netbook or tablet?
Thanks for the ideas – will stick them on the to do list!
Oh what a relief. A guide written in English. Plain and simple, uncomplicated and amiable language that anyone can read without pain.
I would like to propose that Dave and similar writers are employed to rewrite the verbiage that our governmental departments believe will serve for benefit forms, housing association applications, every single HMRC document, and every report that is commissioned to communicate complex, and simple, issues to consumers and citizens.
Three cheers for people who are not prolix.