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To Twitter or not to Twitter

In her blog “Information Wants to Be Free,” Meredith Farkas, Head of Instructional Initiatives at Norwich University in Vermont, writes about how “Twitter has changed so much in significance and utility” since its inception. Her post goes on to discuss how “Twitter (and FriendFeed, and other microblogging and lifestreaming apps) has been an amazing boon to those looking for connection and conversation.” Farkas lists four ways in which Twitter can be useful:

  1. “It’s great for querying the hive.” By the examples she gives, this means it is handy for getting quick opinions and information from the online crowd.
  2. “It can be great for sharing knowledge.”
  3. “It can be great for conferences.” On one hand, Twitter can help people share what is interesting and exciting at a conference. On the other hand, it can be a distraction from, or disruptive to, sessions and workshops.
  4. “It can be a great advocacy tool. Libraries and non-profits are using Twitter to promote their services and get the word out about projects they’re working on, current needs, and the news on issues related to their cause. And people who support them can amplify their messages through retweets. It’s also a great way to join conversations happening among their community of users.”

The Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library has its own Twitter profile page where this author tweets information from this blog via HootSuite. Check it out!