ELGL is hosting an #ELGLBookClub on March 5 at noon EST. Here’s all the information about how you can participate!
I want to participate! What should I do?
- Buy the book.
- Read the book.
- Listen to the GovLove episode with Andrew.
- Stay tuned for a blog post with draft questions for the discussion.
- Log on to Twitter at noon EST on March 5 and get ready to chat!
I don’t have a Twitter account – what do I do?
Get one! Twitter is a really easy microblogging tool where you can follow along with your favorite news sources, friends or other local governments.
You can’t communicate anything in 280 characters.
We beg to differ. Twitter is the pulse of the internet. It’s a key tool for local government professionals who want to keep tabs on trending topics and tools. And it’s a great way to chat about a really interesting book about local government budgeting.
#ELGLBookClub… what’s that pound sign for?
You say pound sign, we say hashtag. # is a hashtag. It’s a way of cross referencing information across Twitter. When you use the hashtag, your tweet will be compiled with all other tweets that use the same hashtag.
Give it a try – search for #cutepuppies and you’ll instantly see ALL of the cute puppies on Twitter.
Some key hashtag concepts:
- #keepthewordsconnected otherwise the hashtag will break off at the space or punctuation.
- During #ELGLBookClub, use the hashtag in all of your tweets on the topic, so you are included in the conversation. If you don’t use it, your comment won’t be included.
What’s that little arrow that points to the left?
It’s the button you use to reply to a tweet. If you read something and want to comment on it, use that button to reply directly.
Remember that if your tweet starts with an @, only the person with that handle and people who follow both of you can see the tweet. For example:
- @kimkardashian have you ever considered a career as a professional local government manager?
In this case, only Kim and your friends who follow Kim will see this tweet.
In contrast:
- .@kimkardashian do you think urban renewal districts can work in Baltimore?
In this case, everyone who follows you will see that you’re asking Kim about economic development strategies.
Hold up – wait a minute. What’s the @ for?
This is what designates a Twitter handle. Use it when you want to call someone out in your tweet. Feel free to call out ELGL using @ELGL50 when you’re tweeting cool stuff.
And what about those arrows that are pointing in a circle?
You can use that button to retweet or “RT.” That means you take the tweet and share it on your own feed.
If you want to RT but also add a comment, you can add in your thoughts too. RT’s are a great way to amplify a tweet that you want your followers to see.
I get the RTs, but what are H/Ts?
HT’s are for dapper gentlewomen and men who give “hat tips” to great tweets or information shares.
I’m a slow typer – can I still participate?
Totally! During an #ELGLBookClub, our moderator will pose questions using the hashtag. You’ll have a few minutes to collect your thoughts and respond, either to the question or other tweets. Twitter is fast moving but we’ll make sure you can stay engaged during the conversation.
I’m too busy to participate during the scheduled time, but want to read the discussion. What are my options?
Search for the hashtag! You can review the conversation after the fact by just searching for the hashtag we use that day. You can also chime in after the fact on questions and answers (although there might be slower engagement when the #ELGLBookClub isn’t happening).
Any other tips or tricks to share?
- Copy the hashtag so you can quickly paste it (control V or open apple V) during the #ELGLBookClub.
- Practice makes perfect! Tweeting is just like riding a bike or making the perfect coq au vin. To do it well, you have to practice and get better with time. You can do it!
- Some easy ways to build up your Twitter muscles include trying to tweet at least daily, or engaging in Twitter exchanges with friends or authors on topics you care about.
Any other questions about #ELGLBookClub? Let us know and we’ll add them to this blog post. See you online soon!