Twitter: Social Work and Social Media

13th July 2010

This is our third blog post on social media and its benefits for social workers, having previously taken a look at LinkedIn and Facebook.  This time its the turn of Twitter – a more recent and possibly less well known  social media phenomenon.

Twitter is known as a ‘micro-blogging site’. It asks users the question ‘what’s happening?’ and gives them 140 characters to give an answer, which is then shared with their ‘followers’.  It’s used to share many things, including breaking news, useful links, jokes with friends, views on key issues, and so on.  But how could it be useful for social work professionals?  Here are just a few of our ideas…

Stay up-to-date…

Many key journalists and publications have twitter feeds, which are regularly updated with the latest news stories and discussions topics. Following these people is a great way to quickly catch up on ’what’s happening’ in the world of social work.

Get useful and interesting links…

A major element of twitter is the sharing of useful links.  If you come across a hidden gem online that you want to share with others (whether it’s a blog post, a news article, or anything else) twitter is a great tool to use.  Likewise, you could benefit from interesting articles and links discovered by others.

Discuss the issues… 

 If you’re interested in what others have to say about the latest hot topic, Twitter is a great place to find out, and to contribute to the discussion yourself.

Follow organisations…

If there are particular companies, charities, or organisations you’re interested in supporting and keeping in touch with, you can follow them on Twitter.  The Liquid Personnel Twitter Feed is a source of useful links, comment on key issues, and a simple means of staying up-to-date with us or contacting us. 

If you’re not currently using Twitter, we would very much recommend it.  It’s great as a networking tool and a means to stay abreast of new developments and news in the social work arena.  When you do take a look, don’t forget to follow Liquid Personnel, and we’ll be happy follow you too!