Preparation for the face-to-face session

The objective of this course activity is to register for an account on Twitter so that you can contribute to a live Twitter feed during the face-to-face session.

Before the facilitated session, go to the Twitter website (www.twitter.com [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] ).

From here you can register by clicking on the button at the top of the page. Registration is straightforward. You will be asked to supply a username which will be made available to all Twitter users. If you are happy for this to be your own name, the advantages are that friends and colleagues will be able to find you easily. However, you may feel at this point that you would rather use a name that does not identify you. You will be able to change your username later. You can also opt here for others to find you by your email address (this does not mean your email address is displayed; it allows others to find you if they already have your email address). Again, if you have concerns about privacy you can uncheck this box.

The objective of this course activity is to find out more about the origins and ethos of Twitter and what it can offer users.

Go to the About Us link at the bottom of the landing page. Clicking on this will take you to an information section where you can find out more about how Twitter started, what it was intended to do and what it now offers to users. Read through this section – it will give you a useful insight into the Twitter and tweeting method of social networking. Read down to the bottom of the page – you may be surprised at the applications Twitter has for community and international good causes.