Twitter @ Congress
How to Use Twitter to Stay Connected at Congress
Oprah's using it. So's Ellen. And now AORN is too.
Twitter is a simple, real-time messaging system that lets you keep up with events and monitor news as it happens on your mobile device or a computer.
Congress 2010 will be the first year AORN has used Twitter, and we're excited to use social media to enhance the Congress experience for you.
Twitter will be another channel for AORN to get the word out about up-to-the-minute goings-on at Congress, like general housekeeping items (room changes, lost and found items), special Twitter-only promotions, discounts at the book store, Congress News headlines, and live session updates.
Twitter also gives you another channel to communicate with AORN, so if you have a question or comment about Congress -- a conference room is too cold, or you've left your glasses at the Delegate Counter -- you can send us a message via your mobile device.
We'll have an AORN staff member monitoring the AORN Twitter feed during conference hours to respond to questions and route issues to the people who can solve them.
You'll also be able to find out about deals and coupons for restaurants, bars, and events in downtown Denver by following the Denver attractions Twitter list.
Additionally, we've compiled a list of Congress exhibitors on Twitter to help you find out what's going at their booths.
How to Get Started with Twitter @ Congress
- If you don't already have a Twitter account, sign up for one now.
- Follow AORN's Twitter account to start seeing AORN Congress tweets in your home page feed.
- Follow AORN's Denver attractions and Congress exhibitors Twitter lists.
- Mention us in a tweet: "@AORN I'm going to be at #AORN10 Congress this year!" and we'll follow you back.
Twitter Lingo 101
Following: To start getting people's messages in your Twitter feed, you follow them. Likewise, if someone wants to receive your messages in their feed, they follow you.
@username: When you create your account on Twitter, you're given a unique identifier (called an @username) that begins with an @ symbol. Your @username is created from the username you have chosen. For example, AORN's Twitter page is twitter.com/aorn so if someone wanted to send us a message on Twitter, they'd include @AORN in their message.
#Hashtags: Hashtags are keywords Twitter users use to categorize messages. For example, we're adding the hashtag #AORN10 to identify all of our congress tweets so they can be easily found by people at Congress. You can search Twitter to find tweets tagged with #AORN10, and you can also click on a hashtag and you'll be taken to a list of all tweets with that hashtag.
Retweet: Retweeting is very much like forwarding an email message to a friend. When you retweet, you take something that appeared in your Twitter feed and pass it along to your followers so that it now appears in their Twitter feed. Retweeted messages begin with RT or the Retweet icon.
Retweeting is an easy way to share information that you think others will find valuable. At Congress, AORN will be retweeting relevant messages tagged with #AORN10 or @AORN.
Tips for Using Twitter @ Congress
- If you'd like to send AORN a message at Congress, be sure to add @AORN to your tweet so that we know that the tweet is for us.
- For messages not specifically for AORN but are relevant to other Congress attendees on Twitter, add the #AORN10 hashtag to your tweet so people can easily find for all Congress-related tweets.
- You have only 140 characters, including all punctuation and @username mentions, so keep your tweets succinct!
- Play around with Twitter before you get to Congress so you're familiar with the conventions and feel comfortable sending and reading messages.
- Use Twitter on your mobile phone: there are many free Twitter applications that you can download and use on your iPhone, Blackberry, or smartphone to monitor your Twitter feed for Congress announcements and send out tweets to Congress staff.
More Information: The Twitter Guide Book
For more information about Twitter, including application recommendations and other conventions, go to Mashable's The Twitter Guide Book -- it's free!