There is no denying it, I am on team Twitter.
Even after experiencing 24 fake accounts in the last six months using my identity (which have all eventually been taken down). I still openly profess the microblogging platform as one of the most impactful and meaningful social media tools to me professionally.
I get to share my ideas, network with colleagues and learn from those I follow. The unexpected perk has been meeting professionals that I now consider dear friends.
This is why I was thrilled to learn that The Student Affairs Collective was starting a January Twitter Challenge. From the creative genius of my esteemed colleague Kristen Abell, the challenge is promoted as,
Are you a newbie on Twitter? Or maybe you’re old hat and want to find different ways to engage? If you’re either of those or anywhere in between, this Twitter challenge is for you!
Find the original announcement of the challenge (here).
Every weekday a new challenge (or two) will be proposed. Anyone can jump in at any point in the challenge. The intent is to get more student affairs professionals not only using Twitter, but seeing the power it has for professional development, networking and community building.
Only a few days in I have seen Vice Presidents to first year graduate students connecting. For example, the second day of the challenge was:
“Try starting at least one conversation with someone you haven’t met yet. Click the left arrow and ‘reply’ #sachat #sachallenge”
Use the hashtag #sachallenge to share your tweet, and also follow others that are part of the challenge. Tweetdeck is a great free option to do this, but you can also search for a hashtag in the search function of Twitter too!
To keep updated with all the daily challenges, keep the following page up on your browser: https://studentaffairscollective.org/the-sachat-january-twitter-challenge/.
Already miss the first few days? No problem! There is no sign up process and you can jump in at any time…that’s how Twitter works!
This first week seems to be ideal for Twitter newbies or those that have not yet discovered the Student Affairs Twitter community. I look forward to serving as a resource and support during this time! Find me at @josieahlquist.
I know from personal experience Twitter can be an intimidating platform. Four years ago I made a goal to tweet everyday for a month. I followed professionals like Joe Sabado, Teri Bump, Ann Marie Klotz and Ed Cabellon who obviously were comfortable and thriving on the platform. (Yes this means follow them now).
Especially as I entered my doctoral program I opened myself up to use social media for more than connecting with family and friends. I committed to be part of #sachat weekly (Thursdays at 1pm and 7pm EST). I then gained the confidence to start blogging. The rest is digital history.
Want more ideas for who to follow? Twitter-Blogging-Slideshare famous Paul Brown created a great slideshare/blog series highlighting a few! (you might recognize a familiar face)
So join me. Tweet once per day or heck even once per week. Remember to use at least #sachallenge in your tweet.
Thank you to The Student Affairs Collective for creating community initiatives like this. Kudos to the brain and woman power of Kristen Abell for making it happen.
Tweet you soon!
Check out the other posts I have written about Twitter, the Student Affairs digital community and personal learning networks
Higher Education Presidents to Follow on Twitter
Blogging Bravely in Student Affairs
