When I first started using twitter I wasn’t convinced.  Twitter’s 140 character restriction was awkward and there were all these pound signs (#) and “at” symbols (@) everywhere.  Also many people used code words I didn’t understand. From what I had seen in the news media Twitter seemed to be ruled by people taking pictures of their lunch, or their cat, or someone else’s cat eating lunch.

After a while I became used to Twitter and now I prefer it to all other social media. The biggest reason why is that Twitter is completely open. You can interact with anyone else on Twitter by mentioning them by their Twitter handle in a tweet.  If you want to talk to me on twitter, you include @SGPrilliman in the tweet. The biggest reason POGIL practitioners may want to use Twitter is to interact with others in the POGIL community. No matter where you are you can easily interact with one another through Twitter. Even if you are the only POGIL practitioner at your institution, or if you are new to POGIL, you can reach out for help and advice. You can also connect to other existing communities or create your own.

If you’re new to Twitter, here are a few things that might make it easier to get started.

• The limitation of 140 characters is actually a blessing. I waste much of my day reading (or writing) long-winded emails that consume far more time than necessary. The character limit forces you to be succinct. There are also ways around the limit. Taking a picture, making an image or linking to a blog post (like this one) are alternatives for conveying complex ideas.
• Hash tags are labels that allow users to connect their ideas to a bigger conversation. They are created by putting a pound sign in front of a world, such as #POGIL. You can search Twitter for a hashtag or find other tweets using that hashtag just by clicking on it. Some hashtags are created on the fly and are spread by Twitter users. Others are created more deliberately by a conference (example) or to promote a product or an event. Some communities have their own hastags. I and many POGIL practitioners label our tweets with the #POGIL hashtag. It’s perfect for a hashtag because it’s obvious and it’s short, using on 6 of your 140 characters.
• Twitter handles look backwards if you’re used to email addresses.  They are in the form @yourname. But you get used to it. I’m @SGPrilliman.
• Code words and abbreviations are a common tactic to conserve characters. ICYMI (In case you missed it) is often used for a tweet that is repeated later in the day. IMO (in my opinion) is another common abbreviation. In education people often refer to S’s (students) and T’s (teachers).
• One way to find fellow POGIL practitioners on Twitter is to use the list that I’ve created. If you’re a POGIL user on Twitter and not on the list let me know and I will add you.

Twitter has been a great place for reaching out to others to get ideas. A number of times I have had discussions with other chemists about ideas for labs, and by following people with similar interests I’ve discovered many ideas and communities I wouldn’t have known about. And while I may have watched a couple of cat videos I’ve found that, for the most part, Twitter has become a great part of my own professional growth and development.