Microblogging
What It Is
As its name suggests, microblogging is simply writing extremely short blog posts in the vein of text messaging. The messages can either be viewed by anyone or by a restricted group that is chosen by the user. Twitter, the currently most popular microblog client, allows for posts of up to 140 characters in length to be uploaded and read online or through instant messaging or mobile devices via text messaging. The 140 limit includes text and characters in URLs, so many microbloggers use services that replace long URLs with very short random codes.
The popular social networking websites Facebook, MySpace, and LinkedIn also have a microblogging feature, called "status update."
Why It's Important
Microblogging is another way to get information to people where they are instead of making them come to your site. Especially useful are sites that let you use an RSS feed to post: you create your content once (for example, news releases), post it on your site and include an RSS feed, and then the microblogging site picks it up automatically.
People can "follow" you, meaning that each time they log in, they see recent posts of everyone they're interested in. Essentially, your posts become an RSS feed within that site that others can read.
Microblogging sites often work well on cell phones and other mobile devices, making it easy for you to deliver content that people would want on the road, even without building a site specifically for mobile devices.
Microblogging can be used for announcements, to post news, to post special events such as holiday hours, new products, updated resources, reminders, instructions, or to post answers to frequent questions..
Microblogging also can be very useful for issuing directions or warnings during emergencies. Some universities have set up Twitter accounts, for example, encouraging students to "follow" on their mobile devices, so that the university could quickly broadcast a message to all students in the event of an emergency.
In addition to a one-way distribution mechanism, you also can use microblogging to allow a community to carry on discussions in a public forum. Some sites even allow you to reply to each other's posts in a way that is automatically brought to your attention. For example, on Twitter, you can begin a reply with the @ symbol followed immediately by the user name, a space, and then the message, and the reply will appear on a special screen when that user logs in. For example, posting "@mblger I agree with your last point." will appear on the "replies" screen when the user "mblger" logs in. This could be useful if, for example, you wanted a speaker to respond to questions that came in during a live session. You can do the same thing by using reply in the message thread in Pownce, or "Reblog" in Tumblr.
You also can set up your account so that only people you approve can see your posts, and you can block specific users if necessary. It may not pass a careful security review, but this is a way to create a quick closed professional network where everyone can follow each others' work.
Various sites separate from the actual microblogging sites help you track how people are using your information. For example, summize.com lets you easily search for keywords used by people on Twitter, allowing you to see whether people are talking about your agency.
Specific Requirements
The same legal issues that apply to most terms of service for using non–government sites also apply to microblogging.
How to Implement
Begin simply by exploring microblogging sites to see how people use them.
Next, consult with your attorneys to confirm you're allowed to create the account.
To create an account, you'll need to choose a meaningful account name. You'll need a different account for each type of information you want to share (blog posts, news releases, program announcements, etc.).
Once your account is set up, check the settings to be sure your posts are public or private as appropriate.
Normal posting is simply a matter of typing in the box and pressing the button.
To set up an automated feed (such as an RSS feed), follow the instructions on the site. Sometimes you must set up an account on a different site. For example, to post an RSS feed on Twitter, you must use Twitterfeed.com, which is not part of Twitter. Note that you have to provide your user ID and password; essentially the other site logs in as you. This carries potential security risks, so only use well-established services you can verify have not stolen identities and do not use the same password as you use for other purposes.
Examples
The Los Angeles Fire Department puts notices on Twitter.
Several agencies put their blog posts on Twitter using an RSS feed.
- EPA
- GovGab
- State Department
- Transportation Security Administration
- NASA issues news releases using Twitter
- The U.S. Senate posts updates to Twitter
- USA.gov uses its RSS feeds and other updates to Twitter in both English and Spanish
Resources
Microblogging sites:
- Twitter.com—allows for posts of up to 140 characters in length to be uploaded and read online or through instant messaging or mobile devices via text messaging.
- Jaiku.com—purchase by Google in October 2007, promises further innovations that might include mash-ups with other Google products
- Pownce.com—allows file sharing and event invitations
- Tumblr.com—makes it possible to add tags to posts and to post videos
- Plurk.com—utilizes a rich interface and horizontal time-line to add a spatial dimension to microblogging
- Spoink.com—released a multimedia microblogging service that integrates blogging, podcasting, telephony, and SMS texting, and supports all major mobile audio, video, and picture formats
Sites that allow you to put an RSS feed into a microblogging site:
- Twitterfeed.com (sends your RSS feed to Twitter.com)
Microblog search sites:
Sites that shorten URLs:
Sites that aggregate blogs:
- Friendfeed.com is a social aggregator that consolidates the updates from social websites such as blog entries, social bookmarking websites, and social networks. Individuals using multiple social websites can have a consolidated stream of details on all their activities across these websites.
Page Updated or Reviewed: August 14, 2008
