Twitter 101 from Aquire Inc.

1. What Social Media Does for Aquire —
and Can Do For You
Aquire — an advocate for all forms of social media — uses Twitter, blogging, LinkedIn groups,
Facebook and other social media outlets to build vibrant, two-way relationships with HR peers,
potential customers, job-hunters and anyone who has an interest in HR topics. Social media gives Handy Hashtags
Aquire a human presence in addition to its brand presence on websites and in advertising. You
can have that too.
• #HRHappyHour: Hear what
people are saying about the
After all, HR is inherently personal, right? As a purveyor of workforce planning and analytics solutions,
Aquire is deeply aware of the importance of connecting with others. Through OrgPublisher’s HR Happy Hour Show on
org charts and Aquire InSight’s Talent Pipeline, among other tools, you connect with your Blog Talk Radio
workforce community. Likewise, Aquire uses social media to connect with the HR community.
It’s an invaluable resource. • #WomenOfHR: Discover a
community dedicated to the
development of women in
So in the spirit of community building, here’s a quick intro to Twitter. HR and Business
Twitter is about conversations, relationships and — above all — community.
• #HRFL10: Keep up with the
Think of it as a great big on-line cocktail party. You have conversations (in just 140 characters at
happenings of the 2010 HR
a time), cultivate relationships with those who have common interests and keep in touch — updating
Florida Conference
others on what you’re up to and sharing relevant items of interest — job postings, hot topics in HR,
local or national events. If your tweets are not relevant, people will not follow you.
• #HRSWC10: Find all things
Twitter Basics related to HRSouthwest
• Tweet: A single message, 140-characters or less Conference 2010
• Following/Followers: When you “follow” someone, their tweets appear in your timeline, your
“followers” will see your tweets in theirs
• @[username]: How you communicate directly with someone on Twitter and how you see who’s
been communicating with you. To communicate with Aquire you would tweet @AquireInc.
• Hashtags (#): A way to tag a concept, theme or event within a tweet. Clicking on or searching
#HRHappyHour brings you all tweets containing that hashtag.
• Short URLs: Save characters by shortening long URLs using services like Bit.ly or Tinyurl.com.
http://www.aquire.com/products appears as http://bit.ly/dct1Vo.
Real-world Tweets from @AquireInc

2. Hello Twitter!
Follow these easy steps to create a Twitter account.
Step 1: Point your browser to http://www.twitter.com
Get started by following some of
Step 2: Click on “Let me in” these standout voices in the HR
Twitter-verse!
Step 3: Complete the four questions:
• Full Name: This is your real name and it is searchable and visible. @AquireInc
• User Name: This is the name people will use to follow you. Keep it short and memorable. (See @CarnivalofHR
sidebar for examples.) This will be list of twitter accounts below. @HRHappyHour
• Password: Private and of your choosing. @HR_Minion
• Email: Is private but can also be searchable (if you allow it). @LoisMelbourne
@Lruettimann
Step 4: Agree to the terms of service
@Stelzner
Step 5: Click on “Create My Account” @SteveBoese
@VoiceofHR
Step 6: Congratulate yourself on stepping into the Twitter-verse!
Add Your Account Details
Name
• The “full name” you entered upon registration
• Can be anything you’d like it to be
Location
• Can either be dynamic or static
• Helps to build a sense of localization and community
Web
• The primary non-Twitter destination of your choice
• Often includes websites, blogs, LinkedIn profiles, etc.
Bio
• You have 160 characters to include anything you’d like
• Think of this as your Twitter resume
Get Tweeting!
At first, you are in a Twitter vacuum. You have to let people know you’ve arrived. Post a few Tweets and
start following those you want to reach with your Tweets or who you believe will post relevant content to
you and your followers. Use keywords to search Twitter for topics of interest. Check out the followers of
those Twitterers you decide to follow to find others you’d like to follow. Following lists is the fastest way
to follow people that your trusted tweeps (twitter peeps) are following.
Hopefully, the people you follow will follow you back. Don’t be hurt if they don’t. Likewise, don’t feel
obligated to follow every one of your own followers. Keep a balance between those you follow and your
followers — unless you’re Ashton Kutcher who has 1 million+ followers.
And there you have it. Don’t be intimidated. Don’t think social media is a waste of time or
unprofessional. Use it for:
• Recruiting
• Staying current on legislation changes
• Sharing best practices
• Accessing surveys, research, etc.
• Monitoring your employer’s brand
• The list goes on — and it’s a free service!
See what’s out there for yourself by reading the tweets or following some of the excellent HR voices
suggested here. (see sidebar)