I was at a Northeastern University event recently where the audience was a mix bag of administrators, faculty, staff and students. It's always interesting to watch an audience of one brand mix and interact. I've working in education before - both at the college level and the prep school level - and the distance between each group is pretty much the same. The faculty is always riffing with the administrators. The students enjoy the buffer between them and the teachers. And so on and so on.
It was interesting to hear the groups interact with each other and talk about university issues. One of the common topics was social media and its use. A lot of the talk was about the fun aspect of it and connecting with old friends. One small conversation I was part of evolved around Twitter. To my surprise (though I'm not sure why it really shocked me) was that no one really seemed to get it. What can we, as a university use it for; how should we use it; who should be using it, etc. The biggest message I received from the group was that all the stories about teens not using Twitter is absolutely true.
Here are some quotes:
"Twitter? Nah, we don't use it. I don't see the point."
"No way. You're better off reaching us via Facebook and texting."
"Twitter is for older people."
That last comment struck a chord with me. As Twitter has evolved, it's become a business tool no doubt. It's a way for professionals of all levels to connect. Kids don't care about connections. They care about their social lives and Facebook and texting fills that void. It makes sense.
How are you and your organization using Twitter?