How Schools Are Using Twitter

By Robert Kennedy, About.com Guide to Private Schools

Tuesday March 2, 2010

It has been fascinating to watch how schools are using Twitter. I started following about 200 schools a year ago. Frankly not much happened until last September. At that point it became apparent to me that many schools had really discovered the power of Twitter. I began monitoring 50-60 tweets a day last fall.

What do they tweet about? I see tweets about sports scores (Wilbraham and Monson, Blue Ridge School, Rumson Country Day, to name just a few), sometimes even blow by blow updates (Culver).

Many schools report on guest speakers or other special events (Jewish Community High School of the Bay and St. Stephen's, Austin, either after the fact or beforehand as an announcement.



Every school's voice is different depending on who is doing the tweeting. Some tweets sound like mini press releases. Others must come from the athletic department. Still others sound like teachers are behind the curtain. A couple of alumni groups tweet about their gatherings.

If you have read this far, you are probably wondering why I am making such a big deal out of schools on Twitter. The reason is simple: Twitter gives us parents one more way to see what's really going on at schools. If you are thinking about private school for your child, it is worthwhile following schools in which you have an interest. You will be pleasantly surprised at what you might learn. Private Schools on Twitter has most of the schools with Twitter accounts. Not all schools are actively using Twitter. But more and more are using it as folks figure out how to use it effectively as part of their communications program.