Check Training Hours Member Portal Contact Us Search

Trending Now

All the wrong reasons to stay off Twitter

Kentucky School Advocate
November 2018

By Josh Shoulta
KSBA Director of Communications

KSBA recently polled readers on their use of Twitter. In all, more than 60 percent of respondents reported having a Twitter account. Nearly half of those individuals claimed to check Twitter daily. Roughly 36 percent of those surveyed said they do not use Twitter. Regardless of where you fall on this spectrum, social media has become an unstoppable force for communications, news and advocacy. Twitter and other platforms like it, if used correctly, can make you a more informed, engaged and efficient board member.

Here are five common reasons people avoid the “Twitterverse,” and the reasons to dive right in.

1. I am too old and set in my ways to adopt a new way of doing things.

Did you say the same thing about email? Online shopping? Smartphones? Each became the new standard. Twitter is not new. The first Tweet was sent more than 12 years ago. According to its latest quarterly earnings report, Twitter boasts 335 million monthly active users worldwide, 68 million from the U.S. alone. As an elected official, you are charged with meeting your constituents where they are. And they are very often on social media.

2. I do not have time for Twitter!

How much time do you spend each day reading newspapers, surfing channels or combing the internet for relevant content? How much of each day do you spend acquiring knowledge that pertains to your life as a board member and/or a professional. What if I told you that you can customize your Twitter experience to feed you the information you’re looking for, thereby reducing the amount of time you spend online, in front of a TV or buried in a newspaper? Twitter can serve as a one-stop-shop for things that matter to you. Even better: tweets are limited to 280 characters, so you always get the CliffsNotes version.

3. I prefer to get the latest news from TV, radio and print.

Most news sources worth their salt have embraced social media as a means of reaching target audiences. Your favorite on-air personality, columnist, news station – even your friendly local meteorologist – is likely using social media to disseminate news. The article you read in Wednesday’s paper was tweeted on Tuesday afternoon. That story you waited for on the 10 p.m. news was posted on social media before you sat down to dinner. The Pew Research Center reported in 2017 that 67 percent of Americans got at least some of their news from social media, including 55 percent of Americans who are 55 and older. And those percentages are steadily on the rise. You can likely get your news elsewhere, but you may be the last to get it.

4. I am hesitant to share my opinions on the internet.

We can all agree that some things are best left off social media. Time and time again, we have seen careers ruined by thoughtless and insensitive remarks made on the internet. My philosophy is that if you wouldn’t say it in front of your grandmother, you shouldn’t say it online. Thankfully, Twitter does not require you to say anything if you are not inclined. Many people simply use their accounts to follow individuals and organizations that align with their interests. Like watching TV or listening to the radio, Twitter allows us to remain attentive audience members without having to say a word.

5. Social media will just distract me from my work as a school board member.

It can also enhance your understanding. Two-thirds of Kentucky’s public school districts and nearly half of all superintendents are on Twitter. Principals, teachers and administrators regularly tweet about what’s going on in their schools. Seventy-five percent of state legislators and most federal legislators use Twitter to disseminate information, as well as every major state and federal government department. All of our Commonwealth’s education advocacy groups, including KSBA (@KSBAnews), tweet regularly with you in mind. They are all on Twitter discussing the issues facing public education. Will you join the conversation?