On certain Wednesdays, the Flow boardroom lights stay on a little later into the evening. Plates of sandwiches, bowls of crisps and the odd bottle of vino take pride of place in the middle of the boardroom table, illuminated by the glow of laptop screens. A meeting of sorts? The boardroom’s occupants are all there for one reason – to tweet like they’ve never tweeted before.
Even if you’ve never signed up for it, you’re sure to have at least heard the word “Twitter” being passed around in conversation. This trendy social networking tool allows you to broadcast (“tweet”) a status, comment or message to “followers” – other Twitter users who find you interesting. It’s an opportunity to connect, reconnect, express yourself and learn. Twitter has also become a news wire. Information can be spread almost instantaneously and like wildfire to millions of people at the click of a mouse. Over 500-million people around the world know how to tweet, and over 340-million tweets find their way into the twitterverse daily. That’s a lot of bird seed.
Networking has grown wings and sprouted blue feathers. If you’ve yet to get to grips with this rather sweet-looking little bird, we can help. A nifty, spiffy course at Flow School should do the trick.
Before you start imagining us pushing you out of an enormous nest, fear not. We aim to take you through the process, step by step. Our course offers beginners the chance to learn the basics of this fascinating social networking tool, and those already with Twitter accounts the opportunity to brush up on their tweeting skills. We’re all very nice and will listen to your questions without chirping you – promise.
What we need from you:
1. A booking. Pick a day and show up at 6pm. Our classes fill up quickly, so book now to ensure your place at the birdbath. Our next Twitter course, “An introduction to social networking and getting you tweeting on Twitter”, will take place on Wednesday, 21 November.
2. A laptop. If you are able to, please bring along your own laptop. iPads are cool and all, but for the purposes of flying in formation, laptops are preferable for this class.
3. An open mind. Twitter can be quite a bit of fun once you get the hang of it. Your interest in the little blue bird shouldn’t wane when you leave the Flow boardroom. Part of becoming an expert tweeter is flapping your wings and playing around until you feel comfortable and confident. Make mistakes, follow, unfollow ... and don’t forget to have fun.
Already on Twitter? Follow some of our latest spring chickens, who attended Flow School on Wednesday, 17 October: @janeleeferink, @WPSteenkampJHB, @blackmanswart, @AnnetteDevenish, @GailEverettSA, @SAFoodSciTech