Twitter users 
use hashtags to aggregate and find posts relevant to a particular topic. The folks at Socialbrite have created a very useful list called, “45 hashtags for social change.” Check it out even if you don’t currently have a Twitter account. Seeing the posts under hashtags for topics of interest to you might help you better understand how Twitter could be of value to your communications strategy.
Confused about the current or potential utility of Twitter? Check out this piece by Hugh McMullen at Social Edge. Twitter: Lens or Megaphone? — Social Edge.
A newly-published study in the Journal of Computer Assissted Learning, “provides experimental evidence that Twitter can be used as an educational tool to help engage students and to mobilize faculty into a more active and participatory role.” In the study, college students who used Twitter for educational purposes earned GPAs a half-point higher than a non-tweeting control group. See the link below to get the full article.
Take a look at this recent blog post by Mark Sample on the Chronicle of Higher Education’s ProfHacker blog. It looks at potential benefits of using Twitter as a teaching tool. The potential for immediate, concise reflection, as well as providing another way for less vocal students to add to discussions might also make it a good addition to civic engagement efforts.
“[Twitter] can be an effective one-way communication tool for sharing news or broadcasting links over the weekend. Or it can be used in class itself as a two-way backchannel. Or try Twitter as a platform for reflective thinking, asking students at the end of class to sum up the most valuable lesson of the day. In my experience, having only 140 characters to do so will actually make it much more likely the students give a concise and focused reflection, rather than some canned response they think you want to hear.” MORE
Facebook and Twitter Post Large Year over Year Gains in Unique Users | Nielsen Wire
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An interesting post on racewire.org
“While the digital divide is very real and affects low income and folks of color in negative ways, that doesn’t mean these groups aren’t engaging in internet trends like Twitter.“
Blacks and Latinos Using Twitter to Sound Off, Organize [SXSW VIDEO].
The examples in the blog post below deal primarily with personal convenience, but try to imagine the uses of twitter alerts connected to machines that might be used for community-building.
10 Really Amazing and Extraordinary Uses Of Twitter
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