Twitter 101

Whether you’re constantly updating your feed or completely unplugged, social media like Twitter has definitely found its place on the golf course. Superintendents use it for weather and play updates for club members, as well as a connection to other turf professionals. But for all its benefits, Twitter can seem overwhelming for a beginner.

Here’s how to get started using Twitter:

First, keep your team in consideration when signing up for an account. Choose a username and password that could also be used by assistants or other crew members. Keep the username brief and easy to say when telling course members about it.

During the process of signing up, you can allow Twitter to take a peek into your online e-mail address book (such as Gmail) to send e-mail letting your contacts know you’ve started an account. If your account is intended to reach just other superintendents or members, you may want to skip that step.

Once the account is created, it’s time to start adding content to your feed – which is made up of the Tweets posted by people you follow, with the newest Tweets at the top. Search for people you know using the Search bar – we suggest starting with @GCIMagazine – but be sure to check the profile or a few Tweets to make certain you’ve found the right profile. The “@” symbol in front of a name indicates a username, which can be very different from a person’s actual name. Another easy source of people to follow comes from looking through the feed of someone you already follow. If you share interests, chances are good that person will know others you’ll find interesting.

But for many superintendents, the real usefulness of the Twitter feed is in reaching colleagues and players with course updates. Once an account is created, it’s time to get the word out and start gathering followers in your membership. Even with just a few in tow, make it a point to start regular updates – maybe just one each day, to get in the habit and establish a routine of posting information like weather or course conditions. The 140-character limit on Tweets is ideal for an immediate, short update that needs to reach your entire membership quickly.

Composing a Tweet is easy enough. The simplest form is just a straightforward phrase or so, used as a quick note. There’s no required length to a Tweet, and nothing is less or more important than anything else.

But here are a few things to keep in mind:

• Want to get someone’s attention? Use their @username in your Tweet. Twitter collects these as “mentions” under the “Connect” tab, where users can see who’s talking to them. When a @username begins the Tweet, it will only show up in feed of the person mentioned, and users who follow both accounts.
   
• You can attach photos, locations and links in your Tweets. Having trouble with some turf and want to ask colleagues about it? Take a photo with your smartphone. If you Tweet from your phone, you can upload it as well.
   
• When you’ve got several Tweets about the same topic, or are part of an event, hashtags – any phrase with “#” in front of it – are especially useful. Whether a single word in the message, or a separate phrase at the end of a Tweet, a clicked hashtag will collect all the Tweets from about the past two weeks that use it. Many Twitter users also use hashtags to make quick afterthought jokes, since one of the main uses of Twitter is humor.
   
• It’s easy to ReTweet (or RT) someone else’s information if you think your followers will find it useful, but don’t get into the habit too much. A stream of ReTweets clutters others’ feeds. But adding your own comment to a Tweet is just as easy – try a Reply to their Tweet instead, beginning with your note and then copying most of their original Tweet with “RT @username”.
   
• Web links get shortened when posted to Twitter, and most people won’t click on a link without knowing where it leads. When posting a link or photo, be sure to add a description of your own, even if it’s just a few words.

How does a Twitter feed work?

The Kitchen Sink

Of course, there’s more to social media than just Twitter. Here are a few of the other networks your crew or members might use, and how useful we think they are for superintendents:

Facebook: Chances are good you already use Facebook, but have you thought about using it for course updates and helpful links to educational pages for your colleagues? Updating a status can include those, photos and videos, all of which can be easily uploaded from a smartphone. Facebook has been working hard to catch up to G+ in quick selection of who sees what content.

LinkedIn: Keeping things professional is what LinkedIn is all about. It’s a solid communication tool for keeping channels open for career movement and advancement, since connections will be on a professional level.

Google+: What Google+ brings to the table is an unmatched ability to select who sees what you’re posting by gathering your followers into Circles. If you’re posting a weather update, it would be a perfect fit for your “Members” Circle; posting some turf photos to try and diagnose dollar spot? That’s more apt for your Colleagues and Turf Researchers Circles. Google+ also gives you the ability to do instantaneous group chats with friends through Google+ Hangouts.

Pinterest: The newest kid in class, Pinterest has gotten a following by creating a purely visual way to collect interesting content on the Web. So it’s not the right place to post your daily weather updates – but it’s perfect for the before and after photos of the renovation, or shots of happy golfers at your most recent event.

Facebook, Updated!

As of March 30, the business pages on the most popular social networking site on the planet took on a major change. Facebook forced implementation of the “Timeline” profile format for all business pages – and that includes those for golf courses.

The change might seem drastic, but it actually presents some great opportunities for golf courses to connect in completely new ways with players and colleagues. Here are some tips for handling the switch like a pro.

Be visual. Taking a cue from other social media sites like Pinterest, Facebook is starting to skew for a more visual layout. The Timeline format organizes content not by its type but by its importance and timeliness. Want to share photos of the course? Upload a shot from your phone and watch it get top placement in your feed rather than being tucked away in an album. Keep that in mind when logging photos for a proposed upgrade project that needs to be sold to your members.

The new “cover image” gives you another opportunity to use a beauty shot from your course to really show off the turf you work so hard to manage. Make the first thing the visitor sees just as memorable as the course itself.

Be in control. The new “Admin panel” not only collects all your notifications and alerts to one place, but gives you enhanced control of your entire page. Take a look at who’s recently liked elements on your page, and check out the statistics of what’s got people talking about them. Use your Activity Log to manage each interaction on your page.

Use the bar beneath your cover image to show off important photos, links or apps your members might find useful. Individual posts can be managed to span the width of the Timeline for more prominence, or can even be permanently “pinned” to the top for more visibility.

Be a person. Facebook is allowing customers to offer reviews of companies on their own pages, which can be shared with others. It may be impossible for businesses to remove unfavorable customer reviews, but in trade, businesses are finally able to interact with users via private messages. Located in the Admin panel, new private messages will give you the chance to make things right with a dissatisfied member or discuss a problem on the course without airing the whole conversation on the course’s Wall.