Educational twittering is about educating first
Posted on: August 29, 2012
Stand to win a $50 Kinokuniya voucher just by following us @MOEsg & RT this! on.fb.me/Tjefda #MOEContest—
MOE Singapore (@MOEsg) August 28, 2012
I was not sure what to make of this tweet from the official MOE Twitter account. In case it goes missing, the tweet is:
Stand to win a $50 Kinokuniya voucher just by following us @MOEsg & RT this! http://on.fb.me/Tjefda #MOEContest
The skeptic in me would point out that:
- this is a corporate strategy, not an educational one
- this is an attempt to buy followers
- the followers may not be there for the right reasons
- followers might leave if the contest ceases or the content is unappealing
- it sends the wrong message
- the strategy is not sustainable
The realist in me would say that:
- if you have the dough, go with the flow
- this is one of several strategies (it better be a hook that is tied to a longer line!)
- it will provide an immediate boost to the number of followers
- they could build on the initial mass
I have two other “crazy” strategies, one that we practice for @cel_nie and one for me (@ashley).
For @cel_nie, we simply share and try to keep it real. We have seen a slow but steady increase in followers as we do this. Were we tempted to dangle cash carrots? Yes. Did we? No.
For @ashley, I actually block followers. With such a popular handle, I experience a lot of noise and get the wrong followers. I block about 50 unique people a day. This reduces my follower count by about 1500 a month.
Both strategies do not rely on gimmicks and focus on quality over quantity.
No matter what anyone tells you, educational twittering is not about the numbers game. It is about educating first.
