Tweets Meet Mason

By Connect2Mason Director @grace_kendall

Imagine condensing all of the news of your life into 140 characters or less. This is the challenge of Twitter, a social media website where users share tidbits of news in what is essentially a massive collection of Facebook status updates. With minimal clutter, it is an easy-to-follow website where your focus is always on the information given to you by “followers”—friends and other interesting folks on the site—in real time.

Many at George Mason University have taken advantage of the service, using it to provide information about groups on campus or to complain about homework and the awful wi-fi on campus. It is an excellent opportunity for student organizations to inform members of the Mason community about events they are hosting or interesting news related to their group or members. The student population on the site is growing, and it won't be long before professors and staff are filling your Twitter page with pointless updates about the pasta in the Johnson Center.

If you are new to Twitter or haven’t found the Mason groups on the site, here are some great accounts to follow to stay in the loop:

• MasonSpirit:
  This Mason magazine account offers a steady stream of updates with links to unique events on campus or interesting students and alumni.
• alexromano:
  The WGMU announcer of the year updates frequently about his show, YourTalk, and gives listeners a chance to respond.
• GMUStudentMedia:
  A constant dialogue with current and upcoming students as well as a great source of information on what Mason Student Media groups are up to.
• GMUPride:
  The Mason Pride Alliance account will give you tips on some of the most interesting LGBTQ events on campus and in the area.
• gmuhoops:
  Blogger Ryan Kish gives you the inside scoop on everything dealing with Mason men’s basketball, even when the team’s not on the court.
• Connect2Mason:
  Keep up with some of the site's hottest posts, and pass along tips or suggestions for what you'd like to see on C2M and at Mason.

Some quick Twitter vocab:

• Tweet: A twitter update of 140 characters or less.
• Twoosh: A twitter update of exactly 140 characters.
• @reply: To include the name of a Twitter user in your update, put the @ symbol in front of their username. They'll be notified of your update.
• RT: Re-tweet, to repost somebody's updates with credit.
• #: The hashtag is used to track updates around one subject, like #GMU.

What's your Twitter username? Link to yourself in the comments to connect with others at Mason.