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I personally haven't been pleased with TweetDeck since Twitter took over its development. Initially, it repeatedly crashed. Then, recently, it was taken down due to a rather large security hole. Finally, I have had serious issues with it not updating my tweets. It basically would sit idle on my desktop and not update for long periods of time.

I've tried several alternatives. Those include Hootsuite, Seesmic, and even Yoono. Between crashes, lack of real-time Tweet updates, and quirky features, none of these seem to be an effective replacement.


Then I stumbled upon the Australian Twitter client called MetroTwit. I have been using it for some time, and it hasn't crashed, and it has provided some of the same features that I once admired in TweetDeck.

MetroTwit is available in a free version that includes advertisements (You can decide which stream displays these) and support for only one account. It is also available with a paid version that includes multi-account support and no advertisements for less than 20 dollars. So far, MetroTwit has been able to deliver for me what the new TweetDeck fails to do. Download and try MetroTwit here. It might be a reliable alternative to TweetDeck.

Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach writes in her book, The Connected Educator: Learning and Leading in a Digital Age, "We can reach out to our network, harvest the collective wisdom found there, and then bring it back to the school."  Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach is right. There is a great deal of collective wisdom on the web, and those in a position to tap into that network of wisdom and expertise are those who know how to engage effectively in 21st century social networking tools. School leaders who continue to ignore or dismiss this powerful microblogging tool, are literally missing out on an excellent opportunity to join in the collective wisdom of thousands of educators who are already connected. Setting up a Twitter account is rather easy to do, but using it as a networking tool is a complicated process that takes time and effort.

To administrators who have added getting their Twitter account established to their 2012 Things to Get Done Resolution List, I offer these 5 Common Sense Tips to help in that endeavor.

Establish separate Twitter accounts for your personal-professional use and for your school or district.  I realize many administrators and educators establish Twitter accounts using their school name or district affiliation, and that is the only account they use. This practice is not an issue as long as the Tweets generated using this account represent the business and interests of the organization. I prefer having separate accounts for my school and for myself, and I try to make it clear that any Tweeting done with my personal-professional account is not as an agent of my school. I might refer to my school or colleagues occasionally, but my @21stprincipal account is not the official account for my school. My school has its own account, and all communication that issues from that account is official school business. For me, at least, it is an important distinction. Having separate accounts is a way for me use Twitter more effectively.

Establish very clear purposes for each of your Twitter accounts. Once your Twitter accounts are established, it is important to make sure each has its own clear purpose. To be honest, my personal-professional Twitter account, @21stprincipal, came about as I began experimenting with Twitter. I’ve had the account as far back as 2008, and my purpose in setting it up was not to serve as a way communicate in my school role. It was established, at least initially, as a way to experiment with the medium. Its purpose has evolved over the subsequent years to become a way to engage other educators in a professional learning network, and to engage individuals elsewhere in a discussion about education and other issues of interest. My school Twitter account has two main purposes. One is to share events and happenings at the school. It is a communication tool that allows me and my teachers to communicate quickly and easily with the community. Secondly, it is a promotional tool as well. It allows me to promote our school to an ever growing and wider community. My two Twitter accounts serve two entirely different purposes based on my role either as an agent of the school or as an interested educator and individual engaging with others outside of the school.

Engage in meaningful conversations through thought-provoking Tweets. Once you have establish a Twitter account, you have to use it. I would suggest posting more than your current location or what you’re eating for lunch though. Often, being thought-provoking just means posting an interesting quote from a book you’re reading, or a statement made by a public figure. These kinds of statements, or questions, often engage others who comment back. In a short time, it is easy to get caught in a two, three or many-way conversation with other Tweeters. Engaging, thoughtful tweets go a long way in getting you connected with others on Twitter.

Participate in Twitter chats such as #edchat or #leadershipchat. There are actually a large number of events called “Twitter Chats” happening throughout the week, and at different times. To participate in these events, you need only include that chat’s hashtag with your tweet and those in the chat can follow your contributions too. (Here’s a description of hashtags and how they work for those who’ve never used them.) Many Twitter chat events, like the weekly #edchat that occurs every Tuesday at 12 noon and 7 pm, engage a sometimes rather dizzying number of participants, but the fun is in engaging in the conversation, not to mention that once the chat is over, you can obtain a copy of the entire conversation to review later. Twitter chats are opportunities to engage others in conversations that matter to you.

Share your thoughts, resources, and reading with your followers. As I mentioned earlier, thought-provoking tweets are important. But engaging others using Twitter is rather simple. You can use it to share your thinking on the latest reform efforts. You can share some web resources you’ve found. You can share favorite quotes from a book you’re reading. You can even retweet (which means to resend) those tweets that you find useful or otherwise worth sharing. The truth is you have to share a bit of yourself with others to grow a professional learning network. That means sharing more than what you had for lunch.

TweetDeck crashes seem to be fixed with Twitter’s update to version 1.1. Earlier this week I posted that TweetDeck fans might want to wait before downloading and installing the new TweetDeck native Windows app. It constantly crashed when I used it on my Windows 7 64-Bit laptop, and it crashed on the Windows XP computer I used at work as well. As of today, I have installed the updated version that came out today and have not had any crashes. Still, there are some features from the old Air version I miss. Hopefully, Twitter will find a way to include them in their new desktop app. Here’s just a few that I and others have stated they would like to see included.

• The input Windows at the top of the screen is gone and is replaced with a button, that when clicked, a pop-up window appears. I personally liked the input window at the top and would like to see it placed there again. There are times when I need to look back at a Tweet as I am posting one. I can’t do that now because the pop-up input screen is in the way.
• There is no right-click menu. I miss this one, especially when I want to paste a link in a post. I have to resort to using Ctrl-V for pasting, but I suppose I can get used to that.
• The size of the columns and window are fixed and can’t be adjusted. I often adjusted the column sizes to fit the screen when I had multiple windows open for multiple apps. That’s not possible with the new fixed TweetDeck window and columns.
• Some have complained about not being able to customize the colors of the new TweetDeck interface. Honestly, I rarely used this feature, but we all like to personalize things, so I could understand some missing this feature.

New TweetDeck Screen

Ultimately, I am happy I can now run TweetDeck without it crashing every five minutes or so, but Twitter, needs to realize that besides stability, there were other features that made TweetDeck a fan of so many.

If you are thinking about upgrading your Adobe Air Tweetdeck app to the new Desktop Tweetdeck from Twitter, WAIT! This is one time I think it will pay to hold on to your old Tweetdeck until Twitter has had time to work out all the bugs in their new version of Tweetdeck that ditches Air and operates natively in Windows.

I downloaded, installed and tested the new Tweetdeck on my Windows 7 machine, and like a lot of Tweetdeck fans, I immediately noticed a number of my favorite features gone from the new version. Others have better captured those missing features than I. (“The New Tweedeck Is Tweet Trash”, “Twitter Buys Tweetdeck, Takes Several Steps Backwards”.) Some have even posited some interesting theories as to why Twitter has so drastically changed Tweetdeck, Four Unfortunate Ways Twitter Is Killing Tweetdeck.

Personally, I am a Tweetdeck fan from way back. It is one of application always running on my desktop, but that did not happened with this new version. It CRASHED so many times over a week’s period I lost count. I tried all the usual fixes. The uninstall/reinstall routine, the anti-virus setting adjustments, the desktop adjustments, etc. It still crashed. I looked for help and support online and found none. I messaged the @Tweetdeck developers through Twitter and two days later I got this message, “Thanks for the information; we’ve filed this bug with an engineer and hope to have it resolved soon. Stay tuned!” Meanwhile,  Tweetdeck the New will not run on my 64-Bit Windows 7 laptop. So I reinstalled Tweetdeck the Old and have not had a single problem since.

Tweetdeck the Old Screen

I’ve relearned an old lesson you would have thought I knew by now, “New does not necessarily mean better.” That is perfectly illustrated in what Twitter has done to my beloved Tweetdeck app. 

There is a bit of art in composing engaging and thoughtful tweets. The ultimate question as a tweet composer is, "How can I say what I want to say in only 140 characters? And, how can I convey tone and mood through as few words as possible?"  The real fun of tweeting is trying to communicate the most you can with as little as possible, but you only know you have communicated it successfully when someone responds to your latest tweet.

Of course, like anything we write, what good is what we tweet if we do not have an audience? How can we possibly feel good about what we tweet if no one ever responds to us? The ultimate positive feedback as a Twitter user is to have someone respond to something we've tweeted, or have someone re-tweet our last post. If all you do is post tweets and no one ever reacts, are you really engaging in the art of microblogging? It seems to me you're only yelling in the darkness and you don't even get the satisfaction of an echo.

How can one really engage in connecting with others using Twitter? Here's some ideas that move beyond posting "What's happening?" Perhaps some of these will help you engage in art of Tweeting for Engagement.

• Compose a tweet on something controversial. Sometimes the best responses I have gotten using Twitter are posts that capture a rather controversial topic. Of course a bit of caution is in order. Controversial doesn't mean offensive. Controversial is expressing an idea not readily accepted or thought about. Post a Tweet that goes against the grain of what others are tweeting and see what happens. Don't be rude or offensive. Post your thoughts in a matter of fact manner.
• Post a provocative and powerful quote. This is one of my favorites since I am always reading anyway. I collect quotes constantly. Sometimes I'll post a thought-provoking statement by an education researcher and see what happens. This is an extremely effective way to get an education conversation going on Twitter.
• Post a thought-provoking and engaging question. This is similar to the quote Tweet. The difference is that you post a question that has no simple answer, or if it has an answer, it is provocative. Questions beg for a response, especially those questions you know your followers are likely to have opinions about.
• Share link to a thought-provoking and controversial article. By far there's nothing like a provocative article or blog post to stir up Twitterverse. Share a study that seems ludicrous. Point out a blog post that is likely to cause an eruption. Twitter is an excellent place to provoke debate where everyone is limited to 140 characters so it's easy to get a word in edgewise, even the shy person.
• Respond to other's tweets with questions or additional responses. As you read through your timeline, find a tweet that begs for a response. Tweet out a question that demands an answer. Or, post a response that is sure to engage the other person in an exchange of ideas.

When I talk with other educators and administrators, I still encounter quite a bit of skepticism about the educational and professional potential of this social media device. Usually, that skepticism centers around the belief regarding its ability to have any kind of impact on an educator professionally. Many wonder, “How can anything enlightening or educational come from posting 140 character messages during the course of the day?” It turns out, a great deal can come from connecting professionally with other educators through Twitter.


Perhaps one of the most difficult things to get a school administrator to do with Twitter is move and grow beyond just using it as another messaging system along with the Web page and phone messaging system. But using Twitter for this use alone completely discounts the greatest impact it can have on them personally and professionally. Such uses leave the “social” out and turns Twitter into just a medium for communication. Which is fine if that is your intention, but I am no longer sure you are engaging in social media use.

Twitter’s networking potential is enormous. There are few other Web tools that can literally connect a user with others around the globe. Educators who have Twitter accounts sitting idle, are not engaging in the power of this simple but powerful networking tool. They are not engaging is a social use of Twitter. In a sense, you might say they really are not using social media at all.


But what can a new Twitter user do to engage this social media tool in earnest? There have been quite of few posts across the blogosphere that dealt with this advice. I have posted a few times on this topic myself. With almost 3 years of Tweeting, what advice would I offer new administrators and educators engaging in the use of Twitter for the first time or trying to take a Twitter account out of idle? Well, perhaps here’s some Twitter advice from my latest experiences in Tweeting that might make that happen.

• Pay attention to the content of what  you share through Twitter. As I’ve grown and become what I hope is a more seasoned Tweeter, I have cut back on the quantity of what I’m tweeting when I share resources. I have tried to share more articles and resources that I find interesting and I think others will find interesting. I try to share interesting quotes from books or articles I’m reading. These days I pay closer attention to the content of what I’m Tweeting.
• Realize that there is nothing wrong with posting thoughtful and provocative Tweets. Obviously you need to protect yourself professionally and not post something that reflects negatively on your organization, but provocative tweets engage others in a Tweeting exchanges that can be informative. It helps to make sure your Twitter account does not in any way connect you to your employer or the school where you work. When I Tweet as the 21stprincipal, I am not Tweeting in my capacity as principal of a school. I have tried to make sure the 21stprincipal is a separate personality. I might refer to things happening on the job, or some of the successes I have experienced in my job, but what I say as 21stprincipal is my own personal and professional opinions and ideas and not those of the organization for which I work. It still means I must exercise caution.
• Don’t use Twitter to share what you’re eating for lunch, or what you’re watching on TV. Well, truth is, sometimes that’s OK, but if that is the entire substance of your Tweets, then I doubt many will find your Tweeting engaging. Try to Tweet to share professionally and thoughtfully.
• Try to master the art of saying a great deal with 140 characters. As a former English teacher who loves words, this is perhaps the most fascinating thing to me about Twitter. Trying to find a way to say the most with the least words and in a powerful way is both fun and challenging. Yet, that is what you need to do with Twitter. Expressing your thoughts or opinions with only 140 characters takes a great deal of thought. Trying to convey tone through a Tweet can be equally challenging. There have been many times a Tweet that I thought was humorous was taken seriously by others. I failed to convey the tone of the Tweet to readers and had to clarify with other tweets. Still, there is an author’s joy inside when the Tweet I’ve composed captures my sentiments entirely on a topic, idea, or issue.

In the end, I suppose Twitter could simply be a way for one to share out that they are having a hot dog at the City Diner, or sitting in front of the TV watching a movie. And, I’m also sure it can be an effective announcement system for events at the school. Still, I think those uses actually leave the “social” out of the media description of Twitter. To be social with Twitter, you’ve got to engage people socially, and you can’t do that with bland Tweets about what you had for lunch or about the dance your school is having Friday night.

My two favorite tools for engaging and connecting with others are Twitter and Blogging, which will be the main focus of a training session I will be sharing next week. With Twitter I have connected with educators as far away as Saudi Arabia, India, and Australia. In my "Life Before Twitter" these kinds of connections would have been impossible. This is quite a contrast from my first classroom where I did not have a phone. The only connection to the world beyond those four walls was the intercom system, which sometimes worked and sometimes did not. Now, with Twitter, I can message other people who share my interests no matter where they are. And Twitter has also enabled me to connect with leaders in education that I would not have been able to network with in the past.

Blogging has served to accentuate the connections in my professional learning network in many ways. First of all, after reading my blog posts, others have freely shared their own ideas, thoughts, and comments with me. This makes posting to a blog a two-way or many-way conversation, with others giving me feedback and ideas. Secondly, with blogging, I have found myself engaged in our international conversation regarding education reform and educational issues of the day. It is through these exchanges that my own passion for public education is kept alive.

There is a global conversation occurring about education and we only need to engage a few tools like Twitter and blogging in order to be a part of it.

Here's my Prezi for the presentation next week.

This Australian Broadcast Corporation program on "The Psychology of Twitter" provides an interesting discussion on many aspects of Twitter. The discussion by this panel of users is an interesting look in where we are now with Twitter, its pitfalls, and how social media might evolve. While it is rather than lengthy, the discussion about Twitter is fascinating and worth the view.

"Twitter is for old people, is the attitude of many young people."

"Twitter allows users to connect with people anywhere in the world, and carry on a conversation."

"Trying to get to the dis-information on social media networks is problematic. Individuals or companies can create false identities to communicate information." 

"Interesting period of time when social media is losing its innocence."

"Use common sense about who you follow on Twitter. If they have a 'Jack-the-Ripper' avatar, it's probably not a good idea to follow them."

The other day, someone asked me to explain to him why I thought it was so important for administrators specifically, and educators generally to become Twitter users. He had a Twitter account, but still did not see much use for it. He knew I used it regularly, so I really think he was looking for an argument. He really wanted to make sure I knew of his belief that "Twitter is a waste of time." I might not have convinced him entirely, but here's the 3-Point argument I made as to why educators need Twitter.

1. Twitter provides me with a regular flow of educational ideas and resources. My Diigo bookmarks collection is a testament to this. By following so many educators, the level of access to educational resources has exploded, and it continues to grow as my connections in Twitter grows.
2. Twitter has provided me with a network of educators that spans the globe. When I started teaching 20 years ago, I would not have dreamed of being able to exchange ideas with a teacher in Australia or an IT director in Saudi Arabia. Twitter has made this possible. I have a level of global connection not possible without it.
3. Twitter allows me to be part of the global conversation about education. This is one of my favorite aspects of using Twitter. I can contribute to world-wide discussions on the nature of education. Again, this was not possible when I started in education.

In the end, I'm not sure he believed that Twitter could do all these things for him, and perhaps he's right. I suppose microblogging is like any technology: we often limit its possibilities when we let ourselves be guided by doubt rather than exploration.