1. …For Professional Collaboration!
Hash Tag Communities
© 2012 Dr. Roz Linder
…For Professional Collaboration!

2. What is a Hash Tag?
Anytime something is popular it is usually accompanied by a Hash Tag. They look like this: #
So, if I LOVE Justin Beiber, everytime I tweet, I might add: #beiberfan at the end of my tweet. That is my hashtag.
If I love a new product or saying, or style of clothing, I can create any hash tag I like and tack it on to the end of my Tweet.
© 2012 Dr. Roz Linder

3. How are Hash Tags used?
They help Twitter build the list of what is trending daily. You may notice on the right side of your Twitter screen is a list of the top five trending topics. Hash Tags help do this.
There is another innovative way to use Hash Tags. They are used to build communities. I call these Hash Tag Communities.
© 2012 Dr. Roz Linder

4. How Do Hash Tag Communities Work?
Let's look at an example. On Twitter, I consider myself a part of the #fycchat group. This group has a designated weekly time where everyone will be online and "tweet". Each time we tweet a message we include the #fycchat hash tag.
The result? A live time dialogue among educators with the same interests. Our community is public, archived for free, and has the potential to catch the eye of other readers. The community grows by invitation, by key word searches, and subgroups have emerged. We exchange ideas and communicate about things that we all care about professionally. The reach however is so far beyond the brick and mortar of our own schools, that it can only be described as global.
© 2012 Dr. Roz Linder

5. How do these attributes impact adoption?
# 1
Because Twitter requires an interest in social media, many people who are still in the Late Adoption or Laggard group are unaware and really have no interest in Twitter. This impacts the adoption because membership on Twitter is an initial criteria.
© 2012 Dr. Roz Linder

6. How do these attributes impact adoption?
# 2
Secondly, this group has a bit of an unspoken secret membership. Hash tags vary wildly. Someone must inform you of what the hash tags are that have groups you are interested in. Of course, you can take guesses and try different combinations, but a direct pathway is always a much easier and epidemic building pathway. Malcolm Gladwell, explains that any innovation cannot take place if you do not have access to a Maven--someone that has the information--to initially share with you.
© 2012 Dr. Roz Linder

7. Where is this NOW?
Using Twitter for professional collaboration is definitely on the cusp between Innovators and Early Majority. Those in the know are taking advantage of this. As Rogers explains, these are the risk takers who can sense a new trend before it becomes mainstream. This is where the innovation is beginning to get legs and starting to spread. Interestingly enough, the diffusion process seems to be further along outside of America. People in different collaborative groups frequently taut foreign schools and countries as their homes.
© 2012 Dr. Roz Linder

8. Task for Change Agents
So, what's next? Share a hash tag, open up your community to one or two others, or better yet, read a bit about the process and join the Innovators who are expanding this process. The potential for collaboration is promising and may just change how educators communicate, plan, and impact student achievement.
© 2012 Dr. Roz Linder