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Resources Issue: Parenting

Twitter: Participate Nationally, Find Allies, Engage National and Local Media

What is Twitter?

Twitter is a social media platform where individuals can share information with anyone in the world. By setting up an account, you can “follow” people who share your interests and concerns, news accounts, organizations, companies, political figures, and other entities that matter to you. Twitter can be used to share personal stories, but it is ideal for getting your message out nationally and broadening your coalition. Twitter is also useful for finding media figures who might be interested in your issue or story. You can also use Twitter to find allies and those opposed to particular policies.

How To Get Started on Twitter:

  • Go to www.twitter.com.
  • Hit the blue button that says, “Sign Up”.
  • Fill in the information on the Sign Up page.

Rules for Posting: The content has to meet Twitter’s rules. 

Tweeting, Retweeting, Liking: What Do I Do?

Retweeting: You can retweet articles, comments, infographics, and many other things you agree with from other trusted accounts. You simply hit the retweet button on the bottom of the post. 

Retweeting with Comment: This can be fun. You can retweet with a comment agreeing, supporting, or disagreeing with the poster’s original tweet. You can also insert a gif in your retweets. This is a dynamic image file that is used to show a reaction.

Post Your Own Tweet: Posting your own tweet is simply a matter of posting your own thoughts in 280 characters or less. That seems like a lot, but considering this paragraph that you are reading is 280 characters, you might find it hard to fit all your thoughts into a small space!

Using Hashtags: Hashtags started in 2007. They are most often used on Twitter although some other social media platforms use them as well. 

Hashtag: It is the pound or hash symbol (#) followed by a word or multiple words (with no spaces). Example #parenting or #HappyValentinesDay or #Vote2020. Hashtags are used to help people find content on social media about a specific topic. 

If you want to see content about parenting, you could search for #parenting or #parents. If you wanted to find content about a particular political issue, you could simply put the hash sign then followed by the political issue. Example: #GunControl or #2A (which stands for Second Amendment), #OpenSchools, #VAWA for the Violence Against Women Act, or #ERA for the Equal Rights Amendment. You can even search for specific legislative bills by putting the bill number in with the hash number—#HR1523, #S504.

Why Use Hashtags?

1. Hashtags make your content easily searchable, which makes it easier for people to find your content. 

2. Hashtags make it easier for the media to find you as a potential source for a story. Reporters often search hashtags to find people to interview for stories. So this is a great way to reach out to the media without even trying. 

3. Hashtags can help you find allies and grow your community. People often follow hashtags to find like-minded people or allies in fighting a particular legislative proposal. 

4. Hashtags can be used to bring humor or gently poke fun. It’s always great to show a little humor, humility, and appreciation; and it’s a way to give your account or group’s account a personality.

Tagging People: Make sure you tag people in Tweets by using the @ symbol and then typing in their Twitter handle (or name). For instance, IW has a Twitter account under @IWF and @IWV. An individual’s name might be their Twitter handle as in @JaneDoe or they might make up a name, such as @FreedomGal. Make sure you tag the accounts that might be interested in your tweet. This will help your message get a broader audience.

Like a Tweet: This is the most non-confrontational approach. By liking a tweet, you’re simply telling the poster that you approve of the tweet. 

Examples of Tweets: 

Example 1:

Example 2:

Example 3:

Twitter Dos and Don’ts

  • The Dos
    • Do find and follow groups and individuals that support your cause.
    • Don’t just lurk. Engage in conversations. 
    • Do post smartly. You should be on Twitter to inform, not fight. If you see something posted on Twitter that’s incorrect, simply provide the correct information. You don’t have to engage in any other way.
    • Do retweet the content from other accounts.
    • Be funny and share fun memes to lighten the mood.
  • The Don’ts
    • Don’t be disrespectful in Twitter conversations.
    • Don’t use all caps to make your point. Digitally, all caps means you’re yelling and it makes you look angry and unpleasant. 
    • Don’t make fun of someone for not knowing all the facts. Just provide them good information and offer to answer.
    • Don’t hesitate to admit you are wrong; apologize and correct the information. But do not engage with those who do not accept the correction. 

Follow IW Staff and Fellows on Twitter! 

Kelsey Bolar: @kelseybolar

Jennifer Braceras: @J_Braceras

Tammy Bruce: @HeyTammyBruce

Julie Gunlock: @Jgunlock

Hadley Heath Manning: @HadleyHeath

Heather Higgins: @TheHRH

Carrie Lukas: @CarrieLukas

Heather Madden: @IWF_Heather

Patrice Onwuka: @PatricePinkfile

Inez Stepman: @InezFeltscher

Charlotte Whelan: @cc_whelan19

Elisha Maldonado: @elishamaldonado

Naomi Schaefer Riley: @NaomiSRiley

Vicki Alger: @vickiealgerphd

Lisa Boothe: @LisaMarieBoothe

Victoria Coley: @VictoriaRColey

Template Letter: Renaming Christopher Columbus Day

*PDF Download: Letter to School About Renaming Christopher Columbus Day

Many schools, towns, and cities across the nation are choosing not to honor Columbus Day–a holiday designated by Federal law to celebrate the founding of America and the bravery of the early explorers. Some on the left even want to change the name of the holiday to Indigenous People’s Day, which would essentially erase Columbus from the holiday all together.

Should we sit by and let this happen?

If you want to resist this change, here’s a template based off of a letter IW Law Center Director Jennifer Braceras wrote to her own child’s school officials explaining the folly of changing the holiday’s name and why celebrating Christopher Columbus is still worth doing!

Columbus Day Rename Template Letter

Dear _____,

My name is ____. My child attends _______. I write today because I just learned that you will be referring to October 11 as “Indigenous People’s Day.”

By federal law, the first Monday in October is designated as Columbus Day. This holiday is important not only to Italian Americans, who view Columbus as a symbol of ethnic pride, but also to Latinos, whose culture was born from the Spanish colonization of this hemisphere. It is precisely because this holiday is important to both of these ethnic groups that both Hispanic Heritage month (September 15 – October 15) and Italian American Heritage Month (October) incorporate the occasion.

But Columbus is more than a symbol of pride for Italians and Latinos. As the “first immigrant,” he is a symbol of all those who come to America in search of something more. As President Ronald Reagan once noted, Columbus Day is “a day to celebrate not only an intrepid searcher but the dreams and opportunities that brought so many here after him and all that they and all immigrants have given to this land.”

By dishonoring Columbus, we dishonor immigrants. Indeed, this was the intention of 1920s-era Ku Klux Klan, which spread anti-Columbus propaganda as a way to slander and target Catholic newcomers from southern Europe.

So, while I welcome the opportunity to celebrate native cultures and traditions, I must object when someone unilaterally alters the name of a federally designated holiday of great importance to other American ethnic groups and to all immigrants to the U.S.

Warmly,

Name

Download the PDF