Twitter Experience

Possible Hashtags

Today I wish to share with you my experience promoting @Student_Sejours on Twitter! 

I began my twitter experience the way all of the twitter users do, with my very first tweet introducing me to the world of 140 characters.

Racking up list of possible hashtags, mainly #StudyingAbroad and #CollegeAbroad, I set out on my journey to promote my blog by extensive use of this platform. I made the choice to use those hashtags as they were directly linked to my topic and there was a good amount of posts bundled up by those specific keywords.

Feeling very enthusiastic about this project I followed others who have similar interest as mine, such people studying abroad, people setting out to share a little college humour and many travel accounts. I also decided to follow those who had no direct links to my topic, such as celebrities, news agencies and several others just to be updated on key issues that could be related to my topic later.

Using twitter to promote my own blogposts was quite fun, though  the 140 characters restriction proved to be quite impeding. It was only after a few hours of drafting several possible tweets, editing and re-editing, that a suitable tweet could be constructed. However, no retweets or responses were generated for my tweets. This could have been from the lack of hashtags at the beginning of the experience to bring people to my tweets. Yet, people kept following @Student_Sejours, with at least three followers per day, something which kept my hopes up for future interactions.

My First Tweet #Studying_Abroad

Promoting my post

Retweeting was another enjoyable part about my Twitter experience as it allowed me in some way to enter conversations on the platform even if discussions did not strike up on my own retweets. I did notice however, that when I retweeted content not directly link to my topics, this action was reciprocated by the author of the tweet.  

Retweeting a Funny Post

Retweeting an Informational Post

Overall, I would say my Twitter Experience was an interesting one though I could not generate much interaction around my posts. It allowed me to experience the exchange of information on this platform and to participate to some extent in the discussions reinforcing the participatory aspect of social networking sites, in that I could share and amend contents. Also, this experience has allowed me to be aware of others who are interested in the same topics as mine.

Why do you wanna hear my story?

Flickr image - we've all got a story

“We owe it to each other to tell stories.” - Neil Gaiman

Since I could read and write, I've always had a passion for stories. I look at the world and see different wonderful stories being and waiting to be told.

Whenever, I tell people that I'm blogging about being an international student, there facial expression changes to one of curiosity. "That's super interesting, I want to read your posts to see what it's about for you," they say as they ask me to send them the link.

There's always one reader who's going to be fascinated by your story.

So I, owe it to you to tell you my story, not just because others find it interesting but because I also believe it is and like I've said before, it's worth sharing and definitely worth reading.

People already have a their own opinions of what being an international student is about with the aid of several articles, sometimes listing the various benefits of studying abroad as well as some of the mistakes made by international students.

Hopefully, through this blog you will be able to see that there'll always be something new to discover.

You will be able to go through the wonderful and trying experiences I've gone through. There will be days that the experience of being an international will seem like a Hollywood movie and call to you and there are days when you're gonna wonder how we get through.

If you're an international student, you're probably going to laugh and maybe relate to some of the things I highlight here. Or, you might go 'What is she writing about? I've never experienced those things!' But it will still be a subject that you will know and will call to you as you also have a direct interest in the topic.

But my story in itself is interesting whether you're directly related to the topic or not. It's an adventure and it is human nature to love things that have a climax; that really interesting point that retains our attention. I am hoping my blog will be that for you. A place you turn to when you want to discover a story other than yours; when you want to indulge in the simple things that make up my life as an international student.

Why The Chic Looking Girl to Represent my Blog?

My Avatar by NancyT .

Hi!

I'm going to tell you about my choice of avatar.

I chose this girl with her suitcase ready to board the plane, but also surrounded by textbooks (yes, those are textbooks) to showcase the full experience of studying abroad. This avatar reflects both my primary identity as a student who has a responsibility in her education but also as a tourist who has so much to see and enjoy during my few years studying abroad. The fact that I chose to draw it in cartoon fashion evokes the fantastical notion of being a tourist in college!

I hope you keep checking my blog for further posts. Oh, and leave comments below.