Trending+Topics

= Trending Topics =

Twitter is responsible for the term trending topic. The twitter help center explains trending topics this way. “Twitter's Trending Topics algorithm identifies topics that are immediately popular, rather than topics that have been popular for a while or on a daily basis, to help people discover the "most breaking" news stories from across the world. We think that trending topics which capture the hottest emerging trends and topics of discussion on Twitter are the most interesting”. A tweet consists of up to 140 characters. The use of Twitter as a means of communication or to inform patrons of upcoming events and happenings is a beneficial tool for the library. Even the Library of Congress in Washington, DC has a twitter account. In fact, “every public tweet, ever, since Twitter’s inception in March 2006, will be archived digitally at the Library of Congress. That’s a LOT of tweets, by the way: Twitter processes more than 50 million tweets every day, with the total numbering in the billions” says Matt Raymond who is the author of “How Tweet It Is: Library Acquires Entire Twitter Archive”.

Implications
In an article entitled “Twittering Librarians”, Lindy Brown describes uses of twitter in the library. She states that “there are many reasons why libraries should incorporate Twitter into their social networking portfolio: it's quick, easy, free, creates community, expands the reach of the library, makes the library more accessible, and is great for public relations. However, the statistics confirm that a library's strong online presence is imperative as we continue to move forward in this increasingly digital world”.

About Trending Topics (2011). In Twitter. Retrieved November 15, 2011, from []

Brown, L. (2008). Twittering Librarians. In LIS 5313 Course Wiki. Retrieved November 15, 2011, from []

Raymond, M. (2010, April 14). How Tweet It Is!: Library Acquires Entire Twitter Archive. In Library of Congress. Retrieved November 15, 2011, from []