Information architecture for social media: a case study on building an event backchannel with Twitter

Abstract

This paper presents a case study on creating a backchannel through Twitter for the live event, featuring the Secretary of the US Navy, hosted by the School of Government. The project, which ultimately was successful in creating social media buzz for the lecture, was a new approach for the School of Government in how it markets its events. The study discusses the tools and processes used in the backchannel's creation and development. This paper was written because the author discovered a gap in existing literature on creating backchannels. It outlines how the adaptation of best practices from the general population's use of Twitter in creating a backchannel for an educational event. While this study focuses specifically on the promotion of a live event, the concepts and principles discussed here also are applicable to instructors interested in providing their students with an environment for differentiated learning and informal communication.