IT professionals' information behaviour on Twitter

Background. Twitter is widely used as a communication medium, and an electronic word-of-mouth. A literature search found no previous empirical study of microblogging platforms as “places”, and how they are used for professional communication and networking. Objectives. This study aimed to understand...

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Main Author: Talip, Bazilah A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: 2021
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Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10356/154307
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Institution: Nanyang Technological University
Language: English
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spelling sg-ntu-dr.10356-1543072021-12-22T20:11:00Z IT professionals' information behaviour on Twitter Talip, Bazilah A. Library and information science Background. Twitter is widely used as a communication medium, and an electronic word-of-mouth. A literature search found no previous empirical study of microblogging platforms as “places”, and how they are used for professional communication and networking. Objectives. This study aimed to understand information technology (IT) professionals’ information behaviour in microblogging on Twitter. Methods. The data were collected using online observation and interviews, and analysed using constructivist grounded theory. Results. Twitter is used by IT professionals mainly for professional networking, professional work and professional development. The data highlighted the inter-relatedness of information-sharing and professional networking. Information acts as a trigger to create human networks, as information sharing and information encountering lead to serendipitous discovery of useful IT experts. Twitter is an information ground (Fisher, 2005) where IT professionals encounter not only information but also experts and even work and project opportunities. The more IT professionals share information that is related to his or her expertise, the greater the chance to be noticed and acknowledged as an IT expert. Significance. The study has shed some light on how Twitter is used for professional networking in a strategic manner to advance professional goals. The findings can assist organisations to better understand and provide for this emerging channel of professional information-sharing for their staff and stakeholders. Published version 2021-12-17T01:34:17Z 2021-12-17T01:34:17Z 2015 Journal Article Talip, B. A. (2015). IT professionals' information behaviour on Twitter. Library and Information Science Research E-Journal, 25(2), 86-102. https://dx.doi.org/10.32655/LIBRES.2015.2.2 1058-6768 https://hdl.handle.net/10356/154307 10.32655/LIBRES.2015.2.2 2 25 86 102 en Library and Information Science Research E-Journal © 2016 Bazilah A. Talip. All rights reserved. application/pdf
institution Nanyang Technological University
building NTU Library
continent Asia
country Singapore
Singapore
content_provider NTU Library
collection DR-NTU
language English
topic Library and information science
spellingShingle Library and information science
Talip, Bazilah A.
IT professionals' information behaviour on Twitter
description Background. Twitter is widely used as a communication medium, and an electronic word-of-mouth. A literature search found no previous empirical study of microblogging platforms as “places”, and how they are used for professional communication and networking. Objectives. This study aimed to understand information technology (IT) professionals’ information behaviour in microblogging on Twitter. Methods. The data were collected using online observation and interviews, and analysed using constructivist grounded theory. Results. Twitter is used by IT professionals mainly for professional networking, professional work and professional development. The data highlighted the inter-relatedness of information-sharing and professional networking. Information acts as a trigger to create human networks, as information sharing and information encountering lead to serendipitous discovery of useful IT experts. Twitter is an information ground (Fisher, 2005) where IT professionals encounter not only information but also experts and even work and project opportunities. The more IT professionals share information that is related to his or her expertise, the greater the chance to be noticed and acknowledged as an IT expert. Significance. The study has shed some light on how Twitter is used for professional networking in a strategic manner to advance professional goals. The findings can assist organisations to better understand and provide for this emerging channel of professional information-sharing for their staff and stakeholders.
format Article
author Talip, Bazilah A.
author_facet Talip, Bazilah A.
author_sort Talip, Bazilah A.
title IT professionals' information behaviour on Twitter
title_short IT professionals' information behaviour on Twitter
title_full IT professionals' information behaviour on Twitter
title_fullStr IT professionals' information behaviour on Twitter
title_full_unstemmed IT professionals' information behaviour on Twitter
title_sort it professionals' information behaviour on twitter
publishDate 2021
url https://hdl.handle.net/10356/154307
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