Tips and tricks on how to use Twitter to make your voice heard on the Hammersmith Bridge situation.
Tips & Info For Tweeting re Hammersmith Bridge
A. Opening a Twitter account
If you don’t already have a Twitter account you can sign up here https://twitter.com/i/flow/signup
You can download and use the Twitter app on any device - phone, iPad, tablet, as well aa your computer (as long as it’s running at least Mac OS 10.15 or Windows 10 v14393). Alternatively; you can log into your Twitter account from any web browser.
This will provide you your own account, for example @[yourname] (if it’s available, or closest variant Twitter suggests)
You can call yourself whatever you want on Twitter, but an account name close to your real name gives more credibI kitty.
Adding some Profile information about yourself is also helpful - but do NOT make any information about yourself - such as your birthday or address - public!
If you want to have your Twitter become visible and impactful, DO NOT tick the box to “Protect Your Tweets” or nobody else will have access to what you do on Twitter!
B. Using your new Twitter account
On Twitter everything has one of two symbols preceding critical words: either a @ or a # symbol.
These are really important and it is worth spending a few minutes on them.
Any user of Twitter will have their name preceded by the @ symbol. This is their “address” so to say. When you tap on a @aname account, you will open the profiles of those users.
There are also words preceded by #, such as for example, #hammersmithbridge
These are hashtags, tags, or labels, that users attach to their tweets, so that they can be more easily found by those interested in the topic highlighted. You can add any hashtag you want to your tweets. Hashtags that are particularly relevant at a particular moment, and get searched or followed more frequently, are “Trending”.
Once logged into Twitter, in the search field (which looks like a magnifying glass symbol), run a search for ‘#HammersmithBridge’.
Note: searches for a particular #hashtag can be a bit hit-and-miss. Refresh the results list by swiping down (device with a touchscreen) and/or scrolling down (computer) to see new Tweets on the topic you selected.
You can now see who is tweeting about/with the ‘Hashtag' #HammersmithBridge
it is useful to get get acquainted to how Twitter works. Try clicking on the elementa of your search results, to see what information pops up.
For example, if you click on the white space to the left under people’s round Profile pictures, you will notice that this opens a window showing what replies a certain tweet generated.
In this window you can also click on the number of Retweets and Likes and see who exactly has interacted with you on the tweet.
An important tip: upload your own Profile picture, it makes you more believable than if this is left blank, especially if it is actually a picture of you!
Also, take some time to look at other people’s Profiles (by clicking on their Profile picture or name) and their previous tweets.
if you choose to follow any other Twitter user, you are more likely to see their Tweeting activity in your feed rather than having to rely only on # (Hashtag) searches.
Tweets from anybody you Follow turn up in your Home feed (which you can find by clicking on the symbol of a house) without needing to run a specific searching them.
When you see Tweet you agree with you have the options to Line it, or Retweet it.
Like, means that you provide your support to it and anyone looking at the list of likes can see you were a supporter. To Like a tweet, touch the heart symbol next to it.
Retweeting a tweet means that you repost or forward a tweet created by another user, so that all your followers can see it too. It’s a great way to have messages you like to quickly become visible to anyone else in your followers list. To Retweet a post, you need to press the two arrows in a circle symbol, preferably choosing the option 'Quote Tweet', so you can add your own comment on top of the tweet you are reposting.
Here is the important bit.
Use your comment to target ( ‘tag’ ) as many relevant users (remember: their names are preceded by the @ symbol) and use as many relevant hashtags (preceded by a #) as you can, to make tour retweet be visible.
Retweeting is absolutely fine - it can show support for the author, and adding your own comment is like chipping into the conversation.
You can also retweet to make a contrary comment.
However you choose to use the retweet function, or whether you write a brand new tweet yourself (by pressing the Blue button with ‘Tweet' or symbol of a Quill on it), by adding the hashtag #HammersmithBridge you will make sure that it keeps the Hammersmith Bridge situation an ongoing topic of conversation, and helps make it ‘Trend'.
Note: If you write a Tweet with no @ or # in it, and your account has no Followers, nobody will see it unless they specifically search for you or a word you may have used.
Hashtags # get you an immediate wider audience across the whole of Twitter beyond just your Followers because they automatically link your tweet to different conversations / threads (highlighted in the “What’s Trending on Twitter’ area).
If you don’t have millions of Followers (and most people only have a few 10s or 100s) this is how you engage with potentially the rest of the world on topics you care about, to have your voice be heard by a wider audience.
Remember to make sure there’s no space between @ or # and subsequent words and that the tags turn blue or they won’t work.
Also check the character count ring at the bottom of your tweet as you write - if you go over 280 it goes red and you can’t post the Tweet.
Tweets are messages that can’t exceed 280 characters: they really force a great exercise in being precise and to the point with what you want to say! Further help on how to use Twitter is available here https://help.twitter.com/en/using-twitter Happy tweeting !@! (and if it all goes wrong you can always delete your Tweet and start again!)
C. Hammersmith Bridge Hashtags to use
So here is a list of helpful hashtags and users to add to your tweets or retweets to make our case for Hammersmith Bridge as relevant as possible.
Remember: #HammersmithBridge - ALWAYS USE THIS IN EVERY TWEET !
Suggested accounts @ with influence on the outcome for the Bridge:
The #TaskForce
@CharlotteV (Chairperson - Baroness Vere, Minister for Roads, Buses & Places also verec@parliament.uk )
@DanaskelleyO (Dana Skelley OBE - Project Manager)
@StephenCowan (LBH&F Leader. Labour Councillor for Hammersmith Broadway also cllr.stephen.cowan@lbhf.gov.uk )
@Gareth_Roberts_ (LBRuT Leader also cllr.g.roberts@richmond.gov.uk )
@heidi_LDN (Heidi Alexander - Deputy Mayor of London & Deputy Chair of TFL also heidi.alexander@london.gov.uk )
And for info only as not on Twitter...
Sharon Lea (LBH&F Strategic Director of Environment) Gareth Powell (TFL Managing Director of Surface Transport) Paul Chadwick (LBRuT & Wandsworth Director of Environment & Community Services Robin Mortimer (Chief Executive Ports of London Authority) + 3 Assessing Engineers from DfT and Network Rail Interested Parties
@LBHF (Hammersmith & Fulham Council)
@LBRUT (Richmond Council)
@TFL (Transport For London)
@transportgovuk (Govt Department for Transport)
@LondonPortAuth (Port Of London Authority)
@EnglishHeritage (they gave HB a Grade II+ listing)
MPs & Lords
@BorisJohnson
@grantshapps (Secretary of State for Transport also shappsg@parliament.uk )
@GregHands (Con MP for Chelsea & Fulham)
@scullyp (Paul Scully, MP for Sutton & Cheam but also Minister For London)
@sarahjolney1 (LibDem MP for Richmond also saraholneyrpnk@outlook.com )
@hammersmithandy (Andrew Slaughter - Labour MP for Hammersmith)
@PutneyFleur (Fleur Anderson - Labour MP for Putney)
@RuthCadbury (Labour MP for Brentford & Isleworth (= Hounslow council inc Chiswick/Dukes Meadows) also ruth@ruthcadbury.org.uk )
@ZacGoldsmith (now in the House Of Lords)
LBH&F Councillors
@StephenCowan (LBH&F Leader. Labour Cllr for Hammersmith Broadway also cllr.stephen.cowan@lbhf.gov.uk )
@arbrown_town (Arthur Brown - Conservative Cllr for Town ward & LBHF Leader of the Opposition also andrew.brown@lbhf.gov.uk )
Ravenscourt Park includes the River Thames west of HB up to Chiswick/Dukes Meadows (Hounslow)
@jcaleblandy (Jonathan Caleb-Landy - Labour Cllr for Ravenscourt Park also jonathan.caleb-landy@lbhf.gov.uk )
@borakwon (Bora Kwon - Labour Cllr for Ravenscourt Park (she Chaired the LBH&F online meeting on YouTube recently) also bora.kwon@lbhf.gov.uk )
@AsifSolicitor (Asif Siddique - Labour Cllr for Ravenscourt Park also asif.siddique@lbhf.gov.uk )
Hammersmith Broadway includes north side HB and the River Thames up to Ravenscourt Park ward
@TriciaQuigley (Patricia Quigley - Labour Cllr for Hammersmith Broadway also patricia.quigley@lbhf.gov.uk ) Not on Twitter… PJ Murphy (Labour Cllr for Hammersmith Broadway pj.murphy@lbhf.gov.uk )
LBRuT Councillors
@Gareth_Roberts_ (LBRuT Leader, Lib-Dem Cllr for Hampton also cllr.g.roberts@richmond.gov.uk )
@AlexanderEhmann (LBRuT Dep Leader, Lib Dem Cllr for St Margarets & North Twickenham, Chair of Transport Committee also cllr.a.ehmann@richmond.gov.uk )
Barnes Ward
@AphraBrandreth (Conservative Cllr for Barnes & daughter of Gyles Brandreth)
@paulinbarnes (Paul Hodgins - Conservative Cllr for Barnes, LBRuT Leader of the Opposition (previously Leader of the Council 2017=18)
(incidentally Director of shared e-transport company Ginger who provide transport for the BCA's https://barnescommunityshop.com project)
Not on Twitter…
Rita Palmer (Conservative Cllr for Barnes but contactable via cllr.ritapalmer@richmond.gov.uk )
Mortlake Ward
@paulavon_barnes (Conservative Cllr for Mortlake & Barnes Common)
@G_LAM_S (Gemma Curran - Conservative Cllr for Mortlake & Barnes Common)
Not on Twitter… Alice Bridges-Westcott (Lib-Dem Cllr for Mortlake & Barnes Common)
Hounslow Councillors
@CllrSteveCurran (Hounslow Leader, Labour Cllr for Syon Ward also steve.curran@hounslow.gov.uk )
Chiswick Homefields ward is the stretch from Barnes Bridge to Chiswick (Hammersmith Ravenscourt Park ward)
Not on Twitter…
John Todd (Conservative Cllr for Chiswick Homefields john.todd@hounslow.gov.uk )
Gerald McGregor (Conservative Cllr for Chiswick Homefields gerald.mcgregor@hounslow.gov.uk )
Patrick Barr (Conservative Cllr for Chiswick Homefields patrick.barr@hounslow.gov.uk )
Mayor & London Assembly
@SadiqKhan (Mayor of London also mayor@london.gov.uk )
@heidi_LDN (Heidi Alexander - Deputy Mayor of London & Deputy Chair of TFL also heidi.alexander@london.gov.uk )
@nickbowes1975 (City Hall Policy for Sadiq)
@ShaunBaileyUK (Conservative Mayoral Candidate and London Assembly Member )
@willnorman (Mayor of London's Walking & Cycling Commissioner)
@Tony_Devenish (Conservative London Assembly Member for Hammersmith & Fulham)
Not on Twitter…
Tony Arbour - London Assembly Member for South West London)
Local interest accounts who might retweet:
@barnestoday
@nnhammersmith
@putneysw15
@Fulhamsw6com
@BarnesCommAssoc
@SilvertownTn (cross-party Stop Silvertown Tunnel Coalition)
@TransportActio2 (Transport Action Network - supporting people getting better transport solutions especially bus services and stopping damaging new roads)
Media Accounts that have featured the story
@standardnews ( @emilysheffield )
@DailyMailUK @MailOnline @hardmanr ( Robert Hardman )
@nytimes
@LBC @NickFerrariLBC
@BBCLondonNews @AliceBhand ( Alice Bhandhukravi )
@RTUKnews @ShadiaED ( Shadia EdwardsDashti )
Celebrities with local connections who have PR influence - at least if they can be persuaded / pressured to use it ! :
@GylesB1 (Gyles Brandreth)
@GaryLineker
@JeremyVine
@StormHuntley (from the Jeremy Vine Show on Channel 5)
@hollywills
@mrmichaelball
@peterjohnsnow
@thehistoryguy (Dan Snow)
@SirTimRice @uk_patten (Chris Patten)