The popular microblogging service Twitter launched its "Lists" function a couple of months ago, and Twitter users can compile, publish and follow lists built around Twitter users with shared characteristics. For example, an alumni association can compile a list of its members' Twitter profiles to make it easier for alumni to connect via Twitter. This allows alumni to use Twitter as an alumni networking tool, not just as another communication channel.
At Caltech we have followed back any of our followers we could identify as alumni or current students (as well as following faculty members and campus organizations using Twitter), and we recently compiled the alumni users into a Twitter list (you must be logged into Twitter to view it).
Institutions could compile lists of volunteer leaders, regionally organized alumni, or alumni affinity group members (such as athletics, student government, performing arts or Greek life).
Twitter doesn't maintain a directory of public lists, but a recently launched service called Listorious bills itself as "The Directory of Awesome Lists on Twitter" and offers a compilation of alumni associations using Twitter (95 are listed as of this writing).
They are listed in descending order, by how many followers they have:
http://listorious.com/EtiquetteWise/alumni-associations
It's important to remember that we're still at the beginning of the development and use of these kinds of tools, but keeping up with these trends will increase our ability to connect with alumni, and to connect them with our institution and each other.
Is your association maintaining a list of alumni on Twitter? Do you have a different way of enabling the alumni network via Twitter? Leave a comment.
