Speaking about autism on Twitter
When I was reading through a lot of the tweets about autism, I noticed that many of them used similar techniques to increase their rhetorical velocity. The main methods I noticed were the use of quotes, links to articles with further information, references to famous people, and hashtags to spread the tweets to a large audience. The goal of these tweets seemed to be to get as many people interested in the issue of autism as possible and then to give them ways to spread this interest to others.
One of the Twitter handles that I thought did a good job with rhetorical velocity was @AutismTips. They mainly tweeted quotes from famous people such as the Dalai Lama. Quotes from famous role models are a quick way of getting your audience interested and also of building your credibility. I tried to use this tactic when I tweeted a quote by Dr. Templin Grandin, a famous autism researcher and advocate.
@theautismsnews also did a good job with rhetorical velocity by linking lots of articles in their tweets. This allows the reader to get more information if they want to. I tried to emulate this tactic when I tweeted about a study that indicated a link between gaps in pregnancies and autism. I posted a link allowing any readers to learn more about the study and its conclusions.
Twitter accounts such as @Autism and @AlexisWineman did a good job of getting people interested in the topic through the use of references to famous people. As an example, Alexis Wineman was the first Miss America contestant with autism and she won the “America’s choice” award, meaning that a lot of Americans know who she is. Readers are more likely to retweet posts that involve celebrities and famous people. I used this tactic when I tweeted about Alexis Wineman and when I tweeted about how there have been many famous people with autism, such as Albert Einstein.
Another twitter handle, @autismspeaks, did a good job of using hashtags and mentioning events about autism awareness in the future. This allowed the tweets to reach a large audience of possible retweeters and also gave information about events for those who were interested. I did this in my tweet about events run by the Autism Speaks organization and also my tweet where I used the hashtag #autism.
The point of rhetorical velocity is to spread your message to as many people as possible in a convincing way. You also want to allow the reader to do their own research into the topic if they want to. Twitter is a great way to get people to spread your message because of retweeting, links, and hashtags. It really is amazing when you see a tweet that uses rhetorical velocity techniques reach a large audience of interested people.
Featured Image Source: http://www.newautism.com/response-to-the-impact-of-sugar-on-autism/1441/
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I favorited your tweet about famous people who have had autism, including Albert Einstein. I think this is a great outlet to provide in your effort to spread Autism Awareness. The link as well as the mention of famous individuals heightens the rhetorical velocity of your tweet. You provide another source that can then be visited, shared, or recomposed. It creates a greater sense of knowledge of the subject and also stimulates conversation due to the added sources!