A backchannel is an online conversation concurrent to a specific event, such as a conference or lecture. Backchannels take place on social media platforms such as X, and are similar to the exchanges that occur in person at scholarly or professional events. Backchannel participants may:
Formerly known as Twitter, X is a social media platform for succinct public communication using brief posts (colloquially called "tweets," in keeping with the platform's original branding).
Posts on X are published publicly by default, but users have the option of protecting their posts (i.e., making them viewable only by accounts that they've allowed to view their content). Public post are accessible to internet users, regardless of whether or not they have their own account with X. More information about X's privacy settings is available on their website.
Generally, you can search for specific content on X by searching for:
A hashtag is a keyword preceded by a hash (#) symbol. Hashtags are case-insensitive, are often abbreviated, and are used to
You can direct a post to an individual by including their X handle in your post. A user's handle appears next to their name and starts with the @ symbol. Clicking "Reply" on a post will automatically include the author's handle as well as those of any others mentioned in the post.
When someone posts content with particularly relevant information or that you just want to share, you may click "Repost". This will create a copy of the post, crediting the source, that you can then post to share with those who follow you.
X's main benefit is in keeping current and engaged in a particular topic, field of study, profession, etc. X can be used to:
X is not Facebook, and while some people use it to socialize, you will get more out of X if you use the following tips:
