[real-eyes] Re: Twitter 101
- From: "Andrea Breier" <abreier@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: <real-eyes@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 29 Jul 2009 22:11:54 -0500
Neither does anyone else that I know, knows what to do with it either.
Regards,
Andrea M. Breier
Remember:
Life is short, Break the rules, Forgive quickly, Kiss slowly, Love truly,
Laugh uncontrollably, And never regret anything that made you smile..
----- Original Message -----
From: "Reginald George" <sgeorge@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <real-eyes@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, July 29, 2009 7:33 PM
Subject: [real-eyes] Re: Twitter 101
>I also just opened a Twitter account. Now I have no idea what to do with
> it.
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "V Nork" <ginisd@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> To: <real-eyes@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Wednesday, July 29, 2009 1:44 PM
> Subject: [real-eyes] Twitter 101
>
>
>> Hi, Just Passing along what I thought was an instructive and fun to read
>> article, as kind of a departure for me since I usually try for briefer
>> posts. Just opened my first Twitter account, have lots to learn, Best,
>> Ginnie
>>
>> Ashton Kutcher trashes his neighbor's chickens. U.S. Rep. John Culberson
>> trashes
>> President Barack Obama's address to Congress. Brea Grant, one of the
>> stars
>> of "Heroes,"
>> doesn't trash anyone, but is looking for a new veggie restaurant in
>> Southern California.
>> In the last few months, Twitter has become "the new hotness" in
>> technology
>> and culture.
>> Celebrities are pushing geeks to the side as the most popular names on
>> the
>> network,
>> and there has been the rush of media coverage. Network news shows use it
>> to communicate
>> with viewers, and news organizations, including mySA.com, send out
>> breaking news
>> alerts via Twitter.
>> And yet, many of you probably have no idea what it is. Twitter is very
>> simple, and
>> that simplicity makes it hard to explain since it lacks formality.
>> Q.What is Twitter?
>> A.Twitter is a free social network.
>> Q.What is a social network?
>> A.That's a Web site or Web service that allows people to digitally
>> contact
>> and stay
>> in touch with friends or with a wider community that's also on the
>> network. Users
>> chat, send each other messages and share information, such as pictures,
>> music and
>> videos.
>> Q.How is Twitter different?
>> A.Most Twitter contact consists of text messages that can be viewed by
>> anyone with
>> access to a cell phone or computer. Users can limit who sees their
>> messages and whose
>> messages they receive. Though there is a centralized Web site to send and
>> view messages,
>> many users don't need it, preferring to do all of their Twitter
>> communication on
>> their phone.
>> Q.Why is Twitter so popular?
>> A.Twitter appears to be the flavor of the month among tech hipsters. The
>> value of
>> Twitter, it seems, is that all messages are short bursts and there are
>> plenty of
>> them. Because of size limits, Twitter has spawned a stylized way of
>> writing that's
>> active, to the point and mixes its own acronyms with those borrowed from
>> traditional
>> instant messenger lingo. And because it only has 3 million users, Twitter
>> is like
>> a well-kept secret among the Tweeps, which is the term coined to describe
>> "Twitter
>> people."
>> Q.What is a tweet?
>> A.A tweet is the term coined to describe a Twitter message. Because
>> Twitter uses
>> a cell phone's text messaging system, all tweets run 140 characters
>> (spaces included)
>> or fewer.
>> Q.How do you tweet?
>> A.Tweets can be sent from a computer, though the emphasis is on mobile
>> communication,
>> usually sent from a cell phone or a smart phone such as an iPhone. If
>> you're good
>> at text messaging, you'll be good at tweeting. If you prefer the long
>> form
>> of an
>> e-mail, tweeting will be a dicey skill to master.
>> Q.Will tweets take over my phone?
>> A.It's possible. If you worry about being inundated with tweets and
>> running up a
>> huge text messaging bill, Twitter allows you to control how you receive
>> tweets, so
>> that only certain messages from certain people make it to your phone. Or
>> none of
>> them. Or all of them. Messages you send and receive are always available,
>> in your
>> account, on the Twitter home page on your computer.
>> Q.What happens to my tweet after I hit "send?"
>> A.All tweets go to the Twitter phone number: 40404. Each tweet is
>> swallowed up by
>> the Twitter server and then thrown into the rapidly moving stream of
>> tweets from
>> around the world.
>> Q.Can I respond to specific tweets?
>> A.Yes. Tag that message with the user's name and the "@" sign, such as
>> @roybragg,
>> @johnmccain, @rainnwilson to respond to a specific person.
>> Q.Can I send private messages?
>> A.Certain tweets, called direct messages, can be sent privately to
>> another
>> individual
>> from cell phone or computer. On smart phones, which have Web data plans,
>> direct message
>> tweets are sometimes cheaper than a per-message price.
>> Q.What makes a good tweet?
>> A.Hard to say. While the lingo is unique, the content isn't. There's no
>> structure
>> to Twitter topics. Users are given one charge by Twitter - "What are you
>> doing?"
>> Q."What are you doing"?
>> A.Messages can run the gamut, from personal tirades and self-promotion to
>> pithy observations,
>> news flashes and hints. A glance at the Twitter public timeline - all
>> tweets from
>> everyone, appearing as they are sent in real time - shows a universe
>> where
>> the comments
>> are as random as eavesdropping on conversations at the airport. One tweet
>> is about
>> comics books. The next is about politics. The next is about lunch. The
>> next is a
>> tech tip. Then someone responds to the political tweet, sparking another
>> response,
>> and so on.
>> Q.What can I do to avoid being overwhelmed by tweets?
>> A.One of the best things about Twitter can be one of the most frustrating
>> and one
>> of the most frightening, to wit: the tsunami of information coming at you
>> at all
>> times from all around the world. To hone Twitter into what you need it to
>> be, the
>> system allows you to pick your friends and have others pick you to be
>> their friend.
>> "Followers" are people who receive your tweets. The people whose tweets
>> your want
>> to read are called your "following." In many instances, following is a
>> mutual thing
>> - you and your friends all follow each other, sharing messages as if you
>> were sitting
>> around a table. You can block anyone from reading your tweets, or you can
>> stop following
>> anyone at any time.
>> Q.How do I find or send tweets about certain topics?
>> A.Search for specific topics at search.twitter.com and you can see who
>> tweeted it
>> and when. Another technique involves searching for a short code term,
>> called a hashtag,
>> that is sometimes added to the text of a messages being sent out. A
>> hashtag is the
>> name of the topic, preceded by the "#" symbol. Examples of hashtags
>> include #spurs,
>> #cowboys, #???. Each of those would refer to tweets on those topics.
>> Q.Why are hashtags useful?
>> A.Using hashtags, Web sites dedicated to those topics can collect all of
>> the tweets
>> for ease of reading. One of the most popular hashtags is #tcot, which
>> stands for
>> Top Conservatives on Twitter (topconservativesontwitter.org), which
>> includes tweets
>> from conservatives all around the country sharing thoughts, opinions and
>> debating
>> topics.
>> Q.What's the best way to use Twitter?
>> A.There are several options:
>> * On a plain-Jane cell phone, text messaging is the only choice. The
>> Twitter home
>> page works on a computer, but it's not designed well. There are
>> stand-alone applications
>> that augment Twitter functionality and add features that aren't on the
>> home page.
>> * On a PC, Tweetdeck allows you to see multiple windows at once. Twhirl
>> lets you
>> run multiple Twitter accounts at once.
>> * On the Web, Hahlo and Twitterfall are Web sites built to deliver tweets
>> in real
>> time, streaming fashion via a browser.
>> * On a Blackberry, Twitterberry is the most popular choice.
>> * On an iPhone, Tweetie and Twitterrific are the most popular choices.
>> Q.What else can you do with Twitter?
>> A.There are hundreds of programs and special Twitter usernames designed
>> for specific
>> purposes. Some will share your music with friends, such as TwittyTunes or
>> Blip.fm.
>> Programs such as Tweet What You Eat will help you diet. Others will help
>> with personal
>> finance, send out reminders, maintain your calendar, act as a timer,
>> share
>> pictures,
>> map where your friends are, track sugar intake, etc. You can combine
>> Twitter feeds
>> with other social programs, such as Facebook, MySpace, Digsby, etc., so
>> one update
>> will serve all services.
>> Q.What are some tricks of the tweet?
>> A.Best tips for sending:
>> * Web addresses: Twitter has rejuvenated the art of the "URL shortener."
>> These are
>> Web sites, such as bit.ly and tinyurl.com, which take long Web addresses
>> and shorten
>> them by up to 80 percent. budURL.com is the new kid on the block, created
>> by an Austin
>> company that allows Web site owners to track the shortened URLs.
>> * Video/pictures: The most popular site is TwitPic, which allows you to
>> upload camera
>> photos and a tweet that includes a link to the online picture.
>> * Location: The social network BrightKite will forward messages, as well
>> as your
>> GPS location, to the Twitter network.
>> * Online video: Using sites such as Twiddeo or 12Seconds allow you to
>> send
>> links
>> to online videos.
>> Q.What are the basics of Twitter etiquette?
>> A.As with the rest of the online world, don't type in ALL CAPS - it's
>> considered
>> e-screaming and is considered to be obnoxious. Other tips:
>> * When you share someone else's tweet, it's a "re-tweet" and should be
>> prefaced like
>> this: RT @(name of original sender) followed by the contents of the
>> original tweet.
>> * Abbreviating is allowed.
>> * Don't send multipart messages in consecutive tweets unless it's
>> absolutely necessary
>> * It's OK to promote your blog, but make sure you offer other tweets
>> through the
>> day
>> * Don't carry on personal conversations in the public timeline. (This is
>> Twitter
>> version of the "Hey! Get a Chat Room, you two!" rule of message boards.)
>> * Make every tweet interesting, compelling or informative to someone who
>> isn't you.
>> Don't waste everyone's time with a tweet such as "I'm having a bologna
>> sandwich."
>> A better tweet would be: "This bologna sandwich tastes like steak ... if
>> steak were
>> a heavily processed meat by-product."
>> * Don't tweet when you're drunk or angry.
>> * There's no need to correct obvious mistakes, such as innocent typos.
>> * If it's a big mistake, however, send out a corrected version. And next
>> time you're
>> on a computer, delete the original.
>> * Twitter is not a substitute for face-to-face conversation. That means
>> Twitter isn't
>> for breaking up nor is it for booty calls.
>> Q.Will I like tweeting?
>> A.That depends on what you want to do. If you want to read a lot and
>> tweet
>> rarely,
>> that's OK. If you want to seek like-minded people, it's great. If you
>> want
>> to vent,
>> that's OK if you do so with panache. But it may not be your cup of tea.
>> If
>> it isn't,
>> just stop.
>>
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>>
>>
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