Bonus: Learn about Twitter
Rich Ackerman September 10th, 2007
Twitter is social software that lets you post quick, short messages called “tweets”. You can post tweets on the web, or in IM, or on your cellphone. Others who have signed up as your friends or your followers will see them. Conversely, you can read other twitter feeds by following them. It’s sort of like blogging, and sort of like IM, and sort of like texting, but it has some unique characteristics that make it addictive, fun, and useful.
Some leading edge libraries are playing with Twitter. The Cleveland Public Library and the Ada Community Library in Boise, Idaho both post events and advertise services… see http://twitter.com/Cleveland_PL and http://twitter.com/adalib. Here’s an article: Twitter Explained for Librarians.
Folks are finding creative uses for this simple seeming tool. During the recent fires in San Diego, KPBS’s Twitter feed distributed news: closings, fire threats, successes, animal shelters, supplies needed, supplies available, etc. Because tweets can be read on cell phones it’s an excellent tool for collecting real-time distributed information. I love cookbook : recipes in 140 characters! More creative uses are listed here. Rumors circulate on investment blogs about a trading group twitting real time trade advice but I haven’t been able to track that one down.
Discovery resources
Use these resources to learn more about Twitter:
- Twitter’s home page: http://twitter.com
- Twitter tools: http://www.tech-weekly.com/2007/04/more-twitter-than-i-know-what-to-do.html
- Mark Glaser’s Your Guide to Micro-Blogging and Twitter
Folks are having fun with Twitter. For instance, if you don’t have time to read a whole book, you can subscribe to TwitterLit: “Twittering the first lines of books so you don’t have to.”
Discovery Exercise
Your discovery exercise for this optional “thing” is to:
- Join Twitter – twitter.com
- Find a network of people with a common interest – it can be coworkers or people outside of work – and sign up to be friends with them
- Blog about your experience. Include a link to your Twitter homepage in your blog entry
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