Twitter. At first, I thought it was just another social-networking fad that would explode, and then fall into obscurity as others overtook it (Myspace Vs. Facebook, for example), but as I was forced to open an account for another class, I began to see the merits of using Twitter.
First off, Twitter can work like an RSS feed. Since every major publication/entity/celebrity/organization, etc; is hopping on the Twitter bandwagon and starting their own accounts, it's a great place to pop in and get a sense of what's going on in the world, quickly and easily. So, like an RSS feed, you find the 'friends' you want to follow, (for example, a spritely mix of the Edmonton Journal, New York Times, a band or two, an electronic gaming site, the Poynter Institute, and Adam Jones, a freestyle motocross rider) and their 'tweets' (short blurbs less than 140 characters that contain text and links) which let you know what's going on in their world. In the case of friends like the Edmonton Journal, the New York Times, their tweets will let you know what's happening in the world of news, while your 'music' friends will let you know what's happening in their particular world of music, the Poynter institute will tweet valuable things in regards to Journalism, and Adam is just hilarious, posting tweets that are more like facebook statuses that provide no real valuable insight, but are funny to see mixed in with other Tweets. (Just got a freakin massive return!!!! I'm goin to the butt huts! Well not really but I'm still excited! )
First off, Twitter can work like an RSS feed. Since every major publication/entity/celebrity/organization, etc; is hopping on the Twitter bandwagon and starting their own accounts, it's a great place to pop in and get a sense of what's going on in the world, quickly and easily. So, like an RSS feed, you find the 'friends' you want to follow, (for example, a spritely mix of the Edmonton Journal, New York Times, a band or two, an electronic gaming site, the Poynter Institute, and Adam Jones, a freestyle motocross rider) and their 'tweets' (short blurbs less than 140 characters that contain text and links) which let you know what's going on in their world. In the case of friends like the Edmonton Journal, the New York Times, their tweets will let you know what's happening in the world of news, while your 'music' friends will let you know what's happening in their particular world of music, the Poynter institute will tweet valuable things in regards to Journalism, and Adam is just hilarious, posting tweets that are more like facebook statuses that provide no real valuable insight, but are funny to see mixed in with other Tweets. (Just got a freakin massive return!!!! I'm goin to the butt huts! Well not really but I'm still excited! )
At first, I thought Twitter was just a glorified Facebook status (in Adam's case, it pretty much still is) but, as I've began using Twitter, I've discovered Twitter actually does have its uses. When used properly, one can actually use Twitter as an RSS feed (like I do) and keep informed about what's happening in the world, just like Chelsey does. With every major news organizations using Twitter, it is easy to 'follow' them and stay in the know, without having to waste your time surfing the internet or reading the paper. Twitter is a medium that allows both venerable news organizations and anyone/anything else you are interested in following to update as frequently as they want, and provide links to pictures, video, and audio to make a full story. It's quick, it's easy to use, and will keep people informed about the things that are pertinent to them by only choosing to follow who they want.
*Note: Image courtesy of: zoominfoblogger.files.wordpress.com
Great post, thanks for the link!
ReplyDeleteMy only question is your first paragraph starts with "At first" and the second paragraph starts with "First off.." and the third paragraph starts with "At First".
I may look at editing that so your thought process flows more, but great thoughts!
Wow there's a lot of blogs about Twitter! I guess when you base an entire class around social networking these things happen. Good Post! I like your style of writing.
ReplyDeleteNice work!
ReplyDeleteBut I do have one edit to make in the second paragraph.
"Since every major publication/entity/celebrity/organization, etc; is hopping on the Twitter bandwagon and starting their own accounts, it's a great place to pop in and get a sense of what's going on in the world, quickly and easily."
The semicolon is misplace. Semicolons are used to separate two full sentences, but the first bit "Since every major publication/entity/celebrity/organization, etc" is not a full sentence. What I would suggest is a rewrite to something like this:
Since every major publication/entity/celebrity/organization etc is hopping on the Twitter bandwagon and starting their own accounts, it is a great place to pop in and quickly get a sense of what's going on in the world.
Yeah, I definitely like your way better!
ReplyDelete