Twitter is a Web 2.0 technology that used by thousands of people world-wide for social networking (Social Networking In Plain English). Twitter has been described as a small scale version of blogging, as posts may only contain up
to 140 characters. Twitter was originally released by the company Odeo as a sort of texting application where people could send messages to a group. Twitter now boasts over 460,000 new accounts daily; 155,000,000 tweets per day; and over 200,000,000 registered users.
When you sign up for a Twitter account you are encouraged to search through areas of interest so that you can follow other people, companies, or groups. Following these will offer up-to-date access to conversations, news announcements, and personal posts all called "tweets". Participation through Twitter allows you to write your own "tweets" which others can follow. Twitter offers account users the ability to select their privacy settings to limit access to their tweets and account information. With the convenience of being able to access Twitter through mobile devices such as cell phones and iPods this social networking site gained popularity quickly. Twitter has been very innovative in terms of incorporating creative terminology to describe user actions within the site. You can find these terms and what they mean in the Twitter Glossary. Many businesses and corporations utilize Twitter as a means of advertising and building relationships with their customers. You can often see businesses tweeting special discounts and offers. Companies also use Twitter to announce new pr
oducts, such as the latest version of a cell phone model. Schools have begun utilized Twitter as a way of posting quick information or links for parents, students, and staff. You can even follow some of our local Lincoln and Omaha school districts with Twitter.
Twitter has had an impact on the way that people are able to connect with one another. With the use of Twitter, fans can gain insight to their favorite celebrities' personal lives. Twitter also stresses the use of their site for beneficial purposes including fundraising and nonprofit organizations. The mission of the site seems to be connecting community to the interests of individuals as the following statement, found on their website, indicates:
The use of Twitter as an educational tool would have to be one that is used carefully and monitored for appropriateness before student use. It would be important to make students aware of proper social mdia skills.
Video: Twitter in Plain English
I had a great time working on this blog post. I did notice that the picture links are not working. Does anyone know if there is a way to make the pictures an actual link to the web page?
ReplyDeleteSo... lesson learned after the first time that I posted this, when you are adding a video from youtube and want to avoid the inappropriate suggested videos at the end be sure to un-check the box "Show suggested videos when the video finishes". Now you should be able to enjoy the video. Sorry to anyone who caught it before I was able to fix.
ReplyDeleteHeather, thanks for sharing your new found knowledge on Twitter. I have long been opposed to Twitter because some people have made fools out of themselves and in the process have hurt others. People need to remember that once they hit send that information is out there for everyone to read forever. Be smart about what is said and think about who is being affected. That being said, you have brought new light to Twitter for me. I can see that Twitter is very helpful to businesses and news to get information out quickly with ease.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Lee, Heather thank you for the positive applications of Twitter. I had not realized there were actuall uses for it. I still wonder why though people follow other people who tweet about what they are eating and where they are going... whose life is really that interesting?
ReplyDeleteI have a co-worker who swears by twitter for the business aspect. I always just thought it was a website for "status updates" similar to facebook. What's the fun in that? But when he showed me all the businesses he followed and the promotional "tweets", I was sold. I haven't created an account yet but I plan to very soon. Great blog Heather!!
ReplyDeleteIt seems like every other day I hear about someone forgetting they were not on their personal twitter account and post something that should not be tweeted about inthe manner in which it was. For instance, the secret service just recently apolgized to Fox News about a user to had some unflattering things to say about the network. It just seems that this tool has too much potential for negative aspects of human culture to be used as much as it is.
ReplyDeleteThe problem I've had with twitter is that it's yet another site I have to check everyday. From facebook to my websites to my email to... I'm just getting overloaded. I think part of it as well is that it seems like my social network is on facebook and not twitter. You do bring up some interesting uses though!
ReplyDeleteIn post-school meetings a few weeks ago one of my collegues demonstrated the benefits of Twitter for teachers and students alike. I discovered that it is a great forum for educational best-practices and other various resources. However, like Danny said above, it is just one more thing to add to the already heaping pile of "things to read" and I have not yet started a Twitter account, though perhaps after the Masters work is complete I might, just to keep up with the Jonses, so to speak.
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