What can Twitter do for you? Part 2

Perhaps we should back up a little bit. For anyone that has never used Twitter, here is a little information.

1.       Twitter is not meant for writing the world’s greatest novel. You only get 140 characters to say what you want to say.

2.       You can “follow” someone (receive their updates) by searching for them on Twitter and clicking on the follow button. You do not have to follow people just because they follow you, and do not get upset if you are following someone and they do not follow you in return.

3.       If you have any questions about how to use Twitter, the website has a great New User section that gives a tour of the website and has a FAQ section.

Now…more ways that you can use Twitter to make your life a little easier.

Twitter chats

Like the name states, it is a chat on Twitter. Everyone involved in the chat has to limit their comments to 140 characters—including the hashtag that gets your comment or question posted to the group. For example, when I want to take part in the Texas Librarians’ chat on Tuesday nights, I can search for #txlchat and see what others have posted. Since I know that they are meeting on Tuesday nights at 8:00-8:30, I know that everything posted during that time span is part of the chat and not a random post to the group. If you want to start a Twitter chat with your colleagues or friends, do a search for the hashtag you plan to use (to make sure no one else is already using it), plan a time to meet up on Twitter, and start tweeting.

HootSuite

Last time I told you about Tweetdeck. The two applications function very similarly. Tweetdeck seems to have a better search function, but it is no longer available for mobile devices. HootSuite is available on my phone and iPad. This is very convenient when taking part in Twitter chats because I can have more than one device going at one time, or I can take part in the chat away from my computer. Why would I want to use one of these programs instead of just searching on Twitter? Time and convenience. By following streams on HootSuite, I can take part in the chat, tweet about what I am reading, and find out what is going on in the lives of friends all at the same time. Here is what it looks like:

One more little tidbit…if you use Evernote, you can tweet a note to yourself if you cannot access your Evernote account for some reason. All you have to do is set it up by going here: http://blog.evernote.com/blog/2009/04/14/evernote_twitter/

I am learning more about Twitter and how I can use it every day. As I discover more, I will post those tidbits.

Just a quick share!

I know my next post is a continuation about Twitter, but this was too cool. I received this link in my diigo group this morning.Tim Wilhelmus has gathered together a plethora of webtools, sorted them by type, and is willing to share his livebinder!

http://www.livebinders.com/play/play_or_edit?id=365641#

Check it out! Thanks for sharing, Tim!

What can Twitter do for you? Part 1

What can Twitter do for you? Absolutely nothing. Now, wait…before you start saying horrible things, let me explain. On its own, Twitter cannot do anything for you. You have to actually use it. I have had a Twitter account for years, and never really used it until recently. Twitter did not call me up and let me know the wonderful things I could do; it sat there waiting for me. A better question is...What can you do with Twitter? The answer to that question will take a bit longer, which is why this post is just part one.

One of the ways I have started using Twitter is as a PLN (Personal Learning Network). Using Tweetdeck, I am able to keep track of different strands based on their hashtag.

The hashtag (aka number sign, pound sign, octothorp) is used as a way to organize messages or send messages to a particular group. For example, if I want to send a message to everyone following the Texas Librarians group, I will send it to #txlchat.

What about the @ symbol? It is used to send a tweet to an individual. My username on Twitter is @specialpaw. If you want me to see a tweet, put my username in the tweet, and Twitter will notify me.

By following particular individuals, I am able to find out what other professionals are doing, read articles they have found, and check out websites they find useful without having to do all the searching on my own.

If you are confused, do not worry. Remember, I said I had my account for a very long time before I started using it. For now, go to Twitter and set up a free account. Play with it for a few days. Do a few searches. Post a few tweets.

My next post will answer a few more questions such as:

How do I follow someone on Twitter?

How do I take part in a TwitterChat?

What about HootSuite?

 

Happy Friday, everyone!