Let me tell you class, Twitter is the future of the world. Well, at least micro-blogging. The problem is that nobody knows how to use it. And let me clarify that by use, I mean to use – to turn its potential for productivity into results. The self-proclaimed "techies" that can pick up networks and GUIs with a little bit of clicking here there and (without admitting) pressing the occasional F1 key.
There is a difference between operating and using any type of service or machine. Let's look at a car. The Department of Motor Vehicles in California issues people licenses to operate a motor vehicle, not necessarily drive one. The operation of a car can come down to twisting the steering wheel, stepping on the accelerator or brake pedals, knowing which switch turns on the defrosters and windshield wipers and field test that proves you could probably drive if nobody else was on the road. Driving means knowing how to weave through traffic on a semi-busy freeway, how to efficiently stop (or roll) at a stop sign that leaves everyone on time and unhurt. Driving means knowing how to properly and affordably park your car – anywhere.
Now there are people who know how to operate twitter and more people who know how to drive twitter. If you still want to learn to operate twitter, I suggest you look at their quick tutorial. Now here are some factors to consider if you want to learn to use twitter. Your mileage may vary.
Know who to follow: Twitter revolves around people. By following the right people your stream and inflow of information will be what you want it to be. Think of this as a second chance for you to say "no" to people you don't enjoy unlike accepting everyone's friend requests on other networks. Follow a newspaper or another preferred news source for instant access to current events. Follow your friends because c'mon, they're your friends. Follow some people who are just funny comics like @drunkhulk – yes, The Incredible Hulk does have his own twitter account specifically for inebriated tweets or @English50Cent if that's your humor. Follow dealmakers like @sprinkles or @groupon to find some affordable deals on things you can do around the city. Knowing who to follow is starting to make Twitter work for you.
(In the next lecture, we'll talk about Know who to subscribe via SMS)
Retweet: If people are the heart of Twitter, retweets are the blood. Twitter is about the concise and efficient spread of information throughout a population. What good can knowledge serve its citizens if it is not spread? Nice article by the Journal? Retweet it. Funny posting by @DrunkHulk – retweet it. Somebody asking you where the party is – answer it with a RT. By retweeting, everyone gets a chance to speak the message they want and let as many people hear it as needed. Re-tweets can lead to immense self-discovery as much as discovery.
Listing -
Listing is like being an unofficial follower. You don't need to follow them to list them. Listing has great implications. There is a point where an accounts efficiency in Twitter will drop and listing helps to delay that point. Following all these people to get information or retweeting without caution exposes Twitter to a weakness that every network or website is prone to – spam. Since every post on Twitter is miniscule, it takes time for the junk to build up. But there's a difference in effort between cleaning up a pound of bricks and a pound of sand. One is more tedious than the other. Listing allows you to test-drive a car per se. You may not want your stream filled with random news bits from around the country or world. You can fix this by either unfollowing them or adding them to a list specifically of news sites. Or boring accounts. Or both! A user can customize their lists so to have one for news, one for celebrities, one of family members and filter out unwanted accounts. Of course, managing these lists can be a pain but it's not futile. Imagine having a car specifically for going to work, another car only for the weekends, another car for those special engagements where the valet will be sure to expect something. Now if you have to clean the cars and manage the paperwork, it can be tedious, but you're willing to put up with the work because you enjoy the cars when you ride them.
Develop (a) – Want a challenge? Try developing programs and integrations of Twitter using their API. How cool would it be if a class integrated twitter to their web-based grade books so that every time a teacher updated the grade book, you could learn about it immediately on your Twitter feed and maybe even get it via text message. The possibilities are endless.
Develop (b) – Twitter is for the advancement and enjoyment of the people. It's to keep in touch, it's to spread information, it's to enhance being social. Don't get caught up in Twitter or even the Internet in general. You'll learn, teach, and laugh more from a single face-to-face lunch than you will from a day on Twitter. Think of it as extra credit, or using 91 octane for that wonderful drive ahead.
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