jelbe5 Posted April 21, 2013 Share Posted April 21, 2013 I have a Twitter account, but have never Tweeted and only follow a few news sources and people. I never really understood how Twitter "worked" or how powerful it was until I began to follow the trends during the manhunt in Boston on Friday. It was crazy to see things unfold in Tweets before the events were broadcast on the radio or television. Some people posted links to police scanners, video streams, photos, etc. So I wonder if others are on Twitter and what types of things you follow. I think it could become very addictive . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Kate Posted April 21, 2013 Share Posted April 21, 2013 I signed up at one point, but honestly I just don't get it (gosh, I feel old!). How do you go about following things that are trending? Is there a Twitter-for-Dummies out there? I did read that local residents in the area were "live tweeting" and I thought it sounded interesting. No clue how to follow what's going on though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted April 21, 2013 Share Posted April 21, 2013 I use Twitter a lot for information on current events. I follow a lot of different people, and I find relevant hashtags through them or what's trending. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jelbe5 Posted April 21, 2013 Author Share Posted April 21, 2013 I usually look at Twitter through the app on my phone, so I am not sure if it is the same on the computer. On the app there is a "Discover" section and at the top of that page it says "Trends". When I click on that it lists what I am guessing are the top tweets (for example, the London Marathon is trending now). So on Friday I stumbled on the trend #manhunt and tried to keep up with the flurry. Tweets rolled in before the news was announced on tv or radio. I agree, a Twitter for Dummies is a good idea. ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jelbe5 Posted April 21, 2013 Author Share Posted April 21, 2013 Word Nerd, what are some of the current events you follow? Do you need the # when you search? Could you explain why people use the #? Is is like a "tag"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted April 21, 2013 Share Posted April 21, 2013 I signed up for a Twitter account, several years ago, so I could send messages to people on Fox News Channel, but then I discovered that apparently they would need to have accepted me, first, before I could send them a message. I have probably sent 2 or 3 messages on Twitter. I do not understand how to use it properly. Twitter for Dummies would be a helpful book for me to read..... Another one I do not understand how to use properly is "Google Plus". My wife uses and likes Google Plus. Facebook I understand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammyla Posted April 21, 2013 Share Posted April 21, 2013 No twitter or face-book accounts for me. I think twitter would be less a time killer than face-book for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted April 21, 2013 Share Posted April 21, 2013 Word Nerd, what are some of the current events you follow? Do you need the # when you search? Could you explain why people use the #? Is is like a "tag"? I follow various news stations, magazines, and newspapers on Twitter, but mostly I follow a diverse group of people. When things happen in the world, Twitter will be talking about it. I don't usually need to even search for tweets about current events, though that's always an option as well. Many times, people I follow will recommend other people to follow. That's how I found the account of a Boston Globe reporter who was tweeting live from the site of the bombings. The other day someone I follow posted a link to a Ustream feed where someone was broadcasting the Boston area police scanner before they apprehended the suspect in the boat. The # is a hashtag, and they're essentially just keywords people use when they're tweeting about a particular topic or event. If you see a tweet with a hashtag in it, you can click on it and see all the tweets that use that hashtag, including from people you don't already follow. The more accounts you follow, the more news will show up in your feed. There already are a lot of "Twitter for Dummies" and "Twitter 101" posts online. Just Google it and you'll find as much information as you need to get started, or look at the introductory tutorial/tour on Twitter.com. I usually use HootSuite rather than viewing tweets on Twitter.com, but that's a personal preference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted April 21, 2013 Share Posted April 21, 2013 It's also fun to follow along and interact on Twitter when I'm watching a college game or TV show. I've found people I knew IRL in college while following hashtag feeds for my alma mater. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jelbe5 Posted April 21, 2013 Author Share Posted April 21, 2013 Thanks all - I remember hearing how others in different parts of the world were using Twitter during events as they unfolded but I could not "see" (understand) it until I clicked on Twitter myself out of curiosity on Friday night.. Our local (Chicago) news had just reported that the stay indoors suggestion had been lifted, but Twitter was all abuzz with info that police were moving in on a possible suspect. It was at least 10minutes of local news before the national network broke in (we don't have cable). So I felt I had "scooped" the network. I was listening to a police scanner through Twitter. I finally turned off my TV and just read tweets because the info was so up to date. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jelbe5 Posted April 21, 2013 Author Share Posted April 21, 2013 Thanks all - I remember hearing how others in different parts of the world were using Twitter during events as they unfolded but I could not "see" (understand) it until I clicked on Twitter myself out of curiosity on Friday night.. Our local (Chicago) news had just reported that the stay indoors suggestion had been lifted, but Twitter was all abuzz with info that police were moving in on a possible suspect. It was at least 10minutes of local news before the national network broke in (we don't have cable). So I felt I had "scooped" the network. I was listening to a police scanner through Twitter. I finally turned off my TV and just read tweets because the info was so up to date. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted April 21, 2013 Share Posted April 21, 2013 reddit.com Sometimes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GailV Posted April 21, 2013 Share Posted April 21, 2013 Yes twitter is the BEST and I don't even understand why people still watch the news. I knew everything soooo much faster than the people I was talking to on the phone that day (on the marathon day). Plus, I get a more nuanced view of the events. You can follow stark opposite ideologues-- and everyone in between-- and see :snap: just like that what everyone is talking about. I'd rather not slog through a bunch of chatter. I'd rather read informed opinion rather than what everyone's spouting off. Gosh, I can think of a LOT of reasons to not use Twitter, and to rely on more traditional news sources. OTOH, I can respect someone who says they like Twitter as an adjunct to other sources. Then again, I've never needed to be the first of my friends to know what's happening in a remote part of the world. I guess that's quite a burden for some. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted April 21, 2013 Share Posted April 21, 2013 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted April 21, 2013 Share Posted April 21, 2013 I'd rather not slog through a bunch of chatter. I'd rather read informed opinion rather than what everyone's spouting off. Gosh, I can think of a LOT of reasons to not use Twitter, and to rely on more traditional news sources. Traditional news services are owned by corporations with corporate agendas, and it's only going to get worse as consolidation continues. I get better news, better analysis from a variety of online sources. I'm not making an argument for or against Twitter or 4chan -- while I've marvelled at how crowdsourcing turned out to be key in this particular investigation, how close are we to vigilantism with the doxxing and smearing of wrongly identified or tangentially related innocent people? OTOH, I can respect someone who says they like Twitter as an adjunct to other sources. Then again, I've never needed to be the first of my friends to know what's happening in a remote part of the world. I guess that's quite a burden for some. Um, OK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hen Posted April 21, 2013 Share Posted April 21, 2013 yeah, I'm on twitter. I noticed it gets better for "news" the more people you follow, when I only followed a few dozen, I didn't really "get" its usefulness. The more people you are following, the more likely you are to pick up news as it happens. I live in Ca and when we have an earthquake, I check twitter first, someone will tweet the strength of it like 10 minutes before radio news will. I don't watch t.v. news at all anymore, waste of time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted April 22, 2013 Share Posted April 22, 2013 I'd rather not slog through a bunch of chatter. I'd rather read informed opinion rather than what everyone's spouting off. If you feel that way, it seems inconsistent to be reading and participating on a Chat board. Many of the same people sharing their "informed opinion" on traditional news sources are also active on Twitter--as are many others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seasider Posted April 22, 2013 Share Posted April 22, 2013 The only reason I'm on twitter is to read my children's chatter. I enjoy every jot and tittle of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happymomofboys Posted April 22, 2013 Share Posted April 22, 2013 reddit.com Sometimes. I love Reddit for news. Twitter might be great if I had it on my phone, but I don't. On the web, I feel like I have to scroll through so much chatter and retweeting to find worthwhile commentary that's it's not worth my time. Reddit, OTOH, is just as up-to-date, while allowing me to see what others have considered to be the best comments first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted April 22, 2013 Share Posted April 22, 2013 I used to be a regular twitter user when I was working. I have a personal account and I was responsible for updating and keeping things interesting on a couple of organization pages. Since I was on it for marketing needs as part of my job description, I regularly updated and checked my personal account too. It was a great professional resource on my personal account- lots of people tweet about my old field. I also was linked up to lots of folks and it was a lot of camaraderie and joking. On my personal account, I followed a lot of news orgs and that was helpful during big news events. That said, since I stopped working, I stopped using twitter regularly. I need to rethink it and start following some secular homeschooler, urban homesteading and autism related twitter users to make it more relevant to my life now but I just haven't done so yet. So I don't check it enough now for it to be meaningful. And I have been a very lazy reader of news lately. It's not without its benefits. I once got the Parks Dept to come and fix the sprinkler/wading pool on a hot Sunday by tweeting a picture of all the kids staring in frustration at the sprinklers which suddenly turned off. That was worth it. ;) I've also rustled up donations and computers for my work (non-profit) using twitter. Sometimes local businesses/restaurants have offered specials or coupons on twitter that I used- also a nice perk. It was like a "show your phone with this tweet and get a free cookie" type of deal. With the exception of marketing for work, I never used twitter on my desktop or laptop. Just on my smartphone. My personal stuff was usually on my cell phone, though if I was not in the office, I used my phone for my work accounts too. Unless you are at your computer a lot, I don't see how it could be all that useful without a smartphone. It totally obliterated my RSS/google reader use for news searches while I was a daily twitter user. Good thing, since I apparently needed to be weaned off the soon to be dead Google reader. I've also seen tweets from friends about a book or whatnot and clicked through and purchased that book without ever leaving my twitter app. Twitter is something you don't "get" until it just suddenly clicks and you get it. It's a constant chatter that you can use to many different ends or just for research. You can find information on a topic by searching relevant hash tags (#autism, #pediatrics, #kardashianssuck...whatever) It is about listening to many sources about whatever it is you care about. It's definitely more useful than I once thought. It's not about over sharing pointless information- which was my impression for years which is why I never opened an account before 2010 or so. Because you choose who you follow, I found it more personalized and relevant than I do things like reddit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted April 22, 2013 Share Posted April 22, 2013 It totally obliterated my RSS/google reader use for news searches while I was a daily twitter user. Good thing, since I apparently needed to be weaned off the soon to be dead Google reader. Give Feedly a try... it's pretty slick. They're readying their own back end for when Google shuts off Reader's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OH_Homeschooler Posted April 22, 2013 Share Posted April 22, 2013 I'd rather not slog through a bunch of chatter. I'd rather read informed opinion rather than what everyone's spouting off. Gosh, I can think of a LOT of reasons to not use Twitter, and to rely on more traditional news sources. OTOH, I can respect someone who says they like Twitter as an adjunct to other sources. Then again, I've never needed to be the first of my friends to know what's happening in a remote part of the world. I guess that's quite a burden for some. It was pretty cool following the Boston PD last week...hardly what some random idiot was spouting off about what was going on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.