Twitter

Wow. Facebook just made some adjustments to their layout and people are “tweeting” about it like crazy! Who would’ve thought? Well, Mark Zuckerberg, for one. Facebook really seems to know what they are doing. But, did this really help their site? Sure, Facebook is doing great right now and they have quite the member database, but I’m watching for updates and it’s not as appealing as Twitter. So, I’ve been going back and forth with various different professional friends that enjoy the Interactive World as much as I do, and they too agree that the jury is still out on the new Facebook page. I really hope it helps the site out, but if not, I hope they learn that it’s better to invent new things rather than copying off of someone else.

This is my opinion on the new Facebook page so far, and please remember that it’s JUST an opinion. I like the look of it but I see where they are going but I think they’ve missed the mark. The updates look Twitter-like…but they aren’t. If you want to see the updates, you have to refresh your screen. Where Twitter will scroll down, with Facebook you need to refresh. I have faith that Facebook will indeed work this out, but in the meantime, I will continue to Tweet. Also wondering, is there a way to see what everyone is saying on Facebook like you are on Twitter?

Stay tuned for new developments with Facebook. You have to love the interactive world. It keeps you on your toes!

Twitter is amazing! I realize I’m a huge fan of this micro-blogging site, but it seems that others have really started to fall in love with Twitter as well. It’s been making the news quite a bit lately as they have made some major changes to the site to make it even more user friendly. But, before I get inot the exciting new features Twitter has added, I would like to think abck to where and how they began.

Twitter started out as a very simple social networking site that rapidly took flight. People were using Twitter say what they were doing - in 140 characters or less. Then, advertisers started to notice the potential for free advertising on Twitter and along came Tiny URLs.

Hence the need for the latest addition to the Twitter site. Now, along with “tweeting” what you are doing, you can search the Twitter trends to see what others are “tweeting”a bout as well. Or, if you have specific topic in mind you can run a search to see if others have tweeted about it. For instance, I’m a huge fan of John Travolta. So, naturally I would practice using the new search tool by running a search on him to see if others feel the same. Wouldn’t you know that others do love him! I was able to find a great Saturday Night Fever You Tube video and John Travolta himself! Okay, maybe it wasn’t him, but it could be! Regardless, I’m now following John Travolta on Twitter.

So, as you can tell, Twitter is becoming more and more useful to everyday Internet users. What started out as a simple micro-blog…I’m watching television or I’m at the mall, has really grown into something spectacular. From Tweeting from your mobile device to finding other users who Tweet about something that interests you, my only thought is what’s next?

More and more people are starting to use Twitter for advertising their brand or site. Since it’s becoming more widely used, I think it’s only fair that some rules of etiquette should be posted. Please feel free to comment with any etiquette rules that you feel should be added.

1. Don’t spam. Sure, your site is the next best thing since sliced bread and you want to make sure the entire world knows, but the worst way to do this is by sending out constant tweets just sending people to your home page.
2. Tweet when you are introducing something new. If you don’t have anything new to twitter about - don’t tweet. Instead get those creative juices flowing - come up with something “tweetable” - be it a promotion or a new product, and then tweet like you’ve never tweeted before!
3. Direct messages. It’s there for a reason. If you are engaged in 3-D tweeting (conversation back and forth rather than just saying what you are doing and leaving it at that) then why not Direct Message each other instead of spamming others who have no idea what or whom you are talking about. Direct Messages allow only the person you are talking to to be able to see the message.
4. If you are at an event, it’s time to use Twitter and start Tweeting. But, please don’t over-tweet. We don’t need the play-by-play on every thing that is going down..just the important highlights please.
5. If you want follows, then follow others.
6. Lastly, do unto others as you would like them to do for you. By this I mean, the following: If you want people to click on your tinyurl’s and visit your site, visit theirs too!

Hope this information helps! Twitter is growing very quickly. Be a part of the fun!

Obviously, I use Twitter. I’m such a huge fan of it that I’ve even incorporated one of my Twitter accounts into this blog. And yes, you heard me correctly - I said one of my accounts. I have multiple Twitter accounts - each updated repeatedly throughout the day. Twitter is an amazing place to keep in touch with friends (in 140 characters or less) or as it is becoming more widely used, it’s a great place to advertise your website or blog.

Twitter is also definitely growing in popularity. Here’s a video of John Stewart poking fun at Twitter. The video is a bit long, coming in at around 5 minutes, but it’s definitely worth it as it’s pretty funny! Really, it’s wizard! (You will need to see the video to understand.) When John Stewart of the Daily show starts to poke fun at something it’s a pretty sure bet that it’s popular. Next thing you know, Tweets will be showing up on such shows at the Soup.