What has Twitter done for you?


I first heard about Twitter from a fellow writer on a collaborative writing site. Curious, I asked him what it was. He explained and gave me the link. So I signed up. At first I was quiet, just observing. (If you don't know me in REAL LIFE, I'm the kind of person who likes to scope out the room first before I settle down and become comfortable.) Twitter was a strange new world for me. It took me a while to become comfortable. It was kinda like Facebook, in the whole status update thing. But unlike Facebook, you could @ other people.

What does it mean to @ someone? In Twitter parlance, it means to "mention" someone. It's kind of like instant messaging. Only without the annoying "ping!" sound. And unlike instant messaging, every time you @ someone on Twitter, it is visible on your profile page and people who are following the two of you can see it. You can also DM or "direct message" people, send them messages only they can see.

At first, to be honest, I didn't really get the allure of it all. But I was willing to try it out, so I tried posting a few status updates. I became hooked when people started responding to my updates. In returning the favor, I started gaining more followers.

One of the downsides of Twitter is that, like any social site, there are a lot of pornbots and spambots around. Sometimes they will even follow you and send you tweets. But at least Twitter lets you block them and you can report them to Twitter as spam, or you can set your Twitter account to Private. Another downside that was taken care of recently was the amount of people passing themselves off as famous people on Twitter. Twitter stepped up by allowing celebrities to verify their accounts. If you check a celebrity's Twitter page, like Nia Vardalos (who posts hilarious tweets!), you will see a note above their name showing it to be verified so that you know you are actually following her and not some faker.

Today I use Twitter to let my blog readers know when I've posted an update or to keep in touch with my bloggy friends. My boyf likes to joke that I'm addicted to Twitter, since I even have the UberTwitter app on my BlackBerry. ;) (FYI: You can use Twitter from the web or from many different applications, including some for your phone.)

So what has Twitter done for you? Are you a Twitterer? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

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5 comment(s):

Mrs. Robward said...

You know what Twitter has done for me? Well I dumped FB then I abandoned MySpace, my TIVO wants a divorce and my CrackBerry is about to Crack.

Ah, what next?

Mrs.Robward

Unknown said...

OMG I completely abandoned MySpace, too! I've yet to call it quits with FB, though...

Anonymous said...

I don't have FB or MySpace, and Twitter's probably as far as I go really, with the whole internet social networking thing. I talk to ppl on MSN ALL THE TIME though, haha.

I have a Twitter app on my iPhone and I always have a twitter app open on my laptop whenever I'm on. And I have to say, I kinda love it :D

Hannahkin said...

i still have both myspace and FB... although honestly, my myspace is a little bit of a joke. since i log in once every three months :P anyway, i ADORE twitter! it iz da shiz. and i am far too addicted. that's all.

nsiyer said...

I DO TWITTER BUT I AM STILL NOT fully into it.
I will follow you.