WHAT IS TWITTER FOR?

Why should I care?

WHAT IS TWITTER FOR?

How many of you use Twitter?

What do you use it for?

Is it useful to you?

THIS IS HOW LOUIE CK FEELS:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSSDeesUUsU

SOME BACKGROUND

SOME BACKGROUND

Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey.

It is a microblogging service made up of text-based

posts in fewer than 140 characters.

Twitter posts are called Tweets.

Twitter is not reciprocal. You do not need to be

someone’s “friend” to see his or her posts.

AN EXAMPLE OF HOW NOT USE TWIT TER

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2093796/E

mily-Bunting-Leigh-Van-Bryan-UK-tourists-arrested-

destroy-America-Twitter-jokes.html

TWITTER SUCCESS STORY

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/01/31/t

witter-feed-white-girl-problems-becomes-a-book-au

thors-on-babe-walker.html

WHAT IS TWIT TER BEING USED FOR?

Market-research firm Pear Analytics analyzed 2,000 tweets over a

two-week period in August 2009 and separated them into six

categories:

Pointless babble – 40%

Conversational – 38%

Pass-along value – 9%

Self-promotion – 6%

Spam – 4%

News – 4%

TWITTER USES

Are the following uses positive?

Are some of these uses detrimental to our culture?

TWITTER USES

Twitter allows informal collaboration and quick

information sharing that provides relief from rising

email and IM fatigue (I know I get super tired after

IM’ing)

Twittering is a less gated method of

communication: you can share information with

people that you wouldn't normally exchange email or

IM messages with, opening up your circle of contacts

to an ever-growing community of like-minded people.

TWITTER USES

TWITTER USES

Immediacy – Your Tweet pops up in people’s faces and

doesn’t get lost in an inbox.

Retweeting increases the spread of your information and

magnifies your audience.

Twitter allows you to find out what your friends

recommend - monitor the “All Friends” feed in TweetDeck

and your can read interesting articles that others

recommend.

TWITTER USES

Twitter allows you to find out what everyone is

talking about through trending.

Its Searchable – You can find out what people are

saying about you or your favorite things using

hashtags.

It is a fast easy way to grow Your Network.

Twitter is a great tool for marketing.

TWITTER USES

TWITTER USES

It can alter your online reputation and may help

bury undesirable Google results (in some cases.

Sorry Rick Santorum.)

Twitter provides real time news without, or by a

varied set of, gatekeepers.

Its great for getting tips on buying products.

(example: Where can I get a good digital camera?)

TWITTER USES

TWITTER USES

Twitter allows anonymous stalking.

It provides mainstream news media with real time

viewer feedback.

Twitter has been used to organize protests (also

called Twitter Revolutions.)

TWITTER USES

CHANGES FOR THE BETTER?

In November 2009 by changing the question asked

to users for status updates from "What are you

doing?" to "What's happening?

Do you see this as an improvement?

Why?

THE END

Follow me: @stradhoughton