<p>What is twitter? I keep seeing references to it - when I went to the web-site it was a sign-up and join page. Am I the last person on the planet who doesn’t belong to Facebook and doesn’t know what twitter is? 
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<p>Tutu, I signed up for Twitter recently because my D’s school sends out daily “tweets” on it.</p>
<p>It’s just a way to disseminate tidbits of information to a group of people. It’s like an e-mail group. However, with an e-mail group, the sender decides who the message goes to. With Twitter, the recipients decide whether to get the messages or not. You can decide whether to receive your little mini-messages on your phone or on the website.</p>
<p>You should sign up and choose someone to follow. For instance, in addition to my D’s college, I am following the CDC, which issues daily mini-messages on the swine flu pandemic.</p>
<p>You can only post 150 or so words with each “tweet”. I follow Lance Armstrong, Annie Duke (professional poker player), Barbara Walters, and the CEO of Zappos (the online shoe company).
None of my friends are regular tweeters and my life isn’t interesting enough for anyone to follow me.
Lots of more famous people like those mentioned above tweet as a way in part to forward their causes. ie Lance and Livestrong.</p>
<p>[Twitter:</a> What are you doing?](<a href=“http://Twitter.com/]Twitter:”>http://Twitter.com/) is like a cross between texting and the Facebook status update. It’s 140 characters (letters, spaces, punctuation), not words, per tweet.</p>
<p>It started out as yet another vanity outlet: Post random stuff about what you’re doing, feeling, eating for breakfast… and all the People Who Care will know instantly! :rolleyes:</p>
<p>Now it’s being used for many more interesting and useful things. Iranian citizens used it to coordinate protests and get the word out about “crackdown” brutality (and still are, although the ADD news media have moved on). Interest groups use it to inform and organize. Many colleges use it to send updates to students. I think some are considering using it for emergency updates, but am not sure about that as many already had something in place before Twitter came out.</p>
<p>Yes, it’s funny how a couple of months ago Twitter was being touted as a fleeting novelty - but actually, I think it is catching on now and there is good value in the concept.</p>
<p>I certainly prefer Twitter over Facebook - I like the briefness of it.</p>
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Yes. :)</p>
<p>My parents have Facebook and my father uses twitter.</p>
<p>I don’t Facebook but I do Twitter.</p>
<p>I have a range of people/things I follow and I have 30 followers. My S just created a Twitter account yesterday and he’s asking ME how to use it…too funny.</p>
<p>I follow the Phillies and every so often they post a code to BOGO tickets.</p>
<p>Thanks All …Im starting to understand Twitter. Once you join do you get a list of organizations and people who are on Twitter? Do you have to request permission to get their tweets?</p>
<p>The Iranian protesters use Twitter in a big way to get their story out.</p>
<p>I don’t have a facebook, myspace, or twitter but know well of all of them. I plan to get a facebook next summer ( or which is more popular at the time, though many universities are connected to facebook etc…). If you do plan to get either, I would say facebook at the least, and if you want a second twitter may be more suited.</p>
<p>you can search for people or organizations and “follow”. You can set your account that it is private and you have to approve someone to follow.
The problem we are experiencing now is spam, porn bots…that somehow start following you and if they are following you they are also following everyone you are following…</p>
<p>Now that I’ve totally confused you :)</p>
<p>I don’t have mine set as private (though maybe I should try that) but since I don’t have too many followers (30 for me too) I do my followers regularly to see if they have business following me! If someone looks out of place, you can “block” them from following you.</p>
<p>I use it for work, news, following some celebrities, personal interests, etc. Also on the right side of the screen are “trending topics” - or hot topics - you will find out what’s going on in the news that way also. In fact, I believe that’s kinda how the news of Michael J. first was announced.</p>
<p>I am not on Twitter. But I just read this news story of a bank robbery today that involved Twitter and thought it was appropo of this this thread and so here ya go:</p>
<p>[NYC</a> Bank Heist Makes For An Unexpected Tweet - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News - FOXNews.com](<a href=“http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,532621,00.html?test=latestnews]NYC”>http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,532621,00.html?test=latestnews)</p>
<p>I’m a teen, but I signed up for twitter. I just thought it was another myspace, but a copy cat thing like Friendstir. I haven’t found one friend (or ANYONE I know from high school) and it seems like most kids I know use facebook and just myspace. Is this for college kids and I also have like 2-3 people following me when I never go on it? I don’t even have a pic up because no one I know (even family) has it.</p>
<p>Wait…once you join just anybody can decide they like your screen name and start reading everything you tweet? Is there a way to connect a screen name with the actual person?</p>
<p>Yes and yes</p>
<p>Yes. You can read their Twitter profile. If you tweet about a certain topic like a sport or a vacation, you are likely to attract followers who have some connection- i.e. Travel agents.
Our city paper and our county send out news alerts via Twitter. The Indiana U basketball coach is prlific, as is Lance Armstrong. My son believes Twitter is important and actually interns for an associated company.</p>
<p>My D is a PR major and was required to start a Twitter account. In her field, Twitter is VERY active and is used in many ways.</p>
<p>You can make your twitter account private, so only people you allow to see your updates can see them. Even then, it doesn’t have anywhere near the privacy control of Facebook.</p>
<p>We’ve said this many times before on Twitter CC threads…use your best judgement and don’t tweet your address and that you’re leaving town…use discretion!!!</p>