pic by shonk
Since my last post, I’ve joined the Twitter craze and have created an account. I figured that some of you probably don’t have Twitter, because you don’t understand it. I can’t say I still quite fully understand it…but I’m slowly working on it.
I’ve been trying to tweet several times throughout the day. I have several followers and am following several. The whole “follow me” concept is still bizarre to me…but it is accepted and not deemed “creepy.” So, therefore, please follow me, if you have a Twitter account. LauraBurrus is my name and I’m stickin’ to it!
Now, if you don’t have Twitter and have been wondering, “Should I get one?” Your mind probably then takes you down a rabbit trail… “How do I even start? What would I even say if I sent a tweet…etc.”
Here’s a list of pros and cons I’ve come up with so far on my Twitter journey.
Pros:
- connect with experts in a certain field
- keep a brief online journal of your life for people to follow
- know what is going on in the world (follow a news agency’s Tweet)
- learn more about people you might not ordinarily be able to contact with (Ex: I follow Rain Wilson and Tina Fey and think they are pretty hilarious)
- learn about specials/promotions that aren’t advertised except through Twitter
- conduct “surveys” – Ex: ask a question in a Tweet and allow your “followers” to respond. Getting other’s thoughts generates good ideas and gets your mind juices flowing.
Cons:
- time thief…(moment of truth, here) I get distracted easily and start clicking on different accounts to see what others are tweeting about when I have other stuff I should be doing.
That’s pretty much the only con at this point. I’ve learned that it’s easy to follow someone and just as easy to “un-follow” someone. Example: I was following Big12Network (to keep up with my sports), but they tweeted so often that it drove me nuts…so I removed them from my “following.” (Sorry Big 12!)
So, while I’m still learning about Twitter…I suggest you give it a try. I’ll make you a deal, I’ll even be one of your first followers…just send me your Twitter name. Or if you already have an account…let me know.
March 26th, 2009 at 7:23 am
Great blog! As I was reading your blog, I thought of another con. Its kind of sad when you are following a bunch of people and only have 2 people following you.
August 21st, 2009 at 3:50 am
I'm trying to learn it too, Laura! I'm just finding myself reluctant to add a third task to my internet routines…first email, then Facebook….and then you have to go to Twitter.com and check that as well? Is there an easier way to check everything at once?
Peg (Follow me on Twitter: weissbrod — or not since I haven't really figured it all out yet!)
August 22nd, 2009 at 8:49 pm
Peg
There are a several programs that will allow you to post in one place, then populate all the other tools you have set up. One of which is ping.fm. You create an account, set up all your various social networking sites, and then you can post in ping.fm and have it update your other programs. As far as reading multiple social networking and blogging sites, you may want to start using a feed reader. Most internet browsers have these features built in. You can also use Google Reader or some other programs. Essentially, you subscribe to the feed, and all those feeds are updated for you in your reader. You can read all the feeds in one place.
I realize this is a broad overview, but there are ways to maximize your time and allow you to corral all these applications.