An introduction to Twitter

If you’ve been keeping up with new sensations on the web, I bet you’ve run into the word “Twitter.” Is this just another internet fad? Should you join the bandwagon? Even if you don’t become a Twitter addict, casual subscribers can find benefits from joining. You follow only the people and organizations you want updates from. It’s easy to add or remove Twitter users from your personal update feeds if you find you don’t like what they have to say or they barrage you with 100 “tweets” per day.

Participate at your own pace
I think of Twitter like either “fast email” or “slow instant messaging.” You can stay logged out for a couple days or a week if you want to, and then return and catch up with the important news. Or you can go to another extreme and get text updates on your phone or keep a Twitter window open on you computer screen, so you can read all the updates immediately as they’re posted.

Keep in contact with your family and friends
I find myself so busy sometimes, that if your friends and family also use Twitter, it’s easy to keep up with them throughout the day.

Bite-sized blog posts
With newspapers vanishing around the country, many people find that blogs are becoming their current events source of choice. But not everyone has lots of time to devote to reading blogs. Many blog sites now will post little mini-tweets with the subject of their most recent blog posts and include a link to the full article.

Breaking news
Twitter is totally worth a test drive even if all you do is follow news media sites like CNN or the New York Times, if you like to keep connected to today’s news. In particular, a lot of people think that Twitter is the perfect medium for breaking stories or on-going, quickly changing news. For instance, Twitter is an easy way to keep up to date with the current aftermath of the Iranian election or something like an Amber Alert. Important talking points from speeches like presidential press conferences are often posted to Twitter live while it happens. You can also get up-to-the minute election results and weather warnings.

Quick, personal answers to questions
If you follow people in your particular field of interest on Twitter and have followers of your own, you can ask questions to people or run a poll and often you will get an immediate answer or opinion. In the past couple days I’ve received questions ranging from news outlets asking me my opinion on the medical insurance reform to individuals asking for my favorite homemade salad dressing recipe.

Humor, conversation, support groups and interesting links
By following people, you can easily get as many links to pictures of cute cats or funny websites that you can stand. Even just a conversation or support group is easy to participate with on Twitter. Enjoy watching the newest CSI? Join people in discussing it while you’re watching it.

Keep up-to-date with new technology, trends, or free giveaways
Do you have a topic you like to keep up-to-date with? New computer games or iPhone applications? What’s going on with Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore? Get your librarians most recent book recommendations. Or you can also receive free coupons and entries to drawings or information on special sales from your favorite stores if that’s something you’d find useful.

Things to keep in mind
As always, the internet can be a confusing or even scary place to hang out. Always be aware that complete strangers can easily be offensive or they might be potential bad guys that are out to do you no good.

1.) Like Instant Messaging and SMS phone text messages, people on Twitter will use casual internet slang. If you are completely confused or frustrated by people who use internet slang, shorthand or emoticons, then you may not enjoy following some of the Twitter users. But most professional users or news organizations will, in general, use a more literate style of grammar.

2.) Just like with email, there are tons of spammers and scammers out there in the Twitterverse. There’s unsavory individuals who want your money or try to convince you to download a virus. Always be careful when clicking on any link on the internet.

3.) Be aware you’ll might receive links to porn. You can always block people that are merely peddling naughty websites. But don’t be surprised if you get these kinds of people following you. The Twitter administrators respond to reports of spam and abuse on the website and delete accounts, but the way that messages are so instantaneous on Twitter means the sometimes unsavory messages get through to you.

Guide to internet abbreviations and slang
Tips to avoid Twitter viruses and scams
CADL’s twitter updates