Twitter: What is this Twit Show?

There I sat in Business Management, on the verge of dozing off when the professor posed a question that made my ears perk up.  "Who in this class is on Twitter?"  The class was about 60 students in size and two hands went up in response to this question.  Those hands belonged to me and my friend Rachel.  That was it.  Later in the semester he asked the question "Who here shops at J.C. Penny?"  The result was nearly identical and that my friends is a sad gig.  So what is Twitter and why should you be on it? 

Definition

Twitter describes itself as, "a service for friends, family, and co-workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?"  This is true and my friends and I do use it for arranging plans, celebrating birthdays and other noteworthy successes, #realtalk, and sometimes for outright #horseplay.  Wait a second? What are those number signs doing there and why are there no spaces between real and talk, horse and play?  They are actually referred to as hash tags and well...alright, let's just jump right into this.  

On twitter you follow people.  My twitter name is @juicelake.  Check it out: 
www.twitter.com/juicelake .  If you want to mention me in a tweet, you would add the @ symbol to the front of my username, @juicelake.  You can also use #.  The # symbol is used to denote a subject, like #apple, #SLC, #superbowl.  These are used to basically apply a tag or subject to a tweet.  The use of hashtags makes it easier to search for specific topics.

Twitter as a news source

This is the main reason I love twitter.  I have a few things I'm passionate about: the Utes, technology, and cars.  Twitter allows me to "follow" these different topics.  I do this by following the individuals who tweet about these subjects the most.  You will surely be able to find people out there who are interested in the same things as you.  They may point out things you never knew, cite helpful sources, link to You Tube videos, or may even link a twit pic of their own doing on the subject. This is the news source on the personal level.  How about actual media outlets? 

If an avid fan isn't tweeting about something that you have interest in then you can go straight to the source.   But why go to websites of ESPN, CNN, Fox News, SL Trib, and the Des News in Safari when I can follow all these news sources on Twitter and get the same news in a more concise fashion, all in a central location?  Use twitter to get your news.  

Common Misconception

"I have nothing to say to the world so why would I join twitter?"  I have heard this line from many.  Let me put an analogy for you.  When you turn on the TV to watch the news at 10(I know only old people and the Alllsops actually do this anymore but act like you do), do you talk to the TV?  Do you have conversations with the anchors?  No, you surely don't.  You listen.  Same with twitter.  You listen.  You listen(read) your twitter "timeline."  But the great thing is, unlike talking to the TV, which is never rational, you can talk to twitter at any time you like. 

Twitter isn't a life long commitment.  Feel free to try it out.  Try and pair with someone who actually utilizes twitter in helping you find people to follow and then give it a chance.  Refresh that twitter timeline on a regular basis.  Also, take a chance and share something with the world!  Maybe we DO want to hear what you have to say.


Note: iOS 5 for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch launched yesterday.  Twitter integration is now part of the operating system so tweeting pics, videos, and text is easier than ever!