I have to admit that it took me a while to “get” Twitter, a free service that connects people via the Web, your phone and IM, but I’m a convert now. If you want a crash course on how it works, the folks at Common Craft have done their usual sterling job of putting together a video:
Of course, the first hurdle to jump when joining any social network is finding the people you know (a.k.a. tweeple in Twitterdom). A recent post by Search Engine Guide Blog dives deeper into the subject, providing a step by step on how to find people with tools like a basic search bar on Twitter, Twitter Packs wiki and Tweetscan.
For some real world observations, Darren Rowse has a great post on Problogger that touches on a number of conversation starters … 35 Twitter tips from 35 users.
But my friend Connie Reece probably knows more than anyone when it comes to this “virtual water cooler” phenomena.
Happy Twittering!
P.S. If you sign up or are already tweeting, follow me, JohnatDell, and I’ll follow you back.
May 9th, 2008 at 8:54 am
I’m just fortunate enough to have discovered Twitter ahead of the crowd–joined in January 2007. It’s been a powerful networking tool for me, and I’ve made a number of friends that have crossed from online to offline pals. Thanks for the shout-out, John.
May 9th, 2008 at 9:16 am
John it took me a while to ‘get’ Twitter as well. I’ve been there for over a year now, but have only figured out how to really use the site in the last 5 months or so. But I kept hearing people evangelizing Twitter, so I decided to keep trying it till I ‘got it’. And I learned a valuable lesson in the process with Social Media, to understand how to properly use these tools, before you dismiss them. Case in point, I am having trouble wrapping my head around Friendfeed right now, but am going to continue using it, based on my experiences with Twitter. Good resource here for your users, and thanks for linking to my SEG post!
May 9th, 2008 at 9:55 am
Connie: You are way too modest.
Mack: If you crack the code on Friendfeed, please drop back by and help us learn from your experiences.
May 9th, 2008 at 8:10 pm
My biggest problem with Twitter is the 140 character limit, otherwise it is a great tool.
May 9th, 2008 at 8:27 pm
@jervis961:
I see it as another extension in order to better communicate with those of us that work at Dell.
Sort of an immediate RSS feed in regards to what the community may think about the business.
What do you think?
ChrisBatDell
May 10th, 2008 at 4:26 am
I agree, it has been great posting back and forth with everyone. You get to see not just people’s thoughts on Dell but also personal lives and other interests. It gives you a better idea of what the person is really like. I’ve also read many great articles posted in tweets that I normally wouldn’t find. I just keep having problems with the character limit, I guess maybe I talk too much.
May 10th, 2008 at 4:07 pm
Hi John,
Thanks for following me on Twitter. ChrisBatDell followed me today which brought me here.
I’m the other Connie by the way.
from Minnesota.
It took me awhile to get comfortable with Twitter too.
Here are some of my ideas for using Twitter. Enjoy!
May 10th, 2008 at 7:36 pm
http://conniebensen.com/blog/2008/05/07/ideas-for-using-twitter/
Here’s the link (sorry about that)