T for Twitter

Attwention!! This is no mere trifle trash-talk! Today, thou shall be Attwacted, transfixed and thoughtlessly thrown into the terrific and tremendous thing that is Twitter, not tardy but timely where none remain tacit of their trivial or telling thoughts! Thus, I truthfully tell to those who are still Illtwitterate or a Trivilian, tarry not and try Twitter, transpose thyself into terrific Twittaddicts and Twitterholics!

I thank thee for tolerating my tautological and tedious introduction on Twitter.

For those who could not decipher this coded jargon, I am bringing to light the online service called Twitter. It's similar to the RSS function but instead of having just headlines, you receive bite-sized updates and information on whomever you're following, you'll learn more about your friends, discover the normal life of celebrities, even and get up-to-date news from around the world. And if you're wondering how Twitter is different from blogs: Twitter has a limit to each Tweet, forcing you to give the gist of your message per Tweet, saving you from the arduous task of reading a lengthy post. This is permitted by the quota of 140 characters, not words, per Tweet which is Twitter jargon for Post.

Speaking of Twitter jargon, for those adventurous few who are looking to decode my turgid introduction, other than suggesting an online dictionary I would recommend you try This Website and if you still can't find the meaning of that word, Google it! Don't expect me to excessively spoon feed you. Anyway, by familiarising with some of the terms not only will you be able to unravel my introduction, but also fit in effortlessly with the Twitter community (like duh!).

Here are 4 common examples:

1. Tweet: single message seen on Twitter
2. Replies: directly replying to a person who tweeted you with an @username at the start
3. ReTweet/RT: tweeting a content posted by another user; similar to quoting someone
4. Thin Tweets: a tweet with a single layer of information/notification

If you're a major Twitaddict, then you'd want to have these softwares: Twhirl or Tweetdeck. It's like a Windows Live Messenger version of Twitter, ridding you of the troublesome task of constantly clicking the Refresh icon on your web browser just to get the latest updates on Twitter. Also, you can use your mobile phone to Tweet on the go. For Singaporean users, register at Tweet.sg (credit to my classmate Shi Peng for the Website) for this useful service. Standard text charges apply but there will be no additional charges incurred for this service, so in a way it's free. Go crazy. And for those who are Facebook freaks, like my friend Man, you can have a 2-in-1 desktop software called Seesmic, that gives on-the-spot updates of Facebook and Twitter! More convenience made available to you by modern technology (and more spoon feeding!).

AND if you're still unconvinced about using Twitter, then you're an idiot (if you think it's a joke then it is, if not then suck it). Continuing: I shall no longer rely on only words but also sound and moving images. Video brought to you by CommonCraft, through YokeEe.






ADDITIONAL LINKS provided by my DMF tutor YokeEe & my classmate JANE

• David Pogue, Twittering Tips for Beginners, Pogue's Posts blog (New York Times), January 15, 2009.
• Laura Fitton, Twitter is my Village, Pistachio, January 10, 2009.
• Craig Childs, Twitter: Use it Productively, Lifehack, February 9, 2007.
  
• Also an extremely useful Blog with more info on Twitter and other Online Media, Sliver In SF
• Corey Flintoff, Gaza Conflict Plays Out Online Through Social Media, NPR.org, January 6, 2009.
• Craig Colgan, How Frozen Peas Started A Movement: Cancer Patient's Blog Builds Web Community, LoudounExtra.com (Washington Post), January 10, 2008.
  
• Xeni Jardin, Tweethearts: blogger proposes to nerd girlfriend over Twitter, she tweets back acceptance, Boing Boing, October 10, 2008.
  
• Lindy Brown, Twittering Libraries, fall 2008.