tweet.tweet.tweet

I can’t even tell you how many times this week I’ve been asked, “Do you TWEET?” Until a few months ago, I probably would’ve responded with a puzzled look (side tilted head, crinkled brows, squinty eyes, somewhat puckered lips). TWEET? TWITTER? TWAT? Do me a favor... stop everything you're doing for a quick second and go look in the mirror! If you catch yourself wearing that same puzzled look (or a variation of it), you must not be familiar with the newest form of online networking.

Twitter was created in 2006 by Jack Dorsey and is defined by Wikipedia as “a free social networking and micro-blogging service that enables its users to send and read each others' updates, known as tweets”. Twitter has soared in popularity this year, now ranking 3rd in top social networks worldwide (according to Wikipedia).

Twitter is incredibly simple, probably the simplest of all online social networks. You can only have 1 photo (as opposed to the thousands allowed on Facebook or Myspace), your bio is limited to 1 line, all status updates have a 140 character max, and you only have 3 options for networking (follow someone, allow someone to follow you, or be “friends” so you follow each other).

This is my breakdown of just how simple Twitter really is:
TWITTER= 1 photo + 1 line bio + short status updates + follow tweeters or be followed or both.

Your one & only photo is used to personalize your updates in the live feed, basically putting a face to the update.

The bio is public and can be viewed by anyone. However there’s not much you can disclose about yourself in just 1 line so this shouldn’t be an issue. A typical bio line contains a tweeter’s occupation and a very short description of who they think they are.

Twitter resembles SMS text messaging more than it does a social network such as Facebook. The concept is instant updates, and most tweeters send their updates directly from their cell phones. Twitterfon is the application I use on my Iphone, Twitterberry is the application for Blackberry users. So, instead of texting each of my girlfriends to join me at Zumba (a fun latin dance class at 24 hour fitness clubs), I simply invite them via Twitter! Rather than trying to contact a bunch of people at once to listen to THE SHOW on 95.5 the Game Wednesday evenings at 7pm, I simply send a tweet that tells everyone I’m live on the air. It’s that simple. You read, send, and reply to status updates…. In 140 characters or less….

Like most social networks, Twitter does allow the option to protect your updates. You can choose who to accept and deny as “followers”. A follower on Twitter is someone who is able to see your updates. You can choose to follow certain people or just randomly read their updates (if they are not protected). Some tweeters have hundreds, thousands, millions of followers! As of 3:05pm on Monday June 22nd, 2009, Shaq has 1,356,072 followers and is following 525 other tweeters, whereas Kim Kardashian has 1,226,431 followers but is only following 55 tweeters. Guaranteed, those numbers will increase by the hour.

I remember my first day on Twitter I was both bored and a little creeped out that people allow their every move to be tracked by strangers all over the world! I joined out of curiosity, and was very particular on who I accepted as followers (deny and block are usually my preferred action for requests from strangers). But the boredom part has been replaced with intrigue as I now find myself hitting the little refresh button on my phone quite frequently to see any new updates from the 54 tweeters I’m currently following. It becomes addictive! Those creepy feelings have also diminished, now that I’ve become more familiar with Twitter and have become an active tweeter. Since my updates are protected, I don’t worry too much about who may be reading my updates (although I am now accepting select tweeters I may not know in “real life”). And tweeting has even become amusing for me, especially because some of my good friends are also on Twitter and we can reply to each other’s tweets. Yes, I realize how geeky that sounds, but I remain proud to tweet!

SO, DO YOU TWEET? You already know I do. ‘Tone does. Bobby digital doesn’t (YET!). My best friend Michelle does. My roomie Jenny doesn’t. TrailBlazer #4 Jerryd Bayless does. Trailblazer #7 Brandon Roy doesn’t. A vast majority of celebs and pro athletes can be found on Twitter, which is probably the main reason it has become the fastest growing online social network, as described by Wikipedia “Twitter had a monthly growth of 1382%, Zimbio of 240%, followed by Facebook with an increase of 228%.”. Many of these celebs and pro athletes use Twitter to connect with their fans and most of these accounts are indeed authentic (meaning they are who they say they are, and somehow Twitter has verified this for us). Justin Timberlake, Martha Stewart, Lamar Odom, Oprah, P. Diddy, Britney Spears, Dwight Howard, Ryan Seacrest, and Charlie Villanueva are a few of these “verified” tweeters. Many TV and radio shows are also found on Twitter, along with numerous businesses and non profit organizations.

If you are already on Twitter, you are aware of this new social networking trend. If you are not yet on Twitter, it may not be long before you get suckered into it by friends, co-workers, or perhaps your own curiosity!

http://twitter.com

Happy Tweeting!