What Is Twitter?

This segment appeared on Great Day Houston on March 25, 2009. A link to watch the segment is at the bottom of this post.

Twitter is the next generation of interactive media.

How is it different from other networks?
 Twitter is a business network for sharing information and getting things done. There is also a social side. Conversations are quick and limited to 140 characters (equivalent to a text message)
 Facebook is primarily a social network where some people try to do business.

This is what twitter looks like – ( http://twitter.com/sarahshah)
Following – these are people you interested in
Followers – these are people who are interested in you (many of them are people you follow)
Bio – say something interesting about yourself
Twitter stream – this is what the people you follow are saying right now

Why to join twitter
First and foremost, Twitter is for connecting and contributing
 Connect with interesting and like-minded people you wouldn’t meet in real-life. What are you interested in? For me it’s people in tv, fashion designers, boutique owners, shoppers (http://twitter.com/KoriEllis/status/1380395072 ).
 Connect with businesses– businesses & celebrities are on twitter to monitor their buzz, connect with their customers/fans, and share news. On Twitter we can connect with high-level people we ordinarily don’t have access to. We can be heard, make suggestions, bring issues to their attention, provide feedback, and ask for assistance. Twitter is used for constructive conversations and solutions, not for complaining. ( http://twitter.com/comcastcares/status/1378916358 ) @comcastcares sorted out problems with my service in hours when local customer service couldn’t figure it out for 6 weeks. @southwestair announced that they are testing wifi on 4 flights – soon you’ll be able to use your email and internet on their flights.
 Build an audience for causes and topics that are important to you – I’m part of a fundraiser for the YMCA on Friday. Some of Houston’s finest coaches (business, image, relationship) are donating our services for a day at the 2009 Coath-A-thon. Here’s my tweet (http://twitter.com/sarahshah/status/1380470005) and here’s the link included in the tweet (http://2009coachathon.wordpress.com/ )
 Be first to know – news and events hit twitter first. The first report and pictures of US Airways flight 1549 that landed in the Hudson river were on Twitter. Passengers on the plane and people on the ferry that rescued the passengers tweeted the events in real time.
 Connect with your politicians – congressional reps tweeted from President Obama’s address and got instant feedback from their constituents. That’s power to the people!
 Ask for help – twitter can be even more effective than google.

10 tips for getting started
1. use your real name and make an interesting profile (so people want to follow you)
2. don’t protect updates (otherwise no one can ready what you have to say)
3. follow first and follow back
4. contribute to conversations and add value anywhere possible (answer questions, provide info, educate, inform, support)
5. be yourself and be nice
6. ask for help when you need it
7. retweet interesting info (pass interesting info on)
8. do not tweet anything you don’t want the whole world to see, because they will (http://twitter.com/rveturis/status/1380510086 )
9. your reach is only as big as your followers, the more followers you have the bigger your audience
10. use tinyurl.com to shorten links to fit into a tweet

Here are some interesting people in Houston to follow:
@SarahShah
@Mattigrey
@greatdayhouston
@Freshart (info about art & cultural events)
@southwestair
@tweethouston (retweets any message that includes the word Houston)
check out www.Wefollow.com for a listing of people by category – i.e. fashion, tv, politics, etc.

Watch the segment:
http://www.khou.com/greatday/video/?nvid=345436&shu=1