Many people have asked me, What is so special about Twitter, and why do I profess it's significance in our ever evolving social network obsessed lives?
The reasons are many and varied but instead of trivializing it, I wanted to take it one step further and introduce you to the experience I have with (what I believe to be) one of the most amazing tools on the web.
When Twitter first appeared on the scene several years ago, it appeared that people were using the platform to communicate the mundane in their lives, ranging from tweets (a tweet is a post you make to your twitter account) like "Just had an egg salad sandwich for lunch" to "wow, just saw this chick that looked just like Jennifer Aniston". Obviously the entertainment value of such nonsense appeals to a very small demographic. However, people started to see that this platform could open doors that they never knew existed.
And so the revolution of Twitter was born.
What happened next changed the way people communicate. Building virtual communities with people from around the world that at once seemed impossible, Twitter opened the doors to sharing our thoughts, ideas, hopes and dreams with likeminded folks.
Actors & Musicians found a new way to communicate directly with their fans, and businesses saw the potential to share their new products and services. For example, The new urban movement of the traveling gourmet food truck found a flawless way to let it's loyal fans know where exactly it would be parked, at what hours, and for how long, even offering special code words for discounts to be used when ordering.
Now you wanna join in the fun ....How does it work and what can you get out of it ?
First, go to www.twitter.com to create an account and password and screen name (for example mine is @DanielUrBrother) for your account. Now you're in!
* a side note to remember, all screen names on Twitter begin with the "@" symbol.
Now comes the fun part - Creating your virtual community:
Once you have your screen name and are logged into your account, go to the search window and begin plugging in your favorite things and people. You can literally search for anything and everything. Here's an idea of what one of my first searches looked like;
For News:
Breaking news (@breakingnews ) - an awesome feed to follow as I have found that they deliver the message to you the quickest!
CNN (@CNN ) My favorite news channel.
- Anderson Cooper (@andersoncooper ) his show AC360 ( @ac360 )
- Larry King (@kingsthings )
- Sanjay Gupta for great health and medical news ( @sanjayguptacnn )
- John King (politics) @johnkingcnn
For Spirituality
Yehuda Berg (co director of Kabbalah center) @yehudaberg
Michael Berg (co-director of Kabbalah Center) @michael_berg_
The Dalai Lama ( Buddhist Leader, and advocate of humanity ) @dalailama
Now make your list of people you would like to follow and start searching away! Maybe Oprah, or any of the editors of your favorite magazines - they are all in twitter! Often times giving you exciting information before it hits print!
Once you start following these people, you begin to see their posts showing up in your personal "timeline". You can then do several different things with these tweets,You can respond adding your thoughts, you can retweet the message to YOUR followers, or you can save the message into your favorites to refer to whenever you wish.
Following Friends;
You probably have many friends who are on twitter now that you didn't even know were there. Once you are logged into your account, you can go to "find friends" in the search window, then the system will scan the contacts and address book on your computer to find which of the email addresses in your database match Twitter followers. It will then give you the choice to start following them. Of course, you are always in control of what you see and what you put out.
Once you have amassed followers of your own, you can send them direct messages as well as public replies. Remember that you can only direct message someone who follows you. For example, I can't direct message Lady Gaga because she doesn't follow me (though she really should!). Email and personal correspondence is not really the prominent use of the application, so don't be offended if someone doesn't follow you back.
How and what to Tweet about...
Twitter is your world. You can do absolutely anything you want with it. You can post that you are having a beautiful day, or you can send an SOS out to your followers looking for suggestions for where to eat tonight. Just keep in mind that while composing your masterpiece, your tweet can never be more than 140 characters long. This is a good thing, trust me. Before you know it "u'll b on ur way 2 a whole new language" connecting with people all over the world.
Something cool to share...
Recently I have been working on a show with Henry Winkler, known mostly for his work as THE FONZ on the 1970's hit TV show "Happy Days". One day, I noticed that between takes he would sit in his chair typing frantically on his iPhone. I asked him what he was doing, and he told me he was TWEETING! He has something like 60,000 followers and takes great pleasure in connecting with people from around the world.
And no, you're never too old. There's an incredible lady in the UK who is in her 90's that tweets regularly. She is absolutely adorable and incredibly inspiring, if she has something to say, I'm sure you do as well.
Happy Tweeting everyone! Follow me @DanielUrBrother !!!
