Tweeting for Beginners
M. E. Seeley - Monday, August 10, 2009
Despite the setbacks placed on us Twitterers here in China, there are ways around the problem through various online applications not to mention certain proxies that allow one to stay beneath the radar. No matter where you may be, under a communist regime or a fascist one, Twitter is available for your enjoyment.
Not too long ago, Iran made the trending topics of Twitter, which, it turns out, was a very big deal. The State Department has called Twitter an 'important form of communication' and it was rumored that Twitter put off a regularly scheduled maintenance at urging of the US government.
Currently, Twitter is down in China, undoubtedly as a result of Xinjiang making the trending topics. The same thing occurred last month to mark the anniversary of Tiananmen Square. It's becoming increasingly apparent, although it may still be a short-lived phenomenon, that Twitter is receiving attention not only from the average electro-extrovert, but also from the highest of places.
For those of you not yet on the Twitter wagon, I thought that I would provide a brief overview of how it functions to facilitate your introduction to this still relatively new networking system.
After you have created your profile and done some minor design changes to your page, check out one of the applications that can help you to use Twitter to its fullest. It really depends on your needs, but there programs such as HootSuite, TweetDeck and Tweetie allow you to use Twitter more efficiently (and get around government bans).
Next, start following some people. You can use the homepage of Twitter to search for topics that are of interest to you. For example, search for 'graphic design' or 'real estate' and see if anyone has said anything that you find interesting. The searchability of Twitter is one of its strongest points and separates it from other networking sites such as Facebook or MySpace. Virtually everything that is said on Twitter is available for anyone's ears and eyes.
The trending topics, which show the most talked about subjects, are where it's at for building followers and keeping up on the global gossip. The interests of the United States seem to dominate Twitter's trending topics, but the biggest events in the world still make it on the top-10 including the aforementioned Iran election as well as sporting events and pop culture icons from around the globe. The trending topics can be trite, and usually are, but they aren't called 'trends' for nothing.
For those of us confused by the trends, the site What The Trend can be useful for finding out and sharing what the trend is referring to. This site also allows you to see what trends have happened in the past. Commenting on trends increases your visibility to other users, a well-known fact, at this point, to spammers who use them to further their ever-annoying ends.
Sharing information is key on Twitter and you will need to slip the occasional URL into your Tweet. The applications mentioned earlier allow you to shorten the addresses quickly and easily or you can go to Tiny URL and take care of it there.
It takes a certain talent to Tweet well, but, with a little practice, you'll figure it out. While you're at it, follow me before I end up in a prison in China and follow Redhaus too!
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