For the past few years, the computer application “Twitter” seemed like a unique idea searching for a purpose. Even describing it is a challenge. Twitter is an online social networking tool in which users post 140 character updates of what is going on in their lives, along with links to things they think are interesting, funny, or useful to their “followers”. Unlike Facebook, you don't have to be friends to see items posted by people or companies you are interested in. You simply click “Follow” and anything written by that person appears on your timeline. People use Twitter in many ways, some as a newsfeed by following prominent people or networks, some as a chatroom for close friends and family, and some as a miniblog for updating the world about work they are doing or events in their personal lives.
Created in 2006 by a group of young techies, including Christopher “Biz” Stone, a local computer whiz who graduated from Wellesley High School, Twitter has become much more than a frivolous blogging application. The service rapidly gained worldwide popularity with 500 million registered users in 2012, who post an estimated 340 million tweets per day. The company’s estimated worth is upwards of a billion dollars thanks to its untapped potential.
After you create a Twitter name and account, you simply type in a “Hashtag” followed by the subject you wish to read information about. A Hashtag is a word or phrase preceded by a pound sign (#) and used to identify messages on a specific topic. For instance, during the live broadcast of the Academy Awards, I typed in “#AcademyAwards” and anything posted by anyone on Twitter that included the words “Academy Award” would appear on my timeline. It’s a great way to connect with viewing audiences while watching live events, and you get to make snarky comments about your favorite celebrities. It was interesting to see backstage photos posted live at the event by the host, even if Ellen's star-studded “selfie” from the Oscars was determined to be a subliminal advertising promotion for Samsung. Thanks to the power of Twitter, it worked. People are still talking about it. Even Big Papi and President Obama have gotten into the act creating a recent controversial photo-inspired buzz.
Twitter has some important uses as well. Users can receive up to the minute breaking news stories. First hand information is instantly available immediately following air disasters, earthquakes and fires. You can even follow the Stoneham Police Twitter posts at @StonehamMAPD for local updates regarding situations happening in this town.
I like the fact that Twitter limits the amount of words you can write in your post. You only get 140 characters to state your case – including punctuation. Brevity is key. It’s a challenge to type succinctly. It’s like fitting the right characters in a word puzzle or writing a haiku. Twitter posts force you to edit and clarify, two great writing skills that don’t come easily to some.
I’m thinking of publishing a novel on Twitter – one sentence each day, posted with the hashtag #scottnovel. They say a journey of 1000 pages starts with 140 characters. Can I keep up the pace of writing one sentence per day? It will be difficult. When I'm finished, I could collect all my tweets in one volume but that would defeat the whole purpose of the quick bits and bytes of information that Twitter is famous for.
Try it if you haven't already. Join Twitter for the fun of it. Follow me at www.twitter.com/scottmu and be prepared for 140 characters of insight, entertainment and fun on an almost daily basis. You might find a myriad of other uses for this important new form of instant communication as well. #ShamelessSelfPromotion
