Twitter Delicious Practice

Twitter, the popular social networking miniblog grows in stature as people learn ways it can improve their work life. There are also groups like the Red Cross who are experimenting with twitter groups to provide information about Red Cross during an emergency. The Red Cross has also started a related website called, Safe and Well. People can enter their personal information after a disaster, so loved ones can reunite. While this project definitely shows progress, it is just one more illustration of the value of Twitter.

While I use Twitter for all the reasons I mentioned earlier, I noticed a surprising, yet useful unintended consequence. I learned to write in a more minimalistic, not verrbose manner. To reduce my Twitter message down to 140 characters, including spaces, I must remove the chaff, the flotsam of a thought or story.

On Twitter, posting need some punch, pizazz...some interesting or valuable points that make it worth reading. Not everyone reads my Tweets , yet I like to make them appealing to those who might be interested.

The unintended consequence of this Twitter practice results in more effective annotations on my del.icio.us bookmarks. While not everyone writes something about their bookmarks, I have found them to be more useful to me and others in my network if I describe or annotate the bookmark. Next to tags, bookmark descriptions (annotations) are a critical part of the social networking side of del.icio.us. People in my network who tell me why they bookmarked a particular site help me decide quickly if I should also bookmark it.

Thanks to my Twitter practice in effective miniblogging, I have improved my del.icio.us descriptions. These annotations have turned into miniblogs themselves. If you have tried Twitter and/or del.icio.us, go ahead give the a chance to improve your work productivity. BTW, they can also be used for hobbies and personal interactions and bookmarks.

Tweet, Tweet!

Unless you are a student of early 20th century music, Mitch Miller, or children's music, you may not recognize this song, Let's All Sing Like the Birdies Sing! Tweet, Tweet, Tweet. Tweet, Tweet!, but it is appropriate for what all twitterers do! We TWEET! & TWEET! often. I find Twitter to be an excellent mini-blogging and social networking tool that does allow opportunities for use in the classroom.

At Classroom 2.0, Elizabeth Davis started a discussion on Twitter, Are You Using Twitter?.


Many of us have contributed some interesting thoughts about why, how, where, when we tweet and to whom we tweet. This has been one of the most informative, interesting discussions we have had while I have been a member of Classroom 2.0 educational social network. Please access the discussion. You will enjoy it.

As the discussion progressed, the CR2.0 network evaluated the finer points of our use of Twitter. An important issue discussed was whether to follow people who don't follow you. The problem is that you become interested in their tweets, but you can't send them messages unless they also follow you. My ambiguous thoughts are reflected here:

Following someone on TWITTER is not all it's cracked up to be....sometimes! I don't follow anyone, for long, who won't follow me within a time span, UNLESS there are some overcompensating issues....such as access to information, humor, or other points of interest in their tweets.

For instance, it is highly unlikely (although not impossible:) that Leo Laporte, of TechTV, Twit.tv, and lately Lab with Leo will probably ever follow me, BUT he provides information that is so valuable TO ME that I continue to follow him. He also does not overwhelm my twitter network.

This interaction problem is not a drawback on Jaiku! I really like the comment section on each Jaiku posting. I can comment on anyone's Jaiku posting. There will be people who won't like this, and that is why they may appreciate the selectiveness of Twitter more than Jaiku's forum like qualities.

If people do not want to have a person on their Jaiku contact list, they can remove them. In my experience, what really happens is that most people check your Jaiku postings, and they often become a follower or at least they accept comments and contact! :)

Right now, another member of the #twit(tv) group and I are having a conversation about the low number of women geeks. He thinks there should be more, and I agree! I commented on his posting to Jaiku to #twit(tv)....because I am in the twit(tv) group. He is not in my individual contact list and I am not an individual contact on his list. As a result of this conversation, we may follow each other, or not....BUT we can interact.

What do you think about social networks, such as miniblogging and instant messaging? Do you use Twitter? If not, why not?