Twitter 101

I've been Twittering for a few weeks now. That's the little doohickey off to the side that lets you know what I'm doing. Depending, of course, on the availability of my laptop or I happen to remember that I can update it with my cellphone.

For those not familiar with it, Twitter always you to follow users that you know, celebrities, news sources or just anyone that seems to update some interesting information. I've got 65 individuals that I'm following, but a few of them are different departments of news outlets. I think I've got five different NASA-based Twitter threads. If you haven't heard of it during a discussion of "hot new technologies" already, I'm sure you will soon.

Since I've started using Twitter I've noticed a variety of different styles that everyone uses. There is the obvious news item that is listed much like a headline and with a link included, sometimes. Some individuals just post a link, expecting a follower to click on it not knowing what may by awaiting for them on the other side. It's truly a gamble depending on the person who posts it. That's one reason for knowing the kind of person you decide to trust when clicking a link with no description. It can be pretty... scary at times.

Then there are those, like myself, that will post their current activities or thoughts. I've even used some of my Tweets as post ideas. They're saved as drafts on here. I'm just saving them for the right time to unleash my genius unto the digital world.

I follow a few folks that type out long monologues or conversations with themselves, which is a little mundane or weird. It can also be difficult to follow, because you can only enter 140 characters for an individual update. Many of these rants can go on and on, taking up to as many as eight updates. One Twitter user in particular, though, is pretty entertaining when it comes to these one-sided conversations. Wil Wheaton, who was a child actor in the 80s and early 90s and has since gone on to writing, will create conversations with inanimate objects or his pet dog.

As I continue using it I realize that I continue to draw myself further into a digitized existence. I now have one more tool to keep in touch with people without actually having to call or write a personal message in any way. Perhaps the Pope was right...

Nah.

Next post will be number 300. I should have passed that mark long ago.