Twitter is not a very old site as it was first used as a research project by the people within the company Obvious in March, 2006.  Months later, in October of that same year, it was launched for public use.  According to ComScore, within eight months of its launch, Twitter had about 94,000 users as of April, 2007.  Twitter seems to be quite addictive, in that, according to Clive Thompson, the numbers of Twitter users are doubling every three weeks and most users are between the ages of 18 and 27.  To fully understand its fanatical nature, take a closer look at what exactly happens at Twitter.

What exactly is Twitter?  According to the official Twitter FAQ, “Twitter is a community of friends and strangers from around the world sending updates about moments in their lives. Friends near or far can use Twitter to remain somewhat close while far away.  Curious people can make friends. Bloggers can use it as a mini-blogging tool. Developers can use the API to make Twitter tools of their own. Possibilities are endless!”  Other users of Twitter, or Tweeple, have very unique descriptions of Twitter as listed below: 

·        micro-blogging,

·        group instant messaging,

·        round-the-clock updates,

·        telling the world I exist, and

·        what makes us interesting. 

Why do people choose to use Twitter?  I found the following answers from users of the site:

·         No need to search the Internet or search engines.

·         No longer guessing which resource will be of value to me.

·         Twitter is my human aggregator.

·         It is the latest up-to-date information.

·         Posts contain information that is valuable.

·         News stories are directly related to my interests.

Tweets are different from blogs not only in their length (tweets are limited to 140 characters whereas blogs are not), but also in that one may post a blog every few days on specific content.  Several tweets or updates may be made on a daily basis and can range from specific content, to a question, or just an update on your daily activities.  Regardless of how one describes it, Twitterers use the site for many different purposes.

According to Chris Brogan, people use twitter to participate in conversation, let others know what’s going on with them, make new friends, keep in touch with friends, find people in their geographic area using www.twitdir.com , and as a news feeder, discussion starter, opinion gatherer, and ideas distributor.  In other words, people talk about their own personal lives, their careers, their interests, and their hobbies.  Twitter is a forum for talking about anything.  Thompson adds that Twitter gives people “a social sixth sense”.  Even though many Twitter messages, or Tweets, are trivial, the true value of the site is cumulative.  After receiving updates on a daily basis, users are more aware in a telepathic sort of way of those people they are following.  This “ESP” is very useful in both the personal connections and business world in that you know the people you are involved with on a different level and are connected to this virtual community.  According to Utecht, “By joining the collective knowledge of other educators you are not only able to tap into this amazing body of knowledge for your own learning and resources gathering, but you also become part of the aggregation system making the system as a whole that much stronger, relevant, and accurate for all.”

According to Java along with my own observations from joining this network, Twitterers have four main intentions when using the site.  The first use is daily chatter.  People give short, brief accounts of what they are doing at the moment.  It is similar to an online diary, journal, or calendar of events that records your activities, thoughts, or feelings at any one moment. 

The second use is to have conversations.  Users can use the @ symbol in front of a user’s name to let them know they are addressing or responding to them specifically.  Users have reported some dissatisfaction in this feature.  According to Brogan, “I hate all the @ conversations in Twitter. Can’t people just use Direct Messages?  People use @username because it’s easier, because it allows others to follow a conversation, and because with the new Replies tab (in Twitter), it makes following a conversation easier. It’s the social norm there now. “  From my personal experience, it was annoying to hear bits and pieces of conversations that I was not a part of.  I certainly had trouble following.  For other users, some appreciated the @ conversations because they were simply eavesdropping on others and may even decide to join in the conversation themselves.  Direct messages which are private and seen only by the person you are sending it to can be sent using the code D + username + message.  Otherwise, messages are public unless you request to remain private except to your followers.

The next use is to share information and that includes URLs.  There are countless groups using Twitter that share hobbies, interests, careers, or goals.  Members of groups share information with one another through their updates.  Due to the limiting size of an update, many URLs are shortened using a service like TinyURL so this sharing is possible.

The final use of Twitter is to report news or current events.  This up-to-the-minute reporting is a convenience that many people appreciate.  In fact, reports have been made of using Twitter to inform people around the world of newsworthy stories and events.  The connectivity of the users of Twitter has been able to quickly spread the word and help made a difference in the lives of other people.  All of these reasons to use Twitter classify users of the site into three distinct categories of users.

Tweeple fall into one of three categories based on what they contribute to the community, what they take from the community, and how often they post an update.  The first category includes those people that are sources of information.  Their updates may be on a regular basis or infrequent, but they have many followers due to the valuable information they submit.  They may report on news or give specific information on topics relevant to a group of Twitters users.  The second category of users falls under classification of friends.  These people may be relatives, close friends, or even friends of friends.  Their use is of a social nature to keep in touch with what each one is doing.  The final category of users could be considered searchers of information.  They may not post regularly, but they follow other users to keep up-to-date or gain new knowledge or information.  

Twitter is a free service to anyone having an email address.  Setting up your account is simple to do.  You need to give your email address and set up your password.  The Terms of Service are available as a link on the “Create your Account” page.  There you will find the specific guidelines for the site.  Most of the rules are general such as being responsible for any content you post and not creating spam, but users must be over 13 years of age.  After setting up your account, there are a number of helpful resources available to answer all your questions including Twitter Support and http://getsatisfaction.com/twitter .  Users of Twitter do create a profile, but it is simple compared to other social networking sites.  You may customize your profile, but I found the most pertinent information given on anyone’s profile was their latest update and their “people” or friends.

The appeal of Twitter is growing at a rapid rate.  I believe this is partly due to the fact that there are many websites devoted to making Twitter more useful to you as a user.  Several sites are companions to Twitter such as www.twittervision.com.  This site shows the worldwide view of tweets as they happen in real time.  I must say I found this very captivating and brought to life the phrase “it’s a small world”.  Another site that shows the connectivity of Twitter users is www.tweetwheel.com .  This wheel shows you what people in your network are connected to whom.  This is a neat graphic that shows relationships within your circle of contacts.

To understand the interactivity of this particular site, one would need to watch the flow of tweets for a long period of time.  My observations of this site prove this site is a useful and viable tool for literally millions of people.  The accessibility of the site makes is available to users at home, at work, and on the go.  People are able to be connected to those they know, to those that know, and to those who want to know.  This type of community feels the needs of many people both socially and educationally.

References

Brogan, C.  (2007, July 9)  Considering social network etiquette.  Retrieved May 8, 2008 from http://www.chrisbrogan.com/considering-social-network-etiquette/

Comscore. Retrieved May 8, 2008 from http://www.usatoday.com/tech/webguide/2007-05-28-social-sites_N.htm

Java, A., Finin, T., Song, X., & Tseng, B. Why we twitter: Understanding microblogging usage and communities.  Retrieved May 8, 2008 from http://ebiquity.umbc.edu/
_file_directory_/papers/369.pdf

Thompson, C. (2007, June 26).  Clive Thompson on how twitter creates a social sixth sense, Issue 15.07.  Retrieved May 8, 2008 from http://www.wired.com/techbiz/
media/magazine/15-07/st_thompson

Twitter. (2008)  Retrieved May 8, 2008 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitter

Utecht, J. (2008, May 5).  Human aggregation.  Retrieved May 8, 2008 from http://www
.techlearning.com/blog/2008/05/human_aggregation.php

It is written by Jeff Utecht about the power of Twitter and how it creates a human ‘gator for you.

On a not so positive note, I believe that My Space is no place for kids.  I think in the Boyd interview she said that social networking sites such as My Space were created with college students as the intended users.  This is appropriate in my opinion.  As I add my ten and eleven year old students to my friends list though, I find that their profiles contain a lot of false information about themselves.  In looking at students I’ve had in the past, they too mislead others in the information they list in their profiles.  I also have a problem with the fact that although my intent is to hang out with people I know, I have access to a whole lot of people I don’t know.  Many profiles are available for me to look at that contain filthy and vulgar language, offensive lyrics to songs, and content that just isn’t appropriate for kids.  I believe many parents have no idea what is in their kids’ profiles, in their friends’ profiles, or in the profiles of strangers that may be accessed with ease.  I really think the site is inaappropriate for kids to use without parental supervision.