Why I use Twitter and why you should too!
My friends and influencers who share their passion for all things digital, have been a buzz the last two weeks about a new online tool called Twitter.
Twitter is a lot of things to a lot of people. Some love it; some hate it. Some are acting like kids in a candy store. Others are trying to figure this whole thing out.
That’s me! I’d been listening to podcasts and reading a lot of blog posts about this Twitter thing (also known as micro-blogging) but I didn’t quite understand how it would work for me (or you.) Besides, I barely have the time to blog now.
Why would I add another item to my to do list? I’ll tell you...
Last Sunday was an absolutely gorgeous day. My family decided to go for a walk along Yonge St. I wasn’t in shopping mode but I noticed several stores had sale signs in their windows. One had a closing sale. I found an unadvertised sale at another. Where would I find the time to write and let you know about all of them?
And then it hit me... I could use Twitter!
You see with Twitter, I can write short snippets of information that appear on my blog two minutes later (see the little pink box on the right side - it’s called a Twitter widget). It even allows you to scroll down and see previous mini-posts. I can give you more shopping information without spending a lot more time - and if you’re a juggler like me - time is of the essence.
What does all this mean for you?
If you want to know what I’m saying on Twitter, you can find out one these ways:
• Check out my Twitter widget regularly on my blog. Click on the arrows to scroll through the list. (If you subscribe to e-mail updates, you’ll only be able to see what I’m twittering about if you click through.)
• If you subscribe to my blog feed, you may want to subscribe to my Twitter feed too. There’s a and RSS link at the bottom of my Twitter page.
• Find me at Twitter.com/Bargainista.
• Join Twitter. Add me to your friends’ list and I’ll add you to mine.
What do you think of all this twittering? What would you like me to Twitter about? How do you use Twitter? Leave a comment or e-mail me.
Technorati tags: blogging, micro-blogging, sales, shopping, social networking, Twitter
4 comments:
Still trying to get my head around the need to be a twitterati. When I do, I'll likely jump in. In the meantime, thanks for the Twitter-scoop on Handy Book Exhange; it's worth the three-block walk for me to check it out!!
Gary, I think you hit the twitterati nail right on the head. Once you figure out how to make it work for you, it will be time to jump in. Until then, keep an eye on what others are doing.
Hope the walk to the Handy Book Exchange was worth the effort.
Eden
I love how you are using Twitter on Bargainista. Your example of being out and about on Yonge St. and being able to use your cell phone to update your blog is a great example of Twitter's usefulness. I can't think, however, of many other positive examples though and looking at the posts I can see a lot of useless NOISE!
Twitter could be a lot more effective if it did a better job of allowing users to separate true micro-blogging from the general IM-like messaging. Both have their place. Now that I've been using it for a while and interacting with the community I have a better understanding of the random comments and how they can add value.
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