We're all a-Twitter

Whenever I'm looking to keep tabs on my favorite people, or want to share with others a short piece of interesting news, I turn to Twitter.

Twitter is the definitive "micro-blog" social-networking website. Users can create a simple profile and post short updates (called "tweets") on just about anything -- from their day-to-day activities to political opinions to great links -- whatever they'd like to share with the world. By "short updates" I mean short - each post has a 140 character limit. Quite the challenge for your average sesquipedalian.

You can follow more than your friends on Twitter. Check out some of these famous Tweeters:

• Barack Obama
• Barack Obama created a Twitter account to keep his fans up-to-date on his latest news. His choice of vice presidential candidate Joe Biden was first released to the public by his Twitter account.
  
• Kevin Rose
• Creator of the hugely popular social-bookmarking site Digg.
  
• CNN Breaking News
• Be the first to find out - breaking news updates from CNN
  
• Stephen Colbert
• Television and movie actor; host of Comedy Central's The Colbert Report
  
• Jessamyn West
• Of librarian.net and MetaFilter fame - in my mind I think of Jessamyn as "Librarian 2.0" - she's my hero.
  

A few more fun and useful links:

The Twitter Blog
Curious to know what others are talking about on Twitter? The Twitter Blog shows trends in recent tweets.

A Newbie's Guide to Twitter
Totally confused? This website goes into more detail for new-to-Twitter users.

Twitterholic
A listing of the top 100 Twitter users.

Twittering Teddy
If you're lucky enough to still have a fully functioning Teddy Ruxpin (circa 1985), you might consider using this hacking guide to turn him into a Twitter-reading robot.

Give Twitter a try - and let me know how you like it by commenting here at the Tech Blog or send me a tweet.

Twitter 101 for Businesses

Twitter, the popular microblogging site, is not just for individual communication. Businesses, such as Home Depot, Southwest Airlines, and Whole Foods Market use Twitter to promote their products and provide customer service.

At its core, Twitter is simple: type a short message of up to 140 characters to tell people what you are doing. However, it does have its own unique language that can take some time to learn.

To help businesses use Twitter, Twitter has published Twitter 101. This site shows how to create a Twitter account, how to follow other users, and how to create posts. It features a very helpful guide to Twitter best practices, and most importantly, a list of case studies showing how companies actually use Twitter.

In today's business environment, having a presence on social networking sites is becoming just as important as having your own website. Twitter 101 is an excellent tool to get started.

Twitter Comes to TPL

On May 11, we are going to have our first staff Twitter class at the Troy Library. Lauren Henderson, one of our Technology librarians and Twitter advocate, will be leading the training.

Why teach about the microblog site Twitter? Two reasons.

First, as a library staff, we need to know the tools our patrons are using. Ten years ago, I would not have expected staff to refer a print reference without having first looked at it. Likewise, today, staff should be comfortable with the sites about which our users ask.

In addition to Twitter, we are having staff classes in the photosharing site Flickr, the chat site Meebo, and the feeder Google Reader.

Second, Twitter is a powerful news site. I was convinced of this when I followed last year’s tragedy in Mumbai via Twitter in real time. As the news information industry recreates itself, the real-time reporting of Twitter should be a major component.

There are many who disagree, however, and dispute Twitter’s influence.

I believe Twitter is real. Here is an interesting article from TechCrunch on why Twitter is important.

Woofer vs. Twitter

Recently Twitter, the popular microblogging site, has amassed a great deal of hype. After being promoted by celebrities and featured on numerous talk shows, including the Oprah Winfrey Show, Twitter has become a household name.

But in spite of the publicity, there are still many people who dislike Twitter both for its limitations and the connotation that all Twitter posts are as inane as what I had for breakfast this morning.

If you are a Twitter Doubter, or just prone to long-windedness, you might enjoy Woofer -- the macroblogging site that requires users to post a minimum of 1,400 characters.

So far nearly eight thousand people have joined Woofer and have made over nine thousand woofs. However, the woof content is not what you might expect of bloggers. Some of the more popular woofs are copied from works such as The Gettysburg Address, A Tale of Two Cities, and Moby Dick. Unfortunately from what I've seen so far the average woof is random words and characters akin to the dreaded spam email.

Clearly, Woofer is not a tool that will replace or even rival Twitter, but it should make for some interesting reading. And even I, a strong microblogging advocate, can enjoy this homage to Twitter.

You can follow The Tech Desk on Twitter @tpltechnology and follow the Troy Public Library @troylib.

And there you have it: 1,400 characters (punctuation and spaces included, of course).

A Twitter Revolution?

For three days last week, students in the Eastern European country of Moldova protested against alleged voting irregularities by the country’s Communist party. The protests ranged from massive demonstrations to violent takeovers of federal buildings and battles with police.

According to several online news sources, the protests were organized through social networking sites, especially Twitter. From TechCrunch:

"In the last 48 hours, students from Moldova have been tweeting, trying to rally others into demonstrating against the communists… you can see the tweets about the demonstration coming in a rapid pace. There are also videos on YouTube of the protest...

Twitter has long-been been a popular platform for breaking news, but this adds a new twist to the powerful capabilities of the micro-blogging service. The protests no doubt would have happened anyway and it is not clear how may of the actual protesters in Moldova are on Twitter. But it seems to be helping both as a coordinating tool and as a way to disseminate information about the events that are unfolding to the rest of the world.

An article on Wired, on the other hand, is more skeptical about the impact of social sites in this event:

"Daniel Bennett, a researcher on new media and conflict, offers a contrarian view on the influence of Twitter. After studying the evidence, he concludes that Moldova's Twitter community is quite minuscule, and its role in organizing the protests has been overstated. "As it stands," he argues, "the Twitter revolution is a myth."

The Moldovan government, however, was worried enough about the impact of Twitter that it charged activist Natalia Morar, one of the Twitter organizers of some of the activities, with “calls for organizing and staging mass disturbances.”

Twitter Users Don't Last Long: Revisited

Recently, I wrote about a Nielsen Online study which reported that 60% of Twitter users stop using the social network, micro-blog site within a month of joining. That study received a fair amount of criticism from the Twitter community. Tweeters believed that the study underestimated the size of their community because it failed to measure applications and other websites that feed into Twitter.

In response, Nielsen redid the numbers, taking into account more than 30 websites and applications that feed into Twitter including: TweetDeck, TwitPic, Twitstat, Hootsuite, EasyTweets, Tumblr, and many others.

The results, according to Nielsen's Vice President of Primary Research David Martin, "verified our initial findings: about 60% of people on Twitter end up abandoning the service after a month. The year-long retention curve looks very much the same as the one for just Twitter.com."

Libraries Using Twitter to Engage Readers

Today, I was glancing through the Guardian, and came across an interesting article about how libraries in the United Kingdom are using Twitter to spread information to readers. Here's a piece from the article:

"Libraries throughout the UK are testing the waters of Twitter as a way to both engage with their readers and dispel their image as fusty, silent enclaves staffed by old-fashioned introverts.

At the British Library (@britishlibrary), they're talking about riding on John Berger's motorbike; "about as good as it gets I think." Aberdeenshire's libraries (@onceuponashire) are recommending books – "Katherine by Anya Seton is a great romp through the 14th century, well worth a read" – while the John Rylands University of Manchester library (@jrul) informs us that it has just made a 14th century cookbook available online, complete with recipes for porpoise, pike and blancmange.

Librarians as a group are very spread out around the country, and they are really seizing on Twitter as a great way to network and spread information among themselves. They are also trying it out to give information about author events and closing times to their users," said Benedicte Page, libraries expert at the Bookseller. From Milton Keynes (@mklibraries) to Devon (@devonlibraries), Plymouth (@plymlibraries) to Newcastle (@toonlibraries), over 40 UK libraries are now using Twitter, and a "Twitter for librarians" course will be held by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) in September to encourage more to take it up.

The article notes later that the UK is behind the United States when it comes to Twittering. If you are interested, you can read the rest of the article here.

Speaking of Twittering, you can follow the Troy Public Library on Twitter @troylib or The Tech Desk at @tpltechnology.

The Tech Desk Best of 2009

2009 has been a big year for everyone who works in the Troy Public Library's Technology Department.

We created a new website for the Library, and switched to Polaris, our new Integrated Library System. We aggressively jumped into social media sites, such as Twitter and Facebook. We have seen record breaking use of downloadable services like OverDrive, and increased demand for our public technology classes. Through it all, we have been keeping you informed of the the latest happenings in library technology and beyond here at The Tech Desk, publishing over 500 posts in 2009.

As is common at this time of year, many publications feature lists describing the best music, movies, books, and more of the year. In the same tradition, here are some of the favorite websites, technology developments, and Tech Desk posts from several Tech Desk contributors.

Phillip Kwik

Favorite websites: Lifehacker (good practical tips), Wired (thoughtful reviews of technology and society)

Favorite new technology: Though not new, the rise of ebooks and ebook readers is the tech story of the year.

Favorite 2009 Tech Desk posts: From Monty Python, A Valuable Lesson in Selling the Product, Publishing at the Crossroads, Daniel Schorr on Twitter and Web-based Media

Mary Hojnacki

Favorite new technology: Twitter. It is a great way to keep in touch and at 140 characters, you don't have to obsess over what to write or how much to write. And if you're a pop culture junkie like me, it's fun to read what witty things your favorite celebs have to say. Twitter was around before this year, but it really exploded in 2009.

Chris Hunsanger

Favorite websites: Lifehacker, Google Reader (favorite RSS reader), Mesh.com (for remote file access and for connecting to computers remotely), Seesmic.com/Brizzly.com (for Twitter access)

Favorite new technology: Google Voice, Skydrive, Droid phones from Verizon

Favorite 2009 Tech Desk post: Job Search Logs May Help Your Job Search be More Successful

John Robertson

Favorite websites: Lifehacker, PCMag.com. This is also the first year I've been really listening to podcasts. Some of my favorites are Cranky Geeks, This Week in Tech, and Sound Opinions.

Favorite new technology: Twitter. Whether it is being used as a tool for political protest, following celebrities, or just talking about what you are doing, Twitter has been one of the biggest stories of 2009 and has now become part of my daily routine.

Favorite 2009 Tech Desk post: Traditional Library Services in the 21st Century: A Visit to the Digital Bookmobile

From all of us at The Tech Desk, thanks for following us during 2009. We hope you have a wonderful 2010.

Twitter Users Don't Last Long

This from Yahoo Tech!:

Today's Twitters are often tomorrow's quitters, according to data that questions the long-term success of the latest social networking sensation used by celebrities from Oprah Winfrey to Britney Spears.

Data from Nielsen Online, which measures Internet traffic, found that more than 60% of Twitter users stopped using the free social networking site a month after joining.

"Twitter's audience retention rate, or the percentage of a given month's users who come back the following month, is currently about 40%," David Martin, Nielsen Online's vice president of primary research, said in a statement.

"For most of the past 12 months, pre-Oprah, Twitter has languished below 30% retention."
San Francisco-based Twitter was created three years ago as an Internet-based service that could allow people to follow the 140-character messages or "tweets" of friends and celebrities which could be sent to computer screens or mobile devices.

Twitter, as a private company, does not disclose the number of its users but according to Nielsen Online, Twitter's website had more than 7 million unique visitors in February this year compared to 475,000 in February a year ago.

But Martin said a retention rate of 40% will limit a site's growth to a 10% reach figure over the longer term.

Martin said Facebook and MySpace, the more established social network sites, enjoyed retention rates that were twice as high and those rates only rose when they went through their explosive growth phases.

Both currently have retention rates of about 70% with Facebook having about 200 million users.

Twitter Guide Book

Mashable.com, a blog dedicated to covering Web 2.0 and social media, has created a page aggregating their articles about Twitter. Called The Twitter Guide Book, this page provides links to a wealth of information about Twitter, from basics (retweets, hashtags, changing backgrounds), to more advanced topics (Twitter for business, sharing items on Twitter). This is an excellent resource to help you get the most out of Twitter.

[via iLibrarian]

Facebook and Twitter to oppose calls for social media blocks during riots

Facebook and Twitter are preparing to stand firm against government ministers' calls to ban people from social networks or shut their websites down in times of civil unrest.

The major social networks are expected to offer no concessions when they meet the home secretary, Theresa May, at a Home Office summit on Thursday lunchtime.

Ministers are expected to row back on David Cameron's call for suspected rioters to be banned from social networks, such as Twitter and Facebook, following the riots and looting across England a fortnight ago.

The home secretary will explore what measures the major social networks could take to help contain disorder – including how law enforcement can more effectively use the sites – rather than discuss powers to shut them down. The acting Metropolitan police commissioner, Tim Godwin, and the Tory MP Louise Mensch have separately explored the idea of shutting down websites during emergencies.

The technology companies will strongly warn the government against introducing emergency measures that could usher in a new form of online censorship. Attacks on London landmarks, including the Olympics site and Westfield shopping centres, were thwarted earlier this month after police managed to intercept private BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) posts – suggesting that leaving networks running can provide a valuable source of intelligence and information.

The summit is not expected to signal a dramatic shift in government policy, with only one hour slated for a discussion between more than a dozen social media executives, police officers and ministers.

Executives from Facebook, Twitter and RIM will be joined by Lynn Owens, the assistant commissioner of central operations at the Met police, members of the association of chief police officers, and civil servants from both the foreign office and the department for culture, media and sport. The home secretary will lead the meeting, alongside James Brokenshire, the minister for security and a member of the National Security Council.

May will urge the social networks, all of which are based in either the US or Canada, to take more responsibility for the messages posted on their websites.

In response, Twitter and Facebook are expected to outline the steps that both social networks already take to remove messages that potentially incite violence. Facebook, which has 30 million users in the UK, said it had actively removed "several credible threats of violence" to stem the riots across England this month.

Research in Motion, the Canada-based BlackBerry maker, will explain to the government which parts of its popular BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) service are private or encrypted. Unlike Facebook and Twitter, BBM is a pin-protected instant messaging system, and was claimed to be the most popular network among rioters.

Each of the social networks are preparing to explain how current powers are proportionate for tackling provocative material. Current measures allow internet companies to identify users who may be worth further investigation without examining the content of their messages.

RIM and other companies can be forced to disclose users' private messages if served with a warrant by police.

Godwin told MPs on the home affairs committee last week that police had explored the unprecedented step of switching off social networks, but discovered that they did not have the legal powers to do so.

Under the current system, most websites take down material if served with "notice and takedown procedures" by authorities. Facebook also operates a self-policing method whereby its own users can flag inappropriate material.

Two leading police forces told the Guardian earlier this month that it would be a mistake to introduce overzealous powers over the websites. Greater Manchester police and the Devon and Cornwall force both said social networks had an "overwhelmingly positive" role in dispelling rumours and reassuring residents during the riots.

A spokeswoman for Facebook said: "We look forward to meeting with the home secretary to explain the measures we have been taking to ensure that Facebook is a safe and positive platform for people in the UK at this challenging time.

"In recent days we have ensured any credible threats of violence are removed from Facebook and we have been pleased to see the very positive uses millions of people have been making of our service to let friends and family know they are safe and to strengthen their communities."

Twitter and RIM declined to comment.

Four men from Lancashire appeared in court on Wednesday accused of using Facebook to encourage the looting. None of the four entered pleas to the charges, and all four were granted bail in the hearing at Preston crown court.

Source : guardian

Twitter Use Explodes; Facebook Increases Lead on MySpaceUse

Use of Twitter -- the microblog darling of the Internet -- continues to explode.

The latest numbers from Nielsen Online indicate that Twitter grew an unbelievable 1,382% in one year -- from February 2008 to February 2009 -- with over 7 million unique visitors in the United States. From January to February in this year alone, Twitter grew from 4.5 million to 7 million visitors, a 50% increase.

Meanwhile, Facebook, with 65.7 million unique visitors, increased its lead on MySpace, with 54.1 million visitors.

According to Adam Ostrow, writing on Mashable:

"While Facebook remains several orders of magnitude bigger [than Twitter], its recent move to a real-time homepage and its overhaul of Facebook Pages is seen by many as a move to thwart Twitter’s continued growth. It will be a few months until this shows up in the numbers and gives us some sort of indication as to whether or not that strategy is working, but for now, both networking sites are enjoying tremendous growth."

Twitter Gets a Facelift

Twitter, one of the fastest growing social networks around, is getting a full redesign of its website.

The new changes make the site look and function very similar to the iPad version, which has received positive reviews. Admittedly, I have often used other third-party websites and applications such as Seesmic, Hootsuite, Brizzly, and Metrotwit for my Twitter needs, due to lack of features and functionality on the Twitter homepage. But, these recent changes have me interested in checking out the new interface as it appears to be very functional, attractive, and overall nicely laid out.

Some of the highlights of the new interface have been highlighted in the fun, short video below, courtesy of Twitter:



The new interface is rolling out over the next week, so check your Twitter account to see if you have access to the #newtwitter!

More People Follow than Lead on Twitter

According to a study from Purewire, reported by TechCrunch, most people on Twitter are followers, rather than leaders. A full 80% of Twitter accounts have fewer than 10 followers, according to the analysis of seven million Twitter accounts. What’s more, 30% have zero followers.

Writes TechCrunch: “People who bother to Tweet on a regular basis will attract more followers than people who prefer to sit back and read. Twitter is no different than any other form of participatory media. A small fraction of users produce the overwhelming amount of content, even if it is just 140 characters at a time.”

Read more at On Twitter, Most People Are Sheep.

San Francisco Uses Twitter for Residents' Complaints

According to TechChrunch, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and Twitter co-founder Biz Stone announced recently that San Francisco residents can now send direct messages via Twitter to the City @SF311, to complain about street cleanings, graffiti, potholes, abandoned vehicles, garbage issues, noise complaints and more. The useful part of the new service is the ability to send pictures or video of various offenses.

Once a resident submits a direct message to @SF311, he or she will receive a service request number. Apparently, there is a city staff member devoted to handling and responding to @SF311 Tweets.

Will Twitter helps make the city’s response more speedy? Mayor Newsom is a big fan of Twitter and even announced his bid for governor of California via the microblog site.

You can send your thoughts, questions and complaints via Twitter to the Library @troylib, or to the Technology Department @tpltechnology.

Fun Friday: Kevin Spacey Teaches Dave Letterman about Twitter

Actor Kevin Spacey introduced Dave Letterman to Twitter on July 21. Letterman, in his usual way, dismissed Twitter as "a waste of time." Writes Twitter founder Biz Stone on the Twitter blog: "That's generally how Twitter was characterized in 2007 so Dave's only two years behind — we'll give him a little more time to catch up."

Watch it here:

Another Look at Twitter: It's Where Things Happen

Last week, Tech Desk staffer Barry Hyland blogged about some [negative] social implications of Twitter, the microblog site which is all the latest Internet rage.

He cited Yves Smith, who wrote that "Twitter feeds that... false sense of urgency. Most things can wait. Indeed, a lot of things are better off waiting. But we are encouraged to be plugged in, overstimulated all the time, at the expense of higher quality human relations."

Now, another -- more positive -- point of view from TechCrunch, in Why We Often Write About Twitter And Will Continue To Do So:

"Twitter has grown into far more than just a messaging or status updating service, and anyone who really uses it or develops for it knows that. It’s where news gets broken and what more and more celebrities openly turn to to start getting social with the community... It’s a place where companies can do business while people can choose to engage only with their peers instead. It triggers and support the organization of worldwide charity events...

Basically, it’s as social as social networking services can get."

Good Morning America Catches Twitter Fever

Twitter is all the rage. It seems that everyone from Ashton Kutcher to MC Hammer is tweeting. Good Morning America recently featured a segment on Twitter and briefly talked to Biz Stone, founder of Twitter. Take a listen to what GMA had to say about Twitter.

Twitter Explained

Julia Angwin has written an excellent primer on Twitter for the Wall Street Journal.

"When I first joined Twitter, I felt like I was in a noisy bar where everyone was shouting and nobody was listening.

Soon, I began to decode its many mysteries: how to find a flock of followers, how to talk to them in a medium that blasts to lots of people at once and how to be witty in very tiny doses...

Twitter is useful precisely because so many people are talking about different things at once. When he was president of Sling Media, for instance, Jason Hirschhorn constantly monitored the keyword "sling" on Twitter. "It's an up-to-the minute temperature of what people are saying about your brand," he said. He left the consumer electronics company last month."

[via iLibrarian]

Using Twitter Search as a Library Reference Tool

I have just answered my first reference question using Twitter Search here at the Library. And it is a perfect example of the real-time nature of of the microblog site, and its advantage over even search-powerhouse Google.

I was working at the Technology desk and a patron using one of our public computers asked me if we are now blocking Craigslist. I didn't think we were, but when I tested it, it was not connecting. I could have contacted our IT department to see if they did something that might restrict sites, or I could have tried to Google search the Internet for some notice of Craigslist going down, but both of those options seemed too slow to me.

Instead, I Twitter searched "craigslist down." In a moment, the results verified that it was down everywhere:











I informed our computer user that it was a site issue. I continued to monitor Twitter Search and Craigslist, and was able to tell him when it was back up.

Our patron needed an immediate answer. Twitter Search game me a way to give him one.