Tweeting 101: The Twitter Book by Tim O'Reilly and Sarah Milstein

Busy, busy, busy...TWEET....run, run, run....TWEET....blog, blog....oops!  That's what I'm doing now!  The day has flown right on by and I think I may have seen part of it in a fuzzy blur.  (I think it was wearing a purple dress with yellow shoes....) If you are like me, then you have to find a balance between the things you love to do and the things you have to do.  Blogging and reading....LOVE!  Work, work, work...not so much.  Cie la vie, we all end up sharing at least the dingy on this boat but one day we will all be able to combine those two pieces of the puzzle.  On to today's book choice....

The Twitter Book

by

Tim O'Reilly and Sarah Milstein

In today's fast paced world, social media sites have not only staked their claim but removed many of the borders that formerly existed in the communication landscape.  (YAWN!  Sorry, that's my more formal version...but you guys get the fun and exciting stuff!)  Whether you're a Twitter newbie or a seasoned pro (I'll take salt and pepper, please!  Just kidding...), "The Twitter Book" has something for you.

Let's start off with a few of the basics.  Did you know....

• that the hashtags are used to group common tweets or that #FollowFriday is for recommending your fellow Twitter users?  (Guilty!  When I first ran across these two things on the site, I was like, "Okay...what am I missing?")
• to send a tweet via SMS, after your phone number is registered, send to 40404 (US only, although I believe there is one for international users too)?
• to send a Direct Message from the main screen, simply type "d" then the user name without the @?
• to see if someone is "following" you, DoesFollow offers a simple fill-in-the-blank page to check by user name?
• to link directly to a tweet click on the time/date stamp?  (I so didn't know that...tucking it away in back memory files for future contests....)

Those are just a small sampling of a few of the sites and shortcut recommendations I found when reviewing this book.  There a lot more and most of them are not only functional, but really fun to work with!  I love the fact that although the book is about 240 pages long, it doesn't read like a boring instruction manual.  The chapters are arranged logically, explanations listed in KISS style (that's Keep It Short and Simple, in case you were wondering), and makes the perfect addition to any Twitter users library of how-to books.  (It's in my virtual one.)

Both authors have a Twitter page!  (Go figure, right?)  Check out @timoreilly and @sarahm, or the additional account listed as @TweetReport for additional tips and  insights. 

So....if you are looking for a brief fiction break, or need a new handbook for your maximizing your Twitter tweets, definitely check this book out!  (I know I will be ultilizing some of the secrets I uncovered...now let's see what TwitterSheep has to say about my followers listed interests...any guesses?)

COMMENT CREATOR
What Twitter applications or related sites do you use and would recommend to others?  Why?

 

Feel free to leave your comments and feedback!

Until next time...happy reading!

Tweet! Tweet! ReTweet!: The Human Side of Twitter by Neil Sandow PharmD

Hello, everyone and happy Monday to you all! I hope that you all had a wonderful weekend. We managed to dodge the first Tropical Storm of the season (Well hello, Claudette...sorry, couldn't help the Anthony Hopkins movie reference. You know which one...chianti and beans ring a bell?). She came through with a little rain, a little wind, but nothing detrmental. Okay, so we had a power outage but it happened right before the storm....crazy, huh? Anywho, let's get down to business. While I have several books on my plate, the one I am serving up today is....

The Human Side of Twitter

by

Neil Sandow, Pharm. D.

You know you do it. I've seen you. Your friends have seen you. You've seen them do it too. At dinner. In the car. During class. There's no use in denying it. You're even doing it right now, aren't you? Admit it! You just tweeted!

This book is a collection of several hundred (or more! I wasn't counting....) tweets straight from the site! Minus the user names (kind of them, especially in many cases!), it provides an irreverant look into the world of tweets and just what people are willing to broadcast to everyone and anyone! Be amazed at just how funny, serious, and downright strange people can be when limited to 140 characters per post. So many leave way too much room for interpretation!

Ahhh, the misunderstood, yet highly addictive social and business network that is Twitter. I must admit, I didn't see the draw initially. Why did you possibly want to know something as mundane as "I walked down the hallway" from a complete stranger somewhere out in cyberspace? That, my friends, is just one person's post though. Once you start to dig into the network itself...build your profile...find your friends...follow favorite celebrities....follow news sites....connect with business prospects....share your thoughts on things throughout the day....shall I continue?


Twitter is one of those things you either love or hate. There really is no in-between. You've heard about it on the news, listened to passing conversations about a "retweet", seen it advertised on your favorite websites (including mine!) asking you to "follow"....and then you've also read about those that condemn the site (I chalk them up to the "unwilling-to-research-new-things" group).

Let's face it, if you tweet than you know what I mean. I love getting an email from Twitter saying that "So&So is now following you". Grant it, in the beginning it sounds CREEPY! (can we say stalker syndrome?) But just because someone is following you doesn't mean you have to follow them! I admit it, I am slightly picky on who I actually follow. I mean, I have enough electronic interferences in my day without having to read through several thousand more lines of tweets that I am not interested in. (Sorry, but it's the truth!) That said, I am also selective about those I block. I have no problem with people following my tweets that I don't follow (I'm flattered I am seen as that interesting!), but if their page comes up as something truly offensive, I definitely block them...it's only a matter of time before Twitter does it anyway!

In conclusion of my rambling post (sorry!), I definitely would recommend this book to anyone looking for a quick laugh, a little glimpse behind the scenes of this social network, or even those seeking a little inspiration for their next post. Never has 140 characters been such an inviting challenge to the masses...what will you say?

Feel free to leave your comments and feedback!
Until next time....happy reading!