It’s been awhile since Laurie reviewed Twitter–nearly a year ago, and was featured in our Top *13* Web 2.0 Tools For Librarians post. Since then I have had my reservations about using it, I’ve actually tried twice and failed in both attempts. I recently realized, with the help of Lee LeBlanc over on Tame The Web, that I’ve been microblogging this whole time and really just need to funnel it through Twitter. I often find myself text messaging or e-mailing from my cell phone things like grocery lists, book titles from Borders (so I don’t have to buy them…), and other random information like reminders to e-mail things to people. Now I can just Twitter it and it will all be saved for me to view later in one tidy place.
Twitter has undergone some developments over the past year. I’ll summarize a few that specifically interest me:
TwitterSync: I’m lazy and busy, so like to get the most bang for my buck. I am a frequent Facebooker and update my status there often. Installing the TwitterSync app to your Facebook account will sync your most recent Twitter as your current Facebook status.
TwitterVision: This reminds me a lot of the previous post by Hannah on WikipediaVision. You can see, geographically, new twitters as they happen. Darned neat!
Find your friends: Twitter has recently (relatively) added an option to have Twitter connect you with friends on Twitter. It will search your Gmail, Yahoo, etc. accounts and match those e-mail addresses to Twitter accounts. Then you can check which you would like to “follow.” Slick! Feel free to add me if you’d like, my personal twitter account name is “mikeypage10”
So, if you had hesitated to jump on the Twitter wagon before, give it another try. It works out to be a nice “note to self” archive when you’re on the go.
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nice -will be trying those apps out -funny, I’m not a facebooker so I this actually may spur me to connect with all my friends on that network who constantly send me updates.
That’s great to use Twitter as a grocery list reminder if that works best for you, but you could also use a tool like Remember the Milk that won’t announce to the world that you’re out of shaving cream
Twitter’s an amazing feedback tool, once you build up a community. Just finished a great book and want to read something similar? Ask Twitter. Traveling to a new city and want a place to eat (and maybe someone to eat with)? Ask Twitter (and then ask NoonHat). Want to connect with other librarians? Track the word “librarian” and get notifications to your IM or SMS any time anyone in the Twittersphere tweets a message with the word “librarian” in it.
I’m @MarinaMartin on Twitter — following you now
Yikes, I’m embarrassed that I did not reply sooner. I’m supposed to get an e-mail when anyone comments on my posts…grr!
@ lee - Facebook is the awesomeness. You’ll love it once it sucks you in…
@ MarinaMartin - I tried using Remember the Milk and it just didn’t click with me. Perhaps it was the site aesthetic, I dunno. But then, I really don’t mind much if the world knows I’m out of shaving cream (for the record, I use shave oil and highly recommend it to everyone).
I hadn’t thought about using it for travel, that’s a great idea! Thanks!