Twitter. What is Twitter? How does Twitter work?

Who knew Twitter could be so addicting?

Tweeting is Micro-Blogging
I was a good little blogger for a long time and then I was forced to learn to convey a message in less than 140 characters! Has blogging become obsolete? Now, I don't need to tell you everything that's going on in Wonderland, I can just tweet a few words, share the one main point and I'm off.

Twitter vs. Tweet
When I first learned to tweet, I made the mistake of calling my message a "Twitter". Twitter is the noun (thing), while Tweeting is the verb (action). I use Twitter to Tweet.

Make a Twitter Account
Go to http://www.twitter.com/ and create a user account. If you don't have a profile photo, just pick an icon. You can change your Twitter page background (theme) by clicking "Settings" then "Design".

Who Should I Follow?
I only have a few friends or people I "follow" on my personal account because I like to know my audience and (regardless of this blog) I don't like sharing too much personal info with strangers. I like to keep my tweets away from prying marketers, sex scams, and random people who collect people to follow.

My friends on Twitter are my friends in real life; people I see frequently or did at some point; people I know and love, but don't get to see too often; friends who don't Tweet often, but when they do it's funny and worth the wait.

Think of Twitter as a party. All your "followers" (friends) are there, but some are having conversations, others are in another room and if they're my friends, they're at the bar... more on this later.

You can also follow celebrities, which can be fun, but difficult because you never really know the context of their conversation and the replies of their followers. It's like listening to a one-sided conversation.

What are the Rules?

• Don't Tweet anything you wouldn't say in a real conversation.
• Don't be mean or negative because as we all know, mean people suck.
• Remember that because you're sending a text message to multiple people, it can be difficult to convey humor and sometimes you just end up looking like an ass.
• Don't write about every little thing in your day. People will get annoyed and stop following you.
• Back to the Twitter party scenario; when you are writing to someone in particular (when you are speaking to someone at the party) you address them by typing @theirname "And then you write your message".

What do I Tweet?

As a new Twitter user, I didn't know what to write, or who would want to hear about something so generic that I would send it to multiple people at once. I stuck with writing funny quips and now I'm automatically wired to think in 140 characters. It's fun to tweet when I have something on my mind that I think others would think was funny. It's also a simple way to stay involved with friends, even without 2-way dialogue.

What is a Tweet?
Here are some of the Tweets I've sent in the last few months:

• Operation Get @emelyn to drink 3 Malibu & Pineapple's at Matador ends with her falling asleep while brushing her teeth before bed.10:42 PM Apr 25th
• Head cold, just in time for the weekend.12:01 PM Apr 25th
• At Kindermusik: 12 adults and 11 toddlers under a small parachute. @brodyberg says "This is like living in New York."10:49 AM Apr 23rd
• Pet peeve: someone telling me they have to talk with me, but not telling me what it's about. Totally freaks me out.7:45 PM Apr 22nd
• Lunched with @cedric to experience and discuss Microsoft's new Commons, which may need a personal assistant service boutique. Hmm.1:49 PM Apr 21st
• Awoken by dad's dogs on top of me: pug, maltipoo, german shepherd, yellow lab. Everyone wants LOVE!9:02 AM Apr 18th
• Slow dancing with John Mayer in a burning room.8:58 PM Apr 16th
• Trying to remember what compelled me to flash my guns tonight at the bar to @codingparadox @katy and @ctrsoccer1:29 AM Apr 11th
• Congrats to @mmjohn for winning 3rd place at the woodinville art show!4:05 PM Apr 9th

Q & A

Q. What happens if I write a message longer than 140 characters?
A. I don't know. I think it just cuts the message off and your followers wonder wtf you were trying to say.

Q. What if I don't want someone to follow me?
A. Click on "your followers" then "remove"

Q. What is a device update?
A. A device, like your cell phone, can send and receive Tweets. When you sign up for your account, you can follow the prompts and receive tweets from certain friends/ followers on your phone.

Q. How do I send a tweet from my cell phone?
A. When you sign up with Twitter, the site will send a password to your cell phone. After you type the password into the website, you will text 40404 and it's the same as sending a text from your phone.

If you have any questions, ask a 23-year-old.

In Conclusion
Twitter is ideal for megalomaniacs because you just write about yourself, what you're doing and what's on your mind. If people don't want to hear it, they just don't listen. Happy Tweeting!