Twitter

=Tori Henley=

**Web 2.0 Tool:** Twitter
 * URL:** []

Overview: What is Twitter?
Twitter is a social networking tool that allows people to post short messages and inform others about what they are doing. It allows the user to create an account, connect with and follow friends and/or other people of interest, and post updates. It is different from other social networking tools in that users cannot post lengthy blog-type updates about what occurring in their lives. Instead, the user is limited to 140 characters (not words...characters) to portray his or her thoughts. It is designed to allow for quick updates (known as //tweets//) on the fly about things that followers may or may not find important, but the user wants to share anyway.

The beauty of Twitter is that users can follow who or what interests them. If a person has friends on Twitter, that person can follow the friends to find out what they are doing. If the user has a favorite actor/actress, chef, comedian, musician, politician, etc., there is a good chance that person has an official twitter and whose account has been marked as "verified" so users know it is the real person or group they claim to be. Check out the following "Twitter in Plain English" video for more information about Twitter.

media type="youtube" key="ddO9idmax0o" height="385" width="480"

How to use: Getting started with Twitter
(The following is detailed...look for a "quick and dirty" version go here)

In order to use Twitter, a person must first get an account. It is extremely easy to sign up for Twitter. When on the Twitter home page, there is a section on the right side of the page that asks the visitor if he or she is new to Twitter. Underneath that is a button that says "Give it a try." Clicking on this button takes the visitor to a secure page to begin the sign-up process.

The sign-up page asks for the newcomer's full name. It says first and last name, but it is not necessary. There is not a "Twitter police" that will come and arrest people who do not give their full first and last names. Be aware, however, that the name inserted in this box **will appear on a public profile.** So be wise about privacy and how much information to divulge.



There are also the usual spaces for a username, password, and an email address. The username is what will appear next to every tweet the user posts, so choose something wisely, because the only way to get a new username is to get a new account. The first of Twitter's privacy tools is employed on this page. When choosing a password, Twitter will not let a new user choose a "weak" password. If a common word is entered as the password, Twitter will not accept it unless there are numbers or capital letters added to make it stronger. Twitter will also send an email to the provided email address to ensure that the person attached to that email address really is requesting an account. There is a privacy agreement and terms of service that must be checked in order to finish the registration process.

Once an account is created, Twitter will then give the new user a list of popular categories of people using Twitter (these are generally the categories the famous people qualify under). Like Tom Hanks? Check out the "Entertainment" group. Like Dolly Parton? Check out the "Music" group. Paula Deen? "Food & Drink" group. These suggestion groups give the new user a place to start when looking for people to follow.

The new user can also search for friends. If there is a known friend on Twitter, the user can search that username. Also, in the process of signing up, there is the option of allowing twitter to access a user's email account and the address book within that email account. These addresses are then cross-referenced with Twitter users to determine if a person has any friends using Twitter.

Once new users complete the sign-up process, they are ready to tweet to the world. Just remember that tweets are limited to 140 characters, and unless tweets are set to private, the whole world can see the tweet. 

What's the quickest way to get Twitter?

 * Visit Twitter
 * Click the "Give it a try" button
 * Fill in the necessary info and accept the terms and privacy policy
 * Search for and add people to follow by either browsing the suggestions or entering names to search
 * Finish up with some settings and reply to the email confirmation
 * Sign in and get to tweeting

A few things to know about Twitter
Two Twitter users can have a conversation, of sorts, in their Twitter feeds. If a person posts an interesting tweet, another user can do an @ Reply to that user, commenting on his or her post. An @ Reply occurs when a user begins his or her tweet with the @username format, where "username" is replaced with the actual username of the person the response is directed toward.


 * Similar to and @ Reply is a Mention. A mention occurs when the @username format is inserted within the tweet. This is another way to direct a message toward a particular user. If that user is following the person doing the @ Reply or Mention, then he or she will see it in his or her feed. If not, a user can still check the @ Replies and mentions by clicking on the @username (again, the "username" is replaced with the actual user's name) in the right-side menu.

Also in the right side menu is a place for direct messages. This is another tool that a user can use to communicate with another user. Direct messages are || || communications on Twitter that are not visible to everyone, if a Twitter page is public, or everyone who follows a person whose tweets are set to private. It is almost like a mini version of an email, and it can be used to establish direct communication with another Twitter user.

Hashtags are another useful piece of information for someone who is going to use Twitter. Hashtags help people to categorize their tweets, and they are created by using the pound sign plus the topicname (format: #topicname). When using a hashtag, it is useful to know if there is already a category for that tweet's topic. Hashtags are generally used when talking about something or someone, as opposed to directly replying to or mentionig a person. The World Cup is coinciding with the writing of this wiki. If a member was to tweet a comment about the World Cup, a hastag of #worldcup could be added to the tweet to categorize it with other tweets being posted about the World Cup.

The final within-Twitter feature to be addressed is a [|Retweet]. If a user comes across a particularly interesting tweet, the option is available to retweet it. This means that user's followers will be able to see the original tweet and who posted it. This is a way for users to share tweets of interest with each other, especially since different users are going to be following different people. It allows an individual to be expressive and share with followers those things that he or she finds interesting. See the following video regarding retweets:

media type="youtube" key="AIBf8cU_wM0" height="223" width="364"

Twitter's use in the classroom
Twitter can actually be utilized in the classroom. It allows students to get engaged in class discussions in which they might not otherwise participate. Sometimes, classrooms are packed and not every student can have a chance to voice his or her opinion. Also, there can be time constraints on a class period that can also cause problems with every student who wants to participate having a chance to do so. There is also the case of the shy student who is uncomfortable speaking up in class. Twitter gives these students a chance to have a voice and participate.

Utilizing Twitter also gives the students a connection to technology. Many times, students are already using these types of social networking tools outside of the classroom, and bringing them into the classroom can boost student engagement in the class. Below are two videos that show how Twitter is being used as a classroom tool. The first video is for a college level course from the University of Texas, Dallas. The second video talks about how a high school teacher in Minnesota finds Twitter to be a valuable addition to her classroom.

media type="youtube" key="6WPVWDkF7U8" height="330" width="530"

media type="youtube" key="4OxIz_3o3O0" height="336" width="529"

Pros

 * It is **FREE**!
 * Sign-up is quick and easy - All that is needed is an active email account
 * Tweets can be set to private and hidden from those who do not follow the user
 * It can be personalized - Each user can express his or her personality with backgrounds and formatting
 * Twitter can be used both on computers and cell phones
 * When using it in the classroom, students can:
 * interact with classmates
 * contribute an opinion without having to speak up or be passed over for lack of time
 * synthesize their thoughts to get their comments posted in 140 characters or less

 Cons

 * Twitter is not always accessible in the classroom - Many schools have it blocked (i.e. - Tennessee's filter blocks it)
 * A seemingly innocent topic search can bring back some questionable results
 * If following others outside of the classroom, their comments cannot be controlled and filtered

Mixed

 * Twitter asks to access the user's email account to search for friends - Can skip this step and not allow it
 * It has an option to add locations to tweets - Can be a safety issue, and again can be disabled
 * It is as safe as the user makes it - be sure to encourage smart internet use and review the importance of privacy

bubbleus || Carbonmade || edistorm || FunnelBrain || GoAnimate || home || Make Beliefs Comix || Members || Pandora || Quizlet || Speech Accent Archive || Twitter

media type="custom" key="6389405" width="20" height="20" 1. [] 2. [|"How One Teacher Uses Twitter in the Classroom"] 3. [|"6 Examples of Using Twitter in the Classroom"] 4. [|"Twitter in the Classroom"] 5. [|"How Twitter in the Classroom is Boosting Student Engagement"]