Skills: familiarity with the Twitter user interface and major features, the #hashtag and @-sign, and search Concepts: evolution of Twitter applications and access modes, citizen journalism, trending topics and finding people as well as information

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Using Twitter

Where does this topic fit?

• Internet concepts– Applications– Technology– Implications

• Internet skills– Application development– Content creation– User skills (Twitter)

http://www.commoncraft.com/twitter

Watch this video first

Not just personal friends

Twitter, a micro blogging service -- home

http://www.twitter.com/

Mark, re-tweet, reply or open

Watch this video

http://commoncraft.com/twitter-search

@username: specify a particular Twitter user

Hashtag: retrieve posts on a given topic

Two special characters

Search for #Jan25

Twitter user interface -- connect

@username

Twitter user interface -- discover

Twitter profile page

http://www.twitter.com/larrypress

Twitter’s evolution2006-20012

Twitter’s evolution, 2006-20012

Accounts are free

Play time

Summary

Self-study questions

1. What is the difference between the Home and Profile pages?2. How are the at sign (@) and hash character (#) used in the Twitter

community?3. What are the trending topics right now in Los Angeles? Check an hour

later. Have they changed?4. Are the trending topics in Los Angeles the same as the trending topics

in New York? London?5. The following slide has links to two versions of the same presentation:

a video and a “Prezi.” Which do you like best?6. When you send someone a tweet that begins with @username, does it

appear in your tweet stream, theirs or both?

• Twitter support: https://support.twitter.com/

• A video introduction to Twitter:http://derekbruff.com/talks/twitter101lilly.swf

• A “Prezi” of the above video:http://prezi.com/woab_ix3hvt0/twitter-101-for-the-2010-pod-network-conference/

• Book about the use of Twitter in business by tech journalist Julio Ojeda-Zapata:http://yourtech.typepad.com/twitinbiz/

• Interview of Juilio Ojeda Zapata on his use of Twitter as a journalist (audio and transcript).http://www.onthemedia.org/transcripts/2008/08/22/06

• Introduction to Twitter in business:http://business.twitter.com/

• Twitter search in plain English (3m 19s video):http://commoncraft.com/twitter-search

• Talk by Clay Shirky, which includes examples of Twitter in citizen journalism:http://cis275topics.blogspot.com/2010/09/how-social-media-can-make-history.html

• Interview of Twitter co-founders on their backgrounds, Twitter evolution and plans for the future:

http://cis275topics.blogspot.com/2010/09/evolution-and-impact-of-twitter.html

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