What's all the Twitter about?
Microblogging site continues to grow, helps users follow friends, organizations
Theresa Schneider
Issue date: 4/6/09 Section: Showcase
By now, MySpace and Facebook are nothing new for college students, a generation that was the first to grow up with profile pages on the Internet.
New on the scene of social media and growing more than 1,300 percent a year is Twitter, a mircoblogging site catching attention from individuals and businesses alike.
Senior Tyler Morris said he checks his Twitter account about five times a day, while his friends say Morris checks his Twitter account more like 10 times a day.
"I guess it's more than I'm willing to admit," he said of his new online hobby.
So what's Twitter all about? Twitter started when founder Jack Dorsey became intrigued with the idea of keeping tabs on what his friends were up to. So he decided to build something around the status concept, according to Twitter.com.
And what was developed was simple: a Web site that asks, "What are you doing?" A prototype was launched in August 2006, and Twitter Incorporated was founded in May 2007. It's a service designed to keep people connected through short answers, called microblogging.
Twitter members simply respond to the question "What are you doing?" in 140 characters or less, and the response is posted in their Twitter home pages. Members can follow and keep tabs on other Twitter members.
Each time one Twitter member updates his or her status, anyone following that person can see his or her updates. Members can simply view the statuses or can reply, also with 140 characters or less. Each post is called a tweet.
Twitter members can tweet and receive tweets online or from mobile phones.
Members can also control settings to decide who to follow, set inactive times so they can't receive tweets at certain times, and members can choose not to follow specific members at any time, according to the Web site.
In other words, members can control the flow of tweets and tailor a Twitter account to his or her preferences.
So why? According to Twitter.com, even the most basic updates are significant to friends and family.
New on the scene of social media and growing more than 1,300 percent a year is Twitter, a mircoblogging site catching attention from individuals and businesses alike.
Senior Tyler Morris said he checks his Twitter account about five times a day, while his friends say Morris checks his Twitter account more like 10 times a day.
"I guess it's more than I'm willing to admit," he said of his new online hobby.
So what's Twitter all about? Twitter started when founder Jack Dorsey became intrigued with the idea of keeping tabs on what his friends were up to. So he decided to build something around the status concept, according to Twitter.com.
And what was developed was simple: a Web site that asks, "What are you doing?" A prototype was launched in August 2006, and Twitter Incorporated was founded in May 2007. It's a service designed to keep people connected through short answers, called microblogging.
Twitter members simply respond to the question "What are you doing?" in 140 characters or less, and the response is posted in their Twitter home pages. Members can follow and keep tabs on other Twitter members.
Each time one Twitter member updates his or her status, anyone following that person can see his or her updates. Members can simply view the statuses or can reply, also with 140 characters or less. Each post is called a tweet.
Twitter members can tweet and receive tweets online or from mobile phones.
Members can also control settings to decide who to follow, set inactive times so they can't receive tweets at certain times, and members can choose not to follow specific members at any time, according to the Web site.
In other words, members can control the flow of tweets and tailor a Twitter account to his or her preferences.
So why? According to Twitter.com, even the most basic updates are significant to friends and family.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Lisa Quinn
posted 4/06/09 @ 3:51 PM CST
We are now in the information era, where everything is transmitted via internet for a fast, easy and convenient relaying of messages in order to communicate in a real time fashion. (Continued…)
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