Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Twitter Twit

That be me. I am honestly starting to get the guilts about people following me on Twitter. They have nothing to follow. I am lost in this wilderness of drive-by posts and dangling conversational bits.

I'm so sorry!

I don't know how to respond to comments. I don't know how to participate in discussions. I don't feel like hunting down and reading instructions.

So . . . how do I get involved? Do I want to get involved? I'm not entirely sure yet. There are so damned many wackos out there! I haven't felt too kindly disposed toward social networking lately, because sometimes the Web bears an alarming resemblance to a spider web, with plump, toxic arachnids just lying in wait and trembling with anticipation 'cause they're so eager to pounce. I don't want them near me!

But anyway, for future reference, how does Twitter work? I just haven't bothered to get the hang of it.

18 comments:

Chris said...

Twitter free and proud of it! :)

Kris said...

I use a Twitter platform called Tweetdeck: http://www.tweetdeck.com/

I started using this because as techstupid I found it easier to use that the official Twitter page... and that's saying something.

It's a free program and allows you to set up separate columns for the @ messages to you, for the DM direct messages/private messages to you as well as other columns; for eg, I have one that includes all the people I talk to the most, another which has all the tweets from those whom I'm interested in keeping an eye on what they're talking about, and then there's my gay porn star column/feed... so awesome. :)

It also let's you set up notifications; that is, if one of your mates tweet it will make a sound at you or when you receive a message yourself.

In both Tweetdeck and Twitter to find out more about a particular convo you can always click on either the bottom line of the tweet box or the speech bubble respectively. That will show you the rest of the convo fyi.

Shoot me an email if you want to know more. :)

Tam said...

I don't use Tweetdeck. Too confusing for me. I just use regular. I sent you an e-mail with a picture. :-)

Average Reader said...

KZ, I know what you mean about social networking. What a gigantic energy suck. That said, Twitter can be fun because you have to limit your message to 140 characters. That provides a challenge like writing a haiku or something.

Chris - I totally wish you were on Twitter. I keep looking for you. :)I'd be Tweeting you knitting questions. In fact, I'd probably make a pest of myself, ha, ha!

Chris said...

Val: You can always email me. :)

Average Reader said...

Chris - I'm going to do that, especially if I try to take on those circular knitting needles!

Chris said...

I don't use anything other than circs, Val, so... :)

K. Z. Snow said...

Chris ~ I understand your comment perfectly.

Kris ~ o_O (For starters, I think I need to practice where to click to get the result I'm after. Thus far, I haven't got the hang of the @ thing at all.)

Tam ~ I just want to know more about your canker sore and itchy spot and the dude who was sleeping on his desk. :-D

Val ~ Aha! Now I know where you've been! (Btw, thank you so much for the rec in the "Wild Fire" newsletter. It was a really lovely surprise.)

Chris ~ Now I don't understand your comment.(Circular knitting needles? Shall I assume they're for knitting in a circle? Like when you're making socks, maybe? Or do you just like f*****g with yourself? *g*)

K. Z. Snow said...

Meaning, Chris, f*****g with your head. (I just realized you might've given that a kinky interpretation I hadn't intended. Hell no. Not with knitting needles.)

Chris said...

Thanks for clearing that one up. :D

K. Z. Snow said...

You still haven't explained their purpose!

Chris said...

Circular needles make it easy to knit things that are circular, such as sweaters, socks, hats, mittens, etc. They also keep the weight of the knitted item distributed more evenly, thus reducing strain on the hands and wrists. :)

Average Reader said...

(Btw, thank you so much for the rec in the "Wild Fire" newsletter. It was a really lovely surprise.)

You're very welcome! How cool that you're subscribed. :)

And Chris, you use nothing but circs! Ah, something for me to aspire to.

K. Z. Snow said...

Okay, everybody, I've been putzing with Twitter this evening and quite enjoying it. (Just what I need: another distraction. *sigh*)

I might even get brave enough to check out the Tweetdeck thingie Kris mentioned.

Katrina Strauss said...

I access Twitter via either Tweetdeck or my phone's Android app. Makes things a lot easier.

Even with those programs, however, things can still get overwhelming. I know I had to take a break for a while! However, I recently gave both Facebook and Twitter a second chance after reading some social networking advice from Tee Morris. First of all, the whole point of Tweets or status updates is that they tell others what you are doing RIGHT NOW. Don't feel guilty if you don't have time to scroll back and see what someone posted 5 hours ago, or 5 days ago, because that defies the whole "in the moment" aspect of things. It's what someone said five minutes ago that counts in the Twitter environment.

Also, rather than try to chat with everyone (overwhelming!) or random people hoping for a "hit" (too scattered!), you should instead filter down to a small, intimate network and chat with that group. This doesn't make you a snob, either. Chatting with a smaller group actually allows you to make louder "noise" and have more interesting things to share on specific topics. That way, your followers (who Tee Morris says have followed you because they want to know what you're doing and don't necessarily expect a reply back) will see you posting on topics of interest. From there, they can jump into the convo if they're so inclined, and you can engage in conversation with them from there. I've tried this approach recently, and find it works better for me and is more fun than trying to comment on *everyone's* updates from two days ago.

I actually get more responses now from chatting over in the corner than when I tried to work the whole room, so to speak. (Yet if you don't get responses right away, it doesn't mean people aren't reading your posts.)

So don't be shy. I'll talk with you on Twitter if I'm around. ;)

K. Z. Snow said...

That is excellent advice, Kitty. Now I'll have to look you up -- 'cause heaven knows, I don't want to run out of reasons to waste time. :-D

Katrina Strauss said...

What's a little time wasted between friends? It's what Twitter's all about!

Oh, I just caught this on Elisa's blog!

http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/1441407.html

K. Z. Snow said...

Yes! Elisa sent me a message. I'm so proud of Anne's work; she's never let me down. (Have you been checking out all the covers? What an impressive array!)