Twitter and the Teenage Boy

Last week I introduced Twitter to 12 high school seniors (I work in a boys school) in my Digital Journalism class. None of them had used Twitter before. They knew of it, but did not have accounts. Facebook is their go-to social network, but they were interested in learning more about a tool that they had heard so much about. They had the classic response to Twitter - "Why would anyone want to know what I had for breakfast?" and they were surprised to discover that there is much more to Twitter than they knew about.

I showed them the basics, how to find followers, what it means when someone follows you. They learned about the Iran Election, Moldova and Mumbai and we discussed the differences between Facebook and Twitter. They wrote about their reactions. Here is a little bit of what some of them had to say.

"Twitter is a great resource that I intend on making full use of when I’m older, but until then, for me, Twitter will be used only for educational purposes while Facebook dominates as my main means of social media." - Colin E.

"There are also many more things you can do with Facebook that you just can not do with Twitter that involve more personal or direct contact." - Jack

"I do not think Twitter is relevant to people in our age group. From what I have seen, the people on Twitter are either teachers, celebrities, business corporations, or endorsers. I could hardly find people within my age group on Twitter, and I feel a that is a big factor for teenagers." - Agazi


"For now, I will stick to Facebook since my amount of followers is so small and I have nothing interesting to Tweet. However, one day as I hope to own my own company, Twitter may be the tool to spread my new products or works across the globe." -Kevin

Overall, they could see the value of Twitter for others, for the world and for them in the future. But they were in agreement that right now in their lives Facebook does everything Twitter does and more. I wonder if I had girls in the class if they would have responded differently? What do you think?

Twitter List Screencast

Recently Twitter introduced the ability to create and subscribe to lists. I've been playing around with this new feature and I think it has a lot of potential. I created this screencast to show a few of the things I've learned.

In addition to my screencast, @_stevewoods wrote a great post describing Twitter lists. And, here is the direct link to the Twitter Gadget for embedding your list on a website.

Please share your tips. What have you learned about lists? Do you like them? I'm still trying to figure out how to subscribe to a list in a reader. Does anyone know how to do that?

P.S. This is the first time I have included my own image as part of the screencast. I'm not sure if I like it, or if it is helpful. Let me know what you think.

A Twitter Love Story

This analogy came to me last night and I couldn't resist telling the story. It is meant as a joke, but isn't there a little bit of truth to all jokes. Do you see yourself in Suzie's story? I have to admit that I do. Enjoy.

The following is a dramatization - names have been changed to protect the innocent.


Suzie remembers when she first met Twitter. Everyone told her she had to go out with him, he was perfect for her. Suzie was skeptical, but she agreed to go on one date. They met for coffee, they talked a little, but there were no sparks. Suzie went home not sure what everyone talking about. She went on with her life and didn't see Twitter again for quite a while.

A few months later at a party, Suzie saw Twitter across the room. He was surrounded by people. They were all talking to him, fawning over him. She still didn't get what the big deal was, but she decided to walk over and say hello. Twitter remembered her from their date and she and T started talking. They had a decent conversation. At the end of the party T asked Suzie for another date, and Suzie agreed to meet him.

T and Suzie met at a nice restaurant, it was busy, but not too loud. They started talking and Suzie found not only was T really easy to talk to, he was also a good listener. On their second date Suzie started to open up to T, she started to share a bit more of her self. She asked questions and was surprised to find T pretty knowledgeable about a wide variety of subjects. Suzie could feel herself falling for him, but she still kept her heart in check.

Over time, Suzie fell deeper and deeper. After several dates, long conversations, and an occasional time when T pulled her out of a jam, she was hooked. Suzie was in love. She was infatuated. She became a bit obsessed. She checked in with T all the time, from her phone, from work, from home. She couldn't wait to see what T had to say. Did he leave her a special message? Did he have the answer to something she just couldn't figure out?

She was in love, but it was also affecting her other friendships. Her friends just didn't get why she was so in to him. She tried to explain, but they teased her about him. A few of her friends took the time to get know him, many didn't. Suzie was ok with that.

More time passed and Suzie fell in to a comfortable relationship with Twitter. She learned how to get the most out of her time with him. She began to feel she could trust him, to know that he would be there for her if she needed him. The intensity of her feelings subsided and a feeling of calm took its place.

Today Suzie and Twitter are still together. Their relationship has deepened and grown. She enjoys her time with him, but has learned how to balance it with the other relationships in her life. She can't remember her life before she met him. She is looking forward to seeing how their relationship will change over time.

Two For Tuesday 3/10/09

1. befunky - Photo effects with one click, Turn your photos into artwork
Upload any photo andbefunky will turn it into a cartoon, a Wharhol-like painting a line drawing and more.It is simple to do and you can use the resulting image as an icon or profile picture. You can also create and purchase t-shirts, postage stamps, and coffee mugs (among other items) featuring your image.

2. Realtime Twitter Search Results on Google
Great Twitter plug-in for your Firefox browser. Once installed, your Google searches will show not only Google results, but also the most recent 5 tweets related to your query. This blog post explains how to first install Grease Monkey and then install the plug-in. I've done it, it is easy to do and it works.