- Image by notoriousxl via Flickr
While I would usually consider myself leading edge when it comes to web and technology uptake, I have been very slow with social media technologies. Take Facebook for example – it wasn’t until my wife showed me how she was reconnecting with many old school friends that I saw any benefit to it (and I still only use it to share images and as an address book).
Twitter can best be described as a cross between an IM client such as MSN Messenger, an RSS feed and SMS. Messages must be less than 140 characters and can include a link. The essential point is to answer the simple question ‘What are you doing?’ You can follow individuals’ messages or search on topics. At the time of writing, swine flu is getting a lot of play.
Twitter has been growing rapidly for a couple of years now, but I was always ‘put off’ by vacuous drivel – really, I have little interest in what Ashton Kutcher had for breakfast. Lately however, more news agencies and websites have been using it as a tool to disperse news in real time such as @cnn and @abcnews, along with some of my favourite tech mavens such as Leo Laporte (@LeoLaporte) and John C Dvorak (@therealdvorak) share their latest tips.
In essence, when used correctly, Twitter has much to offer in terms of keeping up with the latest news as it breaks. If you would like to keep up with the latest tips and tricks from Dr Gadget follow @drgadgetonline
