I am a huge fan of social networking and love Facebook and Pinterest and Good Reads and… well you get the picture. That being said, I was a late adopter of Twitter (I am now on @EAgran). Let’s see – 140 characters of update from me blast out to whomever – why would anyone care?? I tried to get people to explain it to me. Lots of friends follow celebrities, athletes, news sources, experts. OK, that made sense (except what could they say in 140 characters that would be meaningful?) Oh ok – LINKS. That could be helpful. I guess.
So what is Twitter? Wikipedia says:
“Twitter is an online social networking service and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based messages of up to 140 characters, known as “tweets”. It was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July. The service rapidly gained worldwide popularity, with over 500 million active users as of 2012, generating over 340 million tweets daily and handling over 1.6 billion search queries per day.[6][8][9] Since its launch, the Twitter website has become one of the top 10 most visited on the Internet, and has been described as “the SMS of the Internet.”[5][10] Unregistered users can read tweets, while registered users can post tweets through the website interface, SMS, or a range of apps for mobile devices”
Ok – still not so sure this is for me… but a few months ago when I started this blog, I decided to see if I could sort out “the Twitter” and I think I am starting to get it. I follow almost 1,000 people, blogs, news sources, (a few) celebrities, athletes and personalities. It is totally overwhelming and out of control, but I feel like I get some awesome nuggets of unexpected information and love to just open it up and see if I find a pearl. It is like an online treasure hunt. So now I get the concept of being a follower and I tweet my blog posts and something else every so often or re-tweet when I see something that really moves me.
The one thing I still need some help with is the # and the chat. I. Don’t. Get. It! I understand from friends that the hash sign can be either a way to categorize and search or a way to be witty/sarcastic (thanks for the tip, Kath!)(but as you can see my inner dialogue is not always witty or if it is I need more than a few letters to get there. You know?) Do you use twitter for chat or feedback? Can you explain it to me? Please?
Great news – there is a reason I am blabbing about Twitter – to share “Links I Like” about Twitter.
– I read an awesome section in Travel and Leisure magazine about social networking and travel. Take a look at “Using Twitter for Travel and “How Social Media is Changing the Travel Industry.” What social media do you use for travel? Just the idea that I can tweet a powerful complaint to an AIRLINE and get my problem solved makes my heart sing!
– The Greatist has an awesome list of Olympic athletes to follow Yes, please! and an even better list of health and wellness resources to follow. Some of these are the main places I get stories and ideas for my blog. Who do you follow?
– I found a zillion “best twitter accounts of 2011”. This one from buzzfeed is pretty good! and Time magazine has the 140 Best Twitter Feeds of 2012 by category.
OK – enough of my blab on Twitter? How About Some Friend’s Finds?
– Leslye found a great deal on icebreaker gear 30% off on sale items. Here is one of her favorites. It is not cheap but it is made of high quality merino wool and resists odors for many wearings – great for the outdoors-people in your life!
– Like to bake? Me neither, but I like friends who bake. Jeff says his favorite baking site is having a great sale. Check out this sale at King Arthur Flour online.
And a few deals…
– Have you checked out The Clymb? It is a site that has flash sales and some of the best prices I have seen on major brands for running, cycling, hiking and fitness. They are having a HUGE sale. Many of the items under $10 and $25 are sold out but there are still some great deals. They also have other great brands at excellent prices. Check it out!
– Nordstrom is having its Half Yearly Sale and they have some great prices (my favorite Zella yoga clothes which almost never go on sale!). Use ebates and shop online (free shipping and returns) and you will get 5% cash back!
– Living Social has some great deals on personalized stationary for kids at Frecklebox and custom stickers or labels for kids or adults from Sticker You.
– Groupon and CTA are back at it with $9 for 3 day CTA pass – do the math – great for commuters and vacationers! Good until mid 2013!
– Oops – almost forgot to mention — if you are interested in trying Klutch Club to get $50+/month in fitness and beauty products and discounts (and cool free offers like I had last week!), you can get 3 months for the price of 2 with the code FREEMONTH (regularly $51 for $34). I have been having a lot of fun with these!
That’s enough for now! Have a great day! (and please tell me how to use hashtags if you know!)