Friday, August 5, 2011

Twitter Newsfeeds - Staying Apprised of the World Around You

Ah, Twitter. That enigmatic piece of 'social media technology' that is on the tip of everyone's tongues these days. Whenever I peruse the web, I am confronted by two opposing narratives: 1) Twitter as invaluable marketing tool, news source, and networking masterpiece; and 2) Twitter as collective trash heap of unintelligible web banter (i.e. 'tweetspeak'). While I think that both aficionados and dissenters make important points, it's often difficult for the layperson (a.k.a. me) to discern practical ways to utilize Twitter.

To help average folks like you and me navigate the complexities of the Twitterverse, Launch intern, Caroline Tan, explores one of Twitter's most basic (and powerful) functions: the newsfeed.

The Skinny on Twitter Newsfeeds

Most of you have heard of Twitter, which is a social networking tool that uses the concept of microblogging. The point of microblogging is to post messages that are short (hence the “micro”) and easy to read. These short posts are amicably called “tweets.”

At first glance, you may think this is just another social networking tool like Facebook and definitely another way to waste time by stalking your friends online. Yes, stalking your friends online is a good way to procrastinate at your desk, but that’s not the only thing Twitter is useful for. Different people use Twitter for various purposes. Some people use Twitter to update others about their lives, a lot of businesses use Twitter to market themselves, and job seekers even use Twitter to look for potential jobs.

What do I use Twitter for, you ask? I personally find Twitter useful for accessing news. Here are a few tips on being up-to-date with the news you are interested in and pointers on how to organize them.

Identify Your Interests

Make a list of what you’re interested in reading about. Maybe it’s sports, politics, tips on getting into top colleges, private SAT tutoring, or even news on Lady Gaga. Now click on the “Who To Follow” tab at the top of your Twitter page and search for feeds to follow by entering those interests in the search box. For example, if you type “education” into the search box, you will get feeds like @usedgov (education information straight from the government), @tedtalks (follow amazing speakers through this feed!) and @USNewsEducation (research on college rankings to help you during the college application process). The list of feeds goes on and on. If you are uncertain of what to add to your list, you can choose to browse by interests or view suggestions that Twitter has generated for you based on who you are already following or who your friends follow.

Create Twitter Lists
If you find that you are following too many users and have a hard time organizing the news you read, then maybe it’s time you started categorizing them into lists. Under the “What’s Happening” text box, there is a tab for “Lists.” Twitter Lists allows you to filter the news you read based on what you feel like reading at a certain point in time. For example, if you only wish to read news pertaining to Lady Gaga, Britney Spears and Beyonce, then you would make a list named “Celebrities” for just them.

If you’re not up to making your own list, consider following someone else’s instead. For example, I follow the Wall Street Journal’s politics list that features 32 different users discussing U.S. politics and policy on Twitter. The WSJ also has lists on various other topics of discussion such as business, investing, and healthcare. You just have to search around to see what cool stuff you can find.

Utilize Twitter Apps
Call them Twitter add-ons, plug-ins or whatever it is you prefer. They are simply websites with built-in scripts that complement Twitter. One of the most popular Twitter apps out there is TweetDeck.

TweetDeck allows you to organize your social media life because it not only allows you to organize your Twitter account into sections like “Direct Messages” or “@Replies,” it allows you to integrate your Facebook, FourSquare, LinkedIn etc. with the application. You have the ability to create or delete columns and name them so you can have total control over your social media experience. Pretty cool, huh?

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