Twitter: The popular new networking site all about nothing
Students and alumns flock to Twitter, a growing trend that's changing communication online and on phones
Liz Essley
Issue date: 3/5/09 Section: Beyond
One hundred and forty characters per status. Zero advertisers. $0 revenue. An estimated 7 million users. 752 percent more users in 2008 alone, according to the online social media guide mashable.com.
This is Twitter. It's big, and it's getting bigger.
"Twitter is on the way to becoming the next killer app," TIME magazine said.
"It seems as though all the world's a-twitter," Newsweek echoed.
Twitter users type brief (140 characters or fewer) sentences in a box at the top of their also-brief profiles by phone or computer. The updates go out to all their followers. The space below the box displays a list of all the most recent updates from the Twitter accounts they have selected to receive updates from.
Junior Hannah Falldorf joined Twitter in late October. She now updates several times day, has 53 followers, is following 53 Twitter accounts, and has posted 449 status updates. She says the draw is the short, quick communication.
Users can follow friends who write about their daily lives ("This is my 17th hour of Psych testing. *hope it's worth it*," Falldorf tweets), breaking news ("The blue chip Dow Jones index slumps 4.25 percent to close at its lowest point since 1997," CNN tweets) or the thousands of other twitterers with links and quips to share.
"Somehow Twitter manages to remain personal and be useful," Falldorf said.
Falldorf said she was once hunting for a digital SLR camera to buy. She posted on her account, "Hey Twitterbirds, does anybody have any opinions about the Nikon D-90?" She received quick replies from several photographers.
Falldorf has also used Twitter to find help writing a cover letter, ask for prayers and keep in touch with Hillsdale alumni.
But Falldorf isn't the only one finding Twitter handy.
Katherine Poythress '08, who writes for Alabama newspaper The Daily Home, has used the mobile feature of Twitter to get directions when lost. She texted Twitter with her cell phone describing her location, and Twitterers responded within minutes.
This is Twitter. It's big, and it's getting bigger.
"Twitter is on the way to becoming the next killer app," TIME magazine said.
"It seems as though all the world's a-twitter," Newsweek echoed.
Twitter users type brief (140 characters or fewer) sentences in a box at the top of their also-brief profiles by phone or computer. The updates go out to all their followers. The space below the box displays a list of all the most recent updates from the Twitter accounts they have selected to receive updates from.
Junior Hannah Falldorf joined Twitter in late October. She now updates several times day, has 53 followers, is following 53 Twitter accounts, and has posted 449 status updates. She says the draw is the short, quick communication.
Users can follow friends who write about their daily lives ("This is my 17th hour of Psych testing. *hope it's worth it*," Falldorf tweets), breaking news ("The blue chip Dow Jones index slumps 4.25 percent to close at its lowest point since 1997," CNN tweets) or the thousands of other twitterers with links and quips to share.
"Somehow Twitter manages to remain personal and be useful," Falldorf said.
Falldorf said she was once hunting for a digital SLR camera to buy. She posted on her account, "Hey Twitterbirds, does anybody have any opinions about the Nikon D-90?" She received quick replies from several photographers.
Falldorf has also used Twitter to find help writing a cover letter, ask for prayers and keep in touch with Hillsdale alumni.
But Falldorf isn't the only one finding Twitter handy.
Katherine Poythress '08, who writes for Alabama newspaper The Daily Home, has used the mobile feature of Twitter to get directions when lost. She texted Twitter with her cell phone describing her location, and Twitterers responded within minutes.
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