On Twitter, I join the #ELTchat stream. My initial impression was total confusion. Twitter's microblog format makes it so that users post short blogs, aka "tweets" and these may include links, pictures or simply be "re-tweets" of what another user(s) posted before. The result is an enormous flood of information with certain tweets being much more useful than others for your current search purposes. Once, a new user pics up on the dynamics of Twitter, the combing through the likely multitudes of tweets should get easier. The key is to use the appropriate search phrase, which may take some time to hone.
On the bright side, following as established user can greatly help in finding information and this is Twitter's strength. Networked users can share information particular to their field and/or interest. In fact, my first hashtag search led me to several Twitter feeds that I found interesting and it was from there that I started to search for actual information on the whole site. The building of the network really really helps with the organization and efficiency of the searching. In effect, by following others, you are customizing your own Twitter feed and what it receives. Think of it as a cable TV package, subscribe to channels of interest and the link, pics, articles, and videos that you are looking for will come your way, or at least you'll be in the right ballpark.
I would say that #ELTchat is pretty good. I found several interesting things there. However, I still have to explore Twitter more and join a live chat at some point. That way, Twitter's full potential will be seen.
On the bright side, following as established user can greatly help in finding information and this is Twitter's strength. Networked users can share information particular to their field and/or interest. In fact, my first hashtag search led me to several Twitter feeds that I found interesting and it was from there that I started to search for actual information on the whole site. The building of the network really really helps with the organization and efficiency of the searching. In effect, by following others, you are customizing your own Twitter feed and what it receives. Think of it as a cable TV package, subscribe to channels of interest and the link, pics, articles, and videos that you are looking for will come your way, or at least you'll be in the right ballpark.
Ergo:
- search for a Twitter chat (#____), go through a few to see what each one has
- scan chats that looks good, pick out ones to follow
- once you picked some (5-10), go back to your Twitter home and see what's there
- add/remove chats as needed
- there's your (first) Twitter network(s)
I would say that #ELTchat is pretty good. I found several interesting things there. However, I still have to explore Twitter more and join a live chat at some point. That way, Twitter's full potential will be seen.
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