FAQS about Twitter So why Twitter Filtering your Twitter stream Twitter

 Chapter 14

How to create a Twitter stream

Once you become a part of the Twitter community you need to become

engaged immediately not only should you look for interesting people to

follow but you should also attain followers as well. The communication

between you and the rest of the Twitter world comes to you through what is

called the stream. The Twitter stream is the series of feeds that a user gets

news, information and tweets. Users also share their own news and

information as well. The stream can contain news, tweets, links to articles,

videos and information about you and your followers. Your stream is an

important part of your Twitter experience.

The main way to create a Twitter stream is to obtain followers and find

people to follow. After you have created your Twitter community then you

will want to be active in the community so that there is relatively steady

stream of conversation, shared news, articles, videos and information.

Most people are on Twitter to get access to news and information. And the

stream is how they get it. To properly create a Twitter stream by attracting

followers, you should follow specific steps.

1. Use self promotion – self promotion can be a great and useful way to get

people interested in you and what you have to say. Using this method as a

tool to attract followers you should toot your own horn but be reasonable; it

is not advisable to overdo the self promotion that can have the reverse

effect and turn people off to you. When people think you are conceited they

will tend to ignore you.

2. Be fair and share – people are interested in information all kinds of

information, that is why they are on Twitter to begin with. When you have

news, articles, photos, videos or links to interesting information is willing to

share what you have with the rest of the community. By sharing people will

follow your stream for the interesting information that you tweet. Also make

sure that the information that you share is interesting and will capture

people’s attention.

3. Be engaging – engage with the rest of the community and your followers.

Post tweets regularly and post tweets that are well written. Also show post

tweets that are reasonable and down to earth. Additionally make your

tweets interesting to read.The Twitter stream can move at a hectic pace, and you will need specific

tools to help keep track of your stream. Some viable tools are:

 Twitterfall is one of most commonly used Twitter streaming applications,

you set keywords that you want keep track of and new tweets that contain

that keyword will show up at the top of your search results.

 Monitter takes your stream search results and places them into columns as

per your designation. You can also retweet, reply and visit the profiles of

those that appear in your stream.

 Twitter Search allows the user to search the stream but not in real time.

Chapter 15

Filtering your Twitter stream

The Twitter stream moves at a furious pace especially if you follow a large

amount of people. In order to be able to get to the information or tweets

that interest you at a particular moment you need to have the ability to filter

through the stream. There are many filtering applications that can be used

to filter your searches.

 Microplaza is a stream filtering service that permits the user to organize the

tweets in your stream that contain links. The links are organized according

to how recently it was posted and how popular the tweet is. This filtering

premise is based on the fact that you will be more interested in the tweets

and links from the people you already follow.

 Another possible filtering method is to organize the people that you follow

in categorized groups. By dividing your Twitter stream you make smaller

groups and the messages will flow at a slower pace making it easier to

track the people you follow. Several programs can help to make the

grouping effect easy and they are; Destroy Twitter, Tweetdeck, Seesmic

and people browser.

 You can also filter the Twitter stream by specific keywords. The following

are some programs that will help with this type of filtering;

 Philtro uses your input on tweets to determine which tweets in the future

will need to be filtered. By keywords it will filter your tweets to only the ones

that may be of particular interest to you.

 Filttr is a filtering service that allows the user to create lists of keywords,

one set of keywords are desirable and the other set are the undesirable

keywords. With this program your tweets with desirable keywords will be

displayed and the tweets with keywords from the undesirable list will not be

allowed to flow in your stream.

 Just signal is another filtering product that filters just the desirable tweets

by keywords that you designate.

 Tweetbeep lets the user track keywords in the stream and sends an email

to the user when their desired keyword is tweeted.

 Twilert works pretty much the same as tweetbeep, you are notified when a

chosen keyword is tweeted.

Another type of filter to be used in the Twitter stream is the filters that

remove “noise”. Noise is tweets that contain undesirable text or are tweets from undesirable people. These filters work to mute people not de-friend

them; it actually just mutes them until you remove the filter. Twalala is one

of these programs that will temporarily mute undesirable tweets.

Another Twitter stream filter that is popular right now is Cadmus, this filter

works to filter your stream in real time by displaying relevant tweets that

have been posted since the last time you signed on to Twitter. The tweets

are organized by relevance and grouped into relevant conversations.

Untweeps is another type of filter for managing the Twitter stream. It works

by identifying inactive users that you are following and offers the option to

unfollow them.

Chapter 16

Creating groups on Twitter

In the Twitter community following people of is the mainstay of the

website but the ability to group your follows into sets of relevant people is a

trend that is very much desired by the Twitter community. Now Twitter does

not have an inherent feature that will group people from the site so there

are several third party applications that work to create groups on Twitter.

You may want to create a group related to your hobby, job, or school some

of the programs that create groups effectively are:

 Tweetworks allows the user to create groups that are public or private; it

also permits the user to send messages to the groups whether public or

private.

 Twittangle lets the user create groups as well as tagging and rating your

friends this program lets you do batch grouping where you can drag and

drop your friends into groups that you designate.

 TwiTag is a tag searching service that you could create groups in by using

a hashtag to name a particular group of people.

 Filtr lets the user create groups according to filters.

 Tweetdeck lets the user create groups with all of your Twitter contacts.

 Twitter4groups is a program that allows users to send messages to a

private group.

 Grouptweet allows users to communicate privately with a select group.

 Tweetworks can be used for public or private groups; you can also join

groups or create your own groups.

 Tweetparty lets users create their own groups and you can message

everyone in a group simultaneously with one tweet.

 Twitter Teams this application lets you join Twitter teams and use team

tags..

There are also applications to create hashtag groups:

 Tweetknot lets you create public or private groups to follow people or rss

feeds.

 Crowdstatus is another application that allows users to create groups

 Twitizen lets the user create groups and allows for tweet filtering.

 Twitly is a basic application the lets you separate the people you follow into

groups.

 Twithive gives user the ability to not only create groups but create Twitter

channels as well.

 Twubs creates Twitter groups based on hashtag contents.

 Twibes lets you create your own grouped Twitter discussion hub.

 Tweet channel gives the opportunity for the user to create and initiate

discussions in Twitter groups.

 There are other applications that are for use with a desk top that allow for

Twitter grouping as well.

 Seesmic Desktop creates groups and calls them userlists; you can delete

lists as a whole or add and remove people individually.

 Hootsuite creates groups of users as search results.

 Destroy Twitter is another desktop application that creates user groups.

 People Browser has the basic functions of the other applications.

 Nambu works as a desktop application to create groups according to

specifications.

 Tweetr also allows the user to create groups according to desired terms.

The ability for a Twitter member to create their own specific groups within

Twitter is tremendous because of the creation of so many workable third

party grouping applications.

Chapter 17

Sharing media on Twitter

The Twitter community is all about networking, connecting and sharing.

Many Twitter users want to express themselves in more than words. The

ability to share any form of media on Twitter has been greatly enhanced by

the various applications that have been created. Many of the available

applications offer media sharing that can be uploaded in real time.

To share photos/videos on Twitter you can use:

 Twitpic the most popular application among Twitter users, the app lets the

user share their photos in real time.

 Instagram is a free mobile application that lets users upload media from

their mobile device.

 Picplz gives users the ability upload photos from mobile devices and offers

photo enhancements. This application is free.

 Twitgoo shares media via live feeds to Twitter and other social sites.

 Yfrog is a free application that allows users to share photos on Twitter.

 Twic.li/ is a Twitter photo sharing application, once you have a Twitter

account you automatically have an account for this application.

 Flicker lets users upload to their site and then distributes to social sites.

 Mobypicture offers basic photo sharing and uploads to social websites. Be

warned this site allows nudity.

 Posterous has great features like auto posting to all social sites and sharing

with groups.

 Smugmug gives users a 14 day free trial and has integrated photo sharing

with Twitter and Facebook.

 Ow.ly offers URL shortening and basic uploading.

 Socialcam is a fast way to shoot, upload and share video to Twitter or other

social sites.

 Viddy is a very polar application that lets you shoot and share within

minutes, this application also has filters and other enhancements. Screenr works like a mobile sharing application but is used on the pc or

Mac. This is a web based screen recorder and offers users the option of

built in commenting.

 Zocial.tv lets users share any video on Twitter with other social websites.

Music can also be shared on Twitter and there are some amazing

applications available such as:

 Tinysong works with a p2p music service called grooveshark and users

have the option of uploading songs to Twitter for sharing.

 Twisten.fm also works with p2p sharing site grooveshark and it allows

users to upload songs to Twitter as they are listening.

 Song.ly works with another p2p sharing site called Tagoo and this

application uses shortened urls that are sent to Twitter and point to the

song.

 Blip.fm integrates with Twitter and other social media sites allowing instant

song sharing once your accounts are synchronized.

 Twt.fm connects to your Twitter account and reproduces your Twitter page

so the user can store a playlist of music tweets.

 Twiturm is an application allows users to point to a mp3 link and upload

directly to Twitter.

 Musebin using tiny urls the user can share music directly on Twitter.

Chapter 18

FAQS about Twitter

What do I need to use Twitter?

All you need to use Twitter is an internet connection or a mobile phone.

Is there a subscription fee for using Twitter?

No, Twitter is a free social microblogging website.

How can I find my friends and family on Twitter?

You can easily find your friends by searching for them by name or their

username. You can also import your friends from other social media sites.

What does it mean to follow someone on Twitter?

When you follow someone on Twitter it means that you will be receiving

their Twitter updates.

How do I know who I'm following?

By clicking the follow button on someone’s profile you will be following

them. The follow button will turn green and a check mark will appear next to

the word following.

How do I know who is following me?

Twitter sends you a message that someone is following you.

Are there limits on follows?

There are limits after you are following 2000 users.

Can I block people from following me?

Yes you can block people from following you.

How can I send updates to Twitter?

You can send updates to Twitter from the internet, your phone or mobile

device.

Why is there a star at the end of updates?

The star is used to indicate that particular update as a favorite.

Can I put my Twitter updates on my blog?

Yes you can place a Twitter widget on your website or your blog.

What are @Replies?

An @reply is a public message that is sent from one member to another.

These replies are separated from normal updates by the @username

prefix.

What are Direct Messages?

Direct messages or DM(s) are private messages sent from one person to

another. You are only able to send a direct message to a person who

follows you.

Can I edit a Tweet once I post it?

No, you cannot edit a tweet. However, you can delete an update.

What does RT, or retweet, mean?

RT is the abbreviation for retweet and indicates a re-posting of someone

else's tweet.

Why can't I see all my tweets?

Tweets are not lost, currently there is a limit to the number of tweets that

can be displayed and the limit is 3200.

How do I report spam?

You can report spam by following Twitter’s spam account and send a direct

message reporting the username.

Why are accounts suspended?

An account can be suspended for Terms of Service violations or spamming

other Twitter members.

How do I submit a complaint about copyright, impersonation,

trademark, or other Terms of Service issues?

By reading the Twitter Terms of Service. For more info go to

http://Twitter.com/Gk4517901

What is Get Satisfaction?

Get Satisfaction is a site that members use to help each other figure out

issues on Twitter.

Is there a place where I can find out if there are problems with

Twitter?

Yes, by going to Twitter’s known issues page and reading the Twitter blog.

Chapter 19

So why Twitter?

There are a plethora of reasons for people to use Twitter here are just a
few:

 Twitter is more than a free microblogging platform it is a way of life. People

use Twitter to express themselves and communicate with everyone that is

important in their lives from family to friends to coworkers even if they are

halfway across the globe. But that is not all people use Twitter for; they also

use the community as a way to meet new friends or to market their

business brand.

 Twitter is an enormous information and news resource. No matter what

your question is, you can always ask the Twitter community and get an

answer. As for obtaining the latest news from around the world, Twitter

affords instant access to media outlets, journalists who write the news. All

you have to is search the Twitter stream or follow the news alerts.

 Times are hard are you looking for a job? Well, Twitter can help. With

Twitter you can tweet your need for a job, post your resume and locate

prospective employers. Many businesses post job openings and recruit

employees right on Twitter.

 If you want to get together with some friend go out to dinner, dance or even

just go for some coffee; Twitter is the easiest and most effective way to

contact the people you want to go out with.

 Use Twitter to vent. Ever had one of those days? On Twitter you can share

your frustrations with the community. You may get some helpful feedback

through a kind tweet. Twitter can be your frustration outlet.

 If you are a sports buff, Twitter is the place for you. You can follow your

favorite teams or favorite player. You can also get up to the minute game

results.  Want to know how that newly released movie turned out? How about the

playing value of a new video game? On Twitter you can get great input and

insight from other community members that have already seen that movie

or played that video game.

 Are you involved in politics or are you looking to get involved? The Twitter

community is full of politicians looking to keep in touch with their

constituents and the community.

 Like playing games online? Twitter offers access to third party game

applications that can be integrated with a Twitter account.

 Twitter is also a fantastic venue to use to market a business, product or

service. Twitter gets the word out about your business brand, service or

product. The community consists of millions of people and that means

millions of potential customers.

 As a business you can also use Twitter to recruit new employees or list job

postings for millions of potential employees.

 Twitter is also a way to notifying groups of people about an event. Whether

you have an upcoming business conference, reunion, wedding, party or

charity event Twitter is the way to reach out.