Twitter was launched in 2006 and has grown to be the 8th most popular site in the US. The document discusses how Twitter can be used to share thoughts, get news, follow celebrities and interesting people, communicate with relatives, follow trends through hashtags, get customer service, and learn more through Twitter guides. However, it also notes some problems with using Twitter for news like misinformation and hijacked accounts during big events.

1. Irene E. McDermott
Interim City Librarian, Crowell Public Library
IMcDermott@CityofSanMarino.org
Author, Internet Book of Life (2011)

2. Twitter: Origins
March 21, 2006: First tweet.
July 2006: Launched by Jack Dorsey, Biz
Stone, Noah Glass, Evan Williams.
March 2007: Twitter is a hit at the South by
Southwest Interactive (SXSWi) conference.
Now: Twitter is the 8th
most popular site in
the United States.

3. Why Use Twitter?
Share your own thoughts.
Get breaking news.
Follow interesting people, like comedians
and celebrities. Even talk back to them!
Communicate with shy relatives.
Follow trends with hashtags: #
Get customer service.

4. Share Your Thoughts
Talk to your followers in 140 characters or
less.
Share a web site.
Share a photo or video.
Mention fellow Twitter users with @ sign.
Mark your tweet with a searchable subject
word using a hash tag: #

5. Hashtag
A hasthtag (or pound sign) marks key words or
topics.
If you insert a hashtag before an important word
in your tweet, that word becomes #searchable.
Search or follow trends with words marked by
hashtags. They are clickable.
#TheGreatGatsby soundtrack conjures a
consistent mood of noirish, doomed romance.

6. Get Breaking News
Follow your favorite
news organizations and
even newscasters.
Search for news by
subject hashtag.
Click on “Trends.”
@KNX1070 BREAKING
Magnitude 3.0 #quake,
centered 2 miles SE of
Marina Del Rey

7. Twitter News Problems
Sometimes news is unconfirmed and wrong.
Sunil Tripathi was named as the Boston Marathon
bomber on Twitter and Reddit. Tripathi was later
found dead.
Sometimes Twitter accounts can be hijacked. On
April 23, AP feed falsely said that Obama had been
hurt in a bombing. Syrian Electronic Army claimed
responsibility.
Big disasters will attract spammers.

8. Follow Interesting People
Comedians and
celebrities.
Even talk back to
them!
@ConanOBrien I
really liked your
show last night.
@andersoncooper
@jimmyfallon
@William Shatner

9. Communicate with Relatives
For families too shy to use FaceBook.
Who don’t want to say too much or start a
dialogue in email.
Can communicate with several at once.
 @mmcd21, @jhmcde, @a1rfoyle How are
you guys?

10. Follow Popular Trends
Discover on the left
hand side of the screen.
Search with keywords
with hashtag. #IRS
Click on keyword with
hashtag on a tweet.
Brad Pitt calls
#AngelinaJolie heroic.

11. Get Customer Service
Major companies have
Twitter feeds that they
monitor.
Get help from airlines:
@DeltaAssist
Long queue for phone
help? Tweet. You will
get a DM (direct
message) back.
Why isn't our Internet
working??? #ATTsucks

12. Where to Learn More
Twitter 101
https://support.twitter.com/articles/215585-
twitter-101-getting-started-with-twitter
Twitter Guide Book
http://mashable.com/guidebook/twitter/
Twitter: Getting Started
http://www.dummies.com/how-
to/internet/Blogging-Social-
Networking/Twitter/Getting-Started.html

13. Questions?