Ok, I did it. I gave in. I finally have a Twitter account!
Add CreativeCurio to your Twitter friends! It would be so fun to meet some of you readers who don’t comment but have a Twitter account. I’ll get a badge or something in the sidebar or footer soon, too.
Meanwhile, let me know how you keep up with all this action. Do you have a favorite browser plugin, widget or do you just use the web-based version?
And what else do I need to know? Any special Twitterquette?
I love Twitterfox, an add-on for Firefox. You get a little icon that shows you how many unread posts there are, you can easily reply and add a link to the web page you’re on with one click.
I don’t know about Twitterquette - just be yourself. That said, the people I enjoy the most post a good mix of things - some personal stuff but mainly insights along with links to interesting/inspirational/smart/funny articles and videos.
Chris Ritke´s last blog post: What? It’s costs $9? A month?
Chris,
I will try Twitterfox at home, thanks! I’m only allowed IE6 at work (ah, corporate America), so I think I’ll only be using the website here.
Hi! I don’t believe we’ve met yet
and you didn’t even come to jaiku :-(
Hey Lauren - Good to see you on Twitter. I was previously quite vocal in how much of a waste of time I thought it was, but I’ve had to eat my words - I’m actually quite fond of it now.
The great thing about Twitter is you really can post anything you want. If you want to tell the world about the jam sandwich you’re eating, why not? Of course you’ll probably find it more rewarding if you share interesting links and engage with like minded people on topics other than your sandwich of choice - but you will see people posting all sorts of random things.
Only thing I don’t like is when people over-tweet. Receiving dozens of updates from one person in a matter of minutes normally results in me unfollowing them.
Anyway, looking forward to seeing you on Twitter.
Aaron Russell´s last blog post: Real men don’t drink and drive
Yeah, I’ve got the TwitterFox too, very convenient. I can see how it can be fun and convenient for friends keeping in touch, just like any other IM. Frankly, I’m hoping to use it mostly for “important announcements”, news and such. No sandwich announcements from me, sorry ;)
It’s a nice way to learn more personal things about those people I know through their blogs. Admittedly I don’t use Twitter very often, but lately I’ve been searching more, using the http://search.twitter.com tool. That’s useful when seeing who’s talking about logos, or me!
Thanks for those recent emails, Lauren. I’ll get back to you as soon as…
Argh! It’s getting harder to resit the urge to join twitter when more and more people I respect/admire are using it :/
Although, like RSS a year or so ago, I’d imagine it’s one of those things I just have to jump into and learn to enjoy.. And it’d probably help build up relationships with other bloggers, something always fun
Alex Charchar´s last blog post: Why Do Creatives Create?
No one can resist the magnetism of twitter, it’s the law.
I’m afraid I’m one of those readers who don’t comment. Your posts are great and I’m learning a lot, but people’s comments are so good I feel I can’t reach that quality level.
I use twitterrific mainly because it’s very simple and clean, but many other people like browser plugins like twittbin, twitterfox, twittbar, etc. Once you try one of those apps you’ll never update via web again.
Enjoy twitter!
Hi Lauren and welcome to twitter! I joined up about a month ago and looked for you then, so it’s good to see you now.
I agree that it’s a great way of finding out more about people you’ve come to know via their blogs. I also thoroughly enjoy getting other people’s recommendations for blog articles, sites and artwork via twitter. That’s definitely part of the etiquette (sorry, I don’t go in for turning words into twitter words, like “tweeple” etc): retweeting other people’s posts or recommendations, and spreading the word.
I’m not so mad on people who have seemingly endless banter with each other, but without using the Direct Message function to do so (in other words, everyone who follows both of them gets to see their very extended conversation).
But mostly it’s fun, and I’m thrilled when people start following me - either through my site or some other way - and I’ve not encountered them before. That’s cool.
I’m going pretty strong on Twitter, pretty active (2500 followers nearly). It is a very powerful tool… I use Tweetdeck for it and also have my twitters automatically sent to my facebook account which actually sends more visitors than Twitter itself. I also have my blog posts automatically twitter.
http://twitter.com/justcreative
Jacob Cass´s last blog post: Designer In The Spotlight: Chris Spooner
Hmm, Twitterfox, I may try that. I signed up for Twitter about 2 month ago, but have never really used it for lack of time. I’ll try this FireFox add-on and see how it goes soon, and start adding people. I think I have Jacob on, and a few others, I’ll you Lauren - when I catch up on it all…
Andrew Kelsall´s last blog post: How to get a Design Job using Tinned Meat!
Ooops, thats “I’ll ADD you Lauren”, lol.
Sorry for not responding sooner, guys. I was writing replies to everyone Friday (nearly done, too!) and my computer froze. Then it wouldn’t boot again. Spent all weekend reformatting and reinstalling software. Then I had to call Adobe because my 3 activation limit was up for CS3 (I’ve had a lot of trouble with this computer build!). Ugh!! So I’ll get back to everyone asap.
No worries at all, Lauren!
I feel your pain.
Esben,
Most people are there, which is why I joined.
You gotta stop resisting the Twitter!!
Aaron,
That’s what I thought, too, but I’m hearing such great things about the networking capabilities and how much help people on Twitter are! It seems to have evolved into a really great tool! I wonder if the original creators thought it would ever be where it is today. I’m sure I will never be guilty of over-tweeting! If anything, I won’t post enough.
RaShell,
I wish I could use FF at work. I’ve tried twice to get it installed (have to go through requisitions even though it’s free!) and same answer every time, “Internet Explorer 6 is our company standard.” Yeah, no kidding. That’s why I want FF! TweetDeck has been recommended to me, so I’ll see if I can install that (runs on Adobe Air).
David,
Thanks for the tip on searching! I was only using it to find people to follow. I didn’t even think to use it to see who’s talking about what. Cool!
Alex,
But seriously, the reason I joined finally is because I’m seeing some awesome posts come out of people asking questions on Twitter and that’s something I couldn’t be a part of! And it is fun to ask questions and read people’s answers.
Resistance is futile. I tried
Juan,
And thanks for the tip on Twitterific. I’ll check out that app, too.
LOL, I think you’re right! And I would encourage you to comment. Everyone here is really nice and even if you have a “newbie” question or comment, please post it! I’m so happy to hear you are learning from what I write. That’s why I do it
Tracey,
Thanks! I’ve had quite a few people ask me to join when they finally give in. Like Aaron said above, I always thought it was just a big waste of time. I’m quite happy to eat my words in this regard, though! So far it’s been fun! I like all the links people share, too, but it can be too distracting sometimes!
Jacob,
What is the plugin you use to have your posts automatically send a tweet? I think I remember we talked about this before… does it Tweet scheduled articles, too?
You were my first follower—I guess now I know why
Andrew,
I find myself mostly lurking on Twitter right now. Sometimes I’ll say something or share a link, but mostly I’m just cruising what others post.
David,
Heh, thanks. Computers can be wonderful and absolutely terrible things all at the same time.
Yeah Lauren, Twitter is crowded with people compared to jaiku, but thats not the reason.
The reason is I get delicious, flickr, last.fm, comments and new blog post feeds from my contacts automatically (no need to post them) - this is the reason! In a sense its a tracking device at the same time.
and then there is channels..
Hey Lauren. Welcome to the Club. Really glad to see you there. So far I think you’re doing great on Twitter, so no etiquette preaching from me.
Just one thing: install TwitterFeed or Alex King Twitter Tools to tweet your latest blog posts. I usually get so busy that don’t have time to check my RSS feeds, but always check out the posts that were ‘tweeted’ about on Twitter.
And, you should add the link/icon to your Twitter account sooner than later. I’m constantly getting new followers after displaying the link to my Twitter account on iBit after launching the new design.
inspirationbit´s last blog post: Designing A Sustainable Future
Esben,
Yeah, it would be hard to switch once you’ve established yourself on a site (I feel that way about Yahoo!Mail…)
Vivien,
Oooh perfect! Thank you for those plugins. I was looking for something like that. I plan to tweak my footer tonight and add my Twitter link. Just branded my Twitter page too! Ahh… I should Tweet that! (oh here we go)
@inspirationbit Thanks for the tips about the plugins.
@Lauren - you need to go through requisitions for Firefox? That’s insane.
Tracey Grady´s last blog post: Fresh ideas for creating seamless websites
Tracey,
Oh you have no idea. I am not allowed to install ANYthing without permission. I do have admin rights, but if I install something and it blows my workstation up, it’s grounds for termination :/ I don’t even have access to webmail or Hallmark.com! Crazy.
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[…] the etiquette and fundamentals of Twitter, there are some useful comments on LaurenMaries’ CreativeCurio. If you are a user of this service, what do you think of it? If so, please add me to your Twitter […]