Online Networks - Thing 5

Thing 5 is about online networks or rather using online tools to network with friends, family and like-minded individuals. Two of the most popular were highlighted in this Thing: Facebook and Twitter.

I have an account on both tools but I use the Facebook account for personal, family and friends interaction. I have only recently started using Twitter so thought it might be a good one to have a closer look at.

I find the number of characters a challenge in twitter but that's part of the fun. Can you get your message across in 140 characters or less? I also wonder about whether people really want to read what I'm tweeting about, but my followers are continuing to increase so I take that as a good sign. I've also found out about things that I wouldn't have been aware about if I hadn't been looking at twitter - that's been really helpful. For example, I have to follow a gluten free diet and I wouldn't have been aware of cafes and restaurants in my locality that serve gf food and perhaps more seriously about recalls on gf food if it hadn't have been for twitter. I'm sure I would have found out about the recalls eventually but twitter was so speedy at getting the message across.

So this week I was tasked with:

• setting up a twitter account
• following @rudai23
• sending a tweet using #rudai23
• finding a list and subscribing to it
• and then writing my blog post

Well it was all going swimmingly until it came to finding a list to subscribe to. I have successfully followed three lists; rudai23, librarians in Ireland and networks (another list by Rudai23) but I found it difficult to find lists that I was interested in. I looked at the people I was following in order to see what lists they had subscribed to but the vast majority didn't use the facility so I don't know how useful it is. Do most twitter users get by without lists? I also found this way to be a particularly long-winded way to find lists so I'm sure that I have missed some search facility on twitter to do this easily.

All in all, I'm beginning to enjoy twitter. I frequently lose time in the mornings by looking at twitter (not so good as I should be getting ready to go to work). I don't stay on it all day, nor do I have it up on my PC during work as I don't get paid to look at twitter. I tend to sculk a bit in the background in Facebook even though it's with family and friends. For some reason, I interact a little bit more on twitter - that can only be a good thing.